Minnesota Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy (9) and head coach Kevin O’Connell connect on the field at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on Aug. 10, 2024, sharing a brief exchange before kickoff against the Las Vegas Raiders. The moment captures the quarterback-coach dynamic during preseason preparations. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images
Sometimes athletes react well to geographical cures, and ESPN devoted an entire article this week to players who could benefit from a change of scenery. For the Minnesota Vikings, that man is none other than quarterback J.J. McCarthy.
ESPN’s angle puts McCarthy in the trade conversation, which turns heads because he’s only started 10 games in his career.
In an offseason when Minnesota will add another quarterback to compete with McCarthy or serve as backup insurance, ESPN’s Aaron Schatz says the man needs a new team altogether.
Advertisement
ESPN’s Trade Chip Angle Hits the Vikings
It’s the “change of scenery” list.
Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy shares a postgame exchange with Commanders cornerback Mike Sainristil at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on Dec. 7, 2025, following a tightly contested matchup. McCarthy’s visible emotion reflects the weight of late-season implications as Minnesota continued evaluating its young quarterback. Mandatory Credit: Brad Rempel-Imagn Images
ESPN Change-of-Scenery Candidate for MIN: J.J. McCarthy
All 32 teams received a mention by Schatz — players who should try their luck elsewhere.
On McCarthy, Schatz wrote, “This is likely never going to happen, because it would be ridiculous for the Vikings to unload a player who still has first-round upside after 10 starts. However, a fresh start for McCarthy with a different organization might be the best thing for his career.”
Advertisement
“Yes, you want a young quarterback to be with an offensive mind such as Minnesota coach Kevin O’Connell for the purposes of his development. However, things went so badly for the Vikings with McCarthy last season that it might be best to get him out of the shadow of Super Bowl winner Sam Darnold.”
McCarthy’s head coach, Kevin O’Connell, once said that organizations fail young quarterbacks before young quarterbacks fail organizations, and with Schatz’s idea, O’Connell would fall victim to his own declaration.
This Would … Have to Mean a Trade
There’s no way the Vikings would release McCarthy, so the ESPN article implies a trade. That’s right: after two years with McCarthy in the roster orbit, Minnesota would have to mail it in, presumably opting for a surer thing at quarterback.
Advertisement
Schatz noted on his criteria, “Change is coming to every NFL team. There will be moves made in free agency and the draft, of course, but there also will be unexpected trades and player cuts. So far this offseason, there have been rumors about top stars Maxx Crosby, Kyler Murray and A.J. Brown potentially moving on from their franchises. But more shocking moves are likely to come.”
“Every offseason, there are players who need a change of scenery for a variety of reasons. Some players just never quite develop and could benefit from a new coaching staff that might be able to unlock their potential. Some have worn out their welcome because of a lack of success on the field. Others just want to go to a winning team.”
The Vikings can control McCarthy’s contract for the next three years, and a change of scenery must include a trade, assuming McCarthy didn’t get into some kind of mind-blowing trouble that would mandate his release.
Where to Trade Him?
Advertisement
Here’s the really fascinating aspect of Schatz’s theory — McCarthy’s landing spot. Which team would the Vikings do business with?
Minnesota Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy (9) works through pregame drills at Soldier Field in Chicago, Illinois, on Sep. 8, 2025, ahead of a divisional matchup with the Bears. McCarthy cycles through footwork and throwing sequences as teammates complete nearby reps before kickoff. Mandatory Credit: Matt Marton-Imagn Images
A shortlist might look like this:
Baltimore Ravens: The fringe Lamar Jackson trade rumors turn out not to be fringe at all, and the new-look Ravens embark on 2026 with a new head coach (Jesse Minter) and quarterback (McCarthy). Jackson to Minnesota.
Cincinnati Bengals: Joe Burrow requests a trade out of disgruntlement, and as part of a deal that would include multiple 1st-Round draft assets, McCarthy heads to Cincinnati.
Houston Texans: NFL draft expert Todd McShay whispered this week that C.J. Stroud could be traded. For this one, it would be McCarthy and a draft pick to Houston for Stroud.
Advertisement
Too Early to Quit McCarthy
While it’s frustrating that McCarthy has missed 70% of Vikings games due to various injuries, the franchise owes it to itself to see if the youngster turns the corner in Year No. 3. Reminder: this is the organization that gave up on Sam Darnold during the 2025 offseason, and 11 months later, Darnold hoisted a Lombardi trophy in Seattle. One might think Minnesota learned its lesson on giving up on frustrating quarterbacks too soon.
Minnesota Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy (9) warms up at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on Nov. 16, 2025, before facing the Chicago Bears. McCarthy loosens his arm during pregame routines as Minnesota prepares for the divisional contest. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images
The best solution for the Kevin O’Connell-led Vikings is to thread the needle. Keep McCarthy in-house — deny him the ESPN-drive change of scenery — while finding a way to land a quarterback like Kyler Murray, Mac Jones, Malik Willis, Anthony Richardson, or Will Levis. With all of those options, McCarthy could strut his stuff at training camp, hoping to keep hold of his QB1 job. The Vikings, meanwhile, would have a sturdy contingency plan.
Of course, if the Bengals actually came knocking, dangling Burrow as a trade asset, then all bets are off. Ship McCarthy to Cincinnati and flourish with Burrow. It’s just that a Burrow trade isn’t likely until the 2027 offseason — if it happens at all.
Athletes competing in the 2nd Niger Delta Games have arrived in Benin City, Edo State, and commenced accreditation at Benson Idahosa University (BIU), where they are also being accommodated for the duration of the tournament, with officials on ground to receive the contingents and promptly guide them through documentation and verification procedures.
At the university campus, accreditation teams were stationed at designated points within the institution to ensure a seamless process for athletes and team officials, while participants were attended to in batches to avoid congestion and ensure accuracy in documentation.
Logistics arrangements further enabled the athletes to settle into their hostel facilities without difficulty as registration formalities progressed.
Advertisement
Most of the participating states arrived on Thursday in line with the official schedule, while contingents from Abia and Cross River States reached Benin in the early hours of Friday and are expected to complete their accreditation as the exercise continues.
Athletes and team representatives who spoke informally expressed satisfaction with the reception and overall coordination, noting that the orderly arrangement and prompt attention upon arrival created a smooth start to their participation in the Games.
Some further described the atmosphere at the accommodation centre as welcoming and organised, explaining that the ease of movement within the campus and the clarity of the accreditation procedures helped them quickly adjust after their journeys.
In seven weeks’ time, Tyson Fury makes his return to the fight scene, as he sets about his goal of becoming boxing’s fifth three-time heavyweight champion.
Ahead of his comeback, the 37-year-old has revealed a three-fight plan that would make for a ‘perfect’ 2026.
‘The Gypsy King’ retired for a fifth time when he was twice trumped by Oleksandr Usyk during 2024, costing him his WBC heavyweight world title, as well as his undefeated record.
In an interview with FurociTV, the two-time heavyweight unveiled a three-fight plan for 2026, that culminates in another retirement.
“The perfect year would be to smash Makhmudov to pieces, then smash Anthony Joshua to pieces and then win the world title at the end of the year, whether it is off Usyk or if it is off the Dubois-Wardley winner.
“That would be a good year, then I would retire again. Take two more years out, come back at 40 and do it all again, and so on and so forth.
“When boxing dies a death again, [I will] come back, bring it all back, bring the biggest broadcasting network in the world. Let’s go, 2026, here we come. Big year.”
By Thursday morning, a lot had changed around Tottenham Hotspur. The Arsenalresult from the night before had naturally sent a charge around the club, given that the derby is next up. They’ll suddenly be facing a team enduring their own crisis. This has been amplified by the shift that comes from a new coach, no matter who it is. While there have been questions about Igor Tudor, he has spent most of his time so far seeking to implement his own game model. It’s foundation-first.
There have already been a few quips about how Thomas Frank would have overly focused on Arsenal, a factor that had started to grate on some of those around the club.
They – and Arsenal – are also conscious of how the atmosphere on Sunday is going to be different. The toxicity that surrounded Frank will be gone, at least temporarily. The derby will only amplify this better mood.
That suddenly creates a new danger for Arsenal. This could be an especially bad week.
But that doesn’t mean there isn’t a longer-term risk for Spurs from some of this, and that goes beyond the threat of relegation.
Advertisement
This is the first time that a north London derby has involved both the title and survival since 1934-35, when Arsenal were champions and Spurs went down. Arsenal won those fixtures 5-1 and 0-6.
Thomas Frank was sacked by Tottenham last week (AFP/Getty)
This season feels very much up for grabs at both ends.
But if Frank occasionally overstated the exact quality of Arsenal, and recent results make even discussing it feel mistimed, Spurs would be unwise to ignore the wider point.
Advertisement
The club hierarchy is currently trying to figure out a way out of this unprecedented mess, but there is a good roadmap across north London.
The very fact that Arsenal are so disappointed right now is at once a sign of their progress. Better to be frustrated in a title race than nowhere near. They are competing.
Spurs chief executive Vinai Venkatesham should know about that journey better than anyone at the club, since he was on it.
The official was part of a wider team led by former executive vice-chair Tim Lewis, former sporting director Edu, the ownership and – of course – Mikel Arteta, in making Arsenal a serious operation again.
Advertisement
The hierarchy first stripped everything back, removing all old pretensions and hang-ups to rebuild anew. Arteta decided on an identity and went there.
Another irony in the eternal intertwining of these two clubs is that this Arsenal have almost represented an upscaled version of what Mauricio Pochettino’s Tottenham Hotspur were, right down to the style and an initial emphasis on youth.
Above all, though, Arsenal have had a clear sense of where they are going.
Advertisement
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta (John Walton/PA)
Spurs haven’t really been able to say that since Pochettino took them to the Champions League final in 2019, but arguably even earlier.
Since the club lost the Argentine’s singular focus, they have been a mess of different ideas. It says much that all of 2025, 2023, 2021 and 2019 were cast as restarts when they really just perpetuated the same cycle.
A significant cause was the one constant at Spurs: Daniel Levy. The former chair is still widely respected in the game for how he gradually built the club, but there were increasing criticisms about how virtually everything at Tottenham was done according to his preferences. Even executives at Arsenal quipped about how it was Levy’s way rather than the Spurs way.
It arguably says more that, outside Pochettino’s time and brief bursts like Antonio Conte’s Champions League qualification or Ange Postecoglou’s Europa League triumph, the club has been most associated with a dismissive eponymous adjective: “Spursy”. They are now a club who receive most attention for things going wrong.
Except that the departure of someone as central as Levy has now naturally left a huge vacuum, and one that threatens to swallow up the whole club.
It is actually even worse than the obvious lack of decisiveness over Frank, and how the complete absence of a plan saw them allow a dysfunctional situation to become one where relegation is a genuine risk.
Put bluntly, Spurs have no idea what they are, and multiple sources insist there are still not enough football people at the club to figure this out.
Advertisement
Eberechi Eze was in talks with Tottenham before joining Arsenal (PA Wire)
Those same sources point to how Tudor was previously a name raised by the former director of football, Fabio Paratici.
This is a club badly in need of ideas, and especially one central idea.
As is often the case, it’s impossible not to feel some of this should be obvious, to the point it’s almost boring to repeat in a media article.
Advertisement
Spurs themselves even pronounce it before every home match. There are the inevitable references to Danny Blanchflower’s famous speech proclaiming that “the game is about glory… about doing things in style and with a flourish”.
This again feels incredible to say about one of the wealthiest clubs in football, but it should not have taken them this long to decide on a football ideology that evokes this; to appoint managers and sign players that fit into this.
Again, it should be obvious, but it hasn’t been properly tried at Spurs in years.
One fair argument right now is that the club do not currently have the football expertise to start going about such a project. Other Premier League figures are insistent that Spurs won’t be able to properly do anything like that until there is a change in ownership.
Advertisement
The rumours there refuse to go away. Many potential buyers are said to be interested. The Lewis family, however, are still described as “capricious” on this subject.
And of course, it wouldn’t be modern Spurs without some other layer of complication.
Will Mauricio Pochettino be in charge at Tottenham next season? (Reuters)
Although it is usually at this point, during one of their frequent coaching changes, that they try to start thinking about the future, the biggest danger is a sense of drift; this time could see them get cut adrift.
Advertisement
They have to stave off relegation. Even the mere risk of this can affect preparation for next season, as Spurs may have to start considering two different plans.
The target will still be the same. They want to return to Pochettino after the USA’s involvement in the 2026 World Cup ends.
The hierarchy feels the fanbase needs to be unified after such a divisive period, and there is no better candidate. Pochettino’s football ideal, to be fair, also fits into that kind of Blanchflower proclamation.
But should this be based around one man? Is that not a superficial plan in itself? Is it even the same man as in 2019, let alone 2014, when Pochettino offered the fire that was necessary?
Advertisement
There is yet another little twist in how Arteta suddenly faces up to precisely the problem that Pochettino did, and potentially peaking at the wrong time, of not taking the project to fulfilment.
Spurs could have a significant say in that – but they know the club needs to be about so much more. Arsenal are still going for everything, while their great rivals still just need something.
The Big West should receive just one NCAA Tournament bid, but three teams are currently within a game of each other atop the standings.
UC Irvine holds the top spot at 11-4 after defeating Long Beach State yesterday.
Hawaii and Cal State Northridge both have 10-5 conference records after losses on Thursday to Cal Poly and UC Santa Barbara, respectively.
The Anteaters and Rainbow Warriors have the better overall records with meaningful games still on their slates, so we take a look at those two teams here.
The players at both Hawai’i and UC Irvine have easy access to the beach, but they find themselves in different basketball situations.
Advertisement
Hawai’i (10-5, 18-7)
The Rainbows rely on a no-switching man-to-man defense when necessary, but in a limited way.
A lot of teams switch everything in this era, and it’s probably smart in power conferences, but UH is holding it down to a minimum.
Here’s a nerdy breakdown of why it works.
Hawai’i’s big men play a drop action in the pick-and-roll. This means the big man doesn’t defend the guard, but provides just enough of a presence to be annoying.
Advertisement
If the ball handler gets hot from 15 feet, a post player pops for some threes, or if there’s a vertical threat, it can be beaten.
Since the Big West lacks elite athleticism, this defense is effective.
Dre Bullock vs Cal State Bakersfield | Brian McInnis/Spectrum News
The other guiding principle, and the main one, is no-help defense. This forces the opponent to win one-on-one matchups, which is difficult for most college players.
The justification for this defense is that it helps stymie ball movement.
The Bows rank first in the nation, only allowing 9.0 assists per game this year. UH also ranked in the Top 25 in this same category a season ago.
Advertisement
Hawai’i is also sixth in the country in defensive rating and 35th in points allowed per game.
Offensively, the Rainbow Warriors are decent, ranking 104th in points scored per contest.
They have four different players who average 10 points or more per game, led by center Isaac Johnson, who averages 13.4.
Head Coach Eran Ganot is on pace to lead Hawaii to its third 20-win season in the last four years, and has recorded just one losing season in his 11-year tenure as the coach at UH.
Advertisement
UC Irvine (11-4, 18-9)
UC Irvine is like that reliable worker who always gets overlooked. Last year, if not for a missed point-blank layup, they would have won the NIT.
Scarcely any mid-major program will make the Big Dance each season like Gonzaga, but the Anteaters are back at the top of the Big West standings again in 2026.
Offensively, the ‘Eaters are led by Jurian Dixon, who averages 15.5 points per game.
Dixon has proven a bit inconsistent at times, but can also take over a game, as was the case with his 26-point explosion against CSU Bakersfield.
Advertisement
The Big West Freshman of the Year in 2024-25 decided to stay after a tough end to his freshman season, aided by a bunch of players transferring out, meaning he would get more shots.
Irvine has two other players who average more than 10 points per game, and Kyle Evans is one of those guys.
Jurian Dixon vs Long Beach St | UC Irvine Athletics
But Evans isn’t known for his offense; he’s a defensive menace, leading the NCAA in blocked shots, averaging 3.35 blocks per contest.
He has 87 total denials on the year, 15 more than the second-place shot-blocker.
Evans’ defensive presence helps anchor a team that ranks seventh in defensive rating and 43rd in points allowed per game. He also averages 8.5 rebounds per contest.
Advertisement
The third player averaging more than ten points per game is Derin Saran, who also averages 3.5 assists and 1.4 steals per contest.
Russell Turner has done a marvelous job at UC Irvine. Most of his players impact the game in multiple facets, a staple of a winning program.
Not surprisingly, he is the winningest coach in ‘Eaters history.
Writes about football and basketball as a Senior Writer and hosts “The Nick Bartlett Show” for SuperWest Sports.
Following a light workout at Cranbourne and subsequent x-rays, the favoured Big Sky has been withdrawn from Victoria’s flagship two-year-old event.
The colt from the Mick Price and Michael Kent Jnr stable was primed as the choice for the Group 1 Blue Diamond Stakes (1200m) on Saturday, though Price voiced concerns over the colt after his Friday morning canter at Cranbourne.
Thursday’s Racing Victoria vet barrier check had cleared Big Sky, as it did for all 20 declared runners.
Price’s optimism faded rapidly, however, within the next day as issues emerged with the colt’s stride.
Advertisement
“I had a little canter with him this morning and his action is not what it should be,” Price told SENTrack.
“We know by looking at the data, on Tuesday morning his stride was a little shorter than it should be, but I was looking more at knees this morning and we have had them x-rayed.
“There’s a little bit of immaturity near front, off-front, there’s enough there to say I need a second opinion of what’s going on with that knee.
“We think we can see a small little flake of bone in there.
Advertisement
“I’m not sure we need to do, but what I do know is that horse will not be running on Saturday and will be going to the paddock.”
Price noted that his approach remains consistent across the board, irrespective of whether it’s a premier Group 1 for juveniles or an ordinary mile maiden.
“I wouldn’t ask any horse to do anything I wasn’t 100 per cent happy with, especially a two-year-old baby,” Price said.
“He’s very talented, he might be a Group 1 horse as a three-year-old.
Advertisement
“Regardless of anything in the future, he will not run tomorrow, and the information is ‘black and white’.
“It is disappointing, but it would be disappointment times ten if I was to run him and get a poor result, number one, and to see him pull-up poorly number two.
“He’s a young horse and we need to look after him.”
Markets reacted swiftly, elevating stablemate Guest House to the fore at $4.60, in front of Unit Five ($5.50) and Closer To Free ($6.50).
Advertisement
After vet reviews, the filly Torture trained by Ben, Will and J D Hayes was barred from racing, but Tough Romance from Tony and Calvin McEvoy secured approval.
Caulfield-bound Closer To Free faces no penalty from trainer Danny O’Brien for his novice status ahead of Victoria’s elite two-year-old showdown.
His qualification for Saturday’s Group 1 Blue Diamond Stakes (1200m) at Caulfield stemmed from a debut romp in the Blue Diamond Prelude (1100m) held on February 7.
Prior to that, O’Brien snapped up the colt post a Caulfield Heath barrier trial conquest nine days earlier under Adrian Corboy’s watch.
Post-debut, Closer To Free has shown further maturation, leaving O’Brien relaxed about the colt’s sophomore appearance on Saturday.
Advertisement
Devil Night mirrored this path last year, capturing the Blue Diamond on his second start following a Prelude second two weeks prior.
“The narrative around his trial was that he was wound up, but Adrian told me he was three or four weeks behind with him because he got cast in his box over Christmas and he missed a couple of weeks work,” O’Brien said.
“When he came to the trials here, he said there was a lot of improvement in the horse and when I saw him in the yard before the Prelude I thought ‘he’s right, you might need another gallop’, but he came out of it really well and will be finding a couple of lengths on Saturday on top of what he’s already shown.”
Saturday’s race poses no issue for O’Brien due to Closer To Free’s light resume.
Advertisement
“The profile of these two-year-old races has changed over the last 15 or 20 years,” O’Brien said.
“The two-year-olds are not having as many starts as they used to before Christmas and ultimately, they get one or two post-Christmas before running in the Blue Diamond and even the Golden Slipper.
“I don’t think that is a disadvantage. I know when Star Witness won it, it was only his third race start, one start in December, one start in January, and then into to the Diamond.”
Discussing Australia’s breeding evolution, O’Brien notes a departure from rushing juveniles to the track.
Advertisement
“When I first started in racing, there probably wasn’t the number of shuttle stallions standing,” O’Brien said.
“It was more the colonials, they were a bit hardier, a bit more get up get going early, whereas nearly every stallion in Australia now has some form of shuttle blood.
“There has been a gradual shift, so I don’t think there is any disadvantage and he has been very well educated and we can thank Adrian for that.
“He’s got a very natural brain and there will be no horse that will handle the parade better than him.
Advertisement
“He’s so relaxed.”
Discover leading betting sites offering racing odds for the Blue Diamond Stakes.
INGLEWOOD, Calif. — Bennedict Mathurin scored 38 points in his home debut for Los Angeles and the Clippers held off the Denver Nuggets 115-114 on Thursday night.
Denver’s Jamal Murray had a chance to tie it on three free throws with 0.9 seconds remaining after a foul from Derrick Jones Jr. Murray made the first two before missing the third, with time expiring on the rebound.
Kawhi Leonard added 23 points, and Jones had 22 to help the Clippers improve to 21-7 since Dec. 20. Both teams were coming off the All-Star break.
Mathurin, acquired from Indiana at the trade deadline, was 12 of 22 from the field, while Leonard went 8 of 18 and scored at least 20 points for the 34th consecutive game.
Advertisement
Nikloa Jokic had 22 points and 17 rebounds for Denver. Murray scored 20 points, Bruce Brown had 19, and Cam Johnson and Julian Strawther added 18 each.
Denver was without Aaron Gordon (hamstring) for the 10th consecutive game, while Peyton Watson (hamstring) has missed the past four.
Tempers flared with 10:27 remaining when the Clippers’ Yanic Konan Niederhauser, Kris Dunn and Mathurin tangled with the Nuggets’ Jonas Valanciunas under the Denver basket following a free throw.
Dunn, Mathurin and Valanciunas all received technical fouls, with Denver making one technical free throw for an 83-83 tie.
Advertisement
The Nuggets tied in 107-107 with 46 seconds remaining on a shot inside from Jokic. The Clippers went up 115-112 with nine seconds left on two free throws from Mathurin.
Nuggets: At Portland on Friday night.
Clippers: Host the Los Angeles Lakers on Friday night.
The Ipswich man, who stopped Justis Huni and Joseph Parker in 2025, has said he wants a proper first outing as champion to prove to fans he has earned the belt – he had wanted to fight Usyk for it, but the Ukrainian did not share that interest.
Advertisement
As for Dubois, he has managed to get the Ukrainian in the ring, twice, losing on both occasions. Most recently, he was stopped inside five rounds at Wembley Stadium, losing his own world title. This shot at Wardley’s belt in his first fight back represents both an excellent opportunity and a dangerous career move.
Watching on from ringside will be Fury, who ends a year-long retirement in April against Arslanbek Makhmudov. He has made it clear he will target the winner, however can’t split them when predicting who that will be.
Speaking on the FurociTV YouTube channel, ‘The Gypsy King’ praised the matchmaking, ultimately recognising the fight as a pick ’em with a high chance of ending early in either man’s favour, giving Dubois a 50% chance of becoming a two-time champ.
“I think Wardley’s a good fighter and I think the Daniel Dubois fight is a very good fight. Great fight for British boxing – two British heavyweights knocking lumps off each other. These are two big punchers. Whoever lands first with the big shot will win.”
“These guys are 6 foot 4, 6 foot 5 wrecking machines. Look how they’re built – they’re built like Greek gods carved out of stone. They’re training, young, ambitious … They’re both in their prime, both fresh, both young – it’s a real fight, it’s not like one is past it and one isn’t. I think the fans are the real winners here. They get to see a 50/50 fight between two big heavyweights for the world title.”
Advertisement
Fans, analysts and fighters are split on the contest. While Dubois may well be the hardest puncher Wardley has faced, he has also been stopped on three occasions himself – something the gritty and courageous champion is well known to take advantage of. All of the above makes it one of the best heavyweight fights of the year so far, and perhaps entire.
Oregon has a very young coaching staff, with all 3 major coaches (HC, OC, DC) 40 years old or younger. 
Hawaii and Cal State Northridge both have 10-5 conference records after losses on Thursday to Cal Poly and UC Santa Barbara, respectively.
