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Traded Vikings Corner Back on the Market

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Mekhi Blackmon celebrates a fourth-quarter interception against the Saints.
Minnesota Vikings cornerback Mekhi Blackmon celebrates after intercepting a pass against New Orleans during fourth-quarter action at U.S. Bank Stadium, giving the defense a timely takeaway. On Nov. 12, 2023, the rookie helped Minnesota protect its lead and finish off the Saints during a home victory in Minneapolis that afternoon. Mandatory Credit: Brad Rempel-USA TODAY Sports.

Once upon a time, Vikings corner Mekhi Blackmon was considered an intriguing young building block. He then got shipped out with a trade, ending his Vikings journey prematurely. The 2023 3rd-Round selection played his rookie season in Minnesota before losing his sophomore season to injury. He never got a shot at playing in a third season for the Vikings.

The Colts snagged him for a 6th. The Colts are now moving on by waiving him. Consider the update to arrive from Ari Meirov of The 33rd Team: “The #Colts have waived CB Mekhi Blackmon, a former 3rd-round pick of the #Vikings who they traded for last year. He appeared in all 17 games for Indianapolis last season, starting 11, and recorded 2 INTs, 64 tackles, and 7 pass breakups.”

Traded Vikings Corner Mekhi Blackmon Gets Sent Packing

Opting to set Mr. Blackmon free by waiving him is an odd decision.

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For starters, the Colts are a team that’s looking to contend in 2026. A major part of the reason why Indianapolis is such a formidable team is due to the presence of the top corners: CB1 Sauce Gardner and CB2 Charvarius Ward. Both of those guys are matchup players who make life difficult for the other team’s top receivers.

Keep in mind, as well, that former Vikings safety Camryn Bynum is playing good ball down in the AFC South.

NFL: New Orleans Saints at Minnesota Vikings
Nov 12, 2023; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Vikings cornerback Mekhi Blackmon (5) celebrates his interception with his team against the New Orleans Saints in the fourth quarter at U.S. Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brad Rempel-USA TODAY Sports

But why the decision to move on from Mekhi Blackmon?

Last year, Blackmon got into seventeen games, starting eleven. He tossed 64 tackles onto the stat sheet to stand alongside 2 interceptions, 7 passes defended, and 2 tackles for loss. PFF gave him a tepid grade, assigning a 51.2 grade.

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Part of his problem is that he’s built like a slot corner who doesn’t play in the slot. Many DCs won’t like working with a corner who is 5’11” and 178 pounds who plays the majority of his snaps out wide. Last year, Blackmon earned 629 snaps as a wide corner but only 69 kicked inside. Is that part of the reason for the Colts moving on?

Over on the Colts’ website, there’s some coverage of the news alongside some basic commentary. Showing one corner the door allowed the Colts to say hello to somebody else.

The initial comments: “The Indianapolis Colts today signed free agent cornerback Kenneth Harris and waived cornerback Mekhi Blackmon. Harris, 6-0, 192 pounds, participated in the New England Patriots’ 2026 offseason program and training camp. He was originally signed by the Patriots as an undrafted free agent on May 8, 2026”

Presumably, the Colts shopped around for a trade taker but didn’t find anybody willing to take the plunge. Making room for the undrafted corner to come to town meant moving on from Blackmon.

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Vikings cornerback Mekhi Blackmon defends a pass against Packers wideout Christian Watson at Lambeau Field.
Minnesota Vikings cornerback Mekhi Blackmon (5) breaks up a pass intended for Green Bay Packers wide receiver Christian Watson (9) during the divisional clash at Lambeau Field on October 29, 2023, in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The rookie defensive back showcased his coverage skills in a key NFC North matchup. Mandatory Credit: Tork Mason-USA TODAY Sports.

Earlier in the week, the Vikings made some corner news by moving on from Dwight McGlothern. Doing so came after “Nudie” had been kept around for a pair of seasons on the 53-man roster. He’ll now be looking to get his career’s second chapter going somewhere else.

Best guess is that all of Byron Murphy Jr., Isaiah Rodgers, James Pierre, and Chuck Demmings get onto the final team. Will that be enough of a corner cluster to get the job done? The other in-house options are seemingly being led by Zemaiah Vaughn, a tall corner who has been praised for packing on muscle.

Mekhi Blackmon is 27. Expect him to land on his feet somewhere.


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Senior Editor for Vikings Territory & PurplePTSD . Twitter & Bluesky: @VikingsGazette. Email: k.joudry[at]vikingsterritory[dot]com. Canadian. Jude 1:24-25.

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2026 KPMG Women’s Irish Open at The K Club

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The 2026 KPMG Women’s Irish Open gets underway on Thursday morning at The K Club’s Palmer South Course in Co Kildare.

The K Club will be hosting the tournament for the first time, but the Palmer South Course, which was previously known as the Smurfit Course, hosted the European Open three times at the start of the century.

More than 120 players from over 30 nations will compete on this Ladies European Tour (LET) event which runs until Sunday.

As in previous years, Cavan’s Leona Maguire will spearhead the home challenge, which this time will consist of 16 Irish players – the highest in the tournament’s recent history.

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Maguire will be strongly backed up by the likes of Áine Donegan, Anna Foster, Beth Coulter and Lauren Walsh, as they all bid to become the first Irish winners of the KPMG Women’s Irish Open.

Commenting on the strength and depth of the 2026 field, Ryan McCarthy, Managing Partner, KPMG in Ireland, said:

“The strength and international depth of this year’s field is a reflection of how far the KPMG Women’s Irish Open has come in a relatively short period of time. As proud sponsors of ambition, we are delighted to see some of the world’s best players competing alongside emerging talent and a record contingent of 16 Irish golfers. The championship continues to provide an important platform to inspire the next generation, showcase Ireland on the global stage, and celebrate the continued growth of women’s golf. We look forward to welcoming players, fans and families to The K Club for what promises to be another exceptional week.”

The international contingent will be lead by Shannon Tan from Singapore, winner of last season’s Order of Merit. Winners from the current LET season such as Noora Komulainen, Leonie Harm, Smilla Tarning Soenderby, Esme Hamilton, Agathe Laisne and Kelsey Bennett are all in the starting field.

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Tournament Details

The 2026 KPMG Women’s Irish Open will tee off on Thursday morning at 7.45am.

Check out the Round 1 Draw here

Tickets cost €25 on both Thursday and Friday, and €30 on both Saturday and Sunday.

A weekend pass, which overs both Saturday and Sunday, is available for €50, while a Week Pass, which allows entry to the four days of the tournament, can be purchased for €90.

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Children under 16 are free on all days of the tournament.

Tickets can be bought at the gate each day, and are also available to purchase in advance online.


LiveScores Now Available at IrishScores.com

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NPFL Set to Earn $7.5m from Three-Year Euromatch Sponsorship Deal

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The Nigerian Premier Football League (NPFL) is set to earn $7.5 million (about ₦10.5 billion) from a new three-year sponsorship deal with Euromatch Group.

NPFL Chairman Gbenga Elegbeleye announced the deal in Abuja during the unveiling of Euromatch as the league’s new sponsor.

Elegbeleye said the partnership is worth $2.5 million per season, bringing the total value to $7.5 million over three years.

  • Lookman and Osimhen united ahead of Algeria MatchLookman and Osimhen united ahead of Algeria Match

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He said the deal shows the progress made by the NPFL in recent years, adding that the league has moved beyond the challenge of getting fans into stadiums.

According to him, the focus is now on managing the growing number of supporters attending NPFL matches and improving their match-day experience.

Presidential Special Adviser on Communication, Sunday Dare, welcomed the deal, saying efforts to improve Nigerian football over the years are beginning to produce positive results.

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Group Chairman of Euromatch Group, Sacli Semih, praised the talent available in Nigeria and promised that the company would work to increase the visibility and commercial value of the NPFL.

NFF President Ibrahim Gusau also commended Euromatch for investing in the Nigerian league. He urged the NPFL to create a strategy that would encourage former Nigerian internationals to attend league matches regularly and support the development of domestic football.

The unveiling ceremony was attended by several football stakeholders, including former Super Eagles stars Austin Eguavoen, Daniel Amokachi, Samson Siasia, Brown Ideye and Davidson Owumi.

Director-General of the National Orientation Agency (NOA), Lanre Onilu, was also present at the event.

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Ryan Garcia says one man stands above all others as the best welterweight of all time

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Ryan Garcia has revealed which welterweight legend he would back to come out on top against all others.

Garcia is now a welterweight star in his own right, after winning the WBC welterweight title back in February with a unanimous decision victory over Mario Barrios.

He is set to make the first defence of that title on September 12 when he takes on Conor Benn at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, with a victory there potentially leading to unification clashes with the likes of Teofimo Lopez, Liam Paro and former foe Devin Haney.

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Before Garcia collides with Benn, he was recently tasked with pitting together some past welterweight icons in fantasy match-ups against one another whilst speaking to Daily Mail Boxing.

Manny Pacquiao, Roberto Duran, Errol Spence Jr, Pernell Whittaker, Tommy Hearns, Terence Crawford, Floyd Mayweather, Sugar Ray Leonard, and Sugar Ray Robinson were all of the fighters mentioned, and in the end it was Leonard that Garcia had as the last man standing.

Leonard is viewed as being one of the greatest boxers of all time, and it wasn’t just welterweight where he was successful, having become a five-division world champion after also reigning from light middleweight to light heavyweight.

He was a member of the iconic ‘Four Kings’ with fellow greats Duran, Hearns and Marvin Hagler, with Leonard acting as the only member of that illustrious group to defeat the others.

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Leonard’s final record stood at 36 wins from his 40 professional fights, with 25 of those victories coming by knockout.

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4 Possible Endgames for the CM Punk-Kevin Owens-Sami Zayn Triangle

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The Undisputed WWE Championship picture has become far more complicated than it already was. CM Punk entered SummerSlam as champion. Meanwhile, Kevin Owens returned from a potentially career-ending injury and won the Fatal 4-Way No. 1 Contender’s Match involving Sami Zayn, Gunther, and Finn Balor.

Owens then challenged Punk in Toronto. However, the rivalry took an unexpected turn when Zayn inserted himself into their title match. He attacked the champion and attempted to help KO win the championship. The challenger refused to use the title as a weapon, prompting Sami to blast his former friend with the gold.

The Second City Saint subsequently defeated Kevin Owens before Sami Zayn attacked both men and made it clear that he believed CM Punk had stolen the championship from him. WWE has therefore created a three-way story in which all three superstars have legitimate reasons to fight.

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That said, in this article, we look at four possible ways the Punk-Owens-Zayn triangle could eventually end.

#4. CM Punk vs. Sami Zayn

The simplest conclusion would be a singles feud between CM Punk and Sami Zayn. Zayn has already established that his issue with Punk is deeply personal, particularly after claiming that The Best in the World took away something that belonged to him.

CM Punk could respond by refusing to let Zayn dictate the direction of his title reign. That would give WWE a straightforward championship program while allowing Kevin Owens to move elsewhere temporarily.

The feud could also give Sami an opportunity to prove that his recent aggression was not a temporary emotional outburst. A Punk-Zayn program would also have plenty of emotional material. Both men are excellent talkers. Thus, their contrasting personalities could make their confrontations compelling.

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#3. Kevin Owens vs. Sami Zayn

Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn have one of WWE’s most established personal histories. So their friendship turning into another bitter rivalry would be easy to understand.

Owens already had reason to be furious after Zayn cost him the championship in Toronto. More importantly, KO initially refused to use the title as a weapon against CM Punk, only for Sami to attack him anyway. That moment could convince Kevin that Sami has crossed a line.

WWE could build toward a singles match where the championship is not involved at all. Instead, the story would focus on pride, betrayal, and their complicated history.

This option could also protect Punk from being overexposed. While Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn settle their differences, The Second City Saint could defend the Undisputed Championship against another challenger before eventually returning to the triangle.

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#2. Triple Threat Match

The most obvious destination is a Triple Threat Match for the Undisputed WWE Championship.

CM Punk has already beaten Kevin Owens. However, the victory was influenced by Sami Zayn’s interference. Owens can therefore argue that he deserves another opportunity without simply demanding the same singles rematch. Meanwhile, Zayn can claim that his actions prove he belongs in the title picture.

If that happens, WWE could turn those arguments into a championship match. Punk would be caught between two challengers who know him differently. Meanwhile, Owens and Zayn would have their own unfinished business.

A Triple Threat would also allow Triple H to continue all three stories simultaneously. CM Punk could retain by defeating one challenger. Meanwhile, the other would avoid taking a direct loss. Alternatively, either Owens or Zayn could win the championship without requiring Punk to lose credibility.

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#1. Punk and Owens temporarily unite against Sami

The most intriguing ending may involve CM Punk and Kevin Owens putting their differences aside long enough to deal with Sami Zayn.

That alliance would be interesting because Owens and Punk have already shown that they are capable of intense hostility. Their recent title match was physical and personal. Yet Sami’s attack gave both men a common enemy.

The Second City Saint and Kevin Owens could agree that Zayn has become too dangerous to ignore. They might temporarily work together in a tag team match or even combine forces against him in a confrontation.

However, the alliance should not last forever. Once Sami Zayn is dealt with, Punk and Owens could immediately return to their rivalry, creating another chapter in their championship feud.

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This route could give all three superstars something meaningful. Zayn would become the antagonist who temporarily brings two rivals together, Owens would gain another reason to pursue Punk, and the champion would remain at the center of the story.