Sep 26, 2025; Dublin, Ireland; Minnesota Vikings tight end TJ. Hockenson at press conference at Sport Ireland Campus. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
The Minnesota Vikings are about $40 million over the salary cap limit before the start of free agency, and if they cut players to ease the financial pain, some believe tight end T.J. Hockenson could be an odd man out. Accordingly, Hockenson would need a new home. Washington Commanders-themed media seem to think he’d be a smart fit on Dan Quinn’s team.
If the Vikings chase post–June 1 savings with Hockenson, Washington has been mentioned as a logical tight end fit.
Commanders Wire named-dropped Hockenson this week as a possible TE1 solution, especially after Zach Ertz’s career may be over.
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Washington Gets Mentioned as a Hockenson Fit
Hockenson is still on the Vikings’ roster, but a cap casualty would make him available leaguewide in March.
A close-up of a Washington Commanders helmet rests near the sideline before kickoff on Dec. 7, 2025, at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, Minnesota, highlighting the franchise’s burgundy shell and gold detailing as players completed warmups ahead of an interconference matchup inside the downtown venue. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images
Bryan Manning: Watch for Hockenson to WAS
Perhaps needing a new tight end in 2026, Manning landed on Hockenson as a sensible option.
He wrote, “If the Vikings move on from Hockenson, he could be a realistic candidate for Washington to fill its starting tight end position. Something to watch out for is Hockenson’s connection to the new Commanders’ offensive coordinator, David Blough. From 2019-21, Blough and Hockenson were teammates with the Detroit Lions.”
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“When Detroit released Blough during final cuts before the 2022 season, he signed with the Vikings’ practice squad. At the 2022 NFL trade deadline, the Vikings traded for Hockenson. And it was Blough, the practice squad QB, who helped Hockenson prepare for his first game. That first game? It was against the Commanders and Hockenson caught nine passes for 70 yards in his Minnesota debut.”
Ertz was actually injured against the Vikings last season, and safety Jay Ward was accused of a dirty hit by Commanders fans.
Manning continued, “In 2025, Hockenson played 15 games for the Vikings and caught 51 passes for 438 yards and three touchdowns. Sure, the numbers don’t look great, but consider that Minnesota’s quarterback situation in 2025 was among the NFL’s worst. Additionally, injuries on the offensive line led to Hockenson being used more as a blocker.”
“Hockenson is still only 28. When healthy, he’s proven to be among the NFL’s better receiving tight ends. He would fit perfectly as a middle-of-the-field option for Daniels. And he’s not going to require top-of-the-market money.”
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The Commanders’ TE Room without Ertz
As Washington approaches the offseason, it has these tight ends under contract, if one assumes Ertz won’t return after his gruesome, heartwrenching injury:
John Bates
Ben Sinnott
Colson Yankoff
Tyree Jackson
Lawrence Cager
That group won’t quite cut it, so much so that the Commanders might be forced to pursue real big fish in free agency like Kyle Pitts if Hockenson isn’t the answer. A couple of others, like Isaiah Likely or David Njoku, could move the needle.
Vikings’ Cap Savings without Hockenson
Releasing Hockenson with a post-June 1 designation would free up nearly $16 million in cap space for the Vikings, providing significant financial flexibility. For a front office still finding its footing without a permanent general manager, that money could potentially be used to acquire two starting-caliber players at other positions.
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That isn’t an indictment of Hockenson’s performance, but rather a question of resource allocation and player utilization.
Because J.J. McCarthy didn’t consistently target him in 2025, and due to an offensive line plagued by injuries, Hockenson was asked to contribute more as a pass- and run-blocker than initially anticipated. All the while, his salary ranked fourth among tight ends in the league last season, making the premium paid for a player primarily blocking less than ideal.
Minnesota Vikings tight end T.J. Hockenson (87) walks toward the tunnel following the final whistle on Dec. 8, 2024, at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, Minnesota, exiting the field after a hard-fought contest against the Atlanta Falcons as teammates regrouped nearby. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images
Vikings interim general manager Rob Brzezinski now faces this dilemma: retain a proven player and hope his usage increases, or reallocate the cap space and rebuild the offense around McCarthy’s strengths. That decision will set the tone for the team’s TE direction moving forward.
Who to Replace Him in MIN?
If Manning has this right and Hockenson joins the Commanders or leaves in general, the Vikings will almost certainly need a pass-catching replacement better than current TE2 Josh Oliver. Free-agent options look like this:
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Kyle Pitts
David Njoku
Isaiah Likely
Chig Okonkwo
Cade Otton
Dallas Goedert
Tyler Higbee
Noah Fant
Darren Waller
From the draft, just one name moves the needle as a sure-fire Week 1-ready tight end: Oregon’s Kenyon Sadiq. It’s just unclear whether the Vikings would spend their 18th overall pick on a tight end.
Minnesota Vikings tight end T.J. Hockenson (87) secures a pass during the first quarter against the New York Jets on Dec. 4, 2022, at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, Minnesota, extending his arms as linebacker Kwon Alexander (9) closes in to contest the play. Mandatory Credit: Matt Krohn-USA TODAY Sports
Hockenson will turn 29 this summer. If the Vikings release him, news of that transaction will hit the wire sometime in the next three weeks.
He posted 438 receiving yards in 2025, ranking 26th in the NFL among tight ends.
Mar 30, 2026; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Detroit Tigers pitcher Justin Verlander (35) throws against the Arizona Diamondbacks in the first inning at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Rick Scuteri-Imagn Images
The first Sunday night game at Comerica Park in Detroit this season was supposed to be a special event. Then came the bad news on Saturday afternoon.
Justin Verlander was scheduled to make his home first start in a Detroit Tigers uniform since Aug. 20, 2017, against the St. Louis Cardinals. However, the 43-year-old right-hander was placed on the 15-day injured list due to left hip inflammation.
Verlander said the injury wasn’t serious but the organization didn’t want to take any chances this early in the season.
“It’s frustrating for me, obviously,” he said. “I also know a lot of fans were excited about [Sunday] night.”
Verlander won the first of his three Cy Young Awards in 2011 with the Tigers. He pitched in Detroit from 2005-17 and later played for the Houston Astros, New York Mets and San Francisco Giants before returning to Detroit as a free agent. Of his 266 career wins, 183 came as a member of the Tigers.
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Right-hander Keider Montero was recalled from Triple-A Toledo and is expected to take the mound in Verlander’s place during the finale of a three-game series.
The team had marketed the nationally televised event as Verlander’s long-awaited return, but the fans and TV audience will have to settle for Montero’s 29th start in a Tigers uniform.
Montero was 5-3 with a 4.37 ERA in 20 appearances with Detroit last season, including 12 starts. He gave up five runs in 5 2/3 innings of relief in his lone career outing against the Cardinals last May but didn’t figure into the decision in the 11-4 loss.
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“We didn’t anticipate needing rotation help this week,” manager A.J. Hinch said. “But it came up and we have someone who arguably could have been on the team from the get-go. And now he gets an opportunity to help us. We’re very lucky to have someone of his caliber, who’s pitched in some of the biggest moments in the last couple of years to come up and be ready to go.”
The Tigers will be looking for a sweep. Detroit’s bats heated up on Saturday, as it clobbered four home runs in an 11-6, rain-delayed victory.
Kerry Carpenter, Zach McKinstry, Gleyber Torres and Matt Vierling each supplied their first home runs of the season. The Tigers had just two home runs, both by catcher Dillon Dingler, in their first seven games.
Montero will be opposed by right-hander Kyle Leahy (0-1, 7.20 ERA). In his first start this season, Leahy gave up four runs and eight hits in five innings in a 4-2 to the New York Mets on Monday.
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“I made a lot of good pitches with runners on, but then I made some not-great pitches to let those runners get on,” Leahy said. “Definitely, a lot to learn from this one and be better as it goes.”
Leahy’s fastball velocity went down from the first inning, when he averaged 95.8 mph. It was closer to 93 mph the rest of the way. Leahy is still getting used to starting after being used as a reliever his first three seasons.
“That’s just part of the transition for my body getting used to this again,” Leahy said. “I felt really good early, and I thought I pitched with not my best stuff (Monday) and still competed as hard as I could. That’s just a build-up thing, and hopefully I’ll be better off as the year goes.”
Leahy has made two relief appearances against Detroit in his career and was tagged with a loss both times. His ERA in those games is 10.13 after allowing three runs on four hits in 2 2/3 innings.
Manchester City cruised into the FA Cup semi-finals with a 4-0 thrashing of Liverpool on Saturday afternoon, with Erling Haaland finding the net three times.
Having lost the League Cup final two weeks ago, Arsenal squandered another chance of silverware by falling to a surprise defeat against Championship side Southampton.
In Ligue 1‘s Derby du Nord, it was Lille who flattened arch-rivals Lens with a 3-0 win at home. While the visitors lost ground on league leaders Paris Saint-Germain, Lille provisionally climbed back up to third place in the table.
Barcelona are well on their way to retaining their La Liga title after a late Robert Lewandowski goal saw off ten-man Atlético Madrid on Saturday evening and establish a seven-point lead. Real Madrid, who lost to Mallorca earlier in the day, are now seven points adrift of the Catalans.
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The spoils were shared at this year’s Boat Race between Cambridge and Oxford students, as the latter university put an end to an eight-year losing streak in the women’s race. French rower Noam Mouelle later led his Cambridge teammates to a fourth consecutive victory in the men’s race.
The Toronto Blue Jays are making some changes in their bullpen ahead of Sunday’s series finale in Chicago.
Relievers Brendon Little and Lazaro Estrada were optioned to triple-A Buffalo, the Blue Jays announced, with Joe Mantiply and Austin Voth selected to the major-league roster in their place.
To make room for the new pitchers on the 40-man roster, Cody Ponce and Anthony Santander were transferred to the 60-day injured list.
Little has struggled mightily for the Blue Jays in 2026, allowing 10 earned runs in 3.2 innings and earning two losses. Three of those runs came on Saturday, when Little allowed two home runs to left-handed batters and coughed up Toronto’s lead.
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The 29-year-old will head to triple-A and look to recapture his form from the first half of 2025, when he struck out 65 batters in 44.1 innings and carried a 2.03 ERA.
Estrada will head back to Buffalo after four hitless innings on Saturday. The 26-year-old was recalled after Cody Ponce’s injury earlier in the week and figured to give the Blue Jays some bulk innings in relief.
But after tossing 66 pitches on Saturday, Toronto is opting for some fresh arms for the coming days.
Mantiply and Voth, a pair of veteran pitchers, arrived with the Blue Jays after inking minor-league deals with the club earlier in the spring.
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Mantiply, 35, was let go by the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2025 after allowing 17 earned runs in 9.2 innings. An all-star in 2022, the left-hander landed with Toronto later in the season and posted a 3.45 ERA over 15.2 triple-A innings.
This season, Mantiply has allowed one earned run in 3.2 innings, striking out three and walking none for the Bisons.
Voth, meanwhile, last pitched in the majors in 2024 with the Seattle Mariners and spent 2025 pitching in Nippon Professional Baseball.
He had made just one triple-A appearance in 2026, allowing two runs in 3.0 innings of work.
Hello and welcome to our live coverage of the draw for this season’s FA Cup semi-finals. Manchester City are here again, having reached eight consecutive semi-finals in the world’s oldest domestic cup competition.
Pep Guardiola’s team have an excellent record in the last four – having not lost an FA Cup semi since 2022. The team that beat them on that occasion, Liverpool, were well beaten by the Blues on Saturday and after Arsenal’s shock exit yesterday – City will fancy their chances of another trophy.
Keep up to date with all the latest in our live blog throughout the afternoon and evening to discover who plays who in the FA Cup semi-finals later this month.
Directed by Kat Coiro, You, Me & Tuscany is scheduled for release on April 10, 2026. The film stars Halle Bailey in the lead role, alongside Regé-Jean Page, with supporting roles from Marco Calvani, Aziza Scott, and Nia Vardalos, among others. The film’s official synopsis reads:
“When Anna loses her house-sitting job (and housing) in one fell swoop, a chance encounter with Matteo—a handsome Italian who happens to have a villa sitting empty in Tuscany—will inspire her to jet off for Italy, against the advice of her always-honest bestie, Claire”
You, Me & Tuscany plot, cast details and more
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You, Me & Tuscany follows Anna, who has lost touch with her dream of becoming a chef. After losing her job and home, she meets an Italian man, Matteo, and decides to travel to Italy on an impulse. She plans to stay one night in his empty villa, but things take a twisted turn when his mother arrives unexpectedly.
Out of panic, Anna pretends to be Matteo’s fiancée. The situation grows complicated when his cousin Michael, shows up. As Anna and Michael grow closer, her lie becomes harder to keep, forcing her to face the truth and decide what she really wants in life and love.
You, Me & Tuscany is led by actress Halle Bailey. Bailey became a household name with her breakout role as Sky Forster in the hit series Grown-ish, but she earned global fame as Ariel in the live-action reimagining of The Little Mermaid. In an interview with People, Bailey shared her personal connection to the project and what drew her to the lead role. She said:
“I was very intrigued by Anna’s storyline, by her character, by her vision and passion that she has and the wants and goals for herself. … It’s a really feel-good movie.”
Opposite her is Regé-Jean Page, whom we best know as the Duke of Hastings, in the first season of Bridgerton. Recalling how quickly he signed on to the film, Page shared a lighthearted moment about his conversation with producer Will Packer, revealing just how simple the decision was for him. In the same interview, he said:
“Will [Packer] and I had a real short conversation and then he just texted me ‘Tuscany in the summer’ with a question mark. End of message. I was like, ‘Yeah, I think we can do that.’ “
The script forYou, Me & Tuscanywas written by Ryan Engle, based on an original story he developed with Kristin N. Engle. It is produced by Will Packer, known for his work on Girls Trip, alongside Johanna Byer.
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The filming took place in Italy across locations such as Pienza, Montalcino, and the Amalfi Coast. It is set to premiere in theaters on April 10, 2026.
Quarterfinal action of the FA Cup continues on Sunday when West Ham United takes on Leeds United. Catch the action on Sportsnet ONE or Sportsnet+ and follow every play with the live tracker.
Fan-favourite heavyweight Dave Allen has sparred some of boxing’s best, but ‘The White Rhino’ admits that the man who hit him the hardest came as a ‘surprise’ to him.
Of those names, Allen has sparred all apart from ‘The Bronze Bomber’, as well as a host of other top contenders in the division.
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However, on his YouTube channel, when it came to naming the man who hit him the hardest, Allen claimed that Chisora was the biggest puncher that he has faced, much to his surprise.
“I sparred Derek Chisora before the Lucas Browne fight, so probably seven years ago to the week actually. He weren’t in the best shape, I don’t think, and I was fit and I sparred really well.
“But, he hit really hard. I thought he was the powerful puncher that I have ever been in with, just for pure power. Luckily, I could see him coming, because they were wide shots and they were coming from pretty far back and I could brace for them and take a bit off of them.
“In terms of power, he was definitely the biggest puncher that I ever sparred with, really, really heavy-handed. It surprised me because I didn’t think he was a big puncher. I had been watching him and, technically, I thought he didn’t look like he would be a big puncher.”
Chisora will hope to find some of that devastating power when he faces Wilder at the O2 Arena tonight. The Brit says he will retire win, lose or draw, but his 50-fight campaign would be remembered much more favourably if he called time after stopping one of his generation’s biggest names.
Taylor Fritz and Morgan Riddle have been a tennis power couple for over half a decade. The two had begun dating in June 2020, but if latest reports are to be believed, they have parted ways after a nearly six-year long relationship.
Tennis insider Craig Shapiro, who hosts an eponymous podcast, on Sunday took to social media to share the news. As per the post on X, he said “reliable sources” had confirmed the break-up to him.
Thanks for the submission!
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“Reliable sources telling me Fritz and Moorgs are no mas,” The Craig Shapiro Tennis Podcast wrote on X.
Fans reacting to the post took note of Riddle’s absence from some of the more recent matches featuring Fritz. The social media influencer was otherwise a regular feature in the player’s box, cheering her boyfriend on at major events throughout the tennis season.
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Even though, Riddle and Fritz began dating back in 2020, they did not go public with their relationship until a couple of years later. They have since been spotted at multiple events together even outside of tennis, featured on magazine covers and are frequently seen on each others’ social media handles.
Morgan Riddle credited boyfriend Taylor Fritz for getting her into fashion
Morgan Riddle supports Taylor Fritz from the stands at the 2026 Australian Open. (Source: Getty)
Morgan Riddle had in an interview with Vogue magazine opened up about her relationship with Taylor Fritz. The social media influencer revealed that she was in fact a very person th first couple of years that she was with the Ameican tennis star.
Before taking on the role of a social media influencer, she worked for non-profit organizations. She even credited Fritz with pushing her into fashion, which has become a big part of her brand today.
“I was very private for the first two years of our relationship,” Morgan Riddle told Vogue in 2025. Work played a large role in her decision. “I was working in nonprofits for children in hospitals.”
“When I met him, I literally did not know one designer. He was like, ‘We’ve got to get you drip,’” she continued.
Riddle also spoke about some of the challenges that come with having a social media presence, especially for those clubbed under the tennis “groupie” label. She said she likes to keep a distance from negativity, has matured over the years and can handle it a lot better now.
“I have friends who have been on YouTube since they were 15 years old. It was kind of nice to have an introduction to it once I was mature and felt like I had a better head on my shoulders,” Morgan Riddle said.
“There’s still a lot of negativity around it, and I know that because I see misogynist comments—always from idiot men,” Morgan Riddle said. “I do think there’s more visibility on what girls are doing outside of just attending their partners’ matches.”
Fritz last played at the Sunshine Double on home soil. He has chosen to delay his start to the clay season, skipping the Monte-Carlo Masters. He will next feature at the clay event in Munich a fortnight later.
Liverpool go to Paris Saint-Germain for the Champions League quarter-final first leg this week with captain Van Dijk saying it will be hard to rouse them after they were left “very disappointed” by their poor display at the Etihad Stadium.
Asked if it was one of Liverpool’s most disappointing results and performances, he replied: “We’ve had a couple already this season. It’s mentally very tough at the moment, I must say.
“I’ve been there already many times this season when I’ve had hope and then we couldn’t build on performances. Today our second half, the intensity we didn’t match, the challenges we didn’t win, it was tough. To lose then 4-0 is tough.
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“I am trying to think how we can turn it around but we have been going through this for almost 75 percent of the season. It definitely hurts me. So the focus is now on Paris away, but it’s tough. It will be a tough Sunday to digest it.”
Many of the Liverpool supporters left the Etihad Stadium long before the final whistle and Van Dijk did not blame them as he said sorry to them.
He added: “The fans were there to support us and I can only apologise to the fans for what we have shown, especially the second. I can understand the fans’ frustration as well.”
Four of the ever-present Championship sides since 2020-21 are also among the top six current second-tier clubs hardest hit by losses.
Bristol City (£111m), Preston (£84.4m), QPR (£82.9m) and Middlesbrough (£80.4m) have all failed to record a profit for five consecutive seasons – as have Derby, Millwall, Oxford, Portsmouth and Swansea.
Coventry City, who are on course to win promotion to the Premier League this season, have lost £29.5m in the past five years, while Ipswich Town are down £72.4m.
Maguire likened Championship owners striving for the top flight to “buying a EuroMillions ticket” with clubs chasing a TV deal worth £106m plus parachute payments in the Premier League compared to £12m in the second tier.
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“If I’m a Championship owner, I know at the start of the season, in theory, I’ve got a one in eight chance of getting promoted,” he said, which is in turn causing owners to “act like the the bank of mum and dad”.
“They hand over money effectively unquestioningly, which is nominally a loan, but both parties know there is no chance of repayment.
“The owner of Stoke wrote off £90m, the Hemmings family in Preston put in £1m a month.
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