Lady Raiders fall on the road to Columbia

Four-time NFL MVP Aaron Rodgers will be ready when the New York Jets begin their offseason training activities on May 20. Coach Robert Saleh said Friday that the 40-year-old quarterback will have "no restrictions" eight months after Achilles surgery. After a celebrated tenure with Green Bay, Rodgers' 2023 Jets debut ended after just four snaps with a torn left Achilles. Saleh confirmed that Rodgers is on track to participate in "phase three" of OTAs, a four-week period when teams can hold 10 practices with non-contact, 11-on-11 work. "Once phase three hits, we're not anticipating any restrictions from what we can and can't do with him," Saleh told reporters Friday at the start of a two-day rookie minicamp. Rodgers participated in practices on a limited basis during the final month of last season. "The guy can still sling it," Saleh said, per ESPN. "Obviously, he's still working through his rehab, but there are no issues on the trajectory on which he's going." Rodgers passed for 59,055 yards, 475 touchdowns and 105 interceptions in 230 games (223 starts) for the Packers from 2005-22, compiling a record of 147-75-1. He made 10 Pro Bowls and led Green Bay to a Super Bowl XLV victory against the Pittsburgh Steelers. The Jets' quarterback room also includes veteran Tyrod Taylor and rookie Jordan Travis, drafted in the fifth round last month out of Florida State. --Field Level Media

Jets QB Aaron Rodgers: 'No restrictions' at OTAs

Former New York Giants tight end Aaron Thomas died on April 26 at his home in Corvallis, Ore., after a long illness, the team announced. He was 86. Thomas recorded 247 catches for 4,253 yards with 35 touchdowns in 117 career games with the Giants (1962-70). His touchdown reception total ranks tied for sixth in franchise history. "He's almost like the early version of (Kansas City Chiefs tight end) Travis Kelce," his son, Robb Thomas, told the team's website. "He was a tight end and flanker, but he really ran good routes and had a good feel about getting into open space." Thomas was selected by San Francisco in the fourth round of the 1961 draft before the 49ers traded him to the Giants two games into the 1962 season. He was named to the Pro Bowl during the 1964 season after reeling in 43 catches for 624 yards and six touchdowns. He retired after the 1970 season. "He was very proud of and loved his years with the Giants," Robb Thomas said. "He really liked the Mara family. They were good to him. He was always a Giants fan." Aaron Thomas is survived by his wife, Joan, and children Robb, Troy, Lance and Leslie. --Field Level Media

The NFL Network is parting ways with Michael Irvin after 15 years, multiple outlets reported Friday. The league-owned channel will not renew the Hall of Fame member's contract amid a series of cost-cutting moves that also reportedly includes the cancellation of the show "NFL Total Access." Irvin, 58, had been an analyst at NFL Network since 2009 and was a key member of the crew for Sunday's pregame show "NFL GameDay Morning." The NFL Network suspended Irvin in February 2023 after a hotel employee in Arizona accused him of inappropriate conduct during Super Bowl week. He was reinstated in September after settling a $100 million defamation lawsuit with Marriott. Irvin won three Super Bowl championships with the Dallas Cowboys during the 1990s. Known as "The Playmaker," the wide receiver was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2007. His departure comes on the heels of last month's personnel cuts at NFL Network that included Andrew Siciliano, Melissa Stark and James Palmer. --Field Level Media

Former Nebraska and Oregon State head coach Mike Riley joined the College Football Playoff selection committee on Friday. Riley, who was appointed to a three-year term, replaces Washington athletic director Pat Chun on the 13-member committee. "We are pleased to have Mike join the committee," CFP executive director Bill Hancock said in a statement Friday. "He has significant experience as a player and coach, and he loves college football. He will bring a unique perspective to the committee. Plus, he is a delightful human being." Riley, 70, compiled a record of 112-99 with Oregon State (1997-98, 2003-14) and Nebraska (2015-17). He guided the Beavers to eight bowl games (6-2 record) and the Cornhuskers to two (1-1). Riley went 14-34 as head coach of the NFL's San Diego Chargers from 1999-2001 and has also served as a head coach in the Canadian Football League, World League of American Football, Alliance of American Football and USFL. --Field Level Media

The Buffalo Bills signed wide receiver Chase Claypool and two others to one-year deals, the team announced Friday. Claypool, 25, most recently played for the Miami Dolphins, his third team in the past two seasons. He played nine games for the Dolphins, catching four passes, after a trade in October from the Chicago Bears. He had spent just under a year with the Bears, coming from the Pittsburgh Steelers in a November 2022 trade. Claypool started his career with the Steelers, who selected the former Notre Dame standout in the second round of the 2020 NFL Draft. He has 175 catches for 2,261 yards and 13 touchdowns in 58 games (32 starts) with the Steelers, Bears and Dolphins. The Bills also announced one-year deals with linebacker Deion Jones and defensive end Dawuane Smoot. Jones, 29, played his first six seasons with the Falcons and topped 100 tackles in five of them, earning Pro Bowl honors in 2017. A second-round pick by Atlanta in 2016, Jones has 731 tackles, 12 sacks and 13 interceptions in 109 games (91 starts). He played for the Cleveland Browns in 2022 and Carolina Panthers in 2023. Smoot, 29, was a 2017 third-round draft pick by the Jaguars and has 23.5 sacks, 64 QB hits and five forced fumbles in 99 career games (17 starts), all with Jacksonville --Field Level Media

Duke transfer forward Sean Stewart committed to Ohio State on Friday. He announced on April 19 that he was entering the transfer portal after one season with the Blue Devils. New Ohio State coach Jake Diebler got to know Stewart as a five-star prospect in the 2023 class, when Diebler was the recruiter trying to sell him on the Buckeyes. The relationship they had forged paid dividends for Ohio State this time around. "Me and Diebler picked up our previous vibe from the first time recruiting me," Stewart told The Columbus Dispatch. "He was the lead recruiter when I was in high school. We talked almost every day leading up to my decision day, so to have that call when he called me the first day when I entered the portal, it was exciting to talk to him again. He kept reiterating how crazy it was that this came full circle that he recruited me as an assistant coach and now he's a head coach. "It's a lot of chemistry since the first day he started recruiting me." Stewart averaged 2.6 points and 3.2 rebounds in 33 games off the bench for Duke. He has three years of eligibility remaining. The 6-foot-9 Stewart, from Windermere Fla., was a five-star prospect in the 2023 draft class as ranked by the 247 Sports composite. Another blue-chip recruit in that class, former Kentucky center Aaron Bradshaw, also is transferring to Ohio State. --Field Level Media

Free-agent wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. and the Miami Dolphins agreed to a one-year deal worth up to $8.25 million, NFL Network reported Friday. Beckham, 31, appeared in 14 games (six starts) last season with the Baltimore Ravens, making 35 catches for 565 yards and three touchdowns. He added four receptions for 34 yards in the playoffs. At the league meetings in Orlando, Fla., in March, Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel confirmed the team had made an offer to Beckham but didn't expect an imminent signing. "Things went great with him," McDaniel told the Miami Herald then. "We did make him an offer and business takes time, especially with players such as Odell, who's had a phenomenal career, still has really good football in front of him and has options. So, I think those conversations will be ongoing. We'll see where they go." Beckham, a three-time Pro Bowl selection, will represent another option for quarterback Tua Tagovailoa behind stars Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle. Miami will be the fifth stop for Beckham. The New York Giants selected him No. 12 overall in the 2014 NFL Draft, and he also played for the Cleveland Browns (2019-21), Los Angeles Rams (2021) and Ravens. Beckham missed the 2022 season as he recovered from a torn ACL suffered in the Rams' win in Super Bowl LVI. He has 566 career receptions for 7,932 receiving yards and 59 touchdowns in 110 games (97 starts). --Field Level Media

Report: Dolphins, Odell Beckham Jr. agree to 1-year deal