Nov 30, 2025; Seattle, Washington, USA; Minnesota Vikings running back Jordan Mason (27) runs the ball during the second half against the Seattle Seahawks at Lumen Field. Mandatory Credit: Steven Bisig-Imagn Images
NFL free agency will begin in about three weeks, and after the Minnesota Vikings presumably clear a ton of cap space, the club can sign new players. In the meantime, a handful of men from the 2025 roster could, in theory, be in line to start for the 2026 Vikings.
The Vikings’ roster will change significantly in the next few months, and a few non-starters from 2025 already look positioned to climb into bigger 2026 roles.
Here’s a look at the players who could command promotions by default if no replacements are signed or drafted this offseason.
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Three Vikings Perhaps Positioned for Starting Roles in 2026
A quick peek at the 2026 depth chart.
Minnesota Vikings guard Michael Jurgens (65) stands with teammates in a pregame huddle on Sep 14, 2025, at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, Minnesota, before kickoff against the Atlanta Falcons. The offensive lineman locks in alongside fellow starters as Minnesota prepares for a regular-season matchup at home. Mandatory Credit: Matt Krohn-Imagn Images.
1. Michael Jurgens | Center
In Jurgens’s final four appearances of 2025 — when Ryan Kelly missed time — he fired up these pass-blocking grades from Pro Football Focus:
vs. GB: 71.6
vs DET: 83.7
at NYG: 14.6
at SEA: 78.2
Generally speaking, it’s unlikely for the Vikings to roll with Jurgens, a 7th-Rounder from the 2024 NFL Draft, but he did enough to stay attached to the roster for the duration of his rookie contract and be the backup center. There’s also a world where the Vikings’ coaching staff is impressed enough to give him a starting audition.
Star Tribune’s Ben Goessling wrote about Kelly, the starting center for 2026, at least on paper, last week: “The Vikings would save $8.75 million by releasing Kelly this spring; he has no guaranteed money left in his deal, so they could take their time if they wanted to gauge the market.”
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“Kelly’s concussion history could also lead him to consider retirement. The Vikings will likely be thinking about their future at the position even if Kelly, who turns 33 in May, decides he wants to return in 2026.”
If Kelly walks away, Minnesota must decide between Jurgens, Blake Brandel, a free agent, or a rookie from the draft. Jurgens is in the mix.
Mason also led the Vikings in rushing last season, banking 758 yards and 6 touchdowns. His 4.8 yards per carry outshone Aaron Jones’s 4.2.
While Minnesota should probably find a game-changing RB1 — they haven’t employed one since Dalvin Cook’s 2021 campaign — the club may cut ties with Aaron Jones, roll with Mason as RB1, and draft a rookie runner like Penn State’s Nick Singleton or Washington’s Jonah Coleman.
At least for a few weeks, Mason would start while the new guy gets acclimated to the NFL.
Minnesota Vikings running back Jordan Mason (27) accelerates through the line on Aug 9, 2025, at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, Minnesota, during first-quarter action against the Houston Texans. Mason lowers his pads and pushes into traffic as Minnesota evaluates its rushing attack in preseason play. Mandatory Credit: Brad Rempel-Imagn Images.
The Viking Age‘s Brad Berreman opined on Mason last month, “Mason had the seventh-best rushing success rate (minimum 100 carries), he was 10th in yards after contact per attempt (3.41, also minimum 100 carries), and he had 22 rushes of 10-plus yards.
“When Aaron Jones was out early in the season (Week 3-7), Mason was the RB16 in fantasy. From there to the end of the season (Week 8-18), he was RB48 in 0.5-point PPR. From Week 10-15, before he was injured early in Week 16 and missed the following game, Mason averaged 5.3 yards per carry but had double-digit carries just twice in that span. Then he finished the season with 94 yards on 14 carries in Week 18.”
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Mason will carry a $5.8 million cap number into 2026 — more than reasonable.
Berreman continued, “The Vikings may move on from the 31-year-old Jones this offseason. That would open up more carries for Mason next season, which, even during his downturn in workload this season, he proved deserving of based on how efficient he was. If Jones is gone and a notable addition is made in free agency or the draft, that would be a huge fly in the Mason fantasy breakout ointment for next season.”
“But if he can get to 200 carries, leaving aside his lack of a role in the passing game, there could be significant value in what’s lined up to be a depressed Average Draft Position (ADP) come July and August.”
3. Jay Ward | Safety
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Turning 26 this summer, Ward’s contract situation comes at an ideal time for the Vikings. Entering the final year of his rookie deal after being drafted in 2023, Minnesota faces a decision: whether to consider a second contract now, before Ward gains the upper hand and his price tag potentially rises.
His on-field performance already warrants consideration. Last season, Ward excelled when given significant snaps, playing with an undeniable edge, delivering mean hits, and injecting the youthful energy that the defense needed.
Late in 2025, defensive coordinator Brian Flores increasingly relied on Ward, even favoring him over Theo Jackson in crucial situations — a clear indication of internal trust, which Ward validated by consistently delivering.
He banked a 70.9 Pro Football Focus grade last year while playing about 250 snaps. That’s a building block for 2026.
Carlos Alcaraz scripted history on the night as he beat Novak Djokovic in a 4-set thriller during the final of the Australian Open 2026 and became the youngest player ever to win the career slam in the history of the sport. The Spaniard is the 9th player to complete the career slam, the youngest so far. Alcaraz beat Djokovic 2-6. 6-2, 6-3, 7-5 at the Rod Laver Arena to achieve the historic feat in what was a thrilling finale Down Under. What is a career slam?
A career slam is when a tennis players has won all 4 major Grand Slams (Australian Open, US Open, French Open and Wimbledon) in his/her career. Set 1: Djokovic powers through to begin the tie
The highly anticipated Australian Open 2026 final between Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic began with a blistering start from the Serbian. Djokovic immediately took the lead, holding his serve comfortably in the opening game, and then broke Alcaraz’s serve to move ahead 3-1. The Spaniard struggled with his first serves, which allowed Djokovic to apply constant pressure. After a tough 6-minute rally, Djokovic capitalized on an unforced error from Alcaraz and took the first break of the match, leading 4-1. Despite Alcaraz’s efforts to rally, Djokovic’s impeccable serving and aggressive groundstrokes handed him a dominant 6-2 first-set win.
Set 2: Alcaraz Responds Strongly
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The second set saw a rejuvenated Alcaraz, who bounced back with much-needed intensity. The Spaniard broke Djokovic’s serve early, leading 3-1 with some powerful forehands and precise drop shots. Alcaraz’s first serve started clicking, and his athleticism allowed him to control the rallies. Despite Djokovic’s relentless attempts to fight back, Alcaraz held firm, taking the set 6-2 to level the match at one set apiece. His fast-moving game and pinpoint volleys left Djokovic scrambling, and the young Spaniard was visibly growing in confidence.
Set 3: Alcaraz Gains the Upper Hand
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With the match finely poised at 1-1, Alcaraz took control in the third set. Both players exchanged serves early on, but Alcaraz capitalized on Djokovic’s slight fatigue, breaking his serve to lead 3-1. Djokovic, though battling hard, couldn’t cope with Alcaraz’s precision and pace. The Spaniard wrapped up the third set 6-3, winning his fourth consecutive game to edge ahead in the match.
Set 4: Alcaraz Secures Career Slam Victory
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The final set saw Djokovic pushing Alcaraz to the limit. However, the young Spaniard remained unflappable, showing great maturity under pressure. At 5-5, Alcaraz served for the championship, breaking Djokovic’s serve at 7-5. With that, Carlos Alcaraz became the youngest player in history to win the career slam, defeating Djokovic 2-6, 6-2, 6-3, 7-5.
Team GB’s Anastasia Vaipan-Law and Luke Digby produce a season’s best score of 66.07 in the pairs skating short programme event to qualify for the free dance at the 2026 Winter’s Olympics.
Feb 10, 2026; Champaign, Illinois, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini head coach Brad Underwood reacts during the first half against the Wisconsin Badgers at State Farm Center. Mandatory Credit: Ron Johnson-Imagn Images
David Mirkovic poured in 25 points and grabbed seven rebounds to lead No. 8 Illinois to a 71-51 Big Ten victory over Indiana on Sunday afternoon in Champaign, Ill.
Keaton Wagler contributed 18 points and Tomislav Ivisic added 14 as the Illini (21-5, 12-3) snapped a two-game losing streak by turning 15 offensive rebounds into 17 second-chance points and committing a season-low two turnovers.
Kylan Boswell added nine points and seven rebounds as he returned to the Illinois lineup after missing seven games with a fractured right hand. Andrej Stojakovic sat out his second straight game with a high ankle sprain.
Lamar Wilkerson paced Indiana (17-9, 8-7) with 21 points, while Tucker DeVries posted 13 points and Sam Alexis added 11. However, the Hoosiers scored their fewest points since Dec. 3, 2022, at Rutgers as they hit 6 of 24 from 3-point range and lost the rebound battle by a 38-25 count.
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Both teams’ key players showed up immediately. While Wilkerson and DeVries canned their first 3-point attempts for Indiana, Wagler produced seven points in the first five minutes to forge an 11-11 tie.
Then, Mirkovic asserted himself. He cashed a 3-pointer on a pick-and-pop with Wagler at the 11:17 mark to highlight a 10-0 run that gave the Illini a 24-15 lead with 9:46 remaining. After Indiana’s Jasai Miles and Wilkerson answered with 3-pointers, Mirkovic hit back-to-back 3-pointers and fed Ivisic for a layup to restore a 32-23 lead with 5:28 to go.
Mirkovic posted 15 points in the first half, and Wagler added 11 to offset Wilkerson’s 14 and give Illinois a 38-31 halftime lead.
Ivisic scored the first five points of the second half to produce the game’s first double-digit lead, but Wilkerson responded with five of his own. Then Illinois reeled off 11 points in a row — highlighted by a Wagler 25-footer and a Mirkovic running bank — to claim a 54-36 lead with 12:33 to play.
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Wilkerson was the only Hoosier to score in the first 10 minutes of the second half as the rest of the squad went 0-for-6 from the field with four turnovers. Though Alexis finally broke through with a dunk at the 9:31 mark, Indiana never got closer than 12 the rest of the way.
Both Stevenson and Haney are regarded as two of the best fighters in the world, with Stevenson currently reigning as the WBO super-lightweight champion after a victory over Teofimo Lopez last month, having previously held gold from featherweight to lightweight.
As for Haney, he claimed the WBO welterweight title back in November when he defeated Brian Norman Jr, going alongside his reign as undisputed lightweight champion and a brief period holding the WBC super-lightweight title.
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Haney did suffer a loss at 140lbs when he was beaten by Ryan Garcia, but the result was overturned to a no contest after Garcia failed a drugs test, and thus ‘The Dream’ has remained in possession of his undefeated record.
Stevenson believes one man in particular has what it takes to give Haney his first legitimate loss though, revealing on a live stream with Adin Ross that Keyshawn Davis could be about to land the fight and will come out on top.
“Keyshawn Davis is going to fight him. I think it’s going to happen soon. Keyshawn is going to beat him.”
Undefeated star Davis is the former WBO lightweight champion, and recently returned after nearly one year out the ring to defeat Jamaine Ortiz at 140lbs, though later stated his desire to head up to 147lbs.
Davis and Stevenson are good friends, so it is no surprise to see Shakur backing him to defeat Haney, but boxing fans agree that it would certainly be an interesting match-up.
Zuffa Boxing returns on Sunday with Zuffa Boxing 03 from the Meta APEX in Las Vegas. The event is headlined by a clash between Efe Ajagba and former IBF heavyweight champion Charles Martin.
Ajagba is on the verge of being a top 10 heavyweight in the world and likely would already be considered as such had things broken better for him on the scorecards in his most recent fight. That night, Ajagba took on Martin Bakole, seen as one of heavyweight’s boogeymen, avoided by most in the division for the difficulties he can present to opponents.
Ajagba controlled much of that fight in May 2025, but the scorecards resulted in a majority draw, with one judge scoring the fight 96-94 in Ajagba’s favor and the other two ruling the fight a 95-95 draw.
Sign up for Paramount+ and watch Zuffa Boxing 03 live on Sunday night for no additional fee. Plus, every UFC numbered event and UFC Fight Night is included with the price of your subscription! Plans start as low as $8.99/month or $89.99/year!
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Ajagba was rewarded for his performance against Bakole with a proposed IBF title eliminator against Frank Sanchez, who handed Ajagba his lone defeat in a 2021 meeting. Ajagba was unhappy with how the purse bid for the fight shook out and declined to move forward with the bout, ultimately leading to the termination of his contract with Top Rank, which opened the door for the heavyweight contender to sign with Zuffa Boxing.
While Martin does hold the distinction of being a former world heavyweight champion, the circumstances of his title reign are unusual.
Martin won the IBF title in a 2016 bout with Vyacheslav Glazkov that saw Glazkov unable to continue due to a knee injury suffered during a third-round knockdown. Less than 90 days later, Martin was no longer champion, suffering a second-round knockout to Anthony Joshua.
Martin has insisted he was “badly injured” 10 days before the Joshua fight and continued to chase a rematch for years, rising to the fringes of title contention with a few wins before suffering repeated setbacks in the form of losses to Adam Kownacki, Luis Ortiz and Jared Anderson.
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After losing to Anderson in July 2023, Martin got back in the win column with a stoppage of unheralded Matthew McKinney the following November. He has not fought since, marking 15 months out of the ring.
The light heavyweight co-main event between Umar Dzambekov and Ahmed Elbiali appears to be the standout fight on the card, with unbeaten Dzambekov looking to continue building his resume against a tough out in Elbiali, whose lone loss came to former world champion Jean Pascal.
Let’s take a closer look at the rest of the fight card for Sunday night with the latest odds before getting to a prediction and expert pick on the main event below.
Zuffa Boxing 03 fight card, odds
Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook
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Efe Ajagba -1100 vs. Charles Martin +650, heavyweights
Umar Dzambekov-1400 vs. Ahmed Elbiali +700, light heavyweights
Abel Mejia -800 vs. Jaybrio Pe Benito +500, lightweights
Leonardo Ruiz -1400 vs. Casey Streeter +700, middleweights
Antonio Woods -425 vs. Mark Beuke +300, middleweights
Oswaldo Molina -1200 vs. Joshua Clark +650, lightweights
Emiliano Alvarado -2500 vs. Devin Gantt +1000, junior featherweight
Dariial Kuchmenov -3000 vs. Jorge Lagunas +1000, lightweights
Where to watch Zuffa Boxing 03
Date: Feb. 15 | Location: Meta APEX — Las Vegas Prelims begin at 6 p.m. ET Main card begins at 9 p.m. ET Watch live:Paramount+ (subscribe now for as little as $8.99 per month)
Prediction
As a 31-year-old on a six-fight unbeaten streak who was being lined up for a title eliminator, Ajagba is very much a contender at heavyweight. Martin started his career 23-0 and won a world title, but has fallen very much into a spot as a gatekeeper for the division. That’s not a knock because divisions benefit from gatekeepers; they’re good enough to fend off pretenders, and a win against them carries actual meaning.
Ajagba came up short against Frank Sanchez, which does raise some questions about whether he is ready to fully break through to the upper echelon of heavyweights and if he isn’t, Martin is talented enough to knock him down the ladder. But Ajagba’s performance against Bakole showed he can handle big, awkward heavyweights who carry some power in their fists.
This is a fight set up to get Ajagba a win over a former champion and he should be able to do just that. Pick: Efe Ajagba via UD
Italy’s Federica Brignone was crowned Olympic giant slalom champion on Sunday at the Milan-Cortina Games, three days after winning her first gold medal in the super-G.
Four weeks ago, on the way to Palm Springs for the American Express, Adam Schriber stopped his RV in Oklahoma City to see an old friend, who let him in on a secret.
“It’s going to happen,” Anthony Kim told him, according to Schriber. “My best golf is in front of me. You watch, it’s good. It’s just taking some time to get my confidence back.”
Fast forward to Sunday in Australia, and it happened.
Schriber watched from 7,000-plus miles away while lounging in his RV on the Monterey Peninsula on Saturday night, where the golf instructor is on-site for this week’s AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am. He streamed the action and received constant text updates from his son. Across the globe at LIV Golf Adelaide, his former student was putting the finishing touches on an epic final-round comeback to put an exclamation mark on a remarkable redemption story, one that many people never thought would come — except for Kim and those close to him.
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Kim fired a nine-under 63 to finish 23 under overall, beating major stalwarts Jon Rahm (20 under) and Bryson DeChambeau (17 under), who were tied for the lead entering the final day.
“I know I can make a lot of birdies,” Kim said. “I know my self-belief is second to none. Obviously taking 12 1/2 years off the game is a long time, and you have to build that confidence back. So I guess from when I was in my 20s, I was never scared to play anybody. I’m not scared to play anybody now. I know this is just one golf tournament, but I believe in myself. That will never change.”
Schriber taught Kim from his days as a promising 14-year-old junior up until he stepped away from the game. While Kim is officially with Matt Killen now, he still stays in touch with Schriber; they consider each other family. They talk or text often, and a lot of what Kim incorporates on the course now are concepts he worked on with Schriber, whose current pros include reigning U.S. Open champ J.J. Spaun and Denny McCarthy, among others.
“He is just a phenomenal athlete that defaulted to golf because it fit him, and we are lucky to have him in the sport,” said Schriber, speaking Sunday from the Pacific Coast Highway on his way from Pebble Beach to next week’s stop at Riviera in Los Angeles. “He’s a special talent, man. I have been around him a lot and he has all the tools, but most of all he gave himself the permission to fail.”
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Kim was a good story when he returned to pro golf in 2024 after more than a decade away, but he didn’t have the immediate success that made him a star years earlier. Now 40 and playing as a LIV wild card, he was relegated after the 2025 season but reclaimed a spot when he finished third at the LIV Promotions event in January, which handed out 2026 season memberships for the top-three finishers. Then, after Patrick Reed left LIV weeks before the season-opener, Kim took his spot on the 4Aces.
Making his team debut at Adelaide, it seemed unlikely Kim would win Sunday morning. All eyes were on the heavyweight battle between DeChambeau and Rahm, who entered the day tied at 19 under. Kim, five back and 14 under, was in the final group with them, but he seemed to be more of a spectator. Or so most thought.
Kim didn’t make a bogey and was four under at the turn, just one back of Rahm. DeChambeau made four front-nine bogeys and got left behind.
Kim birdied 12 to tie Rahm and got hot from there — making three more to reel off four straight and take a commanding lead. He added his final birdie on 17 and had a stress-free 18th hole as he finished off a three-stroke win.
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“Bryson and Jon have proven themselves as major championship-caliber winners, Ryder Cup players, and have consistently played well for a long time, so I have a tremendous amount of respect for them,” Kim said. “I knew it was going to be an uphill battle today, and I got putts to go my way.”
Before his 2024 return, Kim’s last start was as a 26-year-old at the 2012 Wells Fargo Championship (and his last win was the 2010 Shell Houston Open).
Schriber says he always thought Kim could win again, it just depended on how badly Kim wanted it. As Schriber says, he just needed to commit and get sharp.
Schriber is among a small group of people in Kim’s tight-knit circle, a group that also found some satisfaction in Kim’s win on Sunday. Their relationship is about more than just golf. Schriber still remembers, back more than 20 years ago, when he was having a hard time going through a divorce. Kim called him every day just to check in.
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“My buddies would forget what I was going through, but this 15-year-old kid was checking up on my all the time. That’s special, man,” Schriber says. “We’ve always been there for each other when that guy’s down. And that’s how you know who your true friends are. Everybody’s there when things are going good, but only the people who are real are there for you when s— hits the fan. We have that in common.”
Marin Cilic reaches first Tour Semifinal since 2024
Marin Cilic has reached a tour-level semifinal for the first time since 2024.
The semifinal is his first in around 18 months and comes after two knee surgeries. During the week, Cilic defeated three opponents aged 20, 21, and 22.
The result takes Cilic to 68 tour level semifinals, placing him fourth among active male players. Only Novak Djokovic, Alexander Zverev, and Gael Monfils have reached more semifinals.
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Speaking after the match, Cilic said:
“Definitely a huge accomplishment. Another great milestone. Definitely a huge sign for me and my team. We’ve been working really diligently the last several months. It pays off. You have to wait for your chances and be patient in this sport. It’s not easy sometimes. You’re playing well, maybe you’re not winning. But you just have to keep that focus. I trained well and believed that good things are gonna come.”
![Heathrow has said passenger numbers were 60% lower in November than before the coronavirus pandemic and there were “high cancellations” among business travellers concerned about being trapped overseas for Christmas as Omicron spreads. The UK’s largest airport said the government’s travel restrictions had dealt a fresh blow to travel confidence and predicted it was likely to take several years for passenger numbers to return to pre-pandemic levels. This week ministers said passengers arriving in the UK would have to take a pre-departure Covid test, as well as a post-flight test, because of fears about the spread of the new variant. “[The] high level of cancellations by business travellers concerned about being trapped overseas because of pre-departure testing shows the potential harm to the economy of travel restrictions,” the airport said in an update. Heathrow said the drop in traveller confidence owing to the new travel restrictions had negated the benefit of reopening the all-important corridor to North America for business and holiday travel last month. Eleven African countries have been added to the government’s red list, requiring travellers to quarantine before reuniting with families. “By allowing Brits to isolate at home, ministers can make sure they are reunited with their loved ones this Christmas,” said John Holland-Kaye, the chief executive of Heathrow. “It would send a strong signal that restrictions on travel will be removed as soon as safely possible to give passengers the confidence to book for 2022, opening up thousands of new jobs for local people at Heathrow. Let’s reunite families for Christmas.” Heathrow said that if the government could safely signal that restrictions would be lifted soon, then employers at Heathrow would have the confidence to hire thousands of staff in anticipation of a boost in business next summer. The airport is expecting a slow start to 2022, finishing next year with about 45 million passengers – just over half of pre-pandemic levels. This week Tui, Europe’s largest package holiday operator, said it expected bookings for next summer to bounce back to 2019 levels. However, Heathrow said on Friday not to expect the aviation industry to recover for several years. “We do not expect that international travel will recover to 2019 levels until at least all travel restrictions (including testing) are removed from all the markets that we serve, at both ends of the route, and there is no risk of new restrictions, such as quarantine, being imposed,” the airport said.](https://wordupnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/shutterstock_1100012546-scaled-400x240.jpg)
![Heathrow has said passenger numbers were 60% lower in November than before the coronavirus pandemic and there were “high cancellations” among business travellers concerned about being trapped overseas for Christmas as Omicron spreads. The UK’s largest airport said the government’s travel restrictions had dealt a fresh blow to travel confidence and predicted it was likely to take several years for passenger numbers to return to pre-pandemic levels. This week ministers said passengers arriving in the UK would have to take a pre-departure Covid test, as well as a post-flight test, because of fears about the spread of the new variant. “[The] high level of cancellations by business travellers concerned about being trapped overseas because of pre-departure testing shows the potential harm to the economy of travel restrictions,” the airport said in an update. Heathrow said the drop in traveller confidence owing to the new travel restrictions had negated the benefit of reopening the all-important corridor to North America for business and holiday travel last month. Eleven African countries have been added to the government’s red list, requiring travellers to quarantine before reuniting with families. “By allowing Brits to isolate at home, ministers can make sure they are reunited with their loved ones this Christmas,” said John Holland-Kaye, the chief executive of Heathrow. “It would send a strong signal that restrictions on travel will be removed as soon as safely possible to give passengers the confidence to book for 2022, opening up thousands of new jobs for local people at Heathrow. Let’s reunite families for Christmas.” Heathrow said that if the government could safely signal that restrictions would be lifted soon, then employers at Heathrow would have the confidence to hire thousands of staff in anticipation of a boost in business next summer. The airport is expecting a slow start to 2022, finishing next year with about 45 million passengers – just over half of pre-pandemic levels. This week Tui, Europe’s largest package holiday operator, said it expected bookings for next summer to bounce back to 2019 levels. However, Heathrow said on Friday not to expect the aviation industry to recover for several years. “We do not expect that international travel will recover to 2019 levels until at least all travel restrictions (including testing) are removed from all the markets that we serve, at both ends of the route, and there is no risk of new restrictions, such as quarantine, being imposed,” the airport said.](https://wordupnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/shutterstock_1100012546-scaled-80x80.jpg)
