Author: alaskaadmin

The NFL Combine is all about draft prospects, but don’t take for granted how many agents, coaches and general managers are talking about free agency and potential trades. Decision-makers are forming plans (and backup plans) around the quarterback position in Indianapolis this week. So let’s take a crack at projecting those plans. It’s not an easy offseason to find a quarterback, and so the matchmaking isn’t clean — or even attractive — in every case. The Las Vegas Raiders are set to fill their vacancy in the NFL Draft with Fernando Mendoza. But other teams will almost certainly have to rely upon a veteran. So here’s where those veterans could land. This is an early look at where I think the QBs will land — and a ranking based on how well I think they’ll perform in 2026. 8. Geno Smith New home: Miami Dolphins Smith’s tenure in Las Vegas was messy. And that’s being generous. But remember that — just the season prior — he was leading the league in passing yards for the Seattle Seahawks. He’s still a good player. He’s not the type of player who can exceed his circumstances. Miami is rebuilding, and the Dolphins aren’t exactly an exciting place to land. But Smith isn’t in an exciting place in his career either. So this marriage happens by necessity. 7. Kirk Cousins New home: Minnesota Vikings If coach Kevin O’Connell had the choice between Aaron Rodgers and Cousins, it wouldn’t be an easy choice. Rodgers’ game is eroding. Cousins showed signs of renewed life. Rodgers is currently the better player, but probably has only one more year in him. Cousins is a plug-and-play fit in the system — and has a runway of 3-4 years. Ultimately, the Vikings have to operate as if J.J. McCarthy isn’t the answer. And so I think they pounce on Cousins, the all-around safer pick (compared to Rodgers and McCarthy). Cousins will get O’Connell’s system humming again. 6. Daniel Jones New home: Indianapolis Colts OK, so the Colts technically wouldn’t be new for Jones, who is a free agent and could end up in a handful of spots. But he and the Colts want to work on a long-term deal, per NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero. So it’s a matter of when — not if — Indy locks him down as its QB. I’m not sure how Jones will look when he returns from his Achilles injury. I’m not sure how long it’ll take him to recover — or if he can even play in 2026. I’m also not sure how Shane Steichen and Chris Ballard’s job security will look. But apparently, Jones will almost certainly sign a Colts contract this offseason. So that’s where I’ll place him. In the meantime, Indy needs someone else who can start in Week 1. And it’ll have to be someone who won’t get Steichen or Ballard fired. So … 5. Tua Tagovailoa New home: Indianapolis Colts The Dolphins are going to do everything they can to part ways with Tua. There are massive salary-cap complications, but it seems like Miami’s new coach Jeff Haffley wants to start anew at the position. So I suspect Miami will either cut Tua with a post-June 1 designation — or trade him while eating most of his salary. (Generally, a QB’s salary passes to the next team in a trade, but in this case, the Dolphins will have to pay most of it, because otherwise, no one would trade for Tua.) But here’s the thing with Tua … because he’s set to make so much money from Miami, I think he’ll pick a place that prioritizes on-field support (rather than finances). That’s where the Colts present a unique opportunity. They wouldn’t pay him much, but they could insert Tua into an excellent offense for somewhere between 8-17 games. This offense helped a long retired Philip Rivers look serviceable on the fly, after all. So Tua shows up for the Colts and shows the league he can still play. And Jones takes over when he’s healthy. It’s not great to be a placeholder. But Tua is almost certainly looking at a QB2 job if he doesn’t bite at a bridge job like Indy’s. 4. Mac Jones New home: Atlanta Falcons Kevin Stefanski is a really good fit for Jones. And the Falcons offense has enough weapons to support the QB, who — everyone can plainly see — isn’t a world-beater. Jones doesn’t have a no-trade clause, but I suspect the 49ers will help him land in the right place. In Atlanta, there’s enough to like and enough to feel optimistic about. Quarterback Michael Penix poses a threat, but a small one, given he’s a remnant of the past regime. Jones could find himself in the right place at the right time to do what Sam Darnold and Baker Mayfield and Geno Smith have all done: reinvent themselves. 3. Kyler Murray New home: New York Jets Murray finished the season on injured reserve, and the new Cardinals regime (led by coach Mike LaFleur) is not going to keep him, per NFL Network. I hope that Aaron Glenn and Frank Reich are the guys that Murray needs to find a new tier to his development. Murray plateaued in Arizona, where — for reasons currently unknown — he couldn’t find the degree of consistency that is an absolute requisite for a franchise QB. My sense is Murray is overly preoccupied with the big play. I also think there is evidence that he was often under-prepared. (Whether that’s on the coaching staff or on him, I don’t know.) Maybe he can shed his bad habits in New York. 2. Aaron Rodgers New home: Arizona Cardinals Here’s a weird one, because this is clearly the third-best destination. But I suspect Rodgers is going to stall his decision past the point of the Steelers’ patience. Remember: Rodgers takes his offseason decisions slowly, often after free agency and the draft. If he retires late in the offseason, it would leave his team without a QB. And this isn’t an offseason where the Steelers can afford to wait for Rodgers to come out of an ayahuasca-driven darkness retreat. So when he emerges, he’ll see the Steelers have a new QB. But something tells me that the Cardinals will be interested in him. Arizona’s new coach Mike LaFleur is Matt LaFleur’s brother, and of course, Matt coached Rodgers in Green Bay. While it wasn’t always the happiest marriage, it was telling that Rodgers stood up for Matt when his job security came under fire. I think that might have built a bridge between Rodgers and the LaFluer family that could land the QB in Arizona for 2026. 1. Malik Willis New home: Pittsburgh Steelers There’s no better fit for Willis than in Pittsburgh. That’s largely because of the combination of DK Metcalf, Jaylen Warren and Mike McCarthy. It would be a nice core to build around. But it’s also clearly not enough. The Steelers need to keep investing in their roster, which coach Mike Tomlin elevated into playoff contention every year. There just wasn’t enough for Rodgers to work with last year. Willis’ dual-threat skills could upgrade the unit — even before they add more talent at the OL and playmaker spots. But that shouldn’t stop them from filling in an offensive unit that looked threadbare during Metcalf’s absences.​Latest Sports News from FOX Sports

Liverpool cult hero Emile Heskey believes that USA star Christian Pulisic could be a useful replacement for Mohamed Salah at Anfield. The American forward boasts Premier League experience from a stint at Chelsea and has starred in Italy for AC Milan. A return to England is being speculated on, with another winger potentially being required on Merseyside. Salah transfer: Will Egyptian superstar leave Liverpool in 2026? Egyptian superstar Salah is tied to a contract with Liverpool through to the summer of 2027. He has, however, cut a frustrated figure at times this season — delivering an explosive outburst at one stage — and seen his output dip. The 33-year-old has not registered a Premier League goal since November 1. Moves to the Saudi Pro League or MLS have been mooted for Salah, as Liverpool can still generate a fee from any sale, with rumours ramping up regarding potential successors in the Reds’ right wing berth. Could USA star Pulisic replace Salah at Anfield? United States international Pulisic is said to be in the mix there, as he delays the signing of a new contract at San Siro, and Heskey feels ‘Captain America’ could be a shrewd addition to Arne Slot’s squad. The former Liverpool striker told OLBG: “I actually quite like Christian Pulisic. He is very direct. He probably didn’t get as many goals as I would have liked him to get at Chelsea but I thought he gave defences problems. “Obviously after a good World Cup, being at home with the pressure on him, he is definitely someone who could offer something different to Mohamed Salah or even Cody Gakpo right now. “Mo left Chelsea to go to Italy and look at what he’s done for Liverpool. I think it’d be great to see someone like Pulisic come back into the Premier League in the same way because I’m guessing he would love to show that his time at Chelsea was just a little blip. He was only a young lad when he came over.” Heskey adds Kvaratskhelia & Bowen to list of potential targets Several other names have been added to the pot when it comes to attacking additions for Liverpool, with interest said to have been retained in Newcastle forward Anthony Gordon – a former Everton star who grew up as a Reds supporter. Heskey has named another couple of proven performers that could be considered, with one of those boasting Premier League experience at West Ham, while the other is a Champions League winner with Paris Saint-Germain. Ex-England star Heskey added: “We’re talking about replacing Mohamed Salah and I think as fans you’ve got to look at something different because you can’t replace Mo Salah. “I remember one season I was speaking to someone who said Mo’s had a bad season. He’d scored 25 goals. I’d love to have had that bad of a season! We’re talking about someone scoring 20 plus, nearly 30 goals a season for 10 years. “I think we’ve just got to look at something different and it might not suit the manager anyway to have someone like Mo Salah. He might want to change the formation. I know that he was talking about a 4-4-2 diamond midfield and not having high and wide wingers and that would need something different. “I don’t think you can replace Mo Salah but I do like the lad from PSG, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia. He would be my go-to. “Would Jarrod Bowen be a downgrade from Mohamed Salah? I think most players are a downgrade compared to Salah but to be honest with you Bowen is a different type of player and he would probably help the formation because he’s going to work a little bit harder than Mo. “I’m not saying Mo doesn’t work hard but Bowen has a different work rate and work ethic because he’s coming from West Ham and before that the lower leagues. It’s totally different. Andrew Robertson was arguably one of our best signings and he came from Hull City.” Salah’s record: Goals & trophies at Liverpool Salah has scored 252 goals for Liverpool through 429 appearances. He is a three-time PFA Player of the Year and winner of four Golden Boots. Two Premier League titles have been landed with the Reds, alongside Champions League and domestic cup honors, and whoever is charged with the task of filling his boots will have a sizable job on their hands.​Latest Sports News from FOX Sports

If you somehow didn’t know by now, coaches are pretty important in football — just look at their vastly increasing salaries. Yet, FOX Sports lead college football analyst Joel Klatt has never ranked the best coaches in the sport … until now. In the most recent episode of the “Joel Klatt Show,” Klatt ranked the top 10 coaches in college football for the first time. A big reason why he’s finally doing a top-10 head coach ranking has to do with the fact that we now have more clarity as to how which coaches have adapted the best to the introduction of name, image and likeness (NIL) and the transfer portal. “The eras of college football are now substantially different and we’re in a very new era,” Klatt said of how he determined his list. “With the NIL, transfer portal era, I think the coaches on this list have excelled in the modern era. “You have to have excelled post-COVID and more specifically in the last two, three, four years.” So, let’s not wait any further and take a look at Klatt’s top 10. Honorable mentions: Kalen DeBoer, Alabama; Rhett Lashlee, SMU; Joey McGuire, Texas Tech; Mike Elko, Texas A&M; Dabo Swinney, Clemson 10. Lane Kiffin, LSU While Kiffin received a lot of scrutiny for how he handled his departure from Ole Miss, Klatt said that the new LSU head coach’s résumé is too strong to leave off the list. “Listen, whatever you want to think of all of that, the guy can coach college football. This list would not be complete without him on it. I know the exit was messy from Ole Miss, but think about what he built at Ole Miss. I know he’s had growing pains throughout his career as a head football coach,” Klatt said. “But what he built at Ole Miss was really special. That was part of the reason why I argued that he should’ve stayed there. They had a great chance at a national championship this past year if he would’ve just stayed.” Klatt added that he feels Kiffin’s ability to coach an offense is incredibly strong, saying his teams are guaranteed to have a top-10 offense in the nation. Kiffin’s coaching ability on that side of the ball helped develop Jaxson Dart into becoming a first-round pick and Trindidad Chambliss into one of the nation’s top quarterbacks despite his lack of FBS experience. In turn, that helped Ole Miss become an SEC contender during Kiffin’s time there. “He took Ole Miss to a sustained level of excellence that they really had never seen before,” Klatt said. “We had seen some jumps, but they had four 10-win seasons over the last five years. Only Kirby, Ryan Day and Kalen DeBoer had more wins over the last five years than Lane. That’s very incredible.” 9. Mario Cristobal, Miami (Fla.) Klatt admitted that the College Football Playoff catapulted Cristobal into the top 10. However, he thinks Miami’s run to the national championship helped disprove a pair of the biggest doubts about Cristobal. “He knocked off two giant stigmas this year that had been plaguing him throughout his career as a head coach,” Klatt said. ” The first was he doesn’t win big games. Well, he won big games this year and it started all the way back in Week 1, when they toppled Notre Dame. That was a huge win and it started this trajectory of things that we haven’t seen him be able to do that this year he was able to do. “The second thing was winning big matchups down the stretch. We knew his record in November wasn’t what we wanted it to be.” Now, Klatt believes Miami is in a good spot to compete on an annual basis moving forward. “I gotta tip my cap to what Mario Cristobal’s built at Miami,” Klatt said. “If the [Darian] Mensah transfer works for them, they’ll be back in this capacity. Maybe not all the way to the championship game, but they’re going to be a very good football team because that’s what he builds.” 8. Kalani Sitake, BYU Klatt knows that this one might “surprise some people,” but he wants you to consider this: only two head coaches have more wins than Sitake since 2020. “I’m a huge fan of Kalani Sitake,” Klatt said. “Penn State wanted Kalani Sitake and almost got him earlier in this offseason because they see what I see: a phenomenal football coach and a guy that builds a team in his own image. The team takes on the character of their coach in so many ways — outplay, work, out-physical teams. You can see that at BYU. Would it surprise you to find out that only two head coaches have more wins than Sitake since 2020? Those two are Kirby Smart and Ryan Day. Sitake has 57 wins since 2020. “Sitake is a phenomenal coach and every single year, he builds the same caliber of team, particularly at the line of scrimmage.” 7. Kyle Whittingham, Michigan Klatt admitted that this might be another addition on the list that could surprise some. However, he also wants everyone to understand what he did at Utah in his 21 seasons as its head coach. “You have to understand where he brought Utah from,” Klatt said. “That was a very good job after Urban Meyer and they were on the national stage, but he’s the one that took them from the Group of 5 into the Pac-12 and Big 12. He did a lot of things at Utah and made them a perennial top-15, top-10 team in the country and he did so without the best talent in the country. His teams play exceptionally hard, they’re physical, they’re sound and they’re well-coached.” Utah went 177-88 during Whittingham’s tenure, logging five 10-plus-win seasons after the Utes made the jump from the Mountain West to the Pac-12. 6. Steve Sarkisian, Texas Klatt shared that he contemplated placing Sarkisian higher and lower, wanting to reward him for bringing stability back to Texas while recognizing that the Longhorns underwhelmed this past season. “I thought this was a good middle ground,” Klatt said. “As much as I think we, and certainly the Texas fanbase, believe that you can roll the helmets out there and Texas is just going to win 10 games, that’s just not the case. We saw that for at least a decade.” Prior to Texas’ underwhelming 2025 campaign, Sarkisian led the Longhorns to two straight semifinal appearances in the College Football Playoff. So, Klatt thinks that’s too big to ignore, but also thinks that Sarkisian might need to make a sacrifice in order to help Texas get over the hump. “Steve has solidified Texas,” Klatt said. “I think he’s one of the great game planners of college football. I think he’s one of the great playcallers in college football. You could make the argument that he might need to give up playcalling duties at some point if he wants to achieve what he ultimately wants, which is a national championship. That’s really hard for a guy at that level. Ryan Day gave up playcalling duties and won a national championship.” 5. Marcus Freeman, Notre Dame When Brian Kelly left Notre Dame for LSU at the end of the 2021 season, some thought that the Fighting Irish could no longer attain the talent needed to compete for a national championship. But after Notre Dame made it to the title game in the 2024 season, Klatt believes that’s not the case. Klatt pointed to Freeman as the big reason why Notre Dame seems to be a perennial national title contender. “He’s elevated the talent in South Bend,” Klatt said. “There’s a reason the NFL’s been sniffing around on this guy. There were talks that the Giants wanted Marcus Freeman at one point. Notre Dame was smart to redo his deal back in December. He’s just 40. The guy, to me, is class, integrity, toughness and his teams are physical. I think he’s learned along the way.” 4. Dan Lanning, Oregon Lanning is the highest-ranked coach on this list who has yet to win a national championship, but Klatt believes that he’ll break that glass ceiling soon. “I’ve said for a long time that if I had to buy stock in a coach, it would be Dan Lanning. I still feel that way,” Klatt said. “Oregon is a perennial national championship contender under Lanning. He’s elevated them above what they were before he got there. He’s a phenomenal coach. “Here’s the deal: He’s 48-8 at Oregon, and six of his eight losses are against teams that reached the title game. Four of those losses were to the eventual national champ. He’s lost five games in the last three seasons and every single one was against a team that reached the national championship game. You do not beat Oregon unless you’re one of the best teams in college football. And he’s gaining on those teams.” 3. Kirby Smart, Georgia You can probably guess which coaches are in the top three by this point. While Smart is one of two active college football coaches to have won multiple national championships, Klatt admitted that he put a greater significance on the recency of the national championships won by the coaches ranked in the top two. “It hasn’t been as good in the last two years, but that’s obvious with those back-to-back national championships. It seems like a dip, but that’s because their standards are high,” Klatt said. “They’ve won the SEC the last two years and three of the last four. The only year in the last nine seasons that Georgia wasn’t in the SEC Championship Game was the 2020 COVID season. That’s ridiculous consistency in a really tough conference. Georgia’s the standard in the SEC.” 2. Ryan Day, Ohio State At this point, Day’s record is pretty self-explanatory. He’s gone 82-12 in seven seasons as Ohio State’s head coach, leading Klatt to say that Day has Ohio State at its zenith, which is saying something for a program that’s won nine national championships. “Day has the Buckeyes at the top every single year,” Klatt said. “He’s reached the top two in the AP Poll at some point in every single season that he’s been a head coach. He’s never lost more than two games in a season. He got his national championship in 2024. He had the No. 1 team in college football for most of the season this last year, until they ran into Indiana. Ohio State is the most consistent program in college football, and we’re seeing one of the great eras of Ohio State.” 1. Curt Cignetti, Indiana After Cignetti turned the losingest program in college football history into a national champion in two years, he doesn’t want to hear any argument for another head coach to be placed in this spot. “You can’t put anybody else there. He’s earned this spot,” Klatt said. “When you take the losingest program in the history of the sport and in two years, you win the national championship with that team, it’s not up for debate. He’s No. 1, and it has to be him. “You can make arguments that guys should be higher or lower and maybe there should be guys incorporated on this list. You might be right. But the one that you can’t argue with is Curt Cignetti. He’s proven to be the best talent evaluator in this era of college football.”​Latest Sports News from FOX Sports