The 2025 NFL Draft could have ended with Todd Monken getting to work with Shedeur Sanders on a daily basis. A little over nine months later and that scenario — though with a different franchise — is now a reality after the Cleveland Browns selected Sanders in the fifth round in April and hired the former Baltimore Ravens offensive coordinator as head coach this week.
It was reported in September the Ravens, who employed Monken for the past three seasons, were interested in picking Sanders with the third pick of the fifth round. But before Baltimore could turn in the card announcing Sanders, the Colorado quarterback informed the team he did not want to have to sit behind Lamar Jackson and not have an opportunity to play.
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The Ravens ended up drafting offensive tackle Carson Vinson. Three picks later, the Browns took Sanders with the 144th overall selection.
On Friday, Sanders and Monken met up for the first time with the new head coach reminding his quarterback that things could have been different.
“Hey, we tried to draft your ass last year, for God’s sake,” Monken said as he greeted Sanders. “It’s all worked out. You remember that, right? Someday we’ll get a chance to talk about that.”
Sanders was asked about the report following Cleveland’s 41-17 loss to the Ravens in Week 2, but he wasn’t eager to talk about the past. “I’m more focused on now and I’m more focused on this game we just had and figuring out how to move forward from that,” he said.
Sanders started seven games for the Browns last season. He threw for 1,400 yards, seven touchdowns, and 10 interceptions with a 68.1 quarterback rating. The Browns finished 5-12 and out of the playoffs for the second straight season. Head coach Kevin Stefanski was fired and Monken, who had signed an extension last January with Baltimore, was brought in after the Ravens dismissed head coach John Harbaugh.
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It remains to be seen who will be Monken’s quarterback for 2026. Ahead of the 2026 NFL Draft, where the Browns hold the No. 6 overall pick, the depth chart features Sanders, Dillon Gabriel and Deshaun Watson.
The arrival of Thursday’s NBA trade deadline has hastened in recent days, and it’s time to lock eyes on a franchise that has far more working for itself than anyone seems to notice — potentially itself included.
Despite the well-earned reputation as one of the most incompetent, and perhaps disinterested, franchises in the association, the Chicago Bulls enter the deadline with an enormous amount of assets that would make any front office with just a slight inclination of creativity drool.
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Unfortunately, the Bulls’ front office — and ownership group — has shown the collective imagination of a dead rodent. As such, if the Bulls won’t come to the carriage of trades, the carriage of trades must come to them.
Expiring contracts, draft picks and intriguing prospects
While the Bulls are rarely involved in major dealings, or even rumored to be — making the following highly unlikely to ever materialize — they have advantages in the form of their asset trove.
If the Bulls were to let every single one of their expiring contracts do just that, while letting fourth-year forward Dalen Terry walk, they would have upwards of $90.1 million in expiring money that could come off the books this very summer.
Surprisingly, for a team that rarely values draft equity, the Bulls are also in full control of their own future in that department. They have no outgoing first-round pick, and are even owed a pick from the Trail Blazers, which is lottery protected through 2028 but has increasing odds of conveying as the Blazers strengthen their roster.
Finally, the organization sports second-year forward Matas Buzelis (14.9 points, 5.3 rebounds, 1.4 blocks), all-around playmaker Josh Giddey (18.6 points, 8.6 rebounds, 8.8 assists), and the unknown quantity of Noa Essengue, who is just 43 days removed from his 19th birthday.
That is considerable wealth for a franchise that has grown enormously stagnant and irrelevant over the years.
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So let’s assume the role of lead executive, and do what the organization lacks the gall to do: roll the dice on an upside play so ridiculously lofty it will leave the fan base in a state of utter confusion.
The Bulls must enter the Giannis Antetokounmpo sweepstakes
As is custom with these Bulls, they are rarely mentioned as potential suitors for the league’s elite players, of which Antetokounmpo qualifies. (Executing some panic trade for Domantas Sabonis will do absolutely nothing for them, which means that’s surely what they will do.)
But remember the current administration is no longer in charge. We are.
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And as our first order of business, we place a call to the Bucks and offer the farm for the Greek superstar. Buzelis, Giddey, Kevin Huerter and Chicago’s unprotected first-rounders in 2026, 2028, 2030 and 2032 represent more than an adequate bid for Antetokounmpo. Should the Bucks require additional pick swaps, or want the deal to include Essengue, that too should be fine.
The Bucks would acquire four unprotected first-round selections, a tremendous sophomore forward with All-Star-level potential and a 6-foot-8 playmaker who is on a reasonable $25 million-per-year contract and would even shave off an immediate $8 million. (In order to keep track of the books, assume Essengue stays in Chicago for now.)
However one wishes to slice it, that is not a poor offering, and Chicago should thus be able to compete with multiple other suitors.
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This is where you might wonder what the point is of sending Antetokounmpo to a situation in which he’ll be left with few weapons around him to succeed.
Well, this is the part where the true gamble slumbers in its might.
Antetokounmpo’s presence should lure Austin Reaves in free agency
The aforementioned expiring contracts in Chicago are plentiful, and given that the Bucks accept Giddey in the proposed trade, this removes $25 million from the Bulls’ books next season, meaning Antetokounmpo’s 2026-27 salary of $58.4 million won’t be as aggressive a hit as one might think.
The Bulls should then relinquish any rights to Amir Coffey, Nikola Vučević, Zach Collins and Jevon Carter, removing $72.5 million in cap holds. This brings Chicago’s actual salary commitment, which includes cap holds, but not roster charges, to $150.2 million, with the 2026 salary cap estimated to come in at $166 million.
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That is, obviously, not even remotely enough to make a real play for Reaves, meaning the Bulls could work this from several angles.
One, they could discuss a framework in which they conduct a double sign-and-trade deal, consisting of Reaves and Coby White, assuming of course Reaves is interested in leaving Los Angeles to play with Antetokounmpo. (The Bulls could even sweeten the pot in offering Essengue to the Lakers, should the organization initially be disinterested in conducting a sign-and-trade.)
Or, the Bulls could simply relinquish their rights to White and immediately open up $24.5 million, as that is the cap hold he carries.
That brings Chicago close to the 25% max ($41.5 million) that Reaves could earn as a starting salary. By potentially trading off Isaac Okoro ($11.8 million) through breaking his contract into smaller pieces and taking back less money, the Bulls could secure even more funds, fully avoiding a situation in which they can’t offer Reaves his max.
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Now, why all these cap gymnastics?
It’s simple. The Bulls wish to hang on to Ayo Dosunmu, who has a cap hold of $14.3 million. After Reaves has been signed, the Bulls can go over the cap to re-sign Dosunmu, setting their backcourt.
The risk is enormous
There’s no question this all comes with immense risk, but that is part of life in the NBA. Playing it safe and hoping to magically get out of the play-in tournament every year is not a plan. It is nothing short of mental defeat. And this endeavor, however risky it is, at the very least turns over a leaf for an organization that has lost interest from the basketball world. What used to be a brand of excellence has become a forgotten symbol of the past.
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A core of Antetokounmpo, Reaves, Dosunmu, Jalen Smith, Patrick Williams, Tre Jones and what will likely be a plethora of minimum signings and ring chasers isn’t going to shatter the NBA at large, but it could be just enough in the Eastern Conference to make a deep playoff push.
The Bulls will have to nail those minimum deals, and should they be able to persuade Vučević or Collins to return for the minimum — which, given the market for centers these days, might not be out of the realm of possibility — all the better.
But it all starts with the trade deadline and the decision to do something utterly bold to break the shackles of mediocrity, which have haunted the Bulls for years.
The Minnesota Twins and team president Derek Falvey “mutually agreed to part ways,” the team announced Friday, less than two weeks before pitchers and catchers report to spring training.
“Over the past several weeks, Derek and I had thoughtful and candid conversations about leadership, structure and the future of the club,” said executive chair Tom Pohlad, who replaced his younger brother as the lead owner last month and now oversees the club’s business operations while he directs a search for Falvey’s replacement.
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“We reached a shared understanding that the needs of the organization are evolving and that a leadership transition is the best way to move forward.”
General manager Jeremy Zoll will keep leading the Twins’ baseball department, the team said in its release.
The change arrives on the doorstep of spring training and months after the Twins’ massive trade-deadline sell-off that saw the franchise deal a whopping 10 players, including three-time All-Star shortstop Carlos Correa and closer Jhoan Durán, less than two years removed from an ALDS appearance.
“Any time you trade 10 players off the big-league roster during a season in which you planned to contend, you get a big, fat F, regardless of the prospects,” Mintz wrote on July 31.
“Dealing away Correa, whom Minnesota had hailed as a franchise cornerstone, was as deflating as it was shocking. What even is this team now? There are dark days ahead up north; a years-long winter of woe awaits.”
As for Falvey, the 42-year-old executive had been with the franchise since 2016, when he was hired as executive vice president and chief baseball officer, coming off a stay as a scout and executive in Cleveland that culminated in a World Series appearance. In 2019, he was elevated to president of baseball operations in Minnesota. Ahead of last season, he was promoted and tasked with overseeing the business side, too.
During his nine seasons with the Twins, they collected three AL Central titles and made the playoffs four times. Minnesota famously ended an 18-game playoff losing streak with a sweep of the Toronto Blue Jays in the 2023 AL wild-card series.
“Following a series of thoughtful conversations with Tom that began after the ownership transition and progressed over the past few weeks, we both agreed this was the right time for us to part ways,” Falvey said in his statement Friday.
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He also noted: “On a personal level, I’m looking forward to taking some time to be with my family, reflect and consider what comes next. I don’t have specific plans yet, but I’m grateful for the experiences I’ve had here and excited about the next chapter when the time is right.”
You wouldn’t expect to find an Olympic figure skater hiking the trails around Mt. Everest, but then there’s a lot about Alysa Liu that’s unexpected. A year after making her Olympic debut, she walked away from the fame and acclaim that attends every Team USA figure skater, leaving that world behind with a simple Instagram post, and a few months later, she found herself trekking through Nepal toward Everest Base Camp.
“It’s a beautiful experience there,” Liu recalled recently. “No phone. You’re in the mountains.”
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For several weeks, Liu and her best friend hiked together across some of the most challenging terrain on the planet, bonding in ways that even best friends rarely do. And her giddiness in retelling the tale is evident.
“We would be, like, [relieving ourselves] behind rocks together,” she laughed. “Like, y’all, we were close. We were connected after that trip. Our friendship survived.”
That kind of bonding — well, maybe minus the bodily-functions-in-the-cold part — was exactly what Liu needed after a lifetime enmeshed in the world of figure skating. On that journey, she learned about herself, her limitations, her ambitions … and also her answers to ridiculous questions.
“We were fighting over the silliest things,” she said, smiling. “Like, would you rather be a cow or a chicken? We were arguing over stuff like that. But trust, it was deep and meaningful.”
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And then, a few months later, she just up and decided to come back to skating … and won the world championship and now she’s in the Olympics. Life’s never that easy, but Alysa Liu sure makes it seem that way.
At just 13, Alysa Liu won the 2019 U.S. Figure Skating Championships. (Scott W. Grau/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
(Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
Child prodigy turned Olympic star
Alysa Liu is just 20 years old, which is remarkable. Not because of her demeanor — she admits she’s “still pretty immature” — but because she’s somehow crammed about seven lives’ worth of living into those 20 years. The soon-to-be two-time Olympian is frenetic, exuberant, always in motion, her head and her heart perpetually sprinting against each other.
Spend any time around Liu, and it’s impossible not to be swept up in her constant joy. For instance, check out her free-skate response to a recent question about self-discovery:
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“Oh, like, y’all, I’ve been through so many, like, midlife crises. I’m like 20. I’ve been through a lot of them. But I’m a thinker. I think a lot. I found I really like human connection. Like, a lot. I’m a very extroverted person. And I also love, like … I make a lot of art, and, like, different types of art, of course. And I love sharing those with people. And like, I love when other people make art too. I don’t know. I’m just very much into the arts. What was your question?”
Smoothly gliding from routine to impossible routine, grace and power combined and choreographed … yes, Alysa Liu was made for Olympic figure skating.
Olympic media deploy clichés like “burst onto the scene” for figure skaters the way that Fourth of July celebrations deploy fireworks, but in Liu’s case, the cliché fits. As a precocious 13-year-old, she threw down two triple axels at the 2019 U.S. Figure Skating Championships — no woman had ever cleanly landed more than one at the event — and claimed her first national title.
Her ascent continued — a spot on the 2022 Olympic team, a bronze medal at the 2022 world championships, modeling gigs, an appearance on “The Tonight Show” — but so did the burdens of skating, the endless practice sessions and training sessions and razor’s-edge pressure. It was just prior to the 2022 Games in Beijing when, at 16, she sat at a restaurant with an FBI agent who told her she and her family were being spied on by the Chinese government. Her father had been involved in the Tiananmen Square protests back in 1989.
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“Like, imagine finding that out at such a young age,” she explained in October at an Olympic media summit. “I mean, like, yeah, in a weird way I was like, am I like in some prank show? Like is this world real? Like I must be some movie character. But, yeah, I mean, it was like it made sense to me, you know, from like everything my dad did back in his activist days.”
After the worlds, she shocked the skating community with the announcement that she was stepping away from the rink.
“I’m going to be moving on with my life,” she wrote on Instagram, and then she went and did just that. Home-schooled as a child, she started studying psychology at UCLA. Stage-managed throughout her career with pre-selected routines and costumes, she spent unstructured time with her family. And she took that now-legendary trip to Everest base camp.
“I really felt trapped and stuck,” Liu said recently. “The only way, in my brain, to reach out (beyond the world of skating) was to leave the sport.”
Alysa Liu celebrates after her world championship win in March March. (Tim Clayton/Corbis via Getty Images)
(Tim Clayton via Getty Images)
How skating drew Liu back
It all went very well, this new skating-free life … right up until she took a ski trip to Lake Tahoe in January 2024. The adrenaline rush of speed, the smooth power that comes from gliding over the slopes … she realized just how much she missed the intrinsic, internal gratification of skating. She began by skating once a week at a local rink, and a few months later, announced her return to competitive skating.
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Talent like Liu’s finds a way, and in January 2025 she came within a hairsbreadth of winning the U.S. championships again. Two months later, she completed her comeback with a gold-medal-winning performance at the world championships, the first American woman to claim that honor since Kimmie Meisner in 2006. She dethroned Japan’s Kaori Sakamoto, the three-time defending champion, and firmly established herself as a medal favorite heading into the Olympics.
U.S. skating fans are hoping Liu, Amber Glenn and Isabeau Levito — the so-called “Big Three” — can end a two-decade medal drought for American female skaters. If Liu is able to claim any Olympic medal, she’d be the first American woman to do so since Sasha Cohen’s silver in 2006. Sarah Hughes won gold and Michelle Kwan took bronze in 2002.
“If you look back in history and the track record of winning the world championships before an Olympic Games,” says Olympic gold medalist and NBC commentator Tara Lipinski, “it really sets her on the right path to not only be the favorite to win this Olympic gold medal but to bring it home.” (Lipinski knows what she’s talking about; she won the 1997 world championships, and captured gold at the 1998 Nagano Olympics 11 months later.)
Liu also stands as a testament to the calm power of accepting one’s choices and living in the moment. “Quitting was definitely still, to this day, one of my best decisions ever. Coming back was also a really good decision. I don’t make bad decisions. Every decision is just a decision, you know?” she said. “They’ve just led to this point. And I like where I’m at.”
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Even so, the zen mindset only carries so far. She admits she’s still impatient, still expecting perfection out of herself at every turn. “I’m competitive in my head with myself, and I love to be good at stuff the first try,” she says. “If things aren’t going my way the day of, I’m like, no, I have to do it today.”
Her coach, Phillip DiGuglielmo, employs a classic Nick Saban mantra — Trust the Process — to keep Liu focused on journeys, not destinations. “He’ll be like, Dude, you’re training, the results will show. You just have to be patient. I’m not patient! I have no concept of time!”, she jokes. “But I listened to his advice. It really works. If you put in the work, trust you’ll see [positive results].”
“She’s so relatable and so authentic in the way that she performs and competes,” Lipinski said recently. “She is skating in her own little bubble without pressure, because she really feels that she’s doing this for herself, and she’s taking full ownership over her skating. And she doesn’t feel the expectations that you would think she would, and that gives her the edge to be able to compete under pressure.”
The Milan Olympics: Liu’s time to shine?
Pressure seems to be about the only sensation Liu isn’t feeling these days. “I wish all of y’all were my little sibling for a day, because I literally have so much fun every day,” she told a group of media in October. “You have no idea. I just can’t live without fun. I think I would just die if things were boring for 10 hours.” There’s no such thing as a typical day for her — she might oversleep her training, she might decide on a whim to go swim in Lake Tahoe, she might go hit a video game cafe and then bust out some karaoke. (Her go-to: KATSEYE’s “Gnarly,” maybe some “old” Selena Gomez or Taylor Swift.)
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With the Olympics, though, come a measure of discipline for her schedule. In Milan, she’ll skate a contemplative, resonant short program to the music of Laufey’s “Promise,” and, potentially, a free skate choreographed to “MacArthur Park.”
Her team events begin Feb. 6, the day of the Opening Ceremony, and her single skates will be on Feb. 17 and 19. All that’s left is for Alysa Liu to do what’s she’s been working (almost) her whole life to do.
Oh, and as for that Everest base camp cow-versus-chicken debate?
“I would rather be a cow,” she says. “One, cows get to eat grass. And, like, the cows that I see, they’re just free-roaming the hills. All the chickens that I’ve seen are hidden behind cages. Yeah, no thank you.”
Could an IndyCar Series race in Washington actually happen?
President Donald Trump issued an executive order Friday to go forward with preparations for an Aug. 23 race. The “Freedom 250 Grand Prix” would take place near the National Mall. IndyCar Series owner Roger Penske was in attendance at the signing ceremony.
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The order directs the Interior Department and Transportation Department to “designate a suitable race route that showcases the majesty of Washington D.C. and its iconic national monuments.” It also directs the departments “to issue all necessary permits, approvals and authorizations as expeditiously as possible to plan, prepare for, and conduct the race.” The race has been rumored for some time after Trump posted an AI video of an IndyCar race in the city to his social-media channels.
“President Trump has bestowed an incredible distinction upon our sport and we’re grateful for his trust and support as INDYCAR prepares to honor our country with a tremendous racing spectacle,” IndyCar owner Roger Penske said in a statement obtained by NBC. “This will be a truly memorable event that celebrates our country’s independence and the legacy of patriotism, innovation and excellence that powers motorsports across America.”
The 2026 IndyCar Series schedule has already been announced, but the weekend of Aug. 21-23 is currently open. If the race happens, it would mean the series would race five times in five weekends to end the season and add an 18th race to the calendar.
Street races require months and sometimes even years of logistical planning. If the Washington race happens, it’ll be done within seven months in one of the busiest and most complex cities in the United States. There are a lot of hurdles to jump through; can the federal government and the District of Columbia jump through them all in such a short period of time?
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If the race happens, it’ll be the second new race on the IndyCar Series schedule. The series is set to race in Arlington, Texas, around AT&T Stadium and Globe Life Field.
It would also come just over two months after a UFC event at the White House. The MMA event will be held on the South Lawn while weigh-ins are set for the Lincoln Memorial.
2025 season record: 9-8 (o 8.5 wins), third in NFC North, missed playoffs, 18th in DVOA
Overview
Expectations were high for the Vikings coming off a 14-win season in 2024. However, the main goal of 2025 was to get as much information as possible on quarterback J.J. McCarthy. Minnesota disappointed and also did not get a clear evaluation of McCarthy as a quarterback.
The second-year player and first-year starter battled injuries and finished 31st out of 33 qualified quarterbacks in EPA per play. But that was broken up into huge splits. In McCarthy’s six starts through Week 12, he averaged -0.29 EPA per play, easily the worst rate in the league. Then over the final four weeks of the season, he averaged 0.29 EPA per play, the fifth-best mark, and had the second-best success rate while he looked more comfortable behind center. Still, with no clear answer, the Vikings are left in a similar spot heading into the offseason. Expect there to be at least veteran competition brought in.
Despite all of this, Minnesota still finished about their win total and over .500. That was mostly thanks to a Brian Flores defense that ranked third in DVOA. Flores, after interviewing for head coaching opportunities elsewhere, will return as defensive coordinator.
Just before the Super Bowl, the Vikings decided to fire general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensa. The optics of Sam Darnold winning the the Super Bowl certainly didn’t help, but this is likely a move that runs deeper than just the quarterback decision (one that could still be defended as good process). The Vikings were one of the oldest teams in the league by snap-weighted age, partially because Minnesota had to build the roster around free agents to make up for the lack of draft hits under Adofo-Mensah. (Yahoo Sports gave the Vikings’ 2025 draft a C, and the previous three C+ grades.) Those free agents have set up the Vikings to be a contending team if the quarterback play improves, but replenishing the roster with younger players on rookie contracts will be how the franchise sustains that level of success in the future.
The Vikings announced executive Rob Brzezinski will run the front office through the draft, and the team will hire a new general manager afterward.
Cap/cuts outlook
Minnesota has -$40 million in effective salary cap space, according to Over The Cap, the second-lowest figure in the league. That number looks way worse than it is, though. Most of the Vikings’ highest cap hits for 2026 come from high base salaries with low signing bonuses. Restructuring the contracts of Justin Jefferson and Brian O’Neill could open up to $31 million in cap space alone. Cutting Javon Hargrave would free up $11 million and could be the most likely cap casualty. Releasing Aaron Jones would also save $8 million and T.J. Hockenson would save $9 million. One other name to watch could be center Ryan Kelly, who played only eight games while dealing with concussion issues. Moving on from Kelly would save nearly $9 million on the cap.
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Key pending free agents
S Harrison Smith LB Eric Wilson IDL Jalen Redmond LB Ivan Pace Jr. WR Jalen Nailor
Smith is listed here, but it appears he’ll retire. Still, that’s going to be a missed presence in the back end of Minnesota‘s secondary if he does not return. Redmond turned into a fun player, who picked up six sacks, five batted passes and a forced fumble in his first year as a starter. Nailor played 65% of the team’s offensive snaps and was a usable third option in the passing game, but averaged only a yard per route run.
Positional needs
Cornerback Safety Linebacker Interior defensive line
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The secondary was thin and made what Brian Flores accomplished with this defense as its coordinator even more impressive. If Flores doesn’t return, that could make improving the secondary an even more glaring requirement. Linebacker also becomes an issue if one or both of Ivan Pace and Eric Wilson leave in free agency. Wilson played 91% of Minnesota’s defensive snaps in 2025. In 2024, Flores used a league-high 28.8% rate of dime defense with six defensive backs on the field. That dropped to just 8% in 2025 when the Vikings didn’t have the bodies to go light. With Jalen Redmond a free agent and Javon Hargrave a potential cut, the Vikings could need help along the interior of the defensive line.
Minnesota has one of the best 1-2 combinations at receiver with Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison, but as a heavy 11 personnel team (63.8%, 10th-most), that third receiver gets a lot of run in the offense.
Terrell, younger brother of Falcons star A.J., is a little undersized but a scrappy defender with speed to burn. His ability to hold up on the back end will be extra valuable if Brian Flores and his blitz-happy defense sign a new contract to stay in Minnesota.
What could move the fantasy needle in 2026?
Figure out the quarterback spot
Simple to say, hard to do. The Vikings can’t realistically go into next season with J.J. McCarthy as the unquestioned starting quarterback. Some degree of competition will need to be acquired. How high they reach to get such a competitor will be fascinating to watch. The Vikings were one of the most disappointing offenses in the NFL this season, with Justin Jefferson’s lack of production a weekly talking point. You can trace most of it back to the state of the quarterback position. You don’t have to bail on McCarthy altogether but they need more options. — Matt Harmon
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Betting nugget
Despite several starts and highlight-worthy turnovers from third-string QB Max Brosmer, the Vikings improbably went over their preseason win of 8.5 after ending the season on a five-game winning streak to finish 9-8. — Ben Fawkes
The Vikings went 14-3 during the 2024 season with Darnold and then finished strong this past season to finish 9-8, but they decided for a major shift in the front office.
While it’s unclear immediately why exactly the Vikings made the move or why they decided to do it now, this is what happens when teams make a major mistake at quarterback. Especially when the quarterback they moved on from ends up in a Super Bowl.
Vikings’ QB decision prompts second guessing
There was no sign that Adofo-Mensah would be fired. He was at the Senior Bowl in Mobile, Ala., this week. He met with the media on Thursday. He gave an honest and reflective answer about letting Darnold leave in free agency.
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Maybe it was too honest.
“You’re trying to make sure you don’t lock yourselves into what you did and thinking it’s always right. So there are nights you wake up and stare at the ceiling and ask yourself,” Adofo-Mensah told the media on Thursday. “I always go back to the process, and what we thought at the time. It’s easier to kind of go and be revisionist and results based. But going to think through what we had at the time, I still understand why we did what we did.
“The results maybe didn’t play out the way we wanted them to, but ultimately I think at the end of the day we could have executed better in certain places. Not saying individually in terms of a particular player, but just executing better knowing what the room was, play-style wise, experience wise, and putting together a better combination of people, collective in that group. That’s probably what I focused on the most.”
Here was the decision: The Vikings could have at least franchise-tagged Darnold after he helped Minnesota to a 14-3 record and finished in the top 10 of NFL MVP voting, or hand the job over to J.J. McCarthy, the 10th pick of the 2024 draft who missed his rookie season due to injury. The Vikings also had Daniel Jones on the roster late in the season, and he moved on to the Indianapolis Colts and had a fine season before injury.
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The Vikings chose McCarthy, who played poorly early in the season and missed games with multiple injuries. When Adofo-Mensah spoke of building a better quarterback room “play-style wise, experience wise,” he’s likely referring to going with an unknown quarterback with an injury history, and backing him up with Carson Wentz, another quarterback who has dealt with many injuries. Wentz filled in for McCarthy and suffered a season-ending injury. The entire plan at quarterback didn’t work, at least in McCarthy’s first season. Darnold is a good example of not giving up on a quarterback after a bad start to his career.
It wasn’t outlandish last offseason to choose McCarthy, who was a top-10 pick just a year earlier, and use the extra salary cap space to build the roster around him. But it didn’t work.
Vikings had some success with Kwesi Adofo-Mensah
Adofo-Mensah didn’t have a perfect four years as Vikings GM, but he did build a very good roster that brought 14 wins in 2024, and still finished above .500 despite bad quarterback play last season.
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The reason the Vikings missed the playoffs though was based on their decisions at quarterback. Minnesota traded up for McCarthy, who is still very early in his career but did not play well in his first shot as a starter. They drafted him ahead of Bo Nix, who just helped the Broncos make the AFC championship game. Then they let Darnold walk in free agency. He signed a three-year, $100.5 million deal and helped the Seahawks to an NFC title. He had 346 yards and three touchdowns in the NFC championship game win over the Rams.
There are many reasons a team makes a change as big as the one the Vikings made on Friday. It is never entirely due to one decision, even at a key spot like quarterback. But if the Vikings were in the playoffs with better quarterback play, it seems unlikely Adofo-Mensah would have been fired.
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The Vikings hadn’t won a playoff game in Adofo-Mensah’s four seasons as GM, but they were 43-25. That type of success isn’t easy in the NFL. But the Vikings preferred a change, and did it at a very odd time. They did so less than 24 hours after the Atlanta Falcons hired Ian Cunningham to be their new general manager.
The Vikings announced executive vice president of football operations Rob Brzezinski will run the offseason through the draft, and then they’ll have a full search for a new GM, which is also odd. Whoever Minnesota does choose as its next GM, they better get the quarterback situation right. We’ve seen what happens if you don’t.
The 2026 NFL Draft is still several months away, but this is the ideal time of year to get caught up on the prospects who will make an impact on the fantasy football landscape for redraft and dynasty leagues.
With the main fantasy season complete, I’ve had time to go over game tape, collegiate production, interviews and more, in order to project what this incoming crop of rookies will become at the next level.
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We’ll get more precise athletic testing numbers to work with at the NFL Combine in late February, before eventually finding out how NFL front offices value this class when draft day arrives in April.
Consider this a starting point in the pre-draft process, while understanding that landing spots will have an important impact on the fantasy value of each player. Once we know which organization they’ll be joining, it reveals a larger part of the puzzle in terms of their opportunity, coaching, scheme and team culture.
For now, we’ll continue this series by focusing on the incoming tight ends who have the best chance to become fantasy relevant in the NFL.
Prospect Fantasy Outlooks
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Alone at the top
Much like this year’s quarterback class, the tight ends have one prospect who stands far above the rest and will likely be a first-round pick in April’s draft.
Sadiq is slightly undersized at 6-foot-3 and 245 pounds, but so was Harold Fannin Jr. last year and we all saw how that worked out.
While Sadiq might not be a truly elite prospect, he’s not far off. He excels as a pass-catcher with incredible hands who catches like a wide receiver. Whether he’s hauling in tough contested passes, making receptions in traffic amidst multiple defenders or sacrificing his body on diving grabs, Sadiq is a dangerous weapon.
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The 20-year-old has smooth athleticism that lets him glide around the field making plays. Though he’s not much of a tackle-breaker, Sadiq is shifty enough to juke defenders and create more yards after the catch.
Blocking can often be an issue for younger tight ends and sometimes causes them to lose playing time. It’s possible that could be the case for Sadiq. He’s more than willing to square up with defenders, but sometimes lacks the strength to get the job done. That might be even more of a concern at the next level.
Even so, Sadiq is a potential star in the making. If he gets the expected early draft capital and lands in an offense that provides him with the necessary volume, I see him becoming the kind of fantasy starter Jordan Reed could have been if he had stayed healthy during his career.
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Fantasy Outlook: There’s a reason why Sadiq led Oregon in catches and touchdowns last season, after being stuck behind Terrance Ferguson for two years.
Sadiq is a talented receiving threat who brings a vertical element that not all players at his position offer.
We’ve seen many rookie tight ends make an instant impact in recent years and Sadiq has all the tools to join that club. He should be viewed as a legitimate future fantasy TE1, who could return value immediately in the right offense.
In what projects to be a weaker class overall, Sadiq is locked in as a mid-first-round pick in dynasty rookie drafts.
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Dynasty rookie value (Superflex): 1.06-1.08
Classic TE options
While this year’s crop of rookie tight ends might not feature much obvious high-end talent outside of Sadiq, there are a number of players at the position who could develop into meaningful NFL starters and fantasy options.
This trio of Klare, Royer and Endries are all built from the standard tight end mold with textbook frames and good pass-catching skills that should have them in the mix as Day 2 or early Day 3 selections.
Klare has solid hands and route-running ability, but he’s a little stiffer in his movements like what you’d normally expect from a prototypical tight end. It’s also worth highlighting that while his numbers declined after transferring to Ohio State this year, he dealt with a lot of target competition from the Buckeyes’ outstanding receivers. In the one game where Jeremiah Smith and Carnell Tate were sidelined, Klare flashed his upside by stepping up with seven receptions, 105 yards and a touchdown.
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Royer is someone I’m very interested in, depending on his landing spot. The 23-year-old is a versatile player who uses his agility and feistiness to gain extra yards with the ball in his hands. Though he was productive in his final two seasons with the Bearcats, there’s a ceiling that hasn’t been unlocked with him yet.
Endries might be the least exciting name in this section, but he’s sort of an arbitrage play on Klare. While he doesn’t really have an elite trait to highlight, Endries is a quality all-round prospect who will do most of his damage in the short and intermediate areas of the field.
All three players in this group have work to do in order to improve as blockers, so keep that in mind as they’re fighting for playing time early in their careers.
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Fantasy Outlook: It’s possible we could see Klare, Royer or Endries get in the mix as low-end TE1 fantasy options in the coming years, but a lot of that will depend on volume.
We’ve seen these types of tight ends from Jake Ferguson to Dalton Schultz to Cade Otton, all become fantasy relevant when given enough targets. Unfortunately, that normally occurs when their teams are thin at receiver due to weak depth charts or injuries.
While Klare is the safest bet to emerge at the next level, Royer’s movement and competitiveness spark my interest and will keep him on my radar in the later rounds of this year’s dynasty rookie drafts.
Dynasty rookie value (Superflex): Third-to-fourth round
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Intriguing but imperfect
Justin Joly, North Carolina State
All the prospects in this section have aspects of their game that make them interesting as deeper dynasty stashes, but they have a long way to go in order to prove themselves as potential starters in the NFL.
Stowers is more of a receiver than a tight end, but he’s been busy the last two seasons amassing 1,407 yards and nine touchdowns as a key part of Vanderbilt’s passing attack. Despite some awareness issues at times, he’s shown more than enough playmaking ability, especially up the seam, to generate some interest from fantasy managers.
Joly is on the shorter side, but had multiple productive years in college and can be used all around the formation. While he lacks high-end speed, he makes up for it with fluid movement and good run-after-the-catch skills. Though I worry he might be a better real-life contributor than a high-volume fantasy option.
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Bentley is a great athlete for his size and carries himself confidently on the field. He offers sneaky YAC ability lowering his shoulder to shed tackles and having enough juke moves to shake defenders. However, he only has one notable season on his résumé.
Trigg may develop into a significant pass-catching threat, but he seems to lack the kind of aggressiveness you find in most stars. Whether he’ll be able to match the physicality in the pros is something to monitor. If he’s going to hit, it will likely be as a big-play threat and red-zone option, rather than a volume player.
Raridon has a huge frame at 6-foot-7 and was one of the more effective blockers I watched in this tight end class. He profiles as a reliable target thanks to his strong hands, just don’t expect much after the catch. He also suffered two torn ACLs on the same knee, which has to be mentioned when considering his long-term outlook.
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Fantasy Outlook: Draft capital is an invaluable aspect when breaking down the future fantasy potential for deeper prospects like the ones highlighted in this range.
At the moment I’m viewing them as Day 3 picks, which means nothing will be handed to them and earning a roster spot is the first step in their journey before we can even contemplate them emerging as starters. It also might take a year or two before they work their way into a top role.
Only consider drafting them in dynasty leagues that have deep benches and/or TE premium scoring. Otherwise, your bench spots are better used on more valuable fantasy positions.
Dynasty rookie value (Superflex): Fourth round or later, but most likely future waiver wire adds
After the free-agency frenzy that saw Kyle Tucker shockingly go to the Los Angeles Dodgers, Bo Bichette signing with the New York Mets and Cody Bellinger opting to run it back with the New York Yankees, teams are starting to look more and more set for the 2026 season. However, there is still plenty of time for teams to do some last-minute shopping to bulk up before Opening Day.
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On this episode of Baseball Bar-B-Cast, Jake Mintz and Jordan Shusterman make their choices for the one thing that every team needs from now until Game One of the season. Could the Dodgers push all of their chips in to go for a three-peat and trade for Tarik Skubal? Will the Yankees have a resolution on what to do with Jasson Domínguez amid their crowded outfield? Who could the Mets trade away from their rotation after acquiring Freddy Peralta?
Later, Jordan and Jake react to the breaking Minnesota Twins news after they parted ways with President of Baseball Operations Derek Falvey at this point in the offseason. They then make their picks for this week’s The Good, The Bad and the Uggla, which includes Alex Honnold maybe taking a shot at Garrett Crochet and the history that landed Aaron Judge in the Bronx.
2:36 – AL East
16:50 – AL Central
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30:54 – AL West
37:13 – NL East
50:23 – NL Central
1:01:05 – NL West
1:08:28 – The Good, The Bad & The Uggla
Jane Gershovich/MLB Photos via Getty Images Photo by Daniel Shirey/MLB Photos via Getty Images Erick W. Rasco/Sports Illustrated via Getty Images
(Jane Gershovich/MLB Photos via Getty Images Photo by Daniel Shirey/MLB Photos via Getty Images Erick W. Rasco/Sports Illustrated via Getty Images)
Patriots quarterback Drake Maye missed practice on Friday with an illness, coach Mike Vrabel told reporters. Maye was limited in practice on Thursday as he deals with a right shoulder injury.
“We’ve had a lot of guys over the last month, six weeks here, with illness,” Vrabel said. “So, again, just trying to do what’s best for the player and the team. I’m trying to take care of guys — don’t spread anything.”
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Vrabel said Thursday that he’s not worried about Maye’s right throwing shoulder.
“I try not to have a whole lot of concern,” Vrabel told reporters. “I just want to try to prepare the football team and make sure that everybody’s ready and that we all have a plan.”
“I’m feeling good,” Maye repeated. “Going to get some extra rest. I really don’t think it was from the game, but just the build-up from throwing — this is what, including training camp, 30 weeks straight of throwing, four days a week. It can add up. I got some extra rest, and I’m feeling good and ready to go for the Super Bowl.”
Wide receiver Mack Hollins (abdomen), tight end Hunter Henry, running back Terrell Jennings (hamstring), and tackle Morgan Moses (rest) joined Maye as limited on Thursday.
Following Sunday’s win over the Denver Broncos, Maye said, “A lot of those guys in [our] locker room are battling through things.” Vrabel echoed that sentiment Tuesday, saying no one is 100% healthy this time of year.
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Behind Maye on the depth chart is veteran backup Joshua Dobbs, as well as former New York Giants quarterback Tommy DeVito.
While there are nine days to go until the Patriots and Seattle Seahawks meet at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California, there will be a lot of attention on Maye in practice, on how many reps he takes and what designation he’s given on the team’s injury report ahead of Super Bowl LX.
