If, in the end, the new leadership group wants to go for it all, then landing an elite QB via trade could be the path forward (as difficult as that is to pull off). The Vikings’ most compelling offer may not get the job done, but it’s nevertheless something that’s worth exploring.

During the most recent regular season, Joe Burrow was in the headlines due to his public reflections on not enjoying football (who would over in Cincinnati?). Past iterations of quarterback speculation have involved Justin Herbert, Kyler Murray, and Lamar Jackson. Of that trio, only Jackson is elite and only Murray appears to be available. If, however, Burrow did become available, how formidable would the Vikings’ offer be?

The Vikings’ Most Compelling Trade Offer for Joe Burrow

Journeying into speculative rumors becomes easier when at least a portion of the discussion remains rooted in reality. As a result, consider an actual NFL trade for a franchise quarterback. Matthew Stafford is a nice comparable.

Check it out:

Okay, some details to pry away from the chart. Landing Mr. Stafford — a high-end passer who was 32 at the time of the trade — cost a starting level passer, a pair of 1st-Round selections, and a 3rd. Not cheap, but a deal the Rams would do again without any hesitance. Worth noting, too, that the Lions didn’t do too poorly, either.

Looking at the Stafford deals clarifies that the Vikings would need to begin any conversation with the Bengals with a pair of 1st-Round selections. The No. 18 pick in the 2026 NFL Draft alongside the top pick for 2027 (wherever it happens to land). Beginning to talk without that being the starting point means the phone line goes dead very quickly.

There would then need to be considerably more added into the mix.

Presumably, J.J. McCarthy would be part of the offer. The Bengals could therefore look to build around a young passer alongside whatever draft picks get added to the haul. So, the tally would be sitting at Mr. McCarthy — the No. 10 selection from 2024 who does have a ton of ability — alongside a pair of 1sts.

There would then need to be more added. Think something within the range of some Day 2 selections — 2nd and/or 3rd Round — or possibly even another 1st. Star edge rusher Trey Hendrickson is soon to leave Cincinnati behind. Would the Bengals desire Dallas Turner to build around at edge rusher?

If Cincinnati demanded two 1st-Round selections, a 2nd, J.J. McCarthy, and Dallas Turner, the Vikings should agree to the trade to bring Joe Burrow to the Twin Cities.

Why would the Bengals make the move? Consider some reasons:

• Joe Burrow has publicly opened the door to that possibility with his comments.
• The past trio of seasons have involved finishing 9-8, 9-8, and 6-11. All three years involved missing the playoffs, suggesting the current plan isn’t working particularly well.
• On a personal level, Burrow may welcome the move due to playing with Justin Jefferson and for ownership that isn’t stingy.
• Building up a deep collection of young players and draft assets could actually be wise.
• Offloading Burrow’s contract would save money and cap space long term.

Oh, and another thing. A pair of high-profile quarterbacks who have been traded recently — Deshaun Watson and Russell Wilson — involved the acquiring team — Cleveland and Denver — almost instantly regretting the swap.

Admittedly, Joe Burrow is better than both of those players, but the idea can nevertheless be made that sending over a ton for a quarterback isn’t guaranteed to succeed. The Texans and Seahawks are pleased to have moved on from their former top passers. Goodness, Seattle is back in the Super Bowl and Houston is a great team.

In December, Joe Burrow will turn 30. He has suffered some bad injuries since turning pro in 2020. He has also established himself as being among the game’s top-five passers. Working under the tutelage of Kevin O’Connell would mean shredding the NFL.

Back in 2023, Burrow put pen to paper on a five-year extension that tips the scales at $275 million. Any trade would likely need to involve massaging the money no matter the acquiring team. As a result, Burrow’s desire to get traded to a specific location — such as Minnesota — would be vital since he would need to agree to a new deal, lowering his cap charge in the immediate.

In 2025, Joe Burrow had to work through an injury that kept him out for a good portion of the season. He went 5-3 in his starts, completing 66.8% of his passes for 1,809 yards, 17 touchdowns, and 5 interceptions.

Burrow and Jefferson won a National Championship while playing college ball at LSU.

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

Advertisement

A former rival of Terence Crawford, Devin Haney and Gervonta Davis is set to make a surprise return to competitive action after four years away.

Yuriorkis Gamboa was tipped by many for huge things in the sport, but came up short in his three battles with the aforementioned trio of Crawford, Haney and Davis, and last competed back in April 2022 in a loss to Isaac Cruz.

The Olympic Gold Medalist held the WBA featherweight title and the WBA interim lightweight title during his campaign, but came up short in winning a full version of a belt at 135lbs when he stepped up to challenge Crawford, before further bids at lightweight were foiled in the battles with Haney and ‘Tank.’

Gamboa will now attempt to find success in a new discipline altogether, after it was announced that the 44-year-old from Cuba will make the switch to BKB Bare Knuckle Boxing, much to his delight.

“Bare knuckle boxing is the oldest form of boxing. After winning an Olympic gold medal, world championships in boxing, now I’m focused and excited to become BKB Bare Knuckle World Champion. I’m going to showcase my skills and show why I belong at the very top of this sport.”

BKB Bare Knuckle founder Mike Vasquez also commented on the signing of Gamboa.

“It’s an honour to welcome Yurorkis to bare knuckle, and I can’t wait to see his skills and pedigree on display in the trigon. We’ve got some incredible Cuban fighters on our roster, including our heavyweight world champion. This year we’re going to see more and more elite fighters join our global roster of over 200 fighters from over 30 countries.”

Gamboa’s debut in the promotion is expected to be announced soon.

Former Nigeria Football Federation president Amaju Pinnick has explained why Arsenal attacking midfielder Eberechi Eze did not end up playing for the Super Eagles.

Eze, who came through the Queens Park Rangers academy, is now fully tied to England and was part of the Three Lions squad at the 2024 European Championship.

Nigeria first made a move for the talented midfielder in March 2017, when he was invited to train with the Super Eagles ahead of a friendly match against Burkina Faso. However, the game was later cancelled, denying Nigeria the chance to hand him a competitive appearance.

During his time as NFF president, Pinnick actively pushed for the recruitment of players with dual nationality. His efforts helped convince players such as Alex Iwobi, Ola Aina, Joe Aribo, Semi Ajayi and Josh Maja to choose Nigeria over England.

Pinnick said his interest in Eze grew stronger ahead of Nigeria’s 2022 World Cup play-off against Ghana. He revealed that he held a private meeting with the Crystal Palace star at his home in London to discuss a possible switch.

According to Pinnick, Eze was close to committing his international future to Nigeria before changes within the football federation disrupted the process. He said talks had progressed well and involved detailed discussions with the player and his family.

Pinnick explained that Eze, alongside his father and sister who manages his career, had agreed in principle, but asked for time as administrative changes and elections at the NFF took place. Soon after, Pinnick left office and the move did not progress further.

He added that Eze has a strong affection for Nigeria and was positive about representing the country.

Since making his senior debut for England in a European Championship qualifier against Malta, Eze has scored three goals in 16 appearances for the national team.

NEED TO KNOW

• The New England Patriots and the Seattle Seahawks will face off in the 2026 Super on Feb. 8

• Fans can still purchase tickets to the Super Bowl via various resale sites, though they should prepare to pay thousands of dollars to attend the big event

• Some of the cheapest tickets currently available cost nearly $5,000

The stakes for Super Bowl LX may be high, but ticket prices are even higher.

There’s less than a week to go until the main event, which kicks off at 6:30 p.m. ET on Feb. 8 at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif.

Advertisement

However, Super Bowl tickets are not released to the general public, which means that unless you’re in the NFL, a season ticket holder or an NFL partner, sponsor, or committee host, you’ll likely be shelling out top dollar for resale tickets to see the New England Patriots play the Seattle Seahawks, with prices skyrocketing in recent years.

It’s a big change for Super Bowl fans like Dan Crisman, who has attended every Super Bowl since the game’s 1967 inception. “I think the first Super Bowl [ticket] was $12 and now they’re in four figures,” he told PEOPLE in 2024.

He added, “It seemed like the average person could attend back in those first 20 years.”

Keep reading to find out how much a ticket to the 2026 Super Bowl will cost you, and how it compares to recent years.

Advertisement

Where can I buy Super Bowl tickets?

Super Bowl tickets cannot be purchased directly by the general public.

However, resale tickets are available on Ticketmaster, which is the NFL’s official ticketing partner.

Tickets are also available on alternate resale sites, such as Stubhub, SeatGeek and Vivid Seats.

On Location Experiences, a.k.a. the Super Bowl’s “official hospitality provider,” is also offering NFL Super Bowl packages starting at $6,000 per person, which include an official ticket to the game, an open bar and takeout menu, “NFL Legend” appearances and live music.

What’s the cheapest Super Bowl ticket?

As of Feb. 3, one of the cheapest single Super Bowl tickets available is in section 420 for $4,836 on Vivid Seats.

Advertisement

What’s the most expensive Super Bowl ticket?

As of Feb. 3, one of the most expensive single Super Bowl tickets currently up for grabs is a VIP seat in section 139, which has an eyeline view of the field, priced at $59,290 on Ticketmaster.

Do Super Bowl tickets get cheaper closer to the game?

According to data from more than 900,000 aftermarket NFL ticket compiled by SeatData.io and analyzed by Finance Buzz in September 2025, NFL tickets are less expensive closer to kickoff time during the regular season, though not by much, with an average of $20 in savings when purchased during game week. By contrast, fans who purchased their tickets three weeks or more in advance paid 3% more than the average ticket price.

Advertisement

Prices for the 2026 Super Bowl have already begun to drop, per TickPick, with the average price per ticket at nearly $10,000 10 days before the game, compared to about $6,400 six days before.

According to the NFL, tickets will be available for resale on the NFL Ticket Exchange up to 60 minutes after kickoff.

Are Super Bowl tickets more expensive this year than normal?

As of Feb. 4, 2-26 Super Bowl ticket prices are pacing above the average prices paid in 2025 to see the Kansas City Chiefs lose to the Philadelphia Eagles.

CBS reported that the cost of Super Bowl 2025 tickets ranged from roughly $3,000 to roughly $5,000.

Advertisement

They aren’t the highest Super Bowl prices in history, however: 2024 set the record, with an average ticket price of $9,800, per CNN.

How much were Super Bowl tickets in the recent years?

Super Bowl ticket prices have fluctuated in recent years, though average ticket costs have typically trended upward, peaking in 2024.

Below are the average Super Bowl ticket prices seven days before the game from 2022 and 2025, according to TickPick.

2022

Teams: Los Angeles Rams vs. Cincinnati Bengals

Average ticket price: $6,565

2023

Teams: Kansas City Chiefs vs. Philadelphia Eagles

Average ticket price: $7,121

2024

Teams: Kansas City Chiefs vs. San Francisco 49ers

Advertisement

Average ticket price: $9,014

2025

Teams: Kansas City Chiefs vs. Philadelphia Eagles

Average ticket price: $5,753

Read the original article on People

Karim Benzema has likened his new team, Al-Hilal, to his former employers, Real Madrid, saying the Saudi Pro League side reminds him of Los Blancos in terms of rich history.

The Frenchman on Monday completed a shock deadline day move from Al-Ittihad to Al-Hilal on a free transfer. Benzema’s contract with Al-Ittihad was due to run out in June, but negotiations over renewal collapsed, and Al-Hilal took full advantage of the situation, signing the 38-year-old on a one-and-a-half-year deal.

Speaking to Al-Hilal media after his first training session in the blue jersey, Benzema was asked what he knows about the club.

“It’s a great team with a great history,” he said. “They won a lot of trophies. It’s like similar, like Real Madrid here in Asia, you know. Everything is good, the fans are good, they play well, they have good players, and they have a good mentality, they have a good process. So I liked this team before, I used to play against them with Madrid, it was not an easy game, it was a good game, so I have good memories, and today I’m happy because now I’m playing for Al-Hilal.”

Al-Hilal and Real Madrid share the same history as the most successful team in their respective division. The Blue Waves are Saudi Arabia’s most successful team, with 21 league titles and four Asian Championships. Similarly, Los Blancos have won the most league titles in the Spanish division, winning it a record 36 times.

The 2022 Ballon d’Or winner guided Al-Ittihad to the league and King’s Cup glory last season. With Al-Hilal sitting atop the league table, they will be keen to leverage the forward’s experience to guide them to their 22nd league title.

Karim Benzema hungry for more silverware after Al-Hilal switch

Amid the controversy surrounding his move to Al-Hilal, Karim Benzema expressed his desire to win more trophies with the Riyadh-based club. Joining Al-Ittihad in 2023, Benzema went trophyless in his debut season but responded with a domestic double in his second campaign.

Regarding his ambitions at Al-Hilal, the 38-year-old stated:

“Clear message, you know, my mentality. I have a lot of ambition. I will work, I will give everything in the pitch, I will help this team, and Inshallah bring trophies, because for me it’s more important to bring trophies, and we have, what I said before, good team, good fans, so together, Inshallah, we will do it.”

The striker has scored eight goals in 14 league appearances this season and is expected to make his Al-Hilal debut on Thursday against Al Okhdood.