Despite a 20% revenue drop in 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic, the average value of the 32 NFL franchises is up 14% to $3.48 billion, according to Forbes.

It is the biggest gain in five years, according to the magazine.

For the 15th straight year, the Dallas Cowboys are valued as the most expensive franchise at $6.5 billion, an $800 million increase over their value in 2020.

The New England Patriots are No. 2 at $5 billion. The New York Giants ($4.85 billion), Los Angeles Rams ($4.8 billion) and Washington Football Team ($4.2 billion) round out the top five. The NFC East has all four teams inside the top 10 with the Philadelphia Eagles checking in at No. 9 at $3.8 billion.

The biggest reason for the increase is the media rights deal the NFL signed with its broadcast partners in March that is worth $112.6 billion. According to Forbes, that was an 82% average annual increase and the payouts will increase from $220 million in 2021 to $377 million in 2032.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers made the biggest one-year increase in value at 29%, according to Forbes. Thank the arrival of Tom Brady and a Super Bowl win for pumping the value of the franchise to $2.94 billion, which is 21st among NFL teams. In 2020, the Bucs ranked No. 29 at $2.28 billion.

Brady used the the news that franchise values increased to point out on Instagram Thursday that the NFL's salary cap decreased when the new league year began on March 17 and that the league announced its new media deals the next day.

"The salary cap was dropped by 20% ... and the new media deals were announced the day AFTER 2021 salary cap was set...," he wrote on his Instagram Story. "NFL players better wake up @nflpa . NFL players are INGORANT."

The NFL salary cap, which was set at $182.5 million per team for 2021, actually marked an 8% decrease from the previous season, however. Also, the money from the NFL's media deals have no effect on the 2021 salary cap and would only affect revenues in future seasons.

The Buffalo Bills have the lowest value at $2.27 billion.

In his first news conference since Texas officially announced it is moving to the SEC, new Longhorns coach Steve Sarkisian said on Thursday that he knows the Longhorns will be a target for opposing fans.

"I didn't take this job blind," Sarkisian said. "We're everybody's biggest game. I think coming out of [the SEC move] and the talk of what's happened, our bull's-eye got a little bit bigger. We can't be naive to that. Whether it's crowd noise, whether it's yelling at us on the bench, whether it's the 'Horns Down' signal, all those things are really irrelevant to our ability to execute and succeed at a really high level."

Sarkisian said he understands he has to navigate the excitement of his own fans and even discussion of the SEC in conversations with recruits. With public comments by Texas and SEC administrators that the move won't happen until 2025, he said he has to balance between looking toward the future and keeping the team focused on the season at hand.

"We've got a lot of unfinished business here in the Big 12 that we want to make sure we take care of," Sarkisian said. "This year is really the start of it. That's really where our focus is. I don't know what the timetable on this other thing is looking like. What I do know is, we're playing Louisiana on Sept. 4 and we've got a Big 12 schedule that's very challenging."

With fall camp starting Saturday, Sarkisian addressed reporters on the state of his team. He said that the spring practices weren't enough to decide on a starting quarterback in the race between Casey Thompson and Hudson Card but that he feels both are capable and that he'll need both QBs during the season.

"I'm really trying to find the complete player," he said. "It's our job to develop the complete player, but also who feels comfortable playing that style of play is something that I'm going to be looking for."

This will be Sarkisian's third go-round as a head coach, with a 46-35 record at Washington and USC. He said the past four seasons as offensive coordinator for the Atlanta Falcons and Alabama, playing in NFL playoff games and for college national championships, have helped him find a comfort level.

"I'm in a much different space, quite frankly, as far as being a little bit more at peace, a little bit more consistent in my approach," Sarkisian said. "I've been able to kind of recalibrate and adjust myself over that time since I was a coach before to where I am now, and there's a lot more calm, there's a lot more peace, more clarity. I just feel really comfortable in the arena now, and am very confident in our approach to what we do."

Sarkisian said that the Longhorns are 90% vaccinated and that they're focused on remaining vigilant with 40,000 students returning to campus soon.

"Hopefully, we can keep getting ourselves closer to 100%, because inevitably, we're all just trying to protect one another," he said.

He said that in terms of health, only running back Gabriel Watson and linebacker Ben Davis, a transfer from Alabama, are being held back to monitor their progress recovering from injuries. Otherwise, he said, the team is at full strength.

But with camp starting, Sarkisian is excited to prepare for the run-up to that first game against Louisiana, which beat Iowa State in Ames last year to open the season. With Oklahoma coming off its sixth straight Big 12 title, and the Sooners picked again to win the conference in the media poll -- with the Longhorns third behind the Sooners and the Cyclones -- Sarkisian believes the Longhorns can contend right away.

"I think we're plenty talented to compete for a championship," he said. "What I need to recognize is, are we playing at a level to compete for a championship? There's a lot that goes into that, but I do believe we have the talent, the depth to do it."

EAGAN, Minn. -- Minnesota Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins vowed to follow the NFL's COVID-19 protocols to avoid contracting the virus or being deemed a close contact ahead of returning to practice Thursday after being activated off the reserve/COVID-19 list.

Cousins and quarterback Nate Stanley were subjected to the league's COVID-19 protocols as of Saturday after rookie Kellen Mond tested positive for the virus. Cousins and Stanley were deemed high-risk close contacts and had to isolate for five days before being eligible to return to practice.

According to NFL-NFL Players Association protocols, a high-risk close contact designates that a player is also unvaccinated.

Cousins, 32, said he has had six negative tests since he was last with Mond on July 30 and did not exhibit any symptoms of COVID-19. The veteran quarterback said the size of Minnesota's quarterback meeting room inside TCO Performance Center was the root of the issue.

"I've come to learn since I've been at home that the tracers we wear actually showed I was not a 'close contact' as I understand being a close contact, which is being within a certain number of feet," Cousins said. "The challenge was, the meeting room we met in was deemed to be too small for us to have been in a room together -- even if we were significantly apart from each other. So we've since moved to a different meeting room, and as I understand it, had we met in a larger room, I would not have missed practice. Because I was not a close contact as deemed by actually being in contact. So it was disappointing to miss practice. In my entire college and pro career, I have not missed four practices. So to miss four practices in one week and not have COVID was frustrating, disappointing."

A league source confirmed to ESPN that the size of Minnesota's quarterback room did factor into Cousins being deemed a close contact. The quarterback said his position group is moving to a larger meeting room to avoid this issue in the future.

"As I said to Coach [Mike] Zimmer last night, I said, 'We can meet in the indoor, we can meet outside,'" Cousins said. "And I said, 'If it means meeting outside under a goalpost in January, if that's what it takes to get to the playoffs and be in playoff games and win playoff games, then that's where we're going to meet.' We're going to avoid this close-contact thing with everything we possibly can do. I was not aware of the meeting room size being an issue. Otherwise, I would have spoken up and said, 'We obviously can't meet here.'"

Cousins called his vaccination decision "a very private health matter" and would not disclose whether the situation he found himself in this week would persuade him to receive the vaccine to prevent this issue from popping up during the season. The quarterback repeatedly referred to the need for following the NFL-NFLPA's protocols as the best measure of protection against contracting the virus or being deemed a close contact.

"I do believe that as a leader of the team, it's very important to follow the protocols to avoid this close contact -- because that is what it's going to come down to," Cousins said. "Did you have a close contact? So I'm going to be vigilant about avoiding a close contact. I've even thought about, should I just set up literally Plexiglas around where I sit, so this could never happen again? I've thought about it, because I'm going to do whatever it takes. We're going to avoid this close-contact thing, and I look forward to making sure I'm playing for every game this year."

Cousins said he and Zimmer had a "tremendous conversation" Wednesday ahead of his return to practice. Zimmer, who has been outspoken over his frustrations with his players who are not vaccinated, told KFAN-100.3 FM that he had spoken with Cousins previously about the league's protocols, which Zimmer said the quarterback "doesn't believe in."

Cousins attempted to set the record straight Thursday: "I very much believe in the protocols."

The quarterback said he will be "very vigilant" with the COVID-19 protocols to assure he isn't in the same position down the line and forced to miss a game as result.

"The protocols are what you have to follow," Cousins said. "The NFL has set these protocols in place. I want to follow the protocols so I can play on Sunday, and that's where my focus is. As long as I can not test positive and not have a close contact, I'll be there for every game."

The Washington Post reported that the Vikings have the league's lowest vaccination rate at 64.5% of players fully vaccinated. Cousins said he was not aware of his team's current percentages and did not directly comment on whether he believes the Vikings are at a competitive disadvantage.

"I think it's a fluid situation," he said. "I think it's changing daily."

Barcelona have announced that Lionel Messi will leave the club after financial problems prevented them from agreeing with the forward on a new contract.

Messi, 34, has been a free agent since his previous terms expired on June 30, but ESPN revealed in July that a loose agreement over a five-year extension had been reached.

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However, Barca have been unable to register Messi's new contract with LaLiga while complying with the league's financial fair play rules. President Joan Laporta is expected to address the situation in a news conference on Friday.

Barcelona said in a statement: "Despite having reached an agreement with Messi and with both parties clearly wanting to sign a new contract, it cannot be finalised due to financial and structural problems [rules relating to the Spanish league].

"Given this situation, Messi will not continue his relationship with Barcelona. Both parties lament deeply that the desires of the player and the club cannot be met.

"Barca would like to wholeheartedly thank the player for his contribution to the growth of the institution and wish him the best in his personal and professional life."

Sources at Paris Saint-Germain have told ESPN they remain confident the club would still be able to confirm a deal for Messi should he actually leave Barcelona -- but they are sceptical of that happening, believing the latest move to be a bluff intended to keep him at Camp Nou.

PSG representatives have worked for weeks on negotiating a move for Messi that would also see Neymar and Kylian Mbappe remain in Paris but sources have told ESPN that the club never felt it was a deal that could realistically come off, with Messi always expected to remain at Barcelona.

It is not clear if Manchester City, meanwhile, would enter the bidding. The Premier League champions wanted Messi last summer but signed Jack Grealish on Thursday for £100 million and sources close to the club made contradictory comments when approached by ESPN. Some ruled it out completely; others left it up in the air.

Spanish clubs must comply with a spending limit, which includes money spent on salaries and signings, determined by LaLiga.

Barca's spending stood at over €600 million before the coronavirus pandemic but was reduced to €347m last season and is expected to be slashed even further for the upcoming campaign.

Therefore, to register Messi's new contract with the league, the Catalan club needed to reduce their wage bill or bring in a significant amount of money in transfers.

However, the club have failed to move on big earners such as Miralem Pjanic, Philippe Coutinho and Samuel Umtiti and have so far failed to reach an agreement with some of the club's longer-serving players over wage cuts.

Talks are ongoing with Gerard Pique, Sergio Busquets, Jordi Alba and Sergi Roberto over salary adjustments.

Gracias, Leo pic.twitter.com/zQDFiDUK47

— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona_es) August 5, 2021

Messi tried to leave Barca last summer after falling out with Barca president Josep Maria Bartomeu, but ended up staying against his will.

The election of Laporta as Bartomeu's successor in March had seemed to change the situation completely. Messi and his family are close to Laporta, who was the president when Messi broke into Barca's first team.

Laporta has always said he was "confident" of reaching an agreement for Messi to stay at the club and that the key was building a sporting project that would guarantee him success on the pitch.

However, sources have told ESPN that Messi has been left unconvinced by the work done by Laporta in the transfer market this summer.

Another source added that there was also a disagreement over the breakdown of the commission payments involved in the deal.

Messi's departure is a historic moment for the club. He first joined Barca's academy in 2000 and has gone on to play 778 games for the club, breaking Xavi Hernandez's appearance record last season.

He has scored 672 goals, another club record, and has helped Barca win, among other trophies, 10 LaLiga titles and the Champions League on four occasions.

In the process, he has won the Ballon d'Or on six occasions and is among those considered the greatest to play the game.

Masai Ujiri, the architect of the franchise's 2019 NBA championship team, has agreed to a significant new deal to become vice chairman and president of the Toronto Raptors, sources told ESPN on Thursday.

His previous title was president.

After arriving in Toronto in 2013 as general manager, Ujiri has established himself as one of the most prominent, successful and sought-after executives in professional sports. In the final year and months of his expiring contract, Ujiri turned back overtures from several pro sports organizations beyond the NBA, sources said.

Ujiri will continue as both the Raptors' top basketball/business executive and a global philanthropist through his Giants of Africa initiative, sources said.

In a Twitter video released by the Raptors on Thursday that did not reference the agreement, Ujiri spoke of his and the franchise's objectives.

"On the court, our goal is clear: Win. It's simple: Win. Bring another championship to Toronto," Ujiri said in the video. "We are united in that mission and nothing else will do. We will bring young talent to this city and continue to build with our unbelievable players. I've said it before, and I am saying it again: We will win in Toronto. I'm grateful for the opportunity to lead this team. I love being the leader of the Toronto Raptors and I'm here to stay."

Ujiri arrived in Toronto in 2013 after winning NBA Executive of the Year honors as Denver's general manager and soon transformed the Raptors into an NBA contender and global franchise.

His trade for Kawhi Leonard in the summer of 2018 catapulted Toronto to the 2019 NBA championship

NEW YORK -- Catcher Gary Sanchez became the latest New York Yankees player to test positive for the coronavirus on Thursday after starting pitchers Jordan Montgomery and Gerrit Cole were sidelined by COVID-19 earlier in the week.

Manager Aaron Boone said that the positive result for Sanchez came from a rapid test and that the Yankees were awaiting the results of a PCR test.

After Monday's game against Baltimore, Cole tested positive and was scratched from his scheduled start the next day. Montgomery tested positive Tuesday.

"I guess I'm little concerned about everything, but we just got to do keep doing the best we can," Boone said as the Yankees prepared to face Seattle.

The three positive results occurred after the Yankees returned from playing six games against the Tampa Bay Rays and Miami Marlins in Florida, where COVID-19 cases are surging.

"We were in Florida this past week, and that's been one of the places with some rising cases and things like that," Boone said. "So I'm sure that could have played a role, but it's hard to know who contracted what, when and how."

At least 85% of New York's players are vaccinated, resulting in a loosening of restrictions, but the Yankees still have been hit hard of late.

Since the All-Star break, star outfielder Aaron Judge, third baseman Gio Urshela and backup catcher Kyle Higashioka have tested positive, along with relievers Wandy Peralta and Jonathan Loaisiga.

Sanchez is batting .216 with 17 homers and 39 RBIs in 84 games. He did not start Wednesday but entered New York's 10-3 win over Baltimore as a pinch hitter.

To replace Sanchez, Rob Brantly was recalled from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.

Northampton Saints have signed Fiji international scrum-half Frank Lomani from Australian side Melbourne Rebels.

Lomani played 25 Super Rugby games for the Rebels and joins Fiji team-mates Sam Matavesi and Api Ratuniyarawa at Franklin's Gardens.

"I hope I can develop my skills and improve all-round on the field playing Northern Hemisphere rugby," he said.

Saints director of rugby Chris Boyd added: "Frank plays the game with a smile on his face and is capable of creating opportunities from anywhere on the park."

It has taken a while but Wales hooker Ken Owens will finally make his first British and Irish Lions Test start on Saturday in the series decider against South Africa.

Now after 82 Wales caps, which includes three World Cups, two Grand Slams and four Six Nations titles, the 34-year-old Scarlets skipper will at last have a treasured Lions number two jersey.

"It is my first start which I am hugely proud of and a Test series decider against the world champions is right up there as one of the biggest games in my career," said Owens.

"Starting is a slightly different role but the fundamentals of the game are the same. The way we are going to want to start this Test match is very similar to creating that impact around the team later on.

"It's about being accurate, bringing that energy early on and making sure the set-piece is in a good place to give us the opportunity to do what we want to do."

Owens will pack down in the front row alongside Scarlets team-mate Wyn Jones who was due to make his Lions Test debut in the first match before a shoulder injury ruled him out of the opening two games.

"I was hugely proud of Wyn getting the call in the first place and devastated a couple of days later when he was ruled out," said Owens.

"I'm glad he's managed to get himself back to fitness and got that starting jersey. He has been outstanding for Scarlets and Wales over the last couple of years and it's great to have the opportunity to play for the Lions."

Owens knows though that, along with Ireland prop Tadhg Furlong, trying to gain at least parity with the strong Springboks scrum presents its challenges for the new-look Lions trio.

"We know the challenge they bring, it is something they pride themselves on and something we pride ourselves on," said Owens.

"The set piece was pretty good the week before, we didn't get some stuff right last week so we know there are fixes.

"Myself and Wyn come into start and freshen things up. It's is going to be a huge challenge for us but we are confident in our ability."

The last two Lions series have gone to a decider with the tourists defeating Australia convincingly eight years ago when Alun Wyn Jones was captain for the Sydney success and Warren Gatland was head coach.

"Alun Wyn and Warren have been there and done it, they've seen it all," added Owens.

"Having them around the place and their experience, it's huge. It's rubbed off on everybody in the way we've prepared and everyone has been committed to this week. That has been led by Warren and Alun Wyn.

"Warren is very calm, he knows how to get the best out of the players whether it's a small conversation here or there.

"He has been at his best with that stuff this week. You can sense the confidence and experience he brings by the way he enters team meetings and the way he talks."

Owens was involved heavily in the series decider four years ago against New Zealand. He was caught up in a late controversial incident that saw the All Blacks awarded a scrum rather than a penalty after the Wales hooker was deemed offside.

The match ended in a draw and the series was tied. That levelled series scenario will be the same again this weekend with no plans for extra time, despite Gatland hinting this week it could be something that is looked at.

"It was strange right at the end of the game against New Zealand, everybody not really knowing what was happening but they were the rules," said Owens.

"We haven't spoken about a draw this week for us. We are concentrating on the victory."

Despite the Springboks' dominance last weekend when they levelled the series, Owens insists success for the Lions is possible.

"The confidence is still there and we know and trust our processes and what we are trying to achieve," said Owens.

"We are here for a huge decider and are in a good place. We know the challenge coming from South Africa because they are going in the same position, so it all bodes well for a great finale."

The New Jersey Devils have signed free-agent forward Tomas Tatar to a two-year, $9 million contract, general manager Tom Fitzgerald announced Thursday.

Tatar had been a bit of a throw-in -- with Nick Suzuki -- when he was traded to the Montreal Canadiens by the Vegas Golden Knights for Max Pacioretty in September 2018. While Suzuki has become what the Canadiens were hoping, Tatar has exceeded expectations.

The 30-year-old has scored at least 20 goals six times in his 10-year career, most recently with the Canadiens in 2019-20, when he had a career-high 61 points and led the team in both categories.

But his playoff performance leaves something to be desired. He had only two goals in 10 games in 2019-20. This season, he had one assist in five games and was a healthy scratch in the other 17 games as the Canadiens reached the Stanley Cup Final.

Tatar is coming off a four-year deal with a cap hit of $5.3 million. He entered the NHL as a second-round pick by the Detroit Red Wings in 2009.

The Colorado Rapids have finalized a transfer to send United States international left-back Sam Vines to Royal Antwerp in Belgium.

After completing his medical evaluation, Vines will sign a three-year contract with one option year, Royal Antwerp announced Thursday. The transfer fee was undisclosed.

Er is een akkoord tussen Colorado Rapids & RAFC omtrent Sam Vines! ??
De linksback legt zijn medische testen af en zal nadien een contract voor 3 seizoenen ondertekenen met één jaar optie! ❤️?#RAFC #OneRedFamily pic.twitter.com/OCMDTRzlfj

— Royal Antwerp FC (@official_rafc) August 5, 2021

Vines, 22, made his debut for the Rapids in 2018 and has appeared in 53 games in the past four seasons, including 49 starts, and quickly established himself as one of the best left-backs in Major League Soccer.

He received his first cap with the national team against Costa Rica in 2020, and played a significant role for the United States during its recent run in the Gold Cup, where it beat Mexico, 1-0, in the final. He appeared in all six matches and scored the winner in a 1-0 victory against Haiti in the opener.

Vines is the latest in a growing list of MLS Homegrown players to make the jump to Europe this season, joining FC Dallas midfielder Tanner Tessmann, who moved to Venezia FC in Italy's Serie A and is expected to be joined by Sporting Kansas City midfielder Gianluca Busio imminently.