Rodgers, QBs become top attractions at NFL combine

By MICHAEL MAROT AP Sports Writer

INDIANAPOLIS (AP)

— The Green Bay Packers will continue to play the waiting game with Aaron Rodgers.

They’re also ready with a backup plan.

Though general manager Brian Gutekunst’s first choice still appears to be bringing back the four-time league MVP and longtime face of the team, Gutekunst acknowledged the Packers are willing to go with Jordan Love — if needed. “I think he’s ready to play. I think he’s ready to be an NFL starting quarterback,” Gutekunst said yesterday, referring to Love. “He’s worked really hard. He’s shown a lot of progression. I know he’s really eager to have that, and I think that’s the next step in his progression, is to play.”

First, though, Rodgers must make his call.

The one-time Super Bowl champ is scheduled to cost the Packers $59.5 million, a prohibitively high number that would prevent the team from doing much in free agency.

Rodgers has already acknowledged publicly if he does return, he would likely redo his contract. He also has completed the “darkness retreat” he said would help him sort out his options.

Green Bay also must decide whether to exercise its fifth-year option on Love, their first-round pick from 2020 who has not played much as Rodgers’ backup. Extending Love’s contract through next season would cost the team $20.3 million in 2024.

Otherwise, the Packers next year could be facing the same dilemma the New York Giants and Baltimore Ravens now have — using franchise tags to keep their starters, Daniel Jones and Lamar Jackson — around. Ravens general manager Eric DeCosta is scheduled to speak today at the NFL’s annual scouting combine.

Still, Gutekunst is willing to be patient with Rodgers and hopeful he’ll have an answer before free agency begins March 15.

If not, he’ll be ready to go either direction.

“We’ll move forward and have conversations as we go,” Gutekunst said. “There will be a point here soon where we have to make some decisions moving forward.”

It’s a familiar scenario for Packers fans who still remember when three-time MVP Brett Favre retired in 2008, handing the job to Rodgers, Green Bay’s firstround pick in 2005.

When Favre later decided to return, he was eventually traded to the New York Jets.

The Jets are in the quarterback market yet again and are one of several teams now jockeying for position to answer their own quarterback questions.

While Jets GM Joe Douglas acknowledged the team remains committed to Zach Wilson, Douglas also said team officials have spoken with the recently released Derek Carr and they plan to meet again this week.

“I can say he (Carr) left a strong impression with everybody,” Douglas said. “Obviously we’re going to be exploring the veteran quarterback market this offseason and we’ll look at every available option.”

They’re not alone.

Carolina also plans to meet this week with Carr, a person familiar with the situation told The Associated Press on Tuesday.

The person spoke to The AP on condition of anonymity because the team doesn’t announce its meetings with free agents.

Two other veterans also recently hit the open market. The Washington Commanders cut Carson Wentz on Monday and 2014 Heisman Trophy winner Marcus Mariota was released yesterday by the Atlanta Falcons. Both teams seem content to go with second-year quarterbacks Desmond Ridder and Sam Howell, at least for now. “If you go back to his junior year, coming out, (Howell) is a guy that had some very good grades on him,” Washington coach Ron Rivera said.

“I looked at our people’s grades and we had some very good grades on him, so we feel very confident in his ability. He’s got a good arm.”

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers also may try the young arm of Kyle Trask — if Tom Brady does not come out of retirement again. That may be out of necessity with the Buccaneers more than $57 million over the cap.

Still, coach Todd Bowles wouldn’t rule out signing a veteran.

“We understand we’re over the cap,” he said. “We have a long-term plan. We don’t want to sacrifice one year for paying someone as opposed to sacrificing the future. But we’ll go out and we’ll be smart about it. It’s also a desirable place because we do have talent.”

The same is true of the Packers, who have already restructured the contract of running back Aaron Jones and expect their two promising second-year receivers to continue improving next season — whether it’s Rodgers or Love throwing passes.

“Obviously, he (Rodgers) is a big part — if he comes back,” Gutekunst said. “He’s a big part of what we’re doing, but at the same time, I don’t think that will really change the roster much.”

“I love America. I love where I come from,” said Durant, now with the Phoenix Suns after being traded earlier this season by the Brooklyn Nets. “I love that the game has, you know, brought me so much and afforded me so much. I try to represent everybody I grew up with and everybody in our country. So, yeah, it was important to me.”

Combined, the five current and former players who sit on USA Basketball’s 15-person board — Seimone Augustus, Jennifer Azzi, Harrison Barnes, Sue Bird and Durant — have 13 Olympic gold medals, eight FIBA gold medals from World Cups and world championships, and a pile of other honours from their time wearing the red, white and blue.

Past boards have had athlete representatives, but this board is the first in USA Basketball’s history to have so many gold medallists serving at one time.

“To have an Olympic gold medal, at whatever sport, is just the top and anybody around the world knows what that means,” Azzi said. “It’s just elite and it’s special. So, for me, being able to play for USA Basketball in a lot of things prior to being a professional athlete allowed me to play at the highest level for a long period of time. And then just the relationships I made through USA Basketball are unlike anything else.”

Adding the players allowed the board, chaired by retired Gen. Martin E. Dempsey — the 18th chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff — to grow from 11 people to 15 people for this four-year cycle. There are some NBA and WNBA executives on the board (NBA Deputy Commissioner Mark Tatum among them), along with some leaders in college athletics, a high school sports executive and the CEO of an asset management firm.

But the biggest names are the ones who’ve won the golds.

“When you have Kevin Durant and Sue Bird, among others, who have done everything you can possibly do in terms of accomplishments, gold medals, almost be the faces of their respective teams and now assuming more of a leadership role on a board that I report to, it just speaks volumes about the programme itself,” USA Basketball men’s national team managing director Grant Hill said.

Sunland

FROM PAGE 12 together, they are very pleased with the way things turned out. “We thank the persons who were able to assist us at short notice and were very responsive to us,” Curtis said. “We also want to thank the teams who came on board because it would not have been an easy task for them in planning and getting here for those who had to travel.

“We also want to thank the general public for playing a major role in the success of the tournament.

They supported every day. They followed their teams, which showed that they not only love basketball, but certain individuals who played. It was great to see parents and grandparents coming out to support their children. It showed a sense of pride for the players as well as the fans.”

For the record, Sunland became just the seventh school in the history of the tournament to capture the title in two or more consecutive years. They joined the Tabernacle Baptist Falcons, who were the last team to do it in 2017-2018.

The Falcons were coached by Kevin Clarke, whose team got eliminated by Sunland in a rematch of the Grand Bahama finals when the Falcons snapped the Stingers’ undefeated winning season before they came into the tournament.

Before Clarke took over, he played for Tabernacle, who was coached by Norris Bain, who still holds the record as the winningest coach in the tournament.

Clarke won back-to-back titles in 1995 and 1996, separate crowns in 1998 and 2000 before he pulled off another two-year sweep in 2009 and 2010.

Among the other schools to claim consecutive titles were the CC Sweeting Cobras, coached then by now Minister of Youth, Sports and Culture Mario Bowleg, in 2012 and 2013 and again in 2015 and 2016.

Despite losing this year’s title, coach Kevin ‘KJ’ Johnson can still bask in his glory, having won the title five times with CI Gibson.

He started in 2002, got a triple feat from 2014-2016 and again a single crown in 2014.

The only other coach to win a triple-peat was James ‘Jimmy’ Clarke with the Hawksbill High Hawks from 1992-1994.

Clarke also holds the distinction of being the only coach to win at two different schools on two different islands.

He returned to New Providence and coached the CR Walker Knights to the title in 1997.

The host AF Adderley Fighting Tigers, before they were switched from a secondary to junior high school, won the title in

1987-88 under coach Doug Collins with Jimmy Clarke as his assistant.

Although they didn’t win it consecutively, the Catholic High Crusaders, coached by Gladstone ‘Moon’ McPhee, captured the title in 1983, the first year that the tournament was opened to the Grand Bahama schools. They won it again in 1989 and 1991. In 1999, with Charlie ‘Softly’ Rubins replacing McPhee, they won the title again.

The tournament was first held in 1992 with the LW Young Golden Eagles, coached by the late Walter Rand, carting off the title.

The last New Providence team to win the title was the Doris Johnson Mystic