Aaron Rodgers and the New York Jets’ offense just got another big-time playmaker.

Former Minnesota Vikings running back Dalvin Cook agreed to terms on a one-year contract with the Jets on Monday, according to a person with knowledge of the deal.

The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the team hadn’t announced the agreement. NFL Network and ESPN first reported the deal is worth up to $8.6 million.

Cook, who turned 28 last week, has run for at least 1,000 yards in each of the past four seasons but was released by the Vikings on June 8 for salary cap savings. He was scheduled to count more than $14.1 million against the Vikings’ salary cap.

After a few weeks of speculation about where he’d sign, Cook joins a revamped Jets offense led by Rodgers and coordinator Nathaniel Hackett and includes wide receiver Garrett Wilson, last season’s AP Offensive Rookie of the Year.

Cook visited with New York on July 30 and watched practice after saying during an interview on NFL Network’s “Good Morning Football” the Jets “are right at the top of the list” and the odds of signing with them were “pretty high.”

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PEYTON MANNING, the five-time NFL MVP and member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame, has a new title.

Just call him Professor Manning.

The University of Tennessee announced Monday that Manning has been appointed a professor of practice at the College of Communication and Information starting this fall. Manning graduated from Tennessee in 1997 with a degree in speech communication.

He said in a statement his time as a student there was a foundation for teaching him critical skills and techniques he still uses almost daily.

“I look forward to working with the college’s talented faculty, and directly with students in an effort to ensure they are well prepared for their future careers,” Manning said.

Manning, who earlier launched the Omaha Productions entertainment company, will join classes during the year as a featured expert.

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COWBOYS: Six-time All-Pro guard Zack Martin and the Dallas Cowboys have agreed to a reworked contract, with a raise to $18 million for each of the next two seasons after he missed the team’s first three weeks of training camp and its preseason opener.

The deal was reached when the Cowboys returned to practice in Oxnard, California, two days after playing their preseason opener at home. Martin was not part of their morning session, and it was unclear when the guard, going into his 10th season, would be back on the field after ending his holdout.

On social media, the 32-year-old Martin posted a simple message: “Back to Work.”

The reworked deal covers the final two years on a contract extension the 2014 first-round draft pick signed five years ago that then made him one of the NFL’s highest-paid offensive linemen.

Under that original extension, Martin was set to average $14 million in each of the next two seasons, making him the eighth-highest paid guard. He will now move to No. 3 on that list.

Martin still faces around $850,000 in fines for not reporting to camp. The rate of $50,000 per day missed can’t be rescinded, a change in the most recent labor deal that was reached in 2020.

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RAVENS:  Running back J.K. Dobbins was back at practice after beginning camp on the physically unable to perform list.

Dobbins, who also missed practice time at minicamp, is entering the final season of his rookie contract.

Coach John Harbaugh said last month there was some “complexity” to his absence, but it now appears Dobbins will be available for the Baltimore offense going forward.

Dobbins missed the whole 2021 season because of a preseason knee injury. He came back last season and rushed for 520 yards in eight games.

JAGUARS: Jacksonville brought back veteran long snapper Carson Tinker, signing him to a contract nearly five years after he last played for the Jaguars.

Starting long snapper Ross Matiscik injured his right shoulder while making a tackle — and forcing a fumble — in the team’s preseason opener at Dallas on Saturday. Coach Doug Pederson said the team was “leaning toward holding him out” during two days of joint practices and an exhibition game at Detroit this week.

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So Tinker will step in and get a chance to show off for the rest of the league.

Tinker originally signed with Jacksonville as an undrafted free agent from Alabama in 2013. He won the job in training camp and was a mainstay in the locker room until tearing a knee ligament during training camp in 2017. He returned the following year but landed on IR again with more knee issues. The Jaguars cut him in 2019.

He was out of the league for a year and has bounced around since, spending time with the New York Giants, Tampa Bay, Las Vegas, the Los Angeles Rams and Seattle.

BROWNS: All-Pro defensive end Myles Garrett was one of three Cleveland starters forced to leave the field early with injuries during the first of two joint practices against the Philadelphia Eagles.

Garrett returned later to sign autographs for fans after the session at the NovaCare Complex. The 27-year-old came back without wearing shoes and seemed to be slightly favoring his leg as he headed to the bus.

The team did not provide any specifics on Garrett’s injury following practice.

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The Browns and Eagles are practicing together for the second time in two seasons before facing each other in an exhibition on Thursday.

Browns Pro Bowl cornerback Denzel Ward left during 11-on-11 drills and was being treated for an unspecified illness, the team said.

Also, right tackle Jack Conklin is being evaluated for a concussion. He was taken off about halfway through the workout.

SEAHAWKS: Former NFL running back Alex Collins, who played five seasons for the Seattle Seahawks and Baltimore Ravens after a terrific college career at Arkansas, has died. He was 28.

Arkansas, the Ravens and the NFL also announced Collins’ death. They did not provide a cause.


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