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USA Today
15 hours ago
- Business
- USA Today
Best fits for remaining NFL free agents
Best fits for remaining NFL free agents This is the USA TODAY Sports NFL newsletter, 4th and Monday. If this newsletter isn't already getting conveniently delivered to your inbox, click here to subscribe. USA TODAY Sports is now on Bluesky! Give us a follow for more of our NFL content. Aaron Rodgers continues to keep football fans on the edge of their seats, wondering when he will make a decision on his playing future. Just kidding, we have better things to do right now (like planning summer vacations, or wishing we were still on one!). However, the frontman for the 2025 NFL offseason's lamest storyline isn't the only notable veteran player still available via free agency. Think your team needs an experienced wide receiver? Amari Cooper and Keenan Allen surprisingly are unsigned. As are safeties Justin Simmons and Julian Blackmon. With many players you've heard of still available (for the right price!), USA TODAY Sports' Tyler Dragon explores the best landing spots for the top 10 remaining free agents. 📷: NFL players on the move in 2025 HOT READS 🎯 The best NFL reads from USA TODAY and our Sports Network. 🏈 Appointment reading alert🚨: "Project: June" is here to satisfy your offseason NFL fix. We will publish at least one NFL-themed story every day throughout the month. So, make sure to regularly visit USA TODAY Sports' NFL page for all the goodies. 🏈 Deion Sanders admitted that the draft slide of his son Shedeur Sanders "did hurt" him emotionally. 🏈 Michael Middlehurst-Schwartz has 10 prospects for the 2026 NFL Draft who will be looking to bounce back this fall in order to boost their stock. 📈 🏈 Nate Davis wrote that Patrick Mahomes' latest comments further illustrated the difference between the Chiefs – a Super Bowl regular – and the 49ers – a team that hasn't won a Super Bowl in more than 30 years. 🏈 Russell Wilson has a lot of reasons why he signed with the New York Giants, but it seems Malik Nabers is a big one. 🏈 Buffalo Bills quarterback (and 2024 NFL MVP) Josh Allen married actress Hailee Steinfeld over the weekend. Take a look at photos from the ceremony. 👰🏻 9️⃣4️⃣ days until kickoff of 2025 NFL season ⏳ There are fewer than 100 days until the 2025 NFL season opens with the Kickoff Game between the Dallas Cowboys and defending Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles on Sept. 4. With 94 days to go until the 2025 season opener, here's a look at the greatest-ever NFL players to wear No. 94: DeMarcus Ware: Ware was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame as part of the class of 2023. A vital cog on the Denver Broncos' Super Bowl 50-winning team, Ware twice led the league in sacks and had eight double-digit sacks seasons over his 12-year NFL career. Cameron Jordan: The eight-time Pro Bowler who has registered six double-digit sack seasons for the New Orleans Saints is a sure-fire Hall of Famer when he calls it a career. Charles Haley: Disruptive defensive force for five Super Bowl-winning teams – he was the first player to collect five Super Bowl rings. Haley was a 2015 Hall of Fame inductee. Chad Brown: Hall of Very Good player was a standout linebacker in the 1990s for the Pittsburgh Steelers and Seattle Seahawks. Dana Stubblefield: Won Defensive Rookie of the Year honors in 1993, won a Super Bowl with the San Francisco 49ers during the 1994 season and earned Defensive Player of the Year honors in 1997. NFL classics: Straight from the YouTube algorithm 🏈🎞️ This is where we reprise some NFL lore and recall classic, memorable moments from yesteryear. While we're on the number 94, let's turn back the clock to 1994, which was the NFL's 75th anniversary season. Some notable things that happened that season: An absolutely loaded San Francisco 49ers team boat raced the San Diego Chargers in Super Bowl 29. You will not see this one getting replayed on "NFL Classics" on NFL Network. 49ers WR Jerry Rice set the record for most career touchdown receptions on "Monday Night Football." The Phoenix Cardinals changed their name to the Arizona Cardinals. This was the Raiders' final season in Los Angeles. The two-point conversion finally was adopted by the NFL. And, the salary cap came into effect this season. If you have 43 minutes to take in all that was the 1994 NFL season, here's NFL Films' highlights from that memorable year. If you enjoy reading 4th and Monday 📰, encourage your football fan friends to subscribe 📱. Follow the writer of this newsletter on social media @jimreineking.
USA Today
6 days ago
- Sport
- USA Today
NBA's cycle of superteams has been dismantled. Owners wanted parity and got it.
NBA's cycle of superteams has been dismantled. Owners wanted parity and got it. Show Caption Hide Caption Shai Gilgeous-Alexander latest player born outside USA to win MVP USA TODAY Sports' Jeff Zillgitt breaks down the MVP-caliber season had by Shai Gilgeous-Alexander of the Oklahoma City Thunder. Sports Pulse If the impending NBA Finals matchup of the league's 23rd and 27th-ranked media markets is supposed to spell doom for the league, it is a doom the NBA's owners intentionally brought on themselves. While two glitz-free Midwestern cities in the Finals might not have the celebrity pull the NBA has largely enjoyed through its historically successful franchises, it was an inevitable outcome once the league designed a collective bargaining agreement that dismantled its traditional cycle of superteams and dynasties. Welcome to the new NBA, where championship windows are smaller, the life cycle of a roster is shorter and the number of teams that can win a title in any given year is beyond anything we've seen in our lifetimes. But rather than post memes of Adam Silver shedding tears over the Larry O'Brien Trophy because we are likely getting Indianapolis and Oklahoma City playing for it, consider adjusting your expectations going forward. Because this is the league of relative parity the NBA wanted, and it's the league they shall have for the foreseeable future. We are only in Year 2 of the current CBA, which extends through the 2029-30 season. And it's working precisely as the majority of league owners intended, flattening the field and making it remarkably difficult to keep a championship contender intact for very long. Exhibit A? The Boston Celtics, with a roster that has a projected $197 million committed next season to just five players. In order to avoid the so-called second apron, Boston will have to shed at least $20 million in salary or else face a variety of penalties that aren't merely financial but would limit their ability to make certain kinds of moves. And that's exactly how the NBA wants it: The more successful your team is, the more expensive its roster becomes, the more difficult the rules make it to continue the same course. That day is coming for Indiana as its key players cycle through their current contracts, and it's certainly coming for Oklahoma City as players like Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren come off their rookie deals, and several other veterans hit free agency in the summer of 2026. If anything, it starts to look more like an NFL model, where the teams that tend to do well have a roster oriented toward a few stars making big money and a lot of players contributing early in their careers and performing at a higher level than their contracts would suggest. But when they hit free agency and seek a significantly bigger contract, the decisions become more difficult, and the organization is tested in its ability to fill holes through the draft. Does that seem fair? No, but it wasn't designed to be fair. It was designed to redistribute talent through the league at a greater rate than we had seen previously, and it appears to be working. It is perhaps no coincidence that as the NBA will crown its seventh different champion in the last seven years, teams that were as far down as the play-in ranks this year are measuring whether a mega-trade for someone like Giannis Antetokounmpo or Kevin Durant could immediately lift them into the Finals conversation. At least on paper, the league seems that wide open, and it will no longer seem like an anomaly when two of the smaller, less-glamorous markets end up as the last teams standing. If you were an owner outside the handful of heavyweight markets that have traditionally attracted the best free agents, wouldn't you want the same thing? Though we are just a couple of years into this CBA, there's already proof of concept: If you manage your assets correctly and build elite depth through the draft, you don't need to recreate the 2010-14 Miami Heat to contend for a title. There are certainly drawbacks to this approach. If you're a good team that made a great draft pick in the teens or 20s and developed them into a quality role player, there's an argument that you should be able to both keep and reward that player for the long haul without having to fundamentally alter your team. In the old CBA, there were a few more nooks and crannies that allowed teams to work around the edges. Also, consider what's about to happen in Cleveland, where Evan Mobley winning defensive player of the year expanded the contract extension he already signed last summer by roughly $7 million next year and by $45 million over the life of the deal. That margin will directly impact how much Cleveland will be able to improve its team this summer, as the Cavaliers are projected to be in the second apron – and may even cost them a player. The real kicker to it is that Victor Wembanyama was running away with the award at the All-Star break but was shut down in February due to a blood clot and finished short of the 65-game minimum requirement for most NBA awards, making Mobley next in line. In other words, the chain reaction of an injury in San Antonio ends up limiting what a championship contender this year can do with its roster – even though nothing really changed from a basketball-value standpoint. That may not be the ideal way to run a league, but such absurdities are precisely what NBA owners signed up for with this CBA. What used to be a fairly simple way to build a dynasty – acquire a generational player in the draft, then attract other stars through trades or free agency – is now a much more complex dance with different paths to a title. Indiana and Oklahoma City have nailed it – for now. But greatness in this NBA isn't meant to be forever. So if this likely Finals matchup isn't your jam, there's a simple solution. Just wait 'til next year.
USA Today
7 days ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Caleb Plant vs. Armando Resendiz: Full card, how to watch super middleweight bout
Caleb Plant vs. Armando Resendiz: Full card, how to watch super middleweight bout Las Vegas will play host to a pivotal boxing card as the interim WBA super middleweight title is on the line. The contenders? Caleb Plant and Armando Resendiz. The 32-year-old Plant has the advantage in height, reach, and experience, having shared the ring with world class fighting talent in the past such as Canelo Alvarez and David Benavidez. Resendiz is no slouch though. Renowned for his aggressive and durable fighting style, Resendiz is someone who can win any match he's thrown in. If he can catch his opponent off guard, he takes full advantage. Resendiz can be quite gung-ho in the ring, but his 15-2 career record would indicate that such a fighting style has worked mostly well for him thus far. Here's everything to know for this Saturday's highly-anticipated event. MORE: British boxer Georgia O'Connor dies at 25, days after getting married Full card for Caleb Plant vs. Armando Resendiz Caleb Plant vs. Armando Resendiz : 12 rounds, Plant's WBA interim super middleweight title bout : 12 rounds, Plant's WBA interim super middleweight title bout Jermall Charlo vs. Thomas LaManna : 10 rounds, super middleweights : 10 rounds, super middleweights Yoenli Feliciano Hernandez vs. Kyrone Davis : 10 rounds, middleweights : 10 rounds, middleweights Isaac Lucero vs. Omar Valenzuela : 8 rounds, super welterweights : 8 rounds, super welterweights Curmel Moton vs. Renny Viamonte Mastrapa : 8 rounds, lightweights : 8 rounds, lightweights Carl Martin vs. Francisco Pedroza Portillo : 8 rounds, super bantamweights : 8 rounds, super bantamweights Daniel Blancas vs. Kwame Ritter : 8 rounds, super middleweights : 8 rounds, super middleweights Justin Cardona vs. Elijah Williams : 6 rounds, super lightweights : 6 rounds, super lightweights Cristian Cangelosi vs. Samuel Figueroa : 6 rounds, super welterweights : 6 rounds, super welterweights John Easter vs. Andres Martinez : 6 rounds, super middleweights : 6 rounds, super middleweights Brayan Gonzalez vs. Osiel Flores: 4 rounds, super bantamweights How to watch Caleb Plant vs. Armando Resendiz Date: Saturday, May 31, 2025 Saturday, May 31, 2025 Time: 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT Location: Michelob Ultra Arena at Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas, Nevada Michelob Ultra Arena at Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas, Nevada TV: N/A N/A Streaming: Prime Video Stream Plant vs. Resendiz with Amazon Prime BOXING NEWS: Manny Pacquiao boxing comeback set for July with title bout vs. Mario Barrios The biggest stories, every morning. Stay up-to-date on all the key sports developments by subscribing to USA TODAY Sports' newsletter.
USA Today
7 days ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Nickeil Alexander-Walker fulfilling family dreams
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Nickeil Alexander-Walker fulfilling family dreams Show Caption Hide Caption Shai Gilgeous-Alexander latest player born outside USA to win MVP USA TODAY Sports' Jeff Zillgitt breaks down the MVP-caliber season had by Shai Gilgeous-Alexander of the Oklahoma City Thunder. Sports Pulse Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 40 points for the Thunder, while his cousin, Nickeil Alexander-Walker, led the Timberwolves with 23 points in a Western Conference finals game. SGA nearly had a triple-double, while Alexander-Walker outscored Timberwolves star Anthony Edwards. The Thunder won 128-126, putting it one win away from the NBA Finals. MINNEAPOLIS — A diamond-framed sports card holder hung from a chain around Vaughn Alexander's neck. Inside were two trading cards. One Shai Gilgeous-Alexander card, one Nickeil Alexander-Walker. Both depicted in their Team Canada jerseys. Either was visible depending on how the chain was flipped. Sometimes it was SGA's turn to be forward facing. Other times, Nickeil got the shine. And that's exactly how Game 4 went, Gilgeous-Alexander and Alexander-Walker taking heroic turns in a Western Conference finals bout that doubled as a one-on-one, cousin vs. cousin duel. 'I'm just so proud of both of them,' Vaughn Alexander, SGA's dad, told The Oklahoman, part of the USA TODAY NETWORK, after the Thunder's 128-126 win Monday night in Minneapolis. Gilgeous-Alexander dropped a game-high 40 points. Alexander-Walker had 23 to lead the Timberwolves. The MVP vs. Minnesota's man off the bench. 'He got the better of me sometimes, I got the better of him,' SGA said. 'Stuff we've dreamt about for our whole lives and it's crazy that it's come to fruition.' Siblings Vaughn and Nicole Alexander, Nickeil's uncle and Shai's aunt, sat courtside observing it all. Their kids who grew up together, who played countless games on the playground, were going back and forth in a conference finals clash. 'It feels like you've got to wake up and pinch yourself to make sure the dream's not gonna be over,' Vaughn said. 'But when you put so much hard work in, you know it's not a dream.' Vaughn, who helped raise nephew Nickeil, was as conflicted as his shimmering chain suggested. 'I'm cheering for both of them, I can't lie,' Vaughn said. 'I don't care who wins, I just want them both to play well.' They played well, all right. A career-playoff high in points for both. Pushing the Thunder a win from the NBA Finals, Gilgeous-Alexander was a rebound shy of a triple double: 40 points (13-of-30), 10 assists, nine rebounds. An exquisite SGA performance, but not as astonishing — given their respective standings in the league — as what his cousin accomplished. Nickeil Alexander-Walker's 23 points were seven more than Timberwolves star Anthony Edwards had. Alexander-Walker's six assists tied Edwards for a team-best. 'Shai was Shai,' Vaughn said. 'That's who he is. That's a cool, smooth operator. Nothing bothers him. The game's always in slow motion for him. He's always three or four steps ahead. He's just that kid. And when the game's on the line, you want the ball in his hands.' And Nickeil? 'Same mentality,' Vaughn said. 'Played like a boss today as well. Tried everything he could do for his team to win and fell a little bit short.' In addition to draining timely 3s, it was Nickeil, not Jaden McDaniels, who got the SGA defensive assignment more times than not down the stretch. 'The night like he had tonight, he's very capable of every night,' SGA said. 'He's a really good basketball player. Great feel, great skill. It's only a matter of time before he blows (up).' After the game, Gilgeous-Alexander walked to the baseline seats near the Timberwolves bench to embrace his dad and hug his aunt. This matchup between cousins? What's difficult to appreciate now will live on in family lore. 'When it's all said and done,' SGA said, 'we'll definitely have plenty of stories about it.'
USA Today
25-05-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Where does Jeremiah Fears land in USA TODAY Sports' latest NBA Mock Draft?
Where does Jeremiah Fears land in USA TODAY Sports' latest NBA Mock Draft? With less than a week for early entrants of the NBA Draft to remove their names, a clearer picture has begun to arise as how things will shake out next month. In fact, it's almost exactly a month away. The draft is scheduled to take place June 25 and 26 plenty of intrigue remains as to who will go where. Well, outside the top three, anyway. Former Oklahoma guard Jeremiah Fears put his name into the mix more than a month ago. He has been a staple inside the top 15 on just about every draft since. On Friday, USA TODAY Sports provided its latest mock draft, and Fears' chances of going in the lottery look awfully good. According to the mock draft, Fears is projected to go to the Washington Wizards with the No. 6 overall pick. "Solid start to his freshman season; quick on the dribble; has strength going to the rim and can finish; operates well in the pick-and-roll as a scorer and passer; needs to improve his 3-point shot but potential is there," wrote authors Jeff Zillget, Lorenezo Reyes and James H. Williams. That's similar to where Fears landed in mock draft earlier in the week. There, Fears was projected to go No. 5 to the Utah Jazz. In USA TODAY's, that spot belongs to Texas guard Tre Johnson. The top four picks are the same in both mocks. Duke's Cooper Flagg is a unanimous No. 1 pick everywhere, followed by Rutgers' Dylan Harper and Ace Bailey, then Baylor's VJ Edgecomb. Fears played one season at Oklahoma before turning professional. As an 18-year-old freshman who classed up one year to get a jump on his collegiate career, Fears averaged 17.1 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 4.1 assists in helping the Sooners to their first NCAA Tournament since 2019. Contact/Follow us @SoonersWire on X, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oklahoma news, notes, and opinions.
