The New England Patriots have announced Eliot Wolf as their executive vice president of player personnel.

He will be in charge of the direction of the personnel department, salary cap management and control of the 53-man roster. 

Wolf, 42, previously served as the director of scouting for the Patriots, but did appear to serve as New England's general manager throughout the draft process.

Wolf's title is not "general manager," but his role does include those duties. 

The Kansas City Chiefs will open the 2024 season against the Baltimore Ravens, the NFL has announced.

The matchup, to be played Thursday, Sept. 5 at Arrowhead Stadium, is a rematch of last season's AFC Championship Game.

The Chiefs are playing in the Thursday night opener at Arrowhead Stadium for the third time in five seasons. 

ESPN rules analyst John Parry is leaving the network, according to a report.

Parry is joining an unnamed team as an officiating liaison.

It's unknown whether ESPN will replace Parry right away.

After being a surprise success story last season, the Houston Texans won't catch anyone off guard in 2024.

After capturing the AFC South title and winning a playoff game, the Texans are going into next season with huge expectations. They've added Stefon Diggs, Joe Mixon and Danielle Hunter this offseason.

"Oh yeah, it's going to be dangerous, real dangerous, man," wide receiver Nico Collins said. "Adding Diggs to the room, it's going to be a lot of weapons. There's going to be great opportunities for everybody. It's only adding more depth, more weapons to the offense, more weapons to the team. The sky is the limit for us. Can't wait until the season is going to start. Man, it's nice. I feel like the offense is a lot of weapons. Everybody has got a chance. When the ball is in their hands, an explosive play is coming. I feel like, for us, we need to continue to work on the details, continue to be us, continue to have fun and show the world what we can do. I can't wait for it."

Kyren Williams had a breakout season for the Los Angeles Rams last year, finishing third in the NFL in rushing yards and tied for seventh in rushing touchdowns.

He rushed for 1,144 yards and 12 touchdowns despite playing just 12 games.

Despite that, the Rams drafted Blake Corum in the third round.

"A lot of people have said he's similar (to Williams)," general manager Les Snead said about Corum. "They have a very similar play style. They both really, really care about football. That's very important on that side of the ball. That's a sophisticated side of the ball."

Corum appears primed for a significant role as a rookie as the Rams are wary of wearing down Williams.

"It's a tough league; it's a 17-game season plus playoffs, might go to 18 games one day. So we always felt like we needed to have as many quality runners as possible so we don't just totally run down Kyren," Snead said. "And we have one or two, or even three guys that can contribute, keep everyone fresh, and let's go and try to impose our will."

The Saints have agreed to terms with offensive lineman Lucas Patrick on a one-year deal, according to his agents, Joel and Justin Turner.

Patrick, 30, spent the past two seasons with the Chicago Bears and started 15 games at center because of injuries. He allowed 25 hurries, 2 quarterback hits and no sacks in 953 snaps.

Former Chargers general manager A.J. Smith died Sunday at the age of 75, his family announced.

Smith had been battling prostate cancer for the past seven years, his family said in the announcement, which was released by the Falcons. Smith's son, Kyle, is the Atlanta Falcons' assistant general manager.

As first-round draft pick Bo Nix worked through his first rookie minicamp with the Denver Broncos this weekend, coach Sean Payton said Saturday he already gave the No. 12 pick of the draft a little welcome to the NFL ribbing.

"I went into the quarterback meeting and I was just having fun with Bo and I said I want to talk to the quarterback that's got 160 touchdown passes and he rushed for 30 -- 190 total,'' Payton said. "So we Wikipediaed him.''

First-year New England Patriots coach Jerod Mayo might not be as hard-lined as Bill Belichick when answering questions from reporters, but he delivered a Belichick-type response when asked his first impressions of quarterback Drake Maye at rookie minicamp.

"He has a lot to work on. A lot to work on," Mayo said Saturday, repeating himself. "But I have no doubt that he will put the time in. He was here all night trying to get on the same page as everyone else."

Free agent outside linebacker Bud Dupree signed with the Los Angeles Chargers, the team announced Saturday.

Dupree, 31, had a career renaissance last year, notching 6.5 sacks and 39 tackles with eight tackles for loss and eight quarterback hits for the Atlanta Falcons. He quickly emerged as the team's top stand-up edge rusher in Atlanta's defensive scheme, often playing on many vital snaps.