Spicy NFL free agency leftovers, plus baseball's breakout candidates

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Good morning! Did you get your AsHos hat yet?

While You Were Sleeping: We’re almost done here

NFL transactions continued apace yesterday. Some notables as we wind down: 

• Late last night, two big-name veterans landed with new teams: Defensive end Joey Bosa agreed to a one-year deal with the Bills, while receiver DeAndre Hopkins is heading to Baltimore on a one-year pact.
  
  
• Daniel Jones agreed to sign with the Colts, which is a legitimately intriguing move. It sheds light on what Indianapolis thinks of Anthony Richardson, and we can assume both quarterbacks will compete for the starting job in camp. It also means the Vikings are rolling with JJ McCarthy at quarterback, though we should expect them to sign a veteran backup. (Speaking of, The Athletic Football Show asks: Is this the year of McCarthy? Interesting. Apple and Spotify.)
  
  
• The Eagles traded defensive back C.J. Gardner-Johnson to the Texans, an intriguing move from the defending champs. Gardner-Johnson is an accomplished DB in this league but finds himself on his fourth team in five seasons. He brings “an edge” to a Houston team that needs it. 

Still no word on Aaron Rodgers’ new team. The watch continues.

Pulse Polls: No dances with Rich Rod

West Virginia coach Rich Rodriguez — something I still can’t believe I’m typing in 2025 — said yesterday he banned his players from filming TikTok dances in the locker room. The Mountaineers are not banned from posting on the app; they are simply banned from dancing on it. Hm. 

Before I opine, I want to know how you feel. Will this: 

• Give West Virginia the “edge” Rodriguez wants, or
• Backfire spectacularly

Make your voice heard here. We’ll post results tomorrow.

News to Know

Tiger’s big setback
Tiger Woods ruptured his left Achilles tendon, the golfer said yesterday, just as he was preparing to play in the Masters a month from now. Woods had just finished a fun inaugural TGL season before the injury, though this year — in which his mother died — has been tough on the 49-year-old. It’s easy to wonder if Woods is done playing high-level competitive golf. Read our full report here.

Vlad Jr. sets a number
Impending free agent Vladimir Guerrero Jr. wants a contract worth $500 million, The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal reported yesterday, with an important addendum: $500 million in present-day value, not in deferrals. The Blue Jays first baseman is in a contentious spot with his club, whose reported last offer to Guerrero, 25, was around $500 million, but included significant deferrals. Still a mess, it seems. Ken has plenty more here.

Nacua changes number
Rams wide receiver Puka Nacua will wear No. 12 this season after sporting No. 17 since entering the league. His reasoning is deeper than you might think: Sure, Davante Adams’ arrival likely helped spur the change, but Nacua holds No. 12 dear, he said, as the number has been worn by multiple family members throughout their athletic careers. “I know when I put on that number 12, it’s a piece of armor as well that’s representing my family that is always protecting me,” Nacua said. More context here.

More news

• PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan said he’s open to adding elements of LIV Golf into his organization as merger negotiations progress between the two sides.
  
• The Eagles accepted an invite to visit the White House to celebrate their Super Bowl victory.
  
• Georgia reinstated receiver Colbie Young after his yearlong suspension. Full details here.
  
• Manchester United announced plans for a massive new stadium. See the renderings here.
  
• The Oregon State women’s hoops team — last year’s Cinderella — made an even more improbable run to the WCC title last night. They’re back.
  
• Missed this from earlier in the week: Steph Curry accepted a job as Davidson’s assistant general manager.

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Up Next: Baseball’s best breakout candidates

We’re about two weeks away from MLB Opening Day, which means it’s prime time to get reacquainted with arguably our most dramatic sport. Your fantasy baseball drafts are about a week away, too. 

Keith Law published a great list of possible breakout players this morning, which is helpful on both accounts. Two guys I want to spotlight: 

1. Rays 3B Junior Caminero
Caminero exists in a unique space right now, where the real baseball heads know him well and the more casual fan may have vaguely heard his name in the metaphorical distance. He played in 43 games for Tampa last season, and you may remember the 21-year-old from this wild bat flip we featured in January. Caminero was … fine in major-league action last year, but that shouldn’t deter your fandom — Keith says “nobody doubts that this kid is going to hit” and compared selecting him for a breakout year to cheating. It’s safe to expect a good season, barring injury. 

2. Angels OF Jo Adell
I am fascinated with Adell, whom I wasn’t very familiar with until I read Keith’s piece. Adell, 25, has been a light bust so far in scattered appearances over five seasons of major-league action, but he was rushed to the majors in 2020. He played regularly last year and showed flashes of the top-flight prospect he once was. This is a great buy-low guy who could become one of baseball’s better stories.

Read the full list here to get ahead. So many more names I didn’t get to.

Watch and Listen

📺 NBA: Thunder at Celtics
7:30 p.m. ET on ESPN
The Western Conference’s best team, led by MVP front-runner Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, plays the defending champion in prime time. That should be enough to watch. 

📺 NCAAM: UCF vs. Kansas
9:30 p.m. ET on ESPN 2
I’m tuning in to get a heat check on the Jayhawks, who began the season No. 1 in the polls and find themselves unranked and unheralded. There’s clearly talent there, of course, but something’s off with this group. Watch them put everything together for a tournament run. 

Get tickets to games like these here.

Pulse Picks

Paul Skenes is MLB’s next big thing. Is that a blessing or a burden? 

Also on Skenes: Tim Britton went deeper on a topic we discussed over the weekend: What is it going to take for the Pirates to keep Skenes around long-term? 

MLB Hope-O-Meter rankings are out. We’ll circle back to this later in the week. 

Shayna Goldman has an NHL vibe check post-trade deadline. We needed a reset. 

The Seahawks landed Sam Darnold. Next task up: protecting him. 

We all think the Bears win every offseason, only for pain to follow. Jon Greenberg believes it’s real this time. 

Kyrie Irving’s injury was brutal. His new teammate Klay Thompson can relate. 

Most-clicked in the newsletter yesterday: The bad baseball hats, by a large margin. Gawk at them if you missed yesterday. 

Most-read on the website yesterday: Our NFL free agency live blog, again.

(Top photo: Rich Barnes / Imagn Images)