On Saturday, we chronicled the Minnesota Vikings’ general manager search, Garrett Bradbury’s plight in Chicago, and new WR Dillon Bell. It’s time for the second batch of purple rumors for the week.

Minnesota’s rumor mill is already drifting toward 2027, familiar depth help, and one rookie cornerback.

Training camp gets cooking for the Vikings in less than three months; here’s where the rumors stand ahead of time.

Three Names Are Already Floating around the Vikings’ Summer Radar

The Purple Rumor Mill for May 3rd, 2026.

Rumor: LaNorris Sellers, a quarterback from South Carolina, has already been linked to the Vikings in next year’s draft.

Brendan Donahue of Sharp Football Analysis kickstarted the 2027 mock draft process this week, with the Vikings holding the 14th pick — so an 8-9 record or so in 2026.

He nominated Sellers to Minnesota and wrote, “The 2026 season feels like a make-or-break year for both the quarterbacks currently on the Vikings roster. I don’t think head coach Kevin O’Connell will hesitate to move on from either or both if they miss the playoffs again in 2026 and replace them with someone who seems to be more of his prototype at the position.”

“Many scouts believe Sellers has as much upside as any quarterback at the college level if he can just put it all together.”

Norris looks the part the moment he steps on the field. At 6’3″ and 240 pounds, and running in the 4.5s, his physical gifts are immediately apparent, translating directly to his on-field performance. He boasts legitimate arm strength, allowing him to launch the deep ball, and can break the pocket to create plays much like the nation’s top scramblers. Clearly, there’s significant talent to develop.

However, his concerns are equally evident. He tends to hold the ball too long, leading to sacks, and struggles with ball security. Furthermore, his accuracy noticeably declined in 2025.

Ultimately, Norris is a quarterback with rare physical tools, but he also exhibits significant areas for improvement and inconsistency.

Of course, if Kyler Murray or J.J. McCarthy are the real deal, the Vikings won’t need a quarterback in 2027. Simple as that.

Rumor: If the Vikings want Cam Akers back, he’s available.

Akers’s short stint with the Seattle Seahawks is kaput. Seattle Times’s Bob Conodotta wrote Monday, “The Seahawks released veteran running back Cam Akers on Monday in the wake of selecting Jadarian Price in the first round of the NFL draft on Thursday. Akers, a seven-year NFL veteran, signed to the Seahawks’ practice squad last November after an injury to George Holani.”

“He played in three regular-season games and in the NFC title game win over the Rams without getting a carry. He had two kickoff returns for 54 yards in a late-season win at Carolina. The release of Akers leaves the Seahawks with six running backs on the roster — Price, Zach Charbonnet, Holani, Kenny McIntosh, Jacardia Wright and free agent signee Emanuel Wilson.”

Akers will now hit the open market, with Minnesota obviously being a suitor for his services because they just love the man so much.

Is Akers required on the Vikings’ roster right now? Nope. But in 2023, 2024, and 2025, Akers didn’t really feel needed either at this time on the calendar, and he found his way back to the Vikings each time. Here’s the current RB setup in Minnesota after the draft:

RB1: Aaron Jones
RB2: Jordan Mason
RB3: Demond Claibonre
RB4: Zavier Scott
RB5: Kejon Owens

You can never rule out Akers for the O’Connell-led Vikings. He has O’Connell’s gridiron crush.

Rumor: CB Charles Demmings could be an undercover stud.

Analyzing each team’s draft class, Brugler wrote Monday about Demmings, “Day 3 pick who could surprise: Charles Demmings, CB, Stephen F. Austin. Aside from Demmings always being a great quote, he leaves everything he has on the field. With his cover athleticism and mental toughness, Demmings was a worthy bet in the fifth round, and he landed with a team that needed cornerback depth.”

Demmings joins the team as the fourth cornerback, behind Byron Murphy Jr., Isaiah Rodgers, and James Pierre. His initial depth chart position, however, doesn’t preclude him from early playing time. Given Minnesota’s history of rotating corners and Demmings’ promising traits, he has a clear path to snaps by September if circumstances align favorably.

Physically, Demmings stands 6’1″ and weighs 195 pounds, boasting a 4.41-second 40-yard dash. His impressive length and vertical speed are evident, complemented by the excellent ball-tracking skills he demonstrated in college, where he recorded nine interceptions. Furthermore, his tackling significantly improved at Stephen F. Austin, making him a more complete player than he was earlier in his career.

Minnesota has struggled to develop drafted cornerbacks into long-term solutions since Xavier Rhodes. That challenging track record casts a shadow over every new addition to the position in the draft. Demmings now enters this historical context, equipped with the tools to compete. His performance will ultimately determine whether the pattern of past struggles continues or finally shifts.

Napoli and Como drew 0-0 in Serie A on Saturday in a result that did little to further either of their ambitions for this season. The draw will likely disappoint hosts Como the more as they now trail Juventus in the final Champions League spot by two points and the Old Lady can grow that advantage when they host Verona on Sunday. Second-placed Napoli know their Serie A title defence is over with leaders Inter Milan, now nine points clear, needing just a draw from their remaining four fixtures to win the league.

Inter can claim the Scudetto on Sunday with three games to spare when they play mid-table Parma at the San Siro.

Napoli coach Antonio Conte admitted Como had given them quite a challenge.

“It was certainly a good performance, as without that you don’t emerge unscathed from a game where both Napoli and Como had a lot at stake,” Conte told DAZN.

“Como probably had more at stake with Champions League qualification.”

But after the stalemate, third-placed AC Milan can draw level with Napoli on 70 points should they win at Sassuolo on Sunday.

The first big chance came to Como inside the opening 10 minutes as Anastasios Douvikas managed to round Napoli goalkeeper Vanja Milinkovic-Savic, only for two defenders to scramble back and block his effort on the goal-line.

At the other end Scott McTominay responded for Napoli with a towering leap at a corner on 18 minutes but his header went over with the Como ‘keeper Jean Butez lost in a melee.

Como’s Martin Baturina bent wide four mins later and then Milinkovic-Savic came out well to deny Assane Diao on a swift counter and the match went into half-time goalless.

Napoli appealed vainly for a penalty early in the second period, however, the referee adjudged Rasmus Hojlund had manufactured the contact close to the byline and chose not to point to the spot.

A deflected effort from just inside the box from Baturina then required a desperate claw away from the goal by a wrong-footed Milinkovic-Savic.

McTominay passed up the best chance of the second period on 80 minutes after galloping onto a lofted through-ball but his steered finish nestled in the side netting.

Matteo Politano nearly won the match five minutes later with a spectacular curling effort from distance, which came back off the post with Butez well-beaten.

Elsewhere, Udinese climbed to 10th following a 2-0 win at home to Torino and seventh-placed Atalanta played out a goalless draw at home to Genoa.

(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

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Former India cricketer Manoj Tiwary has admitted that the Indian Premier League’s (IPL) most high-profile rivalry is not between the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and the Mumbai Indians (MI) anymore. The two heavyweights produced a not-so-engaging encounter at the MA Chidambaram Stadium, on Saturday, May 2, after a comfortable eight-wicket win for the Ruturaj Gaikwad-led side in the end.

The legendary sides, who have ten titles between them, and have faced each other in the finals four times, are nowhere near the top of the table. Referred to as the IPL’s El Clásico, drawing inspiration from the iconic rivalry between Real Madrid and Barcelona, it has not been the same over the last few years.

Since 2023, MI have only managed to record one win over their rivals in seven matches. The majority of the contests have been one-sided, including both fixtures in IPL 2026, with CSK securing massive wins by 103 runs and eight wickets, away and home, respectively.

Manoj Tiwary opined that the clashes between CSK and MI should no longer be referred to as the El Clásico, given the quality of the recent matches between the two sides, and their current state in general.

“Surya is not performing on a daily basis, Tilak Varma scored in one match, and now his runs are also not coming. If there is this level of inconsistency from the players, then how will you get results? We always talk about this match as the El Clásico, this is no more El Clásico; you can remove the Clásico word now. This has now become so one-sided. So, I think it would be wrong to say that this is an El Clásico rivalry now,” Manoj Tiwary said on Cricbuzz.

Overall, these two sides have faced each other 43 times, where MI have a slender advantage after recording 22 wins.

“There is now a belief that they can win matches without MS Dhoni” – Manoj Tiwary on CSK’s growing confidence after rough start to IPL 2026

CSK had endured a horror start to the campaign, losing each of their first three matches. After their last-placed finish in IPL 2025, there was a fear that the ongoing campaign could prove to be an extension, despite a massive mid-season revamp.

However, the team has picked up some momentum in recent games, and have lost only two of their last six matches.

“The confidence is back now, especially when MS Dhoni is not there in the playing XI. There is now a belief that they can win matches without MS Dhoni. That was difficult at one time, but the confidence has now been built up. If they maintain this momentum, and play with this blueprint, play with this process, they have a good chance,” Manoj Tiwary said.

CSK, placed sixth and involved in the mid-table muddle, will next face the Delhi Capitals (DC), at the Arun Jaitley Stadium, on Tuesday, May 5.