ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) – Rookie Jamel Artis had 18 points for his second straight career high

Quarterbacks will rule the NFL’s offseason.

Beginning with Alex Smith going to Washington when the league’s new year starts next month and Jimmy Garoppolo agreeing to a record-breaking deal with San Francisco on Thursday Cheap Cody Latimer Jersey , several quarterbacks will find new riches and many teams will land new QBs in 2018.

Tom Brady may have been denied another championship but not his coordinator, and some believe Josh McDaniels’ sudden change of heart this week in spurning the Indianapolis Colts was related to doubts about Andrew Luck’s health.

Either way, McDaniels is staying in New England to help the Patriots bounce back from their 41-33 loss to Philadelphia in Super Bowl 52 .

The Eagles aren’t just celebrating their first championship since 1960, but also an abundance of talent at the position in franchise QB Carson Wentz and Super Bowl MVP Nick Foles.

Should Wentz’s recovery from knee surgery go well, the Eagles will have a huge bargaining chip to help restock their roster.

Wentz’s injury rehab will be closely watched this offseason, just like Aaron Rodgers ` repaired collarbone in Green Bay and DeShaun Watson `s torn ACL in Houston.

Those teams figure to be contenders for Super Bowl 53 in Atlanta if their quarterbacks are healthy. A dozen other teams will either jockey for their next star or dole out big bucks to keep the one they have.

Kirk Cousins and Drew Brees lead an exceptionally large group of veteran quarterbacks lined up for big paydays and possibly new opportunities that includes the Minnesota Vikings’ trio of Teddy Bridgewater, Case Keenum and Sam Bradford.

Garoppolo, Brady’s longtime backup, got a five-year contract from the 49ers that will pay him a reported $137.5 million to keep him off the free-agent market without forcing the team to use the one-year franchise tag.

NFL Network first reported the terms of the contract, which is worth $27.5 million per season to top the previous record set by Detroit’s Matthew Stafford last year by $500,000 per year – but presumably will soon be surpassed by Brees or Cousins.

San Francisco acquired Garoppolo from New England before the trade deadline for a 2018 second-round pick. He led the 49ers to five straight wins to end the season, pushing his record as a starter to 7-0.

Teams that miss out on one of the prized free agents can look to the draft, which features Baker Mayfield, Josh Allen, Sam Darnold, Josh Rosen Packers Cheap Jerseys , Lamar Jackson and Mason Rudolph.

The quarterback carousel began in the days before the Super Bowl when Kansas City agreed to trade Smith to the Redskins.

The deal, which cannot be finalized until March 14, spells the end of Cousins’ time in Washington and hands the Chiefs’ job to Patrick Mahomes III, the 10th pick in last year’s draft out of Texas Tech.

So, Smith, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2005 draft, moves on to his third team just as he’s coming off the best season of his 13-year career.

”I think Washington is getting a phenomenal player, a great leader,” Rodgers said last week while discussing the league’s current quarterback commotion.

”Now you’ve got Kirk Cousins, what’s going to happen with him? You’ve got probably five guys that are going to get drafted in the first round, Jimmy Garoppolo and his situation.

”There’s a lot of moving pieces.”

In the not-too-distant future, Rodgers could find himself one of them.

Rodgers, 34, has two years left on his contract and if he stays healthy in 2018, he’ll be in line for a mega payday that could obliterate any of the deals that will be signed.

Rodgers told the AP last week that he wants to play well into his 40s and might have to finish his career in another team’s uniform as Brett Favre did.

”I think you have to be humble enough to realize if it could happen to Brett, it can happen to you Adidas T. J. Oshie Jersey ,” Rodgers said.

Among the teams looking for an upgrade are the Denver Broncos, who haven’t been back to the playoffs since Peyton Manning retired a champion two years ago.

Super Bowl 50 MVP Von Miller said he trusts general manager John Elway to fix that in the next few weeks: ”We have a Hall of Fame quarterback running the show who’s going to get the right guy,” Miller said.

Miller has a tip for his GM, too.

”No disrespect to Trevor Siemian or Paxton Lynch, but I would love to play with Kirk Cousins,” Miller said. ”When Peyton came to Denver, we just took off. Kirk’s an elite starter, too. I could roll with that.”

With eight trips to the Super Bowl and five rings, Brady is the gold standard of quarterbacks.

Yet, this time he was outdueled by Foles, who showed just how important it is for teams to also have depth at the position.

”To get in a shootout with that guy on the other team is probably not ideal for anyone – ever,” Eagles tight end Zach Ertz said. ”The guy is the best quarterback to ever play the game. That team is phenomenal. They are coached amazingly.”

Yet, the Patriots were beaten by a journeyman QB who contemplated retirement not long ago after he kept losing his starting job with his employers in perpetual search of a better option.

Foles turned into a flawless fill-in after Wentz got hurt in December, stepping in to deliver Philadelphia its first Super Bowl title.

Foles has one year left on his two-year deal, and his Super Bowl performance bumped his name up on the long list of coveted quarterbacks.

”He’s amazing,” Ertz said. ”The past three weeks he’s been playing out DeMar DeRozan scored 16 points Authentic Baker Mayfield Jersey , Fred VanVleet and Serge Ibaka each had 15 and the Toronto Raptors moved closer to clinching the top seed in the Eastern Conference by beating the Boston Celtics 96-78 on Wednesday night.

Toronto increased its lead over second-place Boston to three games. Both teams have four games left.

Kyle Lowry scored 13 points for the Raptors, who earned a split in the season series with the Celtics and clinched the tiebreaker over Boston, based on each team’s record in conference play. Toronto is 37-11 against the East, while Boston is 31-17.

With its 56th win of the season, Toronto matched the franchise record set in 2015-16.

Marcus Morris scored 21 points for Boston in its lowest-scoring game of the season.

The Celtics shot 3 for 22 from 3-point range.

76ERS 115, PISTONS 108

DETROIT (AP) – JJ Redick scored 25 points, and Philadelphia won its 12th straight game, eliminating Detroit from playoff contention.

The Pistons had their five-game winning streak snapped, and their defeat clinched a postseason spot for the Milwaukee Bucks.

Anthony Tolliver scored 25 points for the Pistons and went 7 of 8 from 3-point range. Detroit was without star forward Blake Griffin (bruised right ankle) and the 76ers were missing center Joel Embiid (concussion, orbital fracture).

LAKERS 122, SPURS 112, OT

LOS ANGELES (AP) – Kyle Kuzma scored six of his 30 points in overtime and Los Angeles swept the three-game season series against San Antonio.

Kuzma is the first rookie in NBA history with 1,200 points, 450 rebounds and 150 3-pointers in a season. He made a 3-pointer and a sky hook to start overtime and give the Lakers a lead they would not relinquish. Los Angeles outscored the Spurs 14-4 in the period.

LaMarcus Aldridge had 28 points for the Spurs, who lost on back-to-back nights at Staples Center and are tied with Oklahoma City for fifth place in the Western Conference, a half-game behind Utah. The Spurs and Thunder both have three games remaining.

HEAT 115 Authentic JK Scott Jersey , HAWKS 86

ATLANTA (AP) – Kelly Olynyk scored 19 points, including 15 on five 3-pointers when Miami took the lead for good in the second period, and the Heat beat Atlanta, capping a sweep of back-to-back games between Southeast Division rivals.

Miami rested Dwyane Wade, Goran Dragic and James Johnson one day after clinching a playoff berth by beating the Hawks in Miami. Josh Richardson also had 19 points, and Justise Winslow had 18 for Miami.

Taurean Prince led Atlanta with 20 points.

PELICANS 123, GRIZZLIES 95

NEW ORLEANS (AP) – E’Twaun Moore scored 30 points, and Anthony Davis had 28 points and 12 rebounds in a return to form to help New Orleans rout Memphis.

Davis struggled in the previous two games after twisting an ankle in a loss to Portland on March 27. He made 8 of 13 field goals, 11 of 13 free throws and had three blocks and two steals.

The eighth-place Pelicans ended a season-worst four-game losing streak and increased their lead over idle Denver to a full game for the final playoff spot in the Western Conference.

MarShon Brooks scored 25 points for the Grizzlies.

MAGIC 105, MAVERICKS 100

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) – Rookie Jamel Artis had 18 points for his second straight career high for Orlando.

Artis was coming off a 16-point game Tuesday night in a victory at New York. Aaron Gordon led the Magic with 20 points without playing in the fourth quarter.

Jalen Jones led Dallas with 15 points. The Mavericks listed seven players out with injuries including Dirk Nowitzki, the 19-year veteran who missed only his second game of the season.
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