NEW YORK — Super Bowl champion Philadelphia will host Atlanta to kick off the 2018 NFL season on Thursday night, Sept. 6. Green Bay hosts Chicago in the first Sunday night matchup on Sept. 9, while the Monday nighters on opening weekend feature the Jets at Detroit, followed by the Rams at Oakland. The NFL schedule was revealed Thursday night. The Packers will follow their opener with a Sunday afternoon home game with the Minnesota Vikings on Sept. 16. Green Bay’s other
GREEN BAY — Tramon Williams is returning to the Green Bay Packers to help replenish the secondary. The team signed the free agent cornerback on Friday. The 11-year veteran spent the first eight seasons of his career in Green Bay, intercepting 28 passes in 127 games including 99 starts. Williams played last season with Arizona after spending two years in Cleveland. New Packers defensive coordinator Mike Pettine was coach of the Browns in Williams’ first year in Cleveland in 2015.
PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Steelers value versatility in their defensive backs. Morgan Burnett should fit right in. The two-time defending AFC North champions signed the free agent safety to a three-year deal on Tuesday, part of an overhaul in the secondary that began last week when the team cut ties with veterans Mike Mitchell, Robert Golden and William Gay. The 29-year-old Burnett has played all eight seasons of his NFL career in Green Bay, collecting 683 tackles, 44 passes defensed,
BEREA, Ohio — Joe Thomas joked about his former coaches, thanked many of his ex-teammates and playfully referred to himself as a mushroom. The 10-time Pro Bowl selection commanded the room — and kept his emotions in check — until the final moments of his retirement news conference Monday. “It is with all of this that I must say goodbye,” Thomas said, his eyes welling with tears. “Goodbye, not because I’m saying goodbye, but I’m just changing
CLEVELAND — After one difficult season, the Browns threw DeShone Kizer away. Cleveland traded its starting quarterback on Friday to the Green Bay Packers in exchange for cornerback Damarious Randall, a person familiar with the deal told The Associated Press. The teams will also swap late-round picks, said the person who spoke on condition of anonymity because league rules prohibit teams from announcing any trades until next week. Kizer, who went 0-15 as a starter and led the NFL