Sports
Jai Opetaia predicts Gilberto Ramirez vs David Benavidez: “I’m leaning towards him”
Jai Opetaia has been keen for title unifications since he got his hands on a cruiserweight world title, but unified champion Gilberto Ramirez is instead facing David Benavidez. Now, Opetaia has offered his thoughts on the fight.
Opetaia has been chasing a showdown with Ramirez ever since the latter unified the WBA and WBO cruiserweight crowns with a victory over Chris Billam-Smith in November 2024, but currently, hopes of seeing that affair are fading.
As if negotiations weren’t already struggling, Opetaia has opted to sign with Zuffa Boxing, who are expected to attempt to keep the Aussie involved in in-house fights, even if that means he may lose his IBF cruiserweight world title.
Outside of the Zuffa franchise, an exciting battle between Ramirez and Benavidez is set to take place on Cinco De Mayo, in what looks to be the most intriguing clash at 200lbs since Oleksandr Usyk left the division in 2018.
Speaking to The Ring, Opetaia looked ahead to the fight and revealed that he is leaning towards reigning WBC light-heavyweight ruler, David Benavidez, despite the 25lb jump up in weight.
“You have got to remember that both of these boys have come up [in weight]. It is crazy that there is two light-heavyweights fighting for a cruiserweight world title right now. They are both coming up to the weight so it’s an even match-up, the way I see it.
“I don’t know too much about Zurdo to be honest, he is a good fighter and I have never thought he was a bad fighter or anything like that, but I actually like Benavidez’s headspace and he seems like he is hungry.
“The legacy of why he is doing it, he is more pumped up and he is younger, and sh*t like that. So, I’m sort of leaning towards Benavidez but, honestly, I don’t really care. I just want this fight to be done so that we can get ours on [against the winner].”
Ramirez vs. Benavidez is set to take place at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas in two months’ time, where a WBC lightweight title bout may also be added to the undercard.
Moses Itauma hopes to take his next step towards a world heavyweight title this weekend, as he fights Jermaine Franklin in Manchester.
Itauma is seen as one of Britain’s top prospects in boxing, with the 21-year-old having already built a 13-0 professional record including 11 knockouts.
Last time out, he made remarkably short work of Dillian Whyte, stopping the veteran in just 119 seconds in Saudi Arabia. But the Kent youngster is back on home soil this weekend, taking on an American opponent in Manchester.
Franklin (24-2, 15 KOs) actually has his own history with Whyte, having lost a controversial decision to the Briton in 2022 before losing to Anthony Joshua on points in 2023. Yet those defeats are the only losses of the 32-year-old’s career, and he is seen as a sensible test for Itauma, whose injury in January forced this bout to be pushed back by two months.
Here’s all you need to know.
When is the fight?
Itauma vs Franklin will take place on Saturday 28 March at the Co-op Live arena in Manchester. The main card is due to begin at 5pm BST (10am PT / 12pm CT / 1pm ET), with main-event ring walks expected at 11pm BST (4pm PT / 6pm CT / 7pm ET).
How can I watch it?
The event will stream live exclusively on DAZN worldwide. You can purchase a DAZN subscription here, with plans starting at £15.99 per month.
Odds
Itauma is a short-priced favourite on all the major betting sites to win Saturday’s bout with Franklin a massive underdog, according to the bookies.
Itauma – 1/20
Franklin – 10/1
Draw – 20/1
Odds via Betway.
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Fight card in full
Subject to change
Moses Itauma vs Jermaine Franklin (heavyweight)
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Nathan Heaney vs Gerome Warburton (middleweight)
Ezra Taylor vs Willy Hutchinson (light-heavyweight)
Shakiel Thompson vs Brad Pauls (middleweight)
Liam Davies vs Francesco Grandelli (featherweight)
Alex Murphy vs Josh Holmes (lightweight)
Michael Gomez Jr vs Jordan Flynn (lightweight)
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There’s no question Ohio State’s Arvell Reese is one of the best overall players in this draft class. They don’t make many athletes with the size (6-foot-4, 241 pounds), speed (4.47-second 40-yard dash) and positional versatility Reese brings. He finished 2025 with 6.5 sacks and 69 total tackles.
However, the history of players with similar versatility traits isn’t exactly encouraging in the NFL. Isaiah Simmons is on his third team in six seasons, Zaven Collins hasn’t found his footing in Arizona, and plenty of others have struggled to fit at the next level.
While I think Reese is different from those players — there’s a difference between “positionless” and “versatile” — there are still questions about where he plays in the NFL.
More importantly, there’s the financial angle. The fifth-year options and franchise tags for EDGE and off-ball linebacker are the same, but the highest-paid EDGE (Micah Parsons) makes $46.5 million per year — more than the top two off-ball linebackers (Fred Warner and Roquan Smith) combined. Even average EDGE rushers carry more value financially, so if Reese wants to cash in, playing on the edge could be the way to go.
But does that best align with what he does on the field? Let’s dive into the film.
Reese’s power pops immediately on the edge
The first thing that stands out when Reese lines up on the edge is how violent he is with his hands. Players who walk down from off-ball linebacker typically don’t play as heavy-handed as Reese does. He packs serious power into his punches as both a run defender and pass rusher, generating a ton of force for someone who would be considered undersized on the edge.
You can’t block him with a tight end — he’ll obliterate them in the run game. He forklifts players on the edge, using strong pad level to close gaps and funnel backs into traffic. This Illinois tight end stood no chance, getting manhandled into the very gap the running back was attacking.
Watch the Miami tight end’s head snap back on contact. There’s playing with force, and then there’s what Reese showed in his final year at Ohio State. He wrecks the rep with pure power.
This rep against Penn State’s left tackle isn’t perfect, but the force jumps out. His head is down on contact, but his body angle is excellent. He’s in position to stack and shed because he’s attacking with leverage, generating force through his body into the tackle’s chest so he can make a play.
His pass-rush upside is both exciting — and incomplete
Where the rubber really meets the road is Reese’s potential as a pass rusher. Despite being undersized, he generates serious power. You’d expect an off-ball linebacker moving to the edge to win with speed and bend, but Reese’s go-to is converting speed to power and running through tackles.
This is what you would call getting dunked on in the football world:
Here, he faces fellow draft prospect Markel Bell (6-foot-9, 346 pounds) and still turns him with power, prying open the outside corner. The ball comes out before he arrives, but it’s a strong rep that shows what he can already do as a pass rusher.
Again, Reese displaces Illinois’ right tackle with power, knocking him off his feet. It’s not a perfect rep or finish, but it highlights how much force he generates in a 241-pound frame.
Reese also showcases the ability to counter with speed. His pass-rush repertoire is still limited, but the flashes of bend and acceleration are reminiscent of top NFL rushers. Ohio State even schemed one-on-one opportunities, where he would do this to opposing tackles:
While he gets the sack on that rep, another better illustrates his upside. He sells the bull rush, then dips around the outside shoulder and flattens to the quarterback. That’s the kind of nuance he needs to build on.
The issue right now is consistency. He doesn’t have many reliable counters, which makes sense given his background as an off-ball linebacker who also drops into coverage. If he transitions full-time to the edge, his development as a pass rusher may take time.
He could improve by using his hands more actively — swiping at tackles to create cleaner rush paths and turn more pass rush reps into pressures. Against Wisconsin, for example, the tackle sets to cut off the edge. Reese needs to either club the outside hand or counter inside, but he does neither and loses the rep. A more detailed pass-rush plan will be key going up against NFL tackles.
Another area for growth is stringing moves together when his initial rush stalls. That will come with reps and coaching. The upside is clear, but right now he’s a better run defender than pass rusher off the edge.
Reese might be more polished off the ball right now
As an off-ball linebacker, Reese’s violent hands and fluidity really stand out. Even in a defense loaded with megazord athletes, he consistently pops on tape. He simply puts guys on their butts when they try to block him. His explosiveness moving downhill is a delight to watch, and his hand placement and ability to forklift defenders immediately jump off the tape. Just ask this Penn State tight end:
OUCH. His ability to generate force allows him to lift blockers out of the way and stay square to the line of scrimmage while working through traffic. He’s comfortable operating in tight spaces and consistently finds the ball.
One rep against Michigan highlights his instincts. The Buckeyes are in a five-man front, with Reese aligned as the stack linebacker. The defensive lineman in front of him plays his primary gap with the ability to fall back into his secondary, and Reese has to mirror that from depth to keep everyone on a string. He fits into the primary gap, then recognizes the running back bounce to the secondary as the tight end tries to get hands on him. Reese slips underneath the block and closes to make the stop — a great example of his high-level processing and movement ability.
In the passing game, his ceiling is also high — especially as a blitzer. His power translates immediately, as shown when he drives a Texas right tackle back and forces Arch Manning out of the pocket.
Reese is a mismatch against running backs in pass protection and can be used as a penetrator on pass-rush games, using his size and speed to collide with offensive linemen and free up rushers. You can also design looks for him to play iso ball against RBs, where he can crush the pocket.
The main area for improvement off the ball is his spatial awareness in coverage. He has the range and athleticism, but his recognition once receivers enter his zone can improve. He recorded just two pass deflections in his career, rarely getting his hands on the football. Better angles could help — like on a near-play against Wisconsin that could have been an interception.
That said, there are reps where he shows potential. Against Penn State running a Dagger concept, he drops as the middle defender in Cover 2, carries the vertical route, then sinks to disrupt the dig and force a checkdown. That’s the upside.
The biggest question: Where does Reese actually fit in the NFL?
So what is Reese at the next level — linebacker or EDGE? The answer is both. He’s a true hybrid, but not in a way that leaves him without a position. He can be a skeleton key who answers many questions for a modern defense, allowing it to shift fronts and personnel without substituting. Think about what the Eagles do with Zack Baun and Jihaad Campbell — players with the size to play on the edge and the movement skills to stack without being liabilities in coverage. That kind of true versatility is becoming increasingly valuable in the NFL.
If you’re asking where he makes the most immediate impact, it’s probably as an off-ball linebacker. His coverage still needs refinement, but as a run defender and blitzer, he already fits what modern defenses want.
Still, he shouldn’t be boxed in. Let him dictate fronts and structures — that’s how he blossoms into the centerpiece of a modern NFL defense.
Moses Itauma is getting closer. The serious part of his boxing career will start at about 11pm on Saturday in Manchester, when his ring apprenticeship ends and the real fights begin.
This weekend, Itauma meets American Jermaine Franklin, a veteran of 26 fights but still a young man in the heavyweight business at 32, and whose only two losses are more relevant than any of his 24 wins; there is a subtle difference between winning in risk-free fights and losing in fights where you have no chance.
Franklin is tough, tested, rested, and the type of seasoned and underestimated fighter that could beat any boxer on any given night. Itauma is still only 21, a wide-eyed kid in a division of dangerous old men, and he is also one of the most hyped fighters in the modern business.
The hype started when he was still a schoolboy (at 16, he showed up to spar with the world’s best heavyweights in his school uniform) and has continued through his 13 professional fights. The Franklin fight is the first real test, a bout where Moses might have to go into the heavyweight unknown; Franklin’s two losses were over the full 12-round distance, to Dillian Whyte and Anthony Joshua.
So far, Itauma has done everything right in a ring apprenticeship that launched with bold claims that he would win a world heavyweight title at a younger age than Mike Tyson. Luckily, that storyline vanished, and Itauma could get on with learning, winning, and growing as an adult and a boxer. Itauma has often talked about his sacrifices to get where he is – he lost his teenage years to the gym and his chosen profession.
In Itauma’s last fight, he travelled to Saudi Arabia in August and dropped and stopped the ghost of Whyte in just 119 seconds; we had no idea that Whyte would be beaten so quickly. It was a real message, and what was needed was a strong man, a man with a credible record and a man who posed a risk, but not a threat: Franklin is ideal, and this might just be one of Frank Warren’s greatest pieces of matchmaking.
Franklin is in many ways the last of a once-essential heavyweight breed; he is the real definition of a journeyman fighter, a man who poses problems and can educate the boxers that beat him. He can also deliver a career-shattering loss, and last September in Las Vegas, he beat double Olympic medalist Ivan Dychko, who was unbeaten in 15 as a professional with 14 knockouts.
For context, there is no way that Itauma would have been matched with Dychko on that night. Franklin is a danger, and Itauma knows that very well; young Moses has a smart head for boxing and does not believe the hype.
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There is bold talk of world titles later this year, and even Oleksandr Usyk has entered the Itauma debate; the great Ukrainian has said he will not fight him because he doesn’t “want to break him”. The rest of the heavyweights have all welcomed the challenge.
Itauma is also on his way to becoming, assuming he beats Franklin, one of the sport’s major cash cows. Itauma is a boxing baby, but he fights like a veteran, and that is a contradiction that might just elevate him from schoolboy menace to world heavyweight champion. The real road to glory for the kid from Kent starts on Saturday night.
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The Cincinnati Bengals added key depth behind Joe Burrow on Wednesday.
The Bengals announced that they re-signed 41-year-old quarterback Joe Flacco to a one-year deal. The contract is for $6 million, but is worth up to $9 million with incentives, according to ESPN.
“I love the building,” Flacco told the team website. “I enjoyed being there, and I’m excited about being back with the fellas.”
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Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Flacco warms up before a game against the Buffalo Bills at Highmark Stadium in Orchard Park, New York, on Dec. 7, 2025. (Mark Konezny/Imagn Images)
The Bengals acquired Flacco after he was benched by the Cleveland Browns after four starts. Burrow was hurt at the time, and Jake Browning, who was the backup before Flacco arrived, had underwhelmed.
Flacco made six starts for the Bengals and played well, despite the team having a 1-5 record in that span. He completed 61.7% of his passes for 1,664 yards with 13 touchdowns and four interceptions, and the Bengals offense averaged more than 27 points per game.
Making Flacco’s performance more impressive, he played through a sprained AC joint in his shoulder with the Bengals.
Flacco was looking to find a starting job in free agency, but after not getting one, he struggled with the reality that he might not play at all.
COWBOYS STAR DAK PRESCOTT’S EX POSTS ABOUT ‘GROWTH’ DAYS AFTER COUPLE SPLIT BEFORE WEDDING
Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Flacco warms up before the Steelers game at Acrisure Stadium in Pittsburgh on Nov. 16, 2025. (Charles LeClaire/Imagn Images)
“I don’t know what Plan A was. It’s tough to kind of say exactly what that looked like, so you kind of just have to go with the flow a little bit,” Flacco said. “I have good feelings there. The hardest thing for me is probably coming to grips with the fact that I might not play.”
The veteran quarterback didn’t want a repeat of last season with the Browns, when he was benched for rookie Dillon Gabriel after four games.
“I felt like I had to be careful with some certain decisions. I don’t want to be in another situation where I’m going and playing four games like I did last year in Cleveland. I was a little bit nervous about that for whatever reason, and kind of getting thrown under the bus. I think there was a time to be that guy, but I don’t know if I was willing to do that. It just felt right in the gut,” Flacco said.
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Bengals quarterback Joe Flacco runs off the field before a field goal attempt against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Paycor Stadium in Cincinnati, Ohio, on Oct. 16, 2025. (Sam Greene/The Enquirer/USA Today Network via Imagn Images)
Flacco, at 41, is the oldest player to ever play for the Bengals.
He is 14th on the all-time passing yards list and just 1,824 yards away from 50,000.
In a perfect world for the Bengals, Flacco never steps on the field because that would mean Burrow remains healthy all season. However, if Burrow gets injured, they can trust that they have a capable backup who can lead the offense at a high level.
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The goalkeeper joined Southampton in the January window after his stint at Hamburger SV was cut short by Bayern.
Peretz, who signed for Bayern in 2023, has made only four appearances for the German champions across all competitions.
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Daniel Peretz: Will Southampton sign him permanently?
After struggling for opportunities at Hamburg, the 25-year-old pushed for a move and eventually secured a switch to St Mary’s.
Reports suggest he refused to train in order to force the transfer, and the move has since helped him rediscover form and confidence.
The former Maccabi Tel Aviv goalkeeper has made 13 starts in the Championship and has delivered a series of impressive performances.
He was particularly influential in Southampton’s 1-0 victory over Norwich City, with the Saints currently sitting sixth in the table.
Southampton hold an option to sign him permanently for around €8 million, a deal that could be completed even if they fail to secure promotion.
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Bayern Munich’s goalkeeping situation
Christian Falk has exclusively told CFbayern that the goalkeeper situation at the German club hinges on several factors.
Manuel Neuer remains the club’s first-choice goalkeeper, but uncertainty surrounds his future amid ongoing injury concerns.
If Neuer signs a one-year extension, Jonas Urbig is expected to remain as the backup, with Sven Ulreich continuing as third choice.
However, if Neuer decides to retire, Bayern are likely to promote Urbig to the number one role.
In that scenario, Ulreich would remain in the squad, while the club would look to recruit an experienced goalkeeper for additional cover.
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Alexander Nubel, currently on loan at VfB Stuttgart, could also factor into the plans, although a permanent deal would require a significant fee.
Bayern are hopeful that Southampton will exercise their option to sign Peretz at the end of the season, allowing the club to streamline their goalkeeping department.
The news that two Indian Premier League (IPL) teams, Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) and Rajasthan Royals (RR), have both changed hands for over $1.6 billion each has obviously made headlines. Both buyouts involved consortiums, and ownership will formally change only after the upcoming 2026 season.
All sorts of people buy sports teams. Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund paid GBP 305 million in 2021, for example, to buy 80 per cent of English football club Newcastle United. Back in 2003, Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich bought Chelsea for GBP 140 million. He was forced to sell it after the Ukraine invasion when he came under sanctions. Real Madrid – probably the world’s richest club – by contrast is set up as a non-profit owned by some 90,000 “socios”, or individuals. Barcelona has a similar socio ownership structure.
The concept of club ownership would be incomprehensible for traditional value investors seeking concrete returns on investment (RoI). For example, RCB declared profits of ₹140 crore on revenues of ₹550 crore in financial year 2024–25 (FY25). The consortium led by the Aditya Birla Group, which bought it, paid $1.78 billion, or around ₹16,600 crore, for a 100 per cent stake.
Kal Somani, Walmart and co-investors paid roughly ₹15,300 crore for the RR franchise, which reportedly had an operating income (earnings before interest and tax, or EBIT) of ₹54 crore in FY25. Given the numbers, RoI at the valuations paid is very low. Even if optimistic growth multiples are assigned to the two franchises, the RoI would remain lower than parking that money in Government of India debt.
Every IPL franchise receives an equal payout every season – approximately ₹484 crore in 2025 – from the Board of Control for Cricket in India’s (BCCI’s) central media rights pool. This is the largest chunk of franchise revenue. The rest of the income comes from ticket sales, merchandise and, above all, sponsorships.
As many people have pointed out, the valuations have expanded a lot over the two-decade timeframe. In 2007, RR was auctioned for $67 million in the original IPL auction. The $1.63 billion sale works out to a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of around 18.5 per cent for the valuation. Similarly, the initial RCB auction price was $111.6 million, which means the $1.78 billion exit reflects a CAGR of 16.5 per cent. (There have been interim sales and transfers of ownership.)
The financials are similar for many other sports teams. RoI tends to be low because valuations are very high, and in many cases, teams operate at a loss.
So why would hard-headed businessmen and investors buy sports teams? There are several answers to that question, and most of them are perhaps partially correct. In some cases, this is out of sheer passion. The new owners happen to be deeply interested in the sport in question, and they have the money to indulge their “hobby”.
Second, there’s optimism. “Brand value”, however you define it, has obviously grown by leaps and bounds for all IPL outfits in the last 20 years. Maybe brand value will continue growing at similar rates in future, especially if a smart, highly connected owner (or a consortium of highly connected owners) is in charge. Hope springs eternal.
There’s also the “greater fool theory”, which is often cited by market traders. This can be roughly defined as: “It’s fine to buy something at an inflated value if you reckon you can find a greater fool who will buy it off you at an even higher value.” That attitude has triggered all sorts of financial bubbles over the centuries.
And, of course, if valuation does continue to inflate indefinitely, you may not even need to exit for a profit. The valuation can be monetised in other ways. For example, the stock market boosted the share price of United Spirits instantly when RCB won the 2025 IPL. There are already advisories out referencing the positive stock market impact of these buyouts.
The killer application with sports and sports investments, however, is something that is hard to accurately quantify. Organised sports is all about politics and influence, and having seats at the high table. The heads of the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) and the International Olympic Committee (IOC), for example, can meet any global head of state, pretty much whenever they please. The leadership of the International Cricket Council (ICC) and the BCCI have similar privileges where cricket-playing nations are concerned. That influence may be hard to quantify, but it is easy to monetise, and it is something hard-headed investors will pay for.
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After extensive quarterback theories, sponsored by fans and media members, the Minnesota Vikings landed on a double-fisted combo at quarterback next to J.J. McCarthy in 2026: Kyler Murray and Carson Wentz. That man will not be Joe Flacco, who frequented the rumor mill in the last two months. Flacco signed with the Cincinnati Bengals on Tuesday.
Cincinnati closed the door on one more Vikings-adjacent QB rumor from early in the offseason.
Flacco’s career continues to chug along, the poster of volume stats when a team’s QB1 gets hurt.
Cincinnati’s Move Ends the Flacco Theories for Another Year
Flacco returns to a familiar spot.
Flacco to CIN
It’s a reunion deal for Flacco, who wound up in Cincinnati via trade midseason when Joe Burrow missed several games.
ESPN’s Ben Bay wrote Tuesday, “Joe Flacco is coming back for another season. The 41-year-old quarterback has agreed to a one-year deal to stay with the Cincinnati Bengals, his agent, Joe Linta, told ESPN. Sources told ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler the contract is for $6 million, but could be worth up to $9 million with incentives.”
“Flacco began last season as the Cleveland Browns’ top quarterback. But after four starts, he was benched in favor of Cleveland rookie Dillon Gabriel. Around the same time, the Bengals needed a starting quarterback following Joe Burrow’s turf toe injury and Jake Browning’s struggles. Cincinnati sent the Browns a 2026 fifth-round pick in exchange for Flacco and a 2026 sixth-round pick. Browning signed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers earlier this offseason.”
The guy has Tom Brady and Aaron Rodgers-like staying power per age.
The Las Vegas Raiders were evidently interested in Flacco, too, as Cincy Jungle‘s Anthony Cosenza noted, “Apparently, the Las Vegas Raiders were heavily interested in Flacco, with the Bengals stepping up to land the 41-year-old signal-caller. While the Bengals prioritized re-signing Flacco, they also had the understanding that he was going to search for the best offer, and one that had the potential to start.”
“While he doesn’t receive the latter in Cincinnati, he got a lucrative backup deal (one year, $6 million, worth up to $9 million) and returns to a place he seemed to have greatly enjoyed when coming over midseason.”
Resume in the NFL
Flacco joined the NFL from Round 1 in 2008 with the Baltimore Ravens and has started 201 games since. He ranks 14th all-time in passing yards and 21st in passing touchdowns. As of late, he’s morphed into a mercenary for hire, the guy called by teams when a QB1 gets hurt, and volume passing is needed.
In 18 seasons, he averages 230 passing yards per game and won a Super Bowl with the 2012 Ravens.
Here’s his destination resume:
- Baltimore Ravens (2008–2018)
- Denver Broncos (2019)
- New York Jets (2020)
- Philadelphia Eagles (2021)
- New York Jets (2021–2022)
- Cleveland Browns (2023)
- Indianapolis Colts (2024)
- Cleveland Browns (2025)
- Cincinnati Bengals (2025–now)
SI.com‘s James Rapien on the Bengals’ 2026 quarterback room: “Flacco returns to be Burrow’s backup. The Bengals also signed veteran Josh Johnson earlier this month. They have a trio of signal callers that make up arguably the best quarterback room in the NFL.”
“Burrow is one of, if not the best quarterback on the planet when he’s healthy. Flacco is a Super Bowl champion entering his 19th season. Johnson is a battle tested veteran that has bounced around the league, but has stuck around and joins Flacco as the only other quarterback from the 2008 NFL Draft that is still in the league.”
Burrow Insurance
The Bengals basically wanted another Joe in case their main Joe gets hurt. Burrow isn’t necessarily injury-prone, but compared to other Top 10 quarterbacks, he’s not far from the label. In the last three seasons, Burrow has missed one-third of all games due to injury.
Instead of trading for Flacco if something happens to Burrow in 2026 — that’s what the Bengals did last year — they simply re-signed him in March to hedge the bet.
The previous QB2 alternative was a man named Jake Browning, who began his career with the Vikings a half-decade ago. Browning turned heads in his few starts with decent performance but later fizzled and signed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers last week.
All the Bengals FA Moves
Cincinnati has been one of the quieter teams in free agency per volume, with these newcomers and re-signings:
- Jonathan Allen (DL) MIN → CIN
- Bryan Cook (S) KC → CIN
- Joe Flacco (QB) CIN → CIN
- Boye Mafe (ED) SEA → CIN
- Josh Johnson (QB) BAL → CIN
And then men who left for new adventures:
- Tycen Anderson (S) CIN → DEN
- Jake Browning (QB) CIN → TB
- Noah Fant (TE) CIN → NO
- Geno Stone (S) CIN → BUF
- Trey Hendrickson (ED) CIN → BAL
- Marco Wilson (CB) CIN → MIA
- Joseph Ossai (ED) CIN → NYJ
- Cam Taylor-Britt (CB) CIN → IND
Flacco will turn 42 during the postseason in 2026. The Vikings are slated to play the Bengals again in 2029.
Following a stamina-testing victory in the N E Manion Cup at Rosehill, imported runner Mr Monaco has the Sydney Cup lined up as his probable upcoming assignment.
Mr Monaco ($5.50), stuck three-wide midfield throughout, dug deep with a gritty surge to repel the rapidly closing Taramansour ($31) by a long head, as Juja Kibo ($3.70 fav), from the same stable, trailed by just a half-head for third.
Trainer Ciaron Maher announced the five-year-old’s itinerary includes Sydney’s marquee staying test over two miles at Randwick next month, potentially without a lead-up race.
“We knew he’d improve up to the mile-and-a-half, but that was a strong win,” Maher said.
“Onwards to the Sydney Cup and given how well he stayed today, he’d probably nearly just line up straight after this one.”
The gelding raced early in England, arrived in Australia last year, and ended his spring series of three starts with a Caulfield victory.
Maher observed that Mr Monaco has mirrored the standard improvement curve for Euro imports and is still advancing, while expressing contentment with Juja Kibo’s third spot, the horse also Sydney Cup-bound at 3200m via Sydney Cup.
“‘Juja’ looked to have the softer run and have everything it’s way, but ‘Monaco’ had to do it the tougher way and covered a bit of ground,” he said.
“Both horses, they’re going to strip pretty well and get in with a nice weight, and both will run the two miles.”
After piloting Queensland Derby aspirant Barrengarry to success in the Midway Handicap (1500m), Zac Lloyd doubled up early courtesy of Mr Monaco, who overcame a wide starting position in the N E Manion Cup (2400m) and whose performance Lloyd rates highly for Sydney Cup prospects.
“I think that’s going to be right up his alley, considering he probably ran about 3000 (metres) today, so he’s ready to go,” Lloyd said.
Discover the best betting sites for Sydney Cup markets in 2026.
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