Home SPORTS Best of Saturday at training camps: Jimmy Garoppolo shows love for Kittle; DeAndre Hopkins dons new uniform

Best of Saturday at training camps: Jimmy Garoppolo shows love for Kittle; DeAndre Hopkins dons new uniform

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4:32 PM ET

  • ESPN staff

Jimmy Garoppolo’s T-shirt game is strong. The San Francisco quarterback arrived for training camp on Saturday wearing a shirt with tight end George Kittle on it — who was wearing a shirt with Garoppolo on it.

Other players had fun T-shirts, too. (See: Zach Pascal’s T-shirt featuring teammate Quenton Nelson).

And then there were some veteran players such as Colts quarterback Philip Rivers, Cardinals wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins and Bills receiver Stefon Diggs — showing off the uniforms of their new teams.

Here’s what you need to know from camps across the league:

Jump to the best of the day:

Photos | Videos | Quotes

Top news of the day

Sources: Jets LB C.J. Mosley opts out of 2020 season


Mosley hasn’t commented publicly, but a source said it was due to family health reasons. Mosley, the highest-paid player on the Jets, was due to make a total of $16 million this year. He already received $10 million in the form of a roster bonus, paid in mid-March. He was scheduled to make $6 million in base pay.

Marqise Lee becomes 7th Patriots player to opt out


The New England Patriots wide receiver became a first-time father in February, and said protecting his newborn daughter, Alia, and family was at the core of his decision. No NFL team has had more players opt out of the 2020 season than the Patriots.

Drew Brees: Reaction to flag comment was ‘crushing’


The New Orleans Saints quarterback on Saturday reiterated his vow to stand with the Black community for social justice, saying it “broke my heart” and was “crushing” that his June comments about disrespecting the flag by kneeling during the national anthem made people feel differently.

Browns TE David Njoku walks back trade request

Njoku tweeted Saturday that he’s “all in” with Cleveland after requesting a trade earlier this summer through his agent. Njoku has had “some good meetings with the new Browns’ organization including GM Andrew Berry and he has decided to give the team his full commitment right now and go from there,” his agent, Drew Rosenhaus, told ESPN’s Adam Schefter.

Ryan Fitzpatrick says ‘I know I’m the placeholder’ for Tua Tagovailoa

Fitzpatrick, the Miami Dolphins incumbent starting quarterback, knows his position as a bridge to Tagovailoa. It turns out that he’s very comfortable with his dual role of leading the 2020 Dolphins on and off the field while also helping to prepare the man who will eventually take his job.

“I don’t know how much time it will be before Tua will be in the lineup. I know that I am the placeholder. We’ve already had that conversation,” Fitzpatrick said. “I’ve told him, ‘I’m going to do the best I can to lead this team and win football games when I’m out there. Whenever it is that Tua gets his chance whether it’s early or late or whenever, I’m going to be his biggest cheerleader.'”

More:

  • J.J. Watt says he feels as good as 2014-15 because of quarantine

  • Giants sign offensive lineman Nick Gates to 2-year extension


Best videos

My QB šŸ™ŒšŸ»ā¤ļø https://t.co/cJEqNPkox5

ā€” George Kittle (@gkittle46) August 1, 2020

new threads šŸ„¶@TyrodTaylor | #BoltUp pic.twitter.com/8s0GqDjBD5

ā€” Los Angeles Chargers (@Chargers) August 1, 2020

Dreams to reality. šŸŽ¬ pic.twitter.com/SbzXePZSNf

ā€” Denver Broncos (@Broncos) August 1, 2020

MVP. @Lj_era8 pic.twitter.com/IKiixaS7PP

ā€” Baltimore Ravens (@Ravens) August 1, 2020

A message from QB1 šŸ—£ pic.twitter.com/VAcO4su1qO

ā€” New York Jets (@nyjets) August 1, 2020

Hey, @RobGronkowski! šŸ‘‹ pic.twitter.com/jxkSKdP23x

ā€” Tampa Bay Buccaneers (@Buccaneers) August 1, 2020

He’s here and ready to get to work. @Prez with a message to the @12s. pic.twitter.com/TNgI0SRK7Q

ā€” Seattle Seahawks (@Seahawks) August 1, 2020

Ready to grind.@StefonDiggs | #GoBills pic.twitter.com/yT2MA9uCY9

ā€” Buffalo Bills (@BuffaloBills) August 1, 2020

ā€” Denver Broncos (@Broncos) August 1, 2020

Extra protection inside the locker room šŸ›” pic.twitter.com/nKsXN9RZn0

ā€” Tennessee Titans (@Titans) August 1, 2020


Best photos

Ladies and Gentlemen… @DeAndreHopkins in Red & White pic.twitter.com/3iHOdZ7Og2

ā€” Arizona Cardinals (@AZCardinals) August 1, 2020

New shade of blue for 1ļøāƒ£7ļøāƒ£ pic.twitter.com/ZEnWV0sNE6

ā€” Indianapolis Colts (@Colts) August 1, 2020

Drip crazy šŸ’¦ pic.twitter.com/6nG1ul1BUB

ā€” Zachary Pascal (@ZachPascal6) August 1, 2020

Coming soon šŸ‘€šŸ˜¤@BigTicket73 | #TakeFlight pic.twitter.com/VmXNhKKwuS

ā€” New York Jets (@nyjets) August 1, 2020

Stache is back in teal and black. pic.twitter.com/EFBP3i9wWP

ā€” #DUUUVAL (@Jaguars) August 1, 2020

New roster pic!!!! Lol football training camp bout to start up!!! #Levels to this activator game!! šŸ˜ØšŸ˜‚šŸ˜‚ pic.twitter.com/CBYUnlSKRP

ā€” cameron jordan (@camjordan94) August 1, 2020

ā€” New York Giants (@Giants) August 1, 2020


Quotes of the day

“You’ve got to hold your brothers accountable, as far as stepping out and going to dinner with a lot of people. … The most disciplined team will end up playing the most games and being the healthiest at the end of the day.”

Dolphins safety Bobby McCain

“That’s why I came back.”

41-year-old Saints quarterback Drew Brees on whether the team had a “Super Bowl or bust” mentality.


What our NFL Nation reporters heard today

Among the things Drew Brees did this offseason:

  • Worked with longtime throwing coach Tom House to improve his deep ball, including unconventional methods like lacrosse and stand-up paddle boarding and doing most of his training in his backyard. The 41-year-old Brees said his arm feels “live.”

  • Flew to Denver to spend a “valuable” couple days working with new receiver Emmanuel Sanders.

  • Exchanged several texts talking shop with new backup QB Jameis Winston, whom he described as a “joy to be around” because of how much he loves football.” — Mike Triplett

C.J. Mosley’s decision to opt out for 2020 due to COVID-19 concerns is another big blow to the Jets’ defense. A week ago, they traded star safety Jamal Adams to the Seahawks. This is a massive challenge for defensive coordinator Gregg Williams. The silver lining is their depth at inside linebacker, as they have four players with starting experience – Avery Williamson, Patrick Onwuasor, Neville Hewitt and James Burgess, Jr. Williamson, once thought to be potential trade bait, now becomes a key player, assuming he has recovered from ACL surgery. Currently, he’s on the PUP list, but he should be cleared soon. — Rich Cimini

After five days of COVID testing, Saturday marked the first full day that players could be granted access to Gillette Stadium, as long as they had three negative tests. Players took part in the traditional photo shoot, in which their pictures are taken for the media guide and television broadcasts. Physical examinations were also on the schedule. — Mike Reiss

The Panthers opted to reduce their roster to 80 on Saturday in part so they won’t have to conduct split-squad practices. In getting there, left tackle Greg Little passed his physical to come off the NFL PUP list. That adds much-needed depth at a position veteran Russell Okung, acquired in an off-season trade, will begin as the starter. Okung is in the last year of his contract, so Carolina could be grooming Little for the future. The 2019 second-round pick was the starter last year before concussions and later a knee sidetracked his rookie season. — David Newton

Washington secondary coach Chris Harris said they’ll use a variety of looks — from some press to off-man coverages — as they’re expected to use a heavy amount of one-deep looks. That would keep Landon Collins mostly — but not exclusively — in the box. He was solid for Washington last season, but they’ll want more than that in 2020. “He really shows up when he’s in the box,” Harris said. “He’s an excellent blitzer. He can come off the edge, he creates havoc when he’s up close to the line of scrimmage. He creates tackle for losses, and he’s kind of like a spark plug.” — John Keim

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