Newsmakers
Signed Baltimore Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco is officially the highest paid player in NFL history. His $120.6 million, five-year contract was announced last week and became official when Flacco signed the deal on Monday. The Super Bowl MVP will receive a $29 million signing bonus and $52 million in guaranteed money. He will be paid $51 million over the first two years of the deal. “It’s not really about the money, it’s about that respect,” Flacco said. Flacco threw 11 touchdown passes and no interceptions during the recent postseason and led the Ravens to a 34-31 Super Bowl win over San Francisco.
Franchised The NFL deadline for placing franchise tags on players has passed, with only eight given the tag by their teams for next season. Dallas defensive end Anthony Spencer, Kansas City offensive tackle Branden Albert, Miami defensive tackle Randy Starks, Buffalo safety Jairus Byrd, Chicago defensive tackle Henry Melton, Cincinnati defensive end Michael Johnson, Denver offensive tackle Ryan Clady and Indianapolis punter Pat McAfee. All eight received the non-exclusive tag, which gives his team the right to match any offer sheet, or get two first-round draft picks in return for allowing him to leave.
Agreed Veteran cornerback William Gay has agreed to a three-year deal with Pittsburgh, a move that should give the Steelers some insurance if unrestricted free agent Keenan Lewis decides to play elsewhere. Financial terms were not disclosed.
Released The Dallas Cowboys have released safety Gerald Sensabaugh to clear more room under the salary cap. Sensabaugh, a four-year starter for the Cowboys, sent a tweet saying he had been released for cap purposes. The team reported that the move saves $1.4 million under the cap.
Suspended The NHL has suspended Buffalo Sabres forward Patrick Kaleta for five games without pay for shoving New York Rangers forward Brad Richards from behind and into the boards. The NHL announced the suspension, a day after Kaleta delivered the check in Buffalo’s shootout loss at New York.
Injured The Carolina Hurricanes say goalie Cam Ward will miss six to eight weeks with a sprained knee ligament. The team announced Ward’s diagnosis and said the former All-Star goalie will not require surgery. The team says Ward suffered a third-degree sprain to his medial collateral ligament.
• Vancouver Whitecaps captain Jay DeMerit has ruptured his Achilles tendon and will be out indefinitely. The center back played the first seven minutes of Vancouver’s season-opening victory over Toronto FC on Saturday before leaving with the injury.