A small plane circled MetLife Stadium roughly 90 minutes before New York hosted the New Orleans Saints on Sunday, urging Giants co-owner John Mara to overhaul a team that has made the playoffs twice since winning the Super Bowl in February 2012.

There’s still plenty of star-quality players available after a wild opening to the NFL’s free agency period.

Kirk Cousins is heading to the Falcons.

A person familiar says the New York Giants have agreed to acquire edge rusher Brian Burns from the Carolina Panthers.

NFL teams could find a Pro Bowl quarterback, an All-Pro defensive lineman or a future Hall of Fame wide receiver and plenty more star-quality players when the free agency period begins on March 13.

Chase McLaughlin kicked three field goals, the Tampa Bay defense pitched a shutout and the Buccaneers won their third straight NFC South title with a 9-0 victory on Sunday over the Carolina Panthers.

The best team in the NFC already added an All-Pro to the secondary.

Bijan Robinson outshined top overall pick Bryce Young in their NFL debuts, leading the Atlanta Falcons to a 24-10 victory over the Carolina Panthers in the season opener.

Carolina Panthers two-time Pro Bowl outside linebacker Brian Burns returned to practice on Wednesday amid stalled talks on a contract extension.

Carolina Panthers outside linebacker Brian Burns sat out his second consecutive practice Monday because of a contract dispute, raising questions about whether the two-time Pro Bowler will play in Sunday’s regular-season opener against the Atlanta Falcons.

Some might say it’s a rebuild.

The NFL has suspended all aspects of its COVID-19 protocols, citing recent trends showing that the spread of the coronavirus is declining.

The Indianapolis Cots have placed five players on the COVID-19 list as the virus continues to work its way through NFL locker rooms, even with the vast majority of players in the league vaccinated.

Panthers quarterback Cam Newton made it clear in a 30-minute teleconference Friday that he doesn’t hold any grudges about the team releasing him prior to the 2020 season, calling it “irrelevant” to him now.

The Saints (12-4) will host the seventh-seeded Chicago Bears in the wild-card round next Sunday at 4:40 p.m. EST. He also ran for five TDs, but the Panthers struggled to make winning plays late in games all season with Bridgewater at the helm. That leaves questions about his future as the Panthers starting QB, especially with the team having a top 10 draft pick in 2021. UP NEXTSaints: The four-time defending NFC South champions host the Bears next Sunday in the playoffs. Panthers: After failing to make the playoffs for the third straight season, Carolina will look to the NFL draft to upgrade a number of pressing needs.

Jacobs’ 6-yard run around the right end with 4:14 left put the Raiders ahead for good after they’d surrendered a 12-point fourth quarter lead. McCaffrey racked up 134 yards from scrimmage and scored two touchdowns for Carolina. Carolina battled back with McCaffrey getting 11 touches for 64 yards on one drive and scoring on a 3-yard run. Bridgewater, who replaced Cam Newton as the starting QB, finished 22 of 34 for 270 yards and one touchdown in his Carolina debut. 1 cornerback Donte Jackson left with an ankle injury early in the first quarter and did not return.