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One of the biggest questions of the Kansas City Chiefs’ offseason is whether tight end Travis Kelce will return for a 14th NFL season.

On Tuesday, Chiefs owner Clark Hunt chimed in with a supportive voice, saying that the team will give Kelce time to make up his mind and that he hopes the future Hall of Famer will return.

“Well, as an organization, we certainly hope that he will come back,” Hunt told “Good Morning Football” on Tuesday. “He had another great year, maybe not on par with where he was four or five years ago, but still had over 800 yards, and was really one of the leaders on the offensive side of the ball for us. So there’s no doubt in my mind that he can still play. We’re trying to be respectful and let him have the time that he needs to make a decision.

“He has sort of a busy offseason coming up with his engagement and marriage, so we want to be respectful and give him the time he needs to make a decision. But we certainly hope that he’ll be back.”

Days after the Chiefs’ season came to an end without playoff football for the first time since 2014, the 36-year-old Kelce said on his “New Heights” podcast with brother Jason that he was undecided about his future, and that while he still has “a lot of love” for football he wanted to see how his body responded to rest.

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Kelce had an emotional send-off in the Chiefs’ final regular season home game in Week 17 with his mom, Donna, and his fiancée, Taylor Swift, both in attendance. Speaking to reporters following Week 18, the four-time All-Pro said that last season he knew immediately he wanted to return. This time around? It’s not as simple.

“Who knows?” Kelce said. “Either it hits me quick or I’ve got to take some time. Last year was a little bit easier. I think I knew right away I wanted to kind of give this one a shot. So I dunno. We’ll see.”

Kelce’s production was similar to that of what he did in 2024. This past season he caught 76 passes for 851 yards and five touchdowns. While those numbers weren’t anywhere near his output during his prime, he still average 11.2 yards per reception, his highest since 2022.

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If Kelce, who pulled out of the Pro Bowl this week, does choose to return for 2026, quarterback Patrick Mahomes may not be there at the start of the season after tearing his ACL in December. No timeline has been put on his return, but Hunt said Tuesday “I wouldn’t put it past him” for the two-time MVP to be ready for Week 1.

Fantasy analyst Joel Smyth goes over the most frustrating fantasy football backfields from 2025. How will teams like the conference champion Seahawks and Patriots look a season from now? With offseason changes galore, which talented RBs could have better scenarios in 2026?

Seattle Seahawks

Zach Charbonnet went from the top backup RB stash in 2025 drafts to a thorn in the side of Kenneth Walker III managers. Over the last few weeks, however, the talent of Walker has been on full display, showing why he was drafted inside the top 20 RBs last August. In his three games without Zach Charbonnet healthy, Walker has averaged an astounding 23.5 fantasy PPG. In comparison, overall RB1 Christian McCaffrey averaged 21.5 this season.

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The main topic this offseason won’t be about the confidence in Walker’s talent, but about another round of changes in Seattle.

With Charbonnet going down with a late-season ACL tear, the chances of him being ready for Week 1 are up in the air. However, it also increases the likelihood of Walker resigning in free agency. Another factor to consider is the potential departure of playcaller Klint Kubiak. Although he praised Walker’s potential as a feature back this offseason, only one game saw a Seattle RB receive over 60% of the RB touches. Walker will need to either take advantage of Charbonnet’s potential early absence, establishing himself as a bellcow, or earn the favor of a new playcaller in Seattle. If either occurs, Walker’s ceiling with increased volume or red-zone work is top-notch.

The risk is that all the offseason changes will ultimately result in the same on-field situation. I would let the facts lead you to your draft-day decision rather than hurt feelings from the 2025 season.

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New England Patriots

The other Super Bowl team had its own murky backfield in 2025. After drafting TreVeyon Henderson at the top of the second round, fantasy managers had to wait until an injury took Rhamondre Stevenson off the field to fully benefit. From Weeks 9-12 with Henderson as the feature back, the rookie averaged 19.4 fantasy PPG, as he looked to be on his way to becoming a league winner.

Then it all crumbled. After a classic post-bye rookie blowup game in Week 15 with 29.1 fantasy points, Henderson crossed 10+ points in one of his last seven games, which happened to be in a primarily useless Week 18 game.

The common complaint is, “Why is Henderson not being used more?!” The issue is that he has largely failed to provide a consistent reason to. The Patriots’ coaching staff trusts the veteran Stevenson far more, especially in key areas such as the red zone and passing game. Henderson needs to take the next step this offseason to be worth a potentially high ADP. Stevenson ranked third in yards after contact per attempt to De’Von Achane and Bijan Robinson, proving he is not just a backup role player who will be passed over by anyone. With the Patriots offense, Henderson won’t need bellcow volume, but the need for either increased receiving work or red-zone carries is high.

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Kansas City Chiefs

Andy Reid has no shortage of elite fantasy running backs produced, but he has failed to have a top-20 RB over the last two seasons and has not had an RB1 since 2018 Kareem Hunt. The Chiefs offense has been dominant over the years, yet the RB production has been average — and split. Over the last three seasons with Matt Nagy as the offensive coordinator, KC running backs rank 32nd in explosive carries and, frankly, it’s not even close. Only 20 attempts have gone for 15+ yards (in three years!!), while the 31st-ranked team, the Las Vegas Raiders, had 26.

The ideal scenario is a new RB, whether through free agency or the draft, enters with Eric Bieniemy returning to Kansas City as the offensive coordinator, where he helped lead an explosive offense from 2018-2022. If the RB room does stay put, the odds of Isiah Pacheco or another RB returning into the top 20 still heavily increase.

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Tampa Bay Buccaneers

In fantasy PPG, excluding touchdowns, Bucky Irving would rank as the RB9. The obvious issue: he scored one rushing touchdown with zero goal-line carries. Whenever a play caller has a one-year stint — and it’s not because they received a promotion — some big fantasy names are bound to go down with them.

The positive is that, following the Josh Grizzard experience, Baker Mayfield and the Buccaneers offense will have former Falcons offensive coordinator Zac Robinson enter the fold. After Bijan Robinson finished as the RB21 with Arthur Smith, Zac Robinson turned the superstar running back into the overall RB4 and RB3, respectively, the last two seasons. Irving can be a bounce-back candidate in 2026 with an improved offense and increased touchdown opportunities.

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Carolina Panthers

For a short window, Rico Dowdle averaged 18.8 PPG from Week 5-11. The rest of the season, Dowdle scored an underwhelming 8.8 per game. An even bigger issue came in the NFL Playoffs. Dowdle’s 27.3% of the RB touches was the lowest since his mid-season breakout, as his volume became inconsistent with a healthy Chuba Hubbard. I wouldn’t expect much of a change if Dowdle were to return to Carolina, as Hubbard is signed to an expensive contract through 2028. For both running backs’ sake, it may be better off for their fantasy upside if Dowdle were to chase a bigger contract elsewhere after his one-year stint with the Panthers.

The New England Patriots are back in the Super Bowl for the first time since 2018 and second-year QB Drake Maye is a big reason why. The Patriots were able to outlast the Denver Broncos in the AFC Championship Game on Sunday, 10-7, in inclement weather. Maye only threw for 86 yards but also rushed for 65 and a score to help lead New England to a matchup with the Seattle Seahawks.

None of that mattered much for fantasy football, but coming off the season Maye just had it’s fair to wonder if he’s next up for the crown as QB1 overall. He nearly took that title from Bills QB Josh Allen this season and will be a hot commodity going into 2026. Matt Harmon and Scott Pianowski discuss Maye’s outlook for next season and if he has a shot at overtaking Allen for the No. 1 QB honors.

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Pianowski immediately mentions the supporting cast. Like Allen, Maye operated all season without an alpha receiver. Sure, the Patriots got plenty out of Stefon Diggs at age 32 and Kayshon Boutte flashed some upside throughout the season. But New England lacked a clear No. 1 option in the passing game. Perhaps adding a top wideout will further increase Maye’s fantasy potential.

That could come in the form of a trade (perhaps for Eagles WR A.J. Brown) or via the upcoming 2026 NFL Draft, where the Patriots will select at the back-end of the first round.

Harmon is also excited to see what Maye can do with better receivers but more importantly, when he grows up. Maye will turn just 24 years old prior to the start of the 2026 regular season. Assuming he stays on this trajectory, Maye should only continue to improve. Harmon thinks Maye still looks like “a little Bambi” out on the field and hasn’t fully developed.

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When he does, look out.

Maye led the NFL in completion percentage in 2025 at 72% on the season while throwing for 4,394 yards, 31 touchdowns and eight interceptions. He also rushed for 450 yards and four touchdowns, averaging 21.5 fantasy points per game.

Yahoo analyst Justin Boone has Maye ranked third in his early QB rankings for 2026 fantasy football. Maye jumps up one spot to QB2 overall in Boone’s dynasty rankings and trade value charts.

New York Yankees star Aaron Judge has been announced as the cover athlete for “MLB The Show 26,” San Diego Studios announced Tuesday.

Judge, who was previously the cover athlete for the game’s 2018 version, follows after last year’s cover athletes were Pittsburgh Pirates ace Paul Skenes, Cincinnati Reds shortstop Elly De La Cruz and Baltimore Orioles shortstop Gunnar Henderson.

On Monday, SDS put out a statement that the 2026 game would not feature a “new cover athlete,” leading to speculation about whether a current or former MLB player would even grace the front of the video game.

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In the SDS promotional materials, Judge is featured in both his Yankees uniform and Team USA gear. The World Baseball Classic will be part of Diamond Dynasty mode in “MLB The Show 26” after first being part of the game in 2023.

“MLB The Show 26” will be released March 17 for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S and Nintendo Switch 2.

The Buffalo Bills sent a strong message following yet another early playoff exit in 2025: Merely making the postseason is not enough. After nine excellent regular-season performances, Sean McDermott was fired, closing the door on one of the most productive eras in Bills history.

On Tuesday, the franchise found the man it believes can succeed where McDermott failed, promoting offensive coordinator Joe Brady to become its next head coach, the team confirmed.

Brady signed a five-year deal with the franchise. The financial details of his contract were not made available.

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The Bills know the 36-year-old Brady well after bringing him on as quarterbacks coach in 2022 following his two seasons as the Carolina Panthers’ offensive coordinator. Josh Allen threw for over 4,000 yards in each of those two seasons and added 64 total passing touchdowns over that stretch. In 2023, Brady would take over offensive coordinator duties on an interim basis following Ken Dorsey’s dismissal. A season later, Brady was promoted into the full-time role and was voted a finalist for the Assistant Coach of the Year award.

[Get more Bills news: Buffalo team feed]

Brady will face extremely high expectations with the Bills. Under McDermott, the team reached the playoffs in eight of nine seasons. The Bills won at least one playoff game in six of those appearances, making it to the AFC championship twice, where they were defeated by Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs both times.

That sets up a scenario where Brady will have to lead the team to the Super Bowl — or at least make multiple deep postseason runs — to make his early tenure with the Bills a success beyond what McDermott did.

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That’s an unfair expectation to place on any coach, but that’s the reality when Josh Allen is your quarterback. Allen’s presence made the Bills one of the most desirable landing spots this offseason. Allen is one of the best quarterbacks in the game, a perennial Pro Bowler, a consistent threat to be named first-team All-Pro and league MVP. The 29-year-old is signed through the 2030 season, ensuring he’ll remain in Buffalo for years to come. The only thing he’s missing is a Super Bowl win, and the Bills believe Brady will be the one to get Allen there.

While Buffalo was considered a strong landing spot the instant McDermott was fired, the timing of that move put the Bills behind the eight ball. John Harbaugh and Kevin Stefanski — two of the best head coaches on the market — had already committed to other teams by the time the Bills made the move.

Since the firing came after the divisional round of the playoffs, the Bills were prohibited from interviewing any coach on a still-active NFL team, meaning any assistants on the Denver Broncos, Los Angeles Rams, New England Patriots and Seattle Seahawks could not speak to Buffalo until their teams were eliminated from the playoffs. That wasn’t the case for teams that fired coaches before the divisional round. They were allowed to schedule interviews with assistants on those teams, with some restrictions regarding when those interviews could take place.

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In the end, that didn’t matter, as the Bills opted to go with a coach already on staff.

Notably, while McDermott was shown the door, general manager Brandon Beane was allowed to stay. The Bills promoted Beane to team president and allowed him to lead the search for the Bills’ next coach. Beane ultimately decided on Brady, and the success of that partnership could determine how long Beane stays in his new role.

With Brady on board, the hard work can begin. As long as Allen remains healthy, the Bills should be considered perennial contenders to win the Super Bowl. While the Allen era has been incredibly productive, the Bills have yet to reach the big game with the All-Pro under center, something the team did four times in a row in the early ’90s with QB Jim Kelly.

Everyone knows how that run ended. Despite four straight Super Bowl appearances, the Bills are still looking for their first Super Bowl win.

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The team hasn’t made it that far with Allen just yet, but the parallels are similar. After repeated seasons of falling short with Allen, Bills ownership decided it did not want to waste the prime of another generational passer.

It will be up to Brady to end that cycle and deliver Buffalo its first Super Bowl win in franchise history. Having Allen under center makes that task significantly more attainable, but it’s still a massive ask for any coach in his first year on the job, let alone a first-time head coach.

Agents from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement are expected to play a security role at the 2026 Milan-Cortina Olympics in February, according to the Associated Press.

ICE agents are expected to support “diplomatic security details” at the Olympics, and will reportedly not run any “immigration enforcement operations,” per the AP.

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The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) — under which ICE operates — confirmed ICE will not “conduct immigration enforcement operations in foreign countries.”

DHS noted that security operations will fall under Italian authority during the Olympics.

Federal agencies have provided security for U.S. diplomats during previous Olympics, per the Associated Press.

During previous Olympics, several federal agencies have supported security for U.S. diplomats, including the investigative component of ICE called Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the officials said. They could not be named because they are not authorized to speak publicly.

While the U.S. has engaged in similar actions in the past, news that ICE agents will be present at the Olympics could cause more controversy than normal. The AP’s report comes at a time where President Donald Trump’s use of ICE agents has faced harsh criticism. Polls conducted by Reuters on Monday showed a record-low approval rating for Trump’s handling of immigration. A separate poll showed 58 percent of Americans believe ICE has gone “too far” with their actions around the U.S.

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ICE agents have come under fire in recent weeks for their presence in Minnesota, where federal agents have shot and killed two people — 37-year-old Renee Good and 37-year-old VA nurse Alex Pretti — in January. Thousands of protesters took the streets in Minneapolis and other areas in Minnesota over the weekend to voice their displeasure for ICE’s presence in the state.

ICE agents have also conducted operations in both Illinois and Maine, among other U.S. states.

At least one Italian politician — Milan Mayor Giuseppe Sala — has spoken out about ICE’s presence at the Olympics, saying they “are not welcome in Milan,” per the AP.

“This is a militia that kills, a militia that enters into the homes of people, signing their own permission slips. It is clear they are not welcome in Milan, without a doubt,’’ Sala told RTL Radio 102 before ICE’s deployment to the Games was confirmed.

Italian Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi said he wasn’t sure whether ICE agents would be at the Olympics, but said he did not see a problem if that was the case.

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U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance, along with his wife Usha and Secretary of State Marco Rubio are expected to attend the Opening Ceremony at the 2026 Milan-Cortina Olympics, the White House announced.

The Opening Ceremony is set to take place Feb. 6. The Milan-Cortina Olympics will run from Feb. 6 through Feb. 22.

Former Giants head coach Brian Daboll is set to become the Tennessee Titans’ next offensive coordinator if he isn’t hired by the Las Vegas Raiders, according to multiple reports. Daboll will join former Jets head coach Robert Saleh’s staff, after Saleh was hired by the Titans last week. The pair will be tasked with developing quarterback Cam Ward after a rocky rookie season.

Daboll has completed two interviews with Las Vegas, most recently on Monday. Broncos offensive pass game coordinator and quarterbacks coach Davis Webb and Seahawks offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak are also thought to be frontrunners for the job.

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Daboll had a 2-8 record with the Giants last season before his firing, and compiled a 20-40 record overall. He joins a Titans team that fired head coach Brian Callahan in October 2025, after a 1-5 start to the season. The Titans finished 3-14, while Ward threw for 15 touchdowns, 3,169 yards and 7 interceptions. He was sacked a league-high 55 times.

Daboll, 50, served as the Bills’ offensive coordinator from 2018-2021, which coincided with the first four seasons of Josh Allen’s NFL career. His success running the Bills’ offense led to him being hired as New York Giants head coach in 2022. The Giants made the playoffs in Daboll’s first season, but slowly declined over the next few seasons, leading to his firing in November 2025.

Matthew Stafford reportedly received an epidural in August to relieve discomfort caused by an aggravated disc. The Los Angeles Rams quarterback spent time in an Ammortal chamber, a spaceship on wheels that’s worth $160,000 and aims to restore and rejuvenate with non-invasive, therapeutic technologies. He missed weeks of training camp.

No one dared to question Stafford’s toughness. That’s been off the table for a while now. But he’s 37 years old, and this summer it felt like he was one hit away from his degenerative back issue ending a career deserving of Pro Football Hall of Fame consideration.

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It turns out the biggest blow Stafford took during his NFL MVP-worthy season might have been Sunday night’s 31-27 loss to the Seattle Seahawks in the NFC championship.

Much has been made of the Rams’ decisions late in the game, including going for it on fourth-and-4 from the Seattle 6-yard line down four points. Stafford, who threw for 374 yards and three touchdowns Sunday, told a crowd of media at his locker that missing out on a Super Bowl return came down to more than just one mistake.

[Get more Rams news: Los Angeles team feed]

That’s a familiar tale for a quarterback who has thrown for the sixth-most yards and seventh-most touchdowns all time, yet only surpassed a career .500 regular-season record this season. A quarterback who once led the Detroit Lions to their first playoff appearance in 12 years, only to then watch his defense give up 626 yards in a wild-card loss to Drew Brees and the New Orleans Saints.

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Stafford just played arguably the best postseason game of his career during the best season of his career and still lost.

That’s a hit that could be hard to come back from. Stafford said Monday on the “Let’s Go” podcast he’ll take his time deciding his future.

“There will be a lot that goes into it,” he said. “It’s a physical, mental and emotional decision. A personal and a family decision as well. So, we’ll figure all that kind of stuff out with some time.

“I know I had a ton of fun playing football this season and so much fun playing for the Rams. So, when I’m ready to figure that out, I’ll be ready to figure that out. That moment isn’t right now.”

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Rams head coach Sean McVay was asked Sunday night if he expects Stafford to be back next season.

“Yeah,” McVay said without hesitation. “I mean, if he still wants to play. The hell kind of question is that?”

If he still wants to play. That’s the question. After this season, there’s little question he can.

‘This guy played at a level that’s just different’

Stafford had to adjust his game this season, and so did McVay.

The quarterback couldn’t afford to take a bounty of punishing hits, the kind he had so often stomached to deliver heat-seeking missiles downfield. In part thanks to one of the league’s best offensive lines, his 3.71% sack percentage was the second-lowest of his career. But also his 26 throwaways were tied for his third-most in a season, according to Pro Football Focus, and he kept his scramble numbers down.

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The coach needed to diversify his genius offense and managed to do so midseason, incorporating a heavy dose of 12 and 13 personnel, splicing in two- and three-tight end packages that infused more physicality in the Rams’ run game and made their aerial attack more unpredictable.

What resulted was a unit that finished the regular season first in total yards per game (394.6), points per game (30.5), points per drive (2.8) and passing yards per game (268.1), as well as seventh in rushing yards per game (126.6), seventh in red-zone touchdown percentage (63.2%) and, per Next Gen Stats, top five in both EPA per pass and EPA per rush.

Despite Stafford’s lost preseason time, it wasn’t long before he gelled with Davante Adams and picked up where he left off with Puka Nacua. Despite the gray in his beard, he still made sidearm throws like a shortstop, pulling the rip cord from every arm slot imaginable. Despite the years of tape on him, he still fooled defenses with his famous no-look passes, deception made possible by so much trust and so much on timing that it never ceases to amaze.

He was a maestro against the blitz, orchestrating the offense against extra rushers to the tune of a league-high 32 touchdowns and only one interception, per NGS.

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Stafford wasn’t perfect. Early in the regular season in Philadelphia, he missed throws he usually makes in his sleep, inviting the Eagles to stage a second-half comeback. Down the stretch, his three-pick outing in a head-scratching loss to the Atlanta Falcons stuck out like a sore thumb. And versus the Chicago Bears in the divisional round of the playoffs, he wasn’t unflappable under duress caused by secondary-themed pressure packages.

But he mostly delivered, especially in the clutch, earning All-Pro honors for the first time in his career and slinging a personal-best 46 touchdowns before overcoming a banged-up index finger on his throwing hand and piloting game-winning drives against the Carolina Panthers and the Bears in the postseason.

“He’s still playing at a pretty damn good clip,” McVay said of Stafford postgame on Sunday. “He’s the MVP of the league. And if he’s not — I mean, I’ve got respect for everybody else, but this guy played a level that’s just different.”

Adams’ vocal cords were reluctant to cooperate as tears welled in the aftermath of his fifth NFC title game defeat. But he had no regrets about joining the Rams this past offseason. The former Green Bay Packers star receiver called it a “dream” to play with Stafford.

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“This is one of the best quarterbacks to ever play this game and one of the coolest teammates that I’ve ever had,” said the three-time All-Pro, who’s notably close with four-time MVP Aaron Rodgers.

Where do Rams go now, after ‘special’ season that nevertheless fell short?

After the Rams’ heartbreaking defeat to their divisional rival on Sunday, McVay admitted he was short on words, a rare sight for an encyclopedic coach usually buzzing with energy.

To answer a question about what he told his team in the wake of that loss, he embarked on a 55-second answer. He used the word “special” three times.

“I love this team,” McVay said, sentiment discernible in his voice. “And I wasn’t ready to stop working with them. I thought we had two more weeks together. But I am really grateful for each of those individuals and the collective. It’s as special of a group, top to bottom, as I’ve ever been around. That’s coaches and players included.”

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He continued: “This game has brought me some of the most special relationships that I’ll cherish. That’s what this team has done. This was a special year. I think it’s hard to fathom that it’s over. It’ll take some time. But nothing but gratitude, that’s what I want them to know.”

Following the lone losing season of the McVay era in L.A. — a 5-12 campaign in 2022 that saw Stafford sidelined because of spinal cord contusion and concussion symptoms, which preceded a roster reset — the Rams have leveled up three years in a row.

They reached the wild-card round in the 2023 season, the divisional round in the 2024 season and the NFC championship in the 2025 season. So maybe they’re one step away.

Except in a world of coachspeak, McVay cut right through it to get to the truth on Sunday.

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“You start all over,” McVay said.

Those words are sobering yet powerful. They beg the question, though:

Where do the Rams go from here?

Surely, they’ll go back to the drawing board on special teams, which have been a weak link at various points of McVay’s tenure. This season, that phase of the game was L.A.’s Achilles’ heel. In Week 16, days after Rashid Shaheed’s game-changing punt return touchdown that fueled an improbable Seahawks victory, McVay fired special teams coordinator Chase Blackburn, making his first in-season coaching change in his nine seasons at the helm in an attempt to address the issue.

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It still came back to bite them.

Of the Rams’ six total losses this season, four featured special teams gaffes, including Sunday’s critical fumble by returner Xavier Smith. Los Angeles overhauled its kicking operation before Week 10 too, pivoting from Joshua Karty to Harrison Mevis and changing longsnappers.

Special teams are not the only problem L.A. has on its hands. The Rams are due for an upgrade at outside corner. It’s a soft spot on a defense that otherwise was solid this season, allowing the 10th-fewest points per game (20.4) and, per NGS, finishing tied for ninth in EPA per play allowed (-0.11).

The team hit home runs in free agency with a pair of under-the-radar signings this past offseason, bringing in run-stopping nose tackle Poona Ford and linebacker Nate Landman, who helped stabilize the second level. The Rams’ defensive line is young and growing. At safety, Quentin Lake has continued his ascent.

There’s a lot to like about what the Rams have built. In the NFL, however, roster construction only goes so far, and so does coaching. Success is hard to carry over year-to-year.

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That said, if Stafford keeps playing anywhere close to the way he did this season, the Rams will remain in the Super Bowl conversation.

If Stafford keeps playing. That’s the real qualifier after Sunday’s hit, a metaphorical one that had him and the Rams staring up at what could have been.

SAN DIEGO — Brooks Koepka didn’t have much of a plan when he first decided he wanted to leave LIV Golf and get out of his contract with the Saudi Arabian-based league late last fall.

It had nothing to do with the state of the golf world or anything else that’s come up during the tumultuous civil war of sorts within the sport in recent years. Koepka, after a difficult several months dealing with some issues within his family, knew he was done. He just wanted out.

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“I did not know [what would happen],” Koepka said Tuesday from Torrey Pines Golf Course in San Diego.

“I knew I wanted to come out and see how things would fall. I did not know that I was going to be coming back this quickly. … I’m happy that it was this quick, but I was prepared for whatever they were going to ask or they were going to tell me.”

Now, just a few weeks after his split from LIV became official, Koepka is making his first PGA Tour stop this week at the Farmers Insurance Open. It marks his first Tour event outside majors in nearly four years.

There are a number of golf-related reasons he could have cited for wanting to make the jump back from LIV Golf. But Koepka’s logic was simple. It all tied back to his family, something he, clearly emotional and a bit nervous, brought up repeatedly on Tuesday.

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Though Koepka didn’t go into details, his wife, Jena Sims, shared in October that she had suffered a miscarriage. Pretty quickly, Koepka said, “circumstances kind of changed” in his family last fall.

“I’ve grown up a lot over the last few years, and especially the last few months,” he said. “Just being able to be close to them is super important to me.”

Sims and Koepka’s 2-year-old son, Crew, will be out at Torrey Pines this week. And, with the bulk of the Tour’s schedule taking place in the United States, they’ll be able to be around more often than they have been in recent years. LIV’s schedule this season, by comparison, will make stops in Saudi Arabia, Australia, Hong Kong, Singapore, South Africa and Mexico City before it even makes it to the United States in May.

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Looking back on his time with LIV Golf, being closer with them is what he’s missed the most.

“I think the ability to have my family out all the time. I think that was one thing because they didn’t travel too much over the last few years,” he said. “But like, they’re going to be out this week, so I am super excited to be able to have them out.”

Once he was released from the final year of his LIV Golf deal in December, Koepka picked up the phone and immediately called Tiger Woods. With no plan in place for what was next, he felt that was a good place to start.

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“I felt like Tiger was somebody that I’ve relied on in the past for questions and answers and how to deal with things,” Koepka said. “And I felt like that was maybe the most comfortable call for me.”

That pretty quickly set a plan in motion. Koepka eventually met with new PGA Tour CEO Brian Rolapp, a man he had no relationship with previously, and the Tour’s new “Returning Member’s Program” was born.

Koepka accepted the conditions of that deal earlier this month, which allowed him to officially make his return. The deal included significant financial penalties — the Tour estimates he could miss out on up to $85 million in potential earnings — a required $5 million charitable donation and limits on where he can play this season. Koepka will have to earn his way into the Tour’s elevated events, for example.

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Though he’s a nine-time Tour winner with five major titles to his name and a former top-ranked golfer in the world, the now 35-year-old Koepka is essentially starting from scratch. Because LIV events don’t count toward world ranking points, Koepka has fallen to 255th in the world. That, he said, is “the fun part” of all of this.

“I guess it’s a fresh start for me, which is cool. It’s just another chapter, I guess, in my book,” he said. “I feel like my game’s in pretty good shape and I want to see where it’s at.”

Koepka was nervous when he showed up to the course on Monday. It was chaotic and felt like a “whirlwind,” with players, caddies and other Tour staff coming up to him constantly to chat. He said the initial reception was largely positive, too.

While the tough part is now out of the way — Koepka admitted that his media stop on Tuesday was one of the things he was most anxious about — the nerves won’t go away completely until he actually tees off for the first time on Thursday.

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Once that’s been accomplished, Koepka can start to actually move forward. A win, or even a solid week at Torrey Pines, would be nice. But the finish itself isn’t the priority.

Koepka really wants to just get his second Tour debut out of the way and get back to doing what he does best.

“Would just like to get this week over and just feel like I can start playing golf again,” Koepka said. “I’m super excited.”

Coming out of the AFC championship game Sunday, there are questions about the health of New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye as Super Bowl LX approaches.

When asked about Maye’s status by reporters, head coach Mike Vrabel did his best Matrix impression the way he dodged questions about Maye suffering a right shoulder injury during the title game.

“No, I wouldn’t say that anybody hurt anything… Everybody, including Drake, is not 100%.”

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Speculation has been circulating that Maye might have injured his right shoulder during a scrambling play in the third quarter of Sunday’s game. Vrabel didn’t make anything of it publicly, although Maye did mention bumps and bruises after the game.

[Get more Patriots news: New England team feed]

While it doesn’t sound like anything major, this will be something to keep an eye on as we get closer to the game. Maye has been durable, starting in all 17 games for the Patriots this season along with three playoff games to get to Super Bowl LX.

New England will be looking to cap off a resurrection campaign by winning the franchise’s seventh Vince Lombardi trophy. That would make the Patriots the leader among all NFL teams, breaking the current tie with the Pittsburgh Steelers.

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The Patriots finished 4-13 in each of the previous two seasons. In Vrabel’s first year leading the team he spent eight of his 14 NFL seasons with, the Patriots are back in the Super Bowl. New England flipped the script this year, winning 14 games and claiming the No. 2 seed in the AFC, then traveled to Denver in the title game and beat the top-seeded Broncos.

If Maye and Co. can beat the Seattle Seahawks in Super Bowl LX, they’ll have pulled off one of the most improbable turnarounds the NFL has ever seen.

Seattle and New England will do battle in Super Bowl LX on Sunday, Feb. 8, kicking off at 6:30 p.m. ET, from Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California.