Morning Edition |
March 14, 2025 |
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If your NFL team doesn’t have a quarterback by now, your options are paying big money for a backup—or waiting for Aaron Rodgers to make up his mind.
—David Rumsey, Eric Fisher, and Colin Salao
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Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images
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The NFL’s quarterback carousel is spinning early on in free agency—and everyone is getting paid.
Sam Darnold’s three-year, $100.5 million contract with the Seahawks is the most expensive deal so far. But Justin Fields surprised some with the two-year, $40 million pact he signed with the Jets.
But it’s not just QB1s who are cashing in. Even backups and those without guaranteed starting spots are receiving some nice paydays from their new teams:
- Daniel Jones, Colts: One year, $14 million
- Jacoby Brissett, Cardinals: Two years, $12.5 million
- Mason Rudolph, Steelers: Two years, $8 million
- Joshua Dobbs, Patriots: Two years, $8 million
- Mac Jones, 49ers: Two years, $7 million
- Nick Mullens, Jaguars: Two years, $6.5 million
- Zach Wilson, Dolphins: One year, $6 million
Commanders backup Marcus Mariota re-signed in Washington on a one-year, $8 million deal, and the Buccaneers brought back Kyle Trask for another year and $2.78 million.
More to Come
As of Thursday evening, the NFL world was still waiting on Aaron Rodgers to sign with a new team or retire after the Jets officially cut him, triggering a $49 million dead-cap hit. The Steelers are thought to be the favorites, but the Giants have also shown interest, and even the Vikings have been reported as an option.
Russell Wilson reportedly visited the Browns on Thursday, and he will visit the Giants on Friday. He played on a one-year, $1.21 million contract for the Steelers last season but received $37.8 million from the Broncos, who were charged an $85 million dead-cap hit after releasing him.
Meanwhile, Geno Smith could receive a raise from the Raiders, who traded a third-round pick in the 2025 NFL Draft for the veteran quarterback. Smith is entering the final season of a three-year, $75 million contract, and he is scheduled to make $31 million in 2025.
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Diamond Baseball Holdings
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Diamond Baseball Holdings has spent the last four years fundamentally reshaping the affiliated minor leagues, buying up 42 clubs, but it now has landed arguably the industry’s crown jewel.
The Silver Lake–backed DBH has acquired the Dayton (Ohio) Dragons, a Single-A affiliate of the Reds, from investment group Palisades Arcadia Baseball LLC. Far more than a typical lower-level farm club, the Dragons have sold out all 1,573 of their games in Dayton since arriving in 2000, a still-active streak that is by far the longest in U.S. pro sports history.
The Dragons have achieved that unprecedented level of attendance success in part through a heavy focus on community involvement and non-traditional sales strategies, and the club’s operations are now expected to be a model for the rest of DBH’s still-expanding portfolio. The team’s current leadership helmed by president Robert Murphy will remain in place.
Dayton’s per-game attendance of 8,012 in 2024 ranked third among Minor League Baseball’s 120 teams, trailing only Triple-A clubs in Indianapolis and Lehigh Valley (Pa.). In each year of the Dragons’ existence, the team has been the top draw in Single-A baseball.
“Their 24-season sellout streak is perhaps the single most impressive statistic in North American sports,” said DBH executive chair Pat Battle and CEO Peter Freund. “It is a testament to not only how strongly the Dragons resonate with their community, but also the exemplary work by Robert Murphy and his front-office staff.”
Financial terms were not disclosed, but when Palisades Arcadia Baseball purchased the Dragons in 2014 from Mandalay Baseball Properties, the price then of about $40 million set a minor league record. More recent market-pacing deals for Triple-A teams such as in Charlotte or Sacramento have approached or surpassed $100 million—roughly equal to the recent NWSL expansion fee in Denver that set a league record. Closing on the Dragons acquisition is expected soon, subject to consent from MLB and the city of Dayton, which owns the Dragons’ home facility, Day Air Ballpark.
The Dragons, meanwhile, continue to far exceed the confines of their local market or team classification. DBH’s portfolio also includes the Reds’ top affiliate, the Triple-A Louisville Bats.
“DBH understands how much this team means to Dayton, and we look forward to working with them to elevate the experience at Day Air Ballpark even further,” Murphy said.
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The Atlanta Dream weren’t kidding about a “scheduling conflict” for their home opener. They had to make way for several high school graduations.
The Dream announced Wednesday that their home opener on May 22 against the Indiana Fever has been scheduled to play at State Farm Arena, home of the NBA’s Hawks, which fits about 17,000 fans, more than four times as much as the 4,000 who fit in Gateway Center Arena, their current home.
However, the team received backlash after the announcement, in which Dream majority owner Larry Gottesdiener said the change was made due to a “scheduling conflict at Gateway.”
Some fans believed Atlanta didn’t want to admit that the game at State Farm Arena was due to the popularity of Fever star Caitlin Clark. Four other teams have already moved home games to bigger arenas this year, and all of them moved at least one against Indiana.
But it appears there really is a scheduling conflict: the Clayton County Public Schools (CCPS) high school graduations.
CCPS announced Nov. 13 that the final three days (May 21–23) of its five-day high school graduations would be held at the Georgia International Convention Center (GICC) in College Park. The WNBA and its teams announced the 2025 regular-season schedule in early December.
The GICC operates the Gateway Center Arena and the two share the same parking lot, although it’s unclear whether the arena will also be used for the graduations.
On May 22, the day of the scheduled Fever-Dream game, four high schools will hold graduations at the GICC that will run for the entire day. The Dream home opener is scheduled to tip off at 7:30 p.m. ET.
The Dream declined to comment, while the CCPS did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Search for a New Home
The schedule conflict shines a spotlight on the Dream’s quest for a new arena. Atlanta team president Morgan Shaw Parker previously told Front Office Sports that the team is in search of a new home that would fit 12,000 to 14,000 fans.
The team is open to partnering with existing arenas in Atlanta or the Greater Atlanta area and is even open to building its own venue. Shaw Parker said the timing of its move is still up in the air, but the team’s lease at Gateway Center Arena is “year-to-year.”
Atlanta is one of five WNBA teams that Shaw Parker described as “independent,” meaning their ownership group does not own another major pro sports franchise in the same city. The other four teams are the Chicago Sky, Connecticut Sun, Seattle Storm, and Dallas Wings.
Read the full story about the Atlanta Dream’s scheduling conflict from Colin Salao here.
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The NBA issued a $100,000 fine to the Jazz on Wednesday for violating the league’s Player Participation Policy.
The fine was given because Utah forward Lauri Markkanen was not available for the team’s game against the Wizards on March 5 at Capital One Arena. The league said the fine also accounted for “other recent games” missed by Markkanen, a one-time All-Star.
Despite the fine, Markkanen has continued to miss games for Utah and has not played since Feb. 22. A second violation would cost the Jazz $250,000.
The timing of the fine was peculiar, as the league specifically called out the game against Washington. The Wizards, who hold the worst record in the NBA, defeated Utah, which has the second-worst record. The Jazz moved within two and a half games of Washington for the league’s worst record with about a month left in the regular season.
The two teams meet again March 19 in Utah.
Teams that finish with the three worst records all have an equal chance at the No. 1 pick in the draft (14%), expected to be Duke’s Cooper Flagg. However, the lottery is only a selection of the top four picks, and the rest of the draft order is determined by record, with the worst teams getting the highest picks.
The advantage of the lowest seed is protection if teams with lower odds jump them in the draft lottery. The team with the worst record at the end of the season will finish with, at worst, the No. 5 pick.
More Fines to Come?
The NBA instituted its Player Participation Policy last season to keep teams from resting their players for the playoffs or for “tanking,” which is to deliberately lose games to improve lottery positioning.
However, the NBA has yet to issue fines on other teams that have rested stars, including the Raptors and Sixers. In recent weeks, Toronto has also started to bench its starters in the fourth quarter of games even when they are active.
The league did not respond to a request for comment. However, the official policy includes that “shutdowns” are considered a violation of the policy.
“Teams must refrain from any long-term shutdown (or near shutdown) whereby a star player ceases participating in games or begins to play a materially reduced role in circumstances affecting the integrity of the game,” the policy reads.
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- Cooper Flagg went down with an ankle injury Thursday, but walked out of the locker room and rejoined his teammates on the bench. Check it out.
- The Hornets have officially begun construction of their new practice facility, which could cost up to $100 million. Take a look at the renderings.
- Sixers GM Daryl Morey admitted the team uses artificial intelligence when making roster decisions. Watch what he had to say here.
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 | Gastineau is a Pro Football Hall of Famer who played from 1979 to 1988. |
 | The Olympics will remain on NBC through at least 2036. |
 | The conference is the first to roll out a requirement for revenue sharing. |
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Will more NBA teams outside of the playoff picture be fined for resting stars this season?
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Thursday’s result: Only 25% of respondents think March Madness will feel different this year without the Pac-12.
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