The Minnesota Vikings had an incredible 14-3 regular season, but things went downhill in a hurry at the end of the year. The Vikes lost their last two contests — a 31-9 loss to the Detroit Lions in Week 18 with a playoff bye and the NFC North crown on the line, followed by a 27-9 defeat to the Los Angeles Rams in the wild-card round of the NFL playoffs.
Sam Darnold did an admirable job as the Vikings starting quarterback for most of the year but fared horribly in the final two contests. In the last two games, Darnold threw for just one touchdown and had one interception while getting sacked 11 times. Despite Darnold ranking No. 5 in passing yards (4,319) and No. 5 in passing touchdowns (35), he may not be back with Minnesota in 2025.
Darnold is set to be a free agent, and there's a strong chance the Vikings move on from him and give the keys to the offense to J.J. McCarthy. McCarthy, who won a national championship at Michigan, was selected No. 10 overall by Minnesota in the 2024 NFL Draft but missed his entire rookie season after tearing the meniscus in his right knee in August.
On Thursday, Vikings head coach Kevin O'Connell gave his thoughts on McCarthy.
“I’m very excited about where J.J. is at,” O’Connell said, per The Athletic's Alec Lewis. “He’s returned to on-field training."
Vikings general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah noted that he was impressed with how McCarthy looked during on-field training.
“I was in there, and he was in there doing cool quarterback things. He was in there. Looks great. Excited. You talk about a kid who is obsessed with football and loves being around the game," Adofo-Mensah said at a news conference. "We’re excited about what we have in him. We’re excited about the offseason. It’s a big offseason. And then we’ll continue from there.”
Adofo-Mensah said he can't know anything for certain about whether McCarthy will be QB1 for the Vikings in 2025, but it's clear he believes in McCarthy's abilities.
"That position is about talent and preparation, and he’s got those things in spades. If that’s the course of action we decide, we’ll go in there confidently," Adofo-Mensah said.
All McCarthy did in college was win, and the Vikings hope to get that from him as a pro. McCarthy had a 27-1 starting record for the Michigan Wolverines. In addition to winning the national championship, McCarthy was also the 2024 Rose Bowl offensive MVP and a first-team All-Big Ten selection.
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There is not a bigger sporting event in North America than the Super Bowl, and tickets are only getting more expensive every year. There is also a ridiculous secondary market for tickets where seats sell for well above the original face value. It is usually fans or ticket resellers going for a quick profit. But as was reported on Friday, sometimes it can be players in the NFL looking to make a profit. According to multiple reports, including the Associated Press and ESPN, more than 100 players are facing fines and potential suspensions for selling their allotment of tickets to this year's Super Bowl between the Philadelphia Eagles and Kansas City Chiefs for above face value. Players are reportedly facing fines of one-and-a-half times the face value they originally paid for the tickets, while they are also prevented from purchasing tickets to the Super Bowl for the next seasons. The Associated Press obtained a memo from the NFL detailing the violation and investigation. That memo was as follows: “Our initial investigation has determined that a number of NFL players and coaches, employed by several NFL Clubs, sold Super Bowl tickets for more than the ticket’s face value in violation of the Policy. This long-standing League Policy, which is specifically incorporated into the Collective Bargaining Agreement, prohibits League or Club employees, including players, from selling NFL game tickets acquired from their employer for more than the ticket’s face value or for an amount greater than the employee originally paid for the ticket, whichever is less. We are in the process of completing our investigation into this matter, but the investigation has revealed that club employees and players sold their tickets to a small number of ‘bundlers’ who were working with a ticket reseller to sell the Super Bowl tickets above face value.” If players are not willing to pay the fine, they could be facing suspension from the league. It seems unlikely that any of the players — none of whom have been named, or their teams — would refuse to pay such a fine. It's also one of those moments where you can say, professional athletes — they're still normal people trying to make a quick buck. The most logical answer here is perhaps some of the players caught up in this are younger players who have not yet struck it rich on a big contract or perhaps even practice squad players who are not making top dollar.
The favorite to win Sunday's Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway will have quite a mountain to climb. Denny Hamlin, who was fastest in practice at IMS on Saturday and is searching for his first Brickyard 400 win, suffered a vicious impact during Saturday's NASCAR Cup Series qualifying session. Hamlin was the last car to make a lap during the session, but the No. 11 Toyota broke loose on the exit of turn 2. After tapping the outside wall, he spun into the grass before making hard contact with the inside wall. Hamlin did not produce a qualifying time and will be forced to go to a backup car for Sunday's race. The 58-time Cup Series winner will start last (39th) on Sunday. Hamlin did climb out of the car after the accident. Meanwhile, his Joe Gibbs Racing teammate, Chase Briscoe, secured the pole position for Sunday's race. The top five in qualifying were swept by Toyota, with 23XI Racing's Bubba Wallace joining Briscoe on the front row. The Brickyard 400 will go green shortly after 2 p.m. ET on Sunday, with coverage on TNT, the IMS Radio Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.
Now in her second WNBA season, Chicago Sky forward Angel Reese is averaging a league‑leading 12.5 rebounds along with 13.8 points, 3.7 assists and 1.4 steals per game. She recently returned from injury and immediately picked up where she left off, posting her 16th double‑double of the season (11 points, 11 rebounds) on Tuesday night even as her Chicago Sky fell, 91-68, to the Minnesota Lynx. Then, on Wednesday, Reese showcased her brand power on Instagram, posting a pregame photo dressed head‑to‑toe in Gucci with the caption, "Don’t worry about me… life is GUCCI @gucci #guccipartner." The image quickly lit up her feed and drew an immediate response from one of the game’s all‑time greats, WNBA legend Lisa Leslie, who commented, “Yessss it is❤️." Despite flashes of elite play, the Sky have struggled mightily, standing at just 7-17 and sitting fifth in the Eastern Conference. Their 76.7 points per game rank 12th in the WNBA, and opponents are torching them for 86.8 a night (12th in the league). With head coach Tyler Marsh searching for consistency, every bright spot has been a welcome reprieve for a franchise that won the title as recently as 2021. Front and center among Chicago’s bright spots is Reese. Off the court, Reese has quickly built a burgeoning portfolio of endorsement deals, including Reebok, Calvin Klein, Beats by Dre, Amazon and now Gucci, underscoring her status as one of the WNBA’s brightest personalities. On the other side, you have Leslie, whose voice carries more weight than arguably anybody in women’s basketball. A three‑time league MVP, two‑time WNBA champion and Finals MVP and eight‑time All‑Star, Leslie helped define the league’s early years with the Los Angeles Sparks, including driving home the first dunk in WNBA history in 2002. A Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Famer (class of 2015), she remains a global ambassador for the sport.
Things have largely gone cold on the Giannis Antetokounmpo trade front, but that does not mean teams are not thinking of the possibility of that changing. Tim Kawakami of the San Francisco Standard noted that the Warriors are being cautious in negotiations with restricted free agent Jonathan Kuminga, as he could be possible trade bait if Antetokounmpo is traded by the Milwaukee Bucks. The Warriors are adamant about not giving away Kuminga for less than his full trade value, which is why his situation remains unresolved with August looming. Kuminga and the Warriors have yet to agree on a contract, and it remains unclear when the situation will be resolved. He has a $7.9 million qualifying offer on the table, and signing it would allow him to approve any trade he is involved in. If he signs a multiyear extension, he would not be eligible to be traded until January, which could complicate things if Antetokounmpo decides late in the offseason that he wants a move. Presumably, Kuminga would be a key part of any trade the Warriors make involving Antetokounmpo. However, with no market materializing, there seems to be a growing chance he could remain with the team next season. The former No. 7 overall pick averaged 15.3 points, 4.6 rebounds, 2.2 assists and 0.8 steals per game last season. He appeared in 47 games, making 10 starts and averaging 24.3 minutes per game. However, he has been unable to consistently lock down a major spot in coach Steve Kerr’s rotation, which reportedly led to some tension between the two last season. Antetokounmpo, meanwhile, still seems unlikely to be traded, but teams are still going to prepare for the possibility.
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