Russell Wilson was traded to the Denver Broncos in a blockbuster deal just last week, and he is already recruiting for his new team.
ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reports that Wilson has spoken with former Seattle Seahawks linebacker Bobby Wagner about playing together in Denver. The two played together in Seattle for a decade and won a Super Bowl.
The Broncos have roughly $23 million in salary cap space after the Wilson trade, according to Spotrac. It’s unclear if they have interest in Wagner.
Wagner, who will turn 32 in June, had a career-high 170 total tackles last season. He has already drawn plenty of interest, and he is said to love one spot in particular.
If Wagner and Wilson have maintained a close relationship, it’s possible Wagner would take slightly less to play for the Broncos. He also might be motivated by wanting to stick it to the Seahawks, as he made it clear he was unhappy with the way the team went about releasing him.
Photo: Oct 7, 2021; Seattle, Washington, USA; Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson (3) stands on the sideline during the fourth quarter against the Los Angeles Rams at Lumen Field. Mandatory Credit: Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports
Tom Brady’s announcement on Sunday that he is not retiring from the NFL appears to be having a large impact on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Not only did the Bucs reach a deal with Ryan Jensen shortly after the Brady news, but it looks like Leonard Fournette may be reconsidering his future.
JoeBucsFan.com noted last week that Fournette appeared to share a farewell post on Instagram regarding the Bucs.
“They could never say I didn’t give it my all every time I suited up, didn’t really have time to reflect on the season but I’m thankful appreciate my teammates, coaches, family, fans for everything #PlayoffLenny,” he wrote in one giant run-on sentence.
Joe Bucs Fan also noted on Monday that the same post has been deleted.
Fournette, 27, was picked up by the Bucs in 2020 and scored 16 touchdowns in 27 regular season games for them. He has really shined in the postseason, scoring six more touchdowns for Tampa Bay in five playoff games.
Fournette was a reliable pass-catcher for Brady and seems to love the quarterback. Perhaps he would consider taking another paycut to remain with Tampa Bay now that Brady will be back.
H/T Pro Football Talk
Photo: Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports
Texas Rangers ace Jon Gray shared a great post on the first day of Spring Training.
Gray shared a photo of himself holding up a sign. The sign had little details filled out, such as his number, favorite food, height, and team.
The photo was exactly the kind parents share on a child’s first day of school.
Well done, Jon. Well done.
I have to say, the man has great taste in food too. Waffles rule.
Gray was the No. 3 overall draft pick by the Colorado Rockies in 2013 and had spent his entire career with them until now. He amassed a 53-49 record and 4.59 ERA during his Colorado career. Texas signed the 30-year-old to a 4-year, $54 million deal in free agency.
LeBron James’ play on Sunday has done nothing to quiet the perception that the Lakers have packed it in this season.
A video clip from the Lakers’ 140-111 blowout loss to the Phoenix Suns on Sunday went viral. In the clip, James is shown putting forth little-to-no effort on a series of consecutive possessions early in the game.
You can watch the clip below and note that James literally is not even in the screen for a few of the possessions. On others, he puts forth zero effort into contesting a shot or trying to rebound.
Even ESPN’s announcers made note of James’ effort level.
“We’ve seen LeBron James quite a few times tonight just decide he’s not gonna run back on defense,” play-by-play announcer Ryan Ruocco said later in the game.
It’s possible, and quite likely, that James was frustrated with one of his teammates, which led to his poor effort on a few plays.
But when you’re the team leader and that’s all you’re giving, how can you expect the rest of your team to play any differently? They’re not, which is why the Lakers are 29-38.
Minnesota Timberwolves guard Patrick Beverley apparently keeps the exact same energy both on and off the court.
Orlando Magic guard Terrence Ross told a wild story about Beverley on a Twitch stream this week. The Magic faced the Wolves on Friday in a game Orlando won 118-110. Beverley was elbowed in the head by Magic center Mo Bamba in the first quarter, knocking Beverley out for the rest of the contest.
According to Ross, Beverley hunted Bamba down in the parking lot after the game, which took place in Orlando, to demand an apology.
“Patrick Beverley, he got caught with an elbow,” said Ross. “He’s out. He’s out of the game. He had to go the hospital, I think. But apparently, he must have been fine. Because after the game, Mo Bamba’s in his car getting ready to leave, and Patrick Beverley somehow finds his way into the players garage [and] knocks on Mo Bamba’s door trying to ask for an apology.
“Security came in, and they tried to get in the middle of it,” Ross added. “I guess Mo was in his car and he didn’t see Patrick walking up. Patrick walks up to his car banging on the hood trying to get him to apologize, and it was just the weirdest thing ever.”
Minnesota lost the game, and Beverley also went on to miss their next game on Saturday against the Miami Heat. But Beverley barging his way into an opposing parking lot and somehow tracking down an unsuspecting Bamba has to be one of the most savage moments of the NBA season.
Of course, there is some hearsay involved here since we are relying on Ross’ retelling of the alleged incident. But that would be a very typical move from the veteran Beverley, who has long proven himself to be one of the league’s most abrasive players.
Photo: Nov 13, 2021; Los Angeles, California, USA; Minnesota Timberwolves guard Patrick Beverley (22) enters a game against Los Angeles Clippers during the first quarter at Staples Center. The Clippers won 129-102. Mandatory Credit: Kiyoshi Mio-USA TODAY Sports
The Pittsburgh Steelers have brought in Mitchell Trubisky to compete for the starting quarterback job, and that is reflected in the terms of his contract.
Trubisky signed a two-year contract with a base value of $14.25 million, according to Tom Pelissero of NFL Network. However, Trubisky can earn up to $27 million in incentives.
Trubisky does not appear to be guaranteed the starting job, but the Steelers clearly intend on giving him every chance of winning it. The nature of the incentives is not clear, but they’re probably very achievable if he wins and holds the starting job. If he does hit them, he’ll actually beat what some executives thought he could get on the open market.
Trubisky will be competing with Mason Rudolph and Dwayne Haskins for the starting role.
Photo: Mark Konezny-USA TODAY Sports
Wide receiver Jarvis Landry is not having a hard time attracting interest after his release from the Cleveland Browns, according to a report.
The Kansas City Chiefs and New Orleans Saints have shown the most interest in Landry, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
The Chiefs and Saints both view themselves as contenders, so Landry is definitely being looked at as a secondary piece on a championship team. If Landry were to sign with either team, it is easy to see him operating as the secondary receiver to the Saints’ Michael Thomas or Kansas City’s Tyreek Hill.
The Saints look very active early in the offseason, as they’re in on another big target as well. The outcome of that pursuit may influence Landry’s eventual decision.
Photo: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports
The Truth is going after The Beard in some new comments this week.
Retired Basketball Hall of Famer Paul Pierce appeared on a new episode of fuboTV’s “No Chill with Gilbert Arenas” and took a shot at James Harden while discussing Harden’s move to the Philadelphia 76ers.
“When I look at that, [Joel] Embiid right now is the best big in the game,” said Pierce. “But if I had a chance to play with the talent that Harden played with, I’d probably be walking out of here with five championships. I mean, he done played with Chris Paul, [Russell] Westbrook, Kevin Durant, Dwight Howard, Kyrie Irving, now you playing with [Embiid]. You played with all Hall of Famers, and it ain’t worked yet.”
In fairness, Harden only got a chance to play in 16 games with Durant and Irving due to injury and vaccine reasons, so that one probably deserves an incomplete. Meanwhile, Harden did make the NBA Finals with Durant and Westbrook in Oklahoma City and almost made another one with Chris Paul in Houston before Paul hurt his hamstring against Golden State in 2018. But Harden probably still deserves legitimate criticism for failing to make it work with Howard, Westbrook, and others in Houston as well.
As for Pierce, he won one title in his NBA career. His supporting cast with the Boston Celtics was infamously lousy in the first half of Pierce’s career, as the best player he played with through 2007 was probably Antoine Walker. Pierce then won a ring in 2008 when he teamed up with Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen, and Rajon Rondo. The team also remained a force over the next half-decade but still managed only that one ring. Meanwhile, Pierce also failed to win it all with Garnett, Joe Johnson, and Deron Williams in Brooklyn, then again with John Wall and Bradley Beal in Washington, and then once more with Chris Paul and Blake Griffin on the LA Clippers. Granted, Pierce was already in the twilight of his career for most of those post-Boston years.
Pierce is right that Harden’s legacy will likely suffer if Harden is unable to win an NBA championship alongside Embiid after having so many bites at the apple with so many different co-stars. But it is also worth noting that Pierce has a history of not giving current guards their props.
Photo: Feb 25, 2022; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Philadelphia 76ers guard James Harden (1) brings the ball up court against the Minnesota Timberwolves in the first quarter at Target Center. Mandatory Credit: Bruce Kluckhohn-USA TODAY Sports
Wrestling icon Scott Hall, best known as “Razor Ramon,” has died at the age of 63 on Monday after being taken off life support earlier in the day.
WWE announced the news of Hall’s death on Monday and said it “extends its condolences to Hall’s family, friends and fans.”
News became public earlier this month that Hall had suffered a broken hip following a fall.
Hall was at Wellstar Kennestone Hospital in Marietta, Ga. undergoing surgery but ran into complications. He suffered a blood clot that led to three heart attacks on Saturday, according to reports. Hall was placed on life support following the heart attacks. He was taken off life support on Monday, which resulted in his death.
Hall was best known for his stint as “Razor Ramon” in the WWF from 1992-1996. He played a heel and was known for his “The Razor’s Edge” finishing move. Hall also wrestled in WCW under his own name and was known for being part of the nWo. He is a WWE Hall of Famer.
Photo: Miguel Discart/Flickr via CC BY-SA 2.0
Five-time All-Star Andrew McCutchen is headed to a new team for 2022.
McCutchen has agreed to a contract with the Milwaukee Brewers, according to multiple reports. Terms of the deal were not immediately available.
McCutchen’s role with the Brewers is not immediately clear, as the Brewers have a fairly full complement of outfielders. With the introduction of the designated hitter in the NL, however, McCutchen could be a nice fit for that role.
The 35-year-old McCutchen is not the player he once was, but he can still be productive under the right circumstances. His defense has declined and he hit only .222 in 2021, but he still contributed 27 home runs for the Philadelphia Phillies and posted a .334 on-base percentage as well.
