The Chicago Bears are demonstrating the significance of all three phases of the game. Just days after granting Amen Ogbongbemiga and Josh Blackwell two-year contract extensions , the Bears secured Tarvarius Moore with a one-year extension.
In addition to extending CB Josh Blackwell and LB Amen Ogbongbemiga late last week, the Bears retained another core special teamer today in veteran DB Tarvarius Moore, who Chicago extended on a 1-year deal. Moore played the 7th most snaps on special teams in 2024 where he totaled…
— Courtney Cronin (@CourtneyRCronin) March 10, 2025
Moore recorded seven tackles and ranked seventh in special teams snaps for the Bears last season, even though he played in only 11 games.
Moore's best moment was the onside kick recovery in Week 13. Richard Hightower's special teams group was, at times, the only bright spot last season. This should continue as their core group is all returning for 2025.
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The ongoing saga with the NFL Players Association has taken another turn, as the organization is also reportedly the subject of a federal investigation. ESPN's Don Van Natta Jr. and Kalyn Kahler reported on Friday that there is an ongoing criminal investigation involving the NFLPA regarding potential misuse of funds and self-enrichment of union officials. A senior union attorney sent a memo to NFLPA officials this week informing them of the federal probe. The document states that the NFLPA is "now on notice of financial actions that may be criminal" and that the union faces "immediate threats requiring prompt actions," according to ESPN. While the document did not specify which individuals are part of the criminal investigation, the notice was sent days after executive director Lloyd Howell Jr. and director of strategy J.C. Tretter resigned from their positions with the NFLPA. Howell was accused of misusing union funds and faced other troubling allegations. Tretter resigned because he felt like he was left to take the heat for the scandal that has been unfolding, though he has denied any wrongdoing. The NFLPA is searching for an interim executive director. ESPN reports that the memo sent to union officials this week warns that potentially hiring an outside executive director might not be a wise move without knowing exactly how deep "the problems may be." Howell was the executive director of the NFLPA for two years.
Athletics rookie first baseman Nick Kurtz already had an impressive start to his career. Kurtz entered Friday having posted a .288/.360/.622 batting line in 265 plate appearances, hitting 19 homers and 17 doubles. Despite making his major league debut on April 23, Kurtz has been the A's most valuable player, leading the team with 2.6 bWAR. He appeared to be on the cusp of becoming the superstar the A's needed to sell the team to the residents of Las Vegas. That performance set the stage for what may have been the most impressive game for any rookie in major league history. Kurtz became the 20th player in MLB history to have a four-home run game and the first rookie to achieve that feat. Kurtz's performance also put the 2025 season into baseball history. Diamondbacks third baseman Eugenio Suarez had a four-home run game on April 26, making this the third time that there have been two four-homer games in a season. That had happened in 2002 (outfielders Mike Cameron and Shawn Green) and 2017 (utility man Scooter Gennett and left fielder J.D. Martinez). Kurtz did not stop with those four homers. He was 6-6 in the A's 15-3 victory over the Astros, with a double and eight runs batted in. The favorite to win the AL Rookie of the Year award, Kurtz put an emphatic stamp on an already impressive season with his barrage on Friday.
The New York Mets are a half-game ahead of the Philadelphia Phillies for first place in the NL East, but their pitching staff is still injury-ravaged despite the recent returns of Sean Manaea and Frankie Montas. Brandon Waddell (hip), Dedniel Nuñez (elbow), Max Kranick (flexor), Paul Blackburn (shoulder), Tylor Megill (elbow), Griffin Canning (Achilles), Drew Smith (elbow), A.J. Minter (lat), Danny Young (elbow), and Christian Scott (elbow) are alll on the Mets' IL. The MLB Trade Deadline is July 31 at 6 p.m. EST, so the front office has one week to add healthy arms from around the league this season. ESPN's David Schoenfield predicted on Thursday that New York would trade for a Minnesota Twins reliever. "One guarantee of the trade deadline: The Mets will add to the bullpen, probably with more than one trade. Though the rotation still ranks fifth in ERA, that was built off a hot start," he wrote. "More importantly, the only Mets starter to complete six innings since June 7 has been David Peterson. As a result, manager Carlos Mendoza has run relievers Reed Garrett, Huascar Brazoban, Jose Butto and Ryne Stanek into the ground. The bullpen had a 2.78 ERA through May, but that figure is over 5.00 since the beginning of June (ranking near the bottom of the majors)." "The Twins have two high-profile relievers in [Jhoan] Duran and [Griffin] Jax, both of whom are under team control through 2027, so they'll be much more expensive than your usual short-term relievers if the Twins decide to trade one or both," he continued. "Duran would be harder to deal -- but bring more in return -- so we'll say Jax will go. Don't be fooled by his 4.09 ERA: He has 68 strikeouts and 12 walks in 44 innings with a 97-mph heater. He's an elite strikeout reliever, the type you want on the mound in October." The Mets are hot despite their injuries, as they're on a four-game winning streak and just swept the Los Angeles Angels. Next up is a road trip against the San Francisco Giants and San Diego Padres. New York right-handed pitcher Clay Holmes (8-5, 3.48 ERA) will face Giants right-hander Logan Webb (9-7, 3.08 ERA) on Friday.
Scottie Scheffler continued to pile up major victories with his win at The Open Championship on Sunday, but the World No. 1 golfer says he would give up one of his most coveted trophies if it helped his favorite NFL team win a Super Bowl. Scheffler was born in New Jersey, but his family moved to Dallas, Texas, when he was 6 years old. He went to college at the University of Texas and still lives in Dallas with his wife, Meredith, and 1-year-old son Bennett. As you might expect, Scheffler is a huge Cowboys fan. During an appearance on the latest episode of the "Pardon My Take" podcast, Scheffler discussed how badly he wants the Cowboys to win a Super Bowl. Scheffler said he would "for sure" trade one of his major championships for his favorite NFL team to win a title. Scheffler's win at Royal Portrush was his fourth in a major. The 29-year-old has now joined Tiger Woods, Jack Nicklaus and Gary Player as the only players to win The Open Championship, the Masters and the PGA Championship before turning 30. Scheffler has been ranked the No. 1 golfer in the world for more than two years now. He has looked virtually unstoppable throughout much of that span. He only needs to win the U.S. Open to complete the career grand slam, and it would be downright shocking if he did not accomplish that at some point. The Cowboys last won a Super Bowl in January of 1996. Scheffler was born in June of that year, so Dallas has not won a championship in his lifetime. Though he knows he is going to have plenty of majors before his golf career is over, it says a lot that Scheffler would be willing to trade one of his trophies just to watch Dallas return to the top of the NFL.
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