HOUSTON -- Nickel cornerback Jalen Pitre and the Houston Texans have agreed to a three-year, $39 million contract extension with $30 million guaranteed, a source told ESPN.

The third-year safety out of Baylor finished the 2024 season with 65 tackles, six tackles for loss and eight pass deflections. One highlight play was in the Texans 34-10 win over the Dallas Cowboys in Week 11, when he forced a fumble on Cowboys right tackle Tyler Guyton. That led to defensive end Derek Barnett scooping and scoring for a touchdown in the fourth quarter after Barnett had strip-sacked Cowboys quarterback Cooper Rush.

Pitre's season was cut short in Week 12 when he injured his shoulder in the Texans' 32-27 loss to the Tennessee Titans when he tackled Titans wideout Tyler Boyd in the second quarter. At the time of the injury, Pitre ranked third on the team in tackles, tied for fifth in tackles for loss, and third in pass deflections.

This is the third defensive player this offseason to earn an extension with the Texans after cornerback Derek Stingley and Danielle Hunter agreed to massive contracts. Coach DeMeco Ryans said at the league's annual meetings that Houston wanted to send a "message" with these extensions.

"We want to send a message," Ryans said. "To all of our young guys, when you do it the right way, guys like Stingley, Nico, young guys who came in and played really well for us, they became top players in the league at their positions, you want to reward those guys."

Pitre's 2024 campaign was his second noteworthy season after having a standout rookie year when he finished with 147 tackles and five interceptions.

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.

Flacco joins a quarterback room with Deshaun Watson, who is rehabbing after retearing his right Achilles tendon and could miss most or all of the 2025 season, and Kenny Pickett, who was traded to Cleveland and said he was told he would get a chance to be the starting quarterback.

The Browns have been searching for quarterback help this offseason after using four passers in 2024. Cleveland opted not to re-sign Jameis Winston, last year's backup, and traded for Pickett in the first week of free agency, sending the Philadelphia Eagles a fifth-round pick and quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson.

Cleveland holds the second overall pick in the 2025 draft and has met with several top quarterback prospects, including Cam Ward, Shedeur Sanders, Jaxson Dart, Jalen Milroe and Tyler Shough. Haslam, though, said the team would not force a quarterback with its first selection.

Flacco was believed by some to be done with the NFL when no teams seriously considered adding him to their rosters for most of the 2023 season.

But in the aftermath of Watson's season-ending shoulder injury that season, the Browns signed Flacco and he provided a five-game stretch that rivaled any that the franchise has seen from a quarterback since returning to Cleveland in 1999. Flacco threw for over 300 yards in four straight wins -- the Browns went 4-1 in his five regular-season starts -- before the run came to an end in a loss to the Houston Texans in the wild-card round.

That put him in position to be considered among the viable backup options in 2024, and the Indianapolis Colts added him as a veteran option behind Anthony Richardson on a one-year contract worth $4.5 million.

Flacco's 2024 season saw both highs and lows, with an early 359-yard performance in a loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars among the highs. Eventually, the struggles of Richardson and belief in Flacco prompted the Colts to insert the veteran as the starter in Week 9.

In the AFC playoff race at the time, coach Shane Steichen said he believed that Flacco gave the Colts the best chance to win. But then came the lows: Flacco, 40, threw a combined four interceptions in losses to the Minnesota Vikings and Buffalo Bills, leading to his benching and the reinsertion of Richardson as the starter.

The Colts went 2-4 with Flacco as a starter last season. He finished with 1,761 passing yards, 12 touchdowns and 7 interceptions.

Selected in the first round of the 2008 draft by the Baltimore Ravens, Flacco has thrown for 45,697 yards with 257 touchdowns and 162 interceptions in 17 seasons. He was named the MVP of Super Bowl XLVII when he led the Ravens to victory over the San Francisco 49ers.

Flacco is one of three quarterback that has a winning record with the Browns since their return, along with Brian Hoyer (10-6) and Case Keenum (2-0).

ESPN's Stephen Holder contributed to this report.

Tennessee Volunteers quarterback Nico Iamaleava did not attend spring practice Friday, sources told ESPN. Iamaleava's absence came as a surprise to coaches and players, according to sources.

Iamaleava has been in conversations with the Vols about a new contract.

On Thursday, On3.com reported that Iamaleava and the NIL collective at Tennessee were working on a new contract with the quarterback. Several other quarterbacks, including Miami's Carson Beck and Duke's Darian Mensah, have signed NIL deals for significantly more money this offseason and Iamaleava was looking to renegotiate his deal.

The situation has become a growing source of frustration among administrators at Tennessee and within the locker room, sources said.

The day before the winter portal window closed in December, sources told ESPN that Iamaleava's representatives wanted to renegotiate his deal in the $4 million range, but his deal was unchanged. He's expected to make $2.4 million with the Vols this year, sources said.

With the portal set to open next Wednesday, Iamaleava's representatives were again looking for $4 million, and sources told ESPN that Tennessee "wasn't going to blink and pay him any more money."

Iamaleava, the No. 23 overall recruit in the class of 2023, signed a then-unprecedented deal with Tennessee's NIL collective in 2022 that would pay more than $8 million over his college career when he committed to the program.

The 6-foot-6, 220-pound passer redshirted in 2023 and threw for 2,616 yards and 19 touchdowns in his first season as a starter, leading Tennessee to 10 wins and a College Football Playoff appearance that ended in a first-round loss to eventual national champion Ohio State.

The Vols are scheduled to play their Orange & White spring game on Saturday.

Information from ESPN's Pete Thamel, Chris Low and Max Olson contributed to this report.

Cristiano Ronaldo has joined forces with British filmmaker Matthew Vaughn to launch an independent film studio.

The URMarv studio said in a statement it will focus on "embracing innovative technology, with a nod to tradition".

"And action! I'm excited to announce URMARV, my new film studio with Matthew Vaughn, and can't wait to tell you about our first movie. Coming soon!" Ronaldo said in a post on Instagram.

"Cristiano Ronaldo loves movies; Matthew Vaughn loves sport -- and they both love a good story," said a studio statement posted on Ronaldo's X account.

Vaughn, 54, is best known for producing Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels and Snatch while also directing, producing and co-writing the "Kingsman" franchise.

"Cristiano has created stories on the pitch that I could never have written, and I look forward to creating inspiring movies with him -- he's a real-life superhero," Vaughn said in the same statement.

Ronaldo, who has captained Portugal to Euro 2016 glory and won five Ballon d'Or awards, is excited about the new project.

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A post shared by Cristiano Ronaldo (@cristiano)

"This is an exciting chapter for me, as I look ahead to new ventures in business," the Al Nassr captain said.

Through URMarv, Ronaldo and Vaughn have already produced and financed two action films together and are to start a third in the same series.

"They look forward to announcing the first release soon," the studio statement added.

Ronaldo, who turned 40 on Feb. 5, ventured into the audio visual sector in 2023 when he became a shareholder of Portuguese media conglomerate Medialivre, although he already has a significant digital influence.

A former star of Real Madrid and Manchester United, he has more than one billion followers across all social media platforms.

Ronaldo has 651 million followers on Instagram, 171m on Facebook, 115.2m on X and 74.5m on YouTube.

He launched his YouTube channel, "UR Cristiano" in August 2024, becoming the fastest channel to hit 1 million subscribers.

A recent detailed study done by the Portuguese Institute of Administration and Marketing (IPAM) revealed that Ronaldo's brand value in 2025 stands at a record 850m.

"This milestone marks a growth of 325% since 2020 and highlights CR7's constant ability to reinvent himself and consolidate his position as one of the world's most valuable personal brands," the study said.

Two fans died on Thursday before the start of a Copa Libertadores match between the host Colo Colo and Fortaleza of Brazil near Santiago's estadio Monumental, a local prosecutor said.

According to authorities, a group of fans attempted to force their way into the stadium and tore down one of the venue's protective fences. The victims were reportedly trapped beneath them.

Later, the match was suspended at the 70-minute mark, with the score level at 0-0, when a group of local fans started a protest by throwing objects onto the pitch. It was unclear whether the protests were related to the fan deaths before the match.

The Eastern Flagrancy Prosecutor, Francisco Morales said that a group of fans tried to access the estadio Monumental through the Casa Alba, a building adjacent to the venue and the police tried to prevent them from entering.

"A stampede ensued, resulting in the collapse of a fence," Morales said. "We are currently investigating whether a police vehicle was involved in the death."

Authorities said one of the persons died at the scene and the other at a nearby medical clinic.

Match later suspended Later, the match between Colo Colo and Fortaleza was suspended at the 70-minute mark, with the score level at 0-0, when a group of local fans started a protest by throwing objects onto the pitch. It was unclear whether the protests were related to the fan deaths before the match.

The Fortaleza players ran for cover in the locker room, while the Colo Colo players, led by captain Esteban Pavez and Arturo Vidal, tried to calm the fans.

The refereeing team, led by Uruguayan Gustavo Tejera, informed the players that the match had been stopped, and all the players went to the locker room. Later, it was announced that the match was officially suspended.

"CONMEBOL deeply regrets the death of two fans near the estadio Monumental before the start of the match between Colo Colo and Fortaleza," the governing body of football in South America said.

"We express our sincere condolences to their families and loved ones."

Liverpool head coach Arne Slot has said the club have put a lot of "effort" into extending Mohamed Salah's contract but admitted he has been confident for some time negotiations were heading in the "right direction."

Salah was set to be out of contract this summer, but Liverpool confirmed on Friday the Egypt international has now extended his stay on Merseyside until the summer of 2027.

Discussions have been taking place for several months, with sporting director Richard Hughes overseeing negotiations with Salah's agent, Ramy Abbas Issa.

"I'm happy, of course," Slot said. "He's shown at this club for so many years in a row now how much value he has for the team and for the club. We're very happy he's extended for two more years and hopefully he can show on Sunday [against West Ham United] how important he has been for the whole season for us.

"Relief? For the fans I think so. It's no surprise to you I knew a bit better how the contract situation went over the course of the whole season.

"Maybe for the fans it was a pleasant surprise. I knew a bit longer things were heading in the right direction.

"It is a big compliment to Richard Hughes because Mo Salah, as a free agent, can go to any club he wants to. But he stayed at our club and that's also a compliment for Richard."

On the role he played in keeping Salah at Liverpool, Slot added: "I'm part of that process but I don't think I deserve the compliments. I think first of all it's Mo's choice and his agent's choice what he wants. Second of all, the club - - FSG, Richard, Michael Edwards -- they put a lot of effort into him extending.

"Effort mostly means money! But also not only money. What it might tell you as well is that it's not only a good season this season. We want to make a very good season next season as well and I think Mo is convinced we have a fairly good chance to do so."

Bern confirmed 27-year-old American star Maher had been in touch after the divisive dance to say "haters are gonna hate" and was full of support for the pair.

Bristol prop Bern had done something similar with England fans after the win against Italy in York which also went viral., external

She has no regrets over her recent TikTok efforts, remaining professional in her preparation for games and eager to grow the women's game before a home Rugby World Cup in August.

"It is a new landscape and we are moulding it for ourselves," Bern said.

"We can decide as female rugby players what this space looks like. It doesn't have to look a certain way, and if you don't like what I do then you don't have to watch it or comment. You can scroll past.

"There are a lot of people out there who do enjoy it and there were a lot of positive comments. For every negative one there are three or four nice comments."

Maher can play at centre or on the wing and won a bronze medal in sevens for the United States at the Paris Olympics last summer.

She scored four tries in seven games during a three-month spell at the Bears and has recently been included in USA's XVs player pool for this year, while continuing her successful social media career.

The World Cup marks the first time Maher could feature in competition for the United States in XVs since 2021, as she aims to be involved in the opening game against England at Sunderland's Stadium of Light in August.

"Ilona is so humble and works incredibly hard. Everything you see on social media is her and she is a brilliant icon for not only our sport but women in general," Bern added.

"If I can be a tiny bit like her then that would be amazing.

"She is doing so much for our sport. She needs to be out there pushing rugby into other people's faces.

"She is destined for bigger and better things. I would love her to come back to Bristol and play in our Prem, but I think she has got a bigger job to do."

If Liverpool's narrow derby victory over Everton last week had some supporters reaching for the champagne, before Sunday's shock 3-2 defeat away to Fulham in the Premier League ensured that, for now, it remains firmly on ice.

Though second-placed Arsenal's drab 1-1 draw with Everton on Saturday diminished the impact of Liverpool's second league defeat of the season, the error-strewn display at Craven Cottage served as a sobering reminder that, while the runaway leaders have one hand on the trophy, there is still work to do.

Arne Slot's side are 11 points clear at the summit and, with just seven games left to play, it would take an unprecedented collapse for them to surrender the title from here. But while it's testament to the strength of Liverpool's overall body of work that they boast such a commanding lead, their aura of infallibility has undeniably been dented in recent weeks. Sunday's loss in the capital marked a third defeat in four games in all competitions.

The fact that one of those defeats came via a penalty shootout against an impressive Paris Saint-Germain side in the Champions League and another against a Newcastle United team vying to end their club's 70-year trophy drought in the Carabao Cup final offers some mitigation.

Liverpool were unlucky against PSG and, after an energy-sapping 120 minutes, struggled to match Newcastle's hunger and tenacity a few days later. Against Fulham, though, Liverpool were the architects of their own downfall. They conceded three goals in the space of 14 first-half minutes, after taking an early lead through Alexis Mac Allister's wonder strike, before Luis Díaz got one back in the second half.

"I think there is no reason for us to be complacent," Slot in his news conference afterward. "We are not No. 1 at the moment because we win every game with a margin of three or four goals ... That's not the way it is for us, so we are fully aware of the fact we have to compete for seven more games."

Slot and his players may be just a handful of games away from cementing their place in the annals of Liverpool history, but the coming weeks promise to be instructive, both in terms of shaping the wider narrative around their campaign and dictating whose position might be under threat at Anfield next season.

What's gone wrong?

Liverpool have had an exceptional season, but recent results have given credence to the view in some quarters that the team are far from the finished article. After losing just one game in 27 in all competitions before January, Slot's side have been beaten six times in 22 since the turn of the year, although two of those defeats (away to PSV Eindhoven in the league phase of the Champions League and Tottenham Hotspur in the first leg of the Carabao Cup semifinals) ultimately proved of little consequence.

Fatigue has been mooted as one potential reason for Liverpool's drop-off, though Slot dismissed this suggestion after the loss at Craven Cottage. According to Opta, only 10 outfield players in the Premier League have started all 31 games this season, three of whom play for Liverpool: Mohamed Salah, Virgil van Dijk and Ryan Gravenberch.

For Gravenberch, in particular, there is some weight to the argument that an increased workload has taken its toll in recent weeks. The 22-year-old has played 2,657 minutes in the league, more than double the 1,120 he clocked up in 2023-24. That his midfielder deputy, Wataru Endo, has yet to start a league game is reflective of Slot's tendency to rely on a relatively small crop of players.

While it might be too simplistic to blame weary legs for Liverpool's downturn in form, a degree of mental fatigue seems to have crept in for some. After all, barring the lesser-spotted Federico Chiesa, this is the same group of players who saw their season implode in spectacular fashion under Jurgen Klopp a year ago. Perhaps some of the calamitous individual errors against Fulham were born from a bout of end-of-season nerves. If so, this is something Slot and his players must nip in the bud quickly, as they can't afford to let the ghosts of last season return to haunt them in the coming weeks.

It is also no coincidence that Liverpool's dip has coincided with a rare barren spell in front of goal for Salah. The Egypt international has enjoyed one of the great individual Premier League seasons, registering a mightily impressive 27 goals and 17 assists, and has contributed to a whopping 61% of Liverpool's 72 league goals. But he has gone without scoring in his last four games in all competitions and his last league goals were a brace of penalties against strugglers Southampton in early March.

While Diogo Jota scored a fine winner in the Merseyside derby and Díaz was impactful as a substitute against Fulham, Liverpool's attacking play is far less convincing when Salah's influence wanes. Slot must hope his talisman is able to get back to his best between now and the end of the campaign.

What do Liverpool need to do in the summer?

Despite Liverpool having dominated in the Premier League, this summer promises to be one of the busiest in years at Anfield.

The first, and perhaps most important piece of business has been done with Salah signing a new contract, ending a months-long saga over his future. Next, Liverpool must establish the futures of their other out-of-contract stars: Van Dijk and Trent Alexander-Arnold. While a source has told ESPN that Real Madrid are confident of landing Alexander-Arnold on a free transfer, there remains optimism on Merseyside that Van Dijk will commit.

Assuming that's how the situation plays out, Liverpool will need to dip into the market for a right-back to provide competition for the 21-year-old Conor Bradley. The Northern Ireland international has proved a capable deputy for Alexander-Arnold since his breakthrough last season and has the quality to establish himself as Slot's first choice. But his injury record -- coupled with a lack of experience at elite level -- means it would be a risk not to bolster that position.

On the opposite flank, the need to freshen up at left-back is glaring. Andrew Robertson has been a tremendous servant for the club since joining for 8 million from Hull City in 2017, but he has struggled for form this term. The Scotland captain's catalogue of errors in the buildup to Fulham's second goal were emblematic of his difficult campaign, while back-up Kostas Tsimikas is not viewed as a long-term solution and may be tempted to leave in search of regular minutes.

AFC Bournemouth left-back Milos Kerkez has been heavily linked with a 40m move to Anfield and, at 21, aligns well with Liverpool's traditional recruitment policy of signing young players who already have a significant wealth of high-level experience. Ajax defender Jorrel Hato, 19, also fits that profile and is capable of playing as both a full-back and a central defender, while his transfer is valued at around 30m.

At the other end of the pitch, Liverpool's forward line is also in need of surgery. Darwin Núñez has endured another turbulent campaign and, after three seasons at Anfield, looks no closer to developing into the prolific No. 9 the club hoped he would become when they spent an initial 64m to sign him from Benfica in the summer of 2022.

Jota is a more natural goal scorer, but he too has looked some way off his best this season and his continued injury struggles often leave Liverpool in need of someone to take up the mantle as first-choice center forward. Of course, Slot's side will not be the only team in the market for a striker, and the likes of Newcastle's Alexander Isak, Napoli's Victor Osimhen (on loan at Galatasaray) and RB Leipzig's Benjamin Sesko will come at a premium of between 70m-150m. But they might be able to recoup some money from the possible exit of Núñez to Saudi Arabia or elsewhere.

While the club are unlikely to sign more than three or four new players, it would be shrewd for Liverpool to recruit a midfielder to help lighten the load on Gravenberch. And the Reds have not signed a center-back since Ibrahima Konaté in 2021, so could benefit from a reshuffle there too, even if Van Dijk stays on.

Considering this squad is likely to be crowned champions of England in the not-too-distant future, it's clear there is still plenty of room for improvement. For now, though, Liverpool's focus must be on returning to winning ways -- starting with this weekend's visit of West Ham United to Anfield. Anything less than three points against Graham Potter's side and there will be concerns that the Reds' slight malaise is descending into a mini-crisis which could leave scars that even a summer of good transfer business can't fix.

Liverpool forward Mohamed Salah has signed a new contract at Anfield, ending a monthslong saga over the Egypt international's future with the Merseyside club.

Salah, whose previous deal was set to expire this summer, had repeatedly suggested that this could be his final season at Liverpool. However, the 32-year-old has now committed himself to Arne Slot's side, signing a two-year deal that will keep him at the club until at least 2027.

Discussions have been taking place for several months, with sporting director Richard Hughes overseeing negotiations with Salah's agent, Ramy Abbas Issa.

Recent reports had suggested Salah -- who is Liverpool's highest-paid player -- had agreed to reduce his salary in order to remain at Anfield; however, a source told ESPN that a pay cut was never on the agenda for either party.

"Of course I'm very excited," he said. "We have a great team now. Before also we had a great team. But I signed because I think we have a chance to win other trophies and enjoy my football.

"It's great, I had my best years here. I played eight years, hopefully it's going to be 10. Enjoying my life here, enjoying my football. I had the best years in my career.

"I would like to say to [the fans], I am very, very happy to be here. I signed here because I believe we can win a lot of big trophies together. Keep supporting us and we'll give it our best, and hopefully in the future we're going to win more trophies."

Salah joined Liverpool from Roma in summer 2017 and has since cemented himself as one of the best forwards in world football.

He has made close to 400 appearances for the club, winning seven major honors, including the Premier League and Champions League. This season, Salah has scored 32 goals in 45 appearances in all competitions -- including 27 Premier League goals.

Salah has been the driving force behind Liverpool's pursuit of the club's 20th league title this term. His brace in the win over Southampton in March took him to third on the club's all-time scorers list.

He becomes the first of Liverpool's three out-of-contract players to sign a new deal, with the futures of Virgil van Dijk and Trent Alexander-Arnold still uncertain.

Liverpool captain Van Dijk is also expected to commit to a new deal at Anfield, with the defender revealing last week that "progress" had been made in negations.