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Katherine Terrell
NEW ORLEANS — Saints quarterback Derek Carr has a shoulder injury that could put his status for the 2025 season in jeopardy, according to multiple reports Friday.
The Saints are scheduled to begin their offseason training program Monday. The injury puts Carr’s attendance in question as the team begins its first 2025 preparations under new coach Kellen Moore.
Carr has not played since he broke several bones in his non-throwing hand in Week 14 against the New York Giants. He missed seven games total in 2024 due to oblique and hand injuries, and the Saints started Spencer Rattler and Jake Haener in his place.
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Carr last dealt with a shoulder injury in 2023, when he sprained his AC joint at the beginning of the season, but he did not miss any games.
He has two years remaining on the contract he signed in 2023, but a source told ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler that he was open to testing the market earlier in the offseason. The Saints ended up restructuring his contract instead, effectively tying him to the team through the 2025 season.
The Saints hold the ninth pick in this month’s NFL draft and have four quarterbacks on the roster: Carr, Haener, Rattler and
Every year around this time, it’s normal to hear of NFL draft prospects being compared to past and present stars. These comps are helpful because they can give a sense (for better or worse) of how players project to the next level, and we get an idea of a player’s style of play.
We asked 14 draft analysts and experts — Aaron Schatz, Adam Rittenberg, Ben Solak, Bill Connelly, Dan Orlovsky, Field Yates, Jeff Legwold, Jordan Reid, Matt Bowen, Matt Miller, Mel Kiper Jr., Mike Tannenbaum, Steve Muench and Turron Davenport — to join in on the discussion and pick their favorite prospect-to-player comparison for the 2025 class. Their comps were made based on style of play, physical measurements, production and versatility — or some combination of all those traits.
So who does North Carolina running back Omarion Hampton remind us of? Who are good matches for star defenders such as Michigan’s Mason Graham and East Carolina’s Shavon Revel Jr.?
Let’s get into our favorite prospect-to-pro comps for this year’s draft class.
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— Ben Solak, NFL analyst
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Shavon Revel picks off Appalachian State
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Stephen Holder
The cause of death of former NFL cornerback Vontae Davis was ruled undetermined, according to an autopsy report released by the Broward County (Florida) medical examiner Friday.
Davis was found unresponsive by his personal assistant in his home gym in Southwest Ranches, Florida, on April 1, 2024. He was 35.
No foul play is suspected, police said at the time.
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“Due to the totality of the circumstances, including inconsistencies between the scene and the findings at autopsy, the cause and manner of death in this case is best classified as undetermined,” the autopsy report states.
Under the category of “blunt force injuries,” the report notes a 1.5-inch red abrasion near Davis’ right eye, a small “subgaleal hemorrhage” near his right occipital bone and “layering of the muscles of the back” that revealed “hemorrhage in the deep muscles of the upper back.” The report did not speculate how Davis suffered those injuries.
The toxicology report that was part of Friday’s release found the presence of several substances, including amphetamines/methamphetamines.
Davis was a first-round pick of the Miami Dolphins in 2009. He was traded to the Indianapolis Colts in 2012 and went on to make the Pro Bowl twice (2014, ’15) in his six seasons with the team. Davis also appeared in one game with the Buffalo Bills in 2018.
The younger brother of former Pro Bowl tight end Vernon Davis, Vontae Davis had 22 career interceptions in 121 games.
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Daniel Oyefusi
The Cleveland Browns and veteran quarterback Joe Flacco have reached agreement on a one-year, $4 million contract, his agent, Joe Linta, told ESPN’s Adam Schefter on Friday.
The deal returns Flacco to Cleveland, where he won the NFL’s Comeback Player of the Year award in 2023.
The contract can be worth up to $13 million with incentives. The Browns also announced an agreement with Flacco on Friday without disclosing terms.
Flacco also spoke with the Pittsburgh Steelers and Minnesota Vikings but opted to spend his 18th NFL season with the Browns. Co-owner Jimmy Haslam had told a group of local reporters at the NFL’s annual meeting that Flacco remained an option for the team.
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