The 49ers signed some quality veteran free agents in 2019. High-profile free agents such as linebacker Kwon Alexander and running back Tevin Coleman helped San Francisco improve from 4-12 in 2018 to 13-3.

When Antonio Brown was released by the Raiders last summer, he was ecstatic. He couldn’t wait to to get out of that silver and black uniform. Brown even posted a video of himself on social media, running around his backyard, gleefully yelling, “Free!” But that freedom didn’t amount to much. After burning his bridges with the Raiders, he did...

Santa Clara city leaders this week unanimously voted to end an agreement with the San Francisco 49ers that empowers the team to manage its home stadium.

Colin Kaepernick can add author and publisher to his resume.

When the 49ers drafted Jimmie Ward with their first pick in 2014, some analysts questioned the decision.

News outlets in New Orleans are set to argue that they should have access to a hearing on the confidentiality of emails between Catholic officials and an NFL franchise.

Why would the NFL’s New Orleans Saints strike a behind-the-scenes alliance with the Catholic Church on an issue as emotionally fraught as clergy sex abuse?  It’s a question even die-hard fans are asking in a Catholic city where football is a religion of its own

Cleveland Browns star defensive end Myles Garrett has been reinstated by the NFL after being suspended for hitting Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Mason Rudolph in the head with a helmet in a Nov. 14 game.

First, linebacker Kwon Alexander helped transform the 49ers defense in 2019. Then, he rushed back from an injury to get back on the field for the team’s postseason run to the Super Bowl. Now, Alexander has given his team a boost for its offseason.

There’s no question who the Raiders’ No. 1 running back is going into 2020. Josh Jacobs, who rushed for more than 1,000 yards as a rookie, proved himself to be a high-impact player and every-down back in 2019. But the Raiders also are committed to keeping Jalen Richard. Richard just completed his fourth season with the Raiders and has been…

Before the Super Bowl, many analysts expressed doubts about the ability of 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo.

George Kittle is eligible for a contract extension this offseason, and the 49ers reportedly won’t wait long to lock up their star tight end.  The 49ers and Kittle could begin negotiations on a new deal “as soon as after” Super Bowl LIV on Sunday, NFL Media’s Mike Garafolo said Sunday on “NFL GameDay,” citing “sources informed of the negotiations...

Patrick Mahomes needed just the waning minutes of Super Bowl 54 to end a whole lot of frustration. A championship 50 years in the making for the Kansas City Chiefs. A two-decade wait for an NFL title for coach Andy Reid. All it took was falling behind by double digits in the postseason, again. Then Mahomes found his mojo. The…

Where there’s smoke, there’s normally fire. Since Tom Brady and the New England Patriots were unceremoniously bounced from the playoffs by the Tennessee Titans during the wild-card round, whispers have circulated that Brady, who is set to become a free agent, might be set to pack his bag and move from the New England to Las Vegas to join the...

Lamar Jackson’s stunning season not only earned him The Associated Press NFL Most Valuable Player Award, but he won it unanimously. That’s right: The second-year quarterback of the Baltimore Ravens joins Tom Brady as the only players to receive every vote for MVP. Jackson drew all 50 votes from a nationwide panel of media members who regularly cover the...

After more than 4,000 plays, 1,000 points and 125 touchdowns between them, there are countless numbers that tell the story of how the San Francisco 49ers and Kansas City Chiefs made it to the Super Bowl. The Chiefs have relied on a big-play passing game led by Patrick Mahomes, while the Niners have had plenty of success on the defensive…

The Raiders have plenty of picks in this spring’s draft, including two first-rounders, and the franchise also has room under the salary cap to bring in veteran free agents. So, the team that went 7-9 and just missed a playoff spot could be much better in 2020.

If defense wins championships, then the 49ers will win the Super Bowl Sunday.

When the 49ers beat the Seahawks in the final regular-season game, they earned a first-round playoff bye. That bye may have been the key to getting to this Sunday’s Super Bowl.

Hall of Fame defensive end Chris Doleman, who became one of the NFL’s most feared pass rushers during 15 seasons in the league, has died

Private jet service, a personal butler, or how about a meal with former Patriots star Rob Gronkowski to top off Super Bowl weekend? From legendary nightclubs to exclusive parties, no place caters to the rich and famous quite like glitzy Miami.

Former NFL wide receiver Antonio Brown was back in a Broward County courtroom Tuesday, where a judge allowed him to travel the country after his arrest on battery and burglary charges last week. The judge eased the terms of Brown’s bond release, saying he no longer has to wear an ankle monitor and can travel in the U.S. However...

A “white hat” hacker group on Monday claimed responsibility for hijacking the social media accounts for the NFL and multiple football teams. OurMine, a Saudi Arabian hacking account that promotes its own cyber security services, said it hacked a number of the league’s accounts on its Twitter page, NBC News reported. The first team to be exposed to the hackers...

Katie Sowers and the 49ers will make history Sunday. Together. 

Bravo, George Kittle. The star tight end for the San Francisco 49ers is providing two Super Bowl LIV tickets to the family of a fallen U.S. soldier from Sacramento.

The 49ers need to worry about stopping Patrick Mahomes first.

Hollywood Police say he is being charged with counts of battery and burglary

This is the era of the quarterback in the NFL. Offenses are built on passing attacks, not off-tackle runs. Running backs almost have disappeared from the first round of many recent draft classes.

Derek Carr is tired of all the rumors. After years hearing and reading NFL pundits speculating that Carr will be replaced as quarterback of the Raiders, he’s finally said he’s bothered by it.

The NFL has announced it plans to air a public service announcement featuring the family of Botham Jean during next month’s Super Bowl. The video highlights racial injustices and societal shortfalls that the family of Jean, who was murdered by former Dallas police officer Amber Guyger, said they believed need to be addressed in America. “I think for the...

New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning will announce his retirement Friday after 16 seasons, the team said. The news comes after the end of his contract and, while rumors were swirling that he would retire following its expiration, Manning had not said whether he would play another season or would retire. Until the team announced the upcoming retirement Wednesday. “For…

Deebo Samuel often has been compared to a running back. The 49ers’ rookie wide receiver is a strong, physical player at 5-foot-11 and 214 pounds, and once he gets the ball in his hands after a catch, he can gain yards with his speed and tackle-breaking running style.

The Raiders started scrubbing Oakland from their name a few weeks back. Taking the city’s name off social media accounts was the most public step. Then the team removed the word from the top of their Alameda training facility, where the organization will conduct business into July....

There were some legal maneuverings already in the works, and all that was prelude...

The team that was so bad a year ago that the coaching staff got rewarded with a week coaching the Senior Bowl in Alabama is now playing for the championship in the Super Bowl on Feb. 2 in Miami against the Kansas City Chiefs.

Katie Sowers, an offensive assistant coach with the San Francisco 49ers, will make history on Feb. 2, becoming the first woman to coach in a Super Bowl, when the Niners take on the Kansas City Chiefs in Miami.

Mike Mayock has received much-deserved praise for his first year as Raiders general manager.

For one member of the 49ers, the Super Bowl is a reunion. Defensive end Dee Ford, who was acquired by San Francisco in a trade with the Kansas City Chiefs last offseason, will get a chance to play against his former teammates in Super Bowl LIV on Feb. 2 in Miami.

The 49ers and Jimmy Garoppolo will be rocking the classic white tops and gold pants in Super Bowl LIV.

It’s clear York thinks the 49ers have harmony between ownership, management and the coaching staff. 

After a seven-year absence from the big game, San Francisco earned a spot in Super Bowl LIV by beating the Green Bay Packers 37-20 in the NFC Championship Game on Sunday at Levi’s Stadium.

The San Francisco 49ers and the Kansas City Chiefs are headed to the Super Bowl.

Welcome to the big stage, Patrick Mahomes.

In preparation for their NFC game against the 49ers Sunday, the Green Bay Packers flew into San Jose Saturday afternoon and headed to their hotel in Menlo Park.

Police chiefs in San Francisco and Green Bay, Wisconsin, have agreed to a friendly wager on an upcoming NFL football game.

For the eighth time in 25 years, the Packers and 49ers — both 14-3 this season — face off in the postseason. Green Bay leads 4-3 in what has been a memorable and sometimes spicy rivalry. San Francisco has won five of its six Super Bowl trips. Green Bay is 4-1. No matchup has occurred as frequently in the past…

The Pro Football Writers Association has selected 49ers general manager John Lynch as the Executive of the Year.

When the 49ers played the Packers earlier this season, Joe Staley couldn’t play.

Two years have passed since Aaron Hernandez took his life in a Massachusetts prison and yet the public continues to be fascinated by his life story.

The teams that have combined for nine Super Bowl titles will meet with a spot in the championship game on the line once again when the 49ers (14-3) host the Packers (14-3) in the NFC championship game on Sunday.

In his first playoff game with the 49ers, Jimmy Garoppolo didn’t have to be a star.

First, Brentson Buckner earned a starring role on “Hard Knocks.” Then, he guided the defensive line to greater heights in 2019, coaching the unit to 32 sacks after it produced a league-low 13 in 2018.

San Francisco 49ers defensive end Nick Bosa was recognized as the NFL Rookie of the Year, the Pro Football Writers of America announced on Tuesday morning.

The 49ers thrashed the Green Bay Packers, 37-8, on Nov. 24 at Levi’s Stadium. It was a complete and thorough display of domination. But it won’t be that easy again, and coach Kyle Shanahan wants to be sure his players know that.

There probably aren’t another two NFL coaching staffs who know each other as well as the 49ers and Green Bay Packers. And that is how it sets up Sunday for the NFC Championship Game at Levi’s Stadium.

While others speculate about Derek Carr’s future with the Raiders, one teammate says such talk is nonsense.

A man collapsed and died Saturday night at M&T Bank Stadium during a playoff game for the Baltimore Ravens.

The Raiders’ once-shaky offensive line has become a strength of the team as it enters this 2020 offseason.

George Kittle is the 49ers’ best offensive weapon. So, expect the Vikings to make a huge effort to neutralize him Saturday.

The Raiders pass rush was so bad in 2018 that it became an inspiration for 2019.

When the 49ers acquired edge defender Dee Ford this offseason, they hoped to get an energizer who could lead a revamped pass rush in 2019.

Jimmy Garoppolo answered plenty of questions this season. Coming off a torn ACL, he led the 49ers to an NFC West title and the No. 1 seed in the NFC playoffs. He also produced one of the best statistical seasons ever for a QB in franchise history. 

Maurice Hurst didn’t have spectacular numbers. He didn’t lead the Raiders in sacks, pressures or tackles. But the second-year defensive tackle was healthy for the entire season, played all 16 games and was a difference-maker

In the aftermath of the 49ers’ Week 17 victory in Seattle, Jimmy Garoppolo hit a 49ers fan with ‘pretty accurate’ throw, he jokes.

Tom Brady says he doesn’t want to retire. The 42-year-old quarterback may have won six Super Bowls and played 285 games in the NFL dating to 2000, but he’s not ready to stop playing football.

Danielle Hunter is the leader of the pack, with 14½ sacks. The fifth-year defensive end from LSU tied his career-high sack total this season and ranked third in the NFL in sacks. He also had 22 quarterback hits.

The drama did not last deep into Sunday. The 49ers can now start preparing for their opponent in the divisional round of the NFC playoffs.

The internet helped Sherm find the “bad contract” takes, and he did the rest.

Even with all that went wrong in 2019 for the franchise – which is now pulling up its Oakland stakes to move to Las Vegas – the Raiders have reasons to be optimistic in 2020.

Several rookies played key roles as the 49ers skyrocketed from 4-12 in 2018 to 13-3 in 2019 to win the NFC West and earn the No. 1 seed in the NFC playoffs.

The 49ers’ road to a second straight division title will be more challenging than the first.

Reggie Wayne and Troy Polamalu are among 15 finalists for the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s modern-day 2020 class. The former Colts receiver and Steelers safety are joined by five others who have never been finalists: Packers safety LeRoy Butler; Rams receiver Torry Holt; Panthers linebacker Sam Mills; Dolphins linebacker Zach Thomas; and 49ers defensive tackle Bryant Young. They are…

Imagine what Josh Jacobs could have done this season if he hadn’t suffered a late-season shoulder injury. Jacobs, the first-round pick from Alabama, was shut down after the Dec. 15 game against Jacksonville. He missed the final two games of the year, plus another in October. But in 13 games, Jacobs carried 242 times for 1,150 yards, 4.8 yards per…

Robbie Gould is Mr. Reliable, once again. The 49ers kicker has worked his way back in sync at the most important time of the season. With the NFC West championship up for grabs – and the playoffs approaching – the veteran has rebounded from injury and inconsistency to regain the form that made him one of the NFL’s best kickers…

When the 49ers open the playoffs in two weeks, Mike Person will be back at right guard. The veteran lineman, 31, started the Niners’ first 14 games, but then sat out the last two with a sore neck, ending a streak of 30 straight games played with the team. He was replaced by Daniel Brunskill, who helped San Francisco beat…

The Raiders took a gamble on Richie Incognito in 2019, and won. The veteran guard had a troubled past on and off the field and didn’t play in the NFL in 2018. But in May, the Raiders signed Incognito, just two months before his 36th birthday, to a one-year deal in hopes that the former four-time Pro Bowler could help…

NFL viewership ratings are on the rise for the second straight year, giving league officials an edge in pushing to raise broadcast fees and lock in multiyear media deals long before they are set to expire at the end of 2022. Viewership plummeted during the 2016 and 2017 seasons after former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick quietly divided football fans...

Miami Dolphins defensive back Xavien Howard was arrested this weekend after an alleged domestic violence incident involving his fianceé. Howard, 26, was charged Sunday with one count of domestic battery, according to a Davie Police arrest report. According to the arrest report, Howard and his fianceé had an argument about a recent purchase when he allegedly grabbed her arm and…

Detroit Lions wide receiver Marvin Jones Jr. and his family are mourning the loss of his fifth and youngest child, son Marlo, who has died at age 6 months.

The road to the Super Bowl in the NFC will go through San Francisco for the first time since 1997. By inches. The 49ers won the NFC West and a No. 1 seed in the playoffs with a 26-21 victory over the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday night when Jacob Hollister was stopped by rookie linebacker Dre Greenlaw on fourth-and-goal just…

The Raiders ended their season and their reign in Oakland with a loss Sunday, 16-15 to the Denver Broncos.

Raiders rookie wide receiver Hunter Renfrow hadn’t played in a game since Nov. 24. During that time, Oakland lost three straight games – to the Chiefs, Titans and Jaguars – to fall from 6-5 to 6-8. The Raiders’ playoff hopes also seemed hopeless. But in Renfrow’s return Sunday against the Chargers at Carson, the former Clemson standout showed what he…

Could Beastmode be back?

Fred Warner had played almost two complete seasons, 30 games overall, before getting his first interception in the NFL. But when it finally came, it was at just the right moment. The linebacker picked off Rams quarterback Jared Goff just before halftime Saturday night and returned the ball 46 yards for a touchdown to give San Francisco its first lead…

Derek Carr threw for 291 yards and a touchdown as the Oakland Raiders kept their playoff hopes alive with a 24-17 victory over the Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday.

The much-anticipated Week 17 game between the 49ers and the Seahawks — originally scheduled for 1:25 p.m. on Sunday, Dec. 29, in Seattle — has been flexed to NBC’s “Sunday Night Football” and now will kick off at 5:20 p.m.

Rookie defensive end Maxx Crosby has more sacks than Clelin Ferrell. He’s also been in on more tackles than his fellow rookie, who plays the same position. Crosby also has more tackles for loss and more quarterback hits. The fact Crosby was a fourth-round pick out of Eastern Michigan while Ferrell was the No. 4 overall choice in the draft…

Through the first half of this season, 49ers linebacker Kwon Alexander was a star. In his first year in the Bay Area after four seasons with Tampa Bay, Alexander was proving to be one of the team’s best offseason pickups. The rangy, athletic linebacker teamed with second-year man Fred Warner to give San Francisco a sideline-to-sideline dynamic duo. Through...

San Francisco’s dominant defense that completely flummoxed Jared Goff the first time the 49ers played the Los Angeles Rams has gone missing of late. Whether it’s because of attrition from injuries to key cogs like Dee Ford and Kwon Alexander or facing a slate of more talented quarterbacks, the Niners (11-3) head into the rematch with the Rams (8-6)...

Scorned NFL star Aaron Hernandez’s...murder conviction and suicide...will take center stage in a new Netflix documentary series from the same studio who created true crime favorites like Making a Murderer and Evil Genius....

Titled Killer Inside: The Mind of Aaron Hernandez, the first teaser trailer features audio of a recorded phone call between Hernandez and a woman. “My...

The Raiders won’t have their Pro Bowl tackle for the remainder of this season. Trent Brown, signed to a huge free-agent deal this offseason, will go on injured reserve, said head coach Jon Gruden, and won’t play in the final two regular-season games – or the playoffs, should Oakland defy the long odds and earn a postseason spot. Brown,...

There’s no question this version of the Los Angeles Rams is different than the Rams of 2018 and 2017. Last year’s Rams won the NFC championship, went to the Super Bowl and were an offensive machine, averaging an NFC-leading 32.9 points per game. This season, the Rams come into Saturday night’s matchup with the 49ers at 8-6 and are struggling…

It’s been three days now, but the 49ers are still kicking themselves over losing to the Atlanta Falcons this past Sunday. The Niners could be 12-2 now and in sole possession of first place in the NFC West and in the lead for the NFC’s No. 1 seed and home-field advantage through the playoffs. But the last-minute 29-22 defeat...

The Raiders offensive line returned to its previous form after a down year in 2018. The front was tough as ever blocking for new running back Josh Jacobs and was solid protecting quarterback Derek Carr.

The fans spoke in support of six 49ers players as the leading vote-getters at their positions.

A month ago, the Raiders were 6-4 and suddenly in the thick of the AFC playoff race. They’d won three straight games and the analytic website Fivethirtyeight.com gave Oakland a 40% shot at a postseason berth. With a victory against the New York Jets, Fivethirtyeight noted the Raiders’ percentage would shoot up to 50%. As Conor Orr of Sports Illustrated…

Sometimes, a player’s absence can have ripple effects. That was the case this past Sunday when the 49ers didn’t have veteran cornerback Richard Sherman. Not only did San Francisco not have its best cover defensive back – often assigned to the opponent’s best wide receiver – but his absence weakened the pass defense as a whole. Without Sherman on...

Despite following up their most electrifying win of the season with a flat loss, the task heading into the final two weeks of the season for the San Francisco 49ers is a simple one. Win two games and the 49ers are assured of having the top seed in the NFC playoffs and home-field advantage throughout. If that doesn’t happen,...