AI-assisted summary
• The Denver Broncos, New England Patriots, Los Angeles Rams and Seattle Seahawks are the final four teams in the NFL playoffs.
• Each of the remaining teams faces significant offseason decisions regarding key players who are impending free agents.
• Defensive players like John Franklin-Myers (Broncos) and K’Lavon Chaisson (Patriots) are among the top free agents after strong seasons.
• The Rams and Seahawks have multiple key defensive backs and offensive playmakers set to enter free agency.

The Denver Broncos, New England Patriots, Los Angeles Rams and Seattle Seahawks are the final four teams remaining in the NFL playoffs. The offseason has officially started for all other 28 NFL clubs.

Denver, New England, Los Angeles and Seattle will get a late start to the offseason, but planning has already begun. There are many big decisions for all four clubs on the horizon, regardless of their championship-round outcomes. Numerous impact players who will be on the field Jan. 25 are impeding free agents. Who should stay and who should go?

USA TODAY Sports identifies the biggest upcoming free agents for the Broncos, Patriots, Rams and Seahawks ahead of Sunday’s conference championship games:

Denver Broncos key free agents

DL John Franklin-Myers

Franklin-Myers is an unheralded but key member of a Denver defense that led the NFL with 68 sacks during the regular season. Franklin-Myers’ 7.5 sacks ranked third on the team. The interior defensive lineman has also registered 42 pressures entering the conference championship. He’s going to be one of the top interior defensive linemen if he hits free agency.

LB Alex Singleton

Singleton’s cancer battle was one of the NFL’s most heartwarming stories this season. On the field, his production is undeniable. He had a team-high 135 tackles during the regular season. The linebacker has a team-best 14 postseason tackles entering the conference championship game.  

CB Ja’Quan McMillian (restricted free agent)

McMillian is set to be a restricted free agent this offseason. He surprisingly beat out rookie Jahdae Barron for Denver’s top slot cornerback job. He’s played well ever since he captured the role. Pro Football Focus has given him a 78.4 coverage grade this season, which is the highest among Broncos cornerbacks. McMillian’s overtime interception where he snatched the football away from Bills wideout Brandin Cooks saved Denver’s season.

New England Patriots key free agents

OLB K’Lavon Chaisson

Chaisson’s produced a team-high 10.5 sacks and 68 pressures entering Sunday’s AFC title game. He’s found a home in New England in what’s been a career-year for the sixth-year outside linebacker.

S Jaylinn Hawkins

The sixth-year safety registered a team-best four interceptions during the regular season, to go with 71 tackles and six passes defended. His 973 total snaps entering Sunday is third most among Patriots defenders.  

DT Khyiris Tonga

Tonga’s helped clog the middle along the Patriots interior defensive line. He’s a good run-stuffing nose tackle. His ability as a nose tackle also aids three-technique defensive lineman Milton Williams.

Los Angeles Rams key free agents

S Kamren Curl

Curl’s overtime interception in Chicago helped the Rams seal the win. The safety leads the Rams with 23 postseason tackles. He’s been a good addition since the Rams signed him during the 2024 free agency period.

CB Cobie Durant

The 5-foot-11 cornerback sometimes has boom-or-bust plays, but he competes each and every week. His three postseason interceptions leads the Rams entering Sunday. Durant allowed a 55% completion percentage during the regular season. His 933 total snaps tops all Rams cornerbacks going into the conference championship.

CB Ahkello Witherspoon

The Rams must address their secondary through free agency and the draft with so many impeding free agents in the group. Witherspoon’s placement on injured reserve due to a shoulder injury was a blow to the Rams secondary. L.A.’s defensive backfield was vulnerable prior to Witherspoon’s injury.

Seattle Seahawks key free agents

RB Kenneth Walker III

Walker had his second 1,000-yard rushing season this year. The running back helps open up the Seahawks offense and has thrived in recent weeks, scoring three touchdowns in Seattle’s divisional-round drubbing of the San Francisco 49ers. His importance to Seattle offense is magnified as a result of Zach Charbonnet’s season-ending knee injury.

WR Rashid Shaheed

Shaheed is one of the best trade deadline additions this season. His franchise record 95-yard punt return TD in the divisional round electrified the Seahawks and the crowd at Lumen Field. He adds explosiveness to Seattle’s offense and special teams unit. He ranked among the league’s top five in both average kick return yards and average punt return yards.

S Coby Bryant

Bryant has played the most snaps among Seattle defenders this season. He allowed a 59% completion percentage in 15 starts during the regular season, while his four interceptions ranked second on the team. He’s a key member on Seattle’s top scoring defense.

Follow USA TODAY Sports’ Tyler Dragon on X @TheTylerDragon.

COLLEGE PARK, MD — The last time Iowa played against Maryland at the Xfinity Center, it was in front of a sold-out crowd who followed All-American guard Caitlin Clark’s every dribble.

Two years later, there were fewer fans and less cameras in the building. Clark has graduated and then-Iowa head coach Lisa Bluder retired. But the result? That was the same: Iowa won.

The Hawkeyes captured their seventh straight victory Thursday night, defeating the Terrapins 85-78 in overtime in their latest signature win. Maryland is the fourth ranked opponent the Hawkeyes have beaten this season. Iowa, in its second season under coach Jan Jensen, is 8-0 in Big Ten play for the first time since 1996 and ranked in the top 10 for the first time since Clark left for the WNBA.

And winning at Maryland is no easy task. Since joining the Big Ten in 2014, the Terps entered the matchup with an 85.9 winning percentage against conference opponents at home.

Jensen hopes the victory helps her team realize their talent level. If they can perform consistently, she believes their potential is limitless. The Hawkeyes face another ranked opponent Sunday, when they host No. 11 Ohio State (2 p.m. ET, Peacock).

“This team — we need to start understanding that we can be pretty good,” Jensen said. “So, we don’t need to be timid. We don’t need to be tentative. … I think sometimes we’re double checking.”

While the Hawkeyes got some timely baskets from behind the arc from Chit-Chat Wright and Taylor McCabe — who combined to shoot 7-of-14 from deep range — it was post play that powered Iowa over Maryland. And it’s been the Hawkeye’s prowess in the paint that has been largely responsible for its success all season.

One of the players excelling down low is a well-known commodity. Hannah Stuelke exploded onto the scene as a sophomore as Iowa made it to a second straight national title game in 2024. That season, Stuelke popped off for 47 points in a home win over Penn State. Now a senior, she’s averaging 14.1 points along with a career-highs in rebounds (8.6) and assists (2.9) per game.

Stuelke’s partner in the paint has been a bit of a revelation.

As a freshman last season, Ava Heiden played less than 10 minutes a game and never started. The 6-foot-4 Oregon native has since blossomed into Iowa’s top scorer, averaging 16.3 points a game. Heiden is shooting 62.6% from the field, which ranks sixth nationally. She’s also 13th nationally in effective field goal percentage and 24th in PER.

Instead of taking credit for Iowa’s success this season, Heiden deflects to her teammates.

“We have great passing guards this year. The way that Chit-Chat and McCabe and those guys can get it into us, it’s very difficult for a guard to have those skills, and those guys have it down to perfection,” Heiden told USA Today Sports. “And so, for Hannah and I, when those passes are that good, it’s very easy for us to work off of that and get some buckets for our team.”

As a team, Iowa ranks fifth nationally in assists per game with 20.9 and sixth in assisted shot rate with 69.4%. Many of those dimes wind up in the hands of Stuelke and Heiden, finishing under the rim with ease.

Heiden is among the most improved players in the country and a catalyst for Iowa regaining its position as a legitimate contender. According to Her Hoop Stats, Heiden has increased her scoring average by 11.2 points from last season, which is third-most among all Big Ten players who played in at least 19 games last year.

The sophomore says she spent much of the past year getting in extra work with Iowa assistant coach Randi Henderson, who was a captain for the Hawkeyes in the late 1990s and early 2000s.

“She was pretty raw. She was kind of frustrated. You know, she wanted to play and didn’t really understand the process until finally she was like, ‘OK, I’m just going to go get in the gym.’ And then she started to understand what it took,” Jensen said of Heiden’s freshman season. “She embraced the challenge. And we still have a lot of growth for her to do, and that’s what’s so exciting.’

Heiden hasn’t just become a reliable starting forward for the Hawkeyes. She’s transformed into someone Iowa can count on in important games.

The Maryland win was a prime example as Heiden spun around a defender to connect on a layup to give the Hawkeyes a three-point cushion with about two minutes left in overtime. Moments later, she confidently knocked down a pair of free throws.

“For her to hit that free throw, that was a lot of growth,” Jensen said of Heiden’s clutch basket. “A little bit more, ‘I got this.’ That’s what I want Ava to turn into. … Like, ‘I want the ball, I can score.’”

Across Iowa’s four Quad 1 wins — victories over Baylor, Nebraska, Michigan State and Maryland — Heiden is averaging 19 points, eight rebounds and 2.5 assists while shooting 64% from the floor. Put more simply, she’s playing well in big moments, which is often a trait of a great player.

It’s performing in those crucial matchups, seeing her stats jump and watching wins pile up for Iowa that has given Heiden self-assurance.

“Confidence is earned through the reps and seeing it go down,’ Heiden said. ‘I’m not a person where, if I hear, ‘Hey, be confident,’ — that’s not very helpful for me. Seeing that data, that’s very helpful, and that’s allowed me to build my confidence.”

With Heiden taking a leap, Wright transferring in from Georgia Tech and other players making improvements or adjusting to new roles, Iowa looks like a Big Ten title contender and a team that can make a deep run in March.

Jensen just needs her players to believe in their ability to take it to the next level.

“I don’t see it like everybody sees it. I just see the Big Ten as one heck of a conference with great coaches. And so, you got to find a way,” Jensen said. “They’re pretty gutty and resilient. If we ever lean into that — ‘We’re pretty good’ — I think then that’s where the magic can happen.”

AI-assisted summary
• Attending Super Bowl 60 in Santa Clara, California, will be more expensive than a typical weekend in the Bay Area.
• Travel costs for this year’s game are more affordable compared to previous Super Bowls.
• Travelers can save money by staying farther from the stadium and being flexible with their travel dates.

The big game is almost here, and those hoping to experience the energy of Super Bowl 60 in person will be paying a premium.

This year, Super Bowl 60 will take place on Feb. 8 at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California, located about an hour’s drive from San Francisco. Football fanatics are already gearing up to make the trip for the game, with Priceline searches for flights to the Bay Area up by 51% and hotels by a whopping 98% as of Jan. 23, according to Priceline.

While attending the Super Bowl is often associated with skyrocketing prices, this year’s fans are in luck. Travel for this year’s big game is more affordable than in previous years, though people should still expect to pay a markup, according to KAYAK.

‘Major events like the Super Bowl always drive prices up, but Santa Clara is a relative bargain,’ Sarah Kennedy, KAYAK travel trends expert, told USA TODAY in an email. Airfare for Super Bowl 60 is 19% cheaper than what it cost to go to New Orleans for last year’s event.

A budget traveler, on average, can manage a two-day trip with about $1,000, but it can reach over $3,000 for a bigger spender for a two-day trip. And that’s not counting event tickets, meals and other miscellaneous costs.

Here’s what travelers should know about how much it’ll cost to attend Super Bowl 60, according to popular travel platforms.

The big costs

Heading to the Bay Area during the Super Bowl 60 weekend is going to be more expensive than usual with the biggest spike being hotel rates, according to Priceline data. Expedia agrees, with even budget hotels surging in price – two-star hotels are charging up to 10 times their normal rates during Super Bowl weekend. The week after, prices drop back down by almost 90%.

Here are the average price increases people can expect for their Super Bowl trip, according to Priceline:

• Airfare: Average roundtrip flights across the U.S. to the Bay Area at $267, a 26% increase
• Hotels: Average nightly rates in the Bay Area at $310, an 88% increase
• Car rentals: Average daily rates for pickup in the Bay Area at $95, a 54% increase

Travel budgets for the Super Bowl 

With a little bit of savviness, fans can still make their Super Bowl travel budget work for them. Here’s how.

• Budget traveler: Travelers can fly into San Francisco International Airport, where domestic airfare is averaging $328, and rent a car for $57 a day, on average, according to KAYAK. They can also score a two-star hotel for $279 a night, but it may not be in Santa Clara.
• Midrange traveler: If you’re willing to pay a bit more, travelers can fly into Oakland International Airport. Average domestic airfare to Oakland clocks in at $331 with car rentals at $61 a day, on average, according to KAYAK. Three-star hotels in the Bay Area are averaging at $299 a night, although you may be staying in San Francisco or San Jose.
• ‘Once-in-a-lifetime’ splurge traveler: For people ready to dish out for the Super Bowl, you can fly into San José Mineta International Airport – the closest major airport to Santa Clara – with an average domestic airfare of $348 and rent a car for $66 a day on average, KAYAK found. Then you can book a four-star hotel in the Bay Area for an average nightly rate of $323. If you’re hoping to stay as close as possible to the game, Expedia found some hotels within three miles of Levi’s Stadium to cost as much as $2,286 for a two-night booking from Feb. 7 to 9.

How travelers cut costs 

• Stay farther away from the game. Where you’re flying into or staying in the Bay Area can impact how much you’ll spend, with San Francisco International Airport offering the lowest average airfare and car rental rates.
• Flexible arrival/departure dates. Traveling during the event weekend means you’ll also pay peak pricing, like everyone else. If you can be flexible with your travel dates, like extending your trip to explore the Bay Area before or after the game, you could score some savings.
• Monitor costs. According to Expedia, the peak booking window for hotels is about 2 weeks out, so travelers should move quickly or set up a price tracker to see when it’s best to book.

The Buckeyes are expected to hire Arthur Smith as their next offensive coordinator, the Columbus Dispatch, part of the USA TODAY Network, confirmed.

Smith was the offensive coordinator for the Pittsburgh Steelers the past two seasons after he served as the head coach of the Atlanta Falcons for three seasons. The Steelers offense made improvements under Smith, but when longtime coach Mike Tomlin stepped down after 19 seasons at the helm, it opened the door for the coordinator to find a new job.

He’s another former NFL coach to land on Ryan Day’s staff, and the Buckeyes will hope it produces the same results. Matt Patricia took over as defensive coordinator for the 2025 season and led what was arguably the best unit in the country, leading the nation in points allowed (9.3), total defense (219.1) and passing yards given up (129.7) per game.

This will be the first time Smith heads to the college ranks since he was an administrative assistant at Mississippi in 2010. He takes over the offense after former player and longtime assistant Brian Hartline left to take the head coaching job at South Florida. Smith will be the third offensive coordinator for the Buckeyes in three seasons after Chip Kelly served in the role during the 2024-25 national championship season.

Ohio State’s offense struggled toward the end of the 2025 season, leading to its quarterfinal exit in the College Football Playoff. It failed to score more than 20 points in its last two games, both of which were losses.

The new offensive coordinator inherits one of the most talented units in the country, led by receiver Jeremiah Smith, quarterback Julian Sayin and running back Bo Jackson.

Derrick Rose was honored by the Chicago Bulls with a jersey retirement ceremony Saturday, following the team’s dramatic 114-111 victory over the Boston Celtics.

Rose, a Chicago native, spent eight years with the team and became the NBA’s youngest Most Valuable Player when he won the award in the 2010-11 season.

Several familiar faces from Rose’s career were at the United Center in Chicago to celebrate the point guard becoming the fifth player in the franchise’s history to have his jersey retired, joining the likes of Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen.

Among the crowd were ex-teammates Taj Gibson, Luol Deng and Joakim Noah. Rose’s former coach, Tom Thibodeau, was also in attendance.

Here are some of the best moments from the night:

Derrick Rose’s Bulls jersey retirement ceremony: Top moments

Rose addressed the crowd with a speech that brought many to tears, including his young son and mother.

Kevin Huerter arrived at the arena wearing a Rose jersey and made a big play like the Bulls legend in the final moments of the game.

Huerter made a 3-pointer late in the fourth quarter that gave the Bulls a 114-111 lead with 0.2 seconds left in regulation.

Derrick Rose honored by teammates, coaches

Heavyweight Josh Hokit, the “winner’’ of the second fight of UFC’s debut on Paramount+, reflected the worst of the sport.

After stopping Denzel Freeman by TKO, Hokit recited a post-victory poem that ended with, “And P.S., Brittney Griner is a man.’’

Taking cheap shots at Griner, the legendary women’s basketball player and 10-time WNBA All-Star, is bad enough. But members of the broadcast team endorsed Hokit’s outrageous remarks as entertaining. Joe Rogan, who had a chance to admonish Hokit, instead said, “Brittney Griner catching strays.’’

Paramount+ offered no comment on the matter.

UFC CEO Dana White said a fight was pulled from the UFC 324 card on Saturday, Jan. 24 because of a wagering flag. White said the UFC heard from ‘the Gaming Integrity Service,’ which monitors gambling. 

“Happened again,’’ White said Saturday during a press conference after UFC 324. “We got called from the Gaming Integrity Service. I said, ‘I’m not doing this (stuff) again.’ So we pulled the fight.’’

Though White did not identify the fighters in the bout pulled Saturday, the fight that was canceled Saturday was the lightweight fight between Alexander Hernandez and Michael Johnson.

In November, White announced another UFC bout had drawn suspicion for fight fixing. The UFC allowed that fight to take place after speaking with the fighters and the result deepened suspicions the fight was fixed. White said the UFC called the FBI after that result.

Before she was picked by the Seattle Storm with the second overall pick in the 2025 WNBA draft, a lot of folks heard about how Dominique Malonga could dunk.

And now, for the first time on a hardwood in the U.S., fans have seen her do it in a game.

Playing for Breeze BC in Unrivaled on Saturday night, Malonga threw down a right-handed jam with ease after getting a pass from Rickea Jackson in the first quarter against the Lunar Owls.

The dunk was the first of this season for any player in Unrivaled, but not the first in the history of the fledgling two-year-old 3-on-3 league. Brittney Griner dunked in a game last season.

Still, the jam was the first for Malonga’s professional career in the U.S., since she didn’t have a dunk during her rookie campaign with the Seattle Storm. The 6-foot-6, 20-year-old forward from France finished Saturday night’s game with 21 points and eight rebounds in a 75-68 win for Breeze.

“It feels really good. I was practicing a lot,” Malonga said after the game. “I don’t want to be a practice (dunker), I want to do that in-game. So, I’m happy about that … I was happy to feel the love from the whole arena, actually. Everybody was so hyped up — it was a great moment.”

This is Malonga’s first season playing in Unrivaled. She made the WNBA’s All-Rookie team last season after averaging 7.7 points and 4.6 rebounds per game while shooting 55.1% from the floor. She also finished fourth in Sixth Player of the Year voting.

Malonga also figures to be a staple for years to come on the French national team. She was the youngest player on the team at the 2024 Olympics when the French finished with a silver medal.

The Breeze — which also features WNBA Rookie of the Year Paige Bueckers — plays again on Monday at 8:45 p.m. ET on TNT against the Laces.