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National Football League roundup

[June 22, 2017] June 21 (The Sports Xchange) - The Oakland Raiders and Derek Carr are close to finalizing a deal expected to pay the quarterback approximately $25 million per season, ESPN reported Wednesday, citing league sources.

The contract is expected to be completed soon, perhaps as early as the end of the week, according to ESPN.

Carr, however, took to social media to slow the story.

"Nothing done yet ... trust me you will hear it here first," the two-time Pro Bowl selection wrote.

Carr had given the Raiders a training camp deadline for the deal or planned to shut down negotiations and play the final season of his existing four-year contract signed as a second-round draft pick out of Fresno State.

The deal may make Carr one of the highest-paid players in the league. Andrew Luck of the Indianapolis Colts receives an NFL-best $24.6 million per year, just ahead of fellow quarterbacks Carson Palmer ($24.35 million) of the Arizona Cardinals, Drew Brees ($24.25 million) of the New Orleans Saints and Kirk Cousins ($23.9 million) of the Washington Redskins.

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Former New York Jets linebacker David Harris agreed to a two-year deal with the New England Patriots, according to multiple reports.

Harris, who played 10 seasons with the Jets, was released on June 6 after talks broke down regarding a renegotiated contract. He was due to make $6.5 million in 2017 in the final season of a three-year, $21.5 million contract.

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The 33-year-old Harris started 15 games for the Jets in 2016, recording 95 tackles and a half-sack in 15 games. He missed his first game in eight years last season.

In 154 career games, Harris owns 1,087 tackles, 35 sacks, 31 passes defensed and six interceptions.

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Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones and a Pro Football Hall of Fame delegation met with Pope Francis at the Vatican.

Jones, who is being inducted into the Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio, on Aug. 4, was in Italy with Hall of Famers Curtis Martin, Chris Doleman, Franco Harris, Jim Taylor, Ronnie Lott and Floyd Little, along with Pro Football Hall of Fame board chairman Randy Hunt.

The Pope blessed all members of the group and urged them to translate values of teamwork and fair play from the football field to the broader community. (Editing by Rory Carroll)

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