CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton was not injured when he was involved in a collision with a dump truck in Atlanta, a team official confirmed.
The Atlanta Police Department confirmed to ESPN that the collision occurred Thursday but neither party wanted to fill out a police report.
It was not clear which party caused the accident.
Newton, according to TMZ Sports, was driving a black Ferrari F12 that is valued at more than $300,000.
The 2015 NFL MVP, who is from Atlanta, in December 2014 suffered a fractured bone in his back when his truck overturned after being struck by another vehicle near Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte.
Newton spent the night in a hospital after that accident and missed one game.
The Patriots are signing former Bills wide receiver Jordan Matthews to a one-year deal, a source told ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
It’s a boost to a New England receiving corps that lost Brandin Cooks to a trade this week and Danny Amendola to free agency.
Matthews, 25, was limited to 10 games for the Bills this past season after being acquired in an August trade from the Philadelphia Eagles.
He suffered a chip fracture in his sternum in his first practice of training camp for Buffalo, and later fractured his thumb in Week 4, missing one game. He also missed one game in November because of a knee injury that later resulted in him being put on injured reserve.
In an Instagram post Dec. 14, Matthews announced he had surgery on his left knee and right ankle.
Matthews finished the 2017 season with a career-low 25 catches for 282 yards and a touchdown.
In three seasons with Philadelphia, Matthews caught 225 passes for 2,673 yards and 19 touchdowns.
OWINGS MILLS, Md. — The Baltimore Ravens delivered the most surprising NFL news on Wednesday, when they announced a one-year agreement with quarterback Robert Griffin III.
But this move shouldn’t come as that much of a shock. The Ravens have been looking for an inexpensive but experienced insurance policy at quarterback this offseason, and Griffin fits that profile as well as anyone remaining in free agency.
Kirk Cousins. Jimmy Graham. Andrew Norwell. This class is already wild. Here’s everything to know.
“I’m really feeling like we got a steal,” coach John Harbaugh said.
Harbaugh has a point when looking at the alternatives. Some 22 quarterbacks have signed in the first three weeks of free agency, including the likes of David Fales, Tyler Bray and Matt McGloin.
Who’s left? Matt Cassel, Mark Sanchez, Austin Davis and Derek Anderson are among those unsigned. Colin Kaepernick would’ve been another option because he was out of the league last season, like Griffin. But Kaepernick carries more baggage: He is currently involved in a collusion lawsuit against the NFL, and last summer his girlfriend posted a tweet deemed “racist” by Hall of Fame linebacker Ray Lewis, who was featured with Ravens owner Steve Bisciotti in the post.
All of a sudden, the addition of Griffin, 28, isn’t so off the wall when looking at the current quarterback landscape. Griffin is a strong-armed quarterback who can make plays with his feet. He has some semblance of a track record, particularly early in his career. The knocks on him have been his inability to stay healthy and a reputation for not being able to read defenses.
With limited cap space, Baltimore had limited choices when looking for a veteran passer. Harbaugh made the point last week that the team couldn’t spend $3 million on a backup, and even suggested that practice-squad quarterback Josh Woodrum could serve as the No. 2. It just would’ve been too much of a gamble to give that job to Woodrum, who has never thrown a regular-season pass.
There’s also no guarantee that Griffin is on Baltimore’s regular-season roster. The Ravens have repeatedly talked about wanting to develop a young passer, and they continued to rave about the depth of this year’s quarterback class. Assistant general manager Eric DeCosta believes eight to 10 quarterbacks in this draft could become starters by the time their rookie deals are over.
If the Ravens select a quarterback in the second or third round, Baltimore could decide to go with a rookie as the primary backup and cut Griffin at the end of the preseason. The Ravens made Tyrod Taylor their No. 2 quarterback in 2011 after drafting him in the sixth round.
When: April 26-28 Where: Arlington, Texas NFL draft coverage » | Full order: 1-256 »
•Mel Kiper’s Mock Draft 3.0 » •Todd McShay’s Mock Draft 3.0 » •Dueling two-round mock drafts » • Kiper’s Big Board » | McShay’s Top 32 » • Teams with most, least draft capital » •Projecting QB booms, busts » •Kiper: Re-grading 2017 NFL draft »
Given how fast quarterbacks fly off the board, Baltimore understands there’s no guarantee the team will get a young passer in this draft. The Ravens haven’t drafted a quarterback the past three years.
Even if the Ravens draft a quarterback, they would still need a fallback plan if the rookie struggles in training camp and the preseason, proving he’s not ready to be the backup right away. This is why Baltimore needed to sign someone like Griffin.
The Ravens’ backup situation has been far from stellar in recent years. Ryan Mallett, who threw five interceptions during one training-camp practice last year, has yet to draw any interest in free agency.
Baltimore didn’t have that luxury, needing to use its cap space to revamp the wide receiver group. The signing of Griffin should be considered one that comes with minimal risks and minimal expectations.
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — The New England Patriots have traded receiver Brandin Cooks to the Los Angeles Rams for the 23rd overall pick in this year’s draft.
As part of the deal, which was officially announced by the Rams on Tuesday night, New England also sent a fourth-round pick (No. 136 overall) to Los Angeles and received a sixth-round pick (No. 198 overall) from the Rams.
The deal helps both teams in different ways.
The Rams — who had explored a trade for Odell Beckham Jr. but liked the Cooks option better — were seeking a vertical threat for second-year coach Sean McVay’s dynamic offense after Sammy Watkins joined the Kansas City Chiefs in free agency.
The speedy Cooks, who totaled 65 receptions for 1,082 yards and seven touchdowns for the Patriots last season, fills that void alongside Robert Woods and Cooper Kupp. Cooks had 16 receptions on passes thrown 20-plus yards downfield last season, tied with DeAndre Hopkins for most in the NFL.
Several current Rams played took to Twitter to cheer the move.
Aw man the front office is out here cookin! ????? #Rams
— Rodger Saffold (@Rodger_Saffold) April 3, 2018
B Coooooooooks!!!!!!!!! Let’s goooooooo! @brandincooks welcome to the squad brotha.#GoBeavs
— Johnny Hekker (@JHekker) April 3, 2018
Cooks had made a strong impression on many in New England after the team acquired him last offseason from the New Orleans Saints for a package that included the Patriots’ first-round pick (No. 32 overall), but he was entering the final year of his contract (due to earn $8.459 million) at a time when salaries for top pass-catchers have skyrocketed.
In choosing to trade Cooks, the Patriots were likely weighing their chances of re-signing him in 2019 while also working to accumulate assets at a time when quarterback Tom Brady turns 41 in August and tight end Rob Gronkowski appears to be on a year-to-year plan in terms of how much longer he will play.
The Patriots, who hope to sustain success as some of their star players enter the final stages of their careers, now have two first-round picks (No. 23, 31) and two second-rounders (No. 43, 63), along with a third-rounder (95), two sixth-rounders and a seventh-rounder this year.
As for their wide receiver depth chart, it is still well stocked with Julian Edelman, Chris Hogan, Phillip Dorsett, Malcolm Mitchell, Kenny Britt, Cordarrelle Patterson, Riley McCarron and Cody Hollister, although the club will miss Cooks’ blazing speed and durability, as he played 92.7 percent of the offensive snaps in the regular season and coach Bill Belichick said he never missed a practice.
Cooks had 10 catches for 155 yards in the postseason before being knocked out of the team’s Super Bowl LII loss to the Philadelphia Eagles with a concussion in the second quarter.
The Rams will be without a first-round pick for the second consecutive year. They were hoping to use this year’s pick to help address drastic needs at linebacker.
The 23rd overall pick will be the Patriots’ highest in the draft since 2012, when they selected Chandler Jones 21st overall. In addition, they now have two first-round picks in the same draft for the third time under Belichick. In 2012, they selected Jones and Dont’a Hightower. In 2004, they took Vince Wilfork and Benjamin Watson.
ESPN.com Rams reporter Alden Gonzalez contributed to this report.
Ranking top 100 NFL free agents »
