Category: Sport

The Pittsburgh Steelers will welcome back quarterback Aaron Rodgers if he decides to play next season, according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.

In June, Rodgers signed a one-year, $13.65 million contract with the Steelers. Going into the season, Rodgers was expected to retire at season’s end. After leading the Steelers to a 10-7 record and an AFC North championship, the door has reportedly opened for the 42-year-old quarterback to play another season. While Rodgers is undecided on his future, the Steelers would reportedly love to bring him back.

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“They hope to get an answer sooner rather than later, like they did last offseason,” Rapoport said on NFL Network.

On Dec. 31, Rodgers told reporters he would evaluate his options when the season ends.

“I’m 42, and I’m on a one-year deal. You know what the situation is. Whenever the season ends, I’ll be a free agent. That’ll give me a lot of options if I still want to play — not a lot of options, but … I would think maybe one or two if I decide I still want to play.”

After getting cut by the New York Jets last March, Rodgers considered retiring before signing with the Steelers. Rodgers rewarded the Steelers’ patience, throwing for 3,322 yards, 24 touchdowns and 7 interceptions this season in 16 games. Rodgers missed time this season with a wrist fracture.

If Rodgers retires, longtime Steelers backup quarterback Mason Rudolph and rookie quarterback Will Howard are under contract next season.

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The Steelers will play the Houston Texans in the wild-card round of the playoffs Monday night. This is Rodgers’ first playoff appearance since 2022, when he was with the Green Bay Packers.

The National Championship Game is set! Andy Staples, Ross Dellenger and Steven Godfrey look ahead to the final matchup of the season by reacting to both semifinal matchups. They first talk about Indiana’s dominating performance over Oregon. Will the Hoosiers’ execution and talent win them a national title? How does Indiana stack up with the historically dominant national champions of the past? Then, they discuss the much more exciting semifinal matchup that saw Miami come out on top. How can Miami upset Indiana? What kind of advantage will playing in their home stadium create for the Hurricanes? Plus, will Oregon ever win a national championship?

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Then, the guys look at some things happening off of the field in the college football world. After their loss to Miami, Ole Miss found out that Trinidad Chambliss’ request for another year of eligibility has been denied by the NCAA. However, this is not the end of the story as Chambliss will now sue the NCAA for damages spawning from the money he would make in NIL with that additional season. The guys discuss if Chambliss’ has a chance in this case, or if there is another motive behind the lawsuit.

Finally, the guys look at the madness of the transfer portal. First, they discuss the Demond Williams drama. After trying to enter the transfer portal, and Washington refusing to enter his name due his signed contract, Williams has now returned to the Huskies. Andy, Ross and Godfrey discuss what all happened in Seattle. Then, they look at the College Sports Commission’s investigation into how schools are writing NIL contracts. How will these contracts continue to evolve over time?

Get ready for the Natty with College Football Enquirer.

0:00:00 – Indiana dominates Oregon

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14:37 – Miami advances over Ole Miss

24:51 – Will Oregon ever win a Natty?

29:46 – Trinidad Chambliss’ fight for a 6th year

40:49 – Demond Williams drama

52:12 – College Sports Commission investigation

Check out all the episodes of the College Football Enquirer and the rest of the Yahoo Sports podcast family at https://apple.co/3zEuTQj or at yahoosports.tv

Wisconsin wiped away a 14-point, first-half deficit and held on to beat previously undefeated No. 2 Michigan 91-88 in Ann Arbor on Saturday afternoon.

The Badgers (11-5, 3-2 Big Ten) came in ranked 242nd nationally in 3-point percentage (32.61%) but made 15-of-33 attempts from beyond the arc, good for a 45.45% clip on the road against Michigan (14-1, 4-1) after the Wolverines had blown out most of their competition this season.

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In fact, the Wolverines entered with 10 wins by 20-plus points, including six by 40 or more. Last week, they became the first team since 1996-97 to take down three ranked opponents by at least 30 points in a single season, according to The Field of 68.

But this week, which started with Michigan nearly leapfrogging Arizona for the top spot in the AP Poll, the Wolverines brushed with defeat at Penn State, where they resisted a second-half Nittany Lions push to escape with a 74-72 victory.

Four days later, Michigan once again saw a double-digit advantage dwindle. This time, its lead completely vanished, and Dusty May’s crew was the one desperately searching for late-game heroics.

It nearly got some from 7-foot-3 center Aday Mara, who cleaned up Roddy Gayle Jr.’s missed layup with a putback dunk over Wisconsin freshman big man Aleksas Bieliauskas. It would have tied the game with 35.2 seconds remaining, but Mara was called for basket interference.

The play was reviewed, as debate ensued about whether the ball was still hanging over the cylinder when Mara touched it. Ultimately, the call stood, and Wisconsin maintained its two-point advantage.

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After a Michigan trap, the Badgers reset with a timeout. Then senior Andrew Rohde hurled a three-quarter court pass to fellow guard Braeden Carrington, who elevated for a football-like contested catch and secured it even as he was fouled by Michigan guard Elliot Cadeau.

[Get more Badgers men’s hoops news: Wisconsin team feed]

Carrington made both free throws to make it a 90-86 game.

Eventually, the Wolverines countered with two shots of their own from the charity stripe with 15.6 ticks remaining.

Michigan fouled Carrington once more. He was short on his first free-throw attempt yet sank the second. That split set up a potential game-tying 3, but Gayle was off the mark in the contest’s waning moments.

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Wisconsin’s win was its first versus an AP top-two opponent since Jan. 9, 2019, almost seven years to the day of another Badgers upset victory over a second-ranked Wolverines squad.

The Badgers, who finished the first half on a 20-7 run and shot 10 of 17 from deep in the second half, were led by John Blackwell’s 26 points. Bieliauskas, a 6-foot-10 freshman from Lithuania, had made one of his last 11 triples before Saturday’s game. He hit 5-of-10 3s while scoring 17 points against the Wolverines.

Four Michigan players scored in double figures, with Cadeau’s 19 points headlining. But a Wolverines team that started the afternoon second in the country in points per game missed eight of its final nine field-goal attempts, falling short for the first time in what’s been a historic Michigan season.

Bill Kennedy won’t be officiating any NBA games for a while.

The veteran referee has been sidelined indefinitely after suffering a hamstring strain in Friday’s game between the Philadelphia 76ers and Orlando Magic, according to Prime Video’s Chris Haynes. There is reportedly hope Kennedy can return before the end of the regular season.

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Kennedy sustained the non-contact injury while running down the court with the Sixers in transition, pulling up lame and grabbing his right leg. He was eventually taken off the court in a wheelchair, in clear distress.

The NBA later announced Kennedy had sustained a right leg injury, but didn’t reveal any more information. James Williams and Michael Smith continued to officiate the game, which the Sixers won 103-91.

An NBA official going back to the 1990s, the 59-year-old Kennedy is one of the more well-known refs in the league, particularly for his colorful replay review explanations. Sixers-Magic was his 24th game of the season.

Former Ravens head coach John Harbaugh will spend the next few days watching film on Giants quarterback Jaxson Dart and Titans quarterback Cam Ward, according to the Athletic’s Dianna Russini.

Harbaugh was fired by the Ravens on Tuesday after 18 seasons with the franchise. He was 180-113 with the Ravens in the regular season and led the team to a Super Bowl victory in 2013.

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Despite Harbaugh’s success, this season he fell short of expectations. The team went 8-9 and missed the playoffs after a last-second missed field-goal attempt to close Week 18.

The Titans and Giants are both looking for a new head coach. The Titans last made the playoffs in 2022, and the Giants have missed the playoffs the last three seasons.

Despite both teams’ struggles last season, they each have former 2025 first-round picks at quarterback. Ward started all 17 games as a rookie for the Titans and finished the season with 3,169 passing yards, 15 touchdowns and 7 interceptions.

Dart started after Russell Wilson was benched in Week 4. Dart finished with 2,272 passing yards, 15 touchdowns and 5 interceptions in 12 starts. He also added 487 rushing yards and 9 touchdowns on the ground. He missed two games with a concussion.

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Harbaugh has also reportedly been in contact with team decision-makers and potential members of his own coaching staff.

Todd Monken was the offensive coordinator and Zach Orr was the defensive coordinator for the Ravens last season. Neither is expected to be back with the team.

Since the season ended, Monken reflected on the Ravens’ offense, his relationship with quarterback Lamar Jackson, and Jackson’s development on “The Ryan Ripken Show.” Monken said he hopes to do a better job during his next opportunity.

“I didn’t coach Lamar well enough,” Monken said. “I didn’t have as good of a relationship as I could have. I didn’t do the things we needed to do this year to win enough games to give ourselves a chance. I believe that. … I’m going to fight like hell for the next job I get and I’m going to root like hell for the Ravens.”

Since Harbaugh departed from the Ravens, he has drawn interest from around the league. The Browns, who present two young options at quarterback, are also reportedly interested in bringing Harbaugh in for an interview.

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That said, Harbaugh told Fox Sports’ Jay Glazer on Saturday that, while he’s heard from several teams across the NFL, he will narrow his options to just a few rather than interviewing with every one of them that’s interested.

The Chicago Bears and the Green Bay Packers’ longstanding NFC North rivalry will be tested once again when they meet during Wild Card Weekend. The last time the two teams met, during Week 16, the Bears won in overtime in a bit of a stunner, but it was the last time either team won a game, so this weekend’s matchup will give one of them a much-needed morale boost.

Surprisingly, this is just the third time the teams will have met in the playoffs during their century-long rivalry; the game at Soldier Field will stream live nationally on Amazon Prime Video on Saturday at 8:00 p.m. ET. Keep reading to find out what you need to know about the Wild Card Weekend game and the rest of the league’s schedule.

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How to watch the Green Bay Packers vs. Chicago Bears game:

Date: Saturday, Jan. 10, 2025

Kickoff time: 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT

Game: Packers vs. Bears

Location: Soldier Field

Streaming: Prime Video

Green Bay Packers vs. Chicago Bears game channel:

The Packers play the Bears on Saturday night at 8:00 p.m. ET/5:00 p.m. PT, streaming on Amazon Prime Video.

NFL Wild Card Weekend schedule:

All times Eastern.

Saturday, Jan. 10, 2026

• L.A. Rams vs. Carolina Panthers: 4:30 p.m. (FOX)

• Green Bay Packers vs. Chicago Bears: 8:00 p.m. (Prime Video)

Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026

• Buffalo Bills vs. Jacksonville Jaguars: 1:00 p.m.(CBS)

• San Francisco 49ers vs. Philadelphia Eagles: 4:30 p.m. (FOX)

• Los Angeles Chargers vs. New England Patriots: 8:00 p.m. (NBC)

Monday, Jan. 12, 2026

February 22, 2026

Before Minnesota Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy pulled himself from a Week 18 win over the Green Bay Packers because of discomfort from a hairline fracture in his throwing hand, he left a mark.

Not so much by throwing for 174 yards in the first half against a playoff-bound Packers team resting its fair share of starters, but instead by a pair of moves he flashed in the opening quarter.

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The second was more punishing than the first, and it set the stage for a $11,593 fine from the NFL, according to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero.

This all stemmed from McCarthy turning into an escape artist on the opening drive of the regular-season finale. Facing a first-and-10 from the Packers’ 29-yard line, he evaded a free rusher and then veered right. He threw a stiff-arm that dropped Green Bay linebacker Ty’Ron Hopper and then, soon after, lowered his shoulder while leveling Packers cornerback Keisean Nixon.

[Get more Vikings news: Minnesota team feed]

He picked up six yards on the play and provided some juice to the U.S. Bank Stadium crowd. But then he got in Nixon’s face and let him have it with words, too, and that’s when a flag arrived.

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McCarthy was penalized for taunting, and the unsportsmanlike conduct penalty set Minnesota back on a potential touchdown drive that ultimately ended with three points.

Plus, the infraction cost McCarthy a good bit of money at the end of what’s been a turbulent season, his second in the NFL.

In a way, that play is a microcosm of McCarthy’s sophomore campaign. There were highs and there were lows. What was consistent was his inconsistency, and his durability issues.

A torn left meniscus sidelined him his rookie year. This season, he missed a total of seven games: five with a high right ankle sprain, one with a concussion and one with his hand injury that he tried to play through down the stretch.

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He’s missed 25 games, including the playoffs, due to injuries in his young NFL career. When McCarthy’s been on the field, he’s struggled with accuracy and turnovers.

There are some times when he makes head-turning throws and others when he misses layups. He completed only 57.6% of his passes this season while throwing 11 touchdowns against 12 picks.

Last week’s game against the Packers was a chance for McCarthy to prove why he should keep the Vikings’ QB1 job next season. Instead, he left it with another injury setback and a penalty that cost him $11,593.

While college football deals with the frenzy of significant player movement in the transfer portal, former Kansas State head coach Chris Klieman is happy to watch the chaos from afar now.

Klieman, 58, surprisingly announced his retirement after the Wildcats’ season, ending a seven-year tenure in Manhattan. Yet it wasn’t Kansas State’s 6-6 season that compelled him to step down and cede to new head coach Collin Klein. The veteran coach who won four FBS championships at North Dakota State said the stress of dealing with the transfer portal forced his decision.

“I’d die if I kept doing this job, I’d die,” Klieman told the Manhattan Mercury’s Ned Seaton. “If I kept doing this job, I was gonna have a heart attack, or I was gonna have a stroke.

“My blood pressure was through the roof,” he added. “The stress and anxiety, not of winning and losing — my legacy is going to be fine on winning and losing.”

Despite the stress that the transfer portal process caused, Klieman does not begrudge players for being able to maximize their financial value. Yet having to re-recruit his players each season and deal with agents immediately wanting NIL compensation figures felt far too different for him than typical recruiting in college football.

“I don’t blame any of these kids,” Klieman said. “It’s not their fault, but you get done playing Colorado, and come Monday, man, there’s 20 [players’ agents] that want to know a number, or they’re ready to go into the [transfer] portal.

“That’s all I’m going to do the whole month of December and January, is work with whatever 80 of our kids to see if we can keep them,” he added. “And if not, go work with 580 kids to fill the 30 spots we’re going to need, and that’s all December and January. That’s not recruiting.”

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As Klieman put it, the offseason is now about making deals and putting compensation packages together. For now, that’s college football reality and he no longer wanted to work with it during the seven years remaining on his contract.

He added that a return to coaching was possible if the rules changed. However, he’s not interested in being part of that process.

“No, no way,” Klieman said. “Everything that we have put out there to try to get it fixed gets shot down.”

Taking over for legendary coach Bill Snyder, Klieman compiled a 54-34 record in seven seasons at Kansas State. That includes one Big 12 championship in 2022 and a 3-2 mark in bowl games.

Team Canada will enter the 2026 World Baseball Classic without its biggest bat.

Los Angeles Dodgers first baseman Freddie Freeman has withdrawn from the Canadian roster due to personal reasons, according to Sportsnet’s Shi Davidi. Los Angeles Angels reliever Jordan Romano has also reportedly pulled out, while Chicago Cubs starting pitcher Jameson Taillon has joined the roster.

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Freeman, a California native whose parents are Canadian, has played for Canada in the past two World Baseball Classics in 2017 and 2023. On the MLB side, the nine-time All-Star has been one of the most consistent hitters in baseball and is coming off two straight World Series titles with the Dodgers, the second at the expense of Canada’s Toronto Blue Jays.

The good news for Canada is that first base is a position where it has another great option in Josh Naylor, who signed a five-year, $92.5 million deal with the Seattle Mariners in free agency this offseason. However, the designated hitter spot would have allowed Canada to use both him and Freeman.

Among the other notable MLB players projected for Canada’s lineup are Cleveland Guardians catcher Bo Naylor, Baltimore Orioles outfielder Tyler O’Neill, Athletics outfielder Denzel Clarke and Miami Marlins prospect Owen Caissie.

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The 2026 WBC is scheduled to begin March 5. At BetMGM, Canada has the seventh-best odds in the field to take the title at +4000, while Team USA is the favorite at +110. Defending champion Japan (+350) and 2013 champ Dominican Republic (+350) are the field’s other heavy hitters.

Vanderbilt made the NCAA tournament for the first time in eight years last season, the Commodores’ first led by head coach Mark Byington.

This season, Vandy’s upped the ante.

With an 84-73 win over LSU (12-4, 0-3 SEC) on Saturday, the No. 11 Commodores (16-0, 3-0) tied their best start in program history.

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Vanderbilt also won 16 straight games to start the 2007-08 campaign, during which it won 26 games — the Commodores’ second most in a single season — and earned a No. 4 seed in the NCAA tournament before surprisingly bowing out in the first round to Siena.

[Get more Commodores men’s hoops news: Vanderbilt team feed]

The metrics suggest this year’s group is better fit for a run.

In fact, whereas Kevin Stallings’ 2007-08 squad ranked 47th in adjusted offensive efficiency and 88th in adjusted defensive efficiency, Byington’s crew this season is fourth in adjusted offensive efficiency and 11th in adjusted defensive efficiency, according to KenPom.

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Vanderbilt has five players averaging more than 10 points per game, including three who are scoring more 14 per contest. That trio accounted for 56 points in Saturday’s win over LSU, which could have used leading scorer Dedan Thomas Jr., who is sidelined by a lower-leg injury at the moment.

Vandy sophomore guard Tyler Tanner led the way with 20 points. Senior forward Tyler Nickel was close behind with 19 points, plus 10 rebounds. And graduate transfer guard Duke Miles, who came via Oklahoma and High Point and Troy before that, piled up 17 points and five assists.

The Commodores also got nine boards from do-it-all senior forward Devin McGlockton, who’s the team’s top rebounder.

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A closer look at Vanderbilt’s early success

The Commodores have played only one ranked opponent so far, but they handled business in that game. It took place earlier this week in Nashville, where Vanderbilt defeated No. 13 Alabama 96-90.

Of Vandy’s 16 wins, 13 have been by double digits.

The Commodores take care of the ball. Their 13.5% turnover percentage is the 12th lowest in the nation, per KenPom. They’re committing only 10 giveaways per game.

Vanderbilt is shooting 36.8% from deep, a top-50 clip from that range this season. On the other end, it’s 13th nationally in block percentage (15.3%) and 16th in steal percentage (13.4%), according to KenPom.

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The Commodores are multiple in the way they can win. They have experience and enough depth to make a run.

They’ll continue to be tested, though, with a handful of ranked opponents still to come in SEC play.

Another one of college sports’ recent turnarounds

Vandy men’s basketball has a proud history. The Commodores have made the Sweet 16 six times — including twice since the turn of the century — and went all the way to the Elite Eight in 1965.

But during that seven-season NCAA tournament drought from 2017-2024, they finished with a losing record five times, including with just nine wins three times.

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Byington arrived and immediately returned Vanderbilt to the AP Poll and March Madness. He took James Madison to the dance the season prior to landing the Vandy job.

While at JMU, Byington overlapped with now-Indiana head football coach Curt Cignetti, who has turned the Hoosiers into a national title contender on the gridiron.

Byington’s turnaround isn’t as seismic as that transformation in Bloomington — or as surprising as the one Clark Lea has pulled off while coaching Vanderbilt football — however, it’s still notable, especially as the Commodores remain unbeaten on the hardwood well into January.