Category: Sport

The Kansas City Chiefs have used Patrick Mahomes’ contract to free up over $40 million in salary-cap space.

According to multiple reports, the Chiefs have restructured Mahomes’ deal to lower his cap hit from $78.2 million to under $35 million for the 2026 season.

Advertisement

Before the restructure, the Chiefs were over the cap by over $50 million and are still not cap compliant at the moment with this move. But the Chiefs could quickly get there with just one or two other moves. The team can save $20 million against the cap by releasing right tackle Jawaan Taylor, for instance. Defensive tackle Chris Jones’ deal could be redone as well if the Chiefs are looking to open up more short-term cap space for free-agency maneuvering.

Mahomes’ contract was always likely to be restructured ahead of the season given his projected cap number. Only Cleveland’s Deshaun Watson ($80.7 million) had a higher cap number going into the 2026 season.

It’s not the first time Mahomes’ contract has been redone, either. The Chiefs redid Mahomes’ deal ahead of the 2023 season. Mahomes first signed an extension with the team that kicked in during the 2020 season and goes through the 2031 season. His total contract value of $450 million, including non-guaranteed money, ranks No. 1 in the NFL by far, ahead of the Bills’ Josh Allen and the Bengals’ Joe Burrow.

Mahomes, 30, suffered a torn left ACL in a December loss to the Los Angeles Chargers and is pushing to be ready for Week 1 of the 2026 season. The Chiefs are also reportedly hoping to have tight end Travis Kelce return for another season. Kelce has been publicly non-committal about his future after the 2025 season.

After going 6-11 in 2025, the Chiefs have the No. 9 pick in the 2026 NFL Draft. It’s the first time the Chiefs have picked in the top 10 since Mahomes was drafted by the franchise in 2017.

Subscribe to The Kevin O’Connor Show

NBA skills coach Drew Hanlen joins Kevin O’Connor to break down the season’s hottest topics, from star player development to the reality of tanking in the league. Drew shares inside stories about working with Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey, Jayson Tatum and others and explains why self-belief can be both a gift and a curse for rising talent.

Advertisement

(0:48) When will Tatum return for Celtics?

(12:13) Player development & Deni Avdija

(21:43) Can Hornets maintain their winning ways?

(26:25) How can NBA stop tanking?

(31:09) Joel Embiid’s recovery and development

(43:02) How teams use data & analytics to improve

(49:03) Chris Paul retires from NBA

(56:43) How will defensive coaching evolve?

(01:00:11) Future of the All-Star game

🖥️ Watch this full episode on the Yahoo Sports NBA YouTube channel

Check out all episodes of The Kevin O’Connor Show and the rest of the Yahoo Sports podcast family at https://apple.co/3zEuTQj or at yahoosports.tv

Subscribe to Inside Coverage

Andrew Siciliano deep dives on the 2026 NFL Draft with Nate Tice & ESPN’s Matt Miller. Andrew kicks things off with Nate Tice as they parse through Nate & Charles McDonald’s latest mock draft and cover a few of the more interesting selections, including EDGE Rueben Bain Jr. going second overall to the New York Jets, RB Jeremiyah Love in the top ten, EDGE David Bailey to the Washington Commanders and more. Next, Andrew & Nate set their sites on Indianapolis for the NFL Combine as Nate gives his top prospects he’s most excited to watch test next week.

Advertisement

Later, Andrew is joined by ESPN’s Matt Miller to get his thoughts on the draft (including Ty Simpson, Caleb Downs and more) before talking through his latest NFL mock draft.

(6:55) – Nate Tice breaks down latest NFL mock draft

(21:55) – Nate’s top prospects to watch at the NFL Combine

(44:00) – Matt Miller talks latest NFL mock draft

Inside Coverage would be nothing without the impact of our beloved Terez Paylor, who was a pillar of Yahoo Sports’ NFL editorial and podcast coverage. We will continue to produce this NFL podcast in his honor, and hope that you can support Terez Paylor’s legacy in one of three ways:

• Buy an “All-Juice Team” hoodie or tee from BreakingT.com/Terez. All profits directly fund the Terez A. Paylor scholarship at Howard University.

• Donate directly to the PowerMizzou Journalism Alumni Scholarship in memory of Terez Paylor

Advertisement

• Donate directly at giving.howard.edu/givenow. Under “Tribute,” please note that your gift is made in memory of Terez A. Paylor. Under “Designation,” click on “Other” and write in “Terez A. Paylor Scholarship.”

🖥️ Watch this full episode on YouTube

Check out all episodes of Inside Coverage and the rest of the Yahoo Sports podcast family at https://apple.co/3zEuTQj or at Yahoo Sports Podcasts

Sidney Crosby was ruled out of Canada’s Olympic quarterfinal win over Czechia early in the third period due to a lower-body injury. The 38-year-old, two-time Olympic gold medalist left in the second period after being hit along the boards by Martin Nečas and Radko Gudas of Czechia. It was a third big hit Crosby took in the period after Gudas and Ondřej Palát connected on checks with the Team Canada captain.

Crosby recovered and took a stride following the Gudas and Nečas hit and was seen shaking his right leg before exiting the ice. After being attended to on Canada’s bench, Crosby limped down the tunnel to the locker room. He did not return to the bench for the rest of the game.

Advertisement

The game would need overtime and Mitch Marner’s goal after 82 seconds of 3-on-3 play booked Canada a spot in the semifinals with a 4-3 victory.

“I think that was a big thing coming in. We lose this game, we didn’t want this to be Sid’s last game at this Olympics,” said Canada coach Jon Cooper afterward. “It was a big motivator for the guys coming out.”

Crosby, who underwent an MRI after the game, is not being ruled out by Canada for Friday’s semifinal against Finland just yet. International rules require teams to have a player serve as captain during games, which is why they are leaving the door open for Crosby to be available.

“We’re taking this day by day, and we’re not going to put anybody in harm’s way,” Cooper said of Crosby. “But if he can play, he’s definitely going to. We’ll know more again in 24 hours.”

Advertisement

This is Crosby’s third Olympics representing Canada. He won gold the last two times NHL players participated — Sochi 2014 and Vancouver 2010.

It was the 2010 Olympics where Crosby scored the golden goal in overtime that led Canada past the U.S.

Crosby has two goals and six points in four games with Canada during the Milan Cortina Olympics.

Today on the Kevin O’Connor show, KOC is joined by Tom Haberstroh to ask some big questions in the NBA world: Are the Houston Rockets done? What teams have the most to prove in the 2nd half of the season? Which young players might break out and which coaches are on the hot seat?

Advertisement

Then, the pair look at two of the hottest names in college basketball: Darius Acuff and Darryn Peterson. How does Acuff’s 49-point explosion affect his draft stock? Is Peterson’s self-check-out gambit for Kansas threatening his no. 1 draft pick potential?

Later, KOC is joined by Daman Rangoola, Sam Esfandiari & Claire De Lune from All-Star Weekend to talk the latest with the Lakers and Warriors. That and more on today’s show!

(1:11) Contenders with the most to prove
(13:38) Young players to watch
(20:26) NBA coaches on the hot seat
(33:46) Kings decimated by injuries
(37:12) Darius Acuff drops 49 points vs. Alabama
(41:44) What’s going on with Darryn Peterson?
(56:32) Daman Rangoola & Sam Esfandiari join from All-Star
(1:43:10) Claire De Lune joins from All-Star

🖥️ Watch this full episode on the Yahoo Sports NBA YouTube channel

Check out all episodes of The Kevin O’Connor Show and the rest of the Yahoo Sports podcast family at https://apple.co/3zEuTQj or at yahoosports.tv

Nate Tice & Charles McDonald join forces to answer the NFL offseason’s biggest looming questions submitted by the audience. The duo start off by diving into the New York Giants’ potential NFL Draft plans with the 5th overall pick, how the Chicago Bears can fix their defensive line and whether or not Brian Daboll is a good fit with QB Cam Ward as the new Tennessee Titans OC.

Advertisement

Next, Nate & Charles discuss whether or not the Los Angeles Chargers can fix their offensive line in one offseason, if the Jacksonville Jaguars defense can take a leap next season, who the Denver Broncos should be targeting in free agency (Tyler Allgeier?) and what our expectations for the 2026 Washington Commanders should look like.

Later, the two hosts wrap up with thoughts on the New England Patriots’ upcoming offseason decisions, why Sean McVay changed to a duo run game style with the Los Angeles Rams, whether Sean McDermott was really the problem with the Buffalo Bills and more.

(2:40) – Biggest offseason questions: Giants draft plans, Bears DL, Daboll & Cam Ward

(24:30) – Biggest offseason questions: Chargers OL, Jaguars defense, Broncos, Commanders

Advertisement

(44:15) – Biggest offseason questions: Patriots, Rams, Bills & more

🖥️ Watch this full episode on YouTube

Check out all episodes of Football 301 with Nate Tice and the rest of the Yahoo Sports podcast family at https://apple.co/3zEuTQj or at yahoosports.tv

Subscribe to The Cooligans

The Cooligans welcome former MLS head coach and analyst Giovanni Savarese for a deep dive into the 2026 MLS season. Gio shares his predictions, breakout teams to watch, and how the league continues to evolve ahead of a massive 2026 on home soil. The conversation also turns to the USMNT, as the guys assess expectations, pressure, and what success should realistically look like at the 2026 World Cup.

Advertisement

Christian and Alexis then tackle the troubling racist incident involving Vinícius Júnior during Real Madrid’s clash with Benfica. They unpack how these situations are currently handled, question whether the responsibility to stop a match unfairly falls on the player experiencing abuse, and debate what meaningful structural changes could better protect players moving forward.

Finally, it’s a jam-packed Champions League recap. Folarin Balogun shines in a statement performance against Paris Saint-Germain, Juventus suffer a shocking defeat to Galatasaray, and Bodø/Glimt pull off a stunning win over Inter Milan. The boys react to all the drama, surprises, and what these results mean going forward.

Timestamps:

(6:30) – 2026 MLS preview and predictions

Advertisement

(30:00) – Gio Savarese’s USMNT World Cup outlook

(39:00) – Vinicius Junior deals with racism again: time for a rule change?

(59:00) – Folarin Balogun shines in Champions League loss to PSG

(1:04:30) – Serie A teams suffer shocking Champions League losses

🖥️ Watch this full episode on YouTube

Check out the rest of the Yahoo Sports podcast family at https://apple.co/3zEuTQj or at yahoosports.tv

LIVIGNO, Italy — Hunter Hess, the American freestyle skier who unexpectedly found himself in the middle of a social media and political firestorm at the beginning of the Olympics, said he has emerged from “probably the two hardest weeks of my life” after being called a “loser” by President Donald Trump.

Hess, who essentially went underground after the controversy exploded, spoke after halfpipe qualifying on Friday. He qualified in fifth place and will be one of four Americans in the 12-person final.

Advertisement

“I worked so hard to be here. I sacrificed my entire life to make this moment happen,” Hess said. “I’m not going to let a controversy like that get in my way. I love the United States of America. I cannot say that enough. In my original statement, I felt like I said that, but apparently people didn’t take it that way. I’m so happy to be here, so happy to represent Team USA and ride as much as I can.”

Hess was one of several American athletes who were asked prior to the Opening Ceremony how they felt representing the U.S. given current domestic political climate and the ICE raids in Minneapolis and violent clashes with protestors dominating news coverage at that time.

Hess acknowledged “mixed emotions,” saying there was “obviously a lot going on that I’m not the biggest fan of” and talked about representing his values and the things he believes in when he wears the Team USA uniform.

Advertisement

“Just because I wear the flag, it doesn’t mean I represent everything that is going on in the U.S,” he said.

Though Hess wasn’t the only American athlete to make comments in that vein, his framing inflamed certain sectors of social media and cable news commentators. Hess acknowledged the backlash in an Instagram post but had not spoken to reporters until Friday about what it’s like to have the president come after you as you prepare to compete in the Olympics.

After becoming far more famous than he expected, Hess and some members of the halfpipe team left to train in Switzerland.

“It was pretty distracting,” he said. “I had a week that was pretty challenging. Luckily my family was there to support me and help me get through it. There was a lot of noise and I’ve never been subject to that type of criticism. But with my family’s help, I was able to get through it. And skiing has saved my life, time and time again, and it seems to have done so again.”

Asked if he would have made the same comments with the benefit of hindsight, Hess said: “I stand with what I said. I love the United States of America. I cannot reiterate that enough.”

Kawhi Leonard stated the obvious on Thursday night. It’s just not the kind of obvious we’re used to hearing from NBA stars.

Following the Clippers’ 115-114 win over the Denver Nuggets on Thursday, Leonard was asked about the Clippers reaching contender status with a younger core following the NBA trade deadline. He responded by emphasizing the importance of developing young players, but three words early on stood out: “It’s over now.”

Advertisement

The full exchange:

Question: “You mentioned you guys having a younger team and obviously younger guys still trying to find their way and that being part of why you guys aren’t quite in that contender tier. What do you think you guys need to do in order to break into that tier? Is it here, is it guys developing, or is there something missing?”

Leonard: “Just development over time. I think it’s over now. It’s, the second half, like a fourth of the season left. But every day is a day to grow. A day to learn and get better. So just got to keep looking over time and see in two weeks if we’re getting better and see what happens from there.”

Unless Leonard misspoke, that sure sounds like him saying the Clippers’ title chances are likely dead this season. Which, again, isn’t the wildest take, unless it’s coming from the team’s franchise star.

Following Thursday’s win, the Clippers’ record sits at 27-28, ninth place in the Western Conference and a spot in the play-in game. Eighth place might not be hard to achieve given the injury woes of the Golden State Warriors, but anything above that would require a lot of things to go right.

James Harden is gone. Ivica Zubac is gone. The trades that sent away those two both returned interesting young players in Darius Garland (who still hasn’t made his Clippers debut) and Bennedict Mathurin, respectively, but expectations are going to be low as the team reworks its core.

Advertisement

To Los Angeles’ credit, the team has come a long way after looking dead in the water when it began the season with a 6-21 record. The Clippers actually have the best win percentage in the NBA since that 27th game on Dec. 18, with a 21-7 record. Leonard has played some of the best basketball of his career in that time, with 29.8 points, 6.87 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 2.1 steals per game, plus his usual defensive impact.

However, there is still a long way to go before the Clippers are taken seriously.

The World Baseball Classic returns for its sixth edition in March, featuring a 20-team field spread across four pools. In all, 47 games will be played over 13 days at four sites: the Tokyo Dome, Hiram Bithorn Stadium in San Juan, Puerto Rico, loanDepot Park in Miami and Daikin Park in Houston.

Team Japan, the only nation to win multiple WBC crowns (2006, 2009, 2023), is aiming for its fourth title, while the Dominican Republic (2013) and U.S. (2017) are the only other winners of the event. Japan’s roster features 2025 NL MVP Shohei Ohtani and 2025 World Series MVP Yoshinobu Yamamoto, both of the Dodgers, in addition to Angels lefty starter Yusei Kikuchi and Cubs outfielder Seiya Suzuki.

Advertisement

The U.S. roster is led by captain Aaron Judge and features both 2025 Cy Young winners in Tarik Skubal and Paul Skenes. Team USA boasts a combined 65 MLB All-Star Game appearances and four former MVPs in Judge, Bryce Harper, Paul Goldschmidt and Clayton Kershaw.

Most games will be broadcast in the U.S. on the Fox family of networks (Fox, FS1, FS2) and streamed on the Fox Sports app and Tubi.

2026 World Baseball Classic pools

Pool A | Hiram Bithorn Stadium, San Juan, Puerto Rico

Canada
Colombia
Cuba
Panama
Puerto Rico

Pool B | Daikin Park, Houston

Brazil
Great Britain
Italy
Mexico
U.S.

Pool C | Tokyo Dome, Tokyo

Australia
Chinese Taipei
Czechia
Japan
South Korea

Advertisement

Pool D | loanDepot Park, Miami

Dominican Republic
Israel
Netherlands
Nicaragua
Venezuela

2026 World Baseball Classic schedule

All times Eastern

Pool play

Wednesday, March 4
10 p.m.: Australia vs. Chinese Taipei (FS1)

Thursday, March 5
5 a.m.: South Korea vs. Czechia (FS1) 
10 p.m.: Czechia vs. Australia (FS1)

Friday, March 6
5 a.m.: Chinese Taipei vs. Japan (FS1) 
11 a.m.: Panama vs. Cuba (FS2)  
Noon: Venezuela vs. Netherlands (Tubi)
1 p.m.: Great Britain vs. Mexico (FS1)
6 p.m.: Colombia vs. Puerto Rico (FS1)  
7 p.m.: Dominican Republic vs. Nicaragua (FS2)
8 p.m.: Brazil vs. U.S. (Fox)
10 p.m.: Czechia vs. Chinese Taipei (FS2)

Advertisement

Saturday, March 7
5 a.m.: Japan vs. South Korea (FS1) 
11 a.m.: Canada vs. Colombia (FS2)  
Noon: Netherlands vs. Nicaragua (Tubi)
1 p.m.: Italy vs. Brazil (Fox app only)
6 p.m.: Puerto Rico vs. Panama (FS1)  
7 p.m.: Venezuela vs. Israel (FS1)
8 p.m.: U.S. vs. Great Britain (Fox)
10 p.m.: South Korea vs. Chinese Taipei (FS2)

Sunday, March 8
6 a.m.: Japan vs. Australia (FS1) 
Noon: Cuba vs. Colombia (FS2)  
Noon: Dominican Republic vs. Netherlands (Fox)
1 p.m.: Italy vs. Great Britain (Tubi)
7 p.m.: Israel vs. Nicaragua (Tubi)
7 p.m.: Canada vs. Panama (FS2)  
8 p.m.: Mexico vs. Brazil (FS1)

Monday, March 9
6 a.m.: Australia vs. South Korea (FS1) 
Noon: Israel vs. Dominican Republic (FS1) 
Noon: Panama vs. Colombia (FS2)  
1 p.m.: Great Britain vs. Brazil (Tubi)
7 p.m.: Puerto Rico vs. Cuba (FS1)  
7 p.m.: Nicaragua vs. Venezuela (FS2)
8 p.m.: U.S. vs. Mexico (Fox)

Tuesday, March 10
6 a.m.: Japan vs. Czechia (FS1) 
7 p.m.: Netherlands vs. Israel (Fox app only)
7 p.m.: Puerto Rico vs. Canada (Tubi)  
9 p.m.: U.S. vs. Italy (FS1)

Advertisement

Wednesday, March 11
3 p.m.: Cuba vs. Canada (FS1)  
7 p.m.: Mexico vs. Italy (Tubi)
8 p.m.: Venezuela vs. Dominican Republic (FS1)

Thursday, March 12
No games

Quarterfinals

Friday, March 13
6:30 p.m.: TBD vs. TBD (FS1) – loanDepot Park
8 p.m.: TBD vs. TBD (Fox) – Daikin Park

Saturday, March 14
3 p.m.: TBD vs. TBD (FS1) – Daikin Park
9 p.m.: TBD vs. TBD (Fox) – loanDepot Park

Semifinals

Sunday, March 15
8 p.m.: TBD vs. TBD (FS1) – loanDepot Park

Monday, March 16
8 p.m.: TBD vs. TBD (FS1) – loanDepot Park

Championship

Tuesday, March 17
8 p.m.: TBD vs. TBD (FS1) – loanDepot Park