ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones wouldn't rule out re-engaging in trade talks for edge rusher Maxx Crosby while saying he didn't anticipate such a move since his club is “pretty far down the road” in free agency.
The Cowboys were on a short list of suitors when the Baltimore Ravens agreed to send two first-round draft picks to the Las Vegas Raiders for Crosby, only to back out of the deal a day before it could become official.
When Crosby was still apparently headed to Baltimore, Dallas acquired edge rusher Rashan Gary from Green Bay for a 2027 fourth-round pick on the first day of free agency this week.
The Cowboys have been in flux with their pass rush ever since sending young star Micah Parsons to the Packers for two first-rounders a week before the season started last year.
“We’re pretty far down the road relative to what our plans are,” Jones said Thursday when asked about Crosby at an event promoting an IndyCar series street race that will run by the 80,000-seat home of the Cowboys in Arlington. “So while I don’t anticipate it, I don’t want to rule anything out.”
Dallas is trying to rebuild a defense that was among the worst in the NFL last season. Christian Parker was hired as defensive coordinator, and the Cowboys signed two safeties in Jalen Thompson, who spent his first six seasons with Arizona, and P.J. Locke.
The Cowboys added some salary cap flexibility by sending defensive tackle Osa Odighizuwa to San Francisco for a third-round pick this year. While Dallas has two first-rounders, the club was without another pick until the fourth round before trading Odighizuwa.
Odighizuwa was a third-round pick in 2021 and signed an $80 million, four-year extension last year, before negotiations stalled with Parsons.
That relationship soured, the Parsons trade to the Packers sent defensive tackle Kenny Clark to Dallas. Then the Cowboys used one of the first-round picks from the Parsons deal to acquire star defensive tackle Quinnen Williams from the New York Jets.
Dallas had three defensive tackles with contracts carrying an average annual value of at least $20 million, and the Parker hiring meant a switch to a 3-4 base defense, creating even more of a log jam with the interior of the defensive line.
The Cowboys placed the $27.3 million franchise tag on receiver George Pickens and have until July 15 to try to reach a long-term deal with CeeDee Lamb's star sidekick. That's another reason for the Odighizuwa trade.
“We needed to spread it around a little bit,” Jones said, referring to the salary cap. “Let’s not take anything away from him individually, but we’ve got two outstanding football players, we have other backup players, plus we don’t want to rule out drafting a player.”
Parker is the third defensive coordinator hired in three years, after those units struggled in one season each under Mike Zimmer and Matt Eberflus. The blown assignments and other poor play were particularly pronounced with Eberflus.
“I feel very good about it,” Jones said. “We have nowhere but up to go on defense. It’s not anyone’s fault at all. But we’ll almost assuredly be much better. And I’m betting on us improving on offense. That ought to get us with better feeling when we get to December.”
While Gary recorded at least 7 1/2 sacks for the fourth time in the past five seasons, he didn't have any in the second half of 2025.
The expected boost from the addition of Parsons was there early in the season, when Gary led the NFL with 4 1/2 sacks though three weeks, but fizzled late. Parsons missed the final three games after tearing an ACL.
The comparisons are likely to continue since Gary and Parsons have essentially traded places in the past year. The 28-year-old who spent his first seven seasons in Green Bay doesn't see it that way.
“He was able to reach out to me, I was able text him back,” Gary said. “But I have yet to be able to really have a conversation with him. At the end of the day, it’s a business, so I don’t look at it as trading places or things like that. I’m just coming here to be me and be the impact (player) that the Cowboys need.”
The Cowboys also traded defensive end Solomon Thomas to Tennessee in a deal that included a seventh-round pick swap between the clubs.
Dallas is changing the competition behind quarterback Dak Prescott by signing Sam Howell and releasing Will Grier. Barring other QB changes, Howell will compete with Joe Milton for the backup job.
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FILE - Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones walks on the field before an NFL football game between the New York Giants and the Dallas Cowboys, Sunday, Jan. 4, 2026, in East Rutherford, N.J. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II,File)
MIAMI (AP) — Erik Spoelstra had a very clear message to those who didn't like how the final minutes of Bam Adebayo's 83-point game played out.
Put simply, the Miami Heat coach doesn't care.
“I apologize to absolutely no one,” Spoelstra said Thursday. “Period.”
Adebayo's 83-point game — now the No. 2 single-game total in NBA history, 17 behind Wilt Chamberlain's 100 and two ahead of Kobe Bryant's 81 — was one unlike any other. The Heat center took 43 shots in a 150-129 win on Tuesday over the Washington Wizards, made an NBA-record 36 free throws and had an NBA-record 43 tries from the foul line.
And the last few minutes were a circus, with the Wizards as much as quadruple-teaming Adebayo — who was still getting the ball — and the Heat fouling Washington players on four occasions in the final moments to extend the game and get their center more opportunities to score.
Lost in the hubbub about the final minutes, Spoelstra insisted, is this: Adebayo had 31 points in the first quarter, 43 by halftime, 62 through three quarters, 70 with 9:05 left and 77 with 3:26 remaining. The first instance of Miami fouling to get the ball back for Adebayo was with 1:40 left.
“There was a moment, and when there’s a moment in time like that, it’s carpe diem," Spoelstra said, using the Latin term for “seize the day.” "You have to go for it, and that was just thrilling. And I’m honored that we were all able to be a part of it.”
A handful of coaches around the NBA — including the Los Angeles Clippers' Tyronn Lue and Denver's David Adelman among them — have indicated they had no problem with the Heat using the final minutes to help add to what was already an enormous point total.
Adelman said Adebayo is as good of a professional as there is in the league, and to take a night “and go a little bit crazy” was entertaining.
“He made the extra pass in the fourth quarter when he had 60. He blocked a shot. He was still playing the game,” Adelman said. “When you get to 70, I'm sorry, man, like all bets are off. ... I thought it was really cool.”
Wizards coach Brian Keefe didn't seem thrilled Tuesday with how the last few minutes went. On Thursday in Orlando, before his team played the Magic, Keefe didn't reminisce.
“We're focused on today,” Keefe said.
Spoelstra said he spoke with Adebayo before the game about a need to have some urgency. The Heat played with several of their top players — Norman Powell, Tyler Herro, Andrew Wiggins and Kel'el Ware among them — out of that game with injuries.
"It's a Tuesday night game against a team where they’re not playing for anything, where their organization is trying to lose," Spoelstra said. “We’ve already lost a game in that kind of situation. ... I spoke to Bam about I want, as our best player and team captain, for him to be locked in and ready. And, he sure was.”
He was referring to how the Heat lost a game to Utah last month, a matchup in which the Jazz — who keep their first round pick this year if it's in the top eight of the draft — held out some of their top players in the fourth quarter and won anyway.
“I’ve seen people say you’ve got to be a purist. I’m a Darwinist in this league," Spoelstra said. "Really, you can do anything you want in this game. You can approach it however you want. ... There’s nothing wrong with what they’re doing. If you can tank and get a great draft pick, I don’t care. You could do anything in this league. You can approach it however you want.”
Spoelstra acknowledged that leaving Adebayo in toward the end of a decided game — Adebayo checked out for good with 1:08 left — was unusual, and it was. He also said memorable moments are “what our fans want to see” and that “a really magical night just appeared out of nowhere.”
In his mind, that doesn't merit any apologies.
“It doesn’t take away anything from our organization, how we feel about Bam, how special that night was," Spoelstra said. "Our fan base is electrified by this moment.”
And so was the head coach, who made clear that he'll do anything for Adebayo.
The Heat got blown out at home by a bad Sacramento team on Dec. 6, one day before Spoelstra played host to his annual 5K run to benefit Nicklaus Children's Hospital. The run was starting in the wee hours of a Sunday morning. Adebayo had only nine points in the loss to the Kings, and the Heat were sliding.
Without being asked, Adebayo showed up to help that morning. Spoelstra was blown away by the gesture.
“He was there, not to run, just to support," Spoelstra said. "Just to support and let people know that he was supporting this cause. That says enough about him as a human being. That’s why I’ll do anything for him as a competitor and as his head coach.”
AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA
Miami Heat center Bam Adebayo shoots a free throw during the second half of an NBA basketball game against the Washington Wizards, Tuesday, March 10, 2026, in Miami. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)
Miami Heat center Bam Adebayo clashes with Washington Wizards guard Sharife Cooper during the second half of an NBA basketball game, Tuesday, March 10, 2026, in Miami. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)
Miami Heat center Bam Adebayo warms up before a game against the Milwaukee Bucks Thursday, March 12, 2026, in Miami. (AP Photo/Marta Lavandier)
Miami Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra hugs center Bam Adebayo (13) as he leaves the game after scoring 83 points, the second-highest single game total in NBA history, in the second half of an NBA basketball game against the Washington Wizards, Tuesday, March 10, 2026, in Miami. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)
