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The Tennessee Titans and Jeffery Simmons have agreed to a three-year, $105.8 million contract extension, making him the highest-paid defensive tackle in NFL history per annual salary.

The Titans announced the extension Friday, confirming an NFL Network report that revealed the numbers. The contract comes with $100 million in guaranteed money, per the report.

Simmons’ annual salary of $35.3 million eclipses that of Kansas City Chiefs defensive tackle Chris Jones, who had the highest salary for an interior lineman with a five-year, $158.75 million ($31.75 million annually) deal, per Over the Cap.

Simmons, 28, signed the extension after being named first-team All-Pro for the first time in his career last season. Simmons tallied 67 tackles, 17 tackles for loss, 21 quarterback hits and a career-high 11 sacks as a consistent disruptive force in opposing backfields in the run and pass games.

“I believe in this locker room and this staff, and I’m focused on helping this team get back to competing for championships,” Simmons said, per a team statement.

Can Titans turn things around with Cam Ward, Robert Saleh?

With the deal, the Titans secure the services of the anchor of their defense through his prime. Simmons has recorded five-plus sacks and nine-plus tackles for loss in each of the last five seasons. He was twice previously named second-team All-Pro and has made four Pro Bowls. A seven-year NFL veteran, Simmons will remain with the team that selected him 19th overall in the 2019 NFL Draft.

The extension signals Tennessee’s intent to compete with quarterback Cam Ward as he approaches his second NFL season. The Titans made the playoff in Simmons’ first four seasons, but are coming off two consecutive last-place finishes in the AFC South and three straight seasons of missing the playoffs.

Ward showed promise as a rookie despite struggles with accuracy (59.8%) and a 3-14 Titans season, and Tennessee is hoping that he can make a leap in Year 2 and propel the Titans back toward competitiveness. Fortifying the defense is part of that equation and will help the Titans in their goal of developing Ward and returning to winning football.

The Simmons extension arrives amid a change of leadership on the sideline. The Titans fired head coach Brian Callahan during the 2025 season and hired Robert Saleh in the offseason to replace interim head coach Mike McCoy.

Saleh is a defensive-minded head coach who is the former head coach for the New York Jets and defensive coordinator for the San Francisco 49ers under Kyle Shanahan.

SEATTLE — No Christian Pulisic? No problem.

The United States men’s national team, playing without its injured star attacker, continued its captivating surge in this World Cup on Friday, beating Australia 2-0 to advance to the knockout rounds with one group stage game remaining.

The U.S. hasn’t won Group D just yet, but this victory — the first time since 1930 that the American men have won back-to-back World Cup matches — means they need only a draw in Thursday’s match with Türkiye to make sure of topping Group D and sending themselves to Santa Clara for a favorable round-of-32 match against a third-place team.

• How can teams qualify for knockout rounds? Clinching scenarios for every group
• VAR review: Why Alex Freeman’s USMNT goal wasn’t offside

Will Pulisic take part against Türkiye? It remains to be seen, though the team says his left calf, which led to him being substituted at halftime of the opening match, is improving.

“He’s an important player for us, Christian, but it was impossible today for him to play,” coach Mauricio Pochettino told Fox after Friday’s win. “We hope that next game he will be available but if we want to win the competition we need the whole team and all the players need to be important.

“But of course Christian is one of the best players in the world and I hope that he can recover as soon as possible.”

The formula on Friday felt familiar: Just as they did against Paraguay last week, the Americans forced an early own goal from Australia to take the lead after 11 minutes, then extended it late in the first half.

This time, it was Alex Freeman, son of former NFL wide receiver Antonio, who reacted quickly after Sergiño Dest’s shot from distance deflected high into the air in front of the 6-yard box. Freeman — barely onside — nodded the ball home and, after a dramatic VAR check, celebrated his first World Cup goal with glee.

“It was a fantastic game again, very good first half,” Pochettino said. “I think we dominated the game against a very tough team.”

The energy around Lumen Field was electric throughout the match, which wasn’t surprising as the city had been buzzing for hours ahead of the 12 p.m. local kickoff. This soccer-crazed city has reveled in hosting the men’s national team for the first time in 10 years, and “U-S-A” chants could be heard for blocks even before the teams had arrived on site.

Once inside, the American-heavy 66,925-person crowd was in a frenzy from the start, and when Folarin Balogun whizzed down the left side and sent in a perfect cross that Cameron Burgess turned into his own net, the atmosphere exploded.

The U.S. didn’t play quite as freely and creatively as they did a week ago, but there was still plenty of flair.

Balogun, who scored twice in the opening 4-1 win over Paraguay, continued to push up top and Dest played with particular purpose. The American midfield had intensity, with Tyler Adams cleaning up behind Weston McKennie’s dribbles and Malik Tillman again linking well. Chris Richards and Freeman were stout in defense.

It was a comprehensive performance from a team missing its most famous player and will give the U.S. team — and its fans — plenty of belief that a historic run is still in the offing, regardless of Pulisic’s status.

That said, everyone on the U.S. side would much rather have him back. U.S. Soccer originally described his injury, which Pulisic first picked up two days before the Paraguay game and aggravated that evening, as a “knock.” The plan — or hope — was for him to ramp up his activity all week leading up to Australia and be in the lineup here.

Instead, Pulisic never practiced with his teammates all week. On Friday morning, just hours before the match, he trained again but wasn’t deemed fit; he was in street clothes when the game began.

Pochettino’s decision to insert Ricardo Pepi — instead of a more like-for-like sub like Brenden Aaronson — was surprising. But the U.S. didn’t miss a beat.

Pepi, making his first World Cup start, wasn’t spectacular but was effective in helping the U.S. press. And in a game that was significantly more physical than the Paraguay match, the U.S. quality ultimately delivered the needed result.

As he spoke on the field after the U.S. clinch its place in the knockouts with a game to spare for the first time, Pochettino, the Argentine coach who has been criticized at times amid inconsistent results during his near two years in charge, basked in the glory of American fans chanting his name.

“I was saying yesterday, Argentina has amazing fans but I think we are matching Argentina,” he said. “So happy for them.”

PHILADELPHIA — Vinícius Júnior scored and assisted on one of Matheus Cunha’s two goals as five-time champion Brazil eliminated Haiti from the World Cup with a 3-0 victory on Friday night.

Haiti, the Western Hemisphere’s poorest nation that qualified for the World Cup for the first time since 1974, became the first team guaranteed not to reach the knockout round. Meanwhile, the Seleção got the decisive performance they needed.

“We played a complete game, especially in the first half,” Brazil coach Carlo Ancelotti said after the match. “In the second half we controlled the game. Overall we played a good match.”

Cunha, the Manchester United standout, got the start and showed with every surf-and-slide goal celebration why he should have been in the starting lineup in Brazil’s listless 1-1 draw against Morocco.

Ancelotti made the surprising decision in the opener to instead insert Cunha as a late substitute.

Cunha thrilled the Brazilian fans who made up the bulk of the 68,324 spectators at Lincoln Financial Field when he tapped in a rebound for his first career World Cup goal. He then sent a left-footed strike into the upper left corner for a 2-0 lead in the first half against the overmatched Haitians.

“For this game, Mateus Cunha’s position was the right position to create problems for their defence,” Ancelotti said. “He moved well, he was on the end of through balls. He could be a solution. But next game I might change it.”

Brazil forward Raphinha, who was subbed out with an injury in the first half, had an early goal disallowed on an offside call that only temporarily muted the yellow-clad Seleção fans in an otherwise festive atmosphere at the home of the two-time Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles — whose cheerleaders did their part to rally the crowd.

Haitian fans danced and sang “Grenadye Alaso” (“Grenadiers to the Attack”), the traditional battle cry of the national team. Brazilians chanted back, reminding them their country is the five-time World Cup champion and the home of the king of soccer: “A thousand goals, a thousand goals, a thousand goals, a thousand goals, a thousand goals! Only Pelé, only Pelé!”

Cunha added to the frivolity in Philadelphia, home to nearly 6,000 Brazilian immigrants, when he flashed his familiar surfing celebration.

Vinícius, whose 32nd-minute goal helped Brazil earn the tie against Morocco, helped Brazil get on the board when his shot was stopped by goalkeeper Johny Placide and Cunha was there to slam home the rebound to make it 1-0. Cunha extended both arms as if trying to catch some tasty waves and was mobbed his teammates.

Real Madrid attacker Vinícius slid a pass through the defense to find Cunha and he powered one high into the net that Placide never had a chance to stop to make it 2-0. Cunha slid on his stomach and mimicked a swimming motion that all but put Haiti in the drink — and validate the Brazilians’ fans decision not to tempt fate and dress the Rocky statue in team gear for bad luck.

Vinícius closed the half with a goal and that was enough to keep Brazil — seeking its first World Cup title since 2002 — happy before it closes Group C play against Scotland on Wednesday in Miami Gardens, Florida.

Brazil failed to score in the second half against a resilient Haiti side and had an Endrick goal ruled out for offside.

“Our system changed a bit, we hit woodwork, we had a goal disallowed,” Ancelotti said about the second half. “We could have played better [in second half], we lacked a bit of intensity. But we also need to think about the games coming up.”

Neymar was ruled out of Brazil’s second straight match because of a lingering calf injury.

ARLINGTON, Texas — — Jacob deGrom struck out nine over six innings to win on his 38th birthday, even after giving up a grand slam to Ty France in the first, and the Texas Rangers beat the San Diego Padres 9-7 in a wild series opener Friday night.

There were only two umpires on the field for the top of the first when the Padres jumped ahead 5-0 on the slam by France, the first of his two homers in the game. By the time deGrom (6-4) returned to the mound for the second, he had a 6-5 lead.

France homered again leading off the fourth to tie the score at 6, but the Rangers went ahead to stay in the bottom half when Wyatt Langford hit an RBI double. He was thrown out trying for a triple on the hit that chased starter Randy Vásquez (6-5).

Langford also homered leading off the eighth.

Two-time Cy Young Award winner deGrom retired 16 of the last 19 batters he faced, even with an intentional walk, and finished with a season-high 106 pitches (70 strikes) to get his 102nd career win. The only hits in that closing span were France’s second homer and his double in the sixth.

Jacob Latz got four outs for his 13th save in 15 chances.

The six-run Texas first included consecutive two-run doubles by Alejandro Osuna and Jake Burger before No. 9 batter Elias Díaz had the go-ahead RBI single.

That came after the Rangers allowed multiple runs in the first inning for the fourth game in a row — all at home. They were just swept by Minnesota, which never trailed in that three-game series.

Gavin Sheets drove in the first San Diego run with a single. He added a solo homer in the eighth.

Because of travel issues, Emil Jimenez and John Bacon were the only umps who made it in time for first pitch. Gabe Morales and Mike Muchlinski joined them on the field in the middle of the first inning.

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NEW YORK — Cam Schlittler was so dominant Friday night that even a member of the NBA champion New York Knicks thinks the tall right-hander is the top pitcher in the American League.

Schlittler had the best regular-season outing of his brief career for the New York Yankees, striking out 13 in six overpowering innings and using three types of high-velocity fastballs in a 5-0 victory over the Cincinnati Reds.

In his 30th major league start, the 6-foot-8 Schlittler eclipsed his previous career high of nine strikeouts. Against the Reds, he dominated in a way similar to the deciding Game 3 of last year’s AL Wild Card Series against the rival Boston Red Sox when he struck out 12 in eight innings.

Two nights after throwing out the ceremonial first pitch at Yankee Stadium along with Knicks teammate Jalen Brunson, Josh Hart posted on social media about Schlittler, saying: “Schlitty is the Cy Young winner hands down.”

“That’s a good thing to hear,” Schlittler said. “Josh is a great guy. I talked to him after the first playoff game. I’m pumped for him and the city of New York just being able to finish that off and it’s great to have his support.”

Schlittler (8-3) notched five strikeouts on his four-seam fastball that averaged 97.9 mph. The seventh-round draft pick had four strikeouts apiece on cutters and sinkers while throwing first-pitch strikes to 15 of 23 hitters after three straight winless starts.

“From back there, he looks crazy nasty,” New York second baseman Jazz Chisholm Jr. said.

At 25 years, 134 days, Schlittler became the youngest Yankees pitcher with 13 strikeouts since Al Downing (22 years, 359 days) also fanned 13 against the Chicago White Sox on June 21, 1964.

“I think he’s able to go so deep in the game sometimes because they generate such weak contact and he’s just filling up the zone,” Yankees first baseman Ben Rice said. “It is a little surprising. At the same time, if you told me he had 13 Ks in a game, I’d be like, that checks out.”

Schlittler also became the youngest Yankees pitcher to strike out 13 without issuing a walk. He threw 66 of 96 pitches for strikes and got his 10th strikeout when Eugenio Suárez swung at a 99.1 mph sinker to end the fourth.

“He kind of came as advertised,” Reds manager Terry Francona said. “It’s 90s and it’s a fastball that’s not straight. One’s cutting, one’s sinking, one’s at the top of the zone. It’s pretty impressive.”

Schlittler caught Matt McLain looking at a 100 mph fastball in the fifth and got his final strikeout with a 98 mph fastball against JJ Bleday in the sixth. Schlittler allowed four hits and exited to a standing ovation after stranding two runners in the sixth.

“Tonight I felt like he was on top of his game and had it going and the stuff was electric,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said. “I felt like he was in control and kind of dominating the game a little bit.”

Schlittler has a 1.71 ERA, lowest for a Yankees pitcher through 16 starts in a season since Whitey Ford was at 1.47 in 1964. Opponents are batting .194 against Schlittler, who has ascended to the top of a Yankees rotation that just got Gerrit Cole back from elbow surgery last month and has been missing Max Fried since mid-May.

All of which only enhances Schlittler’s case to start next month’s All-Star Game.

“We can all say he’s probably been the best, one of the best pitchers in the sport,” Boone said. “There’s all kinds of things that go into that and that’s a few weeks away. We’ll see. He’s definitely, I think you can make the case he’s been the best pitcher in the American League so far.”

PHOENIX — Diamondbacks starter Michael Soroka walked off the field after hurting his hip while warming up to start the second inning against Minnesota on Friday night in a development that could further deplete Arizona’s pitching depth.

The team announced Soroka left due to experiencing discomfort to his posterior left hip.

The 28-year-old right-hander allowed two hits on nine pitches in a scoreless first inning. He then came out for the second and appeared to hurt himself after one warm-up pitch. Soroka met with a trainer before leaving the field. He was replaced by Taylor Clarke.

With a 3.11 ERA, Soroka (8-3) leads the Diamondbacks in wins, though he’s gone 4-3 in his last seven decisions following a 4-0 start.

His injury comes the same day right-hander Ryne Nelson was placed on the injured list with a sprained elbow and strained forearm. Nelson (3-5) experienced discomfort after going seven innings in a 4-3 win over the Angels on Monday.

The offseason hype machine loves the Rams following their trade for pass rusher Myles Garrett.

Los Angeles safety Kam Curl is understandably quite high on his squad, too.

“Right now it’s early. It’s only what, June, but I feel like we’ve got a chance to be legendary,” Curl said Thursday on Up & Adams. “Just the type of guys we got, the coaches we got, we’ve got a bunch of experience back there. We’ve got some Super Bowl winners in there, we’ve got some Defensive Player of the Years. We’ve got some guys that, if we do what we’ve got to do, we can be one of the best.”

Garrett was a gargantuan get for the Rams, even considering Jared Verse’s departure as part of the trade. A one-man wrecking crew and the NFL’s single-season sack king, Garrett immediately elevates a defense that developed into a top-10 unit in points allowed during the 2025 campaign.

The two-time Defensive Player of the Year is just the tip of the iceberg, though.

Byron Young, L.A.’s sack leader last season with 12, still resides on the other edge. Curl, who helped propel the Rams to the NFC title game with an overtime interception of the Bears’ Caleb Williams in the Divisional Round, will be roaming a secondary bolstered by two other notable acquisitions.

Three months before the Rams paid a hefty price that included their 2027 first-round pick for Garrett, they gave the Chiefs their 2026 first-rounder in a package of picks for cornerback Trent McDuffie, an All-Pro and two-time Super Bowl winner. Los Angeles then signed McDuffie’s Kansas City teammate, corner Jaylen Watson.

It’s been an exciting, transformative period for the Rams after coming up one game shy of a Super Bowl berth.

Championships aren’t won in the summer, and Curl rightfully pointed out it’s early, but all the pieces are in place to capitalize with a dominant defensive run.

The Saints’ all-time sack leader, Cam Jordan, is back with New Orleans for “one final season,” but he’s as excited for the team’s evolving offense heading into 2026 as he is for his defensive unit.

Appearing on Good Morning Football on Friday, Jordan provided a long list of players primed to make their mark for the Saints, starting with second-year quarterback Tyler Shough and on through the signal-caller’s supporting cast.

“I liked how we finished last year,” Jordan said. “I like the way Tyler Shough progressed last year. And then you add in the draft class they just had with Jordyn Tyson there, you add in they picked up a guard (free-agent signee David Edwards). There’s elements. You look at that wide receiver room, you’ve got Chris Olave, you’ve got Devaughn Vele, you’ve got Jordyn Tyson, you’ve got a myriad of guys like Ja’Lynn Polk and Trey Palmer and all these dogs. The depth is there that we may not have had last year. You look at the tight end spot with Juwan Johnson, you know, we go pick up a tight end (Oscar Delp) in the draft. I think the Saints’ draft this year was excellent if they live up to what they should do.”

Even after a 6-11 season, there’s good reason for optimism in New Orleans.

Jordan and Co. rattled off four victories in their final five games, powered by the emergence of Shough and the offense.

After hitting the 20-point mark only twice through Week 13, the Saints scored 20 or more points four times between Weeks 14-18. A lot of the damage was done with an underpowered pass-catching group, allowing teams to home in on Olave. Tyson’s arrival should provide the Saints with a second perimeter threat to open up Olave’s game even more. Though Vele was there last year, he had to acclimate to the team after joining New Orleans in a mid-August trade, and then went down with an injury just as he started to pick up steam in the back half of the season.

The Saints also didn’t stop at addressing the WR position after using the eighth-overall pick on Tyson. They brought in fourth-rounder Bryce Lance and sixth-rounder Barion Brown, supplying more names alongside aforementioned depth pieces such as Polk and Palmer. With Delp joining Johnson and free-agent addition Noah Fant, the tight end room is equally well stocked.

Plus, Jordan failed to mention perhaps the Saints’ most impactful offensive signing, running back Travis Etienne.

If Shough can sustain and continue his development, there’s no reason to believe the Saints offense can’t make big strides in the upcoming season.

For it to matter and for the Saints to make a run, however, Jordan and the defense will have to do their part. The eight-time Pro Bowler has always held up his end of the bargain in that regard through 15 seasons. After being “reinvigorated” by his 10.5-sack 2025 campaign — his first with double-digit sacks since 2021 — Jordan is still eyeing more ahead of Year 16.

“Year 16 is going to be phenomenal for sure,” Jordan said. “I’m going to try to get me a good Myles Garrett 22.5, 23 (sacks), but even if all I do is be a coach, a mentor to my guys, there is nothing that is going to take away from my will and want for the black and gold to win a Super Bowl. That’s in whatever capacity, but I’m giving it all. I’m squeezing every game like it’s my last play I’m ever going to take. Just like I did the first snap, just like I’ll do the last snap. The passion I have for this game never stops.”

Year 4 for Lions running back Jahmyr Gibbs will be different.

He’s set to take on Detroit’s bell-cow role in his first season without running mate David Montgomery, but he’s also been prepping in new ways ahead of the 2026 campaign.

Gibbs started incorporating mixed martial arts into his offseason training in March, per ESPN’s Eric Woodyard, helping to change his body for the better.

“It helps with body control. Your base and all that and faster hands,” Gibbs told Woodyard. “I would say with blocking, I get my hands up before they hit me.”

“I feel like my body’s gotten in better shape, like physically it looks better. And conditioning-wise, that conditioning is way different from here because you use nonstop movement in every muscle of your body. Out here [in football], you get more breaks and [there is] much more using your legs. But there [in MMA], it’s just constant shoulders, knees, elbows, you go to the ground and all that so out here I barely get tired.”

Though it’s not directly tied to taking on a larger role, Gibbs choosing to use MMA as an extra element of preparation could pay dividends.

Montgomery took more of a back seat last season, but his trade to the Texans still vacated 182 touches. Gibbs already logged a career-high 320 touches in 2025, and it’s easy to imagine him taking on even more usage sharing a backfield with free-agent addition Isiah Pacheco and Sione Vaki.

Gibbs, a three-time Pro Bowler, has enjoyed a prolific start to his NFL career. He’s rushed for 3,580 yards on 5.3 yards per carry and collected 181 receptions for 1,449 receiving yards, with a record 49 scrimmage TDs through his first three seasons.

Only 25, he’s still finding news ways to perfect his approach, ready to take the fight to the league as the Lions look to rebound from a frustrating 2025 season.

Defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons cashed in after yet another big season.

The Titans and Simmons agreed to a three-year, $105.8 million contract extension that includes $100 million guaranteed and makes him the highest-paid defensive tackle in league history, NFL Network Insiders Ian Rapoport and Mike Garafolo reported Friday.

Tennessee announced extending Simmons shortly thereafter.

“Tennessee has become a second home for me,” Simmons said in a statement released by the team. “From day one, this organization believed in me, and I’m grateful for the opportunity to continue to pour into this franchise and community. I want to thank God, my family, my teammates, Ms. Amy and the entire Titans organization for believing in me. My job isn’t finished. I believe in this locker room and this staff, and I’m focused on helping this team get back to competing for championships.”

The annual average salary of Simmons’ extension sits at $35.3 million, dwarfing the previous high at the position: Chris Jones’ $31.8 million with the Chiefs.

Simmons, who turns 29 in July, has rightfully been identified as a foundational piece of the Titans’ future during head coach Robert Saleh’s first season in charge and was handsomely rewarded as such.

“Jeffery Simmons is a pillar for our franchise and embodies what it means to be a Titan,” general manager Mike Borgonzi said. “He’s the premier defensive tackle in the National Football League and you win with players like Jeffery. Not only is his leadership on the field what we want our program to represent, but off the field, he sets the standard for our community. … You always want to keep your best players and we accomplished that today. We’re excited for Jeffery to be here in Nashville for the long haul.”

Simmons made his first All-Pro team in 2025 on the strength of a career-high 11 sacks, bringing his career total to 42.5. He received the third-highest defensive grade among defensive tackles (88.3) from PFF and made his fourth Pro Bowl.

Although that production coincided with a 3-14 record and a 30th-place finish in points allowed, the Titans’ struggles by no means fell on Simmons’ shoulders.

He has been one of the team’s most impactful defenders through his seven seasons, and he’s now set to play on a raise in a rebuilt Titans D.

Tennessee loaded up on free agents this offseason, bringing in a class headlined by pass rusher Jermaine Johnson II and cornerback Alontae Taylor. The team also added defensive end Keldric Faulk and linebacker Anthony Hill in the first and second rounds of the draft, respectively.

Simmons is — and now will be for years to come — in the middle of it all.