Category: Sports

The 2026 PLL and WLL Championship Series runs from Feb. 27 to March 8, featuring the top four teams from the PLL’s 2025 season along with the four teams from the WLL.

The event uses the Sixes format, which is what will be used when lacrosse returns to the Olympics in 2028 in Los Angeles, and has key differences from outdoor “field” lacrosse and indoor “box” lacrosse.

“The Sixes format offers a perfect on-ramp for new lacrosse fans because it’s very similar to basketball or hockey with a 5-on-5 format plus goaltenders,” ESPN analyst Quint Kessenich said. “The flow of the game is similar to hoops. You’ll see pick-and-rolls, fast breaks and settled sets with two-point [lacrosse] shots instead of threes [in basketball]. The elimination of long poles and faceoffs boils the game down to an easy-to-consume, fast-paced, high-scoring event.

“The venue is supercharged with energy, with close confines for fans. The intensity level is high each night. Don’t blink, because the action is nonstop.”

Two teams representing Boston won the PLL and WLL Championship Series in 2025. The WLL’s Boston Guard will be back to defend their crown, while the PLL’s Boston Cannons did not qualify.

Here’s a look at the schedule, rosters for each team, and predictions for which teams will win and who will earn the Golden Stick, courtesy of ESPN’s broadcast team. Fans can catch all of the Championship Series action in the ESPN App and in the PLL and WLL streaming hubs.

Predictions

Who is the most intriguing player in the PLL Championship Series?

Carolina Chaos forward Jackson Eicher is a compelling player. I’m eager to see how his skill set and size translate into the Sixes format. Last summer, the rookie out of Army was extremely productive, and if he can get the ball on the right handed wing, he could put up monster numbers. — Quint Kessenich

Good luck defending California’s Andrew McAdorey. He demands a pole — but there are no poles in sixes. McAdorey scored 13 unassisted goals last summer. That’s the most of any Championship Series participant. With two-way ability and a turbo-charged motor, McAdorey can dominate the Championship Series. — Anish Shroff

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Which player will win the PLL Golden Stick?

It’s hard to pick against Bryan Costabile. He’s been lit by lightning in this format. Costabile has tallied 62 points in nine previous Champ Series games. He’s a threat from deep having connected on 13 two-pointers. He’s registered three double-digit scoring games in the Champ Series. — Shroff

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Which team is going to win the PLL Champ Series?

The Chaos will win the event. I like the roster. — Kessenich

Goalies have an outsized hand in this format. Enter Denver’s Logan McNaney. All he does his play in championship games (four at Maryland, one with the Outlaws). His precision outlet passing becomes a weapon off saves and goals. While Denver won’t have many of its usual suspects on offense, they do have the brick wall from the glass town. He is by far the best goalie in this tournament. Colin Kirst and Sean Sconone have both shown that strong goalie play is necessary to win the Championship Series. — Shroff

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Who is the most intriguing player in the WLL Championship Series?

Ally Mastroianni does it all. The California Palms star runs the field, wins the gritty balls, scores when it matters, and locks down possession. Simply put — she’s the one you want with the game on the line. — Sheehan Stanwick Burch

I’m excited to see Ally Kennedy, a two-way midfielder who has been a star on the international stage for Team USA now makes her WLL debut for the Maryland Charm. In the sixes format, a player as talented as Kennedy on both sides of the ball is a valuable asset. — Jay Alter

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Which player will win the WLL Golden Stick?

Even with reigning champion Emily Hawryschuk returning for the New York Charging — and poised for another strong series — my gut says Boston Guard’s Charlotte North will claim the 2026 Golden Stick Award. The addition of the two-point line plays perfectly to her strengths. Her ability to finish in tight spaces and stretch defenses from the outside gives her the edge. — Burch

Izzy Scane. Such a versatile scorer and she was the runner-up in last year’s inaugural Golden Stick race. This year I think she claims the top spot. — Alter

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Which team is going to win the WLL Champ Series?

It’s hard to bet against the defending champion Boston Guard and their stacked roster, but I have a feeling the New York Charging are going to make this a battle. I really like their goaltending duo of Madison Doucette and Molly Laliberty — they can change the momentum of a game in an instant — and an offense led by Izzy Scane is never easy to contain. — Burch

I like the Boston Guard to go back to back. They have the best player on the planet, Charlotte North, and a strong defense. Plus, they are the only team that returns their entire coaching staff. That continuity will give them a head-start and an edge! — Alter

Schedule

Note: All times Eastern.

Friday, Feb. 27

6 p.m.: New York Charging vs. Boston Guard (WLL)
8 p.m.: New York Atlas vs. Denver Outlaws (PLL)

Saturday, Feb. 28

Noon: California Palms vs. Boston Guard (WLL)
2 p.m.: Maryland Charm vs. New York Charging (WLL)
6:30 p.m.: Denver Outlaws vs. California Redwoods (PLL)
8:30 p.m.: Carolina Chaos vs. New York Atlas (PLL)

Sunday, March 1

10:30 a.m.: California Palms vs. Maryland Charm (WLL)
12:30 p.m.: California Redwoods vs. Carolina Chaos (PLL)

Thursday, March 5

6 p.m.: Carolina Chaos vs. Denver Outlaws (PLL)
8 p.m.: New York Charging vs. California Palms (WLL)

Friday, March 6

6 p.m.: Boston Guard vs. Maryland Charm (WLL)
8 p.m.: New York Atlas vs. California Redwoods (PLL)

Saturday, March 7

2 p.m.: WLL semifinals
6:30 p.m.: PLL semifinals

Sunday, March 8

11 a.m.: WLL championship
3 p.m.: PLL championship

Rosters

Boston Guard (WLL)

Roster

Madison Ahern
Andie Aldave
Dempsey Arsenault
Maddie Burns
Kasey Choma
Hannah Dorney
Kaylee Dyer
Rachel Hall
Charlotte North
Brittany Read
Courtney Taylor
Cassidy Weeks
Jackie Wolak

What to know: Charlotte North and the Guard won the title last season. North finished third for the Golden Stick with 15 goals, behind Emily Hawryschuk (19) and Izzy Scane (17). Can North pull off both titles this year?

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California Palms (WLL)

Roster

Sammy Jo Adelsberger
Erin Bakes
Anna Brandt
Kait Devir
Sam Geiersbach
Ellie Masera
Ally Mastroianni
Taylor Moreno
Emily Nalls
Gabby Rosenzweig
Jill Smith
Caroline Steele
Caitlyn Wurzburger

What to know: California’s Taylor Moreno has a great many interests: She kicked for her high school’s football team, and overall earned varsity letters in five different sports — lacrosse, soccer, football, indoor track and basketball. She is also a first-degree black belt in Taekwondo, and designed the mural at the University of North Carolina that its players tap on the way to the field.

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Maryland Charm (WLL)

Roster

Sydni Black
Abby Bosco
Aurora Cordingley
Grace Griffin
Megan Douty
McKenzie Blake
Olivia Dirks
Ally Kennedy
Sam Swart
Ashley Humphrey
Kelly Denes
Paulina DiFatta
Caylee Waters

What to know: This will be the WLL debut of Ashley Humphrey, who was the No. 3 prospect on Sheehan Stanwick Burch’s 2025 big board. In college she set the NCAA single-season assists record with 88 in 2022, then set a new standard with 90 in 2025.

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New York Charging (WLL)

Roster

Meg Carney
Erin Coykendall
Madison Doucette
Lauren Gilbert
Kendall Halpern
Emily Hawryschuk
Molly Laliberty
Izzy Scane
Samantha Smith
Katie Goodale
Chase Boyle
Grace Fujinaga
Emerson Bohlig

What to know: The two-point line is new to WLL this season. During last year’s games, there were only 14 total shots from that range (13 yards), and the only two women to score from that distance are on the Charging roster (Emily Hawryschuk and Meg Carney).

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California Redwoods (PLL)

Roster

Josh Balcarcel
Michael Boehm
Connor Cmiel
Aidan Danenza
Romar Dennis
BJ Farrare
Matt Knote
Andrew McAdorey
Chris Merle
Dylan Molloy
Carter Rice
Brian Tevlin
Zach Vigue

What to know: Romar Dennis was a star at the inaugural Champ Series in 2023, but has battled injuries since. Dennis told the PLL’s Phil Shore that he’s close to being back to healthy now in time for the 2026 event.

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Carolina Chaos (PLL)

Roster

Chris Aslanian
Cole Williams
Ray Dearth
Austin Kaut
Ross Scott
Mark Glicini
Jackson Eicher
Brendan Nichtern
Shane Knobloch
Sergio Perkovic
Charlie Bertrand
JC Higginbotham
Christian Scarpello

What to know: Brenden Nichtern — the 2022 Rookie of the Year — is returning to lacrosse after military commitments. Fellow West Point grad Jackson Eicher will welcome him on the roster after the two played together for Army in 2022.

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Denver Outlaws (PLL)

Roster

Justin Anderson
Fulton Bayman
Graham Bundy Jr.
Ryan Cohen
Zach Geddes
Dylan Gergar
Jack Gray
Lance Madonna
Owen McElroy
Logan McNaney
Ryan Tierney
Jack VanOverbeke
Greg Weyl

What to know: One key for Denver: goaltender Logan McNaney’s clean saves and outlet passing. McNaney broke the PLL record for clean save percentage in 2025 (60.6%), and that ability will be even more useful in sixes, with a shorter field and the ability to set up transition offense for his team.

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New York Atlas (PLL)

Roster

Tyler Carpenter
Chet Comizio
Bryan Costabile
Chris Davis
Kyle Jackson
Myles Jones
Jack Koras
Max Krevsky
Eric Malever
Will Mark
Brian Phipps
Michael Rexrode
Matt Traynor

What to know: New York’s Xander Dickson suffered a left leg injury during the U.S. Bank Championship game last summer, which the Atlas won over the Outlaws. Unable to play at the Champ Series, Dickson will be an assistant coach for the Atlas.

England have already reached semi-finals with back-to-back wins in Super 8s over Sri Lanka and Pakistan; New Zealand will join Harry Brook’s side in last four if they win today’s match; defeat for the Black Caps will keep Pakistan in the mix; watch every T20 World Cup fixture live on Sky

Chelsea remain keen on Aston Villa‘s Morgan Rogers, while Real Madrid have their eye on Arsenal‘s Gabriel Magalhães.

Join us for the latest transfer news and rumors from around the globe.

Transfers home page | Men’s winter grades | Women’s grades

TRENDING RUMORS

– Chelsea remain confident that they can sign Aston Villa midfielder Morgan Rogers despite the Villans stating that only an extraordinary offer would tempt them into even considering letting him go, reports TeamTalk. That figure will likely have to be over the £100 million Villa received from Manchester City for Jack Grealish in 2021. Chelsea have held a long-term interest in the 23-year-old, with their co-director of recruitment, Joe Shields, the person who originally took Rogers to City while leading the Citizens’ youth signings.

– Real Madrid have made an enquiry about Arsenal center back Gabriel Magalhães, according to TeamTalk. The Premier League leaders quickly informedMadrid that the 28-year-old is not available at any price. Gabriel signed a long-term contract extension last summer. Having also secured deals to extend the stays of Bukayo Saka and William Saliba, Arsenal are reportedly determined to show that even a club as big as Madrid can’t take their top players.

– Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur are likely to face competition from Inter Milan to sign Bayern Munich midfielder Leon Goretzka in the summer, reports CF Bayern Insider. Bayer Leverkusen are also keen on the 31-year-old, who will be a free agent with his contract in Bavaria expiring at the end of this season. Arsenal had tried to sign Goretzka in January, but the Germany international had already given Bayern his word that he would stay until the end of the campaign.

– Manchester United are closely monitoring the situation of Villarreal midfielder Pape Gueye, as reported by Footmercato. The 27-year-old’s reputation has grown since he scored the winner against Morocco in the Africa Cup of Nations final, and he is also a key player for Villarreal. The World Cup offers Gueye another opportunity to impress on a big stage, yet he has already attracted plenty of interest, particularly from United who are looking to replace Casemiro following the announcement that the Brazilian will be leaving Old Trafford.

– Arsenal, Liverpool, Manchester City, Newcastle United, Brighton & Hove Albion and Brentford have all made checks on Eintracht Frankfurt right-back Nnamdi Collins, according to TeamTalk. Arsenal, in particular, are impressed by the 22-year-old and see similarities to Ben White, although Frankfurt have a strong negotiating position as Collins’ contract runs until 2030. Fellow Frankfurt full-back Nathaniel Brown has also been heavily scouted with Manchester United having looked at the 22-year-old.

EXPERT TAKE

ESPN’s Real Madrid correspondent Alex Kirkland weighs in on whether Gabriel Magalhães to the LaLiga giants makes sense:

ESPN has reported that a centre-back is a priority signing for Madrid this summer. Éder Militão has had an injury prone few years, missing most of the last three seasons; Dean Huijsen is promising, but still unproven at the highest level, and hasn’t had the smoothest debut campaign; Antonio Rüdiger is 32 and could leave at the end of the season, while David Alaba, 33, is certain to depart. Raúl Asencio is a useful deputy, but doesn’t seem likely to ever cement a place as a regular starter.

All that means that a new central defender is a must. The big problem with Gabriel — an outstanding defender, whose form for Arsenal has not gone unnoticed in Spain — is that he is 28 years old, and has a contract at the Emirates until 2029, after agreeing a new deal last year. What kind of sum would Madrid have to pay Arsenal to convince them to part with a key player, and is that really a likely scenario, given his age profile?

In recent years, Madrid’s transfer policy when it comes to experienced players, especially defenders, has been the complete opposite: signing them on a free transfer when their contract expires, like Rüdiger and Alaba, or for a minimal fee, like Trent Alexander-Arnold. Spending big on Gabriel would run counter to that, and it feels highly unlikely that Florentino Pérez — whose biggest spends in recent years have been on Jude Bellingham and Kylian Mbappé, and more recently, youngsters Huijsen, Álvaro Carreras, Franco Mastantuono and Endrick — would sanction that kind of deal.

Instead, Madrid have been looking at yet more defenders who are coming towards the end of their contracts, like Liverpool‘s Ibrahima Konaté, or even Gabriel’s teammate William Saliba before he signed a new deal at Arsenal, while they’ve also been tracking Borussia Dortmund‘s Nico Schlotterbeck, whose contract is up in 2027.

That kind of signing feels much, much more likely than Gabriel.

OTHER RUMORS

– Brighton could drop their valuation for Carlos Beleba from over £100 million to around £70 million amid interest from Manchester United. (TEAMtalk)

– Casemiro wants to continue playing in Europe when he leaves Manchester United, with Italy being flagged as a possible destination for the midfielder. (The Sun)

– Manchester City and Arsenal are closely monitoring versatile Brighton midfielder Jack Hinshelwood. (Caught Offside)

– Liverpool, Arsenal and Manchester United have all closely watched 18-year-old Ajax midfielder Sean Steur in recent weeks. (TEAMtalk)

– Marcus Thuram could leave Inter Milan during the summer transfer window. (Nicolo Schira)

– Several foreign clubs have approached Marc Casado, but the midfielder is getting closer to extending his contract with Barcelona. (Nicolo Schira)

– Atletico Madrid have included Borussia Dortmund striker Fabio Silva on their shortlist of possible replacements for Julián Alvarez if the 26-year-old leaves in the summer. (Rudy Galetti)

– Tottenham want to move for Crystal Palace goalkeeper Dean Henderson in the summer as they prepare to lose Guglielmo Vicario. (Football Insider)

– Crystal Palace view signing a replacement for Marc Guéhi as a priority during the summer transfer window. (The Standard)

– Premier League and top European clubs are tracking Brentford goalkeeper Matthew Cox‘s impressive form on loan at Shrewsbury Town. (Football Insider)

The NFL combine is rolling through Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis this week — a key event in the lead-up to the 2026 NFL draft. More than 300 prospects will converge on Indy, where they will receive official measurements, undergo medical evaluations, interview with teams and work out in front of NFL scouts, coaches and front office executives.

The on-field drills begin Thursday, and draft experts Mel Kiper Jr., Matt Miller, Jordan Reid and Field Yates are here to break down what they’re looking for out of the best players in the class. Which prospects are going to make an impression? Who has the most to prove or gain? Which quarterbacks could turn heads, and of course, who will run the fastest 40-yard dash? NFL reporter Kalyn Kahler also shared one new tweak to the combine workouts that could matter.

Defensive linemen, linebackers and special teams are up first Thursday at 3 p.m. ET. Defensive backs and tight ends perform their workouts at 3 p.m. ET Friday, followed by the quarterbacks, wide receivers and running backs at 1 p.m. ET Saturday. The offensive linemen finish things with their workouts at 1 p.m. ET Sunday.

Here are some top names to watch and what to expect over the next four days.

Jump to:
Top workout watch | Prospects with a lot to prove
Top QBs to watch | Fastest 40-yard dashes
Explosive jumps | Measurements that matter
Medicals to watch | Latest buzz | Bold predictions

Which prospect is going to dominate his combine workout?

Miller: Kenyon Sadiq, TE, Oregon. The buzz surrounding Sadiq’s skills has been growing since the junior tight end first took the field as Terrance Ferguson‘s backup in 2024. Now, the 6-foot-3 245-pounder has his shot to impress scouts and GMs. Evaluators I’ve spoken to are predicting Sadiq will leap north of 41 inches in the vertical jump and could run the 40-yard dash in the low 4.5-second range. The top tight end in the class, Sadiq has varying grades from teams, with some placing him in the top 20 while others see him in the back end of Round 1. A big week of testing could push him to the top of that range.

Reid: Sonny Styles, LB, Ohio State. At 6-foot-4, 243 pounds, Styles has the potential to be the talk of the combine after his workout. Speaking to scouts, the expectation is for Styles to run in the mid-to-high 4.5 range in the 40-yard dash and exceed 40 inches in the vertical jump. Don’t be surprised if he touches 11 feet on the broad jump, too. He is already viewed as a potential top-10 pick, but Styles is likely to put on a show not only during the testing portion but also in on-field drills.

Kiper: Kadyn Proctor, OT, Alabama. Man, Jordan took mine. Styles is going to light up the vertical and 40. But I’ll go with Proctor, who is extremely explosive for his 6-foot-7, 366-pound size. We saw his athleticism on display during the season, as he took a screen pass 11 yards against Georgia and plowed his way to a first down against Missouri. And he has a ton of raw upper-body strength. I think he could post some really good numbers in the combine testing and help make the case that he should stay at left tackle in the NFL — and go in Round 1.

Yates: Monroe Freeling, OT, Georgia. Fans of the “First Draft” podcast are familiar with my feelings about Freeling, who is among my top 15 prospects in the entire class. The 6-foot-7, 315-pound tackle is one the best O-line athletes expected to work out in Indianapolis, and he’ll have a chance to showcase the smooth movements, transitions and footwork that helped him become a standout pass protector. My sentiment is that Freeling will keep on climbing draft boards, and I wouldn’t be stunned if he works his way into the top 10.

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Which prospect has the most riding on his workout?

Kiper: Rueben Bain Jr., Edge, Miami. There is no arguing Bain’s production (including 9.5 sacks and 71 pressures last season), technique and overall upside. His game is built on sheer power, nonstop hustle and a deep arsenal of pass-rush moves to beat offensive tackles. But his arm length at 6-foot-3, 275 pounds is a question for scouts, and his 40-yard dash time will be key in seeing his true speed. Bain needs a good workout and some solid testing numbers to prove he can be just as dominant in the NFL as he was in college. I have him ranked ninth overall right now, but he could end up going top-five if he puts a stamp on his evaluation in Indianapolis.

Yates: Kadyn Proctor, OT, Alabama. Few players have generated as strong of opinions from scouts as Proctor, who at his best is a hulking, powerful, overwhelming tackle with flashes of proactive athleticism that wow you. But he endured difficult stretches throughout his Alabama career, leaving some scouts skeptical that he has the foot quickness to hold up against top NFL pass rushers. As Mel said above, Proctor’s workout will be essential in stating the case that he has the goods to hold up in pass protection and secure his spot as a potential top-25 selection.

Miller: Ty Simpson, QB, Alabama. Simpson (QB2 in my rankings) made the right move by deciding to throw at the combine, but a lot is now riding on how he performs there. The junior started only 15 games in college (all last season) and looked noticeably different over the second half of 2025. I want to see what Simpson’s arm looks like in person and what type of velocity and drive power he can generate. Listed at 6-foot-2 and 208 pounds, Simpson’s measurements will also be scrutinized as scouts home in on his hand size and height.

Reid: Caleb Banks, DT, Florida. He came into the 2025 season as a potential top-20 pick, but Banks played only three games because of a foot injury. With plenty of question marks entering the predraft process, Banks revived his draft stock a bit during a strong week of practices at the Senior Bowl. But now scouts will want to see him put it all together at the combine; a strong showing in testing and on-field drills could help him resurface as a mid-to-late first-round pick. He’s my No. 29 overall prospect.

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What do scouts want to see from this quarterback group?

Reid: The QB class is wide open after Indiana’s Fernando Mendoza. And with Mendoza opting to wait until his pro day on April 1 to throw, there’s a prime opportunity for another quarterback to claim the spotlight Saturday. Who will make a statement?

Simpson (Alabama) and Garrett Nussmeier (LSU) are viewed as the potential QB2 and QB3 of this class. After their highly inconsistent seasons, scouts are interested to see how both throw the ball during the throwing session. Simpson is still receiving a mixture of late Round 1 and early Day 2 grades, while Nussmeier’s grades are sporadic. Some scouts see him as a Round 3 prospect, while others feel he’s a Day 3 dart throw.

Cole Payton (North Dakota State) is also gaining steam, and his development is well ahead of the curve despite being a one-year starter. Early Day 3 is still seen as Payton’s target area, but Round 3 isn’t out of the question if he performs well during the predraft process. Saturday will be key.

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Which quarterback has the chance to rise the most Saturday?

Kiper: Taylen Green, Arkansas. The eighth QB on my board has a legitimate chance to toss his name in the wide-open QB3 ring with a good performance this week, though that admittedly speaks more to the uncertainty of the quarterback class beyond Mendoza and Simpson. He looks the part at 6-foot-6 and 224 pounds, he has a big arm to push the ball downfield, and he is a terrific runner with 35 career scores on the ground. But Green’s accuracy has been very inconsistent. Consider that his completion rate was below 60% in half of his games last season, and his 11 interceptions tied for 14th in the nation.

Green needs to run as well as expected and throw with precision Saturday. He can’t be missing high and low on passes during the workout, especially with no defenders in coverage. I want to see a jump in his ball location. A good workout could have teams buzzing about a guy with a lot of coveted physical traits.

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Pick a four-man relay team of prospects who will light up the 40-yard dash

Miller: This was an easy year to pick a 4×40 team. Let’s start off with Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love. The 6-foot, 214-pound first-rounder has the runaway speed, as shown by his two 90-plus-yard touchdown runs last season. He will cook in the low 4.4s. We also have to get Mississippi State receiver Brenen Thompson on the team, as he’s my pick to run the fastest 40 in Indy. Watch for him to run in the mid-4.2-second range, though I don’t think he’s catching Chiefs receiver Xavier Worthy (record 4.21 in 2024).

For the last two, I polled scouts and heard that Iowa wideout Kaden Wetjen (high 4.3s) and Wake Forest running back Demond Claiborne (low 4.4s) are two must-sees when it comes to the best 40 times in this class. If I had to call out a player on defense, I’d keep an eye on Clemson cornerback Avieon Terrell. He can fly.

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Which prospect is going to turn heads with his broad/vertical jumps?

Yates: Brandon Cisse, CB, South Carolina. He is one of the most explosive players in the draft, which is apparent when watching his tape. A vertical jump north of 40 inches would come as no surprise (expect an impressive broad jump, too), and he’ll blaze the 40 as well. Cisse was a movable chess piece during his college career. A strong week in Indy will strengthen his case to be a first-round selection.

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Which prospects’ measurements will scouts really be focused on?

Miller: Rueben Bain Jr., Edge, Miami. The arm length concerns have been loudly rumored when discussing Bain, and we’ll get a firm number on just how long his arms are this week. Does it matter? Some teams will knock a player with sub-32-inch arms along the defensive line — even if that player had 71 pressures and 9.5 sacks like Bain did last season. His weight will also be of interest.

Will he come in at his listed weight of 275 pounds, or will he look to cut or bulk up to force teams into viewing him as either an outside or inside D-lineman? If Bain weighs in at 285 or more, we can assume teams will talk about kicking him inside to tackle. But he could also cut weight to fit more as an edge rusher in the NFL.

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Whose medical reports will teams be paying close attention to this week?

Reid: If we’re strictly ranking this class of receivers by talent, a strong argument could be made that Arizona State’s Jordyn Tyson is the best of the bunch. But he has struggled to stay healthy. He never completed a full college season, missing three games in 2025. He’s always battling nagging injuries, so there will be teams hesitant in taking Tyson in Round 1.

Tennessee cornerback Jermod McCoy sat out last season after tearing his ACL, so teams will want to know more about his recovery. Talent-wise, there’s no doubting McCoy is one of the 10 best prospects in this class. He has squeaky-clean technique, as he can turn and run with any receiver while also having the hip mobility to break at any point. And at 6 feet, 193 pounds, he also has great size for a versatile corner. But where is he at in his rehab and timeline to return?

Finally, Penn State quarterback Drew Allar, who broke his left ankle in an October loss to Northwestern, will be one to watch. He’s my QB5 right now.

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What’s the best piece of buzz you’ve heard heading into the combine workouts?

Kiper: Missouri’s Zion Young could be the first defensive end off the board — ahead of Bain, Akheem Mesidor, etc. (but not quite in the same class as top outside linebackers Arvell Reese and David Bailey). The 6-foot-5, 262-pound edge rusher plays with strong hands, plenty of quickness and the ability to seal off the run. He’s No. 22 on my board, but he has a lot of fans around the league and could push higher — especially if he has a good week at the combine.

Miller: Penn State guard Olaivavega Ioane could be a top-15 pick and a future All-Pro. The 6-foot-4 330-pounder is a favorite of many evaluators I’ve talked to since the Senior Bowl. “He’s a mauler with ballerina feet,” one NFC South area scout said. Guards aren’t usually seen as smart investments in Round 1 because of positional value, and the rookie wage scale dictating a high salary for first-rounders, but Ioane is seen as one of the safest picks in this class.

Reid: If you’re looking for two names that scouts are high on despite not getting much Round 1 buzz, consider Illinois edge rusher Gabe Jacas and San Diego State cornerback Chris Johnson. Jacas (6-foot-3, 275 pounds) has created plenty of momentum after recording 11 sacks last season and followed that up with a strong performance at the Senior Bowl. Don’t be surprised if Jacas, my No. 46 overall player, sneaks into the back end of the first round.

Johnson (6-foot, 185 pounds) has been repeatedly brought up by scouts in this deep cornerback class. After a dominant 2025 season that resulted in him earning Mountain West Co-Defensive Player of the Year, the big question mark that scouts want answered is Johnson’s straight-line speed. His 40-yard dash time is one to watch very closely. I have him in Round 2 at the moment.

Yates: Michigan edge rusher Jaishawn Barham is picking up steam in the scouting community, which I don’t expect to slow down anytime soon. He began his college career at Maryland and was a stand-up linebacker for much of his college career, but at 6-foot-3 and 243 pounds, he played a hefty dose of edge snaps in 2025 and showed unique explosiveness. He’s a Day 2 prospect now who will only create further intrigue with a big week.

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What is one way the combine workouts have changed this year?

Kahler: The combine has added a new bench press drill — an isometric hold to measure a prospect’s force — multiple club sources at the combine told ESPN. Prospects will start with elbows bent at 90 degrees and push the barbell as hard as possible for 3-5 seconds. Prospects will do at least two reps, with 60 seconds of rest.

Last year, only 25% of prospects participated in the bench press, where prospects max out reps at 225 pounds. And over the past four years, only 30% of prospects participated in the bench press. The session has been part of the combine since 1985, but it hasn’t been popular among prospects or NFL clubs in recent years because it’s not viewed as an actual indicator of football strength. The introduction of the isometric hold this year looks to be a move to measure functional strength, instead of the endurance strength of the bench press. And because it is less physically taxing, prospects might be more likely to participate in it. Prospects will still have the opportunity to complete the traditional bench press, as well.

In 2020, president of National Football Scouting Inc. Jeff Foster told Sports Illustrated that he had discussed options to replace the bench press that year with a committee of five general managers.

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Give us your best prediction for combine week.

Reid: The buzz coming out of the combine will surround the depth atop the offensive tackle class. I currently have seven players with top-50 grades. Freeling (Georgia), Max Iheanachor (Arizona State) and Blake Miller (Clemson) currently have second-round grades, but I believe all three will firmly be in the Round 1 picture after this weekend. In speaking with multiple scouts and evaluators over the past month, there’s no set order on when they’re expected to come off the board, but tackles will be selected frequently — and early.

Yates: We’re going to come out of this week with a lot of questions on the top players. In recent years, top prospects have bypassed even some of the fundamental tasks of the week (i.e., no drills, no weigh-ins, etc.), and I’m not here to blame them or question them. But in a class with fewer blue-chip prospects than usual, there are players projected to go early who have questions about their size, health, athletic profile or otherwise. Many of those questions will not be answered in Indy.

Kiper: Tennessee wide receiver Chris Brazzell II will run something in the ballpark of 4.47 in the 40-yard dash and push himself into the first-round conversation. I love his 6-foot-5 size, sure hands, overall toughness and strength at the catch point. But NFL front offices will be paying close attention to his timed speed. He’s quicker than you’d expect out of his breaks at that size, but showing good straight-line speed will round out his scouting report. He’s the type of player who might rise over the next few weeks as teams get a closer look at his tape. He’s WR6 on my board.

Miller: Ohio State will dominate the combine — and the draft. We’ve already seen linebacker Sonny Styles, safety Caleb Downs, edge rusher Arvell Reese, defensive tackle Kayden McDonald and wide receiver Carnell Tate taking top spots at their respective positions in multiple rankings. We should see them all do very well in testing this week, too. Like Jordan mentioned earlier, Styles is a name that pops up frequently with scouts and coaches when talking about potential workout stars. Those five players listed are seen as first-round talents, which is why Round 1 could have a scarlet-and-gray feel to it.

For the third consecutive year, the Miami Dolphins ranked first in the NFL Players Association annual report cards, according to survey results obtained by ESPN. The Minnesota Vikings finished second, followed by the Washington Commanders in third.

“Players consistently describe the organization as ‘the best in the NFL,’” the NFLPA survey wrote about the Dolphins.

The Pittsburgh Steelers finished last for the first time in the four-year history of the union’s survey. Last year, the Steelers ranked 28th. The Arizona Cardinals finished 31st in the 2026 survey, after a last-place finish in 2025, and the Cleveland Browns finished in 30th, the same as in 2025.

The NFLPA is not making the report cards public this year after a grievance filed by the NFL, which said the survey violated the collective bargaining agreement. Earlier this month, an arbitrator agreed with the league, saying the report cards violated the CBA by “disparaging NFL clubs and individuals.” The NFLPA said it would continue to collect responses for report cards even if it can’t publish them.

A spokesperson for the NFLPA declined to comment.

An NFL spokesperson also declined to comment, saying that, as in previous years, the league had no knowledge of the survey. The league sent a memo to all teams later Thursday, saying that, as the arbitration hearing showed, the survey results are “neither reliable nor scientifically valid.”

“… We continue to recommend that clubs prioritize feedback and information provided directly by their own players rather than relying on the NFLPA’s agenda-driven exercise,” the league said in the memo, a copy of which was obtained by ESPN. “We further recommend that Clubs refrain from commenting or engaging publicly on the alleged survey and Report Card results.”

The report cards grade franchises from A-plus to F-minus on everything from ownership to treatment of families. Per the survey results obtained by ESPN, this year’s report cards are based on responses from 1,759 players. All players who were on a 2025 roster at the time of the survey were eligible to participate, and it was conducted from Nov. 2 to Dec. 11.

The Steelers received low grades in several categories, according to the results obtained by ESPN.

“[Steelers owner] Art Rooney ranks last in the league for willingness to invest in facilities, a trend reflected in the Steelers’ poor facility ratings across the board,” according to the survey.

In a new category added this year, the Steelers had the lowest-rated home field in the league “by a wide margin.”

“Players cite inadequate maintenance and excessive wear from hosting local college and high school games,” according to the survey. “Players across the league note the poor condition of the field and emphasize the need for investment to bring it up to standard.”

The Steelers’ locker room was graded an F. Players reported that it “has only five bathroom stalls for the entire team.”

Per the survey, players report that the Steelers’ training room lacks updated recovery technology and “modalities.” Pittsburgh’s strength coaches ranked last in the NFL, though the training staff ranked first.

“We are not going to comment on a report that we have not seen in its entirety,” Steelers senior director of communications Burt Lauten told ESPN.

A spokesperson for the Cardinals declined to comment.

Miami ranked fourth in home field because of the natural grass at Hard Rock Stadium, “with players highlighting their preference for quality grass fields like this one,” the survey said.

Former Miami coach Mike McDaniel’s grade dropped from an A-plus to a B. “Players identify scheduling, communication, and leadership as key areas for head coaching improvement, presenting an opportunity for [new head coach Jeff] Hafley next season,” the survey said.

Last year, 1,695 players leaguewide responded to the survey. The Vikings and Dolphins earned the highest marks for workplace environment, with owners Zygi Wilf of the Vikings, Stephen Ross of the Dolphins and Arthur Blank of the Atlanta Falcons receiving A-plus grades.

Before filing its grievance in November, the NFL had twice asked the union to suspend the survey, once in 2024 and a second time in June of this year — and the NFLPA declined.

At the NFL league meeting in March 2025, New York Jets chairman Woody Johnson — who along with Art Rooney of the Steelers, Robert Kraft of the New England Patriots, Michael Bidwill of the Cardinals and David Tepper of the Carolina Panthers received ownership grades of D or worse in 2025 — called the survey “totally bogus” and hinted that it violated the CBA.

Johnson said he took issue with “how they collected the information [and] who they collected it from. [It] was supposed to be, according to the agreement we have with the league. It’s supposed to be a process [where] we have representatives, and they have representatives, so we know that it’s an honest survey.

“And that was violated, in my opinion. I’m going to leave it at that, but I think there are a lot of owners that looked at that survey and said this is not fair, it’s not balanced, it’s not every player, it’s not even representative of the players.”

Claressa Shields solidified her position atop the ESPN women’s pound-for-pound rankings with a dominant unanimous decision victory over Franchon Crews-Dezurn on Feb. 22 in Detroit. She was equally decisive in the voting, earning every first-place vote from the ESPN panel.

Shields is one of only two boxers in the four-belt era to become undisputed in three weight classes — Terence Crawford is the other. She unified all four major women’s heavyweight titles on Feb. 2, 2025, with a win over Danielle Perkins and has since made two successful defenses.

Shields (15-0, 3 KOs) has won titles in five divisions to go along with Olympic gold medals in 2012 and 2016 representing the U.S.

Katie Taylor announced Wednesday that she would like one more fight — ideally in Dublin — before retiring. For now, she remains at No. 2 in the rankings.

Although the top 10 remains unchanged, several talented fighters are closing in and receiving votes, including unified junior featherweight champion Ellie Scotney, unified super middleweight champion Shadasia Green and undisputed bantamweight champ Cherneka Johnson.

Here’s the current top 10.

Note: Results are current through Feb. 26.

1. CLARESSA SHIELDS     Previous ranking: 1

RECORD: 18-0, 3 KOs
DIVISION: Undisputed heavyweight champion
LAST FIGHT: W (UD10) Franchon Crews-Dezurn, Feb. 22
NEXT FIGHT: TBA

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2. KATIE TAYLOR     Previous ranking: 2

RECORD: 25-1, 6 KOs
DIVISION: Unified junior welterweight champion
LAST FIGHT: W (MD10) Amanda Serrano, July 11, 2025
NEXT FIGHT: TBA

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3. AMANDA SERRANO     Previous ranking: 3

RECORD: 48-4-1, 31 KOs
DIVISION: Unified featherweight champion
LAST FIGHT: W (UD10) Reina Tellez, Jan. 3
NEXT FIGHT: TBA

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4. GABRIELA FUNDORA     Previous ranking: 4

RECORD: 17-0, 9 KOs
DIVISION: Undisputed flyweight champion
LAST FIGHT: W (KO7) Alexas Kubicki, Sept. 20
NEXT FIGHT: March 14 vs. Viviana Ruiz Corredor

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5. CHANTELLE CAMERON     Previous ranking: 5

RECORD: 21-1, 8 KOs
DIVISION: Junior welterweight
LAST FIGHT: W (UD10) Jessica Camara, July 11
NEXT FIGHT: April 5 vs. Michaela Kotaskova

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6. MIKAELA MAYER     Previous ranking: 6

RECORD: 22-2, 5 KOs
DIVISION: Welterweight champion and unified junior middleweight champion
LAST FIGHT: W (UD10) Mary Spencer, Oct. 30
NEXT FIGHT: TBA

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7. ALYCIA BAUMGARDNER     Previous ranking: 7

RECORD: 17-1, 7 KOs
DIVISION: Unified junior lightweight champion
LAST FIGHT: W (UD12) Leila Beaudoin, Dec. 19
NEXT FIGHT: TBA

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8. LAUREN PRICE     Previous ranking: 8

RECORD: 9-0, 2 KOs
DIVISION: Unified welterweight champion
LAST FIGHT: W (UD10) Natasha Jonas, March 7
NEXT FIGHT: April 4 vs. Stephanie Pineiro Aquino

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9. YOKASTA VALLE     Previous ranking: 9

RECORD: 34-3, 10 KOs
DIVISION: Strawweight champion
LAST FIGHT: W (MD10) Yadira Bustillos, Dec. 19
NEXT FIGHT: TBA

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10. ELIF NUR TURHAN     Previous ranking: 10

RECORD: 13-0, 8 KOs
DIVISION: Lightweight champion
LAST FIGHT: W (SD10) Taylah Gentzen, Jan. 31
NEXT FIGHT: TBA

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The formula

The rankings are based on a descending points system, with a first-place vote receiving 10 points, a second-place vote receiving nine points and so on.

Others receiving votes: Ellie Scotney (7), Shadasia Green (4), Cherneka Johnson (3), Hyun Choi (2), Jessica Nery Plata (1), Caroline Dubois (1).

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How our experts voted

Andreas Hale: 1. Shields, 2. Taylor, 3. Fundora, 4. Serrano, 5. Cameron, 6. Baumgardner, 7. Mayer, 8. Price, 9. Green, 10. Scotney

Nick Parkinson: 1. Shields, 2. Fundora, 3. Taylor, 4. Serrano, 5. Mayer, 6. Turhan, 7. Cameron, 8. Price, 9. Baumgardner, 10. Scotney

Salvador Rodriguez: 1. Shields, 2. Taylor, 3. Serrano, 4. Fundora, 5. Mayer, 6. Baumgardner, 7. Price, 8. Johnson, 9. Valle, 10. Dubois

James Regan: 1. Shields, 2. Taylor, 3. Serrano, 4. Fundora, 5. Mayer, 6. Cameron, 7. Baumgardner, 8. Turhan, 9. Price, 10. Scotney

Bernardo Pilatti: 1. Shields, 2. Taylor, 3. Cameron, 4. Serrano, 5. Fundora, 6. Baumgardner, 7. Mayer, 8. Price, 9. Valle, 10. Scotney

Andres Ferrari: 1. Shields, 2. Taylor, 3. Fundora, 4. Serrano, 5. Cameron, 6. Baumgardner, 7. Mayer, 8. Price, 9. Scotney, 10. Turhan

Charlie Moynihan: 1. Shields, 2. Taylor, 3. Serrano, 4. Cameron, 5. Funodra, 6. Mayer, 7. Baumgardner, 8. Valle, 9. Choi, 10. Nery Plata

Damian Delgado Averhoff: 1. Shields, 2. Taylor, 3. Cameron, 4. Serrano, 5. Fundora, 6. Baumgardner, 7. Mayer, 8. Valle, 9. Green, 10. Scotney

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ESPN experts poll

First place: Shields (8)

Second place: Taylor (7), Fundora (1)

Third place: Serrano (3), Fundora (2), Cameron (2), Taylor (1)

Fourth place: Serrano (5), Fundora (2), Cameron (1)

Fifth place: Fundora (3), Mayer (3), Cameron (2)

Sixth place: Baumgardner (5), Cameron (1), Mayer (1), Turhan (1)

Seventh place: Mayer (4), Baumgardner (2), Cameron (1), Price (1)

Eighth place: Price (4), Valle (2), Turhan (1), Johnson (1)

Ninth place: Valle (2), Green (2), Baumgardner (1), Price (1), Scotney (1), Choi (1)

10th place: Scotney (5), Turhan (1), Dubois (1), Nery Plata (1)

The Europa League and Conference League knockout draws take place on Friday with 16 teams left in each competition, including three Premier League clubs.

How do the draws work?

Both draws will take place on Friday, with the Europa League from 12pm and the Conference League from 1pm.

Follow live coverage of the draw on Friday on the Sky Sports website and app.

Every team’s potential opponents for the next round has already been narrowed down to two possibilities.

Teams can play opponents from their own country and opponents they have already faced in the competition.

However, the sides that did not require a play-off will be seeded, meaning they get to play the second leg of their last-16 ties at home.

Which teams will be in the draw?

Europa League

Seeded (finished top eight in the league phase)

• Lyon
• Aston Villa
• Midtjylland
• Real Betis
• Porto
• Braga
• Freiburg
• Roma

Unseeded (knockout play-off winners)

• Nottingham Forest
• Lille
• Panathinaikos
• Ferencvaros
• Stuttgart
• Bologna
• Celta Vigo
• Genk

Conference League

Seeded (finished top eight in the league phase)

• Strasbourg
• Rakow
• AEK Athens
• Sparta Prague
• Rayo Vallecano
• Shakhtar Donetsk
• Mainz
• AEK Larnaca

Unseeded (knockout play-off winners)

• Crystal Palace
• Fiorentina
• NK Celje
• Rijeka
• Samsunspor
• AZ Alkmaar
• Sigma Olomouc
• Lech Poznan

Who the English sides could face next

Aston Villa: Celta Vigo or PAOK
Nottingham Forest: Real Betis or Midtjylland
Crystal Palace: Mainz or AEK Larnaca

When English sides could meet

With the midweek play-offs concluding, English teams know they will face one of two opponents but do not know their individual pathways until the draw is made.

The earliest two English teams could face each other is the quarter-finals of the Europa League between Aston Villa and Nottingham Forest.

Crystal Palace do not have any potential English opponents in the Conference League.

When will fixture dates be announced?

The round-of-16 match schedule will be available on Friday evening.

The quarter-final match schedule will be confirmed on March 19, while the semi-final schedule will be communicated on April 16.

What happened in the knockout play-offs?

Celta Vigo beat PAOK 3-1 on aggregate, winning 1-0 in their Europa League play-off second leg, while Lille bounced back from losing the first leg to win 2-0 at Red Star Belgrade.

Robbie Keane’s Ferencvaros also overturned a one-goal first-leg deficit to win 2-0 at home and knock out Ludogorets Razgrad. Despite losing 1-0 at home to Celtic, Stuttgart also went through 4-2 on aggregate.

Panathinaikos beat Viktoria Plzen 4-3 on penalties after a 1-1 draw in the second leg made it 3-3 on aggregate.

Nottingham Forest lost 2-1 at home to Fenerbahce but progressed 4-2 on aggregate with Callum Hudson-Odoi’s second-half goal proving crucial.

Bologna beat 10-man Brann 1-0 on the night and 2-0 on aggregate. Genk survived a fightback from Dinamo Zagreb who, having scored three times to make it 3-1 on the night and 4-4 on aggregate, then had Luka Stojkovic sent off in extra-time either side of the home side scoring twice.

When are the 2025/26 knockout stages?

Europa League

Round of 16 draw: February 27
Round of 16: March 12 and 19
Quarter-finals: April 9 and 16
Semi-finals: April 30 and May 7
Final: May 20

Conference League

Round of 16 draw: February 27
Round of 16: March 12 and 19
Quarter-finals: April 9 and 16
Semi-finals: April 30 and May 7 May
Final: May 27

Where are the finals?

The Europa League final will be held at Besiktas Park in Istanbul on May 20.

The Conference League final will be one week later at the Leipzig Stadium on May 27.

INDIANAPOLIS — Ohio State‘s Arvell Reese made it clear at the NFL combine: He views himself more as an outside linebacker/edge rusher than an off-the-ball linebacker in the pros.

“Teams have pretty much been asking me what I want to do and see where my mind was at. I’ve been telling them I think I’m an outside linebacker/edge,” Reese said Wednesday. “I haven’t even scratched the surface with really what I can do pass rushing.”

Reese’s position fit is one of the compelling questions in the 2026 NFL draft, as he projects as a potential top-five pick after totaling 69 tackles and 6.5 sacks last season. He said he plans to run the 40-yard dash at the combine, while also taking part in outside linebacker/edge and off-the-ball linebacker drills.

In his latest mock draft, ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr. has the 6-foot-4, 243-pound Reese going No. 4 to the Tennessee Titans.

Reese, 20, said he has already met with the New York Jets (No. 2 pick), Arizona Cardinals (No. 3) and Cleveland Browns (No. 6), among others. He shared that in his meeting with the Jets, coaches installed a defensive package and wanted to see how he responded to it mentally.

Reese credited Ohio State defensive coordinator Matt Patricia and linebackers coach James Laurinaitis for preparing him for the NFL, noting that Patricia — the longtime former New England Patriots assistant — previously showed him tape of former NFL linebacker Jamie Collins because of their similar versatility.

Reese acknowledged he will need to get bigger as an outside linebacker/edge in the NFL but felt he showed the ability to set the edge against the run at that spot in college. He described his pass-rush approach as a mix of “speed and power.”

NIKE STAFFERS SAT around a conference room table inside the company’s Oregon headquarters in late 2002 examining a space-age material.

Black and tubelike, Tech Flex had commonly been found inside cars and airplanes. Its grip expanded and contracted whatever was placed inside it.

Staffers saw it as a possible foundation for the next frontier of a basketball sneaker, one that wouldn’t feature laces.

Gentry Humphrey, a Nike executive tasked with marketing the shoe, looked at its braided sleeving. “It kind of looks like a snake,” he thought to himself. Others thought the same.

At home late that night, Humphrey searched the internet for more information about “the most badass black snake there is.”

The search didn’t take long. The top result: black mamba.

The snake was described as lightning fast, agile and feared — the same qualities of the star NBA guard for whom they were designing the shoe.

Humphrey, who had worked at Nike since 1994, quickly prepared a presentation that featured the snake as the centerpiece of a new sneaker campaign. Alongside photos of the snake were videos of the NBA star attacking the basket.

Soon after, Humphrey showed the presentation to his colleagues. The synergy between the material, the black mamba and the NBA star felt natural, alluring.

“Everybody was in on it,” he told ESPN.

From there, it was time to create a global campaign featuring the black mamba, and present it to the player who would ultimately represent it.

That player was Michael Jordan.

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TODAY, THE BLACK mamba is synonymous with Kobe Bryant, the late Los Angeles Lakers legend.

Countless posters, murals and commercials champion the intensity of his “Mamba Mentality.” Bryant founded an academy that bore its name. Mamba Day is Aug. 24 — 8/24 — a nod to the two jersey numbers he wore during his 20-year career with the Lakers.

Nearly 10 years ago, after scoring 60 points in his final game on April 13, 2016, Bryant addressed the crowd at Staples Center, declaring “Mamba out!” — his final words as a Laker before placing the microphone on the court.

As part of his signature sneaker line, Nike has released several shoes featuring Mamba-related elements, including textured snakeskin patterns.

How a shoe and persona designed for Jordan became Bryant’s instead reveals an alternate reality — one of the most remarkable untold stories in the history of sports marketing, advertising and apparel.

The first Air Jordans were released in 1985. The 40-year-old signature shoe line netted nearly $7.3 billion in sales for the fiscal year ending in May 2025, and the annual launch of each one involves an army of staff — and, most importantly, input from Jordan himself.

For the first 18 versions of the Air Jordans, initial design ideas had come from Jordan, who would provide feedback on sketches and prototypes until the shoe met his expectations.

It wasn’t unusual for ideas outside of sports to influence the shoes. The Jordan 5 took inspiration from an American WWII fighter plane, the 6 from a German sports car, the 7 from West African tribal art, the 12 from the Japanese flag, the 14 from a Ferrari sports car, the 15 from a X-15 fighter plane, the 17 from jazz and an Aston Martin.

For the 18s, which were released in 2003, Jordan told Tate Kuerbis, the shoe’s designer, that he saw a beautiful, Italian-crafted leather driving shoe, one typically used in Formula 1 races. “And he was like, ‘Hey, can you make a basketball shoe look like one piece of leather that is inspired by this driving shoe?’”

Eventually, samples of the 18 were created for him to try on.

“When he puts it on, that’s really when it becomes the Air Jordan,” Kuerbis said. “And he’s signing off like, this is good to go to market.”

“MJ’s vision led the way,” Kuerbis continued.

The 19s represented the first time the initial concept would come from the design team instead.

For years, among players, Jordan had carried the nickname “The Black Cat.” Humphrey and others at Nike believed, however, that the way Jordan attacked on the court better mirrored the speed and agility of a snake — and now they had a material to represent it.

That concept was something of a “white whale” for the industry: the laceless shoe. There had never been a performance basketball shoe without laces, but the Tech Flex material now made that possible, Humphrey and Kuerbis said.

Now all they needed to do was sell Jordan on their idea.

---

EXCITEMENT GREW AFTER Humphrey’s presentation for a black mamba campaign for the Air Jordan 19s.

Soon after, Kuerbis began working on sketches and prototypes.

He recalled bringing them to see Jordan during an off-day when the Wizards were in Miami to play the Heat.

In the locker room, Jordan, who was then wearing the just-launched 18s, examined the shoe. Those who worked with him say he was always careful, inquisitive, protective of the brand — and, most of all, competitive. He wanted his shoes to be the best.

He asked if the Tech Flex material stretched over time. Would it still provide the necessary support during a game? He suggested that it might be good to have some laces under the braided sleeving. In all, Kuerbis said, Jordan was “excited and curious and onboard.”

Humphrey and Kuerbis pushed forward. They recalled a meeting with Jordan in the spring of 2003, as his NBA career was winding down, in an office in downtown Chicago, with a handful of Nike officials in attendance.

It was there that Humphrey said he first explained the black mamba campaign concept to Jordan.

By then, Humphrey said the idea had already been shared internally with advertising and marketing officials at Jordan Brand, and they had launched on how to present it to a global audience.

But as soon as Humphrey began to walk Jordan through the black mamba concept, he knew there was a major problem.

“You could just tell from the very beginning,” Humphrey said, “he was uncomfortable.”

---

IN THE SPRING of 2003, after receiving the black mamba brief from the Jordan Brand team, Tina Davis of the Wieden+Kennedy advertising firm gathered her team in New York.

Nike had used Wieden+Kennedy since 1982, and Dan Wieden — one of its founders — had coined Nike’s famous “Just Do It” slogan. The firm was also behind the Air Jordan commercials that featured Spike Lee as “Mars Blackmon” in the late 1980s and early 1990s.

Typically, Wieden+Kennedy would receive a brief, then take the core of an idea and try to express it visually in the most ambitious way across a variety of platforms: commercials, print advertisements, billboards, posters.

Justin Barocas, then a Wieden+Kennedy media director, said they wanted to create visuals for the black mamba campaign that had “stopping power.”

They first tried to find a live black mamba snake, typically found in sub-Saharan Africa, in the hopes of placing it in a cage with the shoe for a photo shoot.

“Then we learned that they’re illegal in the United States,” Davis recalled. “You can’t even bring them into the country.”

They used a different black snake, one that was so large, said Charles Hall, then a Wieden+Kennedy associate creative director, “that you wouldn’t have wanted it loose in the room.”

Inside the New York office, they stitched photos together to digitally re-create a version of the black mamba slithering around the shoe, rearing its head, and the team prepared for the targeted spring 2004 launch of the Air Jordan 19.

The next step was for Jordan to visit the Nike campus to see the campaign for himself.

---

IN LATE 2003, Jackie Thomas stood in an empty conference room on the Nike campus, her back to the door, going over the notes of a presentation she was about to deliver.

She heard a deep voice behind her.

“You must be Jackie.”

She turned around.

“You must be MJ,” she said, extending her hand to the man himself, the namesake of the empire who had his own reserved parking space on the campus.

Thomas was Jordan Brand’s new director of marketing, a position she assumed in August 2003 that tasked her with overseeing marketing for all Jordan products, with a focus on increased innovation.

“We had a very robust retro business,” she told ESPN. “And there was concern — rightfully so — that the brand was leaning very heavily on the retro market, and we did not want to kill the golden goose.”

The goal was to preserve the integrity of a retro product but also move it into the future. The 19, she said, was a key part of that effort, and Wieden+Kennedy had already created the ads for the launch. The entire campaign was in place.

It was now her job to explain it to Jordan.

Thomas had spent weeks prepping, planning, researching. Marketing, apparel, footwear and advertising staffers soon packed the room. Thomas’ mission was to describe every aspect of the launch.

Across the next hour, she dissected each element; the portion that mentioned the black mamba snake lasted about 15 minutes.

While she talked, Jordan seemed enthusiastic, and when the presentation ended, Thomas felt relieved and excited — like she’d hit a home run.

The next day, Thomas said, she received a call from Larry Miller, the president of Jordan Brand.

“Why don’t you come down to my office?” he asked. “I’ve got to talk to you about something.”

Still riding high, she didn’t think anything of the call. She bounded down the hall.

“What’s up, boss?” she asked.

“Hey, good job in there yesterday,” Miller said. “MJ really liked the meeting. The product looked great, but you’ve got a problem.

“MJ doesn’t like snakes.”

---

THOMAS WAS PERPLEXED. No one had told her Jordan didn’t like snakes. At no point during the meeting did Jordan convey such an impression.

“Well, I wasn’t involved in product creation,” she told Miller, “and you guys all knew that the snake was a large part of the story around the product design. And I think this campaign is really good.”

Miller shrugged.

“Here’s MJ’s number,” he told her. “Give him a call. Sell him on it.”

She took a breath, steeled herself and dialed.

It was late in the week, a Thursday, she said.

No answer. She called again later that day — again, no answer. She called twice the next day. She left voicemails.

The weekend arrived, and Thomas paced through her Oregon home.

Thomas gathered her team and crunched the numbers. On Sunday, she called Jordan again and left a detailed voicemail.

The launch was just months away, and plans were in place, she explained — advertisements, marketing. There was no way they could suddenly tell retailers, for instance, that they had no visuals, no in-store point-of-sale material.

The sales team had already placed ads to be published. There had been countless meetings, countless checkpoints, and they all had the green light. Hitting pause, she said, could translate to millions of dollars in losses.

A couple hours later, Jordan called her back. He said he understood.

“I’m OK on this one particular occasion to allow you to run the ad,” he told her, “but you need to reconcept before the next colorway drops.”

She thanked him, appreciative of the compromise.

After the call, she sent him a box of Davidoff Millennium cigars and a thank-you note.

On March 14, 2004, the same month the $165 shoe launched, a two-page black mamba Air Jordan 19 advertisement appeared in ESPN The Magazine, part of a print-focused run that Thomas said included other national magazines. It carried the tagline “Only Greatness Equals Greatness.”

Then, the campaign quickly pivoted.

Commercials featured additional colorways. One with Carmelo Anthony, another with Gary Payton, another with Jason Kidd. Legendary Georgetown coach John Thompson provided the voiceovers.

None referenced the black mamba.

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LOOKING BACK, THOSE involved on the shoe admit surprise that the black mamba campaign advanced as far as it did, given Jordan’s disdain for snakes. “We couldn’t believe that when we found out,” Hall said.

But Jordan Brand and Wieden+Kennedy officials at that time all point to the same reason: Jordan’s fear of snakes was one of his closest-held secrets.

Nike officials had known about his other fear, which he had revealed in a 1992 interview with Playboy. “Everybody’s got a phobia for something,” Jordan told the magazine. “I do not mess with water.”

He explained that it stemmed from watching a friend drown as a child.

But author Mark Vancil, who worked with Jordan on the 1993 book “Rare Air,” explained in a 2024 podcast with Jordan’s former teammate Stacey King the depth of Jordan’s phobia.

“He was terrified,” Vancil said. “If you watched TV with him and a snake came on, he’d change the channel. And [Jordan] goes, ‘If you write that, somebody’s going to get killed because somebody’s going to throw a snake one day.’”

In August 2023, Jordan’s son Marcus revealed on his “Separation Anxiety” podcast that he and his older brother Jeffrey once pranked their dad by throwing fake snakes on his bed.

“We were grounded,” Marcus said. “I think he was caught off guard, and he realized they weren’t real after a while. He was running ’round the house trying to find out who pranked him.”

Barocas and others said they weren’t surprised that Jordan kept his fear of snakes from Nike officials.

“If you know anything about him, he was the ultimate competitor,” he said. “He was a trash talker. He got inside your head. He used any competitive advantage that he had. If he had a legitimate fear of snakes, then you wouldn’t want that out.”

On April 16, 2003, a year before the release of the Jordan 19s, Jordan played his final game, a 107-87 Wizards loss to the 76ers in Philadelphia.

Exactly one year later, in a twist of cosmic fate, a new film directed by Quentin Tarantino was released: “Kill Bill Vol. 2.”

The film featured a group of assassins known as the Deadly Viper Assassination Squad.

In one scene, a member of the group named Elle Driver (played by Daryl Hannah) uses a black mamba snake to attack a fellow assassin named Budd (played by Michael Madsen).

As Budd writhes on the ground with the snake’s venom flowing through his body, Elle delivers a monologue:

“Budd — I’d like to introduce my friend, The Black Mamba. Black Mamba — this is Budd.”

Elle says that she looked up the black mamba online.

“Fascinating creature, the Black Mamba. Listen to this.”

She began to read:

… In Africa, the saying goes, in the bush, an elephant can kill you. A leopard can kill you. And a Black Mamba can kill you. But only with the mamba, and this has been true in Africa since the dawn of time, is death sure. Hence its handle:

Death Incarnate.

Bryant would later say, in a 2018 interview with the Washington Post, that he saw the movie one night at home, when he couldn’t sleep. It was past 2 a.m. The scene had captured his imagination.

“The length, the snake, the bite, the strike, the temperament,” he told the Post, “‘Let me look this s— up.’

“I looked it up — yeah, that’s me. That’s me!’”

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IN JUNE 2003, four months after Jordan’s black mamba ad appeared, Bryant signed with Nike after his contract with Adidas expired.

That same month, he also visited Colorado for a knee procedure. He stayed at The Lodge and Spa at Cordillera. There, a 19-year-old woman worked at the front desk. She would later tell authorities that Bryant raped her in his room.

One month later, in July 2003, Bryant, then 24, was charged with felony sexual assault against her. That same day, Bryant held a news conference, admitting to adultery but insisting the encounter was consensual. In September 2004, the charge was dismissed. Six months later, a civil lawsuit was settled out of court.

The incident marked a dividing line in his life and career. During the ensuing 2003-04 NBA season, Bryant flew back and forth between Colorado, where courtroom proceedings were held, and Los Angeles, where he played with the Lakers. Bryant would later say, in the 2015 documentary “Kobe Bryant’s Muse,” that he took on the black mamba persona during this time.

“In 2003, I went from a person that was at the top of his game, that had everything coming, to a year later, having absolutely no idea where life is going or if you’re going to even be part of life as we all know it,” Bryant said in the documentary, of which he was an executive producer.

“I hear everything that the crowd is saying. I hear it. So it’s like this place that was my refuge is now being bombarded with all kinds of things that they would say. I had to separate myself, because going through that time, it felt like there was so many things coming at once and it was just becoming very, very confusing. I had to organize things.

“So, I created the black mamba.”

The first mainstream mention of Bryant’s association with the black mamba appeared in an ESPN The Magazine feature by Ric Bucher that ran in the Nov. 7, 2005, issue:

Granted, there is a dark side that Bryant still embraces. He’s known in his inner circle as Mamba, which, he is happy to explain, is a kind of snake that can grow to 13 feet and is the world’s quickest, and one of the most venomous, serpents.

He put that persona on display in August, as motivation for a select group of LA high school players and coaches. The group was provided all-black gear and shuttled over in an all-black bus at 5 a.m. to watch Bryant in a three-hour solo workout. “The mamba can strike with 99% accuracy at maximum speed, in rapid succession,” Bryant explains.

The first image of Bryant with the snake did not appear until the summer of 2006.

In the months prior, Ryan Jones, then the editor-in-chief of SLAM Magazine, said the team at SLAM knew that Bryant had been calling himself “mamba” and pitched him on the idea of appearing on the cover of the magazine holding a snake.

Bryant agreed. He arrived at a SoHo studio in New York City during an off-night. SLAM had hired a snake wrangler and had a couple of nonvenomous black snakes at the ready.

“Once the handler showed him what to do, he was super comfortable with it,” Jones recalled. “He was holding it near his face. He was all-in.”

The cover appeared in May 2006, with Bryant holding the snake.

The headline: “Kobe COLD BLOODED.”

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ERIC AVAR HELPED design several of Bryant’s shoes. He said that the origins of Bryant’s black mamba campaign can be traced back to the Nike Zoom III, which was released in 2007.

“The early notion about the black mamba was all about being lightning quick, deadly — and that was just his style and his game,” Avar told former ESPN staff writer Nick DePaula. “Kobe has always been creative and imaginative, so he would look at things from a functional and practical standpoint for his game, but the story, expression and imagination were always so big.

“He really thought about his game, how he approached the game, and he was always leaning into that. Looking at metaphors was always really big. It was really the lightning-fast, deadly aspect of the black mamba that resonated with him and his style. That’s where that started from.”

The shoe itself doesn’t feature any obvious ties to the snake, but those would soon emerge.

In late December 2008, Nike released a limited-edition Nike Zoom Kobe IV “Venom” signature sneaker. Then, in December 2010, Nike released the Zoom Kobe VI, which featured a snakeskin texture.

A Nike release stated, “The shoe is inspired by Kobe’s on-court alter ego, ‘The Black Mamba,’ and features a design inspired by the fearsome snake.”

In February 2011, in conjunction with the NBA All-Star Weekend in Los Angeles, Nike released “The Black Mamba” — a short film starring Bryant.

By then Bryant had become synonymous with the snake, and some Nike insiders smirked when they saw the campaign take off.

“For me, what was shocking was when Nike came out with it — ‘Ah, Kobe and the black mamba!’” Humphrey said. “I was like, ‘This shit is old! You serious?’”

Bryant idolized Jordan and patterned his game after him, studying Jordan relentlessly, his VHS tapes, how he walked, even how he chewed gum. It’s unclear, though, whether he knew about Jordan’s black mamba campaign.

Multiple people close to him say he did not.

Before becoming the general manager and vice president of basketball operations for the Dallas Mavericks, Nico Harrison worked at Nike for 19 years. He supervised Nike’s basketball brand managers and worked closely with Bryant since the Lakers guard signed with Nike in 2003.

Of the Air Jordan 19 campaign, Harrison told ESPN, “I remember the snakes. I remember the [Tech Flex] technology. And I don’t remember the ad.”

He said no one from Nike or Jordan Brand had ever mentioned it or the campaign to him or, to his knowledge, to Bryant.

Another source who worked closely with Bryant for many years said Bryant had no knowledge of the black mamba connection to Jordan.

Years later, when Thomas became the head of global brand marketing of basketball for Nike, she worked with Bryant and Jordan. She doesn’t recall talking with Bryant about the Air Jordan 19 — or the black mamba campaign around it.

Harrison, among others, pointed out that it’s not surprising that Bryant was likely unaware of Jordan’s campaign because there had long been a strict separation between Jordan Brand and the rest of Nike. That separation stemmed from Jordan himself.

“When Jordan Brand became its own thing, [Jordan] became extremely protective of the style and the design,” Barocas said. “Everybody wanted to keep it as separate from Nike as they could because there was a fear — whether or not it was real, or at least the potential — that those original designs would somehow make their way into Nike.”

Harrison also noted that if Bryant had known about Jordan’s black mamba campaign, then Bryant likely wouldn’t have wanted to pursue his own. “If he did know about it, I think it might give him pause,” Harrison said.

Davis made the point that when Jordan’s campaign was over, “I probably had [the Air Jordan black mamba campaign] in my filing cabinet in my office for forever. And we just moved on. She added that it wasn’t as if it could’ve been used for any other campaign, including Bryant’s.

“If a client decides to kill an idea, the idea is dead,” she said.

“From a product or inspiration standpoint, they were never talked about together,” Avar told DePaula. “They were separate thoughts and ideas.”

It’s unclear what Jordan thinks about the name and campaign: A representative for Jordan declined an interview request on his behalf.

On Nike’s campus, a photo of the black mamba advertisement for the Air Jordan 19 can be found in the company’s archives library on mutlilayered wood plank display boards.

A nearby placard says of the shoe: “Inspired by the black mamba snake, the lightest, most flexible and most breathable Air Jordan to date included Tech Flex [industrial braided sleeving] on the upper, and a lightweight, flexible and breathable overwrap. It also has double-stacked, full-length Zoom Air units. It was a product of a team of designers, a first for an Air Jordan shoe.”

Today, the black mamba campaign for Bryant carries on.

In January 2025, Nike announced that it would honor Bryant by designating 2025 — the Year of the Snake in the Chinese zodiac — as the Year of the Mamba.

There would be a new collection released, featuring new shoes, T-shirts, fleece crews and pants and a satinlike jacket.

The Kobe 5 Protro “Year of Mamba” shoe, the centerpiece of the collection, came in multiple colorways, including purple and red.

On both versions of the shoe, a snake wraps around Nike’s swoosh logo.

Now it gets serious.

Liam Rosenior made a positive start to his time at Chelsea. There were routine wins against Brentford, Pafos, Crystal Palace and Wolves, and more thrilling ones away at Napoli and in salvaging three points at home to West Ham.

The defeats to Arsenal in both legs of the Carabao Cup semi-final were frustrating, a missed opportunity, but understandable.

But blowing winning positions at home to Leeds and Burnley to draw their past two Premier League home games has shifted the situation.

Chelsea now face a daunting run of fixtures. The toughest run-in of any side competing for Champions League qualification.

After they “set fire to four points from two home games,” as Rosenior described it, the pressure is well and truly on.

A top-five finish is far from certain now.

Currently, Chelsea only sit above Liverpool on goal difference. And now they must protect that advantage through a run of games which begins with away days at Arsenal and Aston Villa, and will see Chelsea host Manchester City and Manchester United back-to-back in mid-April.

They then have to go to Anfield on May 9.

And that’s before factoring in a Champions League knockout tie against either Paris Saint-Germain or Newcastle, and an FA Cup run, where they have drawn Wrexham, which will reduce training time and put strain on resources.

It is this run of games which weighs into an Opta prediction model that expects Chelsea to finish sixth. That would be a serious step back after Enzo Maresca managed fourth last season and the loss of Champions League revenue would complicate plans for the summer transfer market.

It would also be a finish which would add to the criticism of the squad-building at Chelsea, where a focus on youth and potential over experience has exposed them to suggestions they lack composure and cutting-edge.

After Chelsea’s draw with Burnley, Rosenior and opposition boss Scott Parker talked up the quality of the Blues’ squad. They rank third in Opta’s expected points (xG) table, based on expected goals data.

In fact, they have created a higher xG score than any other side in the Premier League.

But they also rank fourth-worst for underperforming in that metric, having scored around four goals fewer than they should have.

This is a Chelsea team which tops the stats for PPDA (opposition Passes Per Defence Action), a metric which measures how quickly a team wins the ball back. Yet, they have let in 12 set-piece goals. Only four teams have conceded more.

In both boxes, they have been found wanting at key moments.

For Chelsea supporters, this again has been a season of promise and glimpses of what this talented young group can become – but also a season of untimely setbacks, slip-ups and switch-offs which have cost the team at crucial times.

Now, the margin for error is minimal. Now it gets serious.

Lessons to be learnt…

Chelsea began February with defeat at Arsenal. They will begin March there, hoping to have learnt lessons from that Carabao Cup semi-final second leg loss…

Don’t be passive… Sky Sports pundit Paul Merson slammed Chelsea after that cup game because they didn’t “give it a go” to overhaul the 3-2 aggregate lead Arsenal held from the first leg.

For this Premier League trip Chelsea cannot be gung-ho – but Rosenior will also not want to see a repeat of the slow possession which featured in last week’s draw to Burnley. Chelsea were cruising but never got the second goal and Wesley Fofana’s red card changed the game.

“I want incision. I want us to create wave after wave of attack,” said Rosenior after that draw. He won’t get dominance like that at the Emirates but, in possession, Chelsea must show intent.

Solve set-piece struggles… Zian Flemming’s header to grab Burnley a point at Stamford Bridge was excellent – but it helps when you have a free run and unmarked opportunity to meet a James Ward-Prowse pinpoint delivery.

Rosenior had flooded the pitch with giants when Chelsea went down to 10, aware of Ward-Prowse’s quality deliveries. But was left fuming at a player “who didn’t do their job” and left Flemming free.

Against Arsenal, the top set-piece scorers in the Premier League, who also scored from a corner against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge, there can be no repeat.

Keep their heads… It’s now eight red cards this season for Chelsea. Rosenior, interim Calum McFarlane and Maresca have insisted there isn’t a discipline problem in this team. Well, there certainly is a case for a lack of composure – and that attribute will be vital at the Emirates.

Let’s not forget, this is must-win for Arsenal, too, as they look to bolster their Premier League title bid. Emotions will be running high and Chelsea need to keep their focus.

That’s not just about red cards, either. After Fofana’s sending off against Burnley, Rosenior said the draw added to a list of games after Wolves away, Crystal Palace away and Leeds at home where Chelsea “have conceded goals from moments of lack of concentration, lack of accountability”.

Chelsea team news ahead of Arsenal away

Fofana will be suspended for the trip across London, while Marc Cucurella is out and Estevao is a doubt.

Romeo Lavia was back on the bench against Burnley and will hope to make his return from injury.

Trade buzz is heating up around the NFL, with the combine underway and free agency less than two weeks away. Which players could be involved in deals?

National NFL reporter Dan Graziano and NFL analyst Ben Solak worked together to stack the 15 best players who could be traded this month. This ranking is based on each player’s value to a new team, tying in what he brings on the field and his current contract situation. It is not a ranking of the players most likely to be dealt (though we did include a rough estimated percentage chance for each of the 15 players to change teams). In other words, Kyler Murray is ranked higher than Spencer Rattler here because Murray would bring more to a roster, but Rattler has a higher likelihood of actually getting moved.

For each player, we also have what we’re hearing, what we see on the tape and some team fits that might make sense. We begin with a talented 2024 first-rounder who might need a change of scenery.

Jump to the top-ranked:
QB | RB | WR | TE
Edge | DT | CB | S

The contract: Two more years for a total of $4.9 million, plus a fifth-year team option for 2028

The buzz: A first-round pick two years ago by the previous Jaguars administration, Thomas struggled enough throughout his second season that the team needed to trade for Jakobi Meyers at the deadline then signed him to a long-term deal. The Jaguars also got an impressive season out of Parker Washington. And while the new plan for Travis Hunter might be to focus on the cornerback position, Jacksonville still expects him to contribute something as a wide receiver.

There has been no indication that trading Thomas is something the Jaguars are planning, but there are teams monitoring the situation in case the hypertalented LSU product has fallen far enough down the Jacksonville depth chart that the front office would consider a move. — Graziano

The tape: The expectation for Thomas entering his sophomore season was WR1 production. But he struggled with drops and contact to start the season and ended up in more of a WR3 field-stretching role by season’s end. If another team wants to spend big draft capital on Thomas in the hopes that he returns to his rookie form in a new zip code, I’d get it. Thomas was better as a prospect than any wide receiver in the upcoming 2026 class. He had 707 yards and two scores in 2025, but he went for 1,282 yards and 10 touchdowns as a rookie. — Solak

Predicted chance of getting traded: 20%
Potential team fits: Patriots, Bills, Steelers, Raiders

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The contract: One more year for about $5.9 million

The buzz: The league seems to believe the Dolphins are in a full rebuild, which means they’re getting calls on all of their star players. My sense is that they’re far more likely to extend Achane’s contract than to listen to those trade offers, but in their situation, you answer the phone when it rings. So, call any Achane trade a significant long shot that would take an awfully enticing package to get done. — Graziano

The tape: The Dolphins valued Achane highly at the trade deadline, and they will likely do so again. The 24-year-old running back has game-breaking speed, high-volume receiving ability and much better toughness and tackle-breaking skills than his slight frame might suggest. He’s a better — and younger — talent than anyone in the loaded free agent RB market. Achane ran for 1,350 yards and eight scores last season, and his 5.7 yards per carry ranked first in the NFL. — Solak

Predicted chance of getting traded: 10%
Potential team fits: Chiefs, Texans, Vikings

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The contract: Three more years for a total of about $57.3 million, with $16.6 million fully guaranteed for 2026

The buzz: There were whispers of a potential Waddle deal at the trade deadline in October, but those might have been generated from the interested teams rather than from the Dolphins. With Tyreek Hill released, a Waddle deal would represent a significant reset in Miami. And if the Dolphins are going to handle a $99.2 million dead money hit for Tua Tagovailoa, they are going to have to cut costs somewhere. (On the third day of the league year, $15.2 million of Waddle’s $23.39 million 2027 salary will become fully guaranteed too.)

But as I said on Achane above, my sense is that the Dolphins see Waddle as a building block who’s under contract and aren’t eager to move on from him. They’ll get calls, no doubt, but it would take a lot for them to deal him. — Graziano

The tape: Waddle has multiple seasons of cost-controlled play on his existing contract, is only 27 years old and can be both a yards-after-catch slot option and a downfield vertical threat. He doesn’t have the frame to be a high-volume WR1, but he would be an excellent, explosive half of a league-leading tandem at wide receiver. He caught 64 passes for 910 yards and six touchdowns last season. — Solak

Predicted chance of getting traded: 10%
Potential team fits: Steelers, Chiefs, Raiders, Ravens

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The contract: Four more years at about $29 million per year, with $30 million fully guaranteed for 2026

The buzz: Last season ended badly for Crosby and the Raiders, as the team put him on injured reserve with two games left even though he felt healthy enough to play. There has been a ton of chatter around this situation though no public proclamations from Crosby about wanting out. And general manager John Spytek said at the combine Tuesday he expects Crosby to play for Las Vegas next season. Unless Crosby forces the issue and tells the Raiders he doesn’t want to play for them anymore, it’s hard to see the team moving him. But if that does happen, there would be a ton of interest. — Graziano

The tape: The value proposition on Crosby is obvious. One of the league’s best three-down defensive linemen, Crosby is an iron man who creates tackles for loss in the running game and can beat even elite offensive tackles in one-on-one pass-rush situations. Crosby will turn 29 before next season and still has two years of guaranteed money on his deal, so he could be the crowning jewel of a contending defense. He had 10 sacks in 2025. — Solak

Predicted chance of getting traded: 60%
Potential team fits: Bears, Patriots, Commanders

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The contract: Four more years at $28.25 million per year, with $29 million fully guaranteed for 2026

The buzz: Brown made no secret of his frustrations with the Eagles’ offense in 2025. Heck, he made no secret of them in 2024, when the team ended up winning the Super Bowl. Philadelphia has learned to live with Brown’s grousing because of his production. So, the questions are whether he’s unhappy enough there to force the issue and whether the Eagles want to move on from the situation. — Graziano

The tape: Brown’s individual play seemed to fall off a touch last season, but it’s fair to believe his frustration with the offense led to some disinterested play. An acquiring team is risking that Brown is beyond his athletic prime (he will turn 29 this summer), but he has only one year of guaranteed money on his deal, so it would not be too big of a commitment. And the recent ceiling of Brown’s play has been top-five receiver level. He had 1,003 yards last season, and he has tallied at least seven touchdowns in each of the past four campaigns. — Solak

Predicted chance of getting traded: 60%
Potential team fits: Patriots, Bills, Ravens

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The contract: Four more years at $28.75 million per year, nothing guaranteed

The buzz: When he signed his deal last spring, Metcalf’s $25 million in 2026 salary was fully guaranteed. But his two-game suspension at the end of the season for an in-game altercation with a fan voided that guarantee and could in turn make Metcalf easier to trade, if the Steelers are so inclined. They’ll be installing a new offense under new coach Mike McCarthy, and while dealing Metcalf would weaken them at a spot where they’re already thin, the wideout could end up on the market if he’s not a fit for the scheme. — Graziano

The tape: Metcalf is a team-specific player; not all systems will endure his limited route tree. Those teams that already have a dominant route runner or can feed him a steady diet of vertical routes will value a player who is still under 30 and has a unique blend of size and speed — especially when we consider how much team control he offers. He logged 850 yards in 2025, and he exceeded that number in each of his six prior seasons. — Solak

Predicted chance of getting traded: 25%
Potential team fits: Patriots, Commanders, Bills

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The contract: Two more years at about $39.4 million per year, with $36.8 million guaranteed in 2026 and a team option for 2028

The buzz: The Cardinals would love to trade the contract, but with that huge guarantee this year and another $19.5 million of 2027 money that fully guarantees on the third day of this league year, it’s going to be tough to find a taker. If Arizona is willing to pay down a big chunk of the money, that could help; but odds are Murray ends up getting released before that 2027 guarantee kicks in next month. — Graziano

The tape: While Murray isn’t as exciting as recent QB trade candidates such as Aaron Rodgers and Russell Wilson, he’s still a starting-caliber passer under 30 years old. Murray has guaranteed money in 2026 and might have some in 2027 depending on when he is traded, so this wouldn’t be a small commitment for any acquiring team. But it’s a shallow offseason at quarterback, and Murray has a high ceiling as a rehabilitation project given his quickness and live arm. He was limited to five games in 2025 with a foot injury, but he threw 21 touchdown passes and ran for five scores in 2024. — Solak

Predicted chance of getting traded: 5%
Potential team fits: Dolphins, Jets, Vikings

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The contract: One more year at about $5.8 million

The buzz: The Lions have four 2023 draft picks they want to extend — LaPorta, Jahmyr Gibbs, Jack Campbell and Brian Branch — and there are people around the league who wonder whether they’ll be able to get all of those deals done or if they’d have to trade someone. Even if the Lions can’t extend LaPorta, I think the odds of them trading him are extremely thin, as Detroit still sees itself in a win-now window. — Graziano

The tape: LaPorta had back surgery this past season (489 receiving yards, three touchdowns) and hasn’t looked as explosive as he did as a rookie (889 yards, 10 scores in 2023), but he remains one of the most exciting young receivers at the position. Teams looking for a high-volume receiving tight end might be willing to spend a draft pick now on LaPorta, instead of risking a bidding war in free agency in 2027 should he come back to form. — Solak

Predicted chance of getting traded: 10%
Potential team fits: Chiefs, Ravens, Texans

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The contract: Two more years at a total of $3.04 million, nothing guaranteed

The buzz: He is still only 25 and would have value in a trade. The Niners have a new defensive coordinator in Raheem Morris, and Green might not be a scheme fit. The 2024 second-round pick has just one interception in two NFL seasons, and he seemed to fall out of favor a bit with the coaching staff at times last season. — Graziano

The tape: Green isn’t a particularly big outside corner, but he makes up for it with quickness and aggressiveness. Double-digit pass breakups in each of his first two seasons is a testament to that. The coaching staff got frustrated with mental lapses and unnecessary aggressiveness last season, and teams will call accordingly to see if Green has run out of time in San Francisco. — Solak

Predicted chance of getting traded: 80%
Potential team fits: Cowboys, Falcons, Eagles

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The contract: Two more years at a total of $2.27 million, nothing guaranteed

The buzz: Rattler started 14 games for the Saints during his first two years in the league, and New Orleans lost 13 of them. He has 12 career touchdown passes and 10 interceptions, and he has been supplanted as the starting quarterback by promising 2025 second-round pick Tyler Shough. But Rattler showed the Saints enough the past two offseasons that they were willing to give him a shot, and there could be teams out there that think enough of his talent to bring him in to see if they can coach him up into a more consistent starter. — Graziano

The tape: The Saints don’t want to trade a young quarterback on a rookie contract who improved as a sophomore, but teams need developmental passers, and Rattler is the best candidate this spring. Rattler excelled as more of a quick-distribution point guard last season, but he also showed good creation ability on longer, movement dropbacks. He could fight — and easily beat out — a free agent veteran in training camp for a rebuilding team. — Solak

Predicted chance of getting traded: 70%
Potential team fits: Dolphins, Chiefs, Rams, Raiders

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The contract: One more year at $15.6 million

The buzz: He is 29 years old and definitely slowing down, but he has plenty of high-level experience and a reputation as a strong locker room leader. The Dolphins have a new coaching staff and will be installing a new defense under incoming coach Jeff Hafley. It’s possible they’d need to pay down some of the salary to make a deal work, but they also could do the kind of player-for-player deal that brought them Fitzpatrick last summer. — Graziano

The tape: Fitzpatrick will turn 30 next season and his best play is behind him, but he’s still an impactful single-high coverage defender with enough size and coverage ability to step into the box. Fitzpatrick has one year left on his deal and is only attractive as a mercenary option for contending teams, but the floor and ceiling of his play are high enough to demand solid return. He registered 82 tackles and an interception last season. — Solak

Predicted chance of getting traded: 65%
Potential team fits: Bills, Cowboys

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The contract: Three more years at about $47 million per year, with $54 million guaranteed for 2026

The buzz: Benched at the tail end of last season for Quinn Ewers, Tagovailoa no longer looks like the future in Miami. The Dolphins have a new GM and a new coach, and they could turn over the roster significantly this offseason. The problem is that $54 million guarantee, which would transfer to whichever team trades for Tagovailoa and likely prevents any deal from getting done unless the Dolphins are willing to pay down a massive portion of it.

More likely, Miami will end up having to cut Tagovailoa and swallow $99.2 million in dead money cap charges as a result of a long-term extension that looks extremely ill-advised in retrospect. — Graziano

The tape: The strengths and limitations of Tagovailoa’s play are clear at this point, so it’s unlikely a team trades for him as a long-term starting option. But as a bridge, his quick release and pinpoint accuracy in the run-pass option work well for a team looking for an easy identity on offense. So long as the Dolphins work with the contract to make it more palatable, Tagovailoa should have a solid market. He threw 20 touchdown passes and a career-high 15 interceptions last season. — Solak

Predicted chance of getting traded: 5%
Potential team fits: Vikings, Falcons, Cardinals

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The contract: One more year at $1.9 million

The buzz: The Eagles think very highly of Jalen Hurts‘ backup QB, and that opinion is well-known around the league. Do they think highly enough of McKee to extend him? Would McKee even go for that? Or does he want to play this deal out, go somewhere else and see if he can be an NFL starter? If the Eagles feel as if it’s the latter, they could look to get something for him from a team seeking an affordable upside solution at the QB position. — Graziano

The tape: McKee looks like a young quarterback worthy of development in his preseason and late-season starts. I see good size, good accuracy and comfort reading the field to make aggressive throws from the pocket. McKee has only one year left on his deal, so a trade would only make sense with a team that would start him now to determine if he’s worthy of an extension. He has five career touchdown passes across appearances in six games. — Solak

Predicted chance of getting traded: 20%
Potential team fits: Dolphins, Jets, Vikings, Chiefs

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The contract: Three more years at about $9.9 million per year, nothing guaranteed

The buzz: Hobbs was a free agent signing for Green Bay just last year. But he dealt with injuries in 2025 and bounced between slot corner and outside corner duties when he was on the field. He seems better cast as a slot corner, but the Packers aren’t short on those, and it’s possible they could see him as a valuable trade candidate who could help them pick up an extra draft pick or two. He has a $6.25 million roster bonus due on the third day of the league year, so if a deal happened after that, it’d be even cheaper for the acquiring team.

Green Bay wasn’t the only team interested in Hobbs during free agency last year, and if there’s a slot corner market out there, it might make sense for the Packers to see what they can get. — Graziano

The tape: Hobbs never settled into either the slot or the outside spot in Green Bay’s defense. He is a better fit in the slot and has a good nose coming downhill in zone coverage. But there are a lot of good slots available in free agency and the draft this offseason, which might limit interest in Hobbs’ services. — Solak

Predicted chance of getting traded: 50%
Potential team fits: Lions, Dolphins, Panthers, Bills

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The contract: One more year at $14.75 million

The buzz: The Giants have a surplus of impact defensive linemen with Brian Burns and Abdul Carter, and it seems more likely they’ll try to find a trade partner for Thibodeaux than extend the 2022 first-round pick ahead of his fifth-year-option season. The question is whether the Giants can find a taker for him at that salary in a deep offseason edge rusher market, but the chatter at the combine indicates they’re going to try. — Graziano

The tape: Thibodeaux’s motor can run hot and cold, which makes him a difficult player to trust on a down-to-down basis. But a contract year could light a fire under Thibodeaux, who generates quick pressures with hand usage and a killer first step. He posted 2.5 sacks last season but also had 11.5 in 2023. That sort of production can keep a guy in a designated pass-rushing role for a long time in this league. But it’s a loaded offseason for edge rushers in free agency, which might temper Thibodeaux’s market. — Solak

Predicted chance of getting traded: 70%
Potential team fits: Chargers, Bengals, Bears

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Honorable mentions

• Jordan Davis, DT, Philadelphia Eagles

• Tyson Bagent, QB, Chicago Bears

• Will Levis, QB, Tennessee Titans

• Anthony Richardson Sr., QB, Indianapolis Colts

• DJ Moore, WR, Chicago Bears

• Keon Coleman, WR, Buffalo Bills

Jeff Galloway, a member of the 1972 U.S. Olympic team who for decades inspired elite athletes and countless everyday runners by promoting a run-walk-run strategy, whether in a marathon or just a neighborhood jog, died Wednesday at age 80.

Galloway had a hemorrhagic stroke and died at a hospital in Pensacola, Florida, daughter-in-law Carissa Galloway said.

His influence was evident in the final days of his life: Throngs of people posted videos online, hoping for Galloway’s recovery from emergency neurosurgery and thanking him for advice that boosted their confidence and took them to race starting lines.

Galloway’s family announced the surgery on Feb. 20 and invited the public to express support.

Jim Vance, an elite endurance sports consultant in San Diego, said Galloway was a “pioneer” in getting people to run.

“He removed the barrier to entry, which was mostly mental,” Vance told The Associated Press. “Running isn’t supposed to be a suffer-fest. It should be something peaceful, something enjoyable, so people can enjoy running and not dread it.”

Galloway survived heart failure in 2021 and was still hoping to complete another marathon after logging more than 230 during his lifetime.

“My mission now, at the age of 80-plus, is to show that people can do things that are normally not done, and can do them safely,” he told The New York Times in December.

Galloway’s run-walk-run method began in 1974 when he agreed to teach a running class through Florida State University, two years after competing in the 10,000 meters at the Olympics. He figured it might attract customers to Phidippides, his new store for runners.

“None had done any running for at least five years. So we started walking with a few one-minute jogs,” Galloway said on his website.

“I spent some time with each group, during the runs, to adjust the frequency of walk breaks so that no one was huffing and puffing — even at the end,” he said. “Walk breaks kept the groups together. Everyone passed the final exam: finishing either a 5K or a 10K with smiles on their faces.”

Galloway believed walking during a run reduced the risk of injury, conserved energy and kept confidence afloat.

“I’ve been using them ever since,” he said, “continuing to fine-tune the ratios of running to walking based upon pace per mile and individual needs.”

And Galloway even had his own recipe. He walked through every water station during the 1980 Houston marathon and finished with a faster time, 2:16:35, than his previous run-only 26.2 mile (42.1 kilometer) races, the Times reported.

He shared his running philosophies through books, websites and retreats. Galloway was the official training consultant for runDisney, a series of races at Walt Disney Co. resorts, and would be among the runners. Many admirers went online to offer tributes after his recent surgery.

“I never thought I would be a runner. I never thought I’d run a half marathon,” Karen Bock-Losee of Jacksonville, Florida, said in a video. “I’m 70 years old and I’ve run several since my 60th birthday when I discovered Galloway running. I just want to say thank you.”

Susan Williams recalled seeing Galloway as she struggled toward the end of a half marathon in Murray, Kentucky, in 2011.

“You passed me, and my butt was cramping,” she said. “You turned around and came back. You talked me through it. It was awesome.”

Bobby McGee, a Colorado-based running coach, said Galloway’s run-walk-run approach made running more accessible to the masses.

“When a group of people in any kind of run — from marathons to fun runs — get together afterwards they talk about their time,” McGee said. “Nobody asks them if they ran the whole thing.”

Galloway is survived by two sons and six grandchildren.

INDIANAPOLIS — The Dallas Cowboys and the agent for Pro Bowler Brandon Aubrey are in agreement that he should be the highest-paid kicker in the NFL. The disagreement is by how much.

The Cowboys have offered a deal for Aubrey that is more than the league-high $6.4 million average per season for Kansas City’s Harrison Butker, sources told ESPN. However, Aubrey’s agent, Todd France, has asked for a deal closer to $10 million per season, according to sources.

The negotiations started last season but have not progressed.

“It’s been a journey,” Cowboys executive vice president Stephen Jones said Monday without getting into the specifics of the talks, “but we hadn’t been able to get to a point where we can all agree, so it hadn’t gotten done. But we’d love to get him done.”

Aubrey is set to become a restricted free agent. The Cowboys are likely to place the second-round tender on Aubrey at a cost of close to $5.8 million. He entered the league as an undrafted free agent, so if the Cowboys put the right-of-first-refusal tender on Aubrey, they would not receive any compensation in return if they did not match an offer made by another team.

The only restricted free agent to leave a team for a second-round pick was Wes Welker, who was ultimately traded to the New England Patriots from the Miami Dolphins for second- and seventh-round picks in 2007.

While using the restricted free agent tender would have Aubrey under contract only for 2026, the Cowboys could use the franchise tag on him in 2027 to effectively keep him out of free agency.

Aubrey, who turns 31 next month, has been named to the Pro Bowl in each of his first three seasons. He has made six field goals from 60 yards or longer, the most in NFL history. Last season, he connected on 11-of-17 field goal attempts from 50 yards or more.

For his career, Aubrey has made 112 of 127 attempts with a career-long 65-yarder. In 2025, he connected on 36 of 42 tries, and the six misses were from 51 yards or longer.

Loughborough Lightning star Jess Shaw is targeting a strong season for club and country as she seeks to ensure her England spot at this summer’s Commonwealth Games.

Having left the Lightning in 2020, Shaw has had successful spells with Team Bath, Severn Stars and Birmingham Panthers but now returns to last year’s Netball Super League runners-up as a far more polished player.

Ahead of her side’s season-opener against LexisNexis Dragons on Saturday, live on Sky Sports, Shaw set out her goals for the year, which features the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow across July and August.

“This squad is really exciting,” Shaw told Sky Sports.

“They’ve been in finals now for five consecutive years, so hopefully we get into that final again this year.

“With it being a Commonwealth Games year, for me, coming to Lightning is going to help me perform. I’ve got the team behind me and if I am performing, I’ll be out on that court.”

Her return got off to an encouraging start as the Lightning started the year by winning the Super Cup over the weekend.

Shaw also explained that some of the thinking behind her move to Loughborough was that she will get playing time across both the wing attack and centre positions.

She added: “Coming into a Commonwealth Games year, it’s really important that I am at the top of my game and playing across both positions, so hopefully I can get that this season.”

‘Diabetes still catches me off guard’

Shaw’s rise to the top of the sport is made all the more remarkable by the fact she was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes as a teenager.

The 29-year-old still has to manage her health carefully but finds motivation in showing younger people with the condition that they can succeed in elite sport.

“I still find it really challenging living with Type 1 diabetes,” Shaw said. “It still catches me off guard depending on different games and things.

“But over the years I have started to get a bit more to grips with what works for me on gamedays, and training around that.

“But again, some days it’s just out of my control and I’m really struggling to kind of get it in that range.

“For me, it’s just doing it for the ones that are younger and look up to me as a role model, to know that even living with Type 1 diabetes, it doesn’t stop you and when you do get to the top it’s actually a lot sweeter.”

Watch the Netball Super League live on Sky Sports this season, starting with champions London Pulse vs Manchester Thunder, live on Sky Sports Mix and Sky Sports+ from 7.25pm on Friday, February 27