Tom Brady
FILE - In this Thursday, Aug. 13, 2015 file photo, NFL Logo is seen on the goal post padding before an NFL preseason football game between the Detroit Lions and the New York Jets at Ford Field in Detroit. The process of building the NFL schedule used to be a painstaking one with executives like Val Pinchbeck spending months slotting the games one by one on his board until there was a final product for the commissioner to approve. Making late tweaks or looking at alternative options with a big game moving from early to late in the season weren't really possible for all the pieces of the complicated jigsaw puzzle to fit.(AP Photo/Rick Osentoski, File)
NFL schedules get off to strong starts with Week 1 twinbills

By Joe Reedy May. 13, 2021 01:28 AM EDT

FILE - Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady throws against the Kansas City Chiefs during the first half of the NFL Super Bowl 55 football game in Tampa, Fla., in this Sunday, Feb. 7, 2021, file photo. The NFL is returning to London in October and Tom Brady begins his pursuit of an eighth Super Bowl title against Dak Prescott and the Dallas Cowboys when Tampa Bay hosts the league’s annual kickoff game on Sept. 9. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis, File)
Brady-Prescott kicks off NFL season plus a return to London

By Rob Maaddi May. 12, 2021 11:47 AM EDT

FILE - In this Monday, Nov. 9, 2020 file photo, New England Patriots running back James White (28) warms up before an NFL football game against the New York Jets in East Rutherford, N.J. For James White, the upcoming 2021 NFL season is all about starting fresh, both on and off the field. It was just this past September that the veteran Patriots running back was blindsided hours before New England’s second game of the season with news of a horrific car accident in Florida that killed his father and critically injured his mother. (AP Photo/Bill Kostroun, File)
Patriots' White ready to turn page on painful 2020 season

By Kyle Hightower May. 11, 2021 04:50 PM EDT

FILE - In this Jan. 1, 2021, file photo, Notre Dame quarterback Ian Book (12) throws a pass in the first half of the Rose Bowl NCAA college football game against Alabama in Arlington, Texas. Perhaps the best-known collegian selected in the fourth round Saturday was Book. And Book went somewhere with a QB opening: New Orleans, which saw career passing leader Drew Brees retire. (AP Photo/Roger Steinman, File)
Lower-round QBs face long odds to make it in NFL

By Josh Dubow May. 03, 2021 04:46 PM EDT

A Mr. Irrelevant jersey is held up during the seventh round of the NFL football draft, Saturday, May 1, 2021, in Cleveland. The final pick of the draft was Grant Stuard, a linebacker from Houston, chosen by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. (AP Photo/Tony Dejak)
Super Bowl champions address wants, not needs in NFL draft

By Fred Goodall May. 01, 2021 08:44 PM EDT

Tampa Bay Buccaneers fans cheer after Tampa Bay picked Kyle Trask, from Florida, in the second round of the NFL football draft Friday, April 30, 2021, in Cleveland. (AP Photo/David Dermer)
Buccaneers tab QB Kyle Trask as Brady's potential successor

By Fred Goodall Apr. 30, 2021 10:10 PM EDT

Alabama defensive lineman Christian Barmore holds a football as he appears on the Red Carpet at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame before the NFL football draft, Thursday, April 29, 2021, in Cleveland. (AP Photo/David Dermer, Pool)
Patriots trade up in 2nd round, select Barmore from Alabama

By Ken Powtak Apr. 30, 2021 08:17 PM EDT

Tampa Bay Buccaneers fans cheer after Tampa Bay picked Kyle Trask, from Florida, in the second round of the NFL football draft Friday, April 30, 2021, in Cleveland. (AP Photo/David Dermer)
SEC still most coveted conference, 3 more QBs taken

By Barry Wilner Apr. 30, 2021 08:06 PM EDT

Tampa Bay Buccaneers fans cheer after Tampa Bay picked Kyle Trask, from Florida, in the second round of the NFL football draft Friday, April 30, 2021, in Cleveland. (AP Photo/David Dermer)
The Latest: Broncos end 3rd round with Ohio State's Browning

By The Associated Press Apr. 30, 2021 05:47 PM EDT

FILE - In this Aug. 29, 2019, file photo, Clemson's Trevor Lawrence greets fans as he arrives for the team's NCAA college football game against Georgia Tech in Clemson, S.C. Trevor Lawrence and Zach Wilson are expected to be the top two picks selected in the NFL Draft on Thursday, April 29, 20212, in Cleveland. (AP Photo/Richard Shiro, File)
Column: Drafting a franchise QB always a risky endeavor

By Paul Newberry Apr. 30, 2021 03:49 PM EDT

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell addresses the crowd as the first round of the NFL football draft finishes early Friday, April 30, 2021, in Cleveland. (AP Photo/David Dermer)
Betting millions on QBs who can turn clubs around on a dime

By Jim Litke Apr. 30, 2021 03:53 AM EDT

An image of Washington defensive lineman Joe Tryon is displayed on stage after he was chosen by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers with the final pick in the first round of the NFL football draft, early Friday, April 30, 2021, in Cleveland. (AP Photo/Tony Dejak)
Buccaneers select LB Joe Tryon with last pick of first round

By Fred Goodall Apr. 30, 2021 12:19 AM EDT

Alabama quarterback Mac Jones, right, holds a team jersey with NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell after the New England Patriots selected him with the 15th pick in the NFL football draft, Thursday April 29, 2021, in Cleveland. (AP Photo/Tony Dejak)
Patriots wait, draft former Alabama QB Mac Jones at No. 15

By Kyle Hightower Apr. 29, 2021 10:28 PM EDT

FILE - Florida wide receiver Kadarius Toney (1) sets up for a play during the first half of an NCAA college football game against Arkansas in Gainesville, Fla., in this Saturday, Nov. 14, 2020, file photo. Toney is a possible first round pick in the NFL Draft, April 29-May 1, 2021, in Cleveland. (AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack, File)
The Latest: SEC, Alabama dominate first round of NFL draft

By The Associated Press Apr. 29, 2021 06:59 PM EDT

FILE - Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Antonio Brown (81) smiles while entering the tunnel at halftime during an NFL football game against the Atlanta Falcons in Tampa, Fla., in this Sunday, Jan. 3, 2021, file photo. Receiver Antonio Brown has agreed to return to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on a one-year contract that could be worth up to $6.5 million, including incentives, a person familiar with the deal told The Associated Press. The person spoke on the condition of anonymity Wednesday, April 28, 2021, because the agreement, which includes a $2 million signing bonus and a little more than $3 million guaranteed, had not been announced by the reigning Super Bowl champions. (AP Photo/Kevin Sabitus, File)
AP Source: WR Antonio Brown returning to Bucs on 1-year deal

By Fred Goodall Apr. 28, 2021 12:32 PM EDT

FILE - Northwestern offensive lineman Rashawn Slater participates in the school's Pro Day football workout for NFL scouts in Evanston, Ill., in this Tuesday, March 9, 2021, file photo. Slater is as possible first round pick in the NFL Draft, April 29-May 1, 2021, in Cleveland. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast, File)
Mock Draft: As usual, it's all about the quarterbacks

By Barry Wilner Apr. 26, 2021 12:28 PM EDT

FILE - New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft, left, talks to head coach Bill Belichick as their team warms up before an NFL football game against the New York Jets in East Rutherford, N.J., in this Monday, Oct. 21, 2019, file photo. Belichick never was one to spent wildly in free agency. But after watching Tom Brady celebrate another Super Bowl in another city, Belichick and his boss, Robert Kraft, had seen enough. (AP Photo/Adam Hunger, File)
QB position still in spotlight for Patriots entering draft

By Kyle Hightower Apr. 23, 2021 04:09 PM EDT

FILE - In this Saturday, Sept. 26, 2020 file photo, Georgia defensive back Eric Stokes (27) returns an interception for a touchdown against Arkansas during an NCAA college football game in Fayetteville, Ark. Daniel Jeremiah noted that Georgia teammates Tyson Campbell and Eric Stokes plus Florida State’s Asante Samuel Jr. as cornerbacks who could still be available early in the second round. The Packers could use some cornerback help and also would like to boost their depth on both sides of the line of scrimmage. (AP Photo/Michael Woods, File)
Packers GM Gutekunst's background shows he's willing to deal

By Steve Megargee Apr. 23, 2021 03:03 PM EDT

FILE - Tampa Bay Buccaneers general manager Jason Licht, left, address the audience with linebackers Lavonte David, center, and Devin White during a celebration of their Super Bowl 55 victory over the Kansas City Chiefs in Tampa, Fla., in this Wednesday, Feb. 10, 2021, file photo. When Jason Licht declared he was going to do everything he could to keep the Tampa Bay Buccaneers together, no one envisioned the process going as smoothly as it has for the Super Bowl champions. (AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack, File)
Super Bowl champ Bucs focused on building depth in NFL draft

By Fred Goodall Apr. 23, 2021 02:16 PM EDT

Patriots need QB, remain wild card holding 15th overall pick

By The Associated Press Apr. 22, 2021 12:35 PM EDT
15. NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS (7-9) LAST SEASON: The first year of the post-Tom Brady era in New England began with optimism after the team...