Aaron Rodgers is officially no longer a member of the New York Jets. As expected, the team released the four-time MVP with a post-June 1 designation. The 41-year-old quarterback can join another team as an unrestricted free agent for the first time in his career if he stills intends to play a 21st NFL season. The Jets absorbed a $49 million dead money charge by cutting Rodgers, but are able to spread that over two years instead of one. On Monday, New York agreed to terms with former Steelers and Bears quarterback Justin Fields on a two-year deal.
The NFL league year kicked off with two former Super Bowl MVPs hitting the open market. The Los Angeles Rams cut receiver Cooper Kupp just days after signing Davante Adams to be his replacement and the New York Jets released quarterback Aaron Rodgers following a failed two-year stint. A handful of teams could still be in search of a starting quarterback, including the New York Giants, Pittsburgh and possibly Minnesota
TOKYO (AP) — Hundreds of fans at Tokyo’s Haneda Airport lined up 10 deep and hoping to catch a glimpse of Shohei Ohtani as he arrived. But they saw nothing of the Los Angeles Dodgers superstar. What they saw was a 40-meter-long temporary white wall to shield the players in case they came through the arrival area. The Chicago Cubs exited the same way when they arrived late Wednesday night. The Dodgers were seen on the tarmac disembarking from their charter from Phoenix and Ohtani was one of the first off. But the players didn’t make it to the arrival area, apparently taking an escape route.
The Los Angles Rams cut Super Bowl 56 MVP Cooper Kupp after being unable to find a trade partner for their former No. 1 wide receiver. The Rams moved on from the 2021 AP NFL Offensive Player of the Year at the start of the league year. Kupp announced last month that the Rams were trying to trade him despite his desire to remain with the team. But with him being owed $20 million this season, no other team was willing to make a trade.
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Minnesota has fired coach Ben Johnson after four years of repeatedly rebuilding rosters at his alma mater. Johnson had two seasons remaining on his contract, which calls for a $2.92 million buyout. His annual salary was $1.95 million, the lowest in the 18-team league. The Gophers finished 15-17 after losing to Northwestern in the first round of the conference tournament. Athletic director Mark Coyle announced his decision after a late-night meeting with Johnson upon the team’s return from Indianapolis. Minnesota went 56-71 under the 44-year-old Johnson, including 22-57 in league play.
ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. (AP) — With Josh Allen's personal and financial life set, the NFL MVP is focusing his attention on unfinished business: leading the Buffalo Bills to a Super Bowl title. The 28-year-old shared his objective in his first comments to reporters since agreeing to a six-year $330 million contract that includes a league-record $250 million guaranteed. The deal capped a memorable season in which Allen became the third Bills player to earn MVP honors. Off the field, he became engaged to actor Hailee Steinfeld. What's missing is a Super Bowl for Allen, who in seven seasons has led the Bills no further than AFC championship game losses to Kansas City in 2020 and this past season.
PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. (AP) — Tiger Woods is out of the Masters and probably for the rest of the year after surgery for a ruptured Achilles tendon. Add that to a list of injuries that outnumber the 15 majors he has won. The latest surgery raises questions about whether golf has seen the last of Woods. Rory McIlroy says he feels badly for Woods and that hopefully golf will see him again next year. From the knee surgeries to back surgeries to his LA car crash, the 49-year-old Woods has managed to keep coming back. But he hasn't been competitive for more than five years since his record-tying 82nd career title.
PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. (AP) — More than four decades of The Players Championship at the TPC Sawgrass has shown to expect the unexpected. Scottie Scheffler made history last year as the first player in tournament history to win back to back. It's a great course. There are great players. And predicting how it will unfold is not easy. Tiger Woods won there only twice. Phil Mickelson won in 2007 and years later wondered how he ever managed. Past champions like Rory McIlroy have a longer history of missing the cut. All eyes will be on Scheffler as the No. 1 player going for three in a row.
MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Mercedes team principal and chief executive Toto Wolff has denied rumors on the eve of the Australian Grand Prix weekend that he’s still seeking to sign reigning F1 world champion Max Verstappen for 2026. Mercedes, which has a new driver lineup this year that sees rookie prospect Andrea Kimi Antonelli join George Russell, is hoping to emerge from its recent lean spell in F1 that has seen it score just five wins from the last three seasons, four of which came in 2024. But while Verstappen was reportedly on Mercedes’ shopping list last year as a top-gun replacement for its then-outgoing star Lewis Hamilton, Silver Arrows’ team boss Wolff says extending Russell’s contract beyond 2025 is the priority.
The next few days should be stressful for Ohio State after the Buckeyes lost 77-70 to Iowa in the Big Ten Tournament. Ohio State is on the NCAA Tournament bubble. Not only did the Buckeyes lose Wednesday, but fellow bubble team North Carolina took care of Notre Dame 76-56. Elsewhere, the SEC has a chance to put 14 teams in the tournament after Texas beat Vanderbilt, Arkansas beat South Carolina and Oklahoma beat Georgia.
WEDNESDAY SCORES
COLLEGE BASKETBALL
American Athletic First Round
Charlotte 64, Rice 61
Second Round
SMU 73, Syracuse 53
Atlantic 10 First Round
Davidson 69, Richmond 65
Fordham 88, Rhode Island 71
La Salle 78, UMass 71
Atlantic Coast Second Round
Georgia Tech 66, Virginia 60
North Carolina 76, Notre Dame 56
Big 12 Second Round
Iowa St. 76, Cincinnati 56
Colorado 67, West Virginia 60
Baylor 70, Kansas St. 56
Kansas 98, UCF 94, OT
Big East First Round
Butler 75, Providence 69
DePaul 71, Georgetown 67
Villanova 67, Seton Hall 55
Big Sky Championship
Montana 91, N. Colorado 83
Big Ten First Round
Northwestern 72, Minnesota 64
Iowa 77, Ohio St. 70
Southern Cal 97, Rutgers 89, 2OT
Big West First Round
UC Santa Barbara 71, CS Bakersfield 66
Cal Poly 86, UC Davis 76
Conference USA Quarterfinal
Liberty 81, UTEP 60
Jacksonville St. 65, FIU 56
Metro Atlantic Athletic Quarterfinal
Quinnipiac 78, Rider 64
Mid-Eastern Athletic ConferenceQuarterfinal
Norfolk St. 77, Md.-Eastern Shore 70
SC State 68, Coppin St. 63
Mountain-West ConferenceFirst Round
San Jose St. 66, Wyoming 61
Nevada 86, Fresno St. 71
UNLV 68, Air Force 59
NortheastQuarterfinal
Merrimack 66, Sacred Heart 62, OT
Pacific-12 ConferenceSecond Round
Stanford 78, California 73
Patriot LeagueFinal
American 74, Navy 52
SoutheasternFirst Round
Arkansas 72, South Carolina 68
Texas 79, Vanderbilt 72
Mississippi St. 91, LSU 62
Oklahoma 81, Georgia 75
SouthlandChampionship
McNeese St. 63, Lamar 54
Southwestern AthleticQuarterfinal
Grambling St. 65, Southern U. 62, OT
Jackson St. 91, Florida A&M 76
Western AthleticQuarterfinal
Utah Valley St. 74, Utah Tech 57
Grand Canyon 98, Texas-Arlington 75
NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION
Toronto 118, Philadelphia 105
Oklahoma City 118, Boston 112
Atlanta 123, Charlotte 110
San Antonio 126, Dallas 116
L.A. Clippers 119, Miami 104
Houston 111, Phoenix 104
Memphis 122, Utah 115
Minnesota 115, Denver 95
New York 114, Portland 113, OT
NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE
Detroit 7, Buffalo 3
Vancouver 4, Calgary 3, SO
Utah 3, Anaheim 2
Seattle 5, Montreal 4, OT