Would the Commanders be an ideal fit for T.J. Watt if he and Steelers can't reach a deal?
One of the biggest needs over the offseason for the Washington Commanders was finding a true edge rusher. They brought in Javon Kinlaw and Deatrich Wise Jr., and while they are both capable defenders, the Commanders lack a true game-changing edge rusher. You know, someone like T.J. Watt.
Watt becomes a free agent in 2026, but he'd like an extension before that, so he has not participated in any offseason workouts to date for the Pittsburgh Steelers. Similar to the Commanders' situation with Terry McLaurin, both the Steelers and Watt want to see a deal done. In the event that doesn't happen, though, Fox Sports named the Commanders a potential landing spot for the veteran linebacker.
Pittsburgh Steelers edge T.J. Watt: Washington CommandersAgain, I'm not buying that the Steelers would do this. Watt is an iconic piece of that franchise — and that word carries weight in Pittsburgh. Furthermore, even with Aaron Rodgers at quarterback, the Steelers' hopes of accomplishing anything this season will still rest on their defense.
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Then, the author suggests trading away one of the Commanders' most loyal players: Scary Terry.
Why not indulge one delusional fantasy with another? If Washington were to trade Terry McLaurin, they'd be opening some financial wiggle room to add another lucrative player. They could get at least two, if not three, years of play out of Watt before they have to worry about extending Jayden Daniels. They definitely need the pass rush help. Watt would give Dan Quinn a blue chip player, which he doesn't really have right now, on his Commanders' defense. Adding him to a pass rush that currently includes Frankie Luvu, Dorance Armstrong, Deatrich Wise and Clelin Ferrell would upgrade the Washington pass rush from "so-so" to outright dangerous.
Sure, maybe it's a mixed message to hinder the offense by trading McLaurin only to add T.J. Watt. But, with all due respect to Scary Terry, I think it's a bit harder to find a DPOY-level edge rusher than an All-Pro caliber receiver in today's NFL.
It doesn't just hinder the offense to trade McLaurin, it hinders Jayden Daniels' development, which is far more important than any pass rusher. Adding T.J. Watt will deplete the Commanders' remaining cap space and require additional financial adjustments to make it happen. But let's be real, letting McLaurin go is not an option the Commanders want to take.
Besides, everyone knows Watt isn't leaving Pittsburgh, and McLaurin isn't leaving Washington. Most likely.
This article originally appeared on Commanders Wire: Commanders named landing spot for T.J. Watt if Steelers moved him
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Yahoo
34 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Inter Milan Hoping ‘Ultra-Rigid' Thunderstorm Protocol Doesn't Hold Up Club World Cup Clash Vs Fluminense
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New York Times
38 minutes ago
- New York Times
If Caitlin Clark's worth a ‘billion' to WNBA, why is she paid only a fraction of that?
In 1997, economists from MIT and Cambridge co-authored a paper on the economic value of NBA superstars, focusing on Chicago Bulls' icon Michael Jordan. At the time, Jordan had already won four NBA championships, briefly retired, then returned to the league. The window in which Jordan was away from the NBA provided a clearer glimpse into the value he brought to it. Advertisement Beyond what he meant to the Bulls, the two economists, Jerry Hausman and Gregory K. Leonard, found that Jordan generated $53 million to other teams during the 1991-92 season — around $121 million today — through analyzing star-powered factors such as gate revenue, and local and national TV revenues. Jordan was making around $3 million in salary at the time — around $7 million today. 'A significant portion of an NBA team's revenue can be traced to Michael Jordan,' they wrote. Caitlin Clark has produced a similar financial effect on the WNBA. Since she entered the league as the top draft pick in May 2024, the Indiana Fever have become the WNBA's equivalent of The Beatles. Everywhere Clark goes, eyes follow: when she attends Pacers games, Taylor Swift's Eras Tour concert or a Kansas City Chiefs game. Even when she played in an LPGA Tour pro-am, fans flocked to the course. Clark and the Fever have set WNBA viewership records, consistently sell out Gainbridge Fieldhouse and prompt some opponents to move their games to larger-capacity NBA arenas. The Fever unveiled T-shirts this season with the tag-line 'Every Game is a Home Game.' 'To see the influence that she has on people, bringing people out here, and to see how amazing of an influence she is for sports, (that) was really cool to see firsthand,' said Nelly Korda, the world's No. 1 golfer after playing nine holes with Clark this past November. Usually, where such attention is attracted, money follows to an athlete's pocket. Clark has gained millions in endorsement deals with Gatorade, State Farm, Nike and others (valued at $11 million in 2024, per Sportico), but it's obvious her value to the WNBA — and women's sports, more broadly — is significantly higher than the $78,066 salary she is contracted to receive. 'In my lifetime, we had Muhammad Ali, we had Michael Jordan, we had Tiger Woods, and to me, it's early, but we have Caitlin Clark,' said John Kosner, a former ESPN executive turned industry consultant. 'People who don't care and don't follow the sport that she plays (in) have been driven not just to watch, but to watch avidly.' .@CaitlinClark22 delights fans in Dallas 👏@IndianaFever | #IONWNBA — WNBA on ION (@IONWNBA) June 27, 2025 However, she doesn't receive compensation like sport's other Mount Rushmore figures. She's unlikely to ever be paid even close to what she is really worth to the league. Her agent, Excel's Erin Kane, said she didn't think that would ever be possible. So what is Clark worth to the WNBA? 'It's hard to believe she's not worth close to a billion to the league,' said one industry source not authorized to discuss the matter publicly. Advertisement Clark, of course, is just one of many WNBA players who is vastly underpaid — a key prompt for players currently renegotiating their collective bargaining agreement with the league. But because of how much Clark drives the league's economy, the delta between her salary, which is two-thirds the league average of $117,133 (as of opening night), and her actual value is especially stark. Consider that her salary is around 0.02 percent of the Fever's recent valuation by Forbes of $340 million. Television ratings, attendance and merchandise sales are just some factors economists use to assess an athlete's value. That was the focus of the Jordan study three decades ago and remains relevant today. The Caitlin Clark Effect is well-documented and taps into such categories for analysis. But Judd Cramer, an economics lecturer at Harvard, also cites the dramatic increases in both media rights deal valuations and franchise valuations across women's sports since Clark's senior year at Iowa when thinking about her value. The Fever's valuation increased 273 percent from 2024 to 2025, according to Sportico, and the average valuation of WNBA franchises rose 180 percent in that span, too. 'The idea that she (is) maybe worth 1,000 times her salary in franchise value is not inconceivable,' Cramer said. Under the current CBA, the WNBA supermax contract is $249,244 and Clark would have to finish her rookie contract (four years) before earning that. A lot would have to change in the women's basketball landscape for her to earn 1,000 times her current salary of $78,000 — $78 million would be about $20 million more than the highest-paid NBA player (Stephen Curry) this past season. Merely multiplying Clark's salary by 10x would be a leap under the WNBA's current salary structure. As was the case for Jordan when he stepped away from the game from 1993-95, Clark's absence — she missed five games over nearly three weeks with a quad injury — demonstrated how much she moves the needle. Two games on NBA TV had viewership drop by 40 percent compared to the Fever's first game on the network with Clark, though one still ranked in the channel's top-10 broadcasts. Although the Fever's game against the Chicago Sky reached 1.9 million viewers – the third most for a WNBA game on CBS — it was 30 percent fewer than watched the Sky-Fever game with Clark on ABC. The resale tickets for the game at the United Center also dropped about 70 percent after Clark's injury was announced, yet it still drew a Sky-record 19,496 fans. Advertisement 'She's going to be massively underpaid because it's not just what she's doing for her team but what she's doing for the other teams,' said Michael Leeds, a professor of economics at Temple University. Said the aforementioned industry source: 'She's making opposing owners seven figures when she shows up.' Clark entered the WNBA at an opportune time after growing her brand at Iowa, profiting off modern name, image and likeness rules and more television exposure for women's basketball players. The WNBA was already entering a substantial growth period, too, with league revenues doubling from 2019 to 2023, per Bloomberg. Yet, while Clark was jet fuel for the moment, the structures of the sport have stopped her from capturing her full worth. The WNBA's ownership model prevents players from receiving the bulk of its revenue. The NBA owned half of the league before 2022, when the WNBA sold 16 percent of its equity in a $75 million capital raise, a transaction that diluted the then-12 teams' total stake to 42 percent. NBA players take home 50 percent of basketball-related income, while the other half goes to the owners. In the WNBA, the league's owners don't even control 50 percent of the league, so a theoretical 50/50 split of total revenue would leave only 21 percent of the pie each to both the owners and the players. Beyond the realm of the hypothetical, no such splitting provision even exists in the current collective bargaining agreement; player salaries presently account for less than 10 percent of revenue. 'The WNBA is hamstrung by this, because if they tell the amazing story of what's going on in their league in terms of revenue, then they have to explain why the players are paid so badly,' said David Berri, a professor of economics at Southern Utah University. The CBA has a mechanism for revenue sharing if certain targets are reached. However, that agreement was created in 2020, when the league played a pandemic-impacted bubble season and essentially made no money. Because the revenue targets are cumulative, the WNBA hasn't caught up despite recent rapid growth, preventing all players from benefiting from financial gains. Advertisement The league also has a hard cap per team that limits individual salaries. The cap is currently $1.5 million, a total spread among 11 to 12 players per team. To increase the cap, and thus increase salaries, the league needs a massive growth in revenue. And the biggest driver of revenue across sports leagues is media rights. Last year, the league signed the richest media rights deal in women's sports league history. The value of what commissioner Cathy Engelbert has called the WNBA's 'tranche 1' deals — around $200 million annually over 11 years with Disney/ESPN, NBC and Amazon as of 2026 — jumped from $33 million with ESPN in 2025. (The total value of the W's current media rights with all of its partners is about $50 million this year.) But the uptick in value was agreed upon before Clark-mania officially began in the WNBA. The NBA and WNBA did not announce the terms of the new media rights deal until July 2024, but a source with knowledge of the agreement, who was not authorized to discuss the deal publicly, said the details were agreed upon before the start of the 2024 WNBA season, and before the announcement of the Toronto and Portland expansion teams. At a congressional hearing this May, Bill Koenig, the NBA's president of global content and media distribution, said the WNBA was mindful of the league's growth trajectory and put in provisions to reflect the league's upside. The WNBA can still sell additional media rights as part of its 'tranche 2' deals; it currently has deals with ION and CBS, for instance, and just extended its agreement with ION in June. There is also a revenue-sharing provision in the 'tranche 1' agreement, in which the WNBA would benefit incrementally if advertising revenue exceeds a certain level. Perhaps most importantly to the league's future revenue is an opportunity for the WNBA to initiate a 'look-in' provision in three years to increase the value of the agreement. But experts said it's still unclear how much renegotiated media rights deals would be worth. Leeds, the Temple professor, said that it is difficult to ascribe broadcast rights effects directly to a single player, because the negotiation involves a broader, multi-year package. Furthermore, while the WNBA's national regular-season ratings are comparable to those of major men's leagues and set records (or near records) on an almost weekly basis, WNBA playoff ratings still lag. 'Media value is not something that is particularly precise and calibrated to exactly what happens week-to-week, month-to-month or even year-to-year,' said Ed Desser, a longtime NBA employer who negotiated the WNBA's first media contract and is now an industry consultant. Advertisement Though the incoming media rights deal is a historic sum for the WNBA, the total figure is still only about five times the current deal and future increases via the look-in are unlikely to be massive. Even if all of the TV revenue were funneled into player salaries, the individual max would still be in the realm of $1.25 million. Thus, this source of revenue would still fall short of capturing the additional value Clark has brought the league. Cramer, the Harvard economist, hasn't modeled how much of the WNBA's economic growth can be attributed to Clark, but he said, 'Consider if there was an increase in the league over a 10-year horizon in the order of billions. If she's 25 percent of that, then that's how I would say she could have brought $750 million to the league.' He said she's made an even more significant impact on the economics of women's sports more broadly. 'I think her overall value to women's sports starts with a B,' Cramer said. 'It's in the billions for sure.' His insight draws on the significant increases in media rights and franchise valuations over the last few years, as Clark rose to prominence in college and now stars in the pros. All of this projection comes before Clark has played in an Olympics, made a deep postseason run, or even finished a season with a winning record. Clark will almost assuredly never receive in salary what she is worth to the WNBA. In that regard, she's a lot like Jordan, and other all-time greats across sports. Yet, no matter the challenge in quantifying her value, her impact is palpable. As Kosner, the former ESPN executive, put it, 'I think every commissioner in every sport wishes he or she had a Caitlin Clark.' (Illustration: Dan Goldfarb / The Athletic; Visual data: Thomas Oide / The Athletic; Photo of Caitlin Clark:)
USA Today
39 minutes ago
- USA Today
10 NFL undrafted free agents who could make initial 53-man rosters as rookies
Editor's note: This story is a part of a series by USA TODAY Sports called Project: June. We will publish at least one NFL-themed story every day throughout the month because fans know the league truly never sleeps. By definition, undrafted free agents might seem like an afterthought to most after being repeatedly passed over. But that's hardly the case for NFL teams. To fully capitalize on months of extensive scouting work, front offices extend their personnel push well beyond the seven rounds of each draft. The work begins immediately as franchises flock to sign undrafted free agents, often ponying up significant sums of guaranteed money just to get what amounts to a first look at players. Many of those who latch on with teams during this portion of the process will end up on practice squads, operating in a sort of football purgatory as teams monitor their development. But that designation leaves them open to being signed away by competitors willing to put them on their active roster, so any organization worried about its promising young talent being poached must tread carefully. And with no shortage of recent success stories from the undrafted ranks – including Carolina Panthers wide receiver Jalen Coker, who nearly matched the rookie yardage output of first-round teammate Xavier Legette, and Los Angeles Rams linebacker Omar Speights, who started 10 games in 2024 – coaching staffs have plenty of reason to keep an eye out for unlikely early contributors. With training camps set to start up next month, here are 10 undrafted free agents who this year have a chance to make the initial 53-man roster for their respective teams: Efton Chism III, WR, New England Patriots With New England having centered its draft on an all-out effort to support second-year quarterback Drake Maye, it seemed inevitable that an offensive newcomer would set himself apart during offseason workouts. Yet rather than first-round offensive tackle Will Campbell, second-round running back TreVeyon Henderson or third-round wideout Kyle Williams, it was a little-known slot receiver from Eastern Washington who created as big of a buzz as anyone. Chism, who broke Cooper Kupp's school single-season record for catches with 120 last year, quickly became a favorite of Maye, who estimated he found the 5-10, 195-pound target for "like 50 catches" in organized team activities. That only means so much prior to the start of training camp, but it unquestionably highlighted Chism's potential value given the Patriots' mandate on putting the 2024 No. 3 overall pick in more favorable spots after a rookie year rife with challenges. "I think he's a talented player. I think he has a certain skill set. He's dedicated. He's studied extremely hard," Patriots coach Mike Vrabel said in June. "He has a good feel for what we're asking him to do. I think the biggest thing for receivers is that there's trust from the guy that throws the football. "When you earn the quarterback's trust ... it doesn't take you long to figure out who the quarterback trusts. It's the ones they target. That's a good indicator." Chism's appeal as a safety valve in a Josh McDaniels-helmed system known for creating opportunities for slot receivers should be readily evident. But Demario Douglas looks to be entrenched in that role for the near future, and securing a spot on the roster might entail leapfrogging several more high-profile pass catchers in Kendrick Bourne, Kayshon Boutte and Javon Baker. If Chism continues to make his mark in a more competitive setting throughout the summer, however, he could be too promising to part with. Cobee Bryant, CB, Atlanta Falcons After placing a premium on jolting its pass rush with first-rounders Jalon Walker and James Pearce Jr., the Falcons then shifted their focus toward reshaping their secondary with second-round safety Xavier Watts and third-round nickel Billy Bowman Jr. But the work might not have ended there. Atlanta also added Bryant, a three-time first-team All-Big 12 selection who notched 13 career interceptions at Kansas. His 180-pound frame will need to be filled out for him to hold up against NFL receivers, particularly given his hyperphysical style that could leave him prone to plenty of penalties. But his consistently elevated aggressiveness serves him well in other phases of his game, and the Falcons' cornerback depth is relatively limited. Wide receiver Nick Nash and offensive guard Joshua Gray also have a solid shot at sticking around. Jared Ivey, DE, Seattle Seahawks On first blush, the Seahawks' edge rush might seem to be too deep to lend itself to an undrafted player latching on, with free-agent signee DeMarcus Lawrence and Boye Mafe being backed by Uchenna Nwosu and 2023 second-round pick Derick Hall. But Mike Macdonald's complex scheme demands a lot from its pass rushers, and Seattle could use some short-term insurance given Lawrence and Nwosu combined to play in just 10 games last season due to injuries. Ivey lacks the explosiveness of a typical developmental edge threat, but his versatility and skill set should endear him to Macdonald. Isaiah Neyor, WR, San Francisco 49ers With Brandon Aiyuk seemingly on track to start the year on the physically unable to perform list as he continues to recover from torn anterior cruciate and medial collateral ligaments, the 49ers' outlook at receiver is far from settled. But that dynamic could open up an opportunity for Neyor, a 6-4, 218-pound speedster who drew a rave initial review from six-time Pro Bowl tight end George Kittle. "He was running a route and he got like 9 1/2 yards in two strides," said Kittle on a June appearance on the "Bussin with the Boys" podcast. "I was like, 'Holy (expletive).' It was insane. We watched it like 10 times in the tight end room. We were like, 'How is he doing this?'" Neyor first broke out at Wyoming in 2021 by averaging nearly 20 yards per catch and hauling in 12 touchdowns. But after tearing his ACL at Texas and only posting modest production last year at Nebraska, he still lacks a handle on the finer points of the position. Still, Kyle Shanahan and John Lynch might be reticent to allow other teams to swoop in, and Neyor might be able to earn a spot on the initial roster if he can beat out seventh-round selection Junior Bergen. Nazir Stackhouse, DT, Green Bay Packers A three-year starter on Georgia's star-studded defense, Stackhouse doesn't offer the flashy athletic traits of former teammates like Jalen Carter, Jordan Davis or even Warren Brinson, whom the Packers selected in the sixth round in April. But the 6-4, 327-pounder eats up space in the run game and routinely blows up blocks. With T.J. Slaton's departure leaving a void for that role on an interior line group otherwise built on penetrating, Stackhouse can carve out a fairly straightforward niche despite his playmaking limitations. Andrew Armstrong, WR, Miami Dolphins The Dolphins' draft class was defined by a dedication to fortifying its fronts, with the team's first three selections coming along the offensive and defensive lines. But that approach, combined with Miami's Day 3 strategy, left the organization to look towards the undrafted free agent ranks to address a receiving corps that looks dangerously thin behind Tyreek Hill, Jaylen Waddle and free-agent signing Nick Westbrook-Ikhine. Of the four first-year wideouts added after the draft, Armstrong looks to be the best bet to crack the roster. The 6-4, 202-pounder can add a different flavor to Mike McDaniel's aerial attack by providing Tua Tagovailoa with a possession receiver who can thrive in contested-catch scenarios. Tight end Jalin Conyers also could push for a spot, especially with Jonnu Smith's contract standoff yet to produce a resolution. Seth McLaughlin, C, Cincinnati Bengals A torn Achilles suffered last November no doubt weighed down the draft stock of McLaughlin, who was a fixture for Alabama's front before transferring to Ohio State and winning the Rimington Trophy last year. If not for the ailment, the 6-4, 304-pounder would have had a strong chance to be selected given his track record as a heady blocker capable of compensating for his pedestrian frame and athleticism. On a Bengals line that has struggled to afford Joe Burrow with any steady protection, McLaughlin could be an intriguing understudy to Ted Karras, though he'll have to 2024 seventh-round pick Matt Lee for the role. An undrafted free agent could also claim a job on the other side of the ball, as defensive tackles Howard Cross III – who played under new Bengals defensive coordinator Al Golden at Notre Dame – and Eric Gregory will try to make a push at a spot where Cincinnati has long underperformed. Ben Chukwuma, OT, Tampa Bay Buccaneers Anyone guessing who landed the highest guaranteed payout among undrafted free agents probably wouldn't land on an offensive tackle from Georgia State who started for a little more than one season and didn't earn all-conference honors. Nevertheless, it was Chukwuma who stood above all his peers after netting $300,000 from the Buccaneers, according to multiple reports. The 6-6, 310-pound blocker, who moved to Georgia from Nigeria when he was 17, only began playing football after attending a walk-on tryout at Georgia State. Having paid a hefty sum to secure his services, the Buccaneers' brain trust clearly is interested in what it can make of Chukwuma and his tools. Jah Joyner, DE, Las Vegas Raiders Maxx Crosby and Malcolm Koonce give the Silver and Black a solid foundation for a unit otherwise seemingly devoid of building blocks. Behind them, however, there's little certainty. Neither first-round disappointment Tyree Wilson nor Charles Snowden have provided much of a spark, even in backup roles. Joyner might not push either for a spot on the second string, but his tenacity could make him a solid rotational piece. Da'Quan Felton, WR, New York Giants Any question about the Giants' satisfaction with their wide receiver depth after the draft was quickly answered by the team signing five undrafted players at the position. Of those brought on, Felton might be the most fascinating - and have the best chance of securing a backup job. The 6-5, 213-pound target sizes up as a natural partner for Russell Wilson given his knack for hauling in contested catches downfield. With few other big bodies in New York's receiving corps, Felton could hold down a unique role while becoming a more precise route runner and eliminating the drops that have long plagued him. All the NFL news on and off the field. Sign up for USA TODAY's 4th and Monday newsletter.
