DETROIT

The Lions and former WR Calvin Johnson are mending their relationship.  Eric Woodyard of ESPN.com:

Although no current Detroit Lions players were on site for any offseason workout programs, the practice facility was open for one of the greatest players in franchise history on Sunday.

Hall of Fame receiver Calvin Johnson returned to host a high school football camp, welcoming all positions, in partnership with the Lions.

Johnson’s connection with the Lions has been trending up lately as the franchise tries to repair its relationship with him. He was spotted on the sidelines during an OTA session in late May in addition to returning for the last day of mandatory minicamp Thursday.

He said, “it feels good to be around the guys,” but doesn’t have a designated role with the team.

He credits Lions chief operating officer Mike Disner for helping mend the relationship, although he says there’s still work to be done.

“I always say Mike Disner’s been a huge part of bringing this thing back together with the team,” Johnson said. “So I’m appreciative of them, appreciative of the whole organization allowing me to have it here and collabing with me in doing that because it’s a heck of an experience for these kids.”

Johnson’s relationship soured in Detroit after being forced to pay back a little more than $1 million to the Lions upon his retirement after the 2015 season. However, he has been around the team facility more than usual this offseason, even joining Lions great Barry Sanders in welcoming Detroit rookies Jahmyr Gibbs and Jack Campbell once they arrived in Michigan with their families.

“I don’t know, I just want to be here for the team, and for the players,” Johnson said during Sunday’s camp. “I’ve got a lot of experience, on and off the field, so I’d love to share it.”

Fellow Hall of Famer Warren Sapp was among the many former pros to assist at Johnson’s camp Sunday. Sapp called it “a beautiful thing whenever an organization brings back one of their signature players.”

“Barry didn’t end too well either up here, so it’s just one of those things where we’re grown now,” Sapp told ESPN. “Let’s let bygones be bygones and let’s just move on because it’s a better and bigger purpose out there.

“It’s always good whenever you do right by your legends because we were sitting underneath the Doug Williams curse [in Tampa Bay] until [head coach] Jon [Gruden] brought him on the sidelines with us, trust me. I saw Doug the other day, too, and we talked about it, trust me. You sit underneath those curses with your former players that you didn’t do right. Yes.”

NEW YORK GIANTS

The Giants have a problem with RB SAQUON BARKLEY.

The Giants have until July 17 to get a long-term contract completed with Saquon Barkley. Otherwise, the running back will have to play under the one-year, $10.1 million franchise tag.

Or he could sit out the season.

Barkley didn’t rule that out while speaking to reporters Sunday after his youth football game in Jersey City.

“For me, it’s like we got until July 17,” Barkley said, via Andrew Crane of the New York Post. “They can say what they want. We can say what we want. . . . Just one day at a time. One day at a time. Now, that day comes up and I have to sit down and have that conversation, then I will sit down and have that conversation.

“We’ll see what’s the best plan for me to do.”

Former NFL running back Le’Veon Bell sat out the 2018 season, refusing to sign the franchise tag in a contract dispute with the Steelers. He since repeatedly has said he regrets his decision as Bell’s career never was the same again.

After months of talks, Barkley said he doesn’t know whether the sides will come to an agreement in the next month. He is hoping so, though.

“I think they’re open to talking,” Barkley said. “I think I’m open to talking. But I think at the end of the day, when you really break it down and look at it as a whole, it’s not a rush. There’s no rush. We still have time. . . . July 17 is not tomorrow. It’s not in a week. We still have time, and that’s how I look at it.”

Barkley, who rushed for 1,312 yards and 10 touchdowns in 2022, expressed frustration with the team’s front office. He accused the Giants of “misleading” and “untruthful” leaks about negotiations, with reports he turned down deals with annual average values of $12.5 million to $13 million.

Barkley said the reports “tried to make me look like I’m greedy,” adding that he is not trying to reset the running back market.

“It’s all about respect,” Barkley said, via Pat Leonard of the New York Daily News. “That’s really what it is.”

Barkley has not signed the franchise tag, so he is not under contract and thus will not attend the team’s mandatory minicamp this week.

CAROLINA

David Newton of ESPN.com on QB BRYCE YOUNG:

It seems everything is about the top pick of the draft, but for good reason. How well Young adjusts to the offense will determine how effective he is out of the gate. So far he has handled it brilliantly, running the offense as well as, if not better than, veteran Andy Dalton, which is why he was elevated to the first team last week. He finds ways to get passes into tight windows and seldom makes mistakes. If this continues in mandatory camp he’ll become further entrenched on the first team. — David Newton

SAN FRANCISCO

The 49ers now own an English soccer team, albeit one that just fell out of the Premier League.  The AP:

The San Francisco 49ers ownership group has reached an agreement to take over English soccer club Leeds with NBA players Larry Nance Jr. and T.J. McConnell joining as minority investors.

The NFL team’s investment arm — 49ers Enterprises — originally bought a 15 percent stake from Leeds chairman Andrea Radrizzani in 2018 and increased it to 44 percent in late 2021.

Leeds didn’t specify the sale price for the remaining 56 percent but British media reported it to be 170 million pounds ($214 million).

“Both parties continue to work through the details, and further updates will be provided soon,” Leeds said in a statement Friday. “All of our focus remains on a quick return to the Premier League.”

Leeds will play in the second-tier Championship next season after being relegated from the Premier League.

Nance and McConnell revealed on social media that they’ve joined the ownership group. No financial details were provided.

Nance, a forward for the New Orleans Pelicans, wrote on Instagram that he was “absolutely honored to be part of the new ownership group.” McConnell, a point guard with the Indiana Pacers, said he was “humbled and honored.”

More from The Athletic:

White smoke from Elland Road and finally, a takeover that had to happen has reached the point of no return.

49ers Enterprises has formalities to complete before it officially becomes owner of Leeds United, but an agreement in principle with Andrea Radrizzani, announced by the club this evening, effectively spells the end of Radrizzani’s six-year reign.

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In some ways, this buy-out has been five years in the making for 49ers Enterprises, the endpoint of the small investment the U.S. fund first made before Leeds were promoted to the Premier League. But what does the takeover mean for the club and what happens next? How has relegation altered 49ers Enterprises’ vision and how will it set about getting the club promoted again?

Here, The Athletic answers some of the questions arising from today’s breakthrough.

Who or what is 49ers Enterprises?

The name itself needs no introduction. The U.S. fund has been on the scene at Leeds as a shareholder since 2018 and its takeover — always planned as a phased process — has been in the pipeline since it increased its stake to more than 30 per cent at the end of 2020.

One point to deal with first: 49ers Enterprises, despite the title, is not the same as the San Francisco 49ers NFL franchise. It is controlled by the owners of the 49ers and its president, Paraag Marathe, has responsibilities across both organisations, but 49ers Enterprises is an investment vehicle, set up to seek private equity opportunities away from NFL. In the past, for example, it has invested in renewable energy technology (albeit with far less fanfare than English football). Leeds, by a distance, are its most high-profile purchase.

For different projects, 49ers Enterprises pulls together different pools of investors, meaning the make-up of the group funding the purchase of Leeds is unique and specific for this deal. The demographic is one of high-net-worth individuals, venture capitalists and private equity firms, merged together as a consortium to finance the buy-out of Leeds. At least one of the major parties has a background in U.S. professional sport. So while there is a clear link to the 49ers NFL team, the NFL team is not itself taking over.

Because of Leeds’ relegation last month, dropping from the Premier League to the Championship, the investment group courted by 49ers Enterprises has changed in the period leading up to Radrizzani’s sale. For instance, one prominent venture capitalist company based on America’s west coast stepped away from the bid. It was prepared to buy into a Premier League team but not one in the EFL. Nonetheless, 49ers Enterprises still had the cash it needed to finalise the deal.

At the core of its group are a collection of around 11 key investors, the big players in this takeover and the source of a high percentage of the cash needed to buy Leeds. The Lowy Group, the Australian family and property empire represented by Leeds director Peter Lowy, has been part of the project for two years now. These are the most relevant people in the project, the biggest sources of finance and those with the strongest influence.

Behind them is a larger collection of more minor investors, seen as bringing “added value” to the buy-out. Many of those injections are far smaller, around the six-figure mark. Some are athletes and most are well-known in either business or celebrity circles. The New Orleans Pelicans basketball player, Larry Nance Jr, gave firm hints about his involvement on Twitter this week. But their influence on strategic matters at Elland Road will be minimal, if indeed they have any.

That is an important aspect of the takeover: as much as there are numerous individuals behind 49ers Enterprises’ acquisition, Leeds will not be run by the whole collective as a committee. Marathe, Leeds’ existing vice-president, becomes club chairman and will have active responsibility for the overall management of United. Collin Meador, a colleague of Marathe’s and another senior figure at 49ers Enterprises, could join the Elland Road board too. In total, there could be as many as five new directors appointed, representing the investment group.

Marathe and Meador will spend time in England but are expected to be predominantly U.S.-based. As a result, 49ers Enterprises will retain existing Leeds CEO Angus Kinnear to oversee day-to-day operations, ultimately answering to Marathe. Kinnear was heavily involved in bringing the complicated buy-out of Radrizzani to a successful conclusion and is seen as an asset by the Americans, irrespective of the decline in the club’s performance over the past two seasons. One thing 49ers Enterprises is clear about is the need for a larger senior management team at Elland Road.

DENVER

It appears that Sean Payton doesn’t want to put all of his running back eggs in the DALVIN COOK basket.  Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com:

The Denver Broncos were believed to be a potential landing spot for free-agent running back Dalvin Cook. Now that he’s available to be signed by any team at any time, that doesn’t seem to be the case.

Via Mike Klis of 9News.com, the Broncos “do not appear to be in on” Cook, who was officially cut by the Vikings on Friday.

Broncos coach Sean Payton has made clear his desire to have an abundance of options at the position. That was his practice in New Orleans, even when the team had spent the second overall pick in the draft on tailback Reggie Bush.

For the Broncos, newcomer Samaje Perine is expected to be a major contributor, and the Broncos are hoping third-year option Javonte Williams will continue his recovery from a torn ACL, so that the workload can be split.

Klis expects the Broncos to add another running back or two, but it sounds like it will be someone at the lower end of the depth chart, not a player of the caliber of Cook.

If the Broncos did indeed have interest in Cook, it’s possible that the interest fizzled once they became aware of Cook’s financial expectations.

It’s unclear what he wants, but he’d make $2 million from the Vikings if he doesn’t play at all this year. The offer presumably needs to be sufficiently more than $2 million to make it worth Cook’s while not to sit and wait for the season to end — and for budgets and cap dollars to replenish.

This from Jeff Legwold of ESPN.com on the current RBs:

Storyline to watch: Running backs

The Broncos have been happy with Javonte Williams’ work this offseason as he returns from a season-ending knee injury in Week 4 in 2022. Coach Sean Payton believes Williams will be ready to partially participate at the start of training camp and that Williams is expected to be ready by the start of the regular season. Payton said Samaje Perine, who hasn’t had more than 95 carries in a season since his rookie year in 2017, could work as a No. 1 back if Williams needs more time. The Broncos will keep phone numbers for veteran running backs handy just in case, but minicamp will be the last chance before training camp for others on the roster to show potential. — Jeff Legwold

BUFFALO

Well-traveled RB LATAVIUS MURRAY is home.  Coral Smith of NFL.com:

After nine years with five NFL teams, Latavius Murray will finally be playing at home with the Buffalo Bills, and the veteran running back said this week his singular focus is to play a part in the Bills’ journey to win the franchise’s first Super Bowl in 2023.

“The only goal is to go out here and compete for a championship and do everything I can to make that happen,” Murray said Friday, via The Buffalo News.

The Bills entered the 2022 season as most analysts’ Super Bowl favorites, but fell short in the playoffs for the fourth year in a row under head coach Sean McDermott.

While five postseason appearances in six years still puts them among the top teams in recent years, Bills players have been open about their desire to break through and win a Super Bowl, a milestone that has eluded the franchise thus far.

2023 will mark another year where the team is expected to compete for an AFC East division crown and possibly make a deep playoff run, and Murray said that chance to join a Super Bowl-contending squad was the “first and foremost” reason for signing with the Bills.

“A team has just been there year in and year out, and I think it’s just a long season,” Murray said. “I think you want to be playing your best ball late in the season. I know we have that mentality and that’s what we want to be doing this year.”

For his part, Murray will hope to play a key role in Buffalo’s revamped running back unit that will feature multiple new faces. The Bills’ go-to rusher, Devin Singletary, joined the Texans in the offseason, meaning James Cooks (507 yards) and Josh Allen (762) are the only returning players who had more than 100 total rushing yards for the team last year.

Murray had 703 rushing yards and five touchdowns in 12 games after being signed by the Broncos off the Saints’ practice squad mid-season, and in the past once hit the 1,000-yard rushing mark in 2015, when he started all 16 games. And now, having signed a one-year deal in May to join the Bills, he’s excited for the opportunity to play competitive football in the state where he grew up.

“I’m happy to be a part of this great organization, this great fan base,” Murray said Friday, via The Buffalo News. “Happy to be back in New York. I’ll say that again. It means everything to me. As a kid, I grew up just down the road.”

Along with Cook, Murray is expected to compete for snaps with Nyheim Hines and Damien Harris, who were both signed this offseason, and Murray said with the way the group has already been making each other better, he’s feeling even more positive about the team’s chances at a first Lombardi Trophy come the fall.

“We’ve got a great group of running backs,” Murray said. “We have a great locker room, all in all. It’s been great here to get to know everybody. (We’ve) been getting better, been working out, training (and) been on the field now some. Just growing and learning and continuing to improve, that’s the goal.”

Murray was born in Orlando, Florida and initially lived in nearby Titusville.  But then his mother sent him north.

When he was a child, Murray’s mother moved him and his brother to the Syracuse area to live with his grandfather. As a youth, his fascination with sports led him to join local basketball, football and track teams. He also was an avid follower of Syracuse University’s sports teams. Eventually, Murray’s athletic efforts would earn him a place on the All-CNY Boys’ Basketball Team and All-CNY, All-League and All-State honors in football. During high school, he received many offers from colleges. Ultimately, he decided to pursue his education out of state in order to experience life away from home. However, he never forgot about Syracuse University or the city where he spent so many years perfecting his craft.

He went back to Florida to go to UCF, but in 2020 earned an MBA from Syracuse University.

MIAMI

The founder of TuAnon, an on-line support group for QB TUA TAGOVIALOA has died.  And WR TYREEK HILL and Tua have led the way in supporting his grieving family.  Adam Beasley of Pro Football Network:

The Miami Dolphins fan community is reeling from the sudden death of Eric Carmona, the creator of the We Are TuAnon Twitter account and father of four.

But many have turned their grief into action, and in the four days since his death, raised more than $40,000 for his family.

The biggest donation? A $7,000 contribution from Dolphins wide receiver Tyreek Hill, per the GoFundMe page set up by a family friend.

UPDATE (June 6, 9:20 p.m.): Since this story’s original publication, Tagovailoa has donated $10,000 to the Carmonas.

The page announcing Carmona’s passing was created a day after he was killed in a two-vehicle accident in Murrieta, Calif., before dawn Thursday.

The GoFundMe posting read: “Eric Carmona, also known as FinsVicious, was a proud Navy veteran, and a die hard Miami Dolphins and Tua fan. But, most importantly, he was a great husband to Vanessa and an amazing father to his 4 children.

“Eric passed away Thursday early morning on his way to work at the young age of 30 and he will be missed by everyone who has been touched by his words and friendship.

“Funds are being raised in honor of Eric to help Vanessa and their children through this tragedy.”

The response from the public was quick and overwhelming. After three days, the fundraiser was more than 80% of the way towards its $50,000 goal, thanks to the sizable donation from Hill on behalf of his Soul Runner Speed Academy.

“My little family is beyond grateful to everyone who has made a donation,” Vanessa Carmona wrote Sunday. “You can’t imagine how grateful I am and how grateful Eric would be to see this support.”

Carmona’s legacy in sports will be as Tua Tagovailoa’s most creative supporter on Twitter. He created the We Are TuAnon account in September 2021 as a satirical counterbalance to what many Dolphins fans saw as unfair treatment of Tagovailoa in the media.

On Friday, the account sent the following message to its 23,000 followers:

“To be clear, for all [intents and] purposes, Eric was TuAnon. The videos were him, the modulator was him. The interviews with media were him. We’ll miss you Chico. Eric was a navy veteran, massive Tua fan, massive Dolphins fan, great husband, and great father.”

Carmona last posted on his private Twitter account on May 31.

His final message: “Give people their flowers while they can still smell them.”

Other significant donations have come from Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com and Emmanuel Acho.

NEW YORK JETS

QB AARON RODGERS says he’s having fun in New Jersey, citing a Taylor Swift concert.  Rich Cimini of ESPN.com:

Quarterback Aaron Rodgers, whose offseason began with trade rumors and his celebrated darkness retreat, ended it Friday with perfect attendance and a bright outlook for his first season with the New York Jets.

“The last six weeks have been about the most fun I’ve had in a while,” Rodgers said after the Jets’ final OTA practice.

The Jets, who cancelled next week’s mandatory minicamp, now begin a six-week break before training camp.

Rodgers, who skipped voluntary practices in recent years with the Green Bay Packers, attended all 10 OTA sessions. He didn’t participate in a few early practices because of a strained right calf, but he showed up every day and was a vocal presence on the field and in meetings. He ended Friday’s practice on a positive note — a completion to wide receiver Garrett Wilson.

Initially, Rodgers had planned to return to his home in California before the end of OTAs to work with his personal trainers, but he decided it was best to rehab his calf injury at the team facility. He said the extra time in New Jersey was beneficial for different reasons.

“It made for a lot of opportunities for some get-togethers in the city, obviously Taylor Swift concert,” he said. “We had some good team dinners and a lot of hang-out time, so that was good.

“The on-the-field stuff was really important as we start to work through some of the adjustments and signals and just kind of being the other voice in the room with [offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett] in the installs and in the quarterback room.”

Hackett said the offense is “far away” from where it needs to be. Told of Hackett’s quote, Rodgers smiled.

“That’s coach talk,” he said. “I like where we’re at and I appreciate, as every player does, that Rob [Saleh] cut the last week.”

The Jets face the Cleveland Browns on Aug. 3 in the Hall of Fame Game, which means an earlier reporting date for training camp — the main reason why Saleh cancelled minicamp.

Rodgers, acquired April 24 in a blockbuster trade, said he’d like to schedule informal workouts on the West Coast with the receivers and other quarterbacks during the break. He said wide receiver Mecole Hardman, who missed the offseason due to core-muscle surgery, already has expressed an interest in participating.

Quarterback Zach Wilson organized it last offseason — he hosted about a dozen teammates at a resort in Idaho — but a lot has changed since then. Wilson, replaced by Rodgers, is now the No. 2 quarterback.

Addressing the media for the first time since the end of the season, Wilson — the No. 2 overall pick in 2021 — was upbeat and relaxed as he discussed the Rodgers trade and its impact on his career trajectory.

“Yeah, I mean, of course, I would like to be the guy, so at first you’re not always happy about that,” he said, recalling his reaction to the trade. “But I’m extremely psyched that, out of any quarterback you could’ve brought in, it was him.”

Wilson said Jets officials were transparent during the process, adding, “I can’t be bitter with the situation. I didn’t perform well and you have to take situations as they come.”

Well before the trade, Wilson went to Southern California to visit Rodgers, whom he has described as a childhood idol. They had a preexisting friendship, so he went to Rodgers’ house to hang out and talk a little ball. After that, the Rodgers-Jets rumors intensified.

Wilson has received praise from coaches and teammates on the way he has handled the demotion, with Saleh saying, “I give him a ton of credit. … It’s very humbling to be in his shoes right now.”

Wilson agreed, saying he was humbled by two disappointing seasons as the starter. He believes learning from Rodgers, who he called an ideal mentor, will benefit his career in the long run.

“I think right now I’m having a ton of fun, more fun than I’ve had,” he said. “And I think that’s just the quarterback room, being with Aaron. I think it’s feeling like every single day there’s so much to learn. It’s like every day I just learned 10 different things about playing quarterback position.”

In other developments, the Jets have a preliminary interest in free agent running back Dalvin Cook, according to Saleh, who said, “We’ll turn the stones over on that one.” He deferred to general manager Joe Douglas, adding, “I’m not sure how the money works on that.”

The Jets have approximately $24 million in cap room, but they may not want to splurge for a running back.

LB C.J. MOSLEY might not be all smiles.  Adam LaRose of ProFootballRumors.com:

The Jets have already agreed to a re-worked contract once with linebacker C.J. Mosley. The parties may end up doing so again as they continue exploring their financial options this offseason.

New York has approached Mosley’s agent about a restructure, per the New York Post’s Brian Costello. The 30-year-old is due to count $21.5MM on the Jets’ capsheet for each of the next two seasons. That setup is the result of the re-worked contract the sides agreed to before the start of the 2022 campaign, which also saw two void years tacked onto the deal.

Mosley signed a five-year, $85MM pact in 2019, one which helped raise the ceiling of contracts at the position. He joined the Jets with substantial expectations given those terms, along with his level of play with the Ravens at the start of his career. However, the former first-rounder played just two games in his first year in the Big Apple and opted out of the 2020 season.

He has delivered much more signficant performances in the past two years, though. Mosley logged seasons of 168 and 158 tackles in 2021 and ’22, respectively, adding three sacks, nine pass deflections and one interception over that span. He was named a Pro Bowler and earned second-team All-Pro honors for the fifth time in his career last season. Lowering his cap hit would would have obvious benefits in the short-term future, though adding further to his cap burden down the line represents a notable downside.

“They talked to my agent. I’m not really concerned or worried about it too much,” Mosley said about the situation. “I come here to work every day, focused on getting better and trying to win a championship and being the best player I can be. Whatever happens, happens. It hasn’t been a concern.”