Former Coach of the Year winner and New York Giants head coach Brian Daboll has an interview this week for the Titans’ vacant head coach position.

Daboll is one of many coaches that the Titans have and will interview, including their interim coach, Mike McCoy, who took over after the Titans fired former coach Brian Callahan back in October after a rough 1-5 start to the season.

Daboll is looking for a fresh start after going 20-40-1 during his tenure with the Giants. He saw major success in his first season as a head coach, going 9-7-1 and beating the Minnesota Vikings in the wildcard round. Daboll was awarded the Coach of the Year in 2022 after leading the Giants back to the playoffs for the first time since 2016.

After winning just 9 games combined in 2023 and 2024, Daboll seemed to have built a strong connection with rookie quarterback Jaxson Dart, but as the Giants kept losing close games, the front office decided to move on from Daboll in November.

Previously, Daboll was the offensive coordinator for Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills, which originally made Daboll a head coaching candidate after the Bills’ offense finished top five in consecutive years.

The Titans are an intriguing destination for head coach candidates as they have top pick Cam Ward at quarterback and the 4th overall pick in the upcoming NFL Draft.

Daboll helped develop Allen in Buffalo and Dart in New York, so adding Daboll could help unleash the former first overall pick, Ward. Ward showed flashes of excellence during his rookie season and looks to break out in 2026.

The Titans are one of eight teams looking for a new head coach. The list includes the Pittsburgh Steelers, Baltimore Ravens, Atlanta Falcons, New York Giants, Las Vegas Raiders, Cleveland Browns and Arizona Cardinals.

Seattle Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold‘s status for the NFC divisional round was in doubt after injuring his oblique in practice on Thursday. Darnold, listed as questionable, is expected to be under center against the San Francisco 49ers.

Darnold told the media that he “felt a little something” on his left side while throwing. Darnold said that he left practice for precautionary reasons. He was quick to shut down any potential of him not playing on Saturday. “Just didn’t want to push it,” Darnold said.

Seahawks offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak declined to comment about Darnold and said that backup quarterback Drew Lock got some reps on Thursday.

The Seahawks are going to need Darnold to be close to 100% as they face one of the best defensive coordinators and potential head coach candidates, Robert Saleh. In previous matchups against the 49ers, Seattle’s offense struggled, scoring just 13 points in both meetings. Darnold will be getting some help as left tackle Charles Cross is back from injury and will suit up.

Darnold, 28, was selected to the Pro Bowl for the second consecutive season and became just the second quarterback to win 14+ games in back-to-back seasons, joining Tom Brady. Darnold threw for 4,048 yards and 25 touchdowns, both being in the top ten amongst the league.

The Seahawks signed Darnold to a three-year, $100.5 million contract after having a career year with the Minnesota Vikings. The investment has paid off so far with Darnold leading the Seahawks to the number one overall seed and winning the NFC West for the first time since 2020. The former third overall pick has had a career revival after stints with the Jets, Panthers and 49ers.

After a disappointing playoff debut last season, Darnold looks to get the first playoff win of his career and to bring a Super Bowl back to Seattle.

The Houston Texans picked up a massive round one playoff win on the road, but not all is good, as Pro Bowl wide receiver Nico Collins got carted off the field due to a concussion.

Collins sustained the injury at the end of the third quarter when he landed on top of his head after a slant route. He immediately pointed toward his head as the receiver was visibly in pain. The Texans’ training staff checked him out in the blue medical tent before carting him back to the locker room for further examination. Collins was quickly ruled out after totaling three catches for 21 yards on seven targets.

This was the second concussion Collins has suffered this season, the first one on October 21 vs the Seattle Seahawks, which forced him to miss one game. This almost certainly puts the 1,000-yard receivers’ availability for the divisional round in doubt.

Head coach Demeco Ryans said in his post-game press conference, “We’ll see how this week goes” regarding Collins’ status for their matchup against the New England Patriots on a short week.

Collins is an irreplaceable player as the fifth-year wideout led the team with 1,117 yards and six touchdowns. If Collins is unable to go on Sunday, it will be a massive blow for C.J. Stroud and the Texans’ offense, who have struggled this season to consistently put up points.

Stroud will have to rely on veteran wide receiver Christian Kirk, who stepped up in a big way with 144 yards and a touchdown on Monday. Expect to see an increase in targets for Xavier Hutchinson and rookie Jayden Higgins if Collins is sidelined this Sunday.

In the one game without Collins, the Texans beat the San Francisco 49ers 26-15, with Hutchinson leading the receiver room for 69 yards and a touchdown.

Collins signed a three-year, $72.75 million contract extension in May 2024.

Aaron Rodgers abruptly ended his postgame press conference after being asked about Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin and his future with the organization.

Rodgers said explicitly, “I’ve talked extensively about how I feel about Mike [Tomlin]… and I just did in that f—ing answer” before leaving the press conference.

The four-time MVP is no stranger to showing his emotions on or off the field, especially after a frustrating 30-6 wildcard loss at home versus the Houston Texans, in what could potentially be his last game ever.

The Steelers’ offense had no answers for the suffocating Texans defense, which sacked Rodgers four times and forced two turnovers, both returned for touchdowns.

With Tomlin stepping down as head coach, a new voice will be the leader of the Pittsburgh Steelers for the first time in 19 years. This is a major shakeup around the league as Tomlin never posted a losing record in his career. Although Tomlin has won a Super Bowl, the last time he and the Steelers won a playoff game was all the way back in January 2017, when they beat the Alex Smith-led Kansas City Chiefs 19-13 in the AFC divisional round. This marks just the fourth time the Steelers will be looking for a new head coach since 1969.

However, Rodgers and Tomlin saw success in their one season together. The pair went 10-7 and won the AFC North, while Rodgers had a much-improved year coming off what was a disappointing two-year stint with the New York Jets. The 42-year-old quarterback posted 3,322 yards, 24 touchdowns and just 7 interceptions in his 21st season under center.

Another offseason decision looms large for Rodgers, as he decides whether to end a storied career or continue playing. If he were to continue playing, Rodgers would be on the open market, and a return to Pittsburgh is certainly up in the air with Tomlin out of the picture.

After a disappointing wildcard loss to the San Francisco 49ers, the Philadelphia Eagles have decided to make a change at offensive coordinator, moving on from Kevin Patullo after one year.

However, according to NFL Network reporter Mike Garafolo, the Eagles did not fire Patullo, as there is still a chance he remains on Nick Sirianni’s coaching staff.

The Eagles hoped for a repeat of last season, but a lackluster offensive output this year led players to openly call for change.

Quarterback Jalen Hurts avoided all questions regarding Patullo and his future with the organization. When Hurts was asked if he wanted Patullo back, he stated, “It’s too soon to think about that,” at his Monday press conference while cleaning out his locker.

The Eagles’ offense struggled to find an identity, struggling in both the pass and run games compared to last season with Kellen Moore, who went on to take the head coaching job with the New Orleans Saints.

Hurts will be going into his seventh season with his seventh different offensive coordinator, which can make it difficult to find an identity.

Hurts had two games this season in which he failed to complete a pass in the second half. Hurts also saw a massive drop-off in rushing attempts, going from 150 carries in 2024 to 105 in 2025.

A.J. Brown was also a major talking point throughout the year as his production dipped with Patullo as the playcaller. Brown got into a verbal altercation with Sirianni during Sunday’s game, which led to Brown not speaking to the media after the game and on Monday. Brown publicly voiced his frustration throughout the season, questioning his role in the offense.

The Eagles will look to bounce back next season with a new play caller, but uncertainty remains about Brown’s future with the Eagles.

The Green Bay Packers’ last three seasons have all looked the same, with them having the no. 7 seed. Now it seems like they will be keeping things more or less the same heading into 2026.

ESPN reported that the Green Bay Packers will be looking to reach an extension with head coach Matt LaFleur. This is despite him blowing an 18-point lead to the Bears in the playoffs. He has just one year remaining on his contract, and expressed his desire to stay with the team during post-game interviews.

LaFleur started out as an offensive assistant for the Division II Saginaw Valley State Cardinals in 2003. A season later, he would get a Division I job as the graduate assistant for Central Michigan. 

LaFleur got his first NFL job in 2008 as the Texans’ offensive assistant. There, he would learn under offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan, who would later become the 49ers’ head coach. The Texans had the 10th-best offense in the 2009 season. 

After this, his role changed to quarterbacks coach. He worked with the Redskins from 2010 to 2013, Notre Dame in 2014 and the Falcons from 2015-2016 in this role. In 2016, Falcons QB Matt Ryan had an MVP season, and the team made the Super Bowl. He was once again working with Shanahan.

After helping Ryan have an elite season, he was hired by the Rams to be their offensive coordinator. The Rams have their first winning season since 2003. They lost in the Wild Card game to LeFluer’s former team, the Falcons. The Titans also hired him as an offensive coordinator in 2018, but that wouldn’t net the same results.

Still, the Packers saw potential in him and hired him in 2019 to replace their long-time coach, Mike McCarthy. He won 13 games in each of his first three seasons and helped Aaron Rodgers get two more MVPs on his resume. In 2022, Rodgers showed a decline, which led the Packers to miss the playoffs. The Packers would move on from Rodgers and switch to Jordan Love at QB. The duo of Love and LaFleur has made the playoffs for three straight seasons.  

Heavyweight boxing champion Anthony Joshua has broken his silence on the car crash that killed two of his friends.

The crash happened on December 29, 2025, in Nigeria. The group crashed into a stationary truck on the Lagos-Ibadan expressway. 

The car, a Lexus SUV, was being driven by Adeniyi Mobolaji Kayode. Kayode was charged with dangerous driving, reckless and negligent driving, driving without due care, and driving without a valid driver’s license.

It’s unclear why Kayode was driving the vehicle. Personal drivers must undergo extensive background checks, including verifying that they have a valid license and a clean record. 

Joshua’s two friends were Sina Ghami and Kevin “Latif” Ayodele. Ayodele and Joshua had been friends since they were ten. Joshua and Ayodele both met Ghami in their teenage years. 

Ayodele had several stints with non-league football teams in the United Kingdom. After his playing career, he created a business, Healthy Mindset. He built an app that helped people train physically and improve their mental health. He was a frequent donor to the SPOT project, which built schools and orphanages in Gambia, a country in West Africa. He also helped with Joshua’s training.

Memorial services were held for Ayodele and Ghami. Joshua was in attendance, but had stayed silent until recently. On January 8, Joshua posted on Instagram to break his silence on the matter.

“I’ll just be walking with them and cracking jokes with them, not even knowing God kept me in the presence of great men,” Joshua said.

“100% it’s tough for me, but I know it’s even tougher for their parents.” Joshua said, “I have a strong mind, and I believe God knows their hearts. May God have mercy on my brothers.”

If you’re an NFL team looking for a new head coach, Matt Nagy may just be your guy.

Nagy is currently the offensive coordinator for the Kansas City Chiefs. He started coaching high school football in 2001 and became an NFL coach in 2008. 

He started off as a coaching intern for the Eagles. In 2010, he was promoted to coaching assistant. He became the offense quality control coach in 2011. 

In 2013, the Chiefs signed him to be their quarterbacks coach. There, he worked with Alex Smith and helped him make the Pro Bowl in 2013. In 2016, he got his first chance to be the Chiefs’ offensive coordinator. He coached Patrick Mahomes for one game, the final game of the 2017 season. 

The Chiefs made the playoffs in both of Nagy’s seasons as offensive coordinator. Several teams looked to him as a possible head coach, and he’d ultimately sign with the Bears. He made the playoffs two of his four seasons with the Bears, including a 12-win season in 2018. Nagy’s offensive coaching skills had Mitch Trubisky playing like a star. 

The Bears missed the playoffs in 2021, leading to Nagy’s firing. Some fans argued that Nagy’s offensive coaching skills actually cost him his job. This is because he made Trubisky look better than he actually was, which led the Bears to overestimate the roster’s long-term viability.

The Chiefs brought him on in 2022 as the senior assistant and QB coach. A lot had changed for Mahomes since Nagy coached him last. However, the Chiefs had recently traded Tyreek Hill to the Dolphins, leaving Mahomes without an important weapon. Nagy and Mahomes both made sure the Chiefs didn’t miss a beat, leading to a Mahomes MVP and Chiefs Super Bowl championship. 

Nagy was promoted to offensive coordinator the next season. Although they won the Super Bowl again in 2023, the next two seasons would see a decline on the offensive end. Despite some concerns, Nagy has extensive experience. 

The Pittsburgh Steelers are a franchise known for their consistency. However, the 2026 season will bring a rapid shake-up in leadership at the head coaching position.

Mike Tomlin announced on Jan. 13 that he would step down as the Steelers’ head coach after 19 seasons. Tomlin never finished below .500 in his tenure. His shining achievement was his Super Bowl XLIII win. 

Tomlin was a wide receiver at William & Mary from 1990 to 1994. After his graduation, he was given a chance to be a wide receivers coach for the Virginia Military Institute Kaydets. They are a Division 1 FCS team. 

Tomlin got his shot in the NFL in 2001, serving as the Buccaneers’ defensive backs coach. He worked for one year as the Vikings’ defensive coordinator before being hired by the Steelers as head coach.

The Steelers reached the Super Bowl twice in Tomlin’s first four seasons. They won Super Bowl XLIII and lost Super Bowl XLV to the Packers. In the 2016 playoffs, they lost to the Patriots in the conference championship game. This would be the last playoff win of Tomlin’s Steelers tenure.

The Steelers may look to Tomlin’s coaching tree for a replacement. Bruce Arians, the Super Bowl-winning coach of the Buccaneers, is his most notable trainee. Offensive Coordinator Arthur Smith brings head coaching experience, having coached the Falcons from 2021 to 2023. 

Any team that has an opening at head coach is likely to contact Tomlin. The Ravens would give him a chance to join a team that can contend for the Super Bowl. Meanwhile, the Giants have a good young core that Tomlin can help develop. It’s important to note that no Super Bowl-winning coach has ever won the game with another team. Some legendary coaches like Andy Reid and Bill Parcells have made it with multiple teams, but never won with more than one.  

The Atlanta Falcons may be looking for a new head coach and general manager, but they plan to keep a familiar face in the quarterback room.

The Falcons and Kirk Cousins have agreed to restructure the final two years of his contract. He was signed to a four-year, $180 million contract in the 2024 offseason. His base salary in 2026 has been drastically reduced to $2.1 million. This won’t affect his signing and roster bonus. In 2027, his base salary balloons to $67.9 million. However, if he’s released after the 2026 season, they will only owe him $12.5 million. If they released him this offseason, he’ll be owed $35 million. 

The 2024 season got off to a good start for Cousins. He threw 14 touchdowns and seven interceptions and led the Falcons to a 5-3 record. In the next six games, he threw four touchdowns and nine interceptions and had a 2-4 record. He was benched for rookie QB Michael Penix Jr. 

Cousins spent most of the first half of 2025 on the bench. However, he became the starter in Week 11 after Penix Jr. partially tore his ACL. Cousins led the Falcons to a 5-3 record and had 10 touchdowns and 5 interceptions. His best game was a 29-28 victory against the Buccaneers, where he threw 3 touchdowns. He threw two interceptions and no touchdowns against the Seahawks, but very few QBs fared well against that defense. 

The Falcons won five of their eight games with Cousins at the QB spot. Outside of a three-touchdown game against the Patriots, Penix Jr. looked extremely underwhelming. The second half of the season showed the Falcons have the pieces to compete. Will they start the veteran Cousins to try and make the playoffs for the first time since 2017? 

The Philadelphia Eagles entered the 2025 season as the defending champions. However, their Super Bowl-winning status couldn’t save them from locker room problems.

There have been reports from major reporters all season that wide receiver A.J. Brown is not happy with the Eagles. He reportedly feels as if he’s not getting enough usage in the Eagles’ offense. This all culminated in Brown getting into an argument with head coach Nick Sirianni during the wild-card game against the 49ers. 

In the second quarter, Brown and left tackle Jordan Mailata were slow to get off the field following an incompletion on third down. Sirianni yelled at them to get off the field so they could switch to special teams. Brown took exception to this and got into a heated argument with his coach before being moved away by a security officer. 

Sirianni downplayed the argument, saying, “I think he knows how I feel about him. I have a special relationship with him. We’ve probably [gone] through every emotion you can possibly have together. We’ve laughed together. We’ve cried together. We’ve yelled at each other. We’re both emotional. I was trying to get him off the field, and that happens in this game.”

Meanwhile, Mailata actually defended his teammate, saying, “I love that – that passion, that fire, that grit, he gives everything every week for us. He’s dealt with some injuries, and he’s made himself available every game this year to be out there playing.”

Unfortunately for Brown, this isn’t the only thing people talked about after the game. He also had two key drops that proved to be difference-makers. 

Eagles fans have questioned all season whether Brown’s alleged complaints were valid or if he needed to buy into the Eagles’ system. This game was not a good look for Brown’s case. 

The San Francisco 49ers upset the Eagles to advance to the divisional round, but lost their star tight end, George Kittle, in the process.

The 49ers and Eagles both entered the season with lots of expectations. They are the last two teams to represent the NFC in the Super Bowl. The 49ers dealt with injuries all season that caused them to fall to the No. 6 seed. Meanwhile, the Eagles dealt with chemistry issues that cost them otherwise winnable games, but still won the weak NFC East to get the no. 3 seed.

The 49ers got scoring started with a two-yard touchdown from Demarcus Robinson. The Eagles responded with a Dallas Goedert one-yard touchdown. However, Jake Elliott missed the extra point, which meant the 49ers still held the lead.

Goedert had another touchdown in the second quarter to give the Eagles the lead. The 49ers responded with an Eddy Pineiro 36-yard field goal, but this drive is where Kittle got hurt. It was a non-contact injury, and he was immediately carted off the field. It was announced shortly after that Kittle tore his Achilles, ending his season and likely next season as well 

The Eagles went into halftime with a three-point lead. Elliott hit a field goal to extend this lead to six heading into the fourth quarter.

In the first play of the fourth quarter, Christian McCaffrey caught a pass from Juwan Jennings to give the 49ers a lead. Elliott hit another field goal to give the Eagles the lead back. McCaffrey caught another touchdown, this time from his quarterback, Brock Purdy, to give the 49ers the lead back. Although Pineiro missed his extra point, the 49ers still held their four-point lead. Their defense got the necessary stops, and the 49ers won 23-19.

The 49ers will take on the No. 1-seeded Seahawks in the divisional round. 

The Chicago Bears had their backs to the wall and rose to the occasion, winning a wild-card thriller against the Packers.

On January 10, the Bears took on their division rivals, the Packers, in the wild-card game. The Bears had been one of this season’s most pleasant surprises, going from missing the playoffs to a No. 2 seed. Meanwhile, the Packers had gotten off to a great start but fell off after Micah Parsons suffered a season-ending injury. 

The Bears started off the game with a Cairo Santos 27-yard field goal to take a 3-0 lead. The Packers quickly responded with a touchdown pass from Jordan Love to Christian Watson.

The second quarter was all Packers. Love had two touchdown passes, one to Jayden Reed and the other to Romeo Doubs. At halftime, the Packers led this game 21-3.

Santos had a field goal in the third quarter to help chip away at the deficit. Despite this, the Bears still faced a 21-6 deficit with just one quarter remaining.

The Bears scored twice early in the fourth quarter, the first being another Santos field goal and a 6-yard touchdown rush from D’Andre Swift. However, when the Packers responded with a touchdown pass to Matthew Golden, all hope seemed lost. The Packers held a 27-16 lead with just 6:36 left. 

The Bears marched down the field and got an Olamide Zaccheaus touchdown. QB Caleb Williams converted a two-point conversion to Colston Loveland to get the game to within three. The Packers had a chance to extend their lead, but their kicker missed. The Bears got the eventual game-winning touchdown from D.J. Moore to make the game 31-27. The Bears scored 25 points in the fourth quarter to erase the deficit.

The New England Patriots defeated the L.A. Chargers to advance to the divisional round for the first time since the Tom Brady era, but they lost cornerback Christian Gonzalez to injury during the game. 

The Patriots surpassed all expectations and made the playoffs for the first time since 2021, earning the no. 2 seed nonetheless. Meanwhile, the Chargers did about what everyone expected. They have a talented core of players, but struggle in areas, particularly pass protection. 

Neither team scored in the first quarter. The Patriots got the scoring started in the second quarter with a 23-yard field goal from Andy Borregales. The Chargers matched this with a field goal from Cameron Dicker. With just two seconds left in the half, Borrigales hit a 35-yard field goal to give the Patriots a 6-3 lead at halftime.

Scoring was light in the third quarter as well. The only score was a field goal by Borrigales. The score was 9-3 heading into the fourth quarter. Neither team had a touchdown.

The Gonzalez injury happened early in the fourth quarter. He was covering wide receiver Quintin Johnston. He was going for an interception when the two fell, with Johnston accidentally falling on Gonzalez’s head. Gonzalez was having a great game, not allowing a single catch on five attempts. He was listed as questionable to return. 

While Gonzalez was out of the game, the Patriots got the lone touchdown of the game on a Hunter Henry catch. This made the game 16-3, a lead it would hold until the end. 

Gonzalez had limited media availability, but said he felt fine. He is questionable for the divisional round matchup against the winner of Texans-Steelers. The injury has not officially been labeled, but if it’s a concussion, it could seriously impact his ability to play. However, early signs point to it not being a concussion. 

There’s been a major breakthrough in the investigation of the break-in of Cleveland Browns quarterback Shedeur Sanders’ home.

The Medina County Sheriff’s Office in Ohio arrested three suspects in connection with the burglary of Sanders’ home during his NFL debut in Week 11. 

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The three suspects were seen entering Sanders’ home wearing masks at 7 p.m. and took $200,000 in property. A fourth man was seen driving the car that carried the men.

While the alleged burglary took place, Sanders was busy making his NFL debut. He replaced the injured Dillon Gabriel and threw for just 47 yards against the Ravens. 

Despite a poor debut, Sanders was given the starting QB job for the rest of the season with mixed results. He threw three touchdowns against the Titans on December 7, but just a week later, he threw three interceptions against the Bears. 

Sanders hopes that whoever broke into his home will receive justice. However, his mind can’t completely move on from football as the Browns are currently in the process of finding a new head coach.

In college, his Hall of Fame father, Deion Sanders, helped get the most out of him. Although a father-son reunion is unlikely, Sanders can only hope for the same chemistry with the Browns’ next head coach. 

During the NFL draft, Sanders received a prank call from Jax Ulbrich, son of Falcons offensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich. Sanders was told that he’d be drafted by the Falcons but would need to be patient. Sanders ended up falling to the fifth round of the 2025 NFL draft. The Falcons were fined for this breach of draft protocol.  

After four seasons and two playoff appearances, the Miami Dolphins will be moving on from head coach Mike McDaniel.

The decision was announced on January 8. The Dolphins finished 7-10 in the 2025 season and ranked bottom 10 in both offense and defense.

The Dolphins hired McDaniel after a 9-8 season that failed to produce a playoff appearance. They didn’t want to change coaches after acquiring wide receiver Tyreek Hill, offensive tackle Terran Armstrong and linebacker Bradley Chubb. The Dolphins finished with the exact same record in 2022, but this time it was good enough to make the playoffs. In their first playoff appearance since 2016, they lost to the Bills in the wild-card game.

The 2023 season saw the Dolphins improve to 11-6. The biggest move they made was to get cornerback Jalen Ramsey. However, improvements from Tua Tagovailoa and Raheem Mostert helped drive the Dolphins’ turnaround. They would lose to the Chiefs in the wild-card game. The game was notable for the minus-4-degree temperature at kickoff.   

The Dolphins missed the playoffs the next two seasons. Hill saw a massive decline in 2024. His yard total went from 1,799 to 959. Tagovailoa missed six games, and his backup, Tyler Huntley, didn’t play well, with just three touchdowns and three interceptions in five games.

In late September 2025, Hill tore his ACL, which ended his season. However, the real reason for their struggle was a decline in their defense. They went from 10th in 2024 to 24th in 2025, according to Pro Football Reference. 

McDaniel’s tenure in Miami is difficult to assess. He had some early success, followed by the roster collapsing.

Whether it be fans or other owners, it seems that everyone wants to prevent the Athletics from moving to Las Vegas. Now there seems to be an unlikely enemy in their corner, the U.S Patent and Trademark Office. 

After the 2024 season, the A’s announced they would not play another game in Oakland. They would play the 2025, 2026 and 2027 seasons in Sacramento (where their Triple-A team plays as well), then move to Las Vegas in 2028. 

The A’s were told by the Patent Office that the nickname “Athletics” is too generic. This has been the team’s nickname since they began playing in Philadelphia in 1901. Las Vegas will be the fourth city the franchise has played in, following Kansas City and Oakland.  

The refusal was officially issued on December 29. They have three months to request an extension, which would be counted toward the six-month period. 

The A’s will likely be able to argue that historical precedent should allow them to maintain the Athletics nickname. If not, they could be forced to choose a new nickname. Although the “Oakland Athletics” trademark remains in their name, they no longer use it because they no longer play in Oakland. They are simply using “Athletics” for now, yet another example of why the trademark rightfully belongs to them.

The A’s missed the playoffs for the fifth straight season in 2025. However, their young core, featuring players like Nick Kurtz and Jacob Wilson, has generated some excitement for the future. They had a record above .500 in July, August and September. 

Although the A’s legal battle for their name will be interesting to see, it shouldn’t have too much impact on the 2026 season. The A’s will play their second of three seasons at Sutter Health Field. They will have city jerseys in 2026 associated with Sacramento. 

On January 10, legendary college football head coach Bill McCartney died from complications of dementia at 84.

McCartney was the head football coach at the University of Colorado from 1982 to 1994. During his thirteen seasons as the head coach, Colorado had a 93-55-5 record.

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In 1990, Colorado was co-national champion with Georgia Tech, as the Colorado Buffaloes were the No. 1 team in the AP poll, while Georgia Tech was the No. 1 team in the UPI Coaches poll.

Eric Bieniemy, who was a running back on the National Championship team, shared his memories of coach McCartney. “When I look back, Coach Mac brought us together and helped us as young men to define our purpose in life by gaining a complete understanding of commitment, accountability and resilience,” Bieniemy said.

During McCartney’s tenure at Colorado, he also won three consecutive Big Eight Championships, was a three-time Big Eight Coach of the Year, and a one-time Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year and Walter Camp Coach of the Year.

Colorado also appeared in the Orange Bowl three times and in the Fiesta Bowl once under coach McCartney.

In 2013, McCartney was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame. He is also in the Colorado Sports Hall of Fame and received the Paul “Bear” Bryant Lifetime Achievement Award.

The second NBA All-Star ballot has come through, and there are many talented players attempting to push their way to the All-Star starting lineup.

Luka Dončić of the Los Angeles Lakers is currently leading all players in votes, with over two million. Doncic is one of two players with two million or more votes, along with Giannis Antetokounmpo of the Milwaukee Bucks. 

The All-Star voting is slightly different this season. There are no position locks, which means you can vote for whatever collection of players you wish. There are still conference locks, which means you vote for five Eastern Conference players and five Western Conference players.

The current vote leaders are:

West

Luka Dončić – point guard – Lakers

Nikola Jokic – center – Nuggets

Stephen Curry – point guard – Warriors 

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander – point guard – Thunder

Victor Wembanyama – center – Spurs 

East

Giannis Antetokounmpo – power forward – Bucks

Jalen Brunson – point guard – Knicks

Tyrese Maxey – point guard – Sixers

Cade Cunningham – point guard – Pistons

Donovan Mitchell – shooting guard – Cavaliers 

All the players who are currently leading the voting have made at least one All-Star team in the past. Antetokounmpo, Wembanyama, and Jokic have dealt with injuries this season and may sit out the game. 

All-Star voting will end on January 14. The starters will be announced on January 19 on NBC and Peacock. The reserves will be announced a few days later and selected by the coaches. There will be three All-Star rosters, one world team featuring players born outside the U.S. and two U.S. teams.

It’s unclear if the U.S. teams will be drafted by the coaches or randomly created. All-Star voting does not guarantee much outside of a spot in the game. The NBA has been trying to shake up the game for years to make it interesting.   

The Kansas City Chiefs announced on January 7 that they are “aware” of the domestic abuse allegations made by the ex-girlfriend of their wide receiver, Rashee Rice.

Rice’s ex-girlfriend, Dacoda Nichole Jones, who has two children with him, posted on her Instagram account pictures with bruises and wounds on her body, alleging abuse for numerous years. Jones said that the person who beat her is her children’s dad.

There is no record of Jones filing a police report at the time of her post.

In July 2025, Rice received a 30-day jail sentence for his role in a multicar crash in Dallas that left multiple people injured. He and his friends were racing when the accident happened. He was recorded leaving the scene without checking on the other drivers.

Rice pleaded guilty and received deferred adjudication, meaning the case will be dismissed if he completes his five-year probation. The NFL gave him a six-game suspension due to his violation of the NFL Players’ Conduct Policy 

If charges are filed, Rice would be considered in violation of his probation, even if the alleged abuse took place before the accident. 

Rice is currently on pace to complete his probation. On the field, he had 571 yards in eight games between his suspension and his season-ending concussion.