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San Francisco – Sam Darnold, Drake Maye, Stefon Diggs and Jaxon Smith-Njigba have garnered much of the attention during Super Bowl week. That’s expected, considering their importance to their respective offenses on game day. Here, I take a closer look at those potential breakout players who could make a splash, emerging as X-factors we could be talking about after Sunday’s big game. New England Patriots DTs Milton Williams and Christian Barmore Williams, a Super Bowl champion with the Philadelphia Eagles last season and one of the top free-agent additions for the Patriots during the offseason, lived up to lofty expectations in his first year with his new team. Per Next Gen Stats, New England has a 39.2% pressure rate with Williams on the field and 33.0% when he’s off the it. Williams also posted two sacks in Philadelphia’s Super Bowl win last year, so he plays well in big games. [Related: How ‘Elite Ballplayer’ Milton Williams Quickly Guided Patriots to Super Bowl] The second of New England’s dynamic pass-rushing duo at defensive tackle, Barmore has the second-most quarterback pressure rate at his position (13.6%) and 56 total quarterback pressures this season, according to Next Gen Stats. Williams and Barmore have combined for the fourth-most quarterback pressures by a defensive tackle tandem in 2025 (67). That’s an important number because the two face one of the worst pass-blocking offensive guards in Seattle’s Anthony Bradford, who tied a career high with eight quarterback pressures allowed in the NFC title game against the Los Angeles Rams. Bradford also allowed 13 quick pressures during the regular season, fifth-most among right guards. During the regular season, Sam Darnold committed a turnover on a league-high 7.2% of his pressured dropbacks, per Next Gen Stats, including six interceptions and five fumbles lost. Figuring out how to contain Williams and Barmore will be critical for the Seahawks. OT Will Campbell The rookie first-round pick has struggled in pass protection this year, allowing seven sacks during the regular season. Maye was sacked a league-high 15 times during the postseason and accounted for three turnovers. Now, Campbell faces one of the best pass-rush groups in the league in the Seattle Seahawks. [Related: Inside Maye’s bond with his O-line] According to Next Gen Stats, six Seattle defenders generated at least 35 pressures this season, the most in the NFL. What makes the Seahawks dangerous is their ability to create pressure without blitzing. Seattle generated a 35.8% pressure rate using just four rushers, No. 3 in the NFL. Look for the Seahawks to target Campbell with veteran edge rusher DeMarcus Lawrence early and often. TE Hunter Henry The Arkansas product has developed into Maye’s security blanket in the passing game. Henry finished with 60 receptions for 768 yards and a team-high seven touchdowns during the regular season. Maye looks for Henry at the most important moments of the game. In the red zone, Henry has 13 catches for 123 receiving yards and four touchdowns. It’s the third-most receptions among tight ends during the regular season. Henry’s 26 touchdown receptions over the last five seasons are the fourth most among tight ends. If Maye is under duress, expect him to look for Henry as a pressure release valve. Seattle Seahawks WR Rashid Shaheed The San Diego native has been one of the best midseason trade acquisitions in recent memory. He has three touchdowns for returns this season. As Seahawks special teams coordinator Jay Harbaugh told me, it’s not just Shaheed’s speed. “He fields the ball super clean, which is hyper-important,” Harbaugh said. “Not just catching it, but how smooth he can catch it, so he can transition and get running. I would say after that, he’s got vision. He knows how to set up blocks and defenders, and then after that he has the speed to make it count if they do put the ball where it’s supposed to be and take it all the way.” As Harbaugh said, we know Shaheed can make an impact in the return game. Will Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel kick it to him? If not, Seattle must find a meaningful way to get Shaheed involved in the offense, like the 51-yard deep shot to open the game against the Rams two weeks ago. Shaheed finished with just 15 passes for 188 yards during the regular season with no touchdowns. RB Kenneth Walker III The Michigan State product has gotten more comfortable in the offense during the backstretch of the year. Since Week 16, including the postseason, Walker’s 423 yards and five touchdowns are the second most in the NFL over that time. Walker finished with the third-highest missed tackles forced rate on carries during the regular season of 30.3%, per Next Gen Stats and 67% of his rushes have been outside the tackle box. “He’s more decisive and trusting what he sees,” Seahawks GM John Schneider told me about Walker’s improved play. Walker creates balance on offense by effectively running the football and taking pressure off Darnold to carry the offense with his arm. The Seahawks had a league-high 48.7% called run rate by offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak, according to Next Gen Stats. S Nick Emmanwori The rookie second-round pick out of South Carolina has been a key piece for Mike Macdonald’s defense because of his versatility. But, will Emmanwori play? It seems likely after he was a full participant in practice on Friday, but he suffered an ankle sprain in practice earlier in the week. Not ideal timing for a player whose breakout started in the second half of the regular season. Still, Emmanwori is one of Seattle’s best cover guys in the secondary. He allowed just eight passing yards in coverage and finished with three pass breakups in Seattle’s NFC Championship Game win over the Rams. Emmanwori also helped Seattle hold teams to 4.56 yards per carry, No. 2 in the NFL.​Latest Sports News from FOX Sports

As we move closer to the Seahawks and Patriots squaring off in Super Bowl LX on Sunday, it’s a chance to look back on the last 25 Super Bowls and the best of the best performances. We’ve ranked the top 10 Super Bowl MVPs of the past quarter-century, and such a process makes for difficult decisions. It’s easy to err on the side of late-game heroics. Does that penalize a player whose dominance puts the game out of reach in the fourth quarter? Perhaps, but those remarkable finishes are what we remember most, and probably what we want the most in a Super Bowl. Tom Brady, for instance, has five of these 25 MVP performances, which reduces nicely to two out of our 10 choices. There’s a heavy offensive lean to these awards — only four defensive winners out of 25 — and a strong penchant for picking quarterbacks, with 16 of those compared to five receivers. What does a running back have to do to win one of these? The last one was Denver’s Terrell Davis in 1998. 10. Aaron Rodgers, Packers QB, Super Bowl XLV (2010) There wasn’t any last-minute touchdown, but Rodgers got Green Bay up 14-0 and 21-3 early, then held on as Pittsburgh and Ben Roethlisberger twice got within four points down the stretch. Up three with 7:34 to play, he converted a third-and-10 and grinded out five minutes with a field goal and the defense closes it out. Rodgers played such a clean game, throwing for 304 yards, three touchdowns and zero interceptions. Joe Flacco’s Super Bowl win two years later was much the same. 9. Malcolm Smith, Seahawks LB, Super Bowl XLVIII (2013) It’s hard to shoehorn defensive MVPs in here, but the Broncos and Peyton Manning were so prolific that year, and Seattle’s defense shut them down in the Super Bowl, never more so than on Smith’s 69-yard pick-six in the second quarter. Denver was driving to make it a one-score game before halftime, and instead, Smith found the end zone for a 22-0 lead on the way to a 43-8 drubbing. This was easily the biggest play on one of the best defensive team efforts in these last 25 Super Bowls. 8. Santonio Holmes, Steelers WR, Super Bowl XLIII (2008) Five receivers have gotten Super Bowl MVPs in the last 25 years, two of them without even scoring a touchdown. But Holmes most definitely did — we can say he had nine catches for 131 yards for the Steelers against the Cardinals in Tampa. Holmes is on the list for one catch: a 6-yard touchdown catch on a hard throw from Ben Roethlisberger over three defenders for the lead with 35 seconds left, a leaping grab in the back right corner of the end zone with the toe tap of all toe taps to make sure it’s a catch. It’s hard to imagine a tougher catch with more on the line. 7. Tom Brady, Patriots QB, Super Bowl XLIX (2014) We’re almost ranking this lower than it deserves, just so there isn’t too much Brady at the top. Everyone remembers Russell Wilson’s goal-line interception in the final minute, but don’t forget what Brady did first: down 10 in the fourth quarter, he rallied the Patriots and threw two touchdowns in the final eight minutes. The first was to Danny Amendola and the second went to Julian Edelman to regain the lead. Brady finished 37-of-50 for 328 yards with four touchdowns against two picks, and he completed all nine of his pass attempts for 71 yards on the drive that gave the Patriots the lead for good. 6. Eli Manning, Giants QB, Super Bowl XLVI (2011) Manning beat Brady twice in Super Bowls, but we’ll go with his second one – by – no David Tyree helmet-catch miracle, just Manning down eight in the second half, grinding out two drives for field goals, then one big drive in the fourth quarter. Manning threw five times to Mario Manningham and Hakeem Nicks for 74 yards, setting up Ahmad Bradshaw’s touchdown with 57 seconds left. He finished 30-of-40 for 296 yards and a touchdown, but again, he beat Brady in a Super Bowl for the second time. 5. Jalen Hurts, Eagles QB, Super Bowl LIX (2024) Hurts played so well in the first meeting with the Chiefs but lost, and he got his revenge two years later. In a surprising rout of the Chiefs in New Orleans, Hurts was a lean 17-of-22 for 221 and two scores, also rushing for 72 yards and a score. It’s a 34-6 game entering the fourth quarter, a thorough domination of a two-time defending champ. Some of the best on this list that aren’t Brady and Mahomes are opponents finding ways to beat Brady and Mahomes. 4. Von Miller, Broncos OLB, Super Bowl 50 (2015) Trying to break up a run of quarterbacks at the top here, and Miller’s play in leading the Broncos in 2015 is the gold standard. This was not the 55-touchdown Peyton Manning, but rather the nine-touchdown Peyton Manning, leaning hard on his defense. Miller had 2.5 sacks in the Super Bowl, forcing two fumbles, one of which was recovered for a touchdown. Miller would later have two sacks in another Super Bowl win with the Rams. 3. Nick Foles, Eagles QB, Super Bowl LII (2017) Maybe the most improbable on the list. Foles only had three regular-season starts in 2017, but took over when Carson Wentz got injured and went 3-0 in the playoffs. What he did to outduel Brady is incredible — 28-of-43 yards, 373 yards and three touchdowns, and the chef’s kiss is the “Philly Special.” On that famous play, Foles lined up at quarterback, casually walking to the line and then a direct snap to running back Corey Clement, who handed off to tight end Trey Burton, who threw to a wide-open Foles for a receiving touchdown in the Super Bowl. 2. Patrick Mahomes, Chiefs QB, Super Bowl LVIII (2023) Mahomes has three Super Bowl MVPs, and his second, beating the Eagles, might be his best statistically — three touchdowns, no picks. Instead, though, I’ll go with the Chiefs’ overtime win over the 49ers a year later. Down 10-0 early, rallied for the lead, lost it again in the fourth quarter, twice tied it, only to have San Francisco retake the lead on a field goal, then won it on a touchdown pass to Mecole Hardman with three seconds left in overtime. He finishes 34-for-46, 333 yards, two touchdowns and a pick for the first Super Bowl repeat in 19 years. 1. Tom Brady, Patriots QB, Super Bowl LI (2016) This choice was easy. The Patriots trailed the Falcons 28-3 late in the third quarter and rallied back for the greatest comeback in Super Bowl history — five touchdown drives, including a 91-yarder to tie the game and a 75-yarder to win in overtime. Brady finished 43-of-62 for 466 yards with two touchdowns. The length of those five drives? 75, 72, 25, 91, 75 yards — 338 yards of offense in less than one half of football. That he didn’t score the final two touchdowns himself doesn’t take away from all he did to get them down the field.​Latest Sports News from FOX Sports

It’s been 26 years since the Big Ten last cut down the nets, but right now, the league is dominating the men’s NCAA Tournament conversation. FOX Sports bracket forecaster Mike DeCourcy’s latest NCAA tournament projection has the Big Ten landing a whopping 10 bids to the Big Dance, the most of any conference. Even Indiana is in the field, checking in among DeCourcy’s “last four in” as the Hoosiers hover on the bubble with March looming. Michigan, Illinois, Michigan State, Nebraska and Purdue are all projected as top-three seeds, giving the Big Ten both elite depth and legitimate national title contenders, a combination that could finally put an end to a drought that dates back to 2000. As the 2025-26 regular season quickly winds down, DeCourcy shares his latest NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament projections. Here’s where his projected bracket stands through Feb. 6. EAST REGION SOUTH REGION MIDWEST REGION WEST REGION And it’s never too early to check in on the bubble. According to DeCourcy’s projections, Indiana, Oklahoma State, Santa Clara and San Diego State are the last four teams in the tournament, while Texas, Ohio State, New Mexico and George Mason are the first four out. As for conference representation, the Big Ten leads the way with 10 teams, while the ACC and the SEC each have nine teams in DeCourcy’s latest tournament projections. The Big 12 has eight teams in the mix, while the Big East and West Coast have three teams each. The Mountain West conference has two teams represented in DeCourcy’s projections. Selection Sunday is less than two months away, and these projections will inevitably evolve. But for now, DeCourcy’s latest bracket forecast offers a clear snapshot of who’s rising, who’s falling, and which programs are already building the résumés they’ll need when March arrives.​Latest Sports News from FOX Sports

The NFL presented its major awards for the 2025 season on Thursday night, and I was honored to again be part of the 50-member panel chosen by the Associated Press to vote on its All-Pro team and season awards. I’ve been able to do this for the last four years, and the ballot has expanded in that time to now have us voting for a top five on each of the eight major awards: MVP, Offensive and Defensive Player of the Year, Coach of the Year, Assistant Coach of the Year, Comeback Player of the Year and Defensive Rookie of the Year. I like the idea of transparency in these kinds of awards votes, so I’m sharing my ballot publicly here and trying to explain my rationale for voting as I did. As usual, there were some awards where my voting closely mirrored the overall top five, and others where I was more of an outlier than I’d probably like to be. Any time you’re judging players at multiple positions across a broad spectrum of successful and not-so-successful teams, you’ll get a wide range of interpretations regarding who the best players and coaches are. It’s also important to note these are regular-season awards. Ballots were submitted the day after the season ended, so playoff success has no bearing. MVP: Rams QB Matthew Stafford Top five in voting: Stafford, Drake Maye, Josh Allen, Christian McCaffrey, Trevor LawrenceMy ballot: Stafford, Maye, Myles Garrett, Jared Goff, Jaxon Smith-Njigba A few things here. First, I continue to be confused that a voting panel of the same 50 people on All-Pro and awards ballots can have decidedly different takes on who is the best between those two. For first-team All-Pro quarterback, Stafford beat Maye by a 31-18 margin. For this MVP, the same panel voted Stafford over Maye 24-23. A year ago, this panel voted Baltimore’s Lamar Jackson as first-team All-Pro at quarterback while Buffalo’s Josh Allen as the MVP. I just think the two awards are too close to have different outcomes. If Player A is the better quarterback in direct competition, it’s hard to say Player B was a more valuable player. “Valuable” leaves it open to some interpretation, so some will take valuable as “more integral to the team’s success.” Some argued that Stafford, with elite receivers in Puka Nacua and Davante Adams and a smart offensive head coach in Sean McVay, had a stronger supporting cast than Maye, but those factors contribute to the QB decision the same as MVP, in my opinion. I see both sides of the overall debate, as I laid out in my All-Pro ballot last month. Stafford had 12 more touchdown passes than any other quarterback, the largest such margin since Peyton Manning threw for 55 in 2013. Also, Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels was the NFL Assistant Coach of the Year, so Maye had good help there. In our voting system, a first-place vote for MVP carries 10 points and a second-place vote gets five, so the first-place votes really matter. Stafford won the voting points by a 366-361 margin, which means a single outlier first-place vote like the one for Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert could shift the final outcome – and did! As for my top five, I wanted to make it clear it shouldn’t be “the top five quarterbacks,” so after the top two, I made sure to include my pick for Defensive Player of the Year, who really should be in yearly consideration for the overall MVP. Offensive Player of the Year: Seahawks WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba Top five in voting: Smith-Njigba, McCaffrey, Nacua, Bijan Robinson, MayeMy ballot: Smith-Njigba, Nacua, Robinson, James Cook, McCaffrey With the MVP becoming mostly a quarterback award, voters have offset that by seemingly reserving this one for the best non-quarterback. It’s not written that way anywhere, but the voting plays out like that. The voting was divided enough here that no player got more than 14 votes out of 50, and I thought Smith-Njigba was the clear choice, the best at his position and contributing hugely to a top-five offense. I have McCaffrey lower than most voters. While he kept the 49ers winning when everything around him seemed to be injured, I thought his production statistically wasn’t as good as the two backs I had ahead of him. Not only did Robinson lead the NFL in yards from scrimmage and finish with 172 more yards than McCaffrey, but he did it on 47 fewer touches. Defensive Player of the Year: Browns EDGE Myles Garrett Top five in voting: Garrett, Will Anderson, Micah Parsons, Nik Bonitto, Aidan HutchinsonMy ballot: Garrett, Anderson, Parsons, Burns, Hutchinson This was the opposite of OPOY, a unanimous and easy selection since Garrett set the NFL record with 23 sacks. I was pleased to have four of my top five make the actual top five, in nearly the correct order. Choosing Burns over Bonitto was largely on production since Burns had 2.5 more sacks and eight more tackles for loss, with one more forced fumble and one more fumble recovery. Those two were close enough that you can make a case for either, and obviously, Bonitto contributed to a greater team success in Denver than Burns did in New York. Coach of the Year: Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel Top five in voting: Vrabel, Liam Coen, Mike Macdonald, Ben Johnson, Kyle ShanahanMy ballot: Coen, Shanahan, Vrabel, McDonald, Johnson. Again, it’s cool to have my top five as the top five. Vrabel edged Coen 19-16 in terms of first-place votes. This award is generally seen as “success above expectation,” and both were stellar in that aspect. I valued what Coen was able to do as a first-time head coach more than what Vrabel did as someone in his first year with a new team, but with considerable head coaching experience. Both flipped the script on the identity of their franchises in a single season, never an easy thing to do. I think what Shanahan did to win consistently despite losing so many key players to injury throughout the season was commendable. [Related: Takeaways from NFL Honors] Assistant Coach of the Year: Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels Top five in voting: McDaniels, Broncos DC Vance Joseph, Vikings DC Brian Flores, Seahawks OC Klint Kubiak, Eagles DC Vic FangioMy ballot: McDaniels, Rams DC Chris Shula, Kubiak, Flores, 49ers DC Robert Saleh. This closely mirrored the head coach voting, with the New England guy winning 17-10 on first-place votes here. I thought the Patriots’ and Maye’s emergence on offense was a huge story, so this is well-deserved. I dinged Denver’s defense a bit for tying for the fourth-fewest takeaways in the NFL, but Joseph had a top-five defense in most other respects. You almost always see these honors go to coordinators, so I’m a little amused/impressed to see a vote cast for Bills offensive line coach Aaron Kromer. (Buffalo did have the league’s No. 1 rushing attack, but also finished 21st in sack percentage.) Comeback Player of the Year: 49ers RB Christian McCaffrey Top five in voting: McCaffrey, Hutchinson, Dak Prescott, Trevor Lawrence, Stefon DiggsMy ballot: McCaffrey, Hutchinson, Prescott, Diggs, Chris Olave. Another easy call with McCaffrey getting 31 of 50 votes. The AP last year added the stipulation that this award is essentially intended to reward a player coming back from missing games due to injury, rather than their own mediocrity. It’s not just a most improved award. In retrospect, Lawrence missed seven games in 2024 and had a great year in leading the Jaguars to a division title, so he should be on my ballot somewhere. Offensive Rookie of the Year: Panthers WR Tetairoa McMillan Top five in voting: McMillan, Tyler Shough, TreVeyon Henderson, Jaxson Dart, Emeka Egbuka.My ballot: Dart, Henderson, McMillan, Shough, Egbuka So, it turns out I was the only voter out of 50 to have Dart first here. I wasn’t expecting that, but I simply thought Dart’s overall season, with 24 total touchdowns despite losing his best receiver and back for much of the year, put him ahead of Shough. McMillan had a great season for Carolina, helping them to a surprise division title, but his yards (1,014) would have ranked fifth in 2024 and his touchdowns (seven) would have tied for fourth, so it seemed less remarkable beyond edging Egbuka for best rookie receiver. Defensive Rookie of the Year: Browns LB Carson Schwesinger Top five in voting: Schwesinger, Nick Emmanwori, James Pearce, Xavier Watts, Abdul CarterMy ballot: Pearce, Schwesinger, Watts, Carter, Nik Scourton Here I go again, as one of just two voters to have Pearce at the top of my ballot. Pearce’s 10.5 sacks were five more than any other rookie and a huge part of Atlanta’s defense taking a big step forward. Schwesinger is deserving with 50 more tackles than any other rookie, 2.5 sacks and two interceptions – a little of everything. It was a close call for me. I’m more disappointed in leaving Emmanwori out, which is a clear oversight given all he did for Seattle’s defense.​Latest Sports News from FOX Sports

As soon as he could get away from his introductory press conference, Mike Vrabel made his way to the scouts’ offices in Gillette Stadium — Eliot Wolf’s part of the building. Vrabel had told the media that he was excited to sit down with Wolf and the scouts. And he meant it. So he changed out of his suit and tie and almost immediately jumped into a discussion with the scouting staff, which was on-site to prepare for the offseason. It was this time last year, and the Patriots had more than $120 million in cap space and a top-five draft pick. What they didn’t have were wins. They’d gone 4-13 in two straight seasons, and Vrabel was the team’s third head coach in 25 months, following Bill Belichick and Jerod Mayo. “[Vrabel] just kind of came in and started talking ball,” Wolf, the Patriots’ de-facto general manager, told me in a phone conversation. “I forget what position we were watching. Let’s say it was linebacker. We launched into linebackers. He started talking about what he looks for in a linebacker. Some of the guys that had been successful for him in the past and the reasons why.” Wolf added: “He took an interest from day one. … And really just coming off the difficult year that we had the year before, just some of the positive enthusiasm that he had was important for those guys [in the scouting department] to hear.” You know where this story ends: at Super Bowl LX, with the Patriots preparing to face the Seattle Seahawks. And with Vrabel winning the NFL Coach of the Year Award. New England is the first team ever to rise from 4-13 one season to a Super Bowl berth in the next. There have been some teams that ascended into the big game after a four-win season, including the 2020 and 2021 Bengals and the 1998 and 1999 Rams. But the Patriots are in rare company. It started in that meeting on Vrabel’s first day of work, when he began to communicate what he wanted his team to look like with the people who were in charge of getting the players that fit the coach’s preferences. A good scouting staff gets transcendent talents. A great scouting staff gets transcendent talents who bring a coach’s vision to life. That sort of communication is much more difficult than you’d expect — all the more reason for Vrabel to start right away. “I just think that me being around is important, having conversations with those guys,” Vrabel said at a press conference when asked about that initial meeting. “When I was a position coach, to be able to link up with the scouts, talking about post-draft or communicating with them. This is an open line of communication with our coaches and our personnel department.” That kicked off what Wolf called an “arranged marriage” with Vrabel, where the coach arrived as a new hire with Wolf holding over from past iterations of the organization (going back to Belichick). There were rumblings that Wolf was losing power upon Vrabel’s arrival, given that the coach was likely to have the final say on personnel decisions, which had been Wolf’s role with Mayo. At the time, Wolf brushed off the transition. Now, it’s easy to see why. “At the end of the day, you want to win. I want to win,” Wolf told me this week. “So I felt like Mike really gave us a great opportunity to win, which obviously he has. And that’s where you can put your ego to the side. And it’s never been about having the most power. For me, it’s always been about winning.” Prior to working together, Wolf and Vrabel were friendly, having run into each other at pro days and the NFL Combine. But the two didn’t really know each other when Vrabel began interviewing for the job. Patriots owners Robert and Jonathan Kraft set aside time for the two men to speak during the interview process, and they were immediately in lockstep. “He believes in a lot of the same things that I believe in,” Wolf said. The priorities were obvious. “Put the team first, do what’s right for the team, treat people the right way, create a program that we can all be proud of and that people want to be a part of,” Wolf told me. Wolf and Vrabel then went out and overhauled the coaching staff and roster. Among the coaches, only special teams coordinator Jeremy Springer stayed. Offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels and defensive coordinator Terrell Williams (and his understudy Zak Kuhr) arrived to lead the other groups. Then the new players arrived on defense: defensive end Milton Williams, linebackers Harold Landry and Robert Spillane, defensive lineman K’Lavon Chaisson and rookie safety Craig Woodson. The Patriots also addressed their needs on offense, rebuilding the line with four new players: rookies Will Campbell and Jared Wilson and veterans Garrett Bradbury and Morgan Moses. Finally, they added veteran receivers Stefon Diggs and Mack Hollins, rookie receiver Kyle Williams and second-round running back TreVeyon Henderson. New England had a sizable draft class of 11 players, with a solid amount of draft capital: four picks in the top 100 and five in the top 106. The team also spent $209 million in guaranteed money on free agents in 2025, the most in the NFL last offseason. If Spillane (ankle) and Landry (knee) can play in the Super Bowl, the Patriots will have six starters on offense and seven starters on defense who are new to the team in 2025. And don’t forget two of the three specialists: kicker Andy Borregales and long snapper Julian Ashby. The free-agent headliner was Williams, whom New England convinced to defect from the Philadelphia Eagles with a four-year, $104 million deal, the largest in Patriots history by average annual value — yes, even bigger than any contract Tom Brady inked. Williams was and is a guy Wolf and Vrabel both loved. He’s the guy Vrabel approached at the beginning of the postseason and posed this challenge: “Big guys eat in January. And if the Patriots are lucky — in February, too. “Philadelphia, to their credit, had really too many good players at a position, and he was available where probably nine times out of 10, that player wouldn’t be available. We felt like he was a priority,” Wolf told me. The interesting thing isn’t just how much the Patriots changed by changing players. It’s also fascinating how much they changed by elevating the players who were a part of the 2024 team. “I don’t think those guys get talked about enough,” center Garrett Bradbury told me at practice last week. “I think they went through some dark times with some tough seasons, some tough losses. And for those guys to buy in, and the free agents and the rookies like this, speaks to Vrabel’s leadership and what he wanted this team to look like.” The most obvious player is quarterback Drake Maye, who went from a raw passing prospect in 2024 to an MVP finalist in 2025. That’s due in large part to his hard work and his traits. It’s also a credit to the coaching staff, from McDaniels to quarterbacks coach Ashton Grant. What’s interesting is seeing Maye grow into his head coach’s image. You’d hear Maye talking trash around the locker room a whole lot more this year, not unlike Vrabel. Maye offered to let new guys, including Bradbury, crash at his house — just like Vrabel once did with teammates when he was a player. Maye holds his players accountable and details his preferences on routes and pre-snap communication. You can see Vrabel shaping Maye, the player Wolf drafted with the No. 3 overall pick in 2024. The same is true of cornerback Christian Gonzalez, arguably the team’s best defensive player. He is so soft-spoken that he can be difficult to even hear in the locker room, and yet he’s found his voice with his teammates. “In the DB room, in the defensive meeting room, [I’m] hearing that when I say something, people listen,” Gonzalez told me. “Guys have told me that, and told me I can use my voice to speak up. And I mean, not even just football stuff. But being a guy. People come to talk about off-the-field stuff.” Reshaping the Patriots’ culture also meant moving on from players who didn’t fit. New England traded key contributors from years past in safety Kyle Dugger and edge Keion White. It’s not exactly fair to say it was a case of addition by subtraction, but the Patriots were somehow sellers at the trade deadline. They moved Dugger to the Steelers and White to the 49ers. “Both players had experienced heavier roles in the past than they were getting at the time,” Wolf told me. “[Kyle] wanted a larger role, and we were able to make that happen for him, while not hurting ourselves. “Keon had really kind of wanted more of an opportunity to maybe do some of the inside rush stuff that he had had some success on in the past. We had Milton and Christian [Barmore] who were playing really well.” When you add up all the movement from Vrabel and Wolf, you can see how the team went from 13 losses in 2024 to 17 (and maybe 18) wins in 2025. “We treat [players] the same way they treat the team,” Vrabel told me earlier this season. “And so that means we’re going to probably treat them differently, but we’re going to treat them the same way they treat the team.” It started with compassion and honesty, with players standing in front of each other at team meetings to share their “four H’s” — hopes, history, heroes and heartbreaks. Vrabel blended those team-building exercises with brutal honesty, which the coach uses to hold players accountable. And there have been so many different Vrabel tactics along the way, including regular showings of WWF clips from the “Road Warriors” and the 1970s movie “The Warriors.” These were intended to inspire the players to maintain their undefeated streak on the road, which stands at 9-0. (And technically, it could reach 10-0 this week, with the Patriots set to wear their white “away” uniforms in Santa Clara.) When training camp starts every summer, all 32 NFL teams want to win a Super Bowl. But, realistically, only a few are seen as having a true shot at the title. There weren’t many people who thought the Patriots had a chance this season. But they got to this point because Wolf and Vrabel found creative and collaborative solutions to the team’s many problems. Their arranged marriage helped them arrange a roster that’s worthy of a Lombardi Trophy. In Game Changers, we offer the playbook on the characters you need to know, on the field and off.​Latest Sports News from FOX Sports

The Seattle Seahawks have won nine straight games, looking for their first Super Bowl title since the 2013 season. On the other hand, the New England Patriots might be embarking on the beginning of a new dynasty in Foxborough. Super Bowl LX has all the makings of a classic, as Seattle was 60-1 in the preseason to win the title while New England was a whopping 80-1. Who’s going to win Sunday in Santa Clara? Here are the FOX Sports staff’s game predictions. Greg Auman: Seahawks 31, Patriots 20 It simply feels like Seattle is a more complete team, dominant on both sides. New England’s defense has done the heavy lifting in three playoff wins, but I think Seattle is better than anything they’ve faced. I think offensive coordinator (and soon-to-be Raiders head coach) Klint Kubiak will build a smart game plan that limits the risk for Sam Darnold, and I think Seattle’s playmakers will be the difference in the game. Ben Arthur: Seahawks 24, Patriots 17 Both teams have elite defenses (Seahawks have the slight edge), so I think this comes down to quarterback play. And I just trust Sam Darnold more. That would’ve been a crazy thing to say a year ago, but give him credit. He’s delivered for Seattle in the biggest moments in this Super Bowl run, most notably the NFC championship game. Drake Maye is the MVP finalist, but he hasn’t been the same player since the regular season ended. Henry McKenna: Patriots 17, Seahawks 13 There has been a startling recency bias around the two QBs in this game. Sam Darnold saw two divisional opponents for the third time and had deep familiarity with those defenses — and he beat up on them. But New England’s? Not so much. Meanwhile, Drake Maye has played better than you’d expect (from his statistics) while playing three elite defenses on his playoff run. But he certainly hasn’t matched his impressiveness from the regular season. Darnold will finish this game with three turnovers, with the Patriots’ defense generating interior pressure that makes life difficult to read out Mike Vrabel’s disguised coverages. And that’ll open the door for Maye, who will start nervous in the first half but find his footing enough to score a pair of second-half touchdowns (one rushing and one passing) to win it. The Seahawks will have a final drive for the go-ahead TD, but the Patriots’ defense will hold. Ralph Vacchiano: Seahawks 31, Patriots 20 I have seen the worst of Sam Darnold, and I am over it. He is an elite, championship-worthy quarterback now. But the Seahawks don’t need him to throw for another 346 yards and 3 touchdowns. They have one of the NFL’s best rushing attacks (even without Zach Charbonnet) and a dangerous defense. The Patriots have had a remarkably charmed run and haven’t faced a team as good as the Seahawks all season. That reality is about to smack them hard in the face. Eric D. Williams: Seahawks 27, Patriots 23 Expect the Patriots to keep the game close because of the experience of head coach Mike Vrabel and New England’s underrated defense. However, the Seahawks have too many explosive players on offense for the Patriots to keep Seattle contained for the duration of the game. I don’t see New England’s offensive line keeping Drake Maye clean in perhaps the most lopsided positional match in the game. Maye was sacked an NFL-high 15 times in the playoffs and is responsible for three miscues. Seattle head coach Mike Macdonald and Seattle’s dominant defensive front, led by Leonard Williams and DeMarcus Lawrence, should create problems for Maye. There’s still a chance Sam Darnold reverts to his turnover-prone ways, which leads to a puncher’s chance for New England here. Will Hill: Seahawks 27, Patriots 17 The Patriots have had a remarkable turnaround post-Bill Belichick, but the Seahawks will pose a significant step up in competition compared to what the AFC bracket presented. I expect a low-scoring game, but I think the more talented Seahawks will ultimately pull away and win 27-17, with Sam Darnold taking home MVP. Chris Fallica: Seahawks 27, Patriots 23 I hate the game from a spread standpoint. It seems like a simple handicap where Seattle is better at every position and groupthink has the Seahawks winning comfortably. If anything, I’ll see if I can get a cheap Seahawks’ money line on the game, but I’m not going to lay 4.5 here. Sammy P: Seahawks 23, Patriots 20 After a low-scoring first quarter, I expect things to stay competitive the rest of the way. New England (15-5 ATS) made bettors money all season long and that mostly came in the favorite role. Mike Vrabel is a tremendous underdog coach and that song should remain the same this Sunday in Santa Clara. Geoff Schwartz: Seahawks 24, Patriots 13 The Seahawks have been the best team wire to wire this season and the best case for the Patriots in this game is Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold turning back into a pumpkin, which I do not expect. He’s been nails this postseason. The Seahawks’ defense is going to sit in zone coverage and force the New England to work for all their yard,s which is difficult without dynamic playmakers at the skill positions. The Seahawks will win this game comfortably. Patrick Everson: Seahawks 31, Patriots 17 It might end up being a close game. Maybe New England even pulls off the upset. But Seattle is very good, and I think this game might get away from the Patriots. So I’m betting on a couple of Seahawks alternate spreads, -6.5 and -9.5, hoping to get a little more at the pay window. This page may contain affiliate links to legal sports betting partners. If you sign up or place a wager, FOX Sports may be compensated. Read more about Sports Betting on FOX Sports.​Latest Sports News from FOX Sports

The NFL got all dressed up on Thursday night for its version of the football prom — a chance to walk the red carpet, have a little fun, and celebrate itself by doing everything but officially crowning a king. Hopefully, when they do crown that king on Sunday night in Super Bowl LX, it’ll have a little bit more drama than the NFL awards show had. Most of the winners were the obvious, chalk choices. The only big shocker, really, was the Hall of Fame announcement — though even part of that had been known for days. There were still a few awards worth discussing, though. So here are my four takeaways from the NFL Honors show: 1. A close call? Come on, Matthew Stafford should have been the easiest MVP choice in years How in the world was this the closest MVP vote since Peyton Manning and Steve McNair were co-winners in 2003? I thought Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford was going to run away with this award, and really, he probably should have. He threw for 4,707 yards — nearly 1,000 more than he had a year ago. He had a career-high 46 touchdown passes (up from 20 one year ago) with just eight interceptions. He was brilliant from start to finish and nobody was really close. Yet Stafford only edged Patriots quarterback Drake Maye 366 points to 361, and 24 first-place votes to 23. That’s shocking, really. Even more shocking, Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert got one first-place vote — a vote that would’ve put Maye over the top if it had gone to him instead. When I saw that, by the way, I assumed there had to be another Justin Herbert in the league. Or that maybe the voter just misspelled “Josh Allen.” I honestly can’t think of a reason why Herbert would get even a top-five vote for MVP. Anyway, don’t get me wrong. Maye was great too, throwing for 4,394 yards with 31 touchdowns and eight interceptions. But he was a clear runner-up to Stafford. I can only assume that voters looked at the surrounding cast and decided that Maye had a lot less help around him. Maybe that’s true, and it would’ve mattered a lot more if the numbers were close. But they really weren’t. Stafford’s season, honestly, was a miracle — especially when you consider it began with him having a mysterious back injury during training camp, and the fact that he’s 37 years old. Maye was great. He was a deserving runner-up. He probably earned himself a few first-place votes, too. But this vote just shouldn’t have been that close. 2. The Coach of the Year ballot was stacked, but it was also incomplete. Mike Vrabel — or Mike “Verbal”, as presenter Tiffany Haddish kept calling him — took over a New England Patriots team that went 4-13 a year ago and he turned them into a 14-3 juggernaut that will play in Super Bowl LX on Sunday night. Never mind that they had a cartoonishly soft schedule this season and got every break imaginable. The turnaround was still remarkable, and he was a deserving Coach of the Year. But wow, did he have competition. Two other first-year coaches engineered remarkable turnarounds, too. Liam Coen had the Jaguars at 13-4, one year after going 3-14. And Ben Johnson revived the Bears with an 11-6 record, one year after they went 5-12. Mike Maccdonald didn’t have the same kind of turnaround in Seattle, but he masterfully led the Seahawks to a 14-3 record and the No. 1 seed in the NFC. And Kyle Shanahan held the 49ers together with string and duct tape and they still went 12-6. The ballot was so loaded that there was a glaring omission. How could Sean Payton, who led the Broncos to a 14-3 record and the No. 1 seed in the AFC, not make the top five? Considering they went 12-3 in one-score games (including the playoffs), you better believe coaching had a lot to do with their run, which probably would’ve ended in the Super Bowl if quarterback Bo Nix hadn’t fractured his ankle and missed the AFC Championship Game. 3. If the MVP is going to keep going to QBs, they shouldn’t be candidates for Offensive Player of the Year Thankfully, a non-quarterback won this award — Seattle WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba. And he was well deserved of the award. But Patriots quarterback Drake Maye was a finalist and got five first-place votes. Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford, the NFL MVP, got three first-place votes. And Bills QB Josh Allen got one. It’s pretty ridiculous double-dipping, when you think about it. Quarterbacks have an absolute monopoly on the MVP award. They’ve now won it 13 straight times and 18 times in the last 19 years. Quarterbacks were four of the five finalists this year, which is pretty much the norm. Christian McCaffrey was just a token non-passer. I get it. It’s understandable. Quarterback is the hardest position to play in all of sports and the most important. It is virtually impossible for an NFL team to win these days without a quarterback playing at an elite level. So just make the MVP a quarterback award and let everyone fight it out for the OPOY. Most of the voters seem to get that other offensive players should have a chance to take home a trophy. This was the seventh straight year that a non-quarterback won this award. But it’s time the NFL took the quarterbacks out of the equation entirely, especially if the voters are going to keep giving them MVPs. 4. Bill Belichick broke the Hall of Fame OK, it wasn’t his fault. It was his presence. And we may never know exactly why, but the fact that the select and secret voters committee omitted him is a stain on the Class of 2026. And it’s especially bad now that we know it wasn’t as much about the process as many voters led us to believe. The prevailing theory — and explanation by some — was that Belichick was caught in a broken system, where he was lumped in with three “senior” candidates and one “contributor” and voters could only select three from that five-man group. But it turns out the voters only selected one from that group — senior candidate (and former 49ers running back) Roger Craig. So there was plenty of room for them to vote for Belichick. But apparently at least 11 of them just didn’t. Whatever their reasons — Spygate, his gruff demeanor, his rough relationship with local New England media — is just an excuse for an inexcusable omission. The man won six Super Bowls, 333 total games, and built a franchise that dominated for nearly two decades. With all due respect to the chosen five — Craig, Drew Brees, Larry Fitzgerald, Luke Kuechly and Adam Vinatieri — that’s the story. Belichick should be on the stage with them. The fact that he’s not is an embarrassment that will overshadow all of them, all the way to Canton this summer.​Latest Sports News from FOX Sports

There are good teams. There are great teams. And then there is the juggernaut that Team USA will be sending to the 2026 World Baseball Classic. Under manager Mark DeRosa, this is clear-cut the best roster that Team USA has ever compiled. That seemed to be a given when Aaron Judge, who is set to play in his first WBC, signed on to be the captain of the team. But it goes well beyond the reigning American League MVP. Twenty-two of the 30 players on USA’s roster have been MLB All-Stars, a total that, unsurprisingly, leads all teams in the tournament. (The Dominican Republic’s loaded roster ranks second with 16 former MLB All-Stars, followed by Venezuela with 12.) Just based on MLB production, using 2025 WAR as a guide, USA has concocted the best roster of any team in WBC history. WBC Rosters: Team-By-Team Squads With newcomers in Judge, AL MVP runner-up Cal Raleigh, two-time MVP Bryce Harper, two-time All-Star and 2023 Rookie of the Year Corbin Carroll, two-time All-Star Byron Buxton — joining 2023 holdovers such as Bobby Witt Jr., Kyle Schwarber and Will Smith – the USA’s lineup is even more stacked than it was three years ago. But it’s the pitching that really sets this team apart from previous star-studded groups. WBC Power Rankings: Stacking Japan, USA and All 20 Squads Attracting frontline arms can be an issue ahead of a long MLB season, but not this year. USA recruited both Cy Young Award winners in Tarik Skubal and Paul Skenes to a rotation that also includes two-time All-Star Logan Webb, 2025 All-Stars Joe Ryan and Matthew Boyd and future Hall of Famer Clayton Kershaw, fresh off retirement. Keep in mind, WBC teams really only need four starters throughout the tournament. It’s an embarrassment of riches — and that’s before getting to the power arms at the back end of a bullpen that includes Mason Miller, David Bednar and Griffin Jax. All of that should lead to a USA team more than capable of avenging a 2023 WBC finals loss and reclaiming international glory after winning the tournament in 2017. But it also means some tough decisions ahead for DeRosa when constructing a lineup and figuring out how to deploy the pitching staff. Of course, he’ll be able to mix and match from game to game depending on the competition, but what would the optimal lineup look like? Here’s one take: Lineup So, how would that look defensively? Outfield LF: Corbin Carroll CF: Byron BuxtonRF: Aaron Judge You could certainly make the case to get Pete Crow-Armstrong’s defense in center field — he  might end up platooning with Buxton — but I like the idea of having two strong defenders and potential base-stealers in PCA and Brice Turang off the bench to deploy as needed in the later innings. Judge is an obvious lock in right. Carroll had a 140 OPS+ in a 30-30 season in 2025. Buxton had a 137 OPS+ in 2024 and a nearly identical mark last year (136) in a 30-20 season and career year. Infield 1B: Bryce Harper 2B: Gunnar Henderson SS: Bobby Witt, Jr. 3B: Alex Bregman C: Cal Raleigh DH: Kyle Schwarber After missing the 2023 competition coming off Tommy John surgery, Harper, who played for Team USA’s 16U and 18U teams, will cherish this opportunity. Sure, it might look a little wacky putting Henderson at second base. He hasn’t played the position since he came up as a rookie in 2022, and it’s probably more likely that Turang gets most of the opportunities there when the games begin. DeRosa could platoon the right-handed Witt and the left-handed Henderson at shortstop or Bregman and Henderson at third. But if it’s about fielding the best lineup, it’s hard to argue against finding a way to keep Witt, Henderson and Bregman all in the lineup. Raleigh and Schwarber need little explanation after leading the AL and NL, respectively, in home runs last year. Smith will be able to give Raleigh a spell behind the plate throughout the tournament. Rotation LHP Tarik SkubalRHP Paul Skenes RHP Logan WebbRHP Joe Ryan Swingmen/other options LHP Matthew BoydRHP Nolan McLeanRHP Clay HolmesRHP Michael WachaLHP Clayton Kershaw There are far more options to start games than DeRosa will need — at the last tournament, USA used just four starters — so he’ll likely save Skubal and Skenes for the most important ones. It’ll be interesting to see which one gets the start in the final if USA makes it that far. There’s no wrong choice. Bullpen RHP Mason MillerRHP David Bednar RHP Griffin JaxRHP Brad KellerRHP Garrett Whitlock LHP Gabe SpeierLHP Garrett Cleavinger Everyone wants to watch Miller blow 103 mph four-seamers past amateur athletes to finish off games, right? My guess is he earns the majority of save opportunities, but Bednar is another strong option, and lefties Speier and Cleavinger give DeRosa answers for any lineup he faces. Not bad!​Latest Sports News from FOX Sports

Japan’s the team to beat, but they’ll have some stiff competition from the rest of the globe in the 2026 World Baseball Classic. Will the returning champs earn their fourth WBC title? Or will this be a Dream Team for the USA? Rosters were officially unveiled Thursday night for the World Baseball Classic, as the 20-team tournament will return in March with a record 78 MLB All-Stars taking part. Before Samurai Japan tries to defend its title, here are four takeaways following the roster announcement: 1. Team USA, with its best group ever assembled, should be the favorites Samurai Japan has dominated the international game, winning the WBC three times, and will be returning 10 players from its 2023 championship team. Japan’s roster is littered with both MLB talents — nine big-league players on the roster — and NPB standouts, including Sawamura Award winner Hiromi Itoh. Until proven otherwise, they’re the kings, even without Shohei Ohtani, Roki Sasaki, Shota Imanaga or Yu Darvish on the mound in this year’s competition. But the favorite for 2026? It has to be USA’s Dream Team. The success and joy of the 2023 WBC not only brought more eyeballs to international competition but also motivated some of the sport’s best players to get involved. Nowhere is that clearer than the pitching staff that USA manager Mark DeRosa will get to oversee. USA upgraded from a rotation of Merrill Kelly, Lance Lynn, Adam Wainwright and Nick Martinez in 2023 to American League Cy Young Award winner Tarik Skubal, National League Cy Young Award winner Paul Skenes and All-Stars Logan Webb and Joe Ryan for this year’s tournament. You could field another WBC-worthy rotation with the starting options behind them on USA’s bench (Matt Boyd, Michael Wacha, Nolan McLean, Clay Holmes and Clayton Kershaw), and both Mason Miller and David Bednar are there to shut the door on any opponent. The lineup, meanwhile, is seeing its own infusion of talent as AL MVP Aaron Judge enters the fold as USA’s captain. He’ll be joined by AL MVP runner-up Cal Raleigh, Bryce Harper, Corbin Carroll, Byron Buxton, Alex Bregman, Gunnar Henderson and more. Bobby Witt Jr., who led MLB in hits last year, is back to try to avenge USA’s 2023 finals defeat. Kyle Schwarber, who led the NL with 56 home runs, is back, too. Pete Crow-Armstrong and Brice Turang add both speed and defense. The bench for Team USA could be its own All-Star team. However DeRosa wants to order it, it’s by far the most talented group USA has entered into competition. We won’t get another Ohtani vs. Mike Trout matchup to close out the finals — Ohtani will only be hitting for Japan, and Trout isn’t on USA’s squad this year — but the talent is so deep in this year’s tournament that new magical moments are sure to arise. Speaking of the talent in this year’s field… 2. Dominican Republic looks poised to bounce back after a disappointing 2023 showing The biggest surprise of the 2023 WBC wasn’t that Japan bested the United States but that the Dominican Republic, with a team chock-full of stars, including Juan Soto, Julio Rodriguez, Manny Machado, Ketel Marte, Rafael Devers and Jeremy Peña, didn’t even make it out of pool play. It’s hard to see that happening again, even in a pool that includes another championship contender in Venezuela and a Netherlands offense that will feature Xander Bogaerts, Jurickson Profar, Ceddanne Rafaela and Ozzie Albies. Not only is the Dominican Republic’s offense brimming with even more talent — Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Fernando Tatis Jr., Junior Caminero, Geraldo Perdomo and Oneil Cruz will be among the many standouts joining Soto, Rodriguez, Machado, Marte and Peña this go-around — but the rotation should also be much better now that Cristopher Sanchez, Luis Severino and Brayan Bello will be joining Sandy Alcantara. The team is stacked, and now it should be motivated, too. [WBC Power Rankings: Who Joins USA, Japan As Favorites?] 3. The “Big 3” should maybe be a “Big 4” In a pool that included heavyweights Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico in the 2023 WBC, Venezuela went 4-0. A quarterfinal battle with USA awaited, and it took an eighth-inning, go-ahead grand slam from Trea Turner for the U.S. team to emerge victorious. Three years later, Venezuela looks like an even more complete team, despite Jose Altuve being unable to get insured for the tournament. The Venezuela outfield of Ronald Acuña Jr., Jackson Chourio and Wilyer Abreu and the catching tandem of William Contreras and captain Salvador Perez will be among the best in the field. The infield is stacked with MLB talent. Maikel Garcia is coming off an All-Star and Gold Glove campaign in Kansas City, Willson Contreras adds more power to the group, and Eugenio Suárez, Andrés Gimenez, Gleyber Torres and Luis Arraez are all returning from a 2023 team that produced an .835 OPS in the last tournament. Now, Venezuela has the pitching staff to match with Pablo Lopez and Ranger Suarez forming a dynamic duo at the top of the rotation and Daniel Palencia and Jose Alvarado available for the late innings. Venezuela, Puerto Rico and Mexico, which made it to the semifinals in the last tournament, are the top contenders behind the fearsome threesome of USA, Japan and the Dominican Republic. [2026 WBC: Full Rosters For USA, Japan And All 20 Teams] 4. Canada and Italy are among sleepers with pieces to make a run The top teams in this tournament are just so stacked that it’s hard to imagine that teams such as Brazil, Nicaragua and the Czech Republic — as much fun as this group of amateurs was to watch in the last tourney — going all the way. The rosters of USA, Japan and Dominican Republic (and Venezuela, Mexico and Puerto Rico behind them) are just too stacked. Still, you could make the case for a number of teams to go on a surprise run, as Cuba and Mexico did in the last tournament all the way to the semifinals. This is Canada’s best chance to make it out of the first round, even with Freddie Freeman not playing in this year’s tournament. The team has a litany of big-league talents, from the Naylor brothers to Otto Lopez, Tyler O’Neill, Edouard Julien and Liam Hicks, a dynamic outfielder in Denzel Clarke, an up-and-coming talent in Owen Caissie and enough MLB pitchers to garner some belief, especially since the team gets to avoid USA and Mexico in pool play. The San Juan pool (Puerto Rico, Cuba, Canada, Panama, Colombia) looks as up-for-grabs as any group in the tournament. Speaking of that pool, don’t sleep on a Panama group with Ivan Herrera, Jose Caballero, Edmundo Sosa, Miguel Amaya and Guardians starter Logan Allen. Italy has a much tougher draw — the team would have to stun either USA or Mexico to advance — but after making it to the quarterfinals in the last tournament, it’s a young club on the rise led by captain Vinnie Pasquantino. Recent top prospects turned big leaguers are sprinkled throughout the roster, from Jac Caglianone to Kyle Teel to Jakob Marsee, and now Italy has its best ever frontline arm with Aaron Nola joining the group.​Latest Sports News from FOX Sports

Three years after Shohei Ohtani struck out then-Angels teammate Mike Trout to claim Japan’s third World Baseball Classic title, baseball’s biggest international tournament is only weeks away from returning. In its quest to rebound, Team USA has reloaded its roster with the best one it has ever assembled — a group that includes AL MVP Aaron Judge and the AL and NL Cy Young Award winners Tarik Skubal and Paul Skenes — as it enters the 2026 WBC as the favorites. Pool play for the 20-team tournament begins on March 5 and culminates with the championship on March 17 in Miami. Here are the 20 teams in the tournament, ranked from 20 to 1, along with players to watch for each squad. THE LONGSHOTS 20. Brazil Player to Watch: Lucas Ramirez, Outfielder Brazil will be playing in the tournament for the first time since 2013 and only their second appearance ever in the tournament. 19. Czech Republic Player to Watch: Terrin Vavra, Infielder Sure, the WBC is incredible because it can provide moments like the final out of the 2023 WBC when Ohtani struck out Trout. But part of its charm is that it can also set up a matchup like Ondrej Satoria, an electrician who moonlights as a pitcher for the Czech Republic, facing off against Ohtani … and triumphing. Satoria, whose fastball topped out in the high-70s, struck out the best player in the game on three pitches in one of the coolest moments of the last tournament. They’re in the same pool as Japan again. 18. Nicaragua Player to Watch: Mark Vientos, Infielder The most obvious player to watch on the field for this team is Mets infielder Mark Vientos. The most obvious person to watch, however, might be 76-year-old Dusty Baker, who is set to manage the Nicaraguan team. 17. Chinese Taipei Player to Watch: Yu Chang, Shortstop Chinese Taipei won gold at the 2024 Premier12 tournament. Now, this team will try to ride that momentum into the WBC led by Yu Chang, who was the 2023 Pool A MVP despite his team not advancing. Chang went 7-for-16 with two homers and two doubles in the last tournament. WORTH KEEPING AN EYE ON 16. Great Britain Player to Watch: Jazz Chisholm Jr., Second Baseman Great Britain won a WBC game for the first time ever in the last tournament, upsetting Colombia. It’ll be a tough draw ahead in a pool with USA, Mexico and Italy. But while reliever Aroldis Chapman won’t be pitching for Great Britain, as some had initially hoped, the team will have Jazz Chisholm Jr. starring in the lineup. 15. Australia Player to Watch: Travis Bazzana, Second Baseman Coming off a surprise run to the quarterfinals — and nearly a trip to the semifinals — in the 2023 WBC, Guardians top prospect Travis Bazzana will try to help Australia build on its success. White Sox infielder Curtis Mead will be joining him, and Robbie Glendinning, Rixon Wingrove, Alex Hall, Tim Kennelly and Robbie Perkins — who all homered in the last WBC — are back for more. 14. Colombia Player to Watch: Jose Quintana, Pitcher Offense might again be hard to come by for this group, which had a .525 OPS in the last tournament and needed to win its qualifier to make it to this year’s WBC. Still, MLB vets Jose Quintana, Julio Teheran, Nabil Crismatt and Luis Patino give them a chance on the mound. 13. Panama Player to Watch: Ivan Herrera, Catcher Herrera, who has a 132 OPS+ the last two years in St. Louis, will be one of the offensive standouts. But the lineup will also boast more familiar MLB names, from Jose Caballero to Edmundo Sosa and Miguel Amaya. Meanwhile, they’ll have Guardians starter Logan Allen and Ariel Jurado, who was 15-8 with a 2.60 ERA in the KBO last year, as part of the rotation. This is an interesting team to watch. 12. Israel Player to Watch: Harrison Bader, Center Fielder Team Israel went 1-3 and failed to advance out of pool play in the 2023 WBC. It will be a tough task again this year in a group that includes the Dominican Republic and Venezuela, but Harrison Bader, Spencer Horwitz, Garrett Stubbs, Matt Mervis, Dean Kremer, Tommy Kahnle and Max Lazar will be among the talents with MLB experience who will give them a shot. 11. Netherlands Player to Watch: Jurickson Profar, Left Fieder They’ll be managed by new Hall of Famer Andruw Jones, whose son, D-backs prospect Druw Jones, will be on the team. The Netherlands made semifinal appearances in 2013 and 2017 before failing to advance out of pool play in 2023 due to tiebreaker rules. An offense featuring Jurickson Profar, Xander Bogaerts, Ceddanne Rafaela, Ozzie Albies and Chadwick Tromp can make some noise, but their pitching might have a tough time on the international stage. THE SLEEPERS 10. Cuba Players to Watch: Yoan Moncada (3B), Yariel Rodriguez (RHP), Raidel Martínez (RHP) Cuba made it to the semifinals in 2023 WBC with Yoán Moncada leading the way. He went 10-for-23 in the tournament and is back in 2026. Blue Jays pitcher Yariel Rodriguez and Raidel Martínez, one of NPB’s most dominant closers, are among the club’s talented arms, but it might be an uphill battle for Cuba to enjoy the same success they did in 2023. 9. Korea Players to Watch: Jung Hoo Lee (CF), Hyeseong Kim (2B), Hyun-Jin Ryu (LHP) Korea failed to advance out of pool play in the last tournament, which was surprising to see. Tommy Edman won’t be participating this time around as he recovers from offseason ankle surgery, but Giants outfielder Jung Hoo Lee will still get a boost from more MLB talents this time around both in the lineup (Hyeseong Kim, Jahmai Jones, Shay Whitcomb) and on the mound (Dane Dunning, Riley O’Brien). The latter additions are especially important, considering Korea’s pitchers tallied a 7.55 ERA in the last WBC. Infielder Do Yeong Kim and outfielder Ja Wook Koo — who each hit  more than 30 homers in the KBO in 2024 — are among the other names to watch in the lineup, while former MLB All-Star Hyun-Jin Ryu, now 38, will be a familiar face on the pitching staff. Ryu, who was unable to pitch in the last tournament due to injury, was still getting it done in the KBO last season with a 3.23 ERA in 26 starts for the Hanwha Eagles. 8. Italy Players to Watch: Vinnie Pasquantino (1B), Aaron Nola (RHP), Kyle Teel (C) After making it to the quarterfinals in the 2023 WBC, Italy’s squad is on the rise. Vinnie Pasquantino is back, and he’ll be joined by a lot more rising MLB talents in this year’s tournament, including Royals teammate Jac Caglianone, White Sox standout Kyle Teel and Marlins outfielder Jakob Marsee. Perhaps most importantly, the pitching staff will have its best starter ever in the tournament with the addition of Aaron Nola. Italy will have a tough time advancing from a pool that features the USA and Mexico at the top, but it has a chance to gain some early momentum starting the competition against Brazil and Great Britain. 7. Canada Players to Watch: Josh Naylor (1B), Tyler O’Neill (OF), Owen Caissie (OF) Canada has never advanced past the group stage, but even without Freddie Freeman this time around, this could be their year to do so. Canada will get to avoid fellow North American squads USA and Mexico — the teams that prevented them from advancing in 2023 — in a pool with Puerto Rico, Colombia, Cuba and Panama. There are major-leaguers sprinkled throughout the lineup beyond the Naylor brothers, including Tyler O’Neill, Otto Lopez, Edouard Julien, Abraham Toro and Liam Hicks, and MLB starters Mike Soroka, Jameson Taillon and Cal Quantrill — as well as dynamic outfield defender Denzel Clarke — might be able to mask some of the bullpen concerns. Outfielder Owen Caissie, the prize of the Edward Cabrera trade, will be another player to watch on the international stage. THE TOP CONTENDERS 6. Puerto Rico Players to Watch: Edwin Diaz (RHP), Seth Lugo (RHP), Nolan Arenado (3B) After falling to Mexico in the last WBC quarterfinal, this isn’t the full group that Puerto Rico hoped to compile in 2026 as a dark-horse title contender. Ideally, Francisco Lindor would be captaining a Puerto Rico team that’s hosting games in San Juan, but the Mets star was denied insurance after a cleanup procedure on his elbow this offseason. Carlos Correa, Victor Caratini, Emilio Pagan, Jose Berrios and Alexis Diaz were also reportedly among the players denied insurance, too, and Riley Greene decided not to play for Puerto Rico. But this is still a formidable group that should have a chip on its shoulder. Edwin Díaz, whose freak injury celebrating during the 2023 WBC may have led to some of these stricter insurance policies, will be there to finish games. Seth Lugo, Nolan Arenado, Willi Castro, Heliot Ramos, Fernando Cruz and top Yankees pitching prospect Elmer Rodriguez are among the top talents on a Puerto Rico team that finished second in the tournament in 2013 and 2017. 5. Mexico Players to Watch: Randy Arozarena (LF), Jarren Duran (CF), Andres Muñoz (RHP) Mexico nearly upset Japan in the 2023 WBC to make it to the championship before settling for a third-place finish. Randy Arozarena, Jarren Duran, Jonathan Aranda, Alek Thomas, Taijuan Walker, José Urquidy and Javier Assad will be among the top returners from that group hoping to make a similar charge in 2026. This time, they’ll also have Alejandro Kirk and Joey Ortiz in the lineup, Taj Bradley as a starting pitching option and Andres Muñoz as their shutdown closer. There are stronger rotations in this tournament, but they certainly have the pieces to make another deep run. 4. Venezuela Players to Watch: Ronald Acuña Jr. (RF), Jackson Chourio (CF), Salvador Perez (C) Even without Jose Altuve and Miguel Rojas, who were unable to get insured for the tournament, captain Salvador Perez will be surrounded by big-league talent around him at the 2026 WBC. An outfield composed of Ronald Acuna Jr., Jackson Chourio and Wilyer Abreu can go toe-to-toe with any of the behemoths. Maikel Garcia, coming off a breakout All-Star campaign in Kansas City, will be playing in his first WBC. Eugenio Suárez, who led all MLB third basemen with 49 homers in 2025 and went 7-for-14 in the last WBC, will be back. The lineup will also have bat-to-ball skills with Luis Arraez and Gleyber Torres, and the rotation will have a strong 1-2 punch at the top with Pablo López and Ranger Suárez. Don’t sleep on this group. 3. Japan Players to Watch: Shohei Ohtani (DH), Yoshinobu Yamamoto (RHP), Munetaka Murakami (1B) It’s probably unfair to put Japan here. While Samurai Japan doesn’t boast the same number of MLB superstars as the top two teams on this list, they’re still the kings of international competition until proven otherwise. Japan is the only team to win the tournament multiple times, and it will be returning 10 players from a 2023 group that blitzed the competition. Japan outscored its pool-play opponents in the last tournament by 30 runs, and this time Seiya Suzuki will be available after missing the previous competition due to injury. Ohtani will only be available as a DH this time around, but there are nine MLB players — including new MLB players Munetaka Murakami and Kazuma Okamoto — amid a core of talents who know one another well, and the litany of NPB standouts on manager Hirokazu Ibata’s roster will have plenty of time to prepare together as Japan attempts to defend its crown. 2. Dominican Republic Players to Watch: Juan Soto (RF), Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (1B), Fernando Tatis Jr. (RF) After winning the tournament in 2013, the Dominican Republic didn’t make it out of the second round in 2017. Surprisingly, it got even worse for Team D.R. in 2023, as the extraordinarily talented group failed to emerge from pool play after losing to Venezuela and Puerto Rico. Surely, that will be on the team’s mind this go-around. With a roster that includes Juan Soto, Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Fernando Tatis Jr., Julio Rodriguez, Ketel Marte, Jeremy Peña, Manny Machado, Junior Caminero and Geraldo Perdomo, the club is oozing with MLB stars. The offense is what makes this group a championship contender, but they’ll also have a more robust pitching staff this time around. Cristopher Sánchez, Luis Severino and Brayan Bello will be joining a rotation that includes 2023 holdover Sandy Alcantara. This could be their year. 1. USA Players to Watch: Aaron Judge (RF), Tarik Skubal (LHP), Paul Skenes (RHP) In the 2023 WBC, USA finished in second place with a rotation of Merrill Kelly, Lance Lynn, Adam Wainwright and Nick Martinez. In 2026, they’ll have reigning Cy Young Award winners Tarik Skubal and Paul Skenes and All-Stars Logan Webb and Joe Ryan. It’s a massive upgrade for manager Mark DeRosa’s squad, and that’s before getting to a lineup that will now include reigning AL MVP Aaron Judge, the AL and NL MVP runners-up in Cal Raleigh and Kyle Schwarber and a star-studded group from top to bottom. The worst position player on the USA’s roster would be the best player for most of the teams in the tournament. This is the best team USA has ever fielded, and it’s not close. They’re in prime position to avenge their 2023 finals defeat.​Latest Sports News from FOX Sports