The Minnesota Vikings likely won’t have the cap space to go big-game hunting at wide receiver in free agency, pretty much ruling out players like George Pickens. The franchise could, though, target a sensible WR3 if Jalen Nailor departs for a new team. Consider these five wideouts the common-sense options.

Minnesota’s WR shopping list depends on Jalen Nailor’s status, but the market offers some speed, depth, and upside.

If Nailor returns in 2026, this list will be moot, but his status is a mystery.

WR Free Agents Who Fit the Vikings for 2026

Ranked in order of realism, here’s who Minnesota could target at WR in free agency if Nailor walks.

5. Rashid Shaheed

Shaheed will command a fat contract next month, probably pricing himself out of the Vikings’ range. But in the off chance that Minnesota clears enough cap space to splurge, Shaheed would absolutely fit in the offensive plan, providing speed and playmaking that only Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison can currently provide in Minneapolis.

He’s only at the “bottom” of this list because he’s about to score a contract worth roughly $45 million over the next three years.

USA Today‘s Tyler Dragon on Shaheed: “Shaheed’s been a lightning rod for the Seahawks offense and special teams ever since Seattle acquired him at the trade deadline. He’s the only player in the NFL this season with both kick return and punt return touchdowns.”

“Known for his explosive speed, Shaheed’s 95-yard kick return touchdown ignited the Seahawks in their divisional round win over the San Francisco 49ers.”

4. Gabe Davis

Davis tore his ACL one month ago. That, of course, does not help his free agency — at all — but it will drive down his price. Some team will hand him a one-year deal to prove he’s back and healthy.

He fits the Vikings because he’ll be cheap and has WR3 tendencies. He’s also still just 26 years old. The only problem with Davis is his recovery timeline. He could be ready in September — or the recovery could bleed into October and November.

3. John Metchie

Metchie was a 2nd-Round pick by the Houston Texans in the 2022 NFL Draft and has never panned out. No team has targeted him more than 50 times in a season, and his once-fancy scouting report has not translated to the NFL as most draft heads predicted.

There’s a world, however, where Metchie can reclaim his career if some team commits to him as a WR3. The Vikings could sign him to a prove-it deal and pair him with Tai Felton at training camp to determine the WR3 for the 2026 season.

Metchie is known for his route-running, and that could be just what the doctor ordered for Minnesota’s eventual QB1 selection.

2. Dyami Brown

Brown is just like Metchie: a 3rd-Rounder from the 2021 NFL Draft who looked promising a few years ago but has never had more than 300 yards in a season.

He’s a bit different than Metchie because, in his purest form, Brown is a home run hitter. He has 4.44 speed and can beat many defensive backs on the outside.

Just give Brown about 70 targets in 17 games, and he can thrive as a WR3. Like Davis and Metchie, Brown, too, will be affordable in free agency.

JagsWire‘s Paul Bretl on Brown: “When the Jaguars signed Brown to the offense, he immediately added another vertical presence to the offense with his speed. The Jaguars also thought he had the upside to attack other levels of the field and get the ball on designed touches out of the backfield.”

“However, as the season progressed, Brown’s role was reduced and eventually became nonexistent, with him even being a healthy scratch in some games. Brown was unable to carve out steady playing time, and he was eventually jumped on the depth chart by Tim Patrick. He finished the season catching 20 passes for 227 yards with a touchdown.”

1. Jahan Dotson

The Eagles leaned run-heavy, and when the ball went up in the air this season, Jalen Hurts didn’t consistently hit his usual efficiency marks. That environment didn’t do much for non-A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith wideouts like Dotson.

Dotson’s skill set fits better in a pass-forward offense, which is where Minnesota lives. If Nailor isn’t part of the 2026 plans, Kevin O “Connell would be wise to at least gauge Dotson’s market and see whether the price aligns with the role.

After all, the man was a 1st-Round talent four years ago. Youth is on his side. He also has 4.4 speed.

After just 14 seconds, Nobbs was wheeling away in celebration after netting the quickest goal of the WSL2 season.

Another yet more impressive effort just before half time doubled the Lasses’ lead, although they were given a late scare before second half added time when Tegan McGowan halved the deficit.

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Nobbs’ third goal of the season, and second against the Saints, put United ahead after just a whirlwind 14 seconds.

Oona Sevenius won an initial header from Fran Stenson’s long punt from kick off, with the ball falling to Molly Pike, who at the first time of asking slipped through United’s number four before calmly rounding the goalkeeper and slotting home into an empty net.

It was a chaotic start to the game on the south coast, with the hosts squandering a golden chance to level things up when a ball inside found Atlanta Primus unmarked in the box, but she failed to muster a shot that truly tested Anna Tamminen from the penalty spot.

The Saints continued to probe at Newcastle’s defence, although they were being restricted to efforts outside the area, with Mary Bashford’s strike from 20 yards out was tipped over the bar by Tamminen.

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Following a frantic opening 25 minutes, Newcastle began to gain control of the game and started to catch Southampton out with a high press when Emily Murphy played through Freya Gregory, but the Scotland international’s fizzing strike was well saved at Stenson’s near post.

With both sides settling into the game as it approached half time, United managed to flick the switch and double their lead when Nobbs got on the scoresheet for the second time in the afternoon.

A neat ball inside from Gregory opened up the space for Nobbs to run forward and play a smart one-two with Murphy, before taking a touch and curling a looping effort out of Stenson’s reach.

Both sides lowered the tempo in the second half, with United comfortable in letting the Saints have shots from long range that often failed to hit the target as the heavens opened and soaked the St. Mary’s pitch.

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Neither side looked to be threatening in the opposition’s box for the majority of the half. However, the Lasses continued to carry a threat on the counter-attack with the pace of Beth Lumsden, Gregory and Murphy.

With a final throw of the dice, Southampton pushed more players forward to try and pull themselves back into the game. It almost paid off when Primus was picked out at the near post by Brazil, but a combination of Jemma Purfield and Tamminen denied her a goal.

Despite the valiant efforts a few minutes earlier, United were pegged back just before stoppage time as substitute Tegan McGowan stormed down the left-hand side to slot beneath Tamminen from an acute angle.

Newcastle United Women: Anna Tamminen, Charlotte Wardlaw, Jordan Nobbs (Demi Stokes 87), Jemma Purfield, Molly Pike (Ashanti Akpan 77), Freya Gregory, Kaitlyn Torpey, Oona Sevenius (Beth Lumsden 58), Lois Joel, Aoife Mannion (c), Emily Murphy

Subs not used: Claudia Moan, Shania Hayles, Emilia Larsson

Demond Williams was ready to return to Washington until LSU came along with a bigger offer.

Now, back at Washington after being threatened with a lawsuit, can he repair the relationship with Husky fans?

‘Locked On Huskies’ host Roman Tomashoff joins to discuss.

   • UW Football Press Conference: February 4, …  

This segment is from Friday’s episode of Locked On College Football with Spencer McLaughlin.

DRAMA: Demond Williams is NOT respecting Washington fans following transfer debacle, can he fix it?

Both Cormac Comerford and Thomas Maloney Westgård were in action at the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games this weekend.

Dubliner Comerford launched Team Ireland’s Olympic campaign on Saturday as he became Ireland’s 34th Winter Olympian, while Maloney Westgård finished his first race of three on Sunday.

Cormac Comerford competed in the Men’s Downhill on the iconic Stelvio Slope, with the  Alpine skier recording a time of 2:04.40 to finish 34th. 

A time of 2:04.40 for @cormaccomerford in the men’s alpine skiing downhill #rtesport #TeamIreland #MilanoCortina2026 pic.twitter.com/S2RsJCq6gR

— RTÉ Sport (@RTEsport) February 7, 2026

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The Glenageary skier was the final athlete to start in the downhill field. Starting last brought added pressure, with the track heavily worn by the time Comerford pushed out of the gate, but he successfully negotiated the course to bring his Olympic debut safely to the finish.

Olympic debut

Commenting on his Winter Olympics debut, the 29-year-old said:

“It’s an incredible feeling to make my Olympic debut today in this weather, on this slope. To bring it down Stelvio is a huge achievement, coming from the artificial slope back home. There’s a huge sense of pride. I made a few mistakes in the run, it felt smoother in training, but that’s racing and I’m really proud to have brought it down.”

Really challenging course

Olympic veteran Norwegian-born Thomas Maloney Westgård finished his first race of three with a 35th place in the Men’s 10km + 10km Skiathlon in a time of 49.24.6.

Competition took place in relatively mild conditions creating a tough course for the athletes in the event which involves skiers competing 10km using classic skis before transitioning to a 10km free skating finish. Wearing bib 36 off the start, in what is his least preferred discipline, Maloney Westgård stuck with the opening hectic pace.

Speaking afterwards, the thirty-year-old three-time Olympian said:

“That was a tough one. Soft conditions and quite icy and tricky in the downhills and crusty corners. So it was a really challenging course for sure. Just like it should be in the Olympics. I was a bit anxious on some of the downhill. So, yeah, I’m happy to have started the Olympics.”

Back in action on February 11th

The next competition for Team Ireland is the Men’s Super-G in Alpine Skiing, with Cormac Comerford racing in his second event on the 11 February in Bormio. Following that action, attention moves back to Predazzo, when Thomas Maloney Westgård switches his focus to the 10km Free.

LiveScores Now Available at IrishScores.com

The New England Patriots and Seattle Seahawks meet in Super Bowl LX tonight at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California, with an 11.30pm (Irish time) kick-off.

TV coverage in Ireland

The game, which will mark the first Super Bowl since the 1970 merger between teams that each ranked in the top four in scoring offense and scoring defence during the regular season, will be live on Virgin Media (11pm), Sky Sports NFL (10pm), Channel 5 and DAZN.

The Patriots, who ended the season 17-3, make their 12th Super Bowl appearance, the most among all teams.

Tonight, New England can become the first team to win seven Super Bowls and surpass San Francisco (40 wins) for the most postseason wins by a franchise in NFL history.

Seahawks bid for second Super Bowl win

The Seahawks, with a 16-3 season record, will appear in the Super Bowl for the fourth time, and can secure the second Super Bowl victory in franchise history, previously winning Super Bowl XLVIII following the 2013 season, when they defeated the Denver Broncos 43-8.

New England and Seattle are the 10th pair of teams to meet in multiple Super Bowls, previously facing off in Super Bowl XLIX in Arizona following the 2014 season, with the Patriots winning 28-24 on that occasion.

The Head Coaches: Vrabel v Macdonald

Mike Vrabel, in his first season as the Patriots head coach, can become the first head coach to win 18 games, including the playoffs, in his first season with a team in NFL history. He can also become the fifth person in NFL history to win the Super Bowl as both a player and a head coach, joining Mike Ditka, Tony Dungy and Tom Flores as well as Doug Pederson. As a player, Vrabel won three Super Bowls (XXXVI, XXXVIII and XXXIX) with New England.

The Seahawks head coach, Mike Macdonald, can become the third-youngest head coach, at 38 years and 227 days, to win the Super Bowl if successful tonight.

The Quarterbacks: Maye v Darnold

New England quarterback Drake Maye can become the youngest starting quarterback ever to win a Super Bowl. He can also become the fifth quarterback to win the Super Bowl in his first or second season.

Seattle quarterback Sam Darnold aims to become the fourth quarterback to win the Super Bowl in his first season with a team, joining Tom Brady (Super Bowl LV with Tampa Bay), Trent Dilfer (Super Bowl XXXV with Baltimore) and Matthew Stafford (Super Bowl LVI with the Los Angeles Rams).

Players to watch

Seattle wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba can become the fourth player (fifth occurrence) to lead the NFL in receiving yards during the regular season and win the Super Bowl in the same year. If he achieves the feat, he will join Drew Pearson (1977) and Jerry Rice (1989 and 1994) and Cooper Kupp (2021).

Including the postseason, Smith-Njigba has 1,965 receiving yards – the most receiving yards by a player under the age of 24 in NFL history – and can become the third player ever with at least 2,000 receiving yards in a season, including the playoffs. He can also become the second player with 90-or-more receiving yards in 15 games in a season, including the playoffs.

Seattle wide receiver Cooper Kupp, who was named Super Bowl LVI Most Valuable Player with the Los Angeles Rams, can become the eighth wide receiver to be on the active roster and win the Super Bowl with two different teams.

Seattle linebacker DeMarcus Lawrence, who has a sack and forced fumble in both Seahawks wins this postseason, can become the first player since 2000 with a sack and forced fumble in three consecutive playoff games within the same postseason.

Consecutive Super Bowl wins for Milton Williams?

New England defensive tackle Milton Williams, who won Super Bowl LIX last season with Philadelphia, can become the sixth player to be on the active roster and win the Super Bowl in consecutive seasons with different teams.

If successful, he will join LeGarrette Blount (2016 with New England, 2017 with Philadelphia), Chris Long (2016 with New England, 2017 with Philadelphia), LeSean McCoy (2019 with Kansas City, 2020 with Tampa Bay), Ken Norton (1993 with Dallas, 1994 with San Francisco) and Deion Sanders (1994 with San Francisco, 1995 with Dallas).

LiveScores Now Available at IrishScores.com

Arizona football played its inaugural season in 1899, spending the first 32 years as an independent before joining the now-defunct Border Conference in 1931.

Along with rival Arizona State (ASU), the Wildcats joined the Western Athletic Conference (WAC) in 1962. In 1978, both Arizona and ASU joined the Pac-12 Conference (then known as the Pac-10).

They were placed in the Pac-12 South Division when the conference realigned in 2011. Pac-12 divisions were eliminated in the 2022 season.

Arizona joined the Big 12 in the 2024–2025 academic year ^{on August 2, 2024, as part of a more extensive NCAA conference realignment.}

The Wildcats have won at least a share of six conference championships, as well as a Pac-12 South division title in 2014. UA has made 21 bowl appearances, including an appearance in a New Year’s Six bowl.

Arizona has compiled a record of 646-511-33 (.557) through the 2025 season.

The program ranks 59th on the all-time FBS win list and 57th in all-time winning percentage.

The table below provides an all-time season rundown with Conference, W-L record, win percentage, coach, and bowl game, if any, for each year.

Sam Curran revealed his mind drifted back to Ben Stokes and the 2016 T20 World Cup final before his last-over heroics rescued England from humiliation in Mumbai on Sunday.

Following the Ashes debacle and Harry Brook’s off-field drama, England’s miserable winter threatened to take another downturn as minnows Nepal required just 10 off the last six balls to claim a shock win.

But Curran, thinking about Stokes being thumped for four successive sixes by Carlos Brathwaite in the final over as the West Indies snatched a famous victory a decade ago, held his nerve by nailing his lines and lengths.

Roared on by thousands of Nepalese fans at a raucous Wankhede Stadium, Lokesh Bam had to hit a six off the last ball after being frustrated by Curran but could only hit a single as England won by four runs.

Curran said at the presentation ceremony: “I said to Brook ‘I’m backing six yorkers here and I’ll take the hit if I don’t execute’. I think you’ve got to think like that.

“I weirdly thought of the 2016 final when Carlos got a hold of Stokesy and I was thinking ‘if I execute, he’s not going to hit me for six’.

“(At the) top of my mark I just watched his feet and thankfully I executed. Those games are great to win but wow, it would have been a horrible one to lose.

“It just shows how competitive this World Cup’s going to be. We knew it was going to be full of Nepal fans. I played a lot of cricket in India and I’ve never had an atmosphere quite like that.”

England starting their tournament with a win – their 11th in 12 completed T20s – was built on a total of 184 for seven, underpinned by fifties for Brook and Jacob Bethell, plus Will Jacks’ cameo 39 off 18 balls.

But the ultra-reliable Adil Rashid failed to take a wicket for the first time in 25 T20s and was uncharacteristically expensive with figures of 3-0-42-0, while Jofra Archer’s final over disappeared for 22.

Liam Dawson, playing his first World Cup match, impressed with two for 21 before Curran had the final say in a back-and-forth contest, leaving Bam on his haunches after making 39 not out off 20 balls.

Jacks, who also took one for 17, said: “Winning ugly is a great trait. It’s incredibly difficult to replicate that experience.

“Hopefully when we get in that situation in the rest of the tournament – which we definitely will at some stage – we’ll be able to look back on this experience and take that with us.

“I was very nervous, my heart was thumping on the boundary. But I had confidence in Sam, he’s done that job quite well. Credit to him, it was brilliant how he nailed his yorkers and held his nerve.”

England began their campaign 16 years ago with a shock loss to the Netherlands but captain Brook and head coach Brendon McCullum have avoided that ignominy, with both of their jobs under scrutiny.

McCullum has been criticised for how England planned and prepared for the 4-1 Ashes defeat but he was shown relaying instructions on to the field during Nepal’s chase on a walkie talkie – a practice that Jacks said started earlier this winter.

Jacks added: “It’s so messages can get run out to the captain or to the guys who are batting in the middle. It’s just an easier way of spreading the message.”

Minnesota Vikings misses and myths are actually quite hot and heavy this week, mainly because of misinformation regarding Kwesi Adofo-Mensah’s termination. Here’s a glance at the Nopedy Nopes.

A quick truth check on three Vikings talking points that picked up steam heading into Super Bowl week.

Our weekly publication chronicles all the false and outlandish takes in the Vikings’ orbit — or stuff that simply didn’t work out.

Kwesi Rumor, Maye Trade Talk, and Cine’s Latest Detour

The Nopey Nopes of Super Bowl week are here.

The Nopedy Nope: Kwesi Adofo-Mensah was fired, in part, because he took paternity leave in 2023.

NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero joined KFAN this week and, among several items, dispelled the fictitious paternity leave theory.

He told the Power Trip Morning Show, “To pin it on ‘He took paternity leave three years ago,’ even if you’re bringing it up to say, ‘But that wasn’t it,’ you’re introducing a topic that had not been a topic. Sure, is there a level of frustration that comes when you feel like you’re having to do more because your co-worker is out? You don’t fire a guy three years after he took paternity leave. Like, what are we even talking about? It’s just wild. Like, we all knew that.”

“Yeah, he wasn’t around in the summer of 2023. He missed chunks of the spring and missed part of training camp. But I never got any sense that it was some long-standing thing. It was well known that that happened and that there was some frustration from the people in the building about it, but it never changed the relationship. So, this idea that it was this toxic environment is, frankly, complete and utter nonsense.”

The paternity leave situation was mentioned by reporters covering the Vikings, and some fans then chose to make it the smoking gun for Adofo-Mensah’s termination.

Pelissero added, “I will say this, there is a habit for certain people, if they get beat on a scoop, to immediately lend additional details to the story that may or may not be 100 percent grounded in fact. So, you ended up with a bunch of tweets thrown out there into the universe, that suggested things, that based upon all my knowledge of the situation are not entirely accurate.”

“The idea that this was a toxic environment, there was tension between — Kwesi and Kevin are friends, personally. They have always been good. There was not a fight. There was not a blow-up. It was not, quite frankly, like it was at the end of the Mike Zimmer-Rick Spielman era, two guys that I like a lot, but they weren’t talking. It was never like that.”

It may be true that paternity leave is uncommon in the NFL, but the Wilfs didn’t fire Adofo-Mensah for it — three years later.

The Verdict: Nopedy nope on Adofo-Mensah losing his job for taking two weeks of paternity leave while working from home.

The Nopedy Nope: The Vikings had a trade in place for Drake Maye in 2024, but they backed out.

SI.com‘s Albert Breer published a piece this week chronicling Sam Darnold’s rise in Seattle, laying out the broader takeaways from that arc.

Buried inside the article was a revealing detail about Minnesota’s quarterback ambitions in 2024. Breer wrote, “There’s the one caveat to all of this, which is that the Vikings tried with all their might to trade up for Drake Maye in 2024. O’Connell loved him. Maye was coached in high school by Vikings assistant Josh McCown and was a teammate of McCown’s son.”

“Minnesota offered both of its first-round picks in 2024 (Nos. 11 and 23) and its 2025 first-rounder to the Patriots, with later-round pick swaps favoring Minnesota to move up to the third pick.”

Despite that, a segment of the fan base has spent the time since the 2024 NFL Draft insisting Minnesota simply walked away from the deal. That belief doesn’t align with what actually happened.

Breer added, “O’Connell pushed them to go further. It wouldn’t matter, because the Patriots weren’t moving, sitting there as convicted in Maye as Minnesota was in the former North Carolina quarterback.” The resistance came from New England, not hesitation from Minnesota.

“But if the Vikings had somehow gotten the Patriots off their spot with Maye, all of this might look different, and the aforementioned rumblings probably would have stopped.” The entire trajectory hinged on a pick that was never available.

There’s a meaningful gap between claiming the Vikings backed off a deal and acknowledging that the Patriots refused to move. One version reflects how draft negotiations actually unfold; the other rewrites events to paint Minnesota’s front office as recklessly incompetent. That’s just not the case.

The Verdict: Nopedy nope on the Vikings backing out of the Maye trade; Robert Kraft cancelled the deal.

The Nopedy Nope: Lewis Cine would catch on in the UFL.

Cine is out — and the UFL league that was supposed to offer a reset.

UFL writer Michael Heilman wrote over the weekend, “The D.C. Defenders released wide receiver Jalen Virgil, offensive linemen Elijah Ellis and Silas Dzansi, and defensive back Lewis Cine on Saturday according to the UFL Transactions page. Lewis Cine is six foot two and weighs 199 pounds. The 26-year-old from Cedar Hills, Texas, was drafted by the D.C. Defenders in the 2026 UFL Draft.”

“The Minnesota Vikings drafted Cine in the first round (32nd pick) of the 2022 NFL Draft. He spent three seasons in Minnesota with one tackle (1 solo) in 10 games. In 2024, he made 16 tackles (8 solos, 8 assists), one sack, one interception, and one pass breakup in three preseason games. The Vikings released him on August 27, 2024.”

For Cine, this is another miss on a resume that no longer has room for them. The UFL was supposed to be a proving ground. Cine couldn’t even make the cut there.

The Verdict: Nopedy nope on Cine’s football career — in general. He’s probably done.