The deal carries an average annual value of $5.666 million, making it the largest second contract for a goalie in league history, The Post’s Larry Brooks reported.

The previous record was held by Sergei Bobrovsky, who made $5.625 million per year on his second contract with the Flyers and now is being paid an average of $10 million per year by the Panthers.

Shesterkin, 25, went 16-14-3 last season with a 2.62 goals against average and .916 save percentage.

This story originally appeared on: NyPost - Author:Mark Fischer

The 30-year-old was brought in Saturday as a depth piece following an injury scare to startling left guard Shane Lemieux.

Looney, who will be 31 by the end of the month, mostly played center throughout an eight-year career with the Cowboys, Titans and 49ers, but had experience at left and right guard.

The terms of his contract with the Giants were not clear.

This story originally appeared on: NyPost - Author:Mark Fischer

The Packers reacquired Texans wide receiver Randall Cobb on Wednesday, a move that was seemingly part of a list of concessions aimed at enticing Aaron Rodgers to play at least one more season in Green Bay.

“He’s earned a place at the table,” Packers GM Brian Gutekunst said Wednesday of the future Hall of Fame quarterback, who will suit up for the Packers in 2021 following an offseason filled with reports that he wanted out.

Shortly after Gutekunst’s comment on Rodgers, Cobb announced the trade on Twitter, writing “I’M COMING HOME.”

It wasn’t immediately clear what the Packers were sending Houston in the trade.

A second-round pick by the Packers in 2011, Cobb spent the first eight seasons of his career as one of Rodgers’ go-to targets.

Cobb caught 41 touchdowns and had 470 receptions — ranked sixth in Packers history — for 5,524 receiving yards with Green Bay before leaving for the Cowboys and eventually signing a three-year, $27 million deal with the Texans, leaving a void in the Packers’ slot they haven’t filled since.

Cobb, who will turn 31 in August, caught three touchdowns and had 38 receptions for 441 receiving yards in 10 games last season. A toe injury caused him to miss six games.

Despite rumors that he could hold out of training camp to force a trade, which would have led to a $50,000 fine for every day he missed, the 37-year-old Rodgers reported Tuesday.

The concessions made by Green Bay reportedly include Rodgers having control over where he is potentially traded next offseason.

Rodgers reportedly has been frustrated with the Packers’ recent personnel decisions, which included selecting his potential successor, Jordan Love, in the first round of the 2020 NFL Draft rather than another offensive weapon to help him in his final seasons.

Rodgers, is in the middle of a four-year, $134 million contract ($98.7 million guaranteed).

This story originally appeared on: NyPost - Author:Mark Fischer

Rojas was ejected in the first inning after arguing with home plate umpire Jeremy Riggs, who ruled a Kevin Newman dribbler fair despite Rojas and Mets pitcher Taijuan Walker believing it was foul.

The play led to mass confusion and the Pirates scoring three runs to take a 6-0 lead.

MLB in a statement described Rojas’ blowup as “excessive arguing.”

Rojas will miss Monday and Tuesday’s game against the Reds in Cincinnati, with bench coach Dave Jauss taking over managerial duties.

This story originally appeared on: NyPost - Author:Mark Fischer

“We ain’t welcoming him, we just got to play him. There ain’t going to be no damn ceremony for him or nothing like that,” Cowart, who was a rookie during Brady’s last season with the Patriots, recently said on the “Patriots of Life” podcast. “(Fans) might clap for him, but… bro, this is our opponent. Bro, what? We like to win.”

There probably will be a ceremony for Brady, a future Hall of Famer who led the Patriots to six Super Bowls in 20 seasons before leaving for Tampa in 2020 and winning a championship with the Buccaneers.

“We should have a fun night,” Patriots owner Rob Kraft told TMZ in May of Brady’s homecoming. “Excited to have him. He’s a great guy and he did so much for us. I love him.”

It won’t be cheap for Patriots fans to welcome Brady back to Gillette Stadium for the primetime Week Four matchup, with tickets listed for as much as $8,000 on the secondary market.

This story originally appeared on: NyPost - Author:Mark Fischer

Kalabrya Gondrezick-Haskins faces a felony charge of battery and domestic violence resulting in bodily harm stemming from the alleged altercation at The Cosmopolitan, according to KTNV.

Gondrezick-Haskins reportedly punched Haskins after they got into an argument over their plans for the evening. Haskins and his friends apparently went to a nightclub without waiting for Gondrezick-Haskins and her friends, who had attended a show earlier in the night.

Haskins, 24, was treated for facial injuries at a local hospital, and officers on the scene reportedly found the missing tooth in the hotel room.

“I want her out of my room,” Haskins told a security officer at The Cosmopolitan following the incident, according to KLAS. “She hit me and cut my lip open.”

Haskins-Gondrezick, a former Michigan State basketball player, told police that the couple married in March and were in the area to renew their vows and celebrate with friends.

Although Haskins-Gondrezick is due in court Aug. 3, the pair seems to have made up.

On Monday, Haskins shared a photo on Instagram of the couple flashing her apparent wedding ring with the caption, “Couldn’t make you wait forever, for forever. This is forever.”

The incident marks the latest off-field drama for Haskins. A 2019 first-round draft pick by Washington, Haskins was released by organization after two tulmultous seasons, in which he lost the starting job and was fined $40,000 after violating COVID-19 protocols by partying without a mask.

The former Ohio State star earned a guaranteed $14 million with Washington.

Haskins signed a one-year, $850,000 deal with the Steelers in January.

This story originally appeared on: NyPost - Author:Mark Fischer

After Islanders forward Anthony Beauvillier scored in overtime Wednesday to force a Game 7 in the semifinal against Tampa Bay, fans threw beer cans, water bottles and towels onto the Nassau Coliseum ice as their favorite players celebrated.

At one point, hard-nosed Islanders forward Cal Clutterbuck had to knock a can out of the air — and did not seem happy about it.

“Never seen anything like that,” Islanders star forward Mat Barzal told reporters after the 3-2 win of the fans tossing beer. “A little dangerous, but… that’s the Islanders faithful. They’re passionate, they get excited.”

Though fans throwing objects onto the ice is nothing new, especially after a loss, it’s unusual for them to do so in celebration — especially when they may be putting their favorite players at risk.

Perhaps Islanders fans were saying their goodbyes to Nassau Coliseum, for their won’t be another game there if the Islanders don’t advance to the Stanley Cup final on Friday.

The Islanders, who have called the Coliseum home for almost every season since 1972, are expected to move to the newly constructed USB Arena at Belmont Park next season.

Beauvillier said the unusual celebration felt “amazing.”

“Going into OT the building smelled like cigarettes, and now it smells like beers,” the 24-year-old told reporters afterward.

Longtime NBC hockey analyst and former Ranger Eddie Olczyk wasn’t as amused.

“I can’t understand this,” Olczyk said. “This is dangerous for the players. This is your team.”

This story originally appeared on: NyPost - Author:Mark Fischer

When approached by an umpire Tuesday night for the recently introduced “sticky stuff” screening, Oakland A’s reliever Sergio Romo sarcastically undid his belt and lowered his pants just below his buttock.

A couple hours earlier, Washington Nationals pitcher Max Scherzer undid his belt in a similar fashion after Phillies manager Joe Girardi demanded the ace be inspected a third time — all because he saw the ace touch his hair while on the mound.

“It was suspicious for me,” Girardi told reporters afterward.

Umpires on Monday began checking pitchers across the majors for performance-enhancing sticky substances, which MLB is desperately trying to eliminate from the game in order to generate more offense.

No pitchers have been caught with the banned substances during the check-ins, which usually are unprompted and last a few seconds without any drama.

On Tuesday, though, tensions quickly soared between a fiery Scherzer and Girardi after Scherzer touched his hair in the fourth inning. Scherzer said he was using his sweat to get a better grasp on the baseball, which is permitted.

“I would have to be an absolute fool to actually use something tonight when everybody’s antenna is so far high they’d look for anything,” said Scherzer, who also threw his hat and glove to the ground while being inspected. “I have absolutely zero on me. I have nothing on me. Check whatever you want. I’ll take off all my clothes if you want to see me.”

An inning later, Scherzer taunted Girardi after ending the frame on a strikeout. The former Yankees manager was ejected after trying to confront the 36-year-old righty, who struck out eight in five innings of the 3-2 win.

As for the 38-year-old Romo, he was visibly upset when approached by an umpire after giving up a run in the eighth inning.

Within a few seconds, the three-time champion removed his glove, hat and belt buckle before returning to the Oakland dugout en route to a 13-6 win.

This story originally appeared on: NyPost - Author:Mark Fischer

At least two of Nassib’s teammates publicly supported him following the historic announcement, which the 28-year-old said he had “agonized” over for the past 15 years.

“Proud of you brotha,” Raiders’ rookie defensive tackle Darius Stills wrote on social media, while Solomon Thomas, acquired by the Raiders this past offseason, wrote the same.

Raiders head coach Jon Gruden said, “I learned a long time ago what makes a man different is what makes him great,” according to ESPN.

Commissioner Roger Goodell said the NFL is “proud of Carl for courageously sharing his truth today. … We share his hope that someday soon statements like his will no longer be newsworthy as we march toward full equality for the LGBTQ+ community.”

Nassib said he would not have been able to go through with his announcement without his coaches, teammates and other players.

A few NFL players have come out as gay prior to Nassib, but only after their respective playing days ended.

Roy Simmons, who spent four seasons with the Giants and Washington in the early 1980s, told the New York Times in 2003 he didn’t come out during his playing days because he feared it would end his career.

“The NFL has a reputation,” he said, “and it’s not even a verbal thing — it’s just known. You are gladiators; you are male; you kick butt.”

Simmons’ teammate with the Giants, Butch Woolfolk, told the newspaper: “You can be a wife beater, do drugs, get in a car wreck and the team will take care of you. But if you’re gay, it’s like the military: Don’t ask, don’t tell.”

In 2013, Jason Collins became the first active player in one of the four major professional North American sports to come out as gay.

Nearly a year later, Missouri star Michael Sam came out as gay before being drafted by the Rams in the seventh round of the 2014 draft, and was on track to become the first openly gay active player in the NFL.

But Sam, who famously was filmed kissing his boyfriend on draft night, was cut at the end of training camp, which the team said was strictly a football decision. He retired a year later, having never appeared in a regular-season game, because of what he described as mental health reasons.

The support for Nassib has been more widespread than what Sam received, as acceptance of the LGBTQ community continues to grow.

Following Nassib’s announcement, Giants star running back Saquon Barkley tweeted, “Much respect brudda.”

Nassib’s brother Ryan, who spent two seasons with the Giants, wrote on Instagram, “Couldn’t be more proud to be your brother. Love you Carl.”

Nassib is entering his sixth year in the league, having also played for the Browns, who selected him in the third in the 2016 NFL Draft, and the Buccaneers.

The Raiders signed Nassib, who has 20.5 career sacks, to a three-year, $25 million contract.

“Congrats to Carl Nassib on coming out that’s a big step,” former NFL star Shawne Merriman wrote. “I think that most players are concerned if you can play or not.”

This story originally appeared on: NyPost - Author:Mark Fischer

In a series of Instagram rants, Glen “Big Baby” Davis said the injury was “karma” for Irving stomping on the Celtics’ center-court logo after beating his former team in the first round of the playoffs.

“His ankles is f—ed up and ‘Lucky’ (the Celtics’ logo) got his ass,” a gleeful Davis said in a video posted Monday. “His ankles is weak!! His ankles is f—ked and Lucky got his ass!”

Irving, who was ruled out of Game 5 against the Bucks and may miss the rest of the second round due to a right ankle sprain, spent two tulmultous seasons with the Celtics, which included him clashing with younger players and struggling in the playoffs.

The stomping incident drew backlash from Boston fans and even Hall of Famer Kevin Garnett, but it was overshadowed by a Celtics fan in a Garnett jersey allegedly throwing a water bottle at Irving’s head moments later. (The fan was charged with assault and battery with a dangerous weapon.)

“I don’t even care if it’s a logo! It means something to me,” said the 35-year-old Davis, a former big man who won a title coming off the bench for the Celtics in 2008.

“Like, you know what I’m saying, for example, countries that have flags! You go and step on a logo flag, what is that? That’s disrespect!”

Doubling down Monday in the face of criticism for his comments, Davis said, “Don’t get mad at me because ‘Lucky’ got his get back.”

This story originally appeared on: NyPost - Author:Mark Fischer

“So nobody going to say anything about Kyrie Stomping ‘Lucky’?” Celtics great Kevin Garnett wrote Monday on Instagram. “We just gonna act like we didn’t see that.

“You can’t do that,” added the Hall of Famer, who won a title with Boston in 2008. “That’s not cool on no level .. All of us need to be better.”

The clip of Irving stamping his left shoe on the emblem made the rounds on social media after a Celtics fan in a Garnett jersey nearly hit Irving with a water bottle as he walked down the tunnel toward the locker room following Brooklyn’s win.

The fan, 21-year-old Massachusetts native Cole Buckley, was banned from TD Garden and will be arraigned Tuesday on a charge of assault and battery by means of a dangerous weapon, local police told reporters.

But Garnett appeared to only criticize Irving, who had 39 points Sunday and was heavily booed both games in Boston.

The 29-year-old Irving spent two tumultuous seasons with the organization that featured him reportedly calling out younger teammates and struggling in the 2019 playoffs.

He left that summer to sign a four-year, $136 million contract with the Nets to team up with fellow star Kevin Durant.

The Nets are one game away from eliminating Boston in the first round of the playoffs.

This story originally appeared on: NyPost - Author:Mark Fischer

A Philadelphia 76ers fan dumped popcorn on Russell Westbrook as the Wizards star made his way into the locker room after suffering an ankle injury in the fourth quarter of Wednesday night’s game in Philadelphia.

The 32-year-old Westbrook had to be restrained from going after the unidentified fan, who was ejected from Wells Fargo Center.

The 76ers won, 120-95, to take a 2-0 series lead in the first-round playoff matchup.

Westbrook struggled, scoring 10 points on 2-for-10 shooting with 11 assists.

This story originally appeared on: NyPost - Author:Mark Fischer

“I have concluded that Mr. Callaway violated MLB’s policies, and that placement on the Ineligible List is warranted,” MLB commissioner Rob Manfred said, without releasing any details into what the league’s investigation found.

The Angels fired the 46-year-old Callaway after the league’s announcement.

Callaway was suspended by the Angels in February after five women, in an interview with The Athletic, gave detailed accounts of multiple instances of aggressive, inappropriate acts by Callaway over five years while he was employed by three teams.

Callaway was the Indians’ pitching coach for five years before stints with the Mets, who fired him in 2019 after two mediocre seasons, and the Angels.

“I apologize to the women who shared with investigators any interaction that made them feel uncomfortable,” Callaway said in a statement to ESPN. “To be clear, I never intended to make anyone feel this way and didn’t understand that these interactions might do that or violate MLB policies. However, those are my own blind spots, and I take responsibility for the consequences.

“To say I regret my past poor choices would be an understatement. I remain hopeful that I can return to baseball when eligible at the conclusion of next season, but for now, I plan to work on my own shortcomings and repairing any damage I have caused with my colleagues and, particularly, my family.”

Callaway sent uninvited and sometimes unanswered messages to the women via email, text or social media and asked one to send nude photos in return, according to The Athletic report. He often commented on their appearance in a way that made them uncomfortable and on one occasion “thrust his crotch near the face of a reporter” while she interviewed him.

Another time, he told one of the women he’d share information about the Mets if she got drunk with him, the report said. More than one woman received a shirtless selfie or several from him, and one said he massaged her shoulders in the dugout when he thought nobody was watching, according to the report.

Two of the women said they had been warned about Callaway’s behavior by fellow media members and others in baseball, The Athletic reported.

— With AP

This story originally appeared on: NyPost - Author:Mark Fischer

Jarred Kelenic, the highly touted prospect center fielder whom the Mets traded away in a deal they’ve probably come to regret, is expected to make his long-awaited MLB debut this week with the Mariners.

The No. 3-overall prospect in baseball is expected be called up Thursday for a home game against the Cleveland Indians, according to ESPN, more than two years after Kelenic was sent to Seattle in a trade headlined by Robinson Cano and Edwin Diaz coming to New York.

While Cano sits out the season for violating baseball’s PED policy a second time and Diaz delivers mixed results from the mound, Kelenic continues to light it up in the Mariners’ farm system.

The sixth-overall pick in the 2018 draft is 9-for-20 with two home runs, six RBIs and two stolen bases in five games with Triple-A Tacoma.

Kelenic, 21, might have made his debut last season had Seattle not been manipulating his service time in order to keep him under team control longer — a tactic former CEO Kevin Mather revealed in February to the dismay of Kelenic and the players’ association.

“Money shouldn’t determine when a player is called up to the big leagues,” Kelenic told USA Today following Mather’s comments, which, in addition to racist remarks he made about Mariners employees, led to Mather resigning. “This should be an exciting time for baseball. We had such a negative year with COVID and everything shutting down. This is what we’ve been waiting for. Now, the day before spring training, this is what I have to deal with.”

Kelenic won’t be eligible for free agency until 2027 because of the Mariners’ delay in calling him up. Mariners GM Jerry Dipoto apologized to Kelenic for Mather’s comments, but denied service-time manipulation, a taboo strategy many teams partake in but don’t talk about publicly.

The 18-17 Mariners were third in the AL West as of Monday night, as they try to snap a 19-year playoff drought, the longest active streak in North American professional sports.

This story originally appeared on: NyPost - Author:Mark Fischer

The six fights occurred in the opening four-plus minutes, and was part of a scoreless first period that resulted in 100 penalty minutes.

Immediately after the puck was dropped, Rangers forwards Kevin Rooney, Colin Blackwell and Phillip Di Giuseppe fought Capitals forwards Carl Hagelin, Nic Dowd and Garnet Hathaway.

Wilson jumped on the ice shortly thereafter, and a few seconds later, he fought Rangers defenseman Brendan Smith, who further was penalized for instigating.

Wilson and Rooney later received matching 10-minute misconducts, and the Capitals said after the first period that Wilson would not return to the game due to an upper-body injury.

Rangers defenseman Anthony Bitetto and Washington’s Michael Raffl also squared off in the first period, as did New York forward Ryan Strome and Lars Eller.

Payback was expected from the Rangers, especially after the NHL chose not to suspend Wilson, a repeat offender, for punching a defenseless Buchnevich in the head and threw Panarin to the ice by the hair during a fracas after the whistle. Panarin was ruled out for the remaining three games of the regular season due to an injury related to the incident, while Buchnevich was tossed from Wednesday’s game after receiving a five-minute major for cross-checking in the second period.

Wilson, who was given a 10-minute misconduct for his actions Monday, was fined $5,000 by the NHL on Tuesday.

“The New York Rangers are extremely disappointed that Capitals forward Tom Wilson was not suspended for his horrifying act of violence last night at Madison Square Garden,” the team said in a statement Tuesday. “Wilson is a repeat offender with a long history of these type of acts and we find it shocking that the NHL and their department of player safety failed to take the appropriate action and suspend him indefinitely. Wilson’s dangerous and reckless actions caused an injury to Artemi Panarin that will prevent him from playing again this season.

“We view this as a dereliction of duty by NHL Head of Player Safety, George Parros, and believe he is unfit to continue in his current role.”

Wednesday’s game continued a chaotic day for the Rangers, whose owner James Dolan shockingly fired team president John Davidson and general manager Jeff Gorton.

This story originally appeared on: NyPost - Author:Mark Fischer

“I can breathe,” the NFL team tweeted, referencing Floyd, who said “I can’t breathe” 20 times as he was pinned to the ground by Chauvin’s knee for over nine minutes during an arrest last May.

“smh delete this,” two-time Super Bowl champion Torrey Smith tweeted in response to the tweet that was posted shortly after Chauvin, who is 45 and white, was convicted Tuesday for his role in the death of the Floyd, a 46-year-old black man.

Instead of scrubbing the tweet, the Raiders made it more visible by pinning it to the top of the account.

Raiders owner Mark Davis defended the tweet, saying the wording came from Floyd’s brother Philonise, who after the verdict said, “Today, we are able to breathe again,” reported Tashan Reed, the Raiders beat writer for The Athletic.

“If I offended the family, then I’m deeply, deeply disappointed,” Davis said, according to The Athletic’s report.

Many professional sports teams and leagues issued statements in support of Tuesday’s verdict, as they have been called on by players to take on a more active role in social justice causes.

The NFL has faced scrutiny for its handling of former quarterback Colin Kaepernick kneeling in protest of social injustice and police brutality in 2016.

“That this tweet was tweeted is hard to believe,” said sports media personality Darren Rovell. “That it has remained up for more than an hour is harder to believe.”

Quipped former NFL linebacker and Giant Emmanuel Acho, “I keep double checking to see if the @Raiders verified account actually tweeted this.”

The Raiders’ tweet as of Tuesday night had over 60,000 comments.

This story originally appeared on: NyPost - Author:Mark Fischer

A newspaper columnist in Zach Wilson’s home state of Utah penned a piece Tuesday urging the Jets to have a change of heart and not select the former BYU star quarterback in the 2021 NFL draft this month.

“Please, Jets, give Zach Wilson a break,” read the headline of the column from longtime Deseret News writer Doug Robinson.

The piece came in response to the Jets trading Sam Darnold, “their latest quarterback fail[ure],” as Robinson put it, to the Panthers last week, all but guaranteeing they will select Wilson with the second-overall pick on April 29.

“The New York Post ran a headline: ‘The Jets now belong to Zach Wilson,’ ” Robinson wrote. “Thanks for nothing.

“Look, the Jets are to quarterbacks what Larry King was to marriage,” Robinson wrote. “Look at their record.”

He proceeded to name-drop some of the quarterbacks, such as Darnold and Mark Sanchez, who have made their way through the Jets’ revolving door of signal-callers since Joe Namath.

But not even Broadway Joe could escape Robinson’s wrath: “Namath is the single-most overrated football player in history,” he wrote.

“Where will Wilson be in a few years?” Robinson wrote, while suggesting Wilson look into demanding a trade, as Eli Manning did when he was selected by the Chargers in 2004. “Much depends on being selected by a team in which quarterbacks thrive. History shows that isn’t the Jets.”

But there are signs these may not be your Same Old Jets. Joe Douglas, the team’s second-year general manager, helped put together a Super Bowl team in Philadelphia in 2018 and may be on his way to building a contender in New York.

The coaching staff that went 2-14 last season is gone, too, with the well-regarded defensive guru Rob Saleh, and his former offensive sidekick in San Francisco, Mike LaFleur, leading the Jets into 2021.

All of them fell in love with Wilson, who threw 33 touchdowns as a junior last fall, at his Pro Day last month.

And it appears they’re ready to select Wilson, regardless of what a Utah newspaper says.

This story originally appeared on: NyPost - Author:Mark Fischer

Veteran official Bert Smith hit his head on the baseline and laid face up for about five minutes before being stretchered off with 15:44 remaining in the first half of the 2021 March Madness game.

It wasn’t immediately clear what caused the fall.

Smith was alert as he was removed from the game and at one point was able to stand near the stretcher.

The NCAA said Smith was in stable condition and did not require hospitalization.

Smith was officiating his second Elite Eight. He was replaced by standby official Tony Henderson.

This story originally appeared on: NyPost - Author:Mark Fischer

“Pay him $400 (million),” Alonso told reporters Tuesday. “I hope they pay him $400 million, he’s worth every penny.”

The Post confirmed Monday that the Mets offered Lindor a 10-year, $325 million extension, to which the four-time All-Star countered with a 12-year, $385 million ask.

A $400 million contract would make the 27-year-old Lindor the second-highest paid baseball player in total contract dollars behind Mike Trout ($426.5M).

Lindor has said that he would not sign an extension after Thursday’s Opening Day.

“Not only is he a superstar on the field, he pays attention, he works hard, he cares about his teammates,” Alonso said.

The Mets acquired Lindor this offseason in a blockbuster trade with Cleveland.

This story originally appeared on: NyPost - Author:Mark Fischer

Aldridge, 35, agreed to a contract buyout with the Spurs last week.

He averaged 13.7 points, 4.5 rebounds and 1.7 assists in 21 games this season.

The seven-time All-Star joins a Nets roster filled with big names, including Kyrie Irving, Kevin Durant and Blake Griffin.

This story originally appeared on: NyPost - Author:Mark Fischer