Month: August 2026

With the NFL cutdown day off to a fast start, there have been plenty of trades, surprise cuts, and even a future Hall of Famer coming out of retirement. Sunday provided much-needed news in a truly eventful fashion. Three-time Defensive Player of the Year Aaron Donald is coming out of retirement for one last championship run on a one-year deal with the Los Angeles Rams. Meanwhile, Odell Beckham Jr. made the New York Giants’ 53-man roster, continuing his story right where it began. Running back Josh Jacobs went on the Commissioner’s Exempt list, which prompted the Green Bay Packers to acquire running back Kaleb Johnson from the Pittsburgh Steelers. In Minnesota, the Vikings kept J.J. McCarthy, while the Titans moved on from quarterback Will Levis. Here’s the latest NFL news that took place on Sunday. After months of speculation, the payoff finally arrived. The Los Angeles Rams lured three-time Defensive Player of the Year Aaron Donald out of retirement on a one-year, $20 million deal, ESPN first reported on Sunday afternoon. The deal can reach as much as $30 million with incentives, assuming he plays up to expectations this season. Donald joins one of the league’s top defenses, forming a dominant front alongside Myles Garrett and pairing two of the greatest defensive linemen in NFL history. “I think this is a complete team with me here or without me here,” Donald told reporters about re-joining the Rams. “I already thought it was a stacked D-line with Verse … then you bring a guy like Myles Garrett, a generational talent, and it’s like, that could be fun, right? After Donald last suited up for the Rams in 2023 and announced his retirement in March 2024 at the age of 32, the Rams posted back-to-back winning seasons. Now, after continuing to strengthen their defense, they welcome the legend back. With Donald back in action, he’s expected to make his long-awaited debut in Week 1 when the Rams take on the San Francisco 49ers at Melbourne Cricket Ground in Melbourne, Australia. After years of injuries, Beckham is back on a Week 1 roster – and it’s a familiar one for him. He earned a spot on the Giants’ 53-man roster, completing a full-circle journey that lands him back where his career started. After weeks of speculation, Beckham has officially made the cut. This marks the first time he’ll be on the Giants’ Week 1 roster since 2018 and with Malik Nabers working his way back from injury. “I never wanted to leave; I wanted to win,” Beckham told reporters after the Giants’ preseason win over the Jets. “All I ever wanted was for the Giants organization was win a championship. All I ever wanted to do was be great, and those things still very much matter to me.” Adding depth with an experienced player like Beckham was a must for head coach John Harbaugh. Now, with Beckham set to make the roster, the Giants have improved the receiver room from last season for second-year quarterback Jaxson Dart. Beckham was selected No. 12 overall in the 2014 NFL Draft and he put up staggering numbers during his Giants tenure. In 59 games, he recorded 390 catches, 5,476 yards, and 44 touchdowns before he was traded to the Cleveland Browns in 2019 With Nabers returning, Beckham joins a Giants receiver room alongside Darnell Mooney, Darius Slayton, and Notre Dame third-round pick Malachi Fields. Beckham offers depth while Nabers, Fields, and Mooney absorb most early snaps. The Green Bay Packers officially placed edge rusher Micah Parsons on the Reserve/Physically Unable to Perform (PUP) list Sunday, ruling him out for at least the first four games of the regular season. Parsons continues to recover from a torn ACL and meniscus damage sustained last December against the Denver Broncos. Under NFL regulations, placement on the Reserve/PUP list requires a minimum four-game absence, sidelining Parsons for matchups against the Minnesota Vikings, New York Jets, Atlanta Falcons, and Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He remains on track for a potential October return, making a Week 6 matchup against his former team, the Dallas Cowboys, a possible target. In a separate move, running back Josh Jacobs was placed on the commissioner’s exempt list on Sunday, which prevents him from practicing or playing while the league continues its review. The decision follows a May arrest in Wisconsin, where initial domestic abuse charges were reduced Thursday to two misdemeanors: misdemeanor battery and criminal damage to property. Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst acknowledged earlier in the week that the organization was “preparing” for a potential league suspension. To address backfield depth with Jacobs unavailable, Green Bay acquired running back Kaleb Johnson in a trade with the Pittsburgh Steelers. The Packers also made two trades on Sunday. To address backfield depth with Jacobs unavailable, Green Bay acquired running back Kaleb Johnson in a trade with the Pittsburgh Steelers. The Packers addressed their backfield depth by acquiring running back Kaleb Johnson from the Pittsburgh Steelers. Johnson, a 2025 third-round draft choice out of Iowa, saw limited action in Pittsburgh behind Jaylen Warren and Rico Dowdle, logging 28 carries for 69 yards across 10 games as a rookie. He joins a Packers running back room that includes MarShawn Lloyd and Chris Brooks as Green Bay prepares for the regular season with starter Josh Jacobs on the commissioner’s exempt list. During his final season at Iowa, Johnson rushed for 1,537 yards and 21 touchdowns. The Green Bay Packers traded second-year quarterback Kyle McCord to the Miami Dolphins on Sunday in exchange for a 2028 sixth-round draft pick. McCord, 23, is positioned to serve as the primary backup to starting quarterback Malik Willis in Miami. The trade follows a strong preseason finale performance by McCord, who completed 22 of 35 passes for 226 yards and four touchdowns against the Arizona Cardinals. With Tyrod Taylor serving as Jordan Love’s backup in Green Bay, McCord was slated for third-string duties. Miami created roster availability over the weekend by trading quarterback Quinn Ewers to the Jacksonville Jaguars and releasing backup quarterbacks Cam Miller and Mark Gronowski. After weeks of speculation regarding J.J. McCarthy’s future with the Minnesota Vikings, his future (at least in the short term) is now set. The second-year quarterback from Michigan is expected to make the Vikings’ final 53-man roster, as first reported by ESPN. General manager Nolan Teasley has the final say over the Vikings’ 53-man roster, and he decided that the Vikings will carry quarterbacks Murray, McCarthy, Carson Wentz and Max Brosmer on their roster heading into the regular season. That could change in the two weeks before the Vikings’ regular-season opener, but O’Connell now has a strong mix of experience and development in the room. After missing his entire rookie season with a meniscus tear, McCarthy underwhelmed in his first year as a starter in 2025. He completed just 57.6% of his passes for 1,632 yards, totaling 15 touchdowns against 12 interceptions. Minnesota went 6-4 in the 10 games McCarthy started as he battled ankle and hand injuries, as well as a concussion. Still, those results weren’t enough to fully convince O’Connell and his staff that he is the long-term franchise quarterback. All eyes now shift to the coming week to see if McCarthy remains on the active roster or if a trade partner finally emerges for the former 2024 first-round pick. The Tennessee Titans released quarterback Will Levis on Sunday as part of their final 53-man roster cutdowns. The decision solidifies veteran Mitchell Trubisky as the primary backup behind 2025 No. 1 overall pick Cam Ward heading into the regular season. Levis completed 53.8% of his passes for 200 yards across three preseason appearances this summer before the team made the move. Originally selected by Tennessee with the 33rd overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, Levis started nine games as a rookie before earning the starting job in 2024. He struggled through a 2-10 record as a starter that season, throwing 13 touchdowns and 12 interceptions while battling shoulder issues. After the Titans selected Ward with the top overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, Levis missed the entire 2025 campaign following season-ending shoulder surgery in July.​Latest Sports News from FOX Sports

The Milwaukee Mile — Alex Palou has trouble even thinking about winning a record eight INDYCAR titles. “It’s crazy. It’s 100 percent more than what I had this morning,” Palou told me Sunday night after winning his fifth championship. “It’s quite a lot.” At 29 years old, Palou is the youngest to achieve five titles. Only two other people have ever done it — A.J. Foyt (seven) and Scott Dixon (six). Dixon, a Chip Ganassi Racing teammate of Palou’s, believes Palou could match him and potentially win more. Palou has won his five titles over the last six years, including his fourth consecutive crown this season. “He’s damn close already so I think with the roll that he’s been on, it’s been an epic roll and one that’s been a standout if you look at history just in general with what they’ve done in the past four years, is crazy,” Dixon told me Saturday. “The [competition for] championships haven’t really been championships. Kudos to them. Congrats to him and everybody on that team.” Pato O’Ward, who swept the weekend races at The Milwaukee Mile and sits fourth in the standings, joked that he would give Dixon — who is moving to Arrow McLaren and will be a teammate of O’Ward starting next year — a goat. And Palou? Even though they’re not teammates, he’d give him a baby goat. But in a couple of years, O’Ward knows Palou might deserve a goat that matches Dixon. “The guy lives rent free in everyone’s head in the paddock,” O’Ward said in his post-race news conference. “He’s raised that bar, him and Ganassi. That [No.] 10 car has been unbelievable. “Must be nice. One day we’ll get there.” But when? Some say the new car in 2028 will be the opportunity for the field to catch Palou, who has won 14 races in the last two seasons. Palou, one of a couple of drivers who has tested the car, chuckles when he hears that. “The good thing is that I feel it fits my driving style even better than the current one, so it’ll be fun,” Palou said. That’s the competitor in Palou speaking, not a driver who thinks about winning eight titles. The Spaniard’s eyes aren’t on that goal. His focus remains on the one race left in the 2026 season, a trip to Laguna Seca next weekend. “It’s very tough to realize while you’re doing it and while you think that there’s still more to go,” Palou said. “I feel it’s going to be super cool when I retire and I look back and be like, ‘Hey, you won X amount of championships and you accomplished all this stuff.’ “It’s going to be super cool. But now, it’s super cool to win this one and to try and go to Laguna and win at Laguna.” Dixon indicated that is the way most champions approach making history with championships. “For him, it’s the same for me, you focus on the weekend and if the championships come, that’s fantastic,” Dixon said. “But if we’re looking at what he’s achieved, it’s crazy.” Their boss, Chip Ganassi, wouldn’t bet against Palou to reach eight. “You’d be crazy not to believe that,” Ganassi said during the championship news conference. “I wouldn’t want to bet against that, I know that. I don’t know what the odds are in Vegas of that, but I wouldn’t want to bet against it. “It’s possible, it can happen. It can absolutely happen.” Palou, for now, will just look to improve. He marvels at the fact that he has a career-high seven poles this year, including at some places where he hasn’t had the speed in previous years. But he actually hasn’t won from the pole all that often — only twice. “I know, it’s been terrible,” Palou said about the races where he won the pole. “I stopped doing that [winning poles]. … There were five poles that we didn’t make it into wins.” And what about eight titles and breaking the record? “Is it possible? For sure … 100 percent,” Palou said. “I feel like this team and the way I feel, I still have so much to learn that it’s doable. But there’s so much we need to accomplish to get to eight. “I’ll work for that for sure. But I’ll work to get six first.”​Latest Sports News from FOX Sports

You probably heard about Aaron Donald’s return to the Los Angeles Rams, but much more than that happened around the NFL this weekend. Donald grabbed headlines with his return to the Rams, but another former star returned to the team where he experienced his brightest days. Elsewhere, teams weren’t afraid to stash quarterbacks. In the final week of preseason action, a couple of contenders unlocked intriguing quarterbacks, including the reigning champions and their potential secret weapon behind Sam Darnold. Here are our takeaways from the weekend in the NFL: Eric D. Williams: Sean McVay’s wait is finally over, as game wrecker Aaron Donald officially ended his two-year retirement by joining the Los Angeles Rams during the team’s final roster cuts on Sunday. Donald signed a one-year deal that could be worth up to $30 million. Donald participated in individual drills on Sunday as he reacclimates to playing football. McVay said he has not decided if Donald will play in his team’s first regular-season game in Australia against the San Francisco 49ers. “It’s going to be a day at a time for us,” McVay told reporters on Sunday. “What does that mean for Australia? The first step was, ‘Are you coming back?’ If so, let’s do that. Let’s get you on the practice field. Let’s get you acclimated to your teammates, to your coaches. And then we’ll see what the ramp-up period looks like, whether he’s available, or whether we think it’s best to be able to play him in Australia.” For his part, Donald said he’s thankful to be a part of this team that is a heavy favorite to win the Super Bowl. “This is a complete team with me here or without me here,” Donald said in his first press conference following his decision to unretire. “For me to even have an opportunity to be a part of this team, I take nothing for granted. It’s a blessing to be retired from the game for two years and have the opportunity to come back and be a part of something special.” Ralph Vacchiano: It seemed like a favor for an old friend at first, the Giants giving Odell Beckham Jr. a chance to come to camp at age 33 after having not played football for two years. Instead, it turned into a Cinderella story. Beckham rose from the bottom of the New York Giants’ roster and made the team that he never wanted to leave in the first place. He did it through hard work, proving he still had something left in his battered body, which he did through some highlight-reel moves at practice and decent play in the preseason (including a three-catch, 53-yard performance against the Jets on Friday night). Also helping his case was that the Giants lost slot WR Calvin Austin to a torn ACL last week, which probably opened up a spot for Beckham. Beckham is probably the fourth or fifth receiver on the roster, behind Malik Nabers, rookie Malachi Fields, veteran Darnell Mooney and maybe even Darius Slayton. It’s hard to imagine he’ll have much of a role when the regular season begins, but he’s brought energy to the team and to the fanbase. And he insists his Cinderella story isn’t over yet. Greg Auman: If you weren’t aware of the extreme value placed on quarterbacks in the NFL, consider that four teams – the Eagles, Falcons, Steelers and Vikings – carried four quarterbacks on their initial 53-man roster, at least one more than normal. The most famous case of this was the 2000 Patriots, and it’s unlikely that any of this year’s rookie QB4s will go on to, say, win seven Super Bowls. But last year, the Browns carried four, waited a day, then got a fifth-round pick from the Raiders for Kenny Pickett. The Eagles have made several trades of their backups for draft picks, as well. Getting a quarterback – even a backup – on the cheap is a huge value for an NFL team, so even as a quick flip to a needy team is a good use of your 53rd spot if you instead cut a marginal veteran you know you can get back in a few days. (The Browns were close to keeping four quarterbacks, placing second-year QB Dillon Gabriel on injured reserve for a month while keeping three others.) Tennessee cut Will Levis loose, and he’ll almost certainly be claimed on waivers, but the teams that miss out on him and others they can get for free might give up a future draft pick to add a QB4 who can be their QB3 or, in some cases, even QB2. Williams: When Seattle Seahawks general manager John Schneider selected Alabama quarterback Jalen Milroe in the third round of the 2025 draft, the organization understood he needed seasoning to produce on an NFL stage. However, entering Seattle’s preseason finale, Milroe had not shown a command of Seattle’s offense, with turnovers, pre-snap penalties and missed throws proving the norm when he was on the field. But on Friday night on the road against the Kansas City Chiefs, Milroe showed the potential the Seahawks saw in him in college. He finished 16-of-26 for 223 yards, with a touchdown pass to tight end Nick Vannett and no interceptions. He was sacked once and posted a 101.9 passer rating. Milroe looked comfortable in the pocket, completing passes to 10 different pass catchers and creating three chunk plays of at least 24 yards. Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald wants Milroe to use his legs more because he understands the conflict a dynamic quarterback creates for a defense from his time in Baltimore with Lamar Jackson. With Super Bowl MVP running back Kenneth Walker III now with the Chiefs, the Seahawks are looking for ways to create more explosive plays. With his steady play against Kansas City, Milroe took a step in proving he’s ready for a role as a gadget player in Seattle’s offense. Steven Ruiz: I’m not ready to buy the Chargers as title contenders – there are still too many holes on the roster – but I am sold on this offense being a highly entertaining watch now that Mike McDaniel is calling plays as the team’s new offensive coordinator. The former Dolphins head coach may have lost control of his locker room in Miami, but his ability to draw up explosive plays never really wavered. Even with Tua Tagovailoa throwing ducks all over the field, Miami finished ninth in explosive play rate. Now, McDaniel is teaming up with one of the NFL’s most gifted passers in Justin Herbert. That tandem gave us a sneak peek at what might be coming this past weekend with this 65-yard strike for a touchdown. Herbert’s pass traveled 48.1 yards through the air, per Next Gen Stats. It was the longest throw any quarterback has ever made for a McDaniel-coached team. In Miami, McDaniel was accustomed to watching wide-open receivers slow down for Tagovailoa’s looping downfield throws. Watching wide receiver Quentin Johnston run under Herbert’s bomb while barely breaking stride must have been a jolt to his system. It was also the first time Herbert had ever attempted a throw of at least 45 air yards to a receiver with at least three yards of separation. These two are going to make each other’s jobs a lot easier, and given their respective talents, that should produce a lot of fireworks for the Chargers offense.​Latest Sports News from FOX Sports