Spring is the time of optimism in the NFL with most teams hopeful that the moves made this offseason will lead to success in the fall.

The thirst for football is so great the schedule release is a three-hour, prime-time broadcast on the NFL Network.

NFL draft picks can make an instant impact on a team’s immediate success.

The main question everyone is asking ahead of the first round of the NFL draft on Thursday night is where Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders going.

The NFL draft kicks off Thursday night and Miami quarterback Cam Ward is still the overwhelming favorite to be selected with the No. 1 overall pick by the Tennessee Titans.

Tyler Herro scored 38 points, and the Miami Heat dominated the Chicago Bulls 109-90 on Wednesday night to advance in the Play-In Tournament.

The NFL’s new year officially kicked off Wednesday, two days after teams began spending big money in free agency.

The Tennessee Titans explored all their options with the No. 1 pick in the draft.

The Kansas City Chiefs are trading two-time All-Pro guard Joe Thuney to the Chicago Bears for a fourth-round pick in the 2026 draft.

Shedeur Sanders and Cam Ward are the top two quarterbacks in this year's NFL draft and they are both opting out of workouts at the league's annual scouting combine in Indianapolis.

The Chicago Bears have hired Dennis Allen as defensive coordinator and Declan Doyle as offensive coordinator under new coach Ben Johnson.

The Houston Texans have fired offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik and offensive line coach Chris Strausser.

Jayden Daniels threw 1,438 passes in 55 college games over five seasons.

Caleb Williams drove Chicago to Cairo Santos’ 51-yard field goal as time expired and the Bears snapped a 10-game skid with a 24-22 victory over the playoff-bound Green Bay Packers.

The NFC’s No. 1 seed, two division titles and two playoff spots are on the line in Week 18.

The defense delivered for the Chicago Bears.

Riq Woolen intercepted Caleb Williams’ late pass and the Seattle Seahawks boosted their fading playoff hopes, squeezing past Chicago 6-3 on Thursday night to hand the Bears their 10th straight loss.

Playoff berths, draft positioning and more are up for grabs in Week 17.

Jared Goff threw for 336 yards and three touchdowns, and the Detroit Lions remained on top of the NFC with their franchise-record 13th win, 34-17 over the Chicago Bears.

The setup for two Christmas Day games means two games on Saturday in Week 16.

There might by more intrigue in the race for the No. 1 pick than in the race to make the playoffs in the final three weeks.

Aaron Jones and Cam Akers had touchdown runs in the second half to complement a smothering performance by the Minnesota defense, and the Vikings moved into a tie for first place in the NFC North by beating the Chicago Bears 30-12 for their seventh consecutive victory.

The NFL and the NFL players association are upholding Houston linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair’s three-game suspension without pay for repeated violations of player safety rules.

Six division matchups and Kirk Cousins' return to Minnesota highlight a lighter Week 14 schedule.

Southern California quarterback Miller Moss is entering the transfer portal after losing the Trojans’ starting job last month.

Houston’s Azeez Al-Shaair took to X to apologize to Jacksonville’s Trevor Lawrence after his violent blow to the quarterback’s facemask led to him being carted off the field with a concussion.

No. 5 Notre Dame punched its ticket to the College Football Playoff with a 49-35 victory over Southern California for its 10th consecutive win.

Matt Eberflus has been fired by the Chicago Bears, one day after botching a timeout in a loss to Detroit.

Jared Goff threw two touchdown passes to Sam LaPorta, Jake Bates made three field goals in the first half and the Detroit Lions held off the Chicago Bears 23-20 to extend their winning streak to 10 games.

Sam Darnold threw for 90 of his 330 yards in overtime to set up Parker Romo’s game-ending 29-yard field goal, and the Minnesota Vikings outlasted the Chicago Bears 30-27 after giving up 11 points in the final 22 seconds of regulation.

Jordan Love ran for a go-ahead touchdown in the closing minutes, and the Green Bay Packers hung on to beat the Chicago Bears 20-19 when Karl Brooks blocked Cairo Santos’ 46-yard field goal attempt as time expired.

The Chicago Bears have fired offensive coordinator Shane Waldron in hopes of shaking up a unit that ranks among the worst in the NFL.

Emari Demercado ran 53 yards for a touchdown just before halftime, James Conner added 107 yards on the ground and the surging Arizona Cardinals put together a dominant 29-9 victory over the Chicago Bears on Sunday.

Chicago Bears cornerback Tyrique Stevenson could be seen taunting fans seconds before he and his teammates gave up a Hail Mary touchdown with time expired to lose to the Washington Commanders 18-15.

Jayden Daniels connected with Noah Brown on a 52-yard Hail Mary as time expired to give the Washington Commanders an 18-15 victory over the Chicago Bears on Sunday.

Jayden Daniels is active and expected to play for the Washington Commanders against Caleb Williams and the Chicago Bears.

Caleb Williams threw four touchdown passes — two each to receiver Keenan Allen and tight end Cole Kmet — and the Chicago Bears held a tea party celebration in the end zone in a 35-16 rout of the Jacksonville Jaguars at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London.

Caleb Williams and Chicago’s offense was bailed out by defense and special-teams scoring to get a win over Tennessee in their opener last week.

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From rookies struggling in their first career starts to high-paid quarterbacks not living up to their contracts to rusty veterans coming off injuries, the passing in Week 1 of the NFL season looked to be from a different era.

Caleb Williams got bailed out by his defense in a rough debut, with Tyrique Stevenson returning an interception 43 yards for the go-ahead touchdown to lead the Chicago Bears a 24-17 victory over the Tennessee Titans.

The University of Southern California has retired Caleb Williams’ No. 13 jersey and restored Reggie Bush’s No. 5 to its place of honor among the other retired numbers displayed on the Coliseum’s peristyle.

The days of NFL rookie quarterbacks waiting their turns before taking over teams is long gone.

Caleb Williams has been winning over the Chicago Bears with his performance on the field as well as his magnetic personality, so much so that the No. 1 overall draft pick will enter his rookie season as a team captain.

Woody Marks scored on a 13-yard run with 8 seconds left to give No. 23 Southern California a 27-20 win over No. 13 LSU on Sunday night.

Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs chasing history will be the hottest topic throughout the NFL season.

The NFL season begins this week when the two-time defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs host the Baltimore Ravens on Thursday night.

Backup quarterback Tyson Bagent ran for a touchdown on the opening drive of the Bears’ game against the Chiefs on Thursday night, and they went on to win 34-21 in a preseason finale in which both teams sat nearly all their starters.

Southern California’s Miller Moss and LSU’s Garrett Nussmeier are showing how patience can still pay off even at a time when switching schools is easier than ever.

Caleb Williams made another good impression in his first appearance at Soldier Field since Chicago drafted him with the No. 1 overall pick, running for a touchdown and leading two scoring drives, and the Bears beat the Cincinnati Bengals 27-3.

Caleb Williams showed signs of promise in the No. 1 draft pick’s preseason debut by overseeing a pair of drives ending in field goals in the Chicago Bears’ 33-6 win over the Buffalo Bills.

The Chicago Bears will use their starters in Saturday's preseason game at Buffalo, which means the first NFL action for quarterback Caleb Williams.

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Caleb Williams is ready for what comes next.

The Chicago Bears have locked in their top two rookies, agreeing to four-year contracts with No. 1 overall draft pick Caleb Williams and No. 9 selection Rome Odunze and avoiding any training camp drama with their prized quarterback and receiver.

Caleb Williams is the Chicago Bears’ starting quarterback.

The final season of the Pac-12 turned out to be as big a hit in the NFL draft as it was on the field.

Some teams see an immediate impact from a draft class.

Caleb Williams was ready to embrace the attention after the Chicago Bears grabbed him with the No. 1 pick in the NFL draft.

Quarterbacks went off the draft board at a record-setting pace.

UCLA edge rusher Laiatu Latu was the first defensive player selected in the NFL draft, going No. 15 overall to Indianapolis to snap a record streak of 14 straight offensive players taken.

The Chicago Bears did exactly as expected by taking USC star Caleb Williams with the No. 1 pick in the NFL draft.

The players selected in the first round of the NFL draft.

Caleb Williams is heading to the Windy City, aiming to become the franchise quarterback Chicago has sought for decades.

The NFL draft gives players a chance to flaunt their style.

The Chicago Bears picked USC quarterback Caleb Williams to open the 2024 NFL draft, the first of six QBs in the top 12 picks.

Jayden Daniels handled the media with the same poise and command he displays in the pocket.

The No. 1 pick in the NFL draft already has traded hands, with Carolina sending it more than a year ago to Chicago in a trade to move up to take Bryce Young first overall in 2023.

Southern California quarterback Caleb Williams has gone through his pro day workout, throwing for 25 minutes in front of a large contingent of NFL coaches and executives that included Chicago Bears coach Matt Eberflus and general manager Ryan Poles.

The Chicago Bears traded quarterback Justin Fields to the Pittsburgh Steelers a 2025 sixth-round draft pick that could potentially become a fourth-rounder this year in return.

The Washington Commanders have added a veteran quarterback in free agency.

The NFL's annual scouting combine has evolved from hidden gem into the league's second-biggest offseason event over the past three decades because of new twists.

Caleb Williams and Jayden Daniels arrived in Indianapolis as Heisman Trophy winners.

Dan Quinn’s work as Washington Commanders coach is already well underway.

Southern California quarterback Caleb Williams has formally entered the NFL draft.

With Caleb Williams watching from the sideline, Miller Moss threw a Holiday Bowl-record six touchdown passes in his first college start and Southern California ended a frustrating season by beating No. 16 Louisville 42-28.

The Heisman Trophy race is looking wide open for 2024.

This year’s Heisman Trophy ceremony is an ode to the new era of college sports, transformed by the transfer portal and NIL.

LSU quarterback Jayden Daniels is The Associated Press college football player of the year.

Southern California dropped out of The Associated Press college football poll for the first time in more than two years and Oklahoma State vaulted into the rankings for the first time this year at No. 15.

No. 5 Washington’s prolific offense kept the Huskies unbeaten with a 52-42 victory over No. 24 Southern California.

Two-thirds of the way through Lincoln Riley’s second season at Southern California, the Trojans’ national title chances and Caleb Williams’ hopes of a Heisman Trophy repeat are all but gone.

Cole Becker made a 38-yard field goal as time expired, and No. 14 Utah blew an 11-point lead in the fourth quarter before rallying for a thrilling 34-32 victory over No. 18 Southern California.

Bronny James has joined his Southern California teammates in a preseason fan event at Galen Center.

Xavier Watts intercepted Caleb Williams twice and returned a fumble for a touchdown as No. 21 Notre Dame harassed the Heisman Trophy winner and handed No. 10 Southern California its first loss in a 48-20 victory.

No. 21 Notre Dame might be out of the college football playoff chase.

Caleb Williams rushed for three touchdowns before running for a two-point conversion in the third overtime, and No. 9 Southern California stopped Arizona’s final attempt in a wild 43-41 victory.

The NCAA took a step toward putting rules in place to regulate the way college athletes can be compensated for their fame.

The Colorado Buffaloes were facing their second straight blowout Saturday when they fell behind eighth-ranked USC 34-7 late in the first half at Folsom Field.

Caleb Williams threw for 403 yards and tied a career high with six touchdown passes as No. 8 Southern California held off Colorado 48-41 after racing out to a big lead.

Deion Sanders is turning the page on Colorado's 42-6 loss to Oregon while also tuning out his detractors.

The 19th-ranked Colorado Buffaloes enter the heart of their schedule after winning a double-overtime thriller against Colorado State in a game that stretched into early Sunday.

No. 6 Southern California routed Stanford 56-10 in this century-old rivalry’s final chapter for the foreseeable future.

No. 6 Southern California blew out Nevada 66-14 for its second consecutive win to open the season.

No. 6 Southern California opened the season with a 56-28 victory over San Jose State.

Heisman Trophy winner Caleb Williams of USC, Ohio State receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. and Michigan running back Blake Corum are among the returning first-team All-Americans who were selected to The Associated Press preseason All-America team.

The 2024 NFL draft class could quickly transform losers into winners.

Tulane tight end Alex Bauman caught a 6-yard touchdown from Michael Pratt with 9 seconds left to finish off a frantic finish by the 14th-ranked Green Wave in a 46-45 win over No. 8 Southern California in the Cotton Bowl.

Heisman Trophy winner Caleb Williams says he is ready to play in the Cotton Bowl.

Heisman Trophy winner Caleb Williams is one of three Southern California players to be selected to The Associated Press All-America team.