The race for NBA Rookie of the Year may be coming down to two players.

While a number of first-year players have made their marks this season, the two constants have been Stephon Castle of the San Antonio Spurs — who starred in the Rising Stars Challenge during the league’s All-Star weekend — and Jaylen Wells of the Memphis Grizzlies.

If Castle were to win, it would mark only the third time a team has won the award in consecutive seasons, joining the Timberwolves (2015-16 with Andrew Wiggins and Karl-Anthony Towns) and the Buffalo Braves (1973-74 with Bob McAdoo and Ernie DiGregorio).

Still, the race is wide open, with the No. 1 overall selection, Zaccharie Risacher, coming on recently as one of Atlanta’s primary weapons.

The latest edition of the USA TODAY Sports’ rookie power rankings, with stats through Monday’s games:

5. Kel’el Ware, Miami Heat center

His case has been bolstered the last month-and-a-half, when he has seen an uptick in minutes and had started Miami’s past 18 games before a knee injury sidelined him from Monday’s game against the Wizards. Ware has infused an immediate inside presence in the Heat offense as a lob threat and low-post option. He also has been a solid rim protector, though his defensive numbers do suffer when Bam Adebayo also isn’t on the floor.

4. Zach Edey, Memphis Grizzlies center

He can sometimes go through lulls in his scoring output, but Edey has been a steady presence for Memphis, particularly on the glass. Some of Edey’s contributions don’t manifest on the box score, though; in Monday’s two-point loss against the Hawks, Edey altered two consecutive Trae Young drives inside the final minute before Desmond Bane’s turnover in the final seconds led to Caris LeVert’s game-winning layup.

3. Zaccharie Risacher, Atlanta Hawks forward

Risacher, the No.1 pick, has shown flashes of what he can become. He missed seven of eight games with a strained left adductor in the final two weeks of January and has played well since his return. In his past 14 games, the 6-8 Risacher is averaging 15.0 points, 3.7 rebounds, 1.5 assists and nearly 1.0 steal and is shooting 53.8% from the field and 50.8% on 3-pointers. On Tuesday, he was named Eastern Conference rookie of the month for February. He scored 27 points on 11-for-13 shooting in a victory against Memphis on March 3. The Hawks’ offense has flourished with Risacher on the court, scoring 119.86 points per 100 possessions, and ninth-place Atlanta is in the postseason hunt with a chance to finish in seventh place in the East.

2. Stephon Castle, San Antonio Spurs guard

Even with the addition of De’Aaron Fox at the trade deadline, Castle continues to get valuable minutes on a rebuilding team that has gone through a difficult season with head coach Gregg Popovich’s stroke and 2024 Rookie of the Year Victor Wembanyama’s season-ending deep vein thrombosis diagnosis. Castle is the second-leading rookie scorer at 13.2 points per game and averages 3.5 assists and 3.1 rebounds. He has had two 30-point games in the past four weeks, including 32 points, eight rebounds and three assists in a loss to Oklahoma City on March 2 and 24 points, seven assists and three rebounds in a victory against Memphis on March 1. His shooting efficiency needs attention in the offseason — he’s at 41.9% from the field and 28.4% on 3-pointers.

1. Jaylen Wells, Memphis Grizzlies forward

For the most part, Wells has avoided the dreaded rookie wall. A long season can exact punishment on a rookie not used to 82 games with back-to-backs, four games in a week and travel. Wells, who hasn’t missed a game this season, had five consecutive games without hitting double figures in points right before the All-Star break. The break helped, and he has scored 12 or more points in six of eight games since. Well had 19 points and five rebounds in a victory against Phoenix on Feb. 25 and 18 points in a loss against San Antonio on March 1. He is fifth in scoring among rookies with 11.4 points per game, and he is shooting 45% from the field and 38% on 3-pointers. Wells, the No. 39 overall pick, is trying to become just the second second-round draft pick in the modern era (post-1970) to win rookie of the year, and he’s doing it for a team that is in fourth place in the Western Conference.

“Tag.”

The one-word post on X was tantamount to Cincinnati Bengals WR Tee Higgins admitting defeat Monday for the second straight offseason in the contractual NFL game so many pending free agents hate to play. Higgins will again be enriched, at minimum, but not for as much or as long as he’d like.

But at least for (almost) everyone else, it’s game over.

Tuesday afternoon served as the NFL’s final concrete deadline ahead of its new league year – which begins concurrently with the official start of free agency on March 12 – 4 p.m. ET today the point by which each team had its last chance to apply the franchise or transition tag in a bid to retain (or maybe subsequently trade) one of its pending free agents.

Only Higgins and Kansas City Chiefs G Trey Smith were tagged this year after eight players were franchised in 2024. Both received the non-exclusive tender – meaning they are actually eligible to negotiate with other clubs yet also have until July 15 to sign an extension with their present employers in order to avoid the risk and uncertainty of playing on the one-year tag. In reality, it’s extremely rare for franchised players to move (barring a negotiated trade settlement) given it costs an outside team both contractually and a compensation package of two first-round draft picks to pry a player loose if his original team is unwilling to match an offer sheet.

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With those parameters in mind, here are the winners and losers of the 2025 franchise tag deadline:

FREE AGENCY: Top 25* players available after franchise tag deadline passes

WINNERS

NFL players

In general, they hate tags. Sure, they’re lucrative windfalls, but they also tend to prevent stars (sometimes quasi-stars) from finding the top of their markets or realizing the security of a long-term arrangement. Most of this year’s free agents will be, well, free to pursue precisely those aims.

Joe Burrow and Ja’Marr Chase

Higgins’ tag means the Bengals’ deadly three-man offensive band will presumably remain intact for 2025 – much to the delight of its quarterback, Burrow, who’s been openly campaigning for that outcome. And with Higgins now effectively tied down, Chase – demonstrably the league’s top receiver in 2024 – can dig in on his own negotiations now that Cincinnati’s director of player personnel, Duke Tobin, publicly vowed at the scouting combine to make Chase “the No. 1 paid non-quarterback in the league. We’re there. Let’s get it done.’

Free agent wideouts

Higgins’ tag also could mean a more favorable financial landscape for the likes of unsigned veteran pass catchers such as Davante Adams, Chris Godwin, Amari Cooper, Stefon Diggs, Keenan Allen and DeAndre Hopkins. Higgins, 26, clearly would have been the cream of this crop had he been able to reach unfettered free agency. But since he won’t – and in a year when the draft-eligible wideouts aren’t all that impressive (is it even Travis Hunter’s primary position?) – the graybeards could see a little more action and maybe a few extra greenbacks.

Trey Smith

He doubtless would have also preferred the immediate comfort of a multi-year pact. But for a 2021 sixth-rounder whose annual salary has averaged roughly $900,000 over his first four seasons, a fully guaranteed $23.4 million lottery – left tackle money – for 2025 is a pretty nice reward. And still a decent chance the Chiefs get Smith locked up ahead of July’s deadline.

Dallas Cowboys

After infamously sitting out free agency in 2024 and waiting until the last minute to grant extensions to WR CeeDee Lamb and QB Dak Prescott that were at or near the apex of their respective positional pay scales, “America’s Team” got a four-year, $80 million deal (with $58 million guaranteed, per reports) done with DT Osa Odighizuwa on Tuesday rather than franchising him for more than $25 million. Who said you can’t teach an old dog new tricks? (That was not a Jerry Jones reference. Maybe.) And spreading out Odighizuwa’s payday should also help grease the skids for a well-deserved extension for LB Micah Parsons. Lamb’s agreement to restructure his deal Tuesday – that freed up another $20 million for 2025 – provides his team further flexibility.

Alaric Jackson

In tandem with QB Matthew Stafford’s successful renegotiation last week, Jackson, the Los Angeles Rams’ left tackle the past two seasons, inked a three-year, $57 million extension rather than face the possibility of a tag. He might have gotten a bit more if released to the market, but this seems like a sensible compromise for both sides.

Sam Darnold?

He was set free, the Minnesota Vikings allowing their 2024 Pro Bowl quarterback to fully assess his value rather than mess around with a $40.2 million tag or the notion that there was sufficient upside to go the tag-and-trade route with the 27-year-old passer. Darnold is now free to pursue something perhaps on the order of the three-year, $100 million bump Baker Mayfield, his 2018 draftmate, landed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers last year.

LOSERS

Sam Darnold?

But it doesn’t appear Darnold can have his mead with the Vikes and drink it, too. Though the door appears open for at least a temporary return to Minnesota, which kickstarted his career in Year 7, it would be at the club’s price point and with the ubiquitous shadow of 2024 first-round pick J.J. McCarthy, who missed his rookie year with a knee injury. Yet if Darnold feels compelled to cash in – and no guarantee this opportunity arises again – hard to believe the ride will be as smooth in a place like Las Vegas or Cleveland or maybe Tennessee in 2025.

Aaron Rodgers

With Darnold seemingly in the wind, the four-time league MVP and soon-to-be-ex-New-York-Jets quarterback may have to wait a minute before he breezes into his next NFL destination … assuming there is one.

Tee Higgins

Consecutive tags mean he gets a 20% raise in 2025 to $26.2 million – ranking Chase’s understudy at 10th league-wide among receivers in terms of average salary this year. But Higgins, who’s only played a full season twice in his five-year career, is something of a poster boy for players fearful of the tag – and how an untimely injury could preclude ever getting that nine-figure extension. The Bengals announced Monday that they’re moving forward with Higgins “with the intent of continuing to work toward a long-term deal in Cincinnati.” But given he’ll almost certainly have to wait for Chase’s ship to come in and maybe even All-Pro DE Trey Hendrickson’s …

Alex Cappa and Sheldon Rankins

Both are now former Bengals, their recent releases helping Cincinnati to clear nearly $18 million in cap room as Tobin tries to amass the necessary funds to mollify his stars.

NFL players?

As generally liberating as this year’s deadline was, the fact that only Higgins and Smith were tagged is a very strong indication of how clubs feel about the 2025 free agent class. At a time when the salary cap has ballooned to a record $279.2 million per team, it wouldn’t be completely unjustifiable for owners to be a bit tight-fisted in the coming weeks – which is exactly what they want to be.

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The SEC on Tuesday once again showed off its depth of quality teams — at the expense of its top team.

Bruce Pearl, Johni Broome and No. 1 Auburn (27-3, 15-2 in SEC play) entered Tuesday’s game vs. Texas A&M already in possession of the SEC regular-season championship and a strong claim for the No. 1 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament. That mattered to Buzz Williams and his 21st-ranked Aggies (21-9, 10-7 SEC), who handed the Tigers an 83-72 defeat at College Station’s Reed Arena — their worst loss all year.

Texas A&M, which is also looking to improve its own seeding ahead of the NCAA Tournament, jumped out to a 7-0 lead over the visiting Tigers and never looked back. The Aggies never trailed in the home win over Auburn, with the Tigers only getting within one possession of Texas A&M.

Texas A&M had five players score in the double digits in the win, led by Zhuric Phelps’ 19 points off the bench. Andersson Garcia also turned in a monster double-double performance with 11 points, 11 rebounds, five assists, two steals and a block in the victory.

Conversely, Broome, a national player of the year candidate, finished with eight points on 4-of-9 shooting, adding seven rebounds and two assists in the defeat. Chad Baker-Mazara and Tahaad Pettiford finished with 15 and 19 points in the loss, respectively.

Auburn had only 10 points off the bench, compared to 36 for the Aggies. While Auburn out-shot Texas A&M from the field (50% to 43.1%) and 3-point range (40.9% to 36.0%), the Aggies had two key advantages. The first was in rebounds (41-25), including a 24-9 advantage in offensive boards. The Aggies also made more plays off Auburn’s 13 turnovers, scoring 18 points off turnovers to the Tigers’ 11.

‘The things that they do bother us a little bit,’ Pearl said after the game.

He added that Texas A&M ‘physically dominated us.’

The loss marks only the third defeat all season for Pearl and Auburn, which lost on the road at what was then a No. 9-ranked Duke team and at home vs. No. 6 Florida. This is the Tigers’ first defeat by a team outside the top 10 all season, and the first by double-digit points.

Though it likely will matter little for March Madness seeding — and not at all for the men’s SEC tournament seeding — the loss comes as a stark reminder to Auburn and objective observers alike that anyone can beat anyone in March.

Even the top team in the country.

This story was updated with new information.

INDIANAPOLIS – NFL teams awash in disposable income now have a better idea of how to earmark their funds later this month.

“Free agency is a great roster-building tool,” Arizona Cardinals GM Monti Ossenfort said at the annual scouting combine last week. “We’re right here on the cusp of the two biggest roster-building opportunities for us in free agency followed by the draft.

“We’re going to be active in both of them,” continued Ossenfort, who is projected to have something close to an $80 million bankroll, among the league’s largest this offseason, to lure veteran players.

“We’re going to make smart decisions and things that we think are the right fit for our team, both the person – (their) makeup – and then also schematically, who can help us the most.’

Ossenfort and his peers across the league have less than a week before they can officially begin recruiting that help in earnest. NFL free agents cannot begin signing contracts with new teams until 4 p.m. ET on March 12, though they can engage in negotiations with outside clubs starting next Monday. The passage of Tuesday afternoon’s deadline to apply franchise and transition tags has brought some measure of clarity to the market, Cincinnati Bengals WR Tee Higgins and Kansas City Chiefs G Trey Smith – both likely to be among the top five players available this year if they’d been unrestricted – effectively taken off the shelf after both were franchised.

NFL STATS CENTRAL: The latest NFL scores, schedules, odds, stats and more.

Though Higgins and/or Smith could still be traded down the line, their tags effectively dilute what was already a fairly thin crop of highly desirable veterans. With franchised players excluded, here is USA TODAY Sports’ updated list of the top 25* free agents available in 2025:

WINNERS AND LOSERS: Of NFL’s 2025 franchise tag deadline

1. QB Sam Darnold

Does he bring an element of concern given the arc of his career, despite its 2024 spike? Surely. But is there anyone else on the market with the potential to have such a franchise-changing impact? Good luck finding one. Last season had a suboptimal ending for Darnold and the Minnesota Vikings with convincing losses to the Detroit Lions and Los Angeles Rams in Week 18 and the playoffs, respectively. Prior to that, Darnold, 27, was something of a belated revelation six years after he was drafted third overall by the New York Jets – driving the Vikes to the cusp of the NFC’s No. 1 seed during a 14-3 campaign that earned him Pro Bowl recognition for the first time as he passed for 4,319 yards, 35 touchdowns and a 102.5 rating, all easily career bests. And now, with Matthew Stafford no longer unofficially available after redoing his deal with the Rams, Darnold could also be the financial beneficiary of a thin class of quarterbacks in the draft at a time when at least a half-dozen teams seem solidly in the market for an answer behind center – which isn’t to say Minnesota might not lure him back once all is said and done … the Vikings just weren’t willing to do it for $40 million.

2. OLB Josh Sweat

At 6-5, 265 pounds, he’s built to man the edge, whether as a base end or stand-up linebacker. Just 27, Sweat has averaged better than eight sacks and 26 pressures over the last four seasons since he was named a Pro Bowler for the Philadelphia Eagles in 2021. And, unlike Darnold, Sweat, who already mans a highly coveted post, should get a postseason premium attached to his negotiations as a guy who’s played in two Super Bowls over the past three seasons. All he did in the Super Bowl 59 rollover of the Chiefs was generate 2½ sacks and seven pressures (per Pro Football Focus) of QB Patrick Mahomes – an MVP-caliber performance on the NFL’s grandest stage that could especially make prospective contenders salivate.

3. LB Zack Baun

Relegated to special teams and spot defensive duty during four seasons with the New Orleans Saints, he found a home at off-ball linebacker with Philadelphia in 2024 and absolutely flourished. Rated No. 1 by PFF at his position – if merely the underappreciated defensive version of running back – Baun, 28, blossomed not only into an All-Pro but a Defensive Player of the Year finalist. A tackling machine who managed 3½ sacks for a unit that rarely blitzed while forcing five fumbles in the regular season, he was truly dastardly in coverage – his interception of Mahomes right before halftime of the Super Bowl arguably the final nail in Kansas City’s coffin. Not every team is willing to invest at Baun’s position – even the Eagles had no idea what they were truly getting on a one-year deal that hit the lottery for them. But he could score something in the $20 million-per-year range from those that value his skill set – and that does include Philly EVP/GM Howie Roseman, who seems most interested in retaining Baun among his band of free agents.

4. CB Byron Murphy Jr.

He erupted for the Vikings in 2024, named a Pro Bowler for the first time after recording career highs for interceptions (6), passes defensed (14) and tackles (81) – all while often working on an island given Minnesota’s propensity to blitz. Quarterbacks only managed an 80.5 rating when targeting him. Murphy, 27, should be especially valuable given he’s comfortable lining up wide or playing in the slot.

5. DT Milton Williams

Yet another Philly player in line for a Lombardi bump, Williams excelled in 2024, when he played a career-high 501 snaps and responded with a personal best five sacks to go along with 28 hurries (per PFF). A third-round pick in 2021, the 25-year-old has started 17 times over the past two seasons but appears to be in line for a front-liner’s playing time – and a starter’s money. Given the Eagles’ depth on the D-line, he’s not likely to get that in Philly. But Williams had to be smiling Tuesday, when the Dallas Cowboys rewarded fellow DT Osa Odighizuwa with a four-year, $80 million extension in order to keep him off the market.

6. LT Ronnie Stanley

The two-time Pro Bowler is definitely the most talented blind side protector on the market and just played a full season for the first time in his nine-year career, attributes that should fetch him a fat bag. Stanley is also almost 31 … and just played a full season for the first time in his nine-year career, attributes that may give several teams pause. Still, his value likely got a further bump after the Rams recently took LT Alaric Jackson out of play by extending him for three years.

7. S Jevon Holland

On the plus side, he’ll be 25 at the start of next season and – when on top of his game – is an impact player, whether as a pass rusher or ball hawk, Holland responsible for nine takeaways in his four seasons to go along with five forced fumbles. But consistency has been an issue at times, and he’s missed seven games over the past two seasons. Regardless, good bet Holland lands financially at the summit of the safety market currently topped by Antoine Winfield ($21 million per season).

8. CB D.J. Reed

Still only 28, he also mans a position where demand always outstrips supply. Reed has averaged double-digit passes defensed over the past four seasons even if he’s not necessarily an interception machine (four total over that stretch). But he’s durable and a willing tackler, a trait that distinguishes him from many of his peers. However penalties have been an issue in recent years with the Jets, and he has had the benefit of playing opposite of Sauce Gardner the past three seasons.

9. WR Chris Godwin

He was having a monster season for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2024 – and on pace for a career year – with 50 catches for 576 yards and five TDs in seven games. But Godwin, who just turned 29, suffered a dislocated ankle in October that obviously required surgery and relegated him to injured reserve. Such a setback is concerning for a middle-aged (by NFL standards) wideout. Yet perhaps it will be offset not only by the fact Godwin can line up anywhere and is tough as nails, but also because he could command more suitors (and money) with Higgins spoken for and this year’s draft not nearly as stocked with high-end wideouts as 2024’s was.

10. LT Cam Robinson

Stanley is more gifted when it comes to safeguarding quarterbacks. But Robinson, 29, is slightly younger and generally more likely to remain in the lineup – though he was suspended four games at the start of the 2024 campaign, while in Jacksonville, for violating the performance-enhancing substances policy before later being dealt to Minnesota. Jackson’s deal, which averages $19 million annually, should also boost Robinson’s market.

11. S Justin Reid

He posted one of his best seasons in years in 2024. Reid, who turned 28 last month, is an extremely bright player, a reliable tackler and has literally been the last line of defense for Chiefs coordinator Steve Spagnuolo, who has counted on him with confidence the past three years. Yet Reid typically doesn’t make a ton of splash plays – i.e., generating turnovers or as a blitzer – so it’s little surprise that K.C. prioritized Smith, especially given the need to safeguard Mahomes.

12. C Drew Dalman

Looking for a highly reliable snapper to anchor your line who’s only 26 and has Stanford smarts? Then Dalman might be your guy, though he did miss eight games last season for the Atlanta Falcons with an ankle injury. Doesn’t mean he shouldn’t get a deal that pays him at least $15 million annually.

*QB Aaron Rodgers

Technically, he’s not a free agent – yet – but he is effectively, permitted to speak with potential employers after the Jets signaled their intention to end their two-year relationship with the four-time league MVP prematurely. Rodgers’ age (41) is just one red flag on what’s a sterling résumé from a football standpoint. Yet despite the off-field baggage he lugs into a locker room, he’s also a quarterbacking savant and a tough one – starting all 17 games despite a litany of injuries to his lower body in 2024. Yet over his final nine starts with the NYJ, Rodgers passed for 218 yards per game with 14 touchdowns and just three interceptions (95.1 QB rating). It wasn’t on par with his Green Bay heyday, but those modestly impressive figures should certainly be sufficient to get him a starting job in 2025 … maybe even with a contender like Pittsburgh given the mutual man crush coach Mike Tomlin and Rodgers seem to have.

13. CB Carlton Davis

A solid player who’s just 28 and has 17 takeaways in seven NFL years. However Davis tends to get banged up, having never played a full season – a broken jaw cutting his 2024 stint with Detroit short at 13 games.

14. WR Davante Adams

Released by the Jets on Tuesday, he’s 32 and two years removed from his most recent All-Pro season. In fairness to Adams, he’s played on two bad teams (Las Vegas Raiders, NYJ) and more than a half-dozen quarterbacks during that period, yet seemed to be recapturing his deadly form in the second half of 2024 after getting reacquainted with Rodgers. Even after a bumpy assimilation following his trade to New York last October, Adams’ numbers projected over 17 games with the Jets would have translated to 104 receptions for 1,320 yards and 11 TDs … which seems like a typical campaign during his peak. His market might actually be more limited by choosing to remain hitched to Rodgers – if that, in fact, transpires – than his ability to, at minimum, perform at a 1A wideout level.

15. S Talanoa Hufanga

Two years ago, he looked (literally) like the next Troy Polamalu, earning All-Pro honors for the San Francisco 49ers while wreaking havoc all over the field. Hufanga has yet to regain that form since suffering a torn ACL late in the 2023 season, but this might be the right time to invest in a guy who recently turned 26.

16. CB Charvarius Ward

Like Hufanga, Ward, 28, is coming off a disappointing season with the Niners. However given he was dealing with a knee injury and, more importantly, the death of his 1-year-old daughter, Ward’s struggles were more than understandable. He was a dominant player in previous seasons and very well could be again.

17. QB Russell Wilson

If you want a Super Bowl-proven quarterback with a different set of issues than Rodgers’, then Mr. Unlimited might be your guy. Wilson was named a Pro Bowler for the 10th time this season … though only after enough AFC quarterbacks declined the invitation. Overall, his passing numbers in 2024 (63.7% completion rate, 2,482 yards, 16 TDs, 5 INTs, 95.6 rating), his first in Pittsburgh, were generally in line with his career norms on a per-game basis. But the 36-year-old’s late-season decline (which bookended a training camp calf injury that cost him six regular-season starts) also mirrored the downfall of the Steelers, who lost their final five games and weren’t even competitive in most of those. He’s basically no longer a threat with his legs, either, which can amplify his tendency to struggle from the pocket. Still, Wilson might still find an opportunity to start – a reunion with Pete Carroll in Las Vegas? – even if those days appear decidedly numbered.

18. QB Justin Fields

If you want a younger passer with scads of talent – and a far more pronounced ability to make plays with his legs than Darnold – rather than a veteran, then Fields, who turns 26 on Wednesday, might be your guy. Though Wilson initially justified Tomlin’s decision to bench Fields, many never understood the logic given how well he played while winning four of his six starts to begin the 2024 campaign. And Fields showed noticeable improvement along the way, earning his teammates’ trust while adding what seemed an ideal dimension to OC Arthur Smith’s offense given his dynamic ability to make plays outside the pocket. Seems like there’s a much stronger chance Pittsburgh would choose to run it back with Fields in 2025 than Wilson.

19. DE Chase Young

Despite the outlandish pre-draft comparisons in 2020, he’ll never become the next Lawrence Taylor. But the Saints may have hit on something, solely using Young as a situational pass rusher in 2024. He responded with 5½ sacks and a career-best (by far) 34 pressures. Young, still only 25, may not break the bank, but he should do better than having to settle for another one-year deal.

20. RB Rico Dowdle

Is he the next Saquon Barkley? Hardly. But Dowdle, 26, did explode for a career-best 1,328 yards from scrimmage (on 274 touches) when Dallas finally gave him a chance to play in 2024 – and the Cowboys almost certainly would have been better off had they given him more reps rather than force Ezekiel Elliott into the rotation early in the season. Newly promoted head coach Brian Schottenheimer has already expressed his hope that Dowdle, who ran with maximum effort after finally getting his NFL opportunity, returns. But he might fetch more money – whether as a starter or change-of-pace back – elsewhere … and might be especially attractive given his relative lack of usage (387 career touches) since the Cowboys signed him as an undrafted free agent in 2020.

21. RB Najee Harris

22. LB Nick Bolton

He’s unlikely to sniff whatever Baun rakes in. But Bolton has been a staple in K.C. the past four seasons, his touchdown in Super Bowl 57 the turning point of that contest. And for anyone looking to steal a little Chiefs magic, why not poach a productive backer who will celebrate his 25th birthday Monday?

23. OLB Khalil Mack

His age (34) will almost certainly suppress what’s left of his earning power. Nevertheless, he has been a Pro Bowler in nine of his 11 NFL season – and the league’s Defensive Player of the Year in 2016 – and was ranked by PFF as the fifth-best player on the edge in 2024. Mack has always been stout against the run, however his 2023 sack total (17) plummeted to six last season while his 22 pressures were barely half the previous year (36). He should certainly be an asset to a contender, but it’s a stretch to ask him to anchor a defense at this juncture.

24. G/T Mekhi Becton

The 11th overall pick of the 2020 draft, he rarely came close to fulfilling his potential with the Jets, who expected Becton, 25, to be their long-term left tackle. But, not all that surprisingly, his career was revived in Philadelphia by O-line guru Jeff Stoutland, who shifted the massive (6-7, 363) blocker inside to guard. Becton might have priced himself out of Philly, but he will do much better financially after earning $2.75 million during his year with the Eagles – maybe far better if another team wants to give him another shot at the blind side.

25. OLB Haason Reddick

Between 2020 and ’23, he averaged better than 12½ sacks and nearly 36 pressures per season, eye-popping numbers for teams looking for pass-rush enhancement – and precisely why the Jets traded for Reddick last year. However his obstinate holdout in 2024 didn’t shed him in the best light, and that was exacerbated by his complete lack of production (1 sack and 7 pressures in 10 games after he reported to the team). Reddick will be 31 in September, and his relative age and low snap count last season might create a better market for him than, say, Mack’s. But hard to believe there won’t be a buyer-beware label Reddick will have to overcome.

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Things have not been going well for the Phoenix Suns. An interaction between star Kevin Durant and coach Mike Budenholzer probably won’t lower the temperature in the desert anytime soon.

Durant was captured by TNT’s broadcast ripping his arm away from Budenholzer after the coach had grabbed it as Durant came to the bench after a first-half timeout during Tuesday night’s game against the Los Angeles Cippers. Durant then turned back toward the coach and he and Budenholzer continued to converse.

Footage shared by Cameron Cox of NBC 12 showed that later in the timeout Durant approached Budenholzer to talk further in an exchange that appeared far more cordial.

TNT’s broadcast indicated their discussion was related to a miscommunication Phoenix had during an offensive set.

The Suns actually led 30-24 after the first quarter, but things unraveled for them in the second frame as the Clippers outscored them 41-19. Phoenix did the dominating in the fourth quarter, though. After falling behind by 23 points, the Suns roared back. They outscored the Clippers 43-22 in the final 12 minutes to win 119-117. Durant finished with a team-high 34 points.

All things Suns: Latest Phoenix Suns news, schedule, roster, stats, injury updates and more.

Budenholzer, who won a championship in 2021 as head coach of the Milwaukee Bucks, is in his first season in Phoenix. Despite Tuesday’s historic win, it’s been a disappointing campaign. The Suns are 29-33 and sit outside of a play-in spot, three games behind the 10th-place Dallas Mavericks.

Can the Suns chase down the Mavs, who will now be without Kyrie Irving? Even if they do, hard feelings may linger between Durant and the team — the Suns reportedly explored trading Durant ahead of last month’s deadline. (A potential deal with the Golden State Warriors fell apart late in the proceedings.)

All that’s to say, the situation seems … volatile.

What they said after the game

Budenholzer downplayed the incident after the game and credited Durant’s energy and leadership for helping spur the comeback.

‘He wanted something, I wanted something. That’s the beauty of basketball,’ Budenholzer said of the incident.

Budenholzer said from that moment on Durant’s ‘voice, him talking — feedback, ideas, suggestions — was really a big part of the night.’

Durant hit back at the ‘narrative’ that he and his coach have issues.

‘That’s what usually happens when you don’t know the dynamics of a relationship, you know? You catch something on TV, you get a quote and now you’re pushing that narrative as if me and Bud don’t do (stuff) all the time,’ Durant said. ‘We’re competitive as two individuals who want to see things done the right way. Sometimes my way ain’t the way that Bud want to do it, and vice versa. He allows me as a player on the team, a veteran on the team, to voice my opinion. If we both didn’t care, we would never have stuff like that. You know what I’m saying?’

‘I’m glad that the win is going to sweep all of that stupid stuff under the rug because people couldn’t wait — even some people in Phoenix, in here, couldn’t wait to run with that,’ Durant added. ‘You know, say ‘Oh, this is the reason why the team ain’t playing well because of that specific thing.’ But come on, man. That shows that me and Bud really care about trying to right the ship, trying to win basketball games.

‘He understands where I’m coming from, I understand exactly where he’s coming from. It’s just the people on the outside don’t know the dynamics of the relationship. In order for them to get some attention they’re going to run with stuff like that.’

This story has been updated with new information.

The optics of trading Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers look bad enough.

The reality is even worse in early March as the NBA playoffs approach.

As the Lakers rise in the Western Conference standings (tied for second) and their legitimate ability to win the conference comes into focus, the Mavericks’ fall in the standings is being compounded by injury after injury.

Kyrie Irving is out for the remainder of the season with a torn ACL in his left knee, an injury sustained in Dallas’ 122-98 loss to Sacramento on Monday.

Anthony Davis is out – has been since the third quarter of his very first game in a Dallas uniform. So are Daniel Gafford, P.J. Washington, Dereck Lively II and Caleb Martin. Irving was the one player providing elite performances and keeping the Mavs in the postseason race.

Injuries are part of the game. But Irving’s injury all but assures the Mavericks will not be making a consecutive appearance in the NBA Finals – a spot where they shone just a year ago, thanks in large part to Doncic. It wasn’t looking good before Irving’s injury – and yes, there is a trend of different teams reaching the Finals since Golden State last did it in 2018-19 – but Irving’s injury removes an All-Star from the lineup for the team’s final 20 games.

Irving, a nine-time All-Star, was amid another stellar season, averaging 24.7 points, 4.8 rebounds, 4.6 assists and 1.3 steals and was shooting 47.3% from the field, 40.1% on 3-pointers and 91.6% on free throws.

This also puts Irving’s 2025-26 season in jeopardy. Recovering from a torn ACL is a time-consuming and grueling process, and Irving turns 33 on March 23. Denver’s Jamal Murray tore his ACL late in the 2020-21 season and missed the entire 2021-22 season.

Even if Davis returns – and he is scheduled for a re-evaluation of his strained left adductor soon – the Mavericks are clinging to a play-in spot. They are in 10th place, one game behind the Los Angeles Clippers, Sacramento and Minnesota, 1½ games behind Golden State and 3½ games ahead of Phoenix. If the Suns have it in them – and not sure they do – they could make a run at the Mavericks and keep them out of the postseason.

While nothing is easy in the West, Dallas’ troubles give the Clippers, Kings, Timberwolves and Warriors minor relief and a softer path to the postseason.

The Lakers’ rise makes the situation worse for Dallas, which already has an angry and frustrated fanbase after Doncic was traded. Regardless of how the Mavericks’ season impacts other teams, how they perform is measured against what the Lakers and Doncic are doing.

And so far, the Lakers are winning. A lot.

Less than two months ago, the Lakers were 20-17 and in seventh place but also just two games ahead of 11th-place Golden State and Phoenix. They were just a couple of losses from falling out of the play-in game spots.

Since then, the Lakers are 18-4, including 10-2 since the Doncic trade and 6-2 with Doncic in the lineup. In his eight games for the Lakers, Doncic has averaged 22.0 points, 8.3 rebounds and 6.8 assists as he works his way back from a left calf injury that sidelined him from Dec. 25 to Feb.10. He scored 31 and 29 points, respectively, in victories against the Clippers on Friday and Sunday.

The 26-year-old Doncic has given the old dog LeBron James, 40, a reinvigorated disposition. Since the trade, James is averaging 27.8 points, 9.9 rebounds, 6.6 assists and is shooting 54.1% from the field and 42.9% on 3-pointers.

Missing the postseason might not be Dallas’ worst-case scenario. That would be the Lakers finishing with the No. 2 seed and the Mavs getting the No. 7 seed, setting up a first-round playoff showdown and giving Doncic a chance to torch his former team.

Even if you agree with Mavericks president of basketball operations/general manger Nico Harrison and his long-term belief that the Mavericks can’t win a title with Doncic, the short-term results are painful for the team and its fans.

And that pain is only getting worse.

Follow NBA columnist Jeff Zillgitt on social media @JeffZillgitt

The Philadelphia Eagles are rewarding Saquon Barkley for his record-breaking season.

The Eagles are giving Barkley a two-year extension worth $41.2 million, a person familiar with the situation informed USA TODAY Sports. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the deal isn’t official yet.

Barkley’s new extension makes him the highest-paid running back in NFL history. He’s the first running back to make $20 million per season.

The deal includes $36 million in guaranteed money.

The mega-deal comes on the heels of a record-breaking 2024 campaign for the running back.

NFL STATS CENTRAL: The latest NFL scores, schedules, odds, stats and more.

Barkley won the NFL’s rushing title, running for a career-high 2,005 yards along with 13 rushing touchdowns. His yardage output set a franchise record and stands as the eighth most ever in a single season. His regular-season statistics earned him NFL Offensive Player of the Year honors.

During Super Bowl 59, Barkley eclipsed Terrell Davis’ NFL record for most rushing yards in a single season, including playoffs.

Barkley amassed an NFL-record 2,504 rushing yards, including playoffs, in the 2024 season.

The running back’s performance helped the Eagles win Super Bowl 59, the franchise’s second Super Bowl title in history.

The Eagles signed Barkley during the 2024 free agency period after his spent his first six years with the New York Giants. He’s found a home in the City of Brotherly Love, and the Eagles made sure the record-setting RB stays in Philadelphia for a while.

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

For new Wisconsin-Green Bay men’s basketball coach Doug Gottlieb, a wintry Tuesday in early February began at home in the still-dark morning, and after a weather-related travel delay continued in Tulsa, Oklahoma, followed by a short drive to visit his former Oklahoma State teammate, Brian Montonati, the head basketball coach at nearby Owasso High School.

Starters on the 2000 team that advanced to the Elite Eight before falling to eventual runner-up Florida, Gottlieb and Montonati caught up around the white board, spending about an hour diagramming plays. As a bonus, Montonati’s son, Jalen, is one of the top prospects in the 2026 recruiting class — something Gottlieb and his former teammates “take a special pride in,” he said.

This was going to be one of those days: Gottlieb had to drive to Independence, Kansas, for a nighttime junior-college matchup, and then navigate through an incoming ice storm to get back to Green Bay in time for Wednesday’s practice. In the end, Gottlieb had to drive to Oklahoma City for another morning flight, sleeping about two hours before getting back on the road.

Alas, such is life for a college basketball coach, especially one combing the country and tapping into his network to reverse his program’s exceptionally unimpressive start, and Gottlieb, 49, is no different.

“I knew he could coach,” said former Stephen F. Austin coach Kyle Keller, who was an assistant at Oklahoma State during Gottlieb’s senior season. “He was so advanced with his thoughts, and he saw the game ahead of everything else. He just has a deep knowledge and passion. It all starts with passion. Doug’s passion for the game and for people, that’s who he is.”

Then again, his budding tenure in coaching may be one of the most unique in modern college basketball history.

He hadn’t coached a day in college before being hired last May. He continues to tape his longtime radio show, carving out three hours every afternoon to maintain a broadcasting career that began more than two decades ago, not long after the end of his playing career.

“Doug has been successful at everything he’s done. He’s beaten the odds at everything he’s done, from being a high-level player himself to his well-documented profession,” said Kurt Voss, a Green Bay-area businessperson and prominent supporter of the basketball program.

“I’m just one of those who believe that winners win, and he’s won his whole life. Now he’s going to have to figure out how to win at the college basketball level. And I have no doubt he’s going to do that, he’s going to figure it out. Because a guy like that doesn’t allow himself to lose over the long haul.”

With a healthy amount of swagger, Gottlieb has tried to balance his two careers with decidedly mixed results: Green Bay is 4-27 overall and in last place in the Horizon League heading into Tuesday’s Horizon League tournament opener against Oakland, though the Phoenix have outplayed their record while managing injuries, attrition and one of the youngest rosters in the country.

“I always felt that he felt he could be a better coach than 99 percent of the guys coaching,” said longtime ESPN analyst Fran Fraschilla, a former colleague of Gottlieb’s with the network. “I honestly always felt he could do this job better than 99 percent of us. That’s Doug in everything. And that’s why he’s so good on the radio.”

BRACKETOLOGY: Tennessee jumps to No. 1 seed in tournament field

Doug Gottlieb balances basketball job and radio show

A staple of afternoon sports-talk radio since 2006 across three prominent networks — ESPN, CBS Sports and, since 2017, Fox Sports — ‘The Doug Gottlieb Show’ has made him a college basketball celebrity.

Perhaps as much so as the biggest names in college coaching, Gottlieb’s arrival at games, practices and tournaments can be an event — making him the center of attention at places such as Independence, where the athletics director, sports information director and others “were all about the radio show,” he said.

“There in a nutshell is why I’m the right guy for coaching and for this job,” said Gottlieb. “You know, here I come in and because of my broadcasting, people knew I was coming, right, and it was kind of a big thing.’

On the Tuesday last month, Gottlieb hosted the show from Montonati’s office; he got back home the next day just in time to record Wednesday’s episode. The setup is fairly basic and easy to replicate, requiring only a quiet space, a microphone and a laptop to record the video portion of each episode to post online.

While the Phoenix routinely practice in the morning, leaving Gottlieb free to record his show in the afternoon, his coaching staff will conduct team activities in the rare case of a scheduling conflict. Recently, Gottlieb made a midweek trip to New Orleans to host his show on media row at the Super Bowl, causing him to miss a Thursday practice before returning in time to lead Friday’s workout and coach Green Bay’s loss that Saturday against Purdue Fort Wayne.

The result, Gottlieb said, has been “great promotion for all parties,” making Green Bay one of the “very few” programs in college basketball commonly discussed on a national platform.

“Of what’s being talked about, there’s like 10 or 15 teams and mine’s one of them. You know, we’re going to eventually turn that to a positive, but that’s reality anyway.”

The show also has made Gottlieb a lightning rod on social media and elsewhere. On one episode earlier this season, he called LeBron James a “bad basketball parent” for his role in elevating his son, Bronny, despite mixed reviews from talent evaluators. Last week, James reveled in Green Bay’s record in a post on X, trolling Gottlieb with a string of laughing-face emojis.

There was also criticism about calling opponent Michigan Tech ‘Nobody U’ before Green Bay lost to the Division II school in December, though Gottlieb said the comments were misconstrued.

But Gottlieb has a long history of dealing with the negative side of being in the public eye. His college career started at Notre Dame, but he was forced to transfer following his freshman season after being caught stealing and using three credit cards from students. That was almost 30 years ago, and it’s still brought up when he comments on social media.

“Luckily, I’ve got crocodile skin,” said Gottlieb. “You know, I was always told I should moisturize more. But it’s very normal for me to be a lightning rod on social media. Really, I used to take it really, really personal, and sometimes you still do take it personally.”

A college basketball coaching career starting from scratch

While an established talk-show veteran, Gottlieb is a coaching neophyte whose only previous on-the-sideline experience before Green Bay came as an assistant coach for Team USA under Bruce Pearl at the 2009 Maccabiah Games and as the head coach of the gold medal-winning team at the 2017 games in Jerusalem.

But he’d been a contender for roughly a dozen openings over the years, coming close to landing the Tulane job in 2016 and, one year later, the position at Oklahoma State that eventually went to former coach Mike Boynton. In his closest brush with on-court coaching experience on the college level, Gottlieb spent last year as a consultant under Boynton, who was fired at the end of the season and replaced by former Western Kentucky coach Steve Lutz.

And coaching is in his blood: Gottlieb’s father, Bob, was the head coach at Jacksonville State and Wisconsin-Milwaukee, and a fixture on the Southern California AAU circuit; and his brother, Gregg, has worked at six men’s and women’s Division I programs since 1995.

“I think I always assumed I would coach,” he said. “Everybody close to me assumed I would always coach. And then the broadcasting thing just kind of happened.”

The move into coaching has come with an intense learning curve. That Gottlieb walked into this position without paying the same dues as others in the profession — most spend years, even decades, as an assistant before earning the promotion — has joined his deeply opinionated broadcasting style as a second source of schadenfreude amid Green Bay’s forgettable season.

“There’s only 360 of these jobs,” Keller said. “How many of them skip as many steps as he skipped to become that CEO? I hope that the envy or the jealously doesn’t come out. But I think you’d have to be a really strong person not to feel that way.”

Said Fraschilla, “The unfortunate thing for Doug is that usually you can grow into becoming a coach in anonymity at a place like Green Bay. But because of Doug’s persona and his fame, if you will, and the fact that he’s been very opinionated over the years, there’s always a target on him to see him fail.

“His opinionated personality and the fact that he’s been in the talk-radio realm for many years, lent itself to having a lot of people who probably didn’t root for him. I think it’s more that than any kind of jealously. It’s not like 10,000 people were going after the Green Bay job, you know what I mean.”

Green Bay’s season to forget and also remember

It’s been a nightmarish season from the start through this week’s expected finish, raising legitimate questions about whether Gottlieb can possibly juggle the time demands and constraints of simultaneously working two high-profile careers. Another question asks what Gottlieb would do if this balancing act becomes too much to handle: After decades in broadcasting, would he choose to toss that aside in favor of focusing solely on coaching?

“It’s been really hard,” Gottlieb said of his first season. “I guess the frustration is, anything that can go wrong has gone wrong. And I still love the job.”

The Phoenix opened his debut with two wins in five games before dropping 21 games in a row, a 90-day stretch of misery that ended with last month’s win against Wright State. Green Bay heads into the Horizon tournament having two wins in its last five, with all three losses coming by a single-digit margin.

“There’s no doubt in my mind there’s been growth throughout the season,” said Voss. “The biggest thing I see is no one has given up. And it’d be easy for a team with that record for the players to give up, for the coaches to give up, and I’ve seen none of that.”

There are mitigating factors that supersede Gottlieb’s inexperience. The biggest is his late start, in May, months after most new coaches are hired. That left Gottlieb and his staff way behind in roster management, resulting in a 17-player roster that has just two seniors and nine redshirt freshmen. Another issue has been injuries. Leading scorer Anthony Roy, who averaged 25.7 points in 11 games, has been out since December. Another offseason addition, 7-foot-1 Oklahoma State transfer Isaiah Miranda, played in just seven games before leaving the program.

One positive factor is Gottlieb’s deep connections throughout the sport, birthed in part by the relationships developed by his father on the AAU level. “I’m not surprised that Doug inherited the rolodex, so to speak,” Fraschilla said.

This support system is “an army of people that want to help,” said Gottlieb.

“Coaches are a really good fraternity. Obviously, we’re losing games now, but you wouldn’t believe how many of them have reached out. ‘Hey, it’s your first year, keep plugging.’ Keep learning, you know.”

And this isn’t even the program’s worst season this decade: Green Bay went 3-29 in 2022-23 and a combined 16-71 from 2020-23, though current Wyoming coach Sundance Wicks went 18-14 and tied for third in the Horizon standings last season. Former Green Bay coach Dick Bennett went 5-23 in his debut season in 1985-86 but went on to win a program-record 187 games.

Unsurprisingly to those who know him — and those who know his radio show — Gottlieb’s confidence remains unshaken.

“He’s never failed. Even when he’s hit adversity, he bounces back and rises up even higher. Adversity, he just looks in the face and keeps marching on,” Keller said.

“Don’t think he’s not going to learn from this year and say, ‘Man, I’m not going to make these mistakes again.’ Don’t count him out. He looks at this stuff, like, ‘You better get your licks in now. Because it ain’t happening next year.’ I will be shocked if he doesn’t turn that thing around quicker versus later.”

At his birthday celebration at a Green Bay hotel in January following a loss to Indiana University-Indianapolis, Gottlieb told friends and well-wishers that they should do this again next year — and when they do, they can look back and laugh about how far the Phoenix have risen, he said.

“This place is going to be a great program,” said Gottlieb. “And they want it so bad. We all want it so bad.”