2025 season record: 9-8 (o 8.5 wins), third in NFC North, missed playoffs, 18th in DVOA
Overview
Expectations were high for the Vikings coming off a 14-win season in 2024. However, the main goal of 2025 was to get as much information as possible on quarterback J.J. McCarthy. Minnesota disappointed and also did not get a clear evaluation of McCarthy as a quarterback.
The second-year player and first-year starter battled injuries and finished 31st out of 33 qualified quarterbacks in EPA per play. But that was broken up into huge splits. In McCarthy’s six starts through Week 12, he averaged -0.29 EPA per play, easily the worst rate in the league. Then over the final four weeks of the season, he averaged 0.29 EPA per play, the fifth-best mark, and had the second-best success rate while he looked more comfortable behind center. Still, with no clear answer, the Vikings are left in a similar spot heading into the offseason. Expect there to be at least veteran competition brought in.
Despite all of this, Minnesota still finished about their win total and over .500. That was mostly thanks to a Brian Flores defense that ranked third in DVOA. Flores, after interviewing for head coaching opportunities elsewhere, will return as defensive coordinator.
Just before the Super Bowl, the Vikings decided to fire general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensa. The optics of Sam Darnold winning the the Super Bowl certainly didn’t help, but this is likely a move that runs deeper than just the quarterback decision (one that could still be defended as good process). The Vikings were one of the oldest teams in the league by snap-weighted age, partially because Minnesota had to build the roster around free agents to make up for the lack of draft hits under Adofo-Mensah. (Yahoo Sports gave the Vikings’ 2025 draft a C, and the previous three C+ grades.) Those free agents have set up the Vikings to be a contending team if the quarterback play improves, but replenishing the roster with younger players on rookie contracts will be how the franchise sustains that level of success in the future.
The Vikings announced executive Rob Brzezinski will run the front office through the draft, and the team will hire a new general manager afterward.
Cap/cuts outlook
Minnesota has -$40 million in effective salary cap space, according to Over The Cap, the second-lowest figure in the league. That number looks way worse than it is, though. Most of the Vikings’ highest cap hits for 2026 come from high base salaries with low signing bonuses. Restructuring the contracts of Justin Jefferson and Brian O’Neill could open up to $31 million in cap space alone. Cutting Javon Hargrave would free up $11 million and could be the most likely cap casualty. Releasing Aaron Jones would also save $8 million and T.J. Hockenson would save $9 million. One other name to watch could be center Ryan Kelly, who played only eight games while dealing with concussion issues. Moving on from Kelly would save nearly $9 million on the cap.
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Key pending free agents
S Harrison Smith LB Eric Wilson IDL Jalen Redmond LB Ivan Pace Jr. WR Jalen Nailor
Smith is listed here, but it appears he’ll retire. Still, that’s going to be a missed presence in the back end of Minnesota‘s secondary if he does not return. Redmond turned into a fun player, who picked up six sacks, five batted passes and a forced fumble in his first year as a starter. Nailor played 65% of the team’s offensive snaps and was a usable third option in the passing game, but averaged only a yard per route run.
Positional needs
Cornerback Safety Linebacker Interior defensive line
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The secondary was thin and made what Brian Flores accomplished with this defense as its coordinator even more impressive. If Flores doesn’t return, that could make improving the secondary an even more glaring requirement. Linebacker also becomes an issue if one or both of Ivan Pace and Eric Wilson leave in free agency. Wilson played 91% of Minnesota’s defensive snaps in 2025. In 2024, Flores used a league-high 28.8% rate of dime defense with six defensive backs on the field. That dropped to just 8% in 2025 when the Vikings didn’t have the bodies to go light. With Jalen Redmond a free agent and Javon Hargrave a potential cut, the Vikings could need help along the interior of the defensive line.
Minnesota has one of the best 1-2 combinations at receiver with Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison, but as a heavy 11 personnel team (63.8%, 10th-most), that third receiver gets a lot of run in the offense.
Terrell, younger brother of Falcons star A.J., is a little undersized but a scrappy defender with speed to burn. His ability to hold up on the back end will be extra valuable if Brian Flores and his blitz-happy defense sign a new contract to stay in Minnesota.
What could move the fantasy needle in 2026?
Figure out the quarterback spot
Simple to say, hard to do. The Vikings can’t realistically go into next season with J.J. McCarthy as the unquestioned starting quarterback. Some degree of competition will need to be acquired. How high they reach to get such a competitor will be fascinating to watch. The Vikings were one of the most disappointing offenses in the NFL this season, with Justin Jefferson’s lack of production a weekly talking point. You can trace most of it back to the state of the quarterback position. You don’t have to bail on McCarthy altogether but they need more options. — Matt Harmon
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Betting nugget
Despite several starts and highlight-worthy turnovers from third-string QB Max Brosmer, the Vikings improbably went over their preseason win of 8.5 after ending the season on a five-game winning streak to finish 9-8. — Ben Fawkes
The Vikings went 14-3 during the 2024 season with Darnold and then finished strong this past season to finish 9-8, but they decided for a major shift in the front office.
While it’s unclear immediately why exactly the Vikings made the move or why they decided to do it now, this is what happens when teams make a major mistake at quarterback. Especially when the quarterback they moved on from ends up in a Super Bowl.
Vikings’ QB decision prompts second guessing
There was no sign that Adofo-Mensah would be fired. He was at the Senior Bowl in Mobile, Ala., this week. He met with the media on Thursday. He gave an honest and reflective answer about letting Darnold leave in free agency.
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Maybe it was too honest.
“You’re trying to make sure you don’t lock yourselves into what you did and thinking it’s always right. So there are nights you wake up and stare at the ceiling and ask yourself,” Adofo-Mensah told the media on Thursday. “I always go back to the process, and what we thought at the time. It’s easier to kind of go and be revisionist and results based. But going to think through what we had at the time, I still understand why we did what we did.
“The results maybe didn’t play out the way we wanted them to, but ultimately I think at the end of the day we could have executed better in certain places. Not saying individually in terms of a particular player, but just executing better knowing what the room was, play-style wise, experience wise, and putting together a better combination of people, collective in that group. That’s probably what I focused on the most.”
Here was the decision: The Vikings could have at least franchise-tagged Darnold after he helped Minnesota to a 14-3 record and finished in the top 10 of NFL MVP voting, or hand the job over to J.J. McCarthy, the 10th pick of the 2024 draft who missed his rookie season due to injury. The Vikings also had Daniel Jones on the roster late in the season, and he moved on to the Indianapolis Colts and had a fine season before injury.
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The Vikings chose McCarthy, who played poorly early in the season and missed games with multiple injuries. When Adofo-Mensah spoke of building a better quarterback room “play-style wise, experience wise,” he’s likely referring to going with an unknown quarterback with an injury history, and backing him up with Carson Wentz, another quarterback who has dealt with many injuries. Wentz filled in for McCarthy and suffered a season-ending injury. The entire plan at quarterback didn’t work, at least in McCarthy’s first season. Darnold is a good example of not giving up on a quarterback after a bad start to his career.
It wasn’t outlandish last offseason to choose McCarthy, who was a top-10 pick just a year earlier, and use the extra salary cap space to build the roster around him. But it didn’t work.
Vikings had some success with Kwesi Adofo-Mensah
Adofo-Mensah didn’t have a perfect four years as Vikings GM, but he did build a very good roster that brought 14 wins in 2024, and still finished above .500 despite bad quarterback play last season.
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The reason the Vikings missed the playoffs though was based on their decisions at quarterback. Minnesota traded up for McCarthy, who is still very early in his career but did not play well in his first shot as a starter. They drafted him ahead of Bo Nix, who just helped the Broncos make the AFC championship game. Then they let Darnold walk in free agency. He signed a three-year, $100.5 million deal and helped the Seahawks to an NFC title. He had 346 yards and three touchdowns in the NFC championship game win over the Rams.
There are many reasons a team makes a change as big as the one the Vikings made on Friday. It is never entirely due to one decision, even at a key spot like quarterback. But if the Vikings were in the playoffs with better quarterback play, it seems unlikely Adofo-Mensah would have been fired.
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The Vikings hadn’t won a playoff game in Adofo-Mensah’s four seasons as GM, but they were 43-25. That type of success isn’t easy in the NFL. But the Vikings preferred a change, and did it at a very odd time. They did so less than 24 hours after the Atlanta Falcons hired Ian Cunningham to be their new general manager.
The Vikings announced executive vice president of football operations Rob Brzezinski will run the offseason through the draft, and then they’ll have a full search for a new GM, which is also odd. Whoever Minnesota does choose as its next GM, they better get the quarterback situation right. We’ve seen what happens if you don’t.
The 2026 NFL Draft is still several months away, but this is the ideal time of year to get caught up on the prospects who will make an impact on the fantasy football landscape for redraft and dynasty leagues.
With the main fantasy season complete, I’ve had time to go over game tape, collegiate production, interviews and more, in order to project what this incoming crop of rookies will become at the next level.
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We’ll get more precise athletic testing numbers to work with at the NFL Combine in late February, before eventually finding out how NFL front offices value this class when draft day arrives in April.
Consider this a starting point in the pre-draft process, while understanding that landing spots will have an important impact on the fantasy value of each player. Once we know which organization they’ll be joining, it reveals a larger part of the puzzle in terms of their opportunity, coaching, scheme and team culture.
For now, we’ll continue this series by focusing on the incoming tight ends who have the best chance to become fantasy relevant in the NFL.
Prospect Fantasy Outlooks
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Alone at the top
Much like this year’s quarterback class, the tight ends have one prospect who stands far above the rest and will likely be a first-round pick in April’s draft.
Sadiq is slightly undersized at 6-foot-3 and 245 pounds, but so was Harold Fannin Jr. last year and we all saw how that worked out.
While Sadiq might not be a truly elite prospect, he’s not far off. He excels as a pass-catcher with incredible hands who catches like a wide receiver. Whether he’s hauling in tough contested passes, making receptions in traffic amidst multiple defenders or sacrificing his body on diving grabs, Sadiq is a dangerous weapon.
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The 20-year-old has smooth athleticism that lets him glide around the field making plays. Though he’s not much of a tackle-breaker, Sadiq is shifty enough to juke defenders and create more yards after the catch.
Blocking can often be an issue for younger tight ends and sometimes causes them to lose playing time. It’s possible that could be the case for Sadiq. He’s more than willing to square up with defenders, but sometimes lacks the strength to get the job done. That might be even more of a concern at the next level.
Even so, Sadiq is a potential star in the making. If he gets the expected early draft capital and lands in an offense that provides him with the necessary volume, I see him becoming the kind of fantasy starter Jordan Reed could have been if he had stayed healthy during his career.
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Fantasy Outlook: There’s a reason why Sadiq led Oregon in catches and touchdowns last season, after being stuck behind Terrance Ferguson for two years.
Sadiq is a talented receiving threat who brings a vertical element that not all players at his position offer.
We’ve seen many rookie tight ends make an instant impact in recent years and Sadiq has all the tools to join that club. He should be viewed as a legitimate future fantasy TE1, who could return value immediately in the right offense.
In what projects to be a weaker class overall, Sadiq is locked in as a mid-first-round pick in dynasty rookie drafts.
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Dynasty rookie value (Superflex): 1.06-1.08
Classic TE options
While this year’s crop of rookie tight ends might not feature much obvious high-end talent outside of Sadiq, there are a number of players at the position who could develop into meaningful NFL starters and fantasy options.
This trio of Klare, Royer and Endries are all built from the standard tight end mold with textbook frames and good pass-catching skills that should have them in the mix as Day 2 or early Day 3 selections.
Klare has solid hands and route-running ability, but he’s a little stiffer in his movements like what you’d normally expect from a prototypical tight end. It’s also worth highlighting that while his numbers declined after transferring to Ohio State this year, he dealt with a lot of target competition from the Buckeyes’ outstanding receivers. In the one game where Jeremiah Smith and Carnell Tate were sidelined, Klare flashed his upside by stepping up with seven receptions, 105 yards and a touchdown.
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Royer is someone I’m very interested in, depending on his landing spot. The 23-year-old is a versatile player who uses his agility and feistiness to gain extra yards with the ball in his hands. Though he was productive in his final two seasons with the Bearcats, there’s a ceiling that hasn’t been unlocked with him yet.
Endries might be the least exciting name in this section, but he’s sort of an arbitrage play on Klare. While he doesn’t really have an elite trait to highlight, Endries is a quality all-round prospect who will do most of his damage in the short and intermediate areas of the field.
All three players in this group have work to do in order to improve as blockers, so keep that in mind as they’re fighting for playing time early in their careers.
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Fantasy Outlook: It’s possible we could see Klare, Royer or Endries get in the mix as low-end TE1 fantasy options in the coming years, but a lot of that will depend on volume.
We’ve seen these types of tight ends from Jake Ferguson to Dalton Schultz to Cade Otton, all become fantasy relevant when given enough targets. Unfortunately, that normally occurs when their teams are thin at receiver due to weak depth charts or injuries.
While Klare is the safest bet to emerge at the next level, Royer’s movement and competitiveness spark my interest and will keep him on my radar in the later rounds of this year’s dynasty rookie drafts.
Dynasty rookie value (Superflex): Third-to-fourth round
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Intriguing but imperfect
Justin Joly, North Carolina State
All the prospects in this section have aspects of their game that make them interesting as deeper dynasty stashes, but they have a long way to go in order to prove themselves as potential starters in the NFL.
Stowers is more of a receiver than a tight end, but he’s been busy the last two seasons amassing 1,407 yards and nine touchdowns as a key part of Vanderbilt’s passing attack. Despite some awareness issues at times, he’s shown more than enough playmaking ability, especially up the seam, to generate some interest from fantasy managers.
Joly is on the shorter side, but had multiple productive years in college and can be used all around the formation. While he lacks high-end speed, he makes up for it with fluid movement and good run-after-the-catch skills. Though I worry he might be a better real-life contributor than a high-volume fantasy option.
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Bentley is a great athlete for his size and carries himself confidently on the field. He offers sneaky YAC ability lowering his shoulder to shed tackles and having enough juke moves to shake defenders. However, he only has one notable season on his résumé.
Trigg may develop into a significant pass-catching threat, but he seems to lack the kind of aggressiveness you find in most stars. Whether he’ll be able to match the physicality in the pros is something to monitor. If he’s going to hit, it will likely be as a big-play threat and red-zone option, rather than a volume player.
Raridon has a huge frame at 6-foot-7 and was one of the more effective blockers I watched in this tight end class. He profiles as a reliable target thanks to his strong hands, just don’t expect much after the catch. He also suffered two torn ACLs on the same knee, which has to be mentioned when considering his long-term outlook.
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Fantasy Outlook: Draft capital is an invaluable aspect when breaking down the future fantasy potential for deeper prospects like the ones highlighted in this range.
At the moment I’m viewing them as Day 3 picks, which means nothing will be handed to them and earning a roster spot is the first step in their journey before we can even contemplate them emerging as starters. It also might take a year or two before they work their way into a top role.
Only consider drafting them in dynasty leagues that have deep benches and/or TE premium scoring. Otherwise, your bench spots are better used on more valuable fantasy positions.
Dynasty rookie value (Superflex): Fourth round or later, but most likely future waiver wire adds
After the free-agency frenzy that saw Kyle Tucker shockingly go to the Los Angeles Dodgers, Bo Bichette signing with the New York Mets and Cody Bellinger opting to run it back with the New York Yankees, teams are starting to look more and more set for the 2026 season. However, there is still plenty of time for teams to do some last-minute shopping to bulk up before Opening Day.
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On this episode of Baseball Bar-B-Cast, Jake Mintz and Jordan Shusterman make their choices for the one thing that every team needs from now until Game One of the season. Could the Dodgers push all of their chips in to go for a three-peat and trade for Tarik Skubal? Will the Yankees have a resolution on what to do with Jasson Domínguez amid their crowded outfield? Who could the Mets trade away from their rotation after acquiring Freddy Peralta?
Later, Jordan and Jake react to the breaking Minnesota Twins news after they parted ways with President of Baseball Operations Derek Falvey at this point in the offseason. They then make their picks for this week’s The Good, The Bad and the Uggla, which includes Alex Honnold maybe taking a shot at Garrett Crochet and the history that landed Aaron Judge in the Bronx.
2:36 – AL East
16:50 – AL Central
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30:54 – AL West
37:13 – NL East
50:23 – NL Central
1:01:05 – NL West
1:08:28 – The Good, The Bad & The Uggla
Jane Gershovich/MLB Photos via Getty Images Photo by Daniel Shirey/MLB Photos via Getty Images Erick W. Rasco/Sports Illustrated via Getty Images
(Jane Gershovich/MLB Photos via Getty Images Photo by Daniel Shirey/MLB Photos via Getty Images Erick W. Rasco/Sports Illustrated via Getty Images)
Patriots quarterback Drake Maye missed practice on Friday with an illness, coach Mike Vrabel told reporters. Maye was limited in practice on Thursday as he deals with a right shoulder injury.
“We’ve had a lot of guys over the last month, six weeks here, with illness,” Vrabel said. “So, again, just trying to do what’s best for the player and the team. I’m trying to take care of guys — don’t spread anything.”
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Vrabel said Thursday that he’s not worried about Maye’s right throwing shoulder.
“I try not to have a whole lot of concern,” Vrabel told reporters. “I just want to try to prepare the football team and make sure that everybody’s ready and that we all have a plan.”
“I’m feeling good,” Maye repeated. “Going to get some extra rest. I really don’t think it was from the game, but just the build-up from throwing — this is what, including training camp, 30 weeks straight of throwing, four days a week. It can add up. I got some extra rest, and I’m feeling good and ready to go for the Super Bowl.”
Wide receiver Mack Hollins (abdomen), tight end Hunter Henry, running back Terrell Jennings (hamstring), and tackle Morgan Moses (rest) joined Maye as limited on Thursday.
Following Sunday’s win over the Denver Broncos, Maye said, “A lot of those guys in [our] locker room are battling through things.” Vrabel echoed that sentiment Tuesday, saying no one is 100% healthy this time of year.
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Behind Maye on the depth chart is veteran backup Joshua Dobbs, as well as former New York Giants quarterback Tommy DeVito.
While there are nine days to go until the Patriots and Seattle Seahawks meet at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California, there will be a lot of attention on Maye in practice, on how many reps he takes and what designation he’s given on the team’s injury report ahead of Super Bowl LX.
That comes a couple of weeks after Adofo-Mensah discussed the team’s decision to let Darnold walk in free agency — only to later watch him lead the Seattle Seahawks to the Super Bowl — with reporters
“You’re trying to make sure you don’t lock yourselves into what you did and thinking that it’s always right, and so there are those nights you wake up and stare at the ceiling and ask yourself. I always go back to the process and what we thought at the time. It’s easier to and be revisionist and results-based, but going to think through what we had at the time, I still understand why we did what we did.
“The results maybe didn’t play out the way we wanted them to, but ultimately, I think at the end of the day we could have executed better in certain places. I don’t want to say it individually, in terms of a particular player, but just executing better — knowing what the room was, play style-wise, experience-wise, and just putting together a better combination of people, a collective in that group, that’s probably what I focused on the most.”
The results “maybe” not playing out as the Vikings hoped is an understatement. Last year, the Vikings went 14-3 with Darnold under center. Without him, they went 9-8 and missed the playoffs. Last year, the Seahawks went 10-7 and missed the playoffs. With Darnold, they went 14-3 and are about to play in the Super Bowl.
The causality is far more complicated than the above paragraph makes it sound, but that’s an undeniably rough shift for a franchise.
At the time of Darnold’s free agency, the Vikings had former 10th overall pick J.J. McCarthy in reserve. The 23-year-old was positioned as the team’s quarterback of the future despite missing his rookie year with a torn meniscus, while Darnold was initially intended to be a stopgap who then played his way into stardom. The team decided to keep McCarthy over the 28-year-old Darnold, who would have been due a $40.2 million salary had the team hit him with the franchise tag.
Of course, that decision didn’t work out for Adofo-Mensah or Minnesota. McCarthy struggled heavily this season and missed time with an ankle sprain, a concussion and a hand fracture. The team went 6-4 in his starts and 3-4 in games started by backups Max Brosmer and Carson Wentz. Only two teams, the New York Jets and Cleveland Browns, had a worse passer rating or fewer passing yards this season. No team threw more interceptions.
No. 1 seed Aryna Sabalenka is returning to the Australian Open final for her fourth consecutive year. This time around, she’ll face No. 5 Elena Rybakina. This pair has had quite the run to the finals of this tournament, with neither of them dropping a single set so far. The last time Sabalenka and Rybakina faced off was at the WTA Finals, where Rybakina was victorious.
The women’s final match will (unfortunately for U.S. viewers) begin at 3:30 a.m. ET. Sabalenka vs. Rybakina will be broadcast on ESPN and stream live on ESPN+ for ESPN Unlimited subscribers. Here’s what you need to know about watching the 2026 Australian Open women’s final.
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How to watch Aryna Sabalenka vs. Elena Rybakina at the Australian Open:
The final match between Aryna Sabalenka and Elena Rybakina at the Australian Open will be on Saturday, Jan. 31, 2026 (or late Friday night, for U.S. viewers).
Aryna Sabalenka vs. Elena Rybakina match start time:
The match between Aryna Sabalenka and Elena Rybakina starts at 3:30 a.m. ET. The match will air on ESPN and stream live on ESPN+ for ESPN Unlimited subscribers.
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Australian Open channel:
In the U.S., the entire Australian Open tournament is streaming on ESPN+ for Unlimited subscribers. ESPN will broadcast the semifinals and final matches.
How to watch the 2026 Australian Open:
Where to watch the 2026 Australian Open without cable:
If you want to catch every match of the Australian Open and don’t currently subscribe to ESPN+, cable or a live TV streaming service, in Australia a majority of the action will be streaming free with ads on 9Now.
Don’t live in the land down under? Don’t worry, you can still stream like you do with the help of a VPN. A VPN (virtual private network) helps protect your data, can mask your IP address and is perhaps most popular for being especially useful in the age of streaming. Whether you’re looking to watch Friends on Netflix (which left the U.S. version of the streamer back in 2019) or tune in to tennis coverage without a cable package, a VPN can help you out. Looking to try a VPN for the first time? This guide breaks down the best VPN options for every kind of user.
9Now. Plus it’s Engadget’s pick for the best premium VPN. ExpressVPN offers three tiers of subscriptions: The Basic Plan (starting at $3.49/month), the Advanced Plan (starting at $4.49/month) and the Pro Plan (starting at $7.49/month).
ExpressVPN also offers a 30-day money-back guarantee, in case you’re nervous about trying a VPN.
Australian Open 2026 schedule:
All times Eastern
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Friday, January 30
(Day 13) Men’s Semifinal: 3:30 a.m.
Saturday, January 31
(Day 14) Women’s Final: 3:30 a.m.
Sunday, February 1
(Day 15) Men’s Final: 3:30 a.m.
Australian Open prize money:
For 2026, the men’s and women’s singles winners of the Australian Open each get $4,150,000, with the runner-up receiving $2,150,000 and Semi-finalists $1,250,000.
The Minnesota Vikings fired general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah after four seasons, the team announced Friday.
Vikings owners Mark and Zygi Wilf put out a statement Friday saying that it was in “the best interest of the team” to move on from Adofo-Mensah and that executive vice president of football operations Rob Brzezinski will lead the operations group through the 2026 NFL Draft.
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Following the conclusion of the draft, there will be a search for a new GM.
According to The Athletic’s Alec Lewis, this decision was not expected, and while there had been “tension” around the organization recently, firing the GM came out of nowhere.
“This is a critical offseason. Ultimately, we felt the change was necessary in football operations and did not feel comfortable going forward into this offseason with the current leadership,” Mark Wilf told reporters on Friday. “It’s not about any one decision or move. We looked at the situation cumulatively. We just didn’t feel confident going through the entirety of the offseason, an additional draft, with this structure. We have an urgency to create a winning football team and establish sustainable success for our fans. At the same time we balance that urgency with all decisions thoroughly and methodically.”
The news comes after the Vikings missed the playoffs this season with a 9-8 record and after Adofo-Mensah let Sam Darnold walk in free agency in order to have 2024 first-round draft pick J.J. McCarthy take over the starting quarterback job.
That decision did not work out as McCarthy struggled with injury and inconsistency in his first full NFL season. Darnold, meanwhile, recorded a second straight 4,000-yard passing season in 2025 with 25 touchdowns and has led the Seattle Seahawks to Super Bowl LX against the New England Patriots.
“You’re trying to make sure you don’t lock yourselves into what you did and thinking that it’s always right, and so there are those nights you wake up and stare at the ceiling and ask yourself,” he said. “I always go back to the process and what we thought at the time. It’s easier to and be revisionist and results-based, but going to think through what we had at the time, I still understand why we did what we did.
“The results maybe didn’t play out the way we wanted them to, but ultimately, I think at the end of the day we could have executed better in certain places. I don’t want to say it individually, in terms of a particular player, but just executing better — knowing what the room was, play style-wise, experience-wise, and just putting together a better combination of people, a collective in that group, that’s probably what I focused on the most.”
McCarthy did not play his rookie season in 2024 after tearing the meniscus in his right knee in the preseason. That opened the door for Darnold, who went on to throw for a career-high 4,319 yards and 35 touchdowns as the Vikings finished 14-3 before losing in the wild-card round.
The deal includes a club option for the 2033 season.
Wilson, 23, is coming off his first full MLB season. He finished second in AL Rookie of the Year voting to teammate Nick Kurtz after batting .311 with 13 home runs and 63 RBI in 125 games. He was named the starting shortstop for the AL All-Star team.
“It’s definitely been the main focus for the last couple of offseasons now,” Wilson said. “Being able to grow into my body a little bit more and put on more muscle. I’ve been at the A’s facility for the entire offseason now, working with the strength staff to get stronger and prepare my body for the long season ahead.”
Wilson, Kurtz, Soderstrom, Brent Rooker, Lawrence Butler and Shea Langeliers represent a hitting core the Athletics hope can lead the team back to the postseason for the first time since 2020 and drum up excitement for their future move to Las Vegas.
This year’s award races, particularly All-NBA honors, will be incredibly difficult to suss through. There are always a ton of great individual performances across the league, so in a literal sense you can’t highlight everyone. Once you factor in the 65-games played minimum, the field simultaneously shrinks while making decisions even more difficult in some cases.
In light of today’s exercise, taking a snapshot of what these teams could look like a little past the halfway point of the season, I’ll be selecting from the pool of players who are currently on pace to be eligible by the end of the year. Playing 65-of-82 means logging a qualifying appearance in roughly 79% of your team’s games.
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To that end, here’s a list of notable names who are not on that pace right now, and thus won’t factor into my calculus — at least not yet. Chief among them:
Giannis Antetokounmpo (30/46, 65.2%)
Victor Wembanyama (33/47, 70.2%)
Stephen Curry (38/49, 77.6%)
Kawhi Leonard (33/46, 71.7%)
Lauri Markkanen (35/48, 72.9%)
Paolo Banchero (36/46, 78.3%)
(Bruno Rouby/Yahoo Sports Illustration)
And here are a few names that have already been eliminated from contention:
Brown has been the focal point of one of the best stories — and teams! — in the NBA this season. His blend of drives, pull-up jumpers and improved playmaking have helped spearhead the league’s second-best offense in Boston. The fact that he has the on-ball chops to take on tough defensive assignments when asked and locked in — remember, he opened the season with the Joel Embiid matchup, and notably took the Kawhi Leonard assignment in the same game Brown dropped 50 points — is a welcomed bonus, and a glimpse into the kind of two-way impact he can tap into.
Carrying high usage is a tough job. Doing so for a good team comes with added pressure and responsibility. Doing so while leading defensively slanted lineups, thus cramping the room you have to operate with, adds another layer of difficulty. That Cunningham has been this good, leading the league in assists while knocking down countless pull-ups (and sprinkling in post buckets) in the process, is a testament to his talent and basketball mind. There are many reasons why the Pistons have been the best team in the East and quietly 2.5 games back of the league’s best record. Cunningham’s at the top of that list.
A historically dominant offensive player already, Dončić has somehow managed to raise the bar for himself in the midst of injury and general lineup uncertainty. Converting 58% of his 2s while rarely being able to get to the rim, and with roughly 80% of those inside-the-arc shots being self-created, is patently absurd. There isn’t a pass he can’t make, and he’s pretty much impossible when he has his 3-ball going. The Lakers wouldn’t be in the top-six without his efforts.
The frontrunner for MVP, Gilgeous-Alexander has further cemented himself as the league’s preeminent off-the-dribble scorer. He drives more than virtually anyone, sprinkles in an ungodly amount of midrange jumpers (making them at a career-best 55% clip), and has shown greater comfort taking 3s off the dribble, too. Take your pick at beyond-the-box-score numbers — the Thunder blitzing teams by over 14 points per 100 possessions with him on the floor, leading on-pace-to-qualify players in Dunks And Threes’ Estimated Plus-Minus (EPM) metric — and he’ll grade out well. He’s the primary reason the Thunder sport the league’s best record.
Darius Garland has been in and out of the lineup. Evan Mobley has made more of a hop than a genuine leap this season and is currently out of the lineup. There was a time this season when you didn’t know how much of Jarrett Allen you’d see in the second halves of games, much less crunch time.
The lone constant of the Cavs, who’ve won five straight and now sit one (1) game outside of the two-seed, has been Mitchell. He’s shot the leather off the ball on ridiculous volume, unleashed a bevy of creative midrange buckets, and often finds himself threatening enemy lines at the rim, one windmill gather at a time. It’s easy to say the Cavs need him, but the numbers tell that story, too: per Cleaning The Glass, the Cavs have the point differential of a 57-win team with him on the floor, and a 32-win team with him on the bench.
Brunson doubles as an insanely talented scorer and an infuriating player to defend. The list of guards who possess Brunson’s bag of pivots is a short one; his footwork is rivaled by few, especially if you filter for guys his size. Throw in an increasingly willing trigger from deep (career best 7.6 attempts) and continued growth as an interior passer — there’s still more room to grow against aggressive coverages — and you have a problem on your hands.
Durant continues to climb up the record books, one silky-smooth jumper at a time. He’s been as advertised in his first season as a Rocket, his bucket-getting raising the floor and ceiling of an offense that desperately needed his skill set. He shape-shifts into whatever is needed — a spacer, iso threat, post hub, screener (he’s been hitting folks, lowkey) — and forces defenses to think hard about how they want to handle him and whatever action surrounds him.
Edwards has leveled up in multiple areas, leading to the best offensive season of his career. Nobody as athletic as Edwards should be this good of a pull-up shooter from deep. That he’s also refined his midrange and post game makes him more dangerous — and those skills in particular should bode well once the postseason rolls around. Similar to Brown, Edwards has also shown that, when he locks in, he can be a strong on-ball defender willing to take on tough assignments in key moments. Speaking of key moments, Edwards has been insanely efficient in clutch situations. Keep an eye on him in the Clutch Player of the Year race.
Maxey has taken another step, arguably cementing himself as the Sixers’ best — or at the very least, most important — player this season.
His speed alone causes trouble for defenses, both in transition and in half-court situations. The Sixers have smartly weaponized that, along with his shooting, with more off-ball involvement. He flies off of screens every which-way, and sets quite a few of them in his own right. Even without fluff, Maxey can (and will) win with straight-line drives. If your defense is bent at any time, he’ll make sure it’s broken.
The usual Murray script is being good-not-great at the beginning of a season, usually taking a little time to gain a rhythm as a shooter and driver before turning into a monster. This year, Murray’s been near or at the top of his game from the very beginning.
He’s enjoying the best shooting season of his career and continues to infuriate guards with his blend of pick-and-roll chops, off-ball utility, shifty drives and occasional post-ups. While the partnership between him and Jokić has once again been excellent, Murray has been a monster — 27.8 points on 54/41/87 splits, 4.2 rebounds, 8.3 assists — since Jokić has been out. First-time All-Star and All-NBA honors are well-deserved right now.
It’s kinda funny watching teams deal with Avdija. Nobody is driving more on a per-game basis than Avdija (19.9), edging out Jaylen Brown (18.5) and SGA (18.4) for those honors. Nobody drives going right more than Avdija (576); Mitchell is second on that list with 390. The scouting report is obvious. There are no surprises, and yet, Avdija gets to his spots — and to the free-throw line — almost at will.
He has carried this Blazers offense, particularly during their extended stretch without Jrue Holiday. To that point, the Blazers score at a top-10 level with Avdija on the floor and score at a much lower clip than the league’s worst offense when he sits. That, combined with the rarity of his basic box score — he’s one of six players averaging 25-5-5, and the list shrinks to three when bumping it to 25-7-6 — makes for a compelling All-NBA case.
While it’d be understandable because of the league’s depth, it’d be a shame if Barnes wasn’t rewarded for his all-around excellence this season. Not many players have to toggle as many hats as he does: primary playmaker, secondary playmaker, screener, post hub, mismatch hunter, wing defender, big defender, guard defender, backline clean-up guy, full-court pressure weapon.
The Raptors wouldn’t be a top-four team in the East, only a game out of the No. 2 seed, without Barnes filling as many roles and gaps as he does. He’s put together an All-Defense-caliber season — and his Defensive Player of the Year case at least deserves some examination.
There’s stiff competition for the We Didn’t Think You’d Win This Much award between the Celtics (no Jayson Tatum), Sixers (alllll of the health concerns), and Suns (no Durant, no Bradley Beal, new head coach).
The Suns may still have my vote. The defense has led the dance, but the offense has been spearheaded by the versatility of Booker. He’s a bucket in his own right, constantly receiving picks to zoom through before attacking bent defenses. Because of his gravity and willingness to operate off the ball, it’s made it easier for the players around him to break out. Dillon Brooks, Collin Gillespie, Grayson Allen and others aren’t able to thrive to this degree without Booker’s approach — and the fear that his presence alone unlocks.
(Also, while I wouldn’t make an All-Defense argument for Booker, I do think it’s worth noting his level of buy-in defensively.)
The list of players averaging at least 20-6-5 is only seven-deep — really five-deep considering Jokić and Giannis aren’t factoring in for me right now. Either way, Randle is on that list, and has been quite efficient (59.8 true shooting) while doing so. His blend of chest-caving drives and playmaking have been important to Minnesota’s offense. It’s been especially important when Edwards hasn’t been on the floor; the Wolves have not only won the Randle on, Edwards off minutes, their offense has largely tanked without Randle on the floor, period.
Holmgren’s case is pretty straightforward: he’s been an insanely efficient play-finisher, has grown as a self-creator — a career-high 37.7% of his 2s have been unassisted; the drives and turnaround jumpers in particular have been fun — and is a, if not the, frontrunner for Defensive Player of the Year. Opponents are converting roughly 47% of their shots at the rim against Holmgren, the second-stingiest mark in the league (Isaiah Stewart, 43.4%) among 56 players defending at least four rim attempts per game.
Duren has, figuratively and literally, been at the center of the Pistons’ success this year. Operating as the primary screening partner for Cunningham, Duren has consistently pried Cunningham open for fruitful pull-ups and drives while becoming more of a threat in his own right. He’s grown as a short-roll playmaker, feasted on midrange jumpers all year, and been a devastating driver when he has room to operate. Add in the defensive growth, and it wouldn’t surprise me if he winds up making quite a few ballots this year.
In a way, I feel for Harden. He was the metronome of productivity while the Clippers got off to one of the worst starts in franchise history. They’ve since turned it around, driven primarily by the currently ineligible Leonard, but it’s not like Harden hasn’t been hooping in his own right. His blend of drives, playmaking, step-back jumpers and foul-drawing still makes him one of the best offensive players in the league.
Johnson is the new face of the Hawks following their decision to trade Trae Young, though you could argue the tide was turning before the transaction actually happened. He’s taken on more ownership of the offense, oscillating between pick-and-roll reps, elbow initiation (often after receiving an off-ball screen to set it up) and his usual goodness in transition. His (late) jump-passes excite me; the defense leaves a bit to be desired at this stage, though it’s (sadly) expected in light of his rise in offensive responsibility.
Many expected Porter Jr.’s production to go up in Brooklyn by virtue of the roster context. I’m not sure many expected him to be this good, this efficient (61.8 true shooting) and be weaponized in so many ways. He’s an absolutely lethal shooter, but the chemistry he’s built with Nic Claxton — off-ball work, handoffs, pick-and-rolls — has been one of the underrated joys of the season.
Probably my toughest omission among eligible candidates, Şengün has largely been awesome this season. The Rockets get him the ball at different spots — on the low block, in the middle of the floor, at the elbow, above the break — and unleash him as a scorer and initiator. Defensively, he’s continued to grow (I think he’s firmly good now, hope that isn’t a hot take) and the Rockets smartly deploy him as part of their cross-matching and growing aggression against ball screens. The two nitpicks keeping him off the third team, at least for now:
He’s below league-average in efficiency right now (56 true shooting, league average is 57.9), but more importantly for this exercise, he’s behind all five Third Teamers (Barnes is the closest at 57.5).
He’s at a games and/or minutes deficit against all five Third Teamers as well; Randle and Barnes are probably the easiest direct comps to make to Şengün, and they’ve appeared in 10 and nine more games respectively.
