The 2025 fantasy football season has come and gone, but the offseason is just beginning. Fantasy analyst Joel Smyth will go over the potential TE moves in free agency that will drastically shift the fantasy outlook for 2026. Which tight ends can land in new and improved spots, and which teams are primed to bring in a new player?
Early look at 2026 free agency
Most Likely Teams to Sign a Free Agent TE
1. Denver Broncos
The Evan Engram experience didn’t pan out as expected for Sean Payton and the Denver offense. The Broncos TE ranked bottom-five in yards per target and will be 32 entering the second season of his two-year contract. The opening is still very desirable for an offense that led the NFL in passing attempts this season, especially when it is not close to a historical outlier when compared to past Payton teams. Without a dominant receiver core, the ceiling potential is sky high.
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2. Washington Commanders
Jayden Daniels’ sophomore season was a rough one in the shortened time he was on the field. With 35-year-old Zach Ertz as a free agent and second-year TE Ben Sinnott lacking production in the receiving game, the Commanders could be an interesting spot for a free agent TE. The TD upside with Daniels under center proved well for an aging Ertz, and can give plenty of upside to an incoming player.
3. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
With Cade Otton as an unrestricted free agent, Tampa Bay may look to upgrade under a new offensive coordinator. With such a deep WR core, the Buccaneers TE room has been limited when the Tampa Bay receivers are healthy. In a strong Buccaneers offense, a talented TE can be relevant in fantasy even with potentially lower volume.
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4. Miami Dolphins
New Dolphins head coach Jeff Hafley has yet to find his offensive play-caller in Miami, but a new style can bring more volume to the position. Even veteran TE Darren Waller found the majority of his success lined up out wide as a true receiver this past regular season. It may not be the most attractive landing spot, yet volume could outweigh the negatives.
TEs Who Are Best Where They Are
Kyle Pitts Sr., Falcons
We saw Kyle Pitts Sr. shine in key moments this season, after having an up-and-down career. Even upon Drake London’s return from injury, Pitts’ chemistry and production late in the season with Kirk Cousins is enough for me to believe Atlanta is the best location for him with new coaching entering the scene.
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The quarterback situation is up in the air, but Kevin Stefanski’s history with TEs, especially when considering the quarterback play (or lack thereof), would be a great sign if Pitts were to re-sign with the Falcons. Browns rookie Harold Fannin Jr. averaged 9.4 fantasy PPG to give Stefanski his fourth straight TE1, peaking in 2024 with David Njoku’s TE4 season.
Travis Kelce, Chiefs
If Kelce were to return for the 2026 season, it would be a huge risk to leave Andy Reid and Patrick Mahomes. Leaving what has worked and resulted in a Hall of Fame career and consistent production at age 36 would likely lead to a further decline. The return of Eric Bieniemy to replace OC Matt Nagy is a plus in my eyes as well.
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Dallas Goedert, Eagles
Would leaving Philly give Dallas Goedert a slightly better chance at a top-three ceiling? Maybe. The risk, however, would be very high. Goedert has an incredible floor in a powerhouse offense, producing TE1 numbers for six consecutive seasons. The gadget plays at the goal line may vanish with OC Kevin Patullo out of the picture, but the production elsewhere has a better chance of returning with a new play-caller coming to town.
Jake Tonges, 49ers
If George Kittle didn’t go down with an injury in the Wild Card round, this would be a different story. Achilles injuries this late into the season usually lead to missed time the following year and a slow ramp-up upon return. In the last five games without Kittle, Tonges averaged 11.9 half-PPR PPG.
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TEs Who Are Better Off Elsewhere
Isaiah Likely
For years, dynasty managers waited for Mark Andrews to leave and Isaiah Likely to take over. Andrews signed an extension, and that dream is lost. Likely has shown he can be a fantasy TE1 at times, and can have that chance next season if he were to leave Baltimore. I would love to see Likely in Washington, where he can use his size in the red zone to have a breakout season. Daniels ranks seventh among QBs in red zone TDs per attempt since entering the league, while Likely ranks ninth in TDs per target over that span.
David Njoku
With the rise of Fannin in Cleveland, David Njoku will be best off elsewhere in 2026. The Browns TE has finished top-eight in three straight seasons before falling off in 2025. As a dominant red zone threat, Njoku’s landing spot as part of a high-scoring offense is crucial. Since 2022, Njoku ranks first in end zone targets per game, leading to his low-end TE1 numbers in a poor offense.
The second half is when NBA front offices start making “business decisions.” Here are five players I’m worried about in fantasy basketball as their teams race to the bottom for the 2026 draft.
Trae Young, Washington Wizards
Young’s not getting re-evaluated until after the All-Star break. The Wizards are at 10 wins and are getting more reps for second-year PG Bub Carrington while Trae is out. At this point, prioritizing the development of the young core of Kyshawn George, Bilal Coulibaly, Tre Johnson and Alex Sarr is paramount. But just as vital is securing that top-eight protected pick. To do that, they need to finish with at least the fourth-worst record at the end of the season. As of Wednesday, they’re right on track, which reduces the need to rush Young back.
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Before the trade, Trae was averaging 19.3 and 8.9 — decent, but nothing like peak Trae. Even if he comes back, you’re looking at rest games every other week and mysterious “soreness” whenever they hit a back-to-back. Washington’s got no reason to play him deep into the season. Love the ceiling, hate everything else about this situation, though. I’d try to sell whenever he makes it back to the court.
Pascal Siakam, Indiana Pacers
The Pacers are also stuck at 10 wins through Wednesday. Without Tyrese Haliburton, Siakam’s putting up 23.8 points, 7.0 boards, 4.0 assists and 1.2 steals per game. Over his last 10 games, though, he’s giving fantasy managers a reason to sell-high, bumping those numbers up to 25/8/5. The unfortunate news is that Siakam is 31, playing for a team that is firmly playing for more lottery balls.
Bennedict Mathurin’s probably getting moved; the Pacers lost center Myles Turner over the summer, so Mathurin and Andrew Nembhard are the main guys left to make this team remotely competitive. Playing Siakam heavy minutes late into March does nothing for Indiana except risk injury to one of their building blocks in a lost year. I’d get out of the Siakam business before the unofficial official injury antics begin.
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Michael Porter Jr., Brooklyn Nets
MPJ morphed into a legitimate All-Star, with 25.7 points, 7.4 boards, 3.2 assists, 3.8 3s and 1.1 steals per game, all career bests. Brooklyn says it wants to keep him long-term. Cool. It’s also near the basement, trying to lose. Porter is one of the most sought-after sharpshooters ahead of February’s trade deadline and Brooklyn would be foolish not to consider trading him at his peak value.
A trade to a potential contender would likely hurt his volume and production. Then again, staying with Brooklyn until the end of this year also runs the risk of him getting shut down as we get closer to April. Don’t be surprised when the random rest days start popping up. As good as MPJ has been, there are valid reasons to be wary of his rest-of-season outlook.
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Zion Williamson, New Orleans Pelicans
The last thing New Orleans should be doing is tanking. It’s going to lose its top pick to Atlanta via the Derik Queen trade unless it makes the playoffs. Well, with 10 wins as of Jan. 22, it’s not happening. The Pelicans shut down Zion last March, so what makes you think they won’t do it again? Zion’s averaging a respectable 21/6/3 on 58% shooting. A good fantasy player in points leagues and solid in 9-cat with the right build. But between his soft tissue injuries, illnesses, off-the-court distractions and the Pelicans’ sorry record, no fantasy manager can trust him to play meaningful basketball by the fantasy playoffs if he remains with New Orleans.
It is what it is, and after leaving Wednesday’s game with an illness, I’d use his next blow-up game to send out trade offers.
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Jusuf Nurkić, Utah Jazz
The weirdest situation on this list. And when talking about the Jazz, most probably assumed I’d lead with Lauri Markkanen. But nope, it’s Nurk. He’s been surprisingly good this year — double-doubles, elite passing for a big man; the whole deal. But those random DNPs, however, are not great. Utah’s sitting at 15-29, and according to ESPN’s Kevin Pelton, his $19 million expiring contract likely won’t be moved, potentially putting him in the buyout market. That means either riding the pine somewhere else or watching Utah play its young guys over him. Pick your poison.
There’s been no indication that the Jazz want to move any of their core, so expecting them to play a 31-year-old veteran free-agent-to-be deep into the season feels like wishful thinking.
The Los Angeles Lakers returned to notoriety when the team signed superstar LeBron James in free agency ahead of the 2018-19 NBA season. While that partnership turned out well initially — with James leading the team to a championship in his second season — Lakers owner Jeanie Buss reportedly began to sour on James, per ESPN’s Baxter Holmes.
That tidbit was revealed as part of a much larger piece on the Buss’ family drama and how it led to the team being sold to Mark Walter. While there are plenty of juicy revelations in the article, Buss’ relationship with James will likely draw the most attention.
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Buss’ opinion of James reportedly started to change after the Lakers traded for Russell Westbrook in 2021. The move, which the team made to make James happy, backfired. Westbook’s fit on the Lakers was awkward, and the team failed to make the playoffs after acquiring the veteran. Buss reportedly was frustrated with the way James washed his hands of the deal and blamed others after it failed, per ESPN.
Buss reportedly even considered trading James at one point — with the Los Angeles Clippers being the most likely destination. That didn’t happen, and James inserted a no-trade clause into his 2024 extension, making a deal impossible now unless James approves it.
The relationship further soured after the Lakers drafted James’ son, Bronny, in the second round of the 2024 NBA Draft. Buss reportedly felt LeBron should have been more grateful the team picked his son in the draft, per ESPN.
“And when the Lakers drafted James’ son, Bronny, with the 55th pick in the 2024 draft, Jeanie privately remarked that James should be grateful for such a gesture, but she felt that he wasn’t, people close to the team told ESPN.”
Bronny, 21, has been used in a reserve role in the NBA. He’s averaged 1.9 points in 51 career games.
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Buss released a statement to The Athletic refuting the claim about James, saying: “It’s really not right, given all the great things LeBron has done for the Lakers, that he has to be pulled into my family drama. To say that it wasn’t appreciated is just not true and completely unfair to him.”
But if the report is true, Buss and James could be heading for a clean break in the offseason. James’ contract is up at the end of the season, allowing the 41-year-old to easily leave the team in the offseason. James has still performed well this season and has helped the Lakers to a 26-16 start. If he wants to keep playing, James could almost certainly find a job with another franchise.
But it’s unclear whether James will do that. The 23-year veteran has not addressed his future in the NBA past the 2025-26 season.
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If James does come back for one more year, it’s possible he once again considers the Lakers. But if Wednesday’s report is accurate, James’ return to Los Angeles could be dependent on whether Buss, who remains the team’s governor and minority owner, can still co-exist with the superstar.
As soon as Jimmy Butler crumpled to the floor against the Miami Heat on Monday, Warriors center Quinten Post knew it wasn’t good. Butler screeched in pain holding his right knee, while Post, just a few inches away, stood in fear grabbing the back of his head with both hands.
When Butler went down, so too did the Warriors’ chances of making a deep run this season. That’s the cruel thing about it all. The Warriors had emerged as a legitimate West threat. With a three-point lead at the time of Butler’s injury, the Warriors were on their way to their 12th win in 16 games, having established themselves as a top-five defense with a still-incandescent Stephen Curry powering the attack.
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Twenty-four hours later, the wound left by Butler’s absence was gashed wide open. The Warriors gave up 145 points to the visiting Toronto Raptors, the most the Warriors had surrendered in a non-overtime game in over 15 seasons. Reeling from Butler’s injury on the second night of a back-to-back, they couldn’t stop the bleeding.
If there is a silver lining to the Butler torn ACL, it is the calendar. There is no opportune time to tear an ACL, certainly not at Butler’s age (36), but the Warriors have some time before the Feb. 5 trade deadline to figure out what’s next.
(Hayden Hodge/Yahoo Sports Illustration)
At 37, Curry has turned back the clock, improving his scoring average to 27.1 points per game, the most he’s registered since the 2022-23 season. He is now the oldest player to ever average 27 points per game, per Stathead.com tracking. Scoring this much at this age is not something LeBron, KD, MJ or Kobe has ever done. To put it in perspective, Ray Allen, to whom Curry was often compared to earlier in his career, never averaged 27 points per game, period.
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Which is why the Warriors have a tough decision ahead of them. Do they maximize Curry’s title window or preserve the post-Curry war chest?
Here are three pathways for the Warriors in the aftermath of Butler’s injury.
Path 1: Wait for Butler to come back
The Jimmy Butler trade last year had its doubters, but you can’t deny he changed the Warriors’ trajectory. Over the last two seasons, with Butler in the lineup, the Warriors are 44-16, which translates to a 55-win pace over 82 games. Without Butler in the lineup, the Warriors are 3-6, which … not good.
For Warriors owner Joe Lacob and general manager Mike Dunleavy Jr., the Curry-Butler-Draymond Green trio is worth clinging to, at least in theory. Butler’s contract owes him $54 million this season and $57.1 million next season, and there was always a downside that, for all of Butler’s talents, things could go poorly. Trading for a 35-year-old with hard miles on the tires always comes with risk, even for someone as competitive and fiery as Butler.
But the research of Jeff Stotts of InStreetClothes.com can’t be ignored. Since Stotts has meticulously kept tabs on NBA injuries since the 2005-06 season, no player has ever come back from an ACL injury at Butler’s age. At 36, Butler is the second-oldest player to have suffered the injury, behind only Chris “Birdman” Andersen, who tore his ACL in December 2016 at 38 years old. Andersen never played again.
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There is reason for optimism, though. Andersen was never the caliber of player that Butler is. When Andersen tore his ACL, he was playing on a one-year commitment signed for the veteran’s minimum. Without a contract in hand, it’s understandable why Andersen hung it up for good. Butler, on the other hand, has the opportunity to come back to a team led by Curry and Green for one last hurrah. Notably, all three players are on expiring deals next season.
Dunleavy has made sure to keep the powder keg dry. The only pick the Warriors owe is a top-20 protected 2030 pick to Washington as part of the Chris Paul trade that will simply convert to a second-round pick if it doesn’t convey. For his part, Dunleavy has said he plans on Butler coming back to the Warriors next season.
Dunleavy’s unwillingness to trade first-round picks down the road is a signal that he wants to maintain long-term sustainability rather than go all in for the twilight of Curry’s career. You can read it that way. But there may be another way to view it.
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Path 2: Trade for another star now
An alternate interpretation of the Warriors’ stingy handling of first-round picks: They need them for one last big swing. The Butler contract, with one more year left after this season, could be appealing if another team needs to pivot away from a star player and wants to offload long-term money. Luckily for the Warriors, there are a few options here.
Let’s run through a couple.
The Anthony Davis trade (and Klay reunion)
Warriors receive: Anthony Davis, Klay Thompson, Dante Exum
Mavericks receive: Jimmy Butler, Jonathan Kuminga and a top-four protected 2028 first-round pick from Golden State
Nets receive: D’Angelo Russell and a lottery-protected 2026 first-round pick from Golden State
Is it risky for Golden State? Yes. Is it sentimental? Sure. Is it a bad idea? I don’t think so. Keeping Butler for the next two seasons may be the easiest but also the worst option on the table. You have to do right by Curry. If he wants to keep contending at the highest level in Golden State, this is a no-brainer.
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Especially since Davis and Curry have a relationship already. Davis, Curry and coach Steve Kerr won gold together at the 2024 Paris Olympics, so it’s not like this would be the first time they’ve come together to win it all.
It needs to be pointed out that Davis is out for at least another month with a hand injury. While that timetable is not ideal, one month is way better than the potential 12-month layoff for Butler at the same salary. At 32 years old, Davis is hardly the most reliable star from a player health standpoint, but at least the finger injury won’t affect his wheels. The same can’t be said for Butler upon his return.
Like Butler, Davis would be a floor-raiser star for the Warriors, who are operating on a much different timeline than Dallas now that the Mavs have Cooper Flagg. Davis has a $62.8 million player option for 2027-28, which may not be palatable for Dallas. In Golden State, with Curry still playing at a high level, that might be the price of maximizing Curry’s pursuit for a fifth championship.
The Davis acquisition would also help keep Green fresher since neither of them wants to play the 5 full time and they can share the burden of the center position. With Davis occupying the block, a floor-spacing wing like Thompson becomes even more essential. His emotional return would be icing on the cake both in nostalgia and need. With deals all expiring in 2026-27, I could see Curry, Green and Thompson taking below-market deals to keep it going.
On the Dallas side, the Mavs free themselves of Davis’ monster player option in 2027-28 and take a low-commitment chance on Kuminga, who is still 23 years old. Butler’s expiring contract could be flipped again at next year’s deadline to a contender with draft assets. In the meantime, Butler and Kyrie Irving could both rehab from their respective ACL tears. Without control over their first-round picks from 2027-30, the time for Dallas’ ping-pong prioritization is now.
To facilitate the deal, the Nets receive D’Angelo Russell for a third time. Because why not. They could either waive him or keep him for yet another go-round on the Russell carousel. For their services, the Warriors would send a heavily protected first-round pick.
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The Zion Williamson and Trey Murphy III trade (and Kevon Looney reunion)
Warriors receive: Zion Williamson, Trey Murphy III and Kevon Looney
Pelicans receive: Jimmy Butler, Jonathan Kuminga, two first-round picks (2026 and 2032) and a 2027 first-round pick swap
Nets receive: Jordan Hawkins and a 2028 top-20 protected pick
Dunleavy told reporters Tuesday he wouldn’t be looking to trade a post-Steph first-round pick unless he was getting a big-time player in return.
“If we’re talking about trading draft picks that will be going out when Steph isn’t here, it’s going to have to be a player that we think we’ll be getting back that is going to be here when those picks are going out,” Dunleavy said. “That player’s going to have to be pretty impactful. It would take a good amount — positionally, play style, archetype, all that. I would leave it pretty broad and open.
“But if there’s a great player to be had, we’ve got everything in the war chest that we would be willing to use.”
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Do Zion Williamson or Trey Murphy III qualify? Maybe not individually. But if you’re getting both? Absolutely.
According to Chris Haynes, the Pelicans are not trading their core group, but goodness gracious, the Zion Williamson experience has run its course in New Orleans. The team has lost 14 of its last 16 games with Williamson in uniform (he left Wednesday’s game early with an illness). The only wins have come against … Brooklyn and Washington. It’s way past time to blow it up and move on from the former No. 1 overall pick now that he’s healthy and easier to trade.
Williamson and Murphy are both 25 years old and too talented to be floundering on a team clearly building around rookies Jeremiah Fears and Derik Queen. Insert Zion and TM3 in the Warriors’ championship culture and it wouldn’t surprise me at all to see them blossom into winning contributors on a playoff team. As a bonus, they’re young enough to be the bridge to the post-Steph era and experienced enough to be win-now players.
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Of course, like Davis, Williamson is an injury wild card. Taking on a talent like Williamson would be a bet on Warriors director of sports medicine and performance Rick Celebrini to get Williamson back on track and keep him there. It’s a risk, but would you rather have Butler’s lost salary and Kuminga or the upside of Williamson and Murphy? I know what I would choose. And Kevon Looney coming back to the Bay? Imagine that standing ovation.
As for the Pelicans, they can use the Warriors’ unprotected 2026 pick as a soft landing from the fallout of trading its 2026 “super first” pick to Atlanta that has Milwaukee swap rights. As of now, the Pelicans have no first-round pick in the 2026 draft; the Warriors can change that. While they unload two lob threats for Queen, they acquire one in Kuminga, who is younger, similarly athletic and needs a fresh start.
Path 3: Revisit this offseason
Butler’s contract seems like an albatross now, with over $100 million combined coming to him this season and next. But as soon as the NBA fiscal calendar turns this offseason, Butler’s expiring contract could become a lot more appealing to teams looking to cleanse their long-term cap sheet.
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Would Utah want to move Lauri Markkanen’s long-term deal? What about Cleveland and Evan Mobley if they flame out again? What about Giannis? Those questions may get a hard “no” now, but that calculus could change over the summer. Especially if Kuminga balls out the rest of the season.
While it seems like the Warriors caught a break by having this injury happen now rather than after the deadline, two weeks may be too quick for a Butler market to materialize. There are so many unknowables right now. I would be shocked if Butler hung it up for good like Andersen, especially since he vowed on Instagram to “be back before you know it.”
Questions will be surrounding him for the foreseeable future. How’s his rehab going? Will he be back in time for the 2026-27 deadline? Will he be back at all for next season?
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These are questions that don’t have answers now. But this summer, a return-to-play program will come into focus and help teams chart their future. Any team looking to play Butler next season or flip him to a contender will want to know his plan and status for next season as soon as possible. In that sense, two weeks doesn’t seem like a lot of time at all.
If they take this path, the Warriors could look at the rest of the 2025-26 season as something of a reset. Don’t run Curry and Green into the ground and keep an eye for the future. If it ends up delivering more ping-pong balls on draft night, so be it.
Another thing: if the Warriors go all in now, the 2026 first-round pick becomes less attractive to teams. As I mentioned earlier and outlined on the Big Number on Wednesday, the Warriors are 3-6 without Butler in uniform since they acquired him at last year’s trade deadline. If they continue at a similar pace, they could end up with a lottery pick. Any trade talks involving absorbing Butler’s contract will become that much sweeter if it’s a known lottery pick as opposed to a late first-rounder.
With that said, of all the options outlined here, I’m pushing hard for Path 2. Stephen Curry is the principal reason the Warriors currently rank as the most valuable franchise in the sport. They have to do right by him and go for it while he’s still (inexplicably) an All-NBA player. If I’m the front office, I’d call up Pelicans president of basketball operations Joe Dumars and go for the Pelicans move as a top priority now. If talks don’t result in a move now, it could happen later. Sometimes the trade deadline is just setting the stage for summer fireworks. Stay tuned.
It’s going to be another fascinating offseason for Miami Dolphins wideout Tyreek Hill. After implying he wanted out last season, Hill stuck with the Dolphins and turned in a disappointing season before sustaining a brutal leg injury in Week 4.
All of those factors — combined with the team’s hiring of Jeff Hafley as head coach following the firing of Mike McDaniel — add some major question marks to Hill’s future with the franchise.
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If Hill is leaving the team in the offseason, he may have tipped his hand on a potential landing spot. Hill cryptically decided to comment after his former team, the Kansas City Chiefs, brought back Eric Bieniemy as their offensive coordinator.
Hill didn’t say much about the move, merely noting it on Twitter before adding “hm.”
It’s obviously foolish to read into a vague tweet, but Hill’s relationship with both the Chiefs and Bieniemy adds a different level to the situation. Hill experienced his best years in the NFL under Bieniemy. From 2018-21, Hill averaged 85.8 catches per year, with 1,213.5 receiving yards and 10.8 touchdowns.
Bieniemy stuck around with the Chiefs for one more year before leaving to join the Commanders. The team struggled to put up points, and Bieniemy was let go after Ron Rivera was fired in the offseason. Bieniemy spent 2024 as UCLA’s offensive coordinator and then became the running backs coach with the Chicago Bears in 2025.
The Bears employed one of the best running games in the league, leading to Bieniemy’s reunion with the Chiefs.
While Hill’s tweet suggests he’s interested in Bieniemy going back to the Chiefs, a lot would have to happen in order for Hill to reunite with his old franchise. Hill is still under contract with the Dolphins for 2026, though the team does have an easy out from his contract this offseason. Even if that happens, Hill is coming back from a gruesome injury. It’s unclear whether he’ll be healthy enough to sign with any team in the offseason should he become available.
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Additionally, Hill could just be trolling. On Wednesday, he sent the exact same tweet about Mike McDaniel landing with the Los Angeles Chargers as offensive coordinator. Does that mean Hill wants to join McDaniel? Or is Hill simply trying to drum up some attention on social media?
Regardless of his motives, Hill is a player worth watching this offseason. Given his ability, Hill could still have an elite season or two left in him before regression hits. The injury complicates things, but he could be an impact acquisition if the Dolphins decide to cut bait on the five-time All-Pro this offseason.
The Chiefs are in need of a field-stretching wideout, so there’s a natural fit there if Hill is actually interested in playing for Bieniemy again.
The Chicago Bears have struggled with stability at the quarterback position and at head coach for what feels like forever. But with Caleb Williams and Ben Johnson in place for the foreseeable future, the Bears are on an upward trajectory.
Chicago defeated one of its division rivals in the Green Bay Packers in the playoffs and nearly upset the Los Angeles Rams in the divisional round to reach the NFC title game for the first time since 2010.
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The 2025 Bears finished this season ranked sixth in yards per game (369.2) and ninth in points per game (25.9). That was a huge improvement from 2024, when Chicago was dead last in yards per game and toward the bottom in points. Matt Harmon and Scott Pianowski discussed the possibility of regression for the Bears offense in 2026 on a recent episode of the Yahoo Fantasy Forecast.
Pianowski believes the pieces are in place for the Bears to have continued success but the NFC North division remains a gauntlet to traverse each season. If anything will hold back Chicago, its the competitiveness in the North.
Harmon compares the Bears to the 2024 Commanders, who regressed big time this season in Jayden Daniels’ second year. The differences is that the Bears are loaded with young offensive talent in TE Colston Loveland, and WRs Rome Odunze and Luther Burden III, plus RB Kyle Monangai.
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Harmon also points to all the fourth-quarter heroics that were needed to lift the Bears to an 11-6 record and the division title. While Chicago would be ripe for regression given all the comeback wins, Williams’ volatility also allows for growth and improvement. And that is also true for all of the young talent on offense for the Bears.
Williams, 24, finished his second NFL season just shy of 4,000 passing yards with 27 touchdowns and seven interceptions in 17 games. He led the NFL with six fourth-quarter comebacks and added one in the playoffs.
Odunze looked like he was on track for a breakout second campaign but injuries derailed his season. He finished with 44 catches for 661 yards and six touchdowns in 12 games.
Loveland, a first-round pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, showed the most promise of any young Bears pass-catcher with 58 receptions for 713 yards and six touchdowns. He really didn’t start seeing significant snaps until around midseason.
Yahoo analyst Justin Boone has plenty of Bears players riddled throughout his top-150 rankings of players for 2026 fantasy football drafts. See where they land here.
PHILADELPHIA — The long line of soccer coaches and admirers seeking to meet the featured speaker last Thursday snaked along a wall of the large meeting room before bending toward a small stage.
For some 40 minutes, Roberto Martínez greeted them with a handshake, smile and small talk, never showing a hint of impatience or irritation. Portugal’s charming national team boss had just completed an hour-long discussion at the United Soccer Coaches Convention, sharing his personal story and answering questions about Cristiano Ronaldo, the fast-approaching World Cup, tactical options and the sport at large.
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With participants in the next scheduled session beginning to arrive, including former U.S. players Heather O’Reilly and Lori Lindsey, organizers marked the end of the line. By then, though, Martínez had engaged with almost everyone.
“Earlier, I saw him upstairs buying coffee for people he’d probably just met,” Lindsey said.
Less than five months before the World Cup — and 10 weeks before a friendly against the U.S. in Atlanta — the 52-year-old Spaniard was a popular figure at a four-day event billed as the “world’s largest annual gathering of soccer coaches.”
Most of the some 10,000 conventioneers are youth and college coaches, plus administrators and product exhibitors, from across America.
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Martínez marveled at the enormity of it all and the intensity of engagement in U.S. soccer circles.
“The main impression I got is the sheer potential of USA soccer,” he said in an interview, bookended by additional appointments. “When you look at the numbers and how they affect so many players, when you look at the passion that exists and the culture behind it, you can understand that soccer, without being the No. 1 sport in the U.S., is quite scary.”
(Grant Thomas/Yahoo Sports illustration)
(Grant Thomas/Yahoo Sports illustration)
Martínez accepted the invitation to not only impart wisdom but to gain a better understanding of the landscape before the World Cup. He and longtime assistant Richard Evans continued gathering information about travel logistics, time differences, weather impact and many other factors.
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Ranked No. 6 by FIFA and boasting an absurd array of talent, Portugal will arrive with high expectations after winning the UEFA Nations League last summer. Two Group K matches in Houston — against an intercontinental playoff winner and Uzbekistan — will precede a showdown with Colombia in greater Miami.
Before arriving stateside five days before his June 17 opener, Martínez said he doesn’t want to leave anything to chance.
“It’s such a complex World Cup compared to the last one; Qatar was the complete opposite in terms of everything was very centralized,” he said. The 2022 tournament in pint-sized Qatar was Martínez’s second World Cup in charge of Belgium, which failed to get out of the group stage after advancing to the semifinals and finishing third in Russia four years prior.
“I don’t want to be finding too many surprises during the competition,” which will take place at 16 venues in the U.S., Mexico and Canada, he said. “I want to manage the unexpected as much as I can, but it is the complexity of three countries, huge distances and logistics. You’re trying to avoid uncertainty — or kill uncertainty — that the players and the team could have in a journey like a World Cup.”
Portugal’s Spanish coach Roberto Martinez gestures during the 2026 World Cup qualifiers Europe zone group F football match between Portugal and Armenia, at Dragao stadium in Porto on November 16, 2025. (Photo by Miguel RIOPA / AFP) (Photo by MIGUEL RIOPA/AFP via Getty Images)
(MIGUEL RIOPA via Getty Images)
Portugal plans to set up base camp in the Miami area, even though the first two games are in Houston. It didn’t make sense to acclimate in Texas, Martínez noted, because NRG Stadium is indoors. By advancing to the knockout stage with a first- or second-place finish, Portugal would play in the Round of 32 in Kansas City, Missouri, or Toronto. Another victory would send it to an indoor venue in Vancouver or Arlington, Texas.
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To help prepare for the World Cup, Martínez drew from his experiences last summer following the FIFA Club World Cup around the United States.
Martínez will use the March international window to further preparations with a March 28 friendly against Mexico at Estadio Azteca in Mexico City and a March 31 clash with the United States at Atlanta’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium. (Both are World Cup venues.)
“We are training at sea level [in Playa del Carmen, Mexico] and playing at high altitude [in Mexico City], which will allow us to have a lot of information of our performance in those conditions,” he said. “Then going to Atlanta in a closed stadium to match a little bit of what we’re going to experience” at the World Cup in Houston.
With the players facing up to 50 days on World Cup assignment, Martínez opted to use the March window for intensive work overseas. After at least a week off in May, Portugal will play two home friendlies before traveling to the U.S.
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“The [club] season is so long for the players that you need to reduce to a minimum the preparation to the World Cup before the World Cup,” he said. “So you need to use as much time as you can at home to prepare. Priority No. 1 is: How can we kill mental fatigue for the players before a World Cup?”
Martínez is no stranger on the U.S. scene, which partially explained his popularity at the convention. He was an ESPN studio analyst on location at the 2010 and 2014 World Cup and 2012 and 2016 European Championship.
Martínez said he accepted ESPN’s 2010 offer in part to prepare himself for coaching in a World Cup someday. At the time, he was coaching Wigan in the Premier League.
“The season is so intense you have no time to look how you could prepare to be an international coach,” he said. “So my idea was [to] do it when I’m on holiday to follow a World Cup, to be part of the [ESPN] group of breaking the game down, but internally, to prepare myself to see how the national teams would prepare for the World Cup.”
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He spent another summer with his Scottish wife Beth in Connecticut near ESPN headquarters to analyze the FIFA Confederations Cup. He has also assisted CBS Sports’ coverage of the UEFA Champions League.
He loved doing TV, saying during his Philadelphia seminar, “This is so easy, isn’t it? You look at what went wrong and you say what could have gone right? The problems when you are the coach, you have to guess before it happens. That’s the hardest thing, but to be on TV and talking about it is the easiest job in the world.”
MUNICH, GERMANY – JUNE 08: Cristiano Ronaldo of Portugal celebrates victory with Roberto Martinez, Manager of Portugal, following the UEFA Nations League 2025 final match between Portugal and Spain at Munich Football Arena on June 08, 2025 in Munich, Germany. (Photo by Stefan Matzke – sampics/Getty Images)
(Stefan Matzke – sampics via Getty Images)
He’ll embrace the hard part this summer with Portugal, which has not advanced past the World Cup quarterfinals since finishing fourth in 2006 in Germany. He has a wealth of talent, featuring Ronaldo, Bruce Fernandes, Vitinha, Bernardo Silva, Rafael Leão, Nuno Mendes and Rúben Dias, among others.
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The chemistry, though, needs to be just right.
“You don’t pick the best 26 players,” he cautioned at the seminar. “You pick the best 26 members that make the best team, which is a concept difficult to understand. If you’ve got a player that plays every minute and is the star of their [club] team and he comes to a national team and he can only play five or six minutes [as] a supportive player, it’s a completely different role. It’s very, very difficult to have a committed player in that role.”
Martínez says there are no such commitment issues from Ronaldo, who in 2022 clashed with then-coach Fernando Santos and lost his starting job at a major tournament for the first time in 14 years.
Ahead of his 41st birthday next month and his sixth World Cup, the legendary forward has “the passion and the hunger of a 16 years old,” Martínez said. “Every day is an opportunity for him to become better. It’s very difficult, after winning, to get up the next day with the same conviction. That’s what makes him different. I don’t know if it’s genetics or the habits he has created or a bit of both, but it’s a real example that is very rare.”
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While Ronaldo remains a key figure, Martínez said selecting a starting lineup is not the same these days.
“We don’t work anymore with starting elevens,” he said. “This is something from the past. Now you’ve got five substitutions [instead of three]. If you only coach the first 11, you’re going to miss a big part of the preparation. … Some players will start; some players will finish the game. … There are no substitutes; there are game-changers.”
Since taking the Portuguese helm three years ago, Martínez has forged a 25-5-6 record. The 2024 European Championship ended with a shootout loss to France in the quarterfinals. A year later in the Nations League finals, Portugal defeated Germany in Munich and outlasted Spain in a championship shootout.
Now comes the World Cup, which has swelled from 32 to 48 teams — an expansion criticized by many but embraced by Martínez.
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“A World Cup should be for everybody — the more teams, the better,” he said. However, he suggests a future format change that would reward the group winner with one fewer match in the knockout stage.
The tournament will unfold largely in a country with which he has grown familiar. Might he someday want to coach in the U.S.?
“I don’t think anybody could sit down and plan a career,” he said. “My only measurement or objective is to get to the end of the day and go to bed and say, ‘Yeah, I’ve done everything I had to do.’ My focus now is just to prepare Portugal the best possible way, and that’s it. The day I finish my contract, then it is a new opportunity, a new challenge.”
It’s been four days since the controversial interception that helped the Denver Broncos eliminate the Buffalo Bills in the AFC divisional round. Nearly a week later, there’s still no doubt in Brandin Cooks’ mind that the wrong call was made on the field.
“At the end of the day, it was a catch,” Cooks said on “Good Morning Football” on Thursday. “Not just what it looked like, but what it felt like. You see examples throughout the league all year, in previous years and you’re like, ‘wait a minute, that was a catch.’ There’s no brainer that this was a catch. I think when you look back at it the time that was spent to review it wasn’t enough. Given the magnitude of that game and the situation, it’s a little disappointing. It really is.”
“The receiver has to complete the process of a catch,” Cheffers said. “He was going to the ground as part of the process of the catch, and he lost possession of the ball when he hit the ground. The defender gained possession of it at that point. The defender is the one that completed the process of the catch, so the defender was awarded the ball.”
Cheffers was then asked if the ball hit the ground.
“No,” he said. “That was confirmed in the replay process. The interception was confirmed.”
Brandin Cooks remains convinced that this was a catch during a controversial play in the Buffalo Bills’ AFC divisional-round loss to the Denver Broncos. (Photo by Cooper Neill/Getty Images)
(Cooper Neill via Getty Images)
Cooks said he didn’t think the play was reviewed long enough and disagreed with the assessment that he didn’t survive the ground with the ball.
“You hear that, but at the same time in that situation knee hit, shoulder hit, back hit, whatever the case may be, my hands never left that ball, right?,” Cooks said. “The other thing is the tie goes to the offense, but I really feel in my heart of hearts that I caught that ball. It doesn’t matter now what I think or what I know, we’re sitting here not playing. That’s why it’s going to sting for a minute.”
Cooks, who joined the Bills in November after being released by the New Orleans Saints after Week 11, said the feeling in the locker room after he signed in Buffalo was one of confidence and that “no question” it was a roster worthy of winning a Super Bowl.
Cooks said he hasn’t been with the Bills long enough to understand everything around the organization. He did say he was treated well by Pegula and respects Beane for bringing him to Buffalo.
Though he’s been in Buffalo a short while, Cooks felt the passion around the city for the team.
“It comes down to the city wants a Super Bowl, the city wants answers as well,” Cooks said. “And they deserve it. They’re the best fans in the world.”
The Oklahoma City Thunder (37-8) went 6-6 over a three-week stretch during the holidays and still hold a commanding lead on the conference’s No. 1 seed. That stretch, though, included four losses to would-be challengers, leaving open the possibility they aren’t such a clear-cut favorite.
The Denver Nuggets (29-15), who are surviving a spell without Nikola Jokić, the world’s best player, look every bit the contender when healthy. The San Antonio Spurs (30-14) handed OKC three of those losses, making clear that they could compete in a seven-game series with the defending champions. The Minnesota Timberwolves (27-17) also recently upset the Thunder.
Each of those four teams, all serious contenders, warrants an A. The West also boasts the one F from our midseason report card, but before we give away too much, let us get to the grades.
Best lineup: Flagg • Ryan Nembhard • Naji Marshall • P.J. Washington • Anthony Davis (+29 in 47 minutes)
Against .500+ teams: 9-15 • Against losing teams: 9-11
Comments: Anthony Davis is one of the few true game-changing forces in the NBA, only he cannot stay healthy, and he turns 33 years old in March. … This time, it is a hand injury that will keep him out through the All-Star break. … Shop him? For what? … The alternative: Keep him, get Kyrie Irving healthy, and see what you have with them and Cooper Flagg(!) next season. … What is the point of chasing a play-in bid? May as well add another high pick to their mix.
Grade: D
Midseason MVP: Nikola Jokić (30-12-11 on 61/44/85)
Best lineup: Jokić • Jamal Murray • Christian Braun • Cam Johnson • Aaron Gordon (+42 in 159 minutes)
Against .500+ teams: 13-8 • Against losing teams: 16-7
Comments: Nikola Jokić leads the NBA in assists and rebounds per game and true shooting percentage. Needless to say, nobody has done that. … He is nursing a knee injury, and Denver (somehow) is 7-5 in his absence, holding on to the No. 3 seed in the West. … It speaks to the team’s depth this season. … The emergence of Peyton Watson (22-6-3 on 50/42/71) over those last 12 games is beyond helpful. … When healthy, this is as true of a contender as there is in the league.
Best lineup: Curry • Brandin Podziemski • Jimmy Butler • Jonathan Kuminga • Draymond Green (+25 in 65 minutes)
Against .500+ teams: 11-15 • Against losing teams: 14-5
Comments: Man, news of Jimmy Butler’s torn ACL is a bummer. … The framework of these Warriors, knocking on the door of the top-10 on both offense and defense, was a good one. … Stephen Curry is a shooting machine. This is not normal for a 37-year-old. … Yet, Golden State has been outscored by 2.7 points per 100 possessions when Butler is not on the court. … The dynasty, for all intents and purposes, is completely cooked, if it wasn’t already. … This is sad.
Best lineup: Durant • Amen Thompson • Josh Okogie • Jabari Smith Jr. • Alperen Şengün (+36 in 276 minutes)
Against .500+ teams: 14-8 • Against losing teams: 12-7
Comments: Without the injured Fred VanVleet, the Rockets lack an organizer of a point guard, and they have done quite well to survive it, posting the NBA’s third-rated offense. … Still, there are times in the clutch, where the Rockets are 10-12, when it is clear they need one. … It helps to have Kevin Durant, one of history’s most lethal isolation scorers — still, at 37 years old. Not normal, either, by the way. … It would be nice if coach Ime Udoka trusted Reed Sheppard more.
Best lineup: Leonard • James Harden • Kris Dunn • John Collins • Ivica Zubac (+10 in 250 minutes)
Against .500+ teams: 9-17 • Against losing teams: 10-7
Comments: The Clippers earned an F on our first-quarter report card and deserved it. … Since then, they are 13-8, outscoring opponents by 2.7 points per 100 possessions — something like a playoff team. … Only their terrible start has left them clutching to a play-in tournament berth. … It is incumbent upon the Clippers to make the playoffs, if only so they do not hand their lottery pick to the Thunder. … Kawhi Leonard’s knee is acting up again. … The team is, plainly, too old.
Best lineup: Dončić • Austin Reaves • Marcus Smart • Rui Hachimura • Deandre Ayton (+31 in 81 minutes)
Against .500+ teams: 10-11 • Against losing teams: 16-5
Comments: The Lakers are 13-1 in the clutch, because they have Luka Dončić, LeBron James and Austin Reaves, an incredible offensive trio, who know how to close games. … This is how they are in fifth place, in line to make the playoffs, despite a negative point differential. … When James, Dončić and Reaves share the floor, the Lakers allow 118.7 points per 100 possessions, the equivalent of a bottom-five defense. … This is, to be clear, a fatal flaw. JJ Redick knows this.
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Grade: B
Midseason MVP: Jaren Jackson Jr. (19-6-2 on 48/37/77)
Best lineup: Jackson • Vince Williams • Cedric Coward • Jaylen Wells • Zach Edey (+27 in 102 minutes)
Against .500+ teams: 5-20 • Against losing teams: 13-4
Comments: In two games since returning to Memphis’ lineup, Ja Morant has totaled 47 points and 25 assists. … It feels like an audition for the rest of the league. … After all, the Grizzlies are reportedly listening to offers for Morant, and he seems ready to move on from Memphis, too. … The market is tepid. For now. … Too bad Zach Edey cannot stay on the court. It is actually intriguing how good the Grizzlies can be at full force. … But it is always something with Morant.
Grade: D
Midseason MVP: Anthony Edwards (30-5-4 on 50/41/79)
Best lineup: Edwards • Donte DiVincenzo • Jaden McDaniels • Julius Randle • Rudy Gobert (+85 in 424 minutes)
Against .500+ teams: 10-12 • Against losing teams: 17-5
Comments: The goal of these Timberwolves was to reestablish themselves as the team that has reached consecutive conference finals — with a chance to get further — and they have done that, even beating the Thunder in one of their two matchups. … Did the Wolves win their trade of Karl-Anthony Towns? Julius Randle has been just as good, if not better, and Donte DiVincenzo is a nice added bonus. … Anthony Edwards deserved a start in the All-Star Game.
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Grade: A
Midseason MVP: Trey Murphy III (22-6-4 on 49/38/90)
Best lineup: Murphy • Jeremiah Fears • Herbert Jones • Saddiq Bey • Derik Queen (+15 in 113 minutes)
Against .500+ teams: 2-27 • Against losing teams: 8-9
Comments: Rookie Derik Queen is good, averaging a 13-7-4 on almost 50% shooting. … That still does not excuse the Pelicans’ decision to trade their unprotected 2026 first-round pick for him. That selection, belonging to Atlanta, is one of the single-best assets in the NBA. … Zion Williamson has played 20 straight games and still New Orleans stinks. … Might the Pelicans finally trade him? … Trey Murphy is the real prize. Just about every NBA team could use him.
Grade: F
Midseason MVP: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (32-4-6 on 56/40/89)
Best lineup: Gilgeous-Alexander • Cason Wallace • Lu Dort • Jalen Williams • Chet Holmgren (+69 in 117 minutes)
Against .500+ teams: 16-7 • Against losing teams: 21-1
Comments: The Thunder, still the favorites, no longer seem invulnerable. For almost a month, they played .500 basketball. … Still they lead the West by 6.5 games. Still they are on a 68-win pace. … Since then, they are 7-1, losing only by two to the Heat in Miami, reestablishing the defending champions as the team to beat. … Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is on pace to become the first player to average 30 points in four straight seasons since Michael Jordan.
Best lineup: Booker • Collin Gillespie • Dillon Brooks • Royce O’Neale • Mark Williams (+48 in 231 minutes)
Against .500+ teams: 12-13 • Against losing teams: 15-4
Comments: Nobody figured these Suns for a guaranteed playoff spot in the crowded Western Conference, but there they stand through the season’s first half. … The effort of Dillon Brooks, their surprising culture-setter, is contagious. … Jalen Green is finally back, and he looked pretty good in his return. … How well he fits their newfound culture is a question. … The Suns have played well enough to warrant an upgrade at the deadline, though they have few picks to trade.
Best lineup: Avdija • Shaedon Sharpe • Kris Murray • Toumani Camara • Donovan Clingan (+15 in 106 minutes)
Against .500+ teams: 12-16 • Against losing teams: 10-6
Comments: Deni Avdija should be an All-Star if we are basing our selections on how well they have played this season. … It is a good thing, too, because none of their recent first-round picks has established himself as a star. … There are a lot of players to like, though, including Caleb Love, who is averaging a 16-3-3 on 45/39/71 shooting splits in his last 15 appearances. … What does more of the same get them? More middling. It is painful to be stuck in the NBA’s middle.
Best lineup: DeRozan • Russell Westbrook • Zach LaVine • Keegan Murray • Maxime Raynaud (+14 in 90 minutes)
Against .500+ teams: 8-24 • Against losing teams: 4-9
Comments: What to say about these Kings. Did they really think the combination of DeMar DeRozan, Zach LaVine and Russell Westbrook would bear fruit? … At least Domantas Sabonis is back from a knee injury, though he has yet to make a start in his return. … Everybody on the team is available in a trade. … What young player would you want from this roster? Maybe Keegan Murray or Maxime Raynaud? … Their saving grace: They own their first-round pick.
Grade: D
Midseason MVP: Victor Wembanyama (24-11-3 on 51/38/84)
Best lineup: Wembanyama • De’Aaron Fox • Stephon Castle • Julian Champagnie • Harrison Barnes (+42 in 84 minutes)
Against .500+ teams: 14-12 • Against losing teams: 16-2
Comments: Victor Wembanyama is a walking top-flight defense at 22 years old. The Spurs own the equivalent of the NBA’s best defense (104.5 points allowed per 100 possessions) when he is on the court, and they operate like the league’s 14th-rated outfit when he is on the bench. (Still not bad, by the way.) … Stephon Castle has made a leap. Dylan Harper appears ready to make one. … San Antonio is waaaaaaaay ahead of schedule on the quest to build its next contender.
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Grade: A
Midseason MVP: Keyonte George (24-4-7 on 46/38/90)
Best lineup: George • Brice Sensabaugh • Svi Mykhailiuk • Lauri Markkanen • Jusuf Nurkic (+2 in 47 minutes)
Against .500+ teams: 7-20 • Against losing teams: 8-9
Comments: The emergence of Keyonte George is a franchise-altering development. … Whereas once it made sense to trade Lauri Markkanen, now there is at least reason to believe the two of them could form the basis of a competitive team. … Their defensive rating is somehow worse than the league’s best offensive rating. … It would be nice if Markkanen played. … But their mission is clear, since the Jazz owe a top-eight protected pick to OKC.
Indiana head coach Curt Cignetti just wins. Maybe some college-football fans doubted that in 2022, when Cignetti was hired by Indiana, but he proved the doubters wrong this season.
After leading Indiana to an undefeated season, which culminated in a national championship win over Miami, Cignetti received the highest honor all college-football coaches hope they can achieve.
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No, not a championship or recognition as one of the best coaches in the game. We’re talking about a signature meal at Chipotle, of course.
In honor of Cignetti’s historic season, Chipotle has added “Coach Cignetti’s ‘I Win’ Bowl” to its menu. The burrito bowl, which features brown rice, black beans, chicken and guacamole on the side, is a nod to Cignetti’s lunch order from the restaurant.
This isn’t a new thing, Cignetti has talked about getting that exact dish roughly 500 times since he was hired by Indiana.
The name of Cignetti’s signature meal is a play on a now-iconic quote the coach delivered when he was hired. When asked how he would sell recruits on coming to play for him, Cignetti responded, “It’s pretty simple. I win. Google me.”
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Chipotle isn’t the only company having fun with that quote. If you type “Curt Cignetti” into Google, a small message pops up on the screen confirming “Yup, he won.”
With that win under his belt, Cignetti will look to prove he can do it again next season. Despite losing star quarterback Fernando Mendoza to the NFL Draft, Indiana ranks No. 3 on Yahoo Sports’ way-too-early top-25 for 2026.
That should give Cignetti another chance to win the national championship next season. And if he can accomplish that, perhaps Chipotle will consider making his signature meal a permanent fixture at its restaurants.
