🏈 Free Agent Frenzy!

Rise and Shine! Woah, Nelly, do we have a letter for you today! NFL free agency unofficially kicked off yesterday as a slew of verbal agreements were made before contracts get inked tomorrow. Kirk Thuggins is heading to Hotlanta. Saquon Barkley is running down I-95 to join a division rival — but the Giants didn’t get totally Burned — and the Packers got rid of another Aaron. The surplus of shuffling superstars has left my dainty fingers aching and my pea-sized brain weary. Nevertheless, I’ve still managed to list all of Monday’s biggest moves for your personal convenience. Speaking of heroes, Luka Doncic is going legend, and the Big East still hasn’t found the Lady Huskies’ kryptonite. Also, hockey. Let’s go!

WTF Stat: Chelsea has not lost a Premier League match at home in the month of March since 2001.

🏈 Free Agent Frenzy!

NFL free agency is in full swing, with the legal negotiation period (allowing teams and players to verbally agree on new deals) beginning yesterday at noon ET. Agreed-upon deals cannot become official until tomorrow at 4:00pm ET, which coincides with the start of the new league year. However, plenty of handshakes have already been made — and I mean big handshakes. Below are all the need-to-know moves from yesterday. Buckle up!

Top NFL Free Agency Agreements

• Falcons and former Vikings QB Kirk Cousins have agreed to a 4-year, $180M contract, with $100M guaranteed - Cousins, 35, went 51-39-1 in six years as Minnesota’s starter but tore his Achilles in October

• Eagles and former Giants RB Saquon Barkley have agreed to a 3-year, $38M contract, with $26M guaranteed - Barkley, 27, accrued 1,242 total yards and 10 touchdowns in 14 games last season, but New York opted not to place the franchise tag on him for 2024

• Packers released RB Aaron Jones and have agreed to terms with former Raiders RB Josh Jacobs on a 4-year, $48M deal, with $12.5M guaranteed - Jacobs, 26, led the NFL with 1,653 rushing yards in 2022, and ran for 805 yards and six touchdowns in 13 games last season

• Raiders and former Dolphins DT Christian Wilkins have agreed to a 4-year, $110M contract, with $84.75M guaranteed - Wilkins, 28, recorded a career-high nine sacks last season and is considered one of the best interior run-stoppers in the NFL

• Bears and former Eagles RB D’Andre Swift have agreed to a 3-year, $24M contract, with $15.3M guaranteed - Swift, 25, rushed for a career-high 1,049 yards last season in his lone year in Philadelphia

• Titans and former Cowboys RB Tony Pollard have agreed to a 3-year, $24M contract - Pollard, 26, rushed for 1,005 yards and six touchdowns last season as Dallas’ lead back

• Commanders and former Chargers RB Austin Ekeler have agreed to a 2-year, $11M contract - Ekeler, 28, leads the NFL in touchdowns (44) since 2021, but saw his production decline last season, rushing for 628 yards and five touchdowns

• Bengals released RB Joe Mixon after seven years with the team and have agreed to terms with former Colts RB Zack Moss on a 2-year, $8M contract - Mixon, 27, rushed for 1,034 yards and nine touchdowns last season, while Moss, 26, had a career year, rushing for 794 yards and five touchdowns

Other Top Headlines

• Giants acquired two-time Pro Bowl DE Brian Burns in a trade with the Panthers in exchange for the No. 39 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft and a 2025 fifth-round pick - Burns, 25, will sign a 5-year, $150M deal with New York, including $87.5M guaranteed

• Bengals WR Tee Higgins, who was franchise-tagged on Feb. 26, has requested a trade - Higgins, 25, has grown disappointed that Cincinnati has not discussed a long-term contract with him since March 2023

Other Notable Free Agency Agreements

Key: Player (Position) Previous Team → New Team

• Bryce Huff (EDGE) Jets → Eagles

• DaQuan Jones (DT) Bills — Bills

• Denico Autry (DT) Titans → Texans

• Devin Singletary (RB) Texans → Giants

• Frankie Luvu (LB) Panthers → Commanders

• Gabe Davis (WR) Bills → Jaguars

• Gardner Minshew (QB) Colts → Raiders

• Gus Edwards (RB) Ravens → Chargers

• Jacoby Brissett (QB) Commanders → Patriots

• Jermaine Eluemunor (OT) Raiders → Giants

• John Simpson (G) Ravens → Jets

• Jonathan Greenard (EDGE) Texans → Vikings

• Jon Runyan Jr. (G) Packers → Giants

• Leonard Floyd (EDGE) Bills → 49ers

• Leonard Williams (DT) Seahawks — Seahawks

• Lloyd Cushenberry III (C) Broncos → Titans

• Robert Hunt (G) Dolphins → Panthers

• Sam Darnold (QB) 49ers → Vikings

• Xavier McKinney (S) Giants → Packers

• Za’Darius Smith (EDGE) Browns — Browns

See every free agency agreement here.

Notable Remaining Free Agents

Key: Player (Position, Previous Team)

• Aaron Jones (RB, Packers)

• Arik Armstead (DT, 49ers)

• Calvin Ridley (WR, Jaguars)

• Chase Young (EDGE, 49ers)

• CJ Gardner-Johnson (S, Lions)

• Curtis Samuel (WR, Commanders)

• Danielle Hunter (EDGE, Vikings)

• Derrick Henry (RB, Titans)

• Joe Mixon (RB, Bengals)

• Jonah Williams (OT, Bengals)

• Justin Simmons (S, Broncos)

• Kenny Moore II (CB, Colts)

• Marquise Brown (WR, Cardinals)

• Odell Beckham Jr. (WR, Ravens)

• Patrick Queen (LB, Ravens)

• Stephon Gilmore (CB, Cowboys)

• Tyron Smith (OT, Cowboys)

• Brett Favre (QB, University of Southern Mississippi Volleyball) - you never know when he’s coming back!

See all the notable free agents here.

🏀 Kansas men’s basketball G Kevin McCullar Jr. (left knee bone bruise) and C Hunter Dickinson (dislocated shoulder) will both miss the Big 12 tournament due to injury but are expected to be available for the NCAA Tournament - McCullar (18.3 points, 6.1 rebounds per game) and Dickinson (18.0 PPG, 10.8 RPG) are the Jayhawks’ leading scorers and rebounders, and both earned first-team All-Big 12 honors over the weekend

⚾️ Yankees SP Gerrit Cole is scheduled to undergo an MRI on his right throwing elbow after experiencing discomfort during spring training - the reigning AL Cy Young Award winner has had a “challenging” time recovering in between his pitching sessions

NBA - Top Games

• Dallas Mavericks 127, Chicago Bulls 92: Luka Doncic (27 PTS, 12 REB, 14 AST) is on an absolute tear and boosted his MVP campaign with his seventh straight triple-double, while Daniel Gafford (20 PTS, 7 REB) made history by going nine-for-nine from the field, extending his run of consecutive made shots to 28 — the longest streak since the NBA began tracking play-by-play data in 1996 — as the Mavs mowed down DeMar DeRozan (13 PTS, 2 AST) and the Bulls in Chi-Town - Doncic exited the blowout midway through the 4th quarter, ending his NBA-record streak of 30-point triple-doubles at six

• Phoenix Suns 117, Cleveland Cavaliers 111: Kevin Durant (37 PTS, 8 REB, 6 AST) has now dropped 35-plus points in four consecutive games and Devin Booker (27 PTS, 6 REB, 7 AST) didn’t miss a beat in his return from a right ankle sprain to help rally Phoenix past the shorthanded Cavs in Cleveland - Cavaliers star Donavan Mitchell (left knee bone bruise) missed his 18th game of the season, making him ineligible for All-NBA consideration

• Golden State Warriors 112, San Antonio Spurs 102: Victor Wembanyama (27 PTS, 14 REB) got got! Trayce Jackson-Davis (13 PTS, 10 REB, 5 AST) threw down a hammer on the 7-foot-4 rookie, and he, Chris Paul (19 PTS, 9 REB, 8 AST), and the Warriors got the win despite being without Stephen Curry (sprained ankle) for a second straight game - Golden State -5.5 was yesterday’s Prime Lock of the Day, thank you very much!

• Denver Nuggets 125, Toronto Raptors 119: Nikola Jokic (35 PTS, 17 REB, 12 AST, 6 STL) was better than everybody else, Jamal Murray (26 PTS, 12 AST) wasn’t too shabby either, and the Nugs got their ninth win in 10 games with a come-from-behind victory over RJ Barrett (26 PTS, 7 REB, 9 AST) and the ~possibly-tanking~ Raptors - Jokic has 21 triple-doubles this season and is the favorite to win MVP at -180 odds

See the full NBA scoreboard here and the current standings here.

College Basketball - Conference Tournaments

Women’s

• Big East Final | #10 UConn 78, Georgetown 42: Paige Bueckers (27 PTS, 4 REB, 5 BLK) helped the Huskies jump out to a 44-16 lead in the 2nd quarter, and the Big East bullies coasted the rest of the way for their fourth straight conference tournament title - UConn (29-5) hasn’t dropped a game since losing to No. 1 South Carolina, 83-65, on Feb. 11 and is a projected No. 3-seed for the NCAA Tournament, according to ESPN’s bracketology

• Big 12 Semifinal | #5 Texas 71, #16 Kansas State 64: Madison Booker (17 PTS, 3 AST) and the Longhorns led nearly the entire way until Ayoka Lee (25 PTS, 8 REB) sparked a late Kansas State run to put them up two midway through the 4th quarter; however, Texas prevailed to set up a date with Iowa State for the Big 12 title - UT will host the final which takes place tonight at 9:00pm ET

• Big 12 Semifinal | Iowa State 85, #17 Oklahoma 68: Audi Crooks (25 PTS, 9 REB) stole the Sooners’ hopes of reaching the Big 12 title game in their last season in the conference before leaving for the SEC, as the powerful center had her away inside to help the Cyclones rout Oklahoma

Men’s

• WCC Semifinal | #21 Saint Mary’s 79, Santa Clara 65: Santa Clara’s Carlos Marshall Jr. (26 PTS, 5 REB) kept things from getting out of hand, but Alex Ducas (21 PTS, 4 AST) and Saint Mary’s had no problem with the Broncos to book their third straight WCC tournament final appearance - Saint Mary’s has lost to Gonzaga in the final in each of the past two seasons

• WCC Semifinal | #17 Gonzaga 89, San Francisco 77: 11:30pm ET tip-off? C’mon! I’m so tired, but apparently, the Zags aren’t tired of conference tournament titles, as Ryan Nembhard (16 PTS, 6 REB, 12 AST) and company pulled away from the Dons to set up a meeting with Saint Mary’s in the final for the third consecutive year

• Sun Belt Final | James Madison 91, Arkansas State 71

• SoCon Final | Samford 76, East Tennessee State 69

See the full NCAAM scoreboard here and the current rankings here. See the full NCAAW scoreboard here and the current rankings here.

NHL - Top Games

• New York Rangers 3, New Jersey Devils 1: The Blue Shirts got the best of Jack Hughes (1 A) and their cross-river rivals at the Garden last night as Mike Zibanejad (1 G) and Erik Gustaffson (1 G) each netted 2nd-period goals to take a 2-0 lead before Vincent Trocheck (1 G) tapped in an empty-netter to seal New York’s seventh win in 10 games - Rangers rookie Matt Rempe was assessed a five-minute major and a game misconduct for elbowing Jonas Siegenthaler, which the Devils believe should lead to a suspension

• Winnipeg Jets 3, Washington Capitals 0: After a 5-0 loss to the Canucks on Saturday, the Jets got back on track by shutting out the Caps thanks to a perfect night in net from Connor Hellebuyck (23 SV) and goals from Neal Pionk (1 G0, Alex Iafollo (1 G), and Kyle Connor (1 G) - with 87 points, Winnipeg (41-18-5) is two points back of Dallas (40-17-9) for first place in the Central Division

• St. Louis Blues 5, Boston Bruins 1: Brandon Saad (1 G, 1 A) put the Blues up 4-0 in the 2nd period, and Joel Hofer (36 SV) had himself a night in between the pipes to take down David Pastrnak (1 G) and a sleep-walking Bruins squad in Boston - Boston (38-14-15) is now 4-2-4 in their past 10 games

See the full NHL scoreboard here and the current standings here.

English Premier League - Lone Match

• Chelsea 3, Newcastle United 2: Cole Palmer (57’) shined again for Chelsea, as the 21-year-old star delivered a goal and an assist to put the home side up 2-1 before Mykhailo Mudryk (76’) doubled the lead to seal a much-needed victory for the struggling Blues - the result cut the four-point gap between Newcastle (40) and Chelsea (39) to one point for 10th on the table

See the full international scoreboard here.

On March 12, 1991, Eddie Sutton became the first DI men's basketball coach to lead four different schools (Creighton, Arkansas, Kentucky and Oklahoma State) to the NCAA Tournament. Sutton completed the feat after his Oklahoma State squad won the Big Eight regular-season championship to receive an at-large bid to the Big Dance. Sutton began his head-coaching career with Creighton in 1961 and, over the next five decades, won 806 games at the Division I level. After a five-year stint with the Blue Jays, he coached Arkansas from 1974 to 1985, Kentucky from 1985 to 1989 and finally, Oklahoma State from 1990 to 2006. From 1977 to 2005, his teams reached the NCAA tournament all but once. The four-time National Coach of the Year reached the Final Four three times, the first coming with Arkansas in 1978 and then with OK-State in 1995 and 2004. His old-school philosophy was rooted in the basics, encouraging his players to disrupt passing lanes, play good help defense, and sacrifice the body by taking charges (YES!). He is one of just nine coaches with over 800 wins and was inducted into the College Basketball Hall of Fame in 2011 and the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2020.

NBA

• Philadelphia 76ers @ New York Knicks 7:30pm ET, TNT

• Indiana Pacers @ Oklahoma City Thunder 8:00pm ET, Local

• Minnesota Timberwolves @ LA Clippers 10:00pm ET, TNT

• Full Schedule

NHL

• New York Rangers @ Carolina Hurricanes 7:00pm ET, NHLPP / ESPN+

• Florida Panthers @ Dallas Stars 8:00pm ET, NHLPP / ESPN+

• Vegas Golden Knights @ Seattle Kraken 10:00pm ET, NHLPP / ESPN+

• Full Schedule

Men’s College Basketball - Conference Tournaments

• Big 12, Round 1: Oklahoma State vs. UCF 12:30pm ET, ESPN+

• ACC, Round 1: Louisville vs. NC State 4:30pm ET, ACCN

• ACC, Round 1: Miami vs. Boston College 7:00pm ET, ACCN

• WCC Final: #17 Gonzaga vs. #21 Saint Mary’s 9:00pm ET, ESPN

• Full Schedule

Women’s College Basketball

• Big 12 Final: Iowa State @ #5 Texas 9:00pm ET, ESPN2

• WCC Final: #14 Gonzaga vs. Portland 4:00pm ET, ESPNU

• Full Schedule

Trivia Time Answer

B. 11. The most consecutive triple-doubles by an NBA player is 11, achieved by Russell Westbrook in 2019 while he was a member of the Oklahoma City Thunder. The previous record was nine consecutive triple-doubles, set by Wilt Chamberlain in 1968, which had stood for 51 years.

Prime Lock of the Day

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Novak Djokovic lost to World No. 123 Luca Nardi yesterday in the third round of the Indian Wells Open. It is Djokivic’s first loss to a player outside the top 150 since 2018.