After four decades and more than a thousand games, Connecticut women’s basketball coach Geno Auriemma now stands alone on top of the sport.

Auriemma became college basketball’s − men’s and women’s − winningest coach in history after the Huskies defeated Fairleigh Dickinson on Wednesday in front of a home crowd that celebrated the man responsible for building the most-dominant program in women’s basketball. It’s a remarkable achievement given he didn’t think it would ever happen, but it’s now another accolade that cements Auriemma as one of the greatest coaches of all sports.

With Auriemma reaching another basketball milestone, here are some of biggest numbers and accomplishments from his Basketball Hall of Fame career, and what’s next for the legendary coach.

MAKING MARK: Geno Auriemma boosted women’s basketball by staying at UConn

1,217 wins

Auriemma became all-time leader wins with his 1,217 victory, passing recently retired Stanford coach Tara VanDerveer. However, what’s impressive is that Auriemma did it in much quicker fashion, needing only 40 seasons to do it compared to VanDerveer’s 45.

Auriemma only needing 40 seasons shows how successful he has been during his tenure. He only had one losing season − his first at Connecticut − and he has a .882 winning percentage, the best of the eight college basketball coaches with at least 1,000 wins.

11 national championships

The biggest mark of success, Auriemma has won 11 championships in his tenure, the most of any coach men’s or women’s. UConn won its first title in 1995 and it’s last in 2016, meaning during that stretch it won 11 of the 22 possible national championships.

During that stretch, the Huskies have one three-peat and women’s basketball’s only four-peat. When UConn makes the national championship game, it’s practically a lock for it to win; they are 11-0 in the title game.

23 Final Fours

For more than two decades, UConn has nearly been a shoe-in to make the Final Four with 23 appearances − the most in college basketball.

After sporadic appearances in 1991, 1995 and 1996, UConn went on long stretches with making the Final Four. It made five consecutive appearances from 2000-04, and an amazing 14 in a row from 2008-22 (excluding the canceled 2020 tournament). The Huskies also made last season’s Final Four.

6 perfect seasons

Six of those 11 national championships came with perfect seasons. They happened in:

1994-95: 35-0
2001-02: 39-0
2008-09: 39-0
2009-10: 39-0
2013-14: 40-0
2015-16: 38-0

111 consecutive wins

Auriemma owns the longest win streak in college basketball when his team won 111 straight games from 2014-17, a Division I record. The streak started on Nov. 23, 2014 and went all the way until they lost in the 2017 Final Four. During that streak, the Huskies won two national championships.

59 conference championships

Connecticut has been the class of the conference with 59 combined conference championships − 29 conference tournament and 30 regular-season titles. The Huskies have been in the Big East and American Athletic Conference under Auriemma, and an impressive feat was when UConn was in the American Athletic from 2013-20, it never lost a conference game.

Currently, the Huskies have won 11 consecutive conference tournament titles.

27 All-Americans

The first All-American under Auriemma was Rebecca Lobo in the 1994-95 season, and Huskies have continuously been among the top players in the country since then. What’s remarkable is of the 27 All-Americans selected by the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association, 17 of them were multi-year selections. That includes Maya Moore-Irons, who was an All-American all four seasons.

5 WNBA No. 1 draft picks

The success in college led to five former Huskies becoming No. 1 picks in the WNBA draft, the most top selections of any school. They are:

Sue Bird: 2002
Diana Taurasi: 2004
Tina Charles: 2010
Maya Moore: 2011
Breanna Stewart: 2016

Another one could be on the way next season with current Huskies guard Paige Bueckers expected to be the No. 1 pick in the 2025 draft.

45 WNBA draft picks

Including the No. 1 selections, 45 Huskies have been selected in the WNBA draft. From 2009 to 2020, at least one UConn player was selected in each draft.

2 Olympic gold medals

Outside of college ball, Auriemma was the head coach for Team USA in the 2012 and 2016 Summer Olympics. He achieved perfection in Olympic play with 8-0 records in each year en route to two gold medals. There have been 10 Connecticut women’s players that have played in the Olympics for the United States.

What’s next for Geno Auriemma?

Is there more for Auriemma to accomplish?

Earlier this year, the head coach didn’t think he’d ever break the wins record with VanDerveer ahead of him, but now he stands alone with more wins coming his way this season. He likely has a few more years as well to pile wins up after he signed a contract extension in June that keeps him in Storrs through the 2028-29 season.

The Huskies are again a favorite to reach the Final Four and contend for a national championship. If Auriemma is able to lock up championship No. 12, would he continue to coach, or could the 70-year-old leave the game on top of the sport?

“Really, what more is there for him to do?” Rebecca Lobo told USA TODAY Sports. “No one else is ever going to win 11 (championships). It’s not like he has to get 12 to prove himself. No one else is going to go to 23 Final Fours and definitely no team is ever winning 111 games again. 

‘But that’s not what it’s about. For him, it’s all about how can help these players experience these moments, how can I help them become better people and players?’

After four decades and more than a thousand games, Connecticut women’s basketball coach Geno Auriemma now stands alone on top of the sport.

Auriemma became college basketball’s − men’s and women’s − winningest coach in history after the Huskies defeated Fairleigh Dickinson on Wednesday in front of a home crowd that celebrated the man responsible for building the most-dominant program in women’s basketball. It’s a remarkable achievement given he didn’t think it would ever happen, but it’s now another accolade that cements Auriemma as one of the greatest coaches of all sports.

With Auriemma reaching another basketball milestone, here are some of biggest numbers and accomplishments from his Basketball Hall of Fame career, and what’s next for the legendary coach.

MAKING MARK: Geno Auriemma boosted women’s basketball by staying at UConn

1,217 wins

Auriemma became all-time leader wins with his 1,217 victory, passing recently retired Stanford coach Tara VanDerveer. However, what’s impressive is that Auriemma did it in much quicker fashion, needing only 40 seasons to do it compared to VanDerveer’s 45.

Auriemma only needing 40 seasons shows how successful he has been during his tenure. He only had one losing season − his first at Connecticut − and he has a .882 winning percentage, the best of the eight college basketball coaches with at least 1,000 wins.

11 national championships

The biggest mark of success, Auriemma has won 11 championships in his tenure, the most of any coach men’s or women’s. UConn won its first title in 1995 and it’s last in 2016, meaning during that stretch it won 11 of the 22 possible national championships.

During that stretch, the Huskies have one three-peat and women’s basketball’s only four-peat. When UConn makes the national championship game, it’s practically a lock for it to win; they are 11-0 in the title game.

23 Final Fours

For more than two decades, UConn has nearly been a shoe-in to make the Final Four with 23 appearances − the most in college basketball.

After sporadic appearances in 1991, 1995 and 1996, UConn went on long stretches with making the Final Four. It made five consecutive appearances from 2000-04, and an amazing 14 in a row from 2008-22 (excluding the canceled 2020 tournament). The Huskies also made last season’s Final Four.

6 perfect seasons

Six of those 11 national championships came with perfect seasons. They happened in:

1994-95: 35-0
2001-02: 39-0
2008-09: 39-0
2009-10: 39-0
2013-14: 40-0
2015-16: 38-0

111 consecutive wins

Auriemma owns the longest win streak in college basketball when his team won 111 straight games from 2014-17, a Division I record. The streak started on Nov. 23, 2014 and went all the way until they lost in the 2017 Final Four. During that streak, the Huskies won two national championships.

59 conference championships

Connecticut has been the class of the conference with 59 combined conference championships − 29 conference tournament and 30 regular-season titles. The Huskies have been in the Big East and American Athletic Conference under Auriemma, and an impressive feat was when UConn was in the American Athletic from 2013-20, it never lost a conference game.

Currently, the Huskies have won 11 consecutive conference tournament titles.

27 All-Americans

The first All-American under Auriemma was Rebecca Lobo in the 1994-95 season, and Huskies have continuously been among the top players in the country since then. What’s remarkable is of the 27 All-Americans selected by the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association, 17 of them were multi-year selections. That includes Maya Moore-Irons, who was an All-American all four seasons.

5 WNBA No. 1 draft picks

The success in college led to five former Huskies becoming No. 1 picks in the WNBA draft, the most top selections of any school. They are:

Sue Bird: 2002
Diana Taurasi: 2004
Tina Charles: 2010
Maya Moore: 2011
Breanna Stewart: 2016

Another one could be on the way next season with current Huskies guard Paige Bueckers expected to be the No. 1 pick in the 2025 draft.

45 WNBA draft picks

Including the No. 1 selections, 45 Huskies have been selected in the WNBA draft. From 2009 to 2020, at least one UConn player was selected in each draft.

2 Olympic gold medals

Outside of college ball, Auriemma was the head coach for Team USA in the 2012 and 2016 Summer Olympics. He achieved perfection in Olympic play with 8-0 records in each year en route to two gold medals. There have been 10 Connecticut women’s players that have played in the Olympics for the United States.

What’s next for Geno Auriemma?

Is there more for Auriemma to accomplish?

Earlier this year, the head coach didn’t think he’d ever break the wins record with VanDerveer ahead of him, but now he stands alone with more wins coming his way this season. He likely has a few more years as well to pile wins up after he signed a contract extension in June that keeps him in Storrs through the 2028-29 season.

The Huskies are again a favorite to reach the Final Four and contend for a national championship. If Auriemma is able to lock up championship No. 12, would he continue to coach, or could the 70-year-old leave the game on top of the sport?

“Really, what more is there for him to do?” Rebecca Lobo told USA TODAY Sports. “No one else is ever going to win 11 (championships). It’s not like he has to get 12 to prove himself. No one else is going to go to 23 Final Fours and definitely no team is ever winning 111 games again. 

‘But that’s not what it’s about. For him, it’s all about how can help these players experience these moments, how can I help them become better people and players?’

He has that look again, the unmistakable sight of a man who just swallowed a bag of knives. Along with another L.

Good news: Brian Kelly has been here before, and fought his way out of it at Notre Dame with wildly successful changes.

Bad news: it’s a completely different college football world, one that looks nothing like it did a mere eight years ago.

“When things don’t go well, the head coach has to be more involved,” Kelly said. “It doesn’t mean I don’t trust, but the buck stops with me.”

Because when things don’t go well in the meatgrinder SEC, you’re one step away from the unraveling of it all. 

In no world did Kelly see LSU with four losses entering the final two weeks of the season. By any metric, it’s an unmitigated disaster.

But this isn’t about Kelly blowing up at wide receiver Chris Hilton Jr., for not being coachable, or any postgame rant about trying to get this team to finish games. That’s easily digestible and identifiable — to say nothing of over reactionary — low-hanging fruit.

This runs much deeper.

BREAKDOWN: Winners and losers from College Football Playoff rankings

PLAYOFF FIELD: Colorado enters projection as Alabama rises to SEC champion

LSU isn’t tough enough. And by tough, I don’t mean physically tough.

A tough team doesn’t run 92 plays on offense against Florida, and score 16 points. A tough team doesn’t give up seven sacks to a team that had 19 sacks in the previous nine games. 

A tough team doesn’t get outscored 31-6 in the second half of a critical SEC road game against Texas A&M, and 100-35 in their last 10 quarters on the field ― leading to three consecutive losses. 

A tough team doesn’t score 35 points in 10 quarters with an offense Kelly said in July could be better than last year’s group — one that produced a Heisman Trophy winner at quarterback, and two NFL first-round draft picks at wide receiver.

A tough team isn’t last in the SEC in rushing offense, and 13th of 16 teams in scoring defense. 

Nothing about this season looks good. Not the results, not the game plans from new offensive and defensive coordinators Joe Sloan and Blake Baker, not the effort. 

Not the pass protection from an offensive line that has two projected first-round picks (OTs Will Campbell, Emery Jones Jr.), not the half-game suspension of star senior edge defender Bradyn Swinson to start the Florida game for ‘not meeting team standards.’

Not the lack of a consistent run game, not a pass-to-run ratio of 428-to-286, a completely one-sided game plan (60 percent passes) that makes LSU easier to defend. 

When the 2016 season at Notre Dame began to unravel, the culprits were easy to see: the Irish weren’t good enough on the lines of scrimmage, and didn’t have a difference-maker at the most important position on the field.

But the one lasting memory from that four-win season is Kelly on the sidelines, red-faced and furious and proclaiming numerous times during the season that the Irish simply weren’t tough enough. 

Hello, LSU. 

The interior of the LSU offensive line gets pushed around, and receivers aren’t making contested catches. One receiver, apparently, is uncoachable. 

This, of course, has led the pitchforks on social media to come at Kelly — because the mean man is coaching a player hard.

I’m gonna puke. 

This is big-boy football, with big-boy consequences. If Kelly doesn’t get it fixed, he’ll be sent packing with a large gift of walkaway money. 

If players don’t perform at a high level, they won’t play and they’ll eventually transfer (and try to earn more money) and maybe it will work at a different school. Or maybe it won’t.

Football, at its core, is a game of want and will. Notre Dame got better in 2017 because it got physically and mentally tougher, and faster on the field.

We can argue if LSU has the right coordinators, and if they’re putting players in position to play at a high level. Kelly will make that decision at the end of the season. 

But LSU doesn’t have a player talent problem. It has a want and will problem.

When Kelly got it turned at Notre Dame, he got deep in the weeds and involved with everything in the program. Full-blown micromanagement.

Months before the 2017 season, Kelly told me he wasn’t coaching Notre Dame like he coached at his previous stops, where he won national titles in the NCAA lower division, and turned around the programs at Central Michigan and Cincinnati. 

He had his hands on everything there. But because Notre Dame is such an unwieldy beast on and off the field, he delegated. 

It all changed in 2017, and the Irish won 10 games after that disastrous four-win season. A year later, they were in the College Football Playoff — and had five consecutive double-digit win seasons before Kelly left for LSU.

He won’t get that much time to fight his way out this at LSU.  

“I have to be more involved in what’s going on,” Kelly said. ‘I have to be able to figure out how we can help our players get through this.”

Or he’ll eventually be swallowing more L’s on the way out of town.

Matt Hayes is the senior national college football writer for USA TODAY Sports Network. Follow him on X at @MattHayesCFB.

NEW YORK — Any scenario where Juan Soto isn’t in pinstripes on Opening Day just won’t fly in Yankees Universe.

Hal Steinbrenner seemed to acknowledge that point on Wednesday afternoon.

“We listen to our fans… he’s definitely a significant part of why we got to the World Series,’’ the Yankees’ owner said. “I’ve got ears. I know what’s expected of me.’’

For Steinbrenner, the priority of securing Soto in free agency is not unlike the Aaron Judge pursuit two years ago, only this time it might cost double the $360 million paid to Judge.

Earlier this week, Steinbrenner led a Yankee contingent – including GM Brian Cashman, manager Aaron Boone, club president Randy Levine and special adviser Omar Minaya – to an in-person meeting with Soto, whose dynamic offensive presence boosted the Yanks toward their first pennant in 15 years.

Follow every MLB game: Latest MLB scores, stats, schedules and standings.

Speaking at the MLB owners’ meetings in Midtown, Steinbrenner wouldn’t delve into how much the Yankees might spend on Soto, but “we’ve got the ability to sign any player we want to sign.’’

MLB FREE AGENTS: Ranking the top 120 players available this winter

Hal Steinbrenner on Yankees’ meeting with Juan Soto

At their Southern California meeting, Steinbrenner said there was “a very honest, back and forth dialogue’’ with Soto and agent Scott Boras that lasted “a couple of hours.’’

Steinbrenner termed the summit as “good,’’ but declined to go into much specific detail.

“We talked about our player development system, which I think he wasn’t that familiar with,’’ said Steinbrenner. “He’s asking this of all the clubs, I’m sure.

“He just wants to know… about the pipeline and all that.’’

Admittedly, Steinbrenner didn’t get to know Soto much personally during the season, in part due to Soto’s pregame preparation.

“With players like that, I just don’t like interrupting that process,’’ said Steinbrenner, who spoke with Soto about broadening their relationship.

“Should he be back next year, I made it clear that the kind of relationship I would like is the kind of relationship that I have with Gerrit (Cole) and Judge. That message was conveyed.’’

Hal Steinbrenner on New York Mets’ pursuit of Juan Soto

Asked what his confidence level was of signing Soto, Steinbrenner said, “No idea. We’ll be in the mix. I’ll leave it at that.’’

The Mets, Red Sox, Blue Jays, Dodgers and Phillies are in that mix, and Mets owner Steve Cohen has the financial might to write the biggest check.

“I could say that about a couple of other owners, too,’’ said Steinbrenner. “Of course, it’s a concern.’’

Soto’s fondness for New York was apparent, but that could extend from the Bronx to Queens.

“My relationship with Steve is good,’’ said Steinbrenner, adding that they hadn’t specifically discussed Soto’s free agency.

Per Steinbrenner, their 10-minute conversation at Tuesday night’s dinner was about “how much it stings to lose a World Series,’’ as the Mets did in 2015. “That’s about it.’’

Of course, if the Mets were to sign Soto, the Bronx backlash would be that much more devastating.

“If it doesn’t work out,’’ said Steinbrenner, “it’s going to hurt a little bit no matter where he goes.’’

Hal Steinbrenner on Yankees’ payroll and what they’ll spend

On the payroll side, “we’re in a better starting position than we were a year ago,’’ said Steinbrenner, with contracts such as Gleyber Torres’ and Anthony Rizzo’s coming off the books.

Steinbrenner does not have a strict payroll limit in mind, “which is exactly what I told Cash,’’ he said. “I want every possibility out there coming my way and we’ll just keep talking.’’

Once again, Steinbrenner claimed that “payrolls similar to this year’’ and current luxury taxes “are not sustainable… for the vast majority of the owners, and maybe all the owners.’’

But there’s no “For Sale’’ sign in the Bronx, or for the vast majority of MLB ownership either.

“Doesn’t mean in any given year, I can’t do what I want to do,’’ Steinbrenner said of the club’s financial clout. “We’ve got the ability to sign any player we want to sign.’’

Steinbrenner said he “can’t really answer’’ whether Soto’s priority is to land with the highest bidder. “I just don’t know.

“All I can tell you is that I really believe he enjoyed his time here. He’s close with Aaron Judge, he’s close with Aaron Boone. We’ll see.

“But in the end, he needs to do what’s best for him and his family, of course.’’

The New York Giants return from their bye in Week 12 with a game at home against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The Giants have dropped their last five games in a row, most recently a 20-17 overtime loss to the Carolina Panthers in Munich.

Averaging a league-worst 15.6 points per game entering Week 12, New York decided to make a change this week at quarterback. Starter Daniel Jones was benched for Tommy DeVito as the Giants enter their final seven games.

DeVito will start over offseason signee Drew Lock with Jones serving as the emergency third-string option. New York signed Lock to a one-year, $5 million deal and spent the first 11 weeks of the season with him as the backup to Jones.

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

Despite sitting behind Jones, New York made the choice to go with DeVito. Lock spoke on Wednesday about the quarterback situation.

Drew Lock response to Tommy DeVito starting

Lock was asked on Wednesday about why he’s still the backup after Jones was benched for DeVito.

‘That’s a question that I still have for myself,’ Lock said. ‘It was expressed to me that I was going to be the [No. 2 quarterback]. It’s just an interesting situation. Not much I can really say about it besides again, I’m going to be here for him and we’re still communicating, still very good friends, believe it or not.

‘This team needs to get a win. You start winning, everything gets a little better around here.’

Lock most recently started for the Seattle Seahawks last season in a 20-17 ‘Monday Night Football’ win on Dec. 18 over the Philadelphia Eagles.

Why isn’t Drew Lock starting?

Giants coach Brian Daboll said in a statement posted on the team’s X account that they went with DeVito ‘after evaluating and watching a lot of tape.’

Lock appeared in just one of the Giants’ three preseason games. He completed 4 of 10 passes for 17 yards and an interception in limited action.

Drew Lock career stats

Lock has played in 30 games over five years with three teams: the Denver Broncos, Seahawks, and Giants. The Broncos selected him No. 42 overall in the 2019 NFL draft.

In his career, he’s completed 472 of 794 passes (59.4%) for 5,289 yards, 28 touchdowns, and 23 interceptions. He also has 78 carries for 312 rushing yards and five touchdowns on the ground.

Giants QB depth chart

Here’s how the depth chart looks entering Week 12:

Tommy DeVito
Drew Lock
Daniel Jones

The Giants also signed quarterback Tim Boyle to the practice squad. Boyle was getting reps ahead of Jones in the team’s first practice of the week.

Contrary to earlier reports, Florida Atlantic says it is not considering Pro Football Hall of Fame linebacker Ray Lewis as a candidate for its vacant head football coach job.

A source within the FAU sports department told The Palm Beach Post, part of the USA TODAY Network, that the school has no plans to interview Lewis after firing Tom Herman on Monday after two seasons and a 6-16 record.

ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported early Wednesday that Lewis was considered a legitimate candidate.

The Owls have lost five in a row and are 0-6 in the American Athletic Conference this season. Chad Lunsford, who previously coached the team’s tight ends, is the interim head coach for FAU’s final two games against Charlotte and Tulsa. It is unknown if Lunsford, who coached at Georgia Southern from 2017-2021, is a candidate for the job.

None of the previous five head coaches at FAU lasted more than three seasons, and only one of them, Lane Kiffin, left on their own. Kiffin left the school in 2019 to become the head coach at Ole Miss.

(This story was updated with new details and information.)

The Pro Football Hall of Fame has narrowed down its list of candidates for the class of 2025 modern era to 25 semifinalists.

Tight end Antonio Gates, who was the most notable snub from the Class of 2024, has made the list of semifinalists for a second straight year. Among those joining him are some notable players in their first year on the ballot: linebacker Luke Kuechly, quarterback Eli Manning, outside linebacker Terrell Suggs, safety Earl Thomas, kicker Adam Vinatieri and offensive lineman Marshal Yanda.

Later this year, the Hall of Fame will cut down the list of 25 semifinalists to 15 finalists. After voting on the finalists is completed, between four and eight new members will be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s lass of 2025.

Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2025 modern-era semifinalists

Here is the full list of the 25 modern-era semifinalists for the 2025 class. Players denoted with an asterisk (*) are in their first year of eligibility.

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

Eric Allen, CB
Jared Allen, DE
Willie Anderson, T
Anquan Boldin, WR
Jahri Evans, G
Antonio Gates, TE
James Harrison, LB
Rodney Harrison, S
Torry Holt, WR
Luke Kuechly, LB*
Eli Manning, QB*
Robert Mathis, DE/LB
Steve Smith Sr., WR
Terrell Suggs, LB/DE*
Fred Taylor, RB
Earl Thomas, DB*
Adam Vinatieri, PK*
Hines Ward, WR
Ricky Watters, RB
Reggie Wayne, WR
Richmond Webb, T
Vince Wilfork, DT
Steve Wisniewski, G
Darren Woodson, S
Marshal Yanda, G/T*

How does Pro Football Hall of Fame voting work?

Any player or coach that has been retired for five full seasons is eligible to be selected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame and can be nominated by any fan.

After that, the Hall of Fame’s selection committee goes through three rounds of polling to decide which potential candidates become official nominees on the semifinalist list, according to the Hall of Fame’s website.

Now that the semifinalist list of 25 players has been decided, the committee will undergo further voting to trim the list down to 15 finalists. Then there’s another round of polling to get down to a final 10 names, then a final seven. Each member of the selection committee can then pick five of the seven names in the final vote.

Every player that receives more than 80% ‘affirmative votes’ in the final round is inducted into the Hall of Fame.

Was the writing on the wall for New York Jets general manager Joe Douglas?

The team fired its head of football operations on Tuesday after a disappointing 3-8 start to the 2024 season. When Jets wide receiver Davante Adams joined the ‘Up & Adams’ show with Kay Adams on Wednesday, he said he wasn’t too surprised by the news.

‘When games aren’t being won and things don’t look the way they were intended to look, something’s gotta change,’ he said.

The six-time Pro Bowler and three-time All-Pro wideout was one of Douglas’ last acquisitions as general manager of the Jets. He traded a conditional third-round pick in the 2025 draft to the Las Vegas Raiders for Adams the day after a Week 6 loss to the Buffalo Bills on ‘Monday Night Football.’

The Jets have won one game since the trade happened – almost exactly one month ago.

All things Jets: Latest New York Jets news, schedule, roster, stats, injury updates and more.

Firing Douglas is the second major move New York has made with its personnel in the middle of this season. The team previously fired head coach Robert Saleh after a Week 5 loss to the Minnesota Vikings in London.

‘I wasn’t technically here yet for the head coaching change here, but going through that in Vegas, when things aren’t working, typically, things get moved around,’ Adams said.

‘You kinda anticipate it coming just off of the scope of the season and the way that we’ve been looking as a team. They gotta place the blame or put accountability on somebody. Oftentimes it winds up on the coach and the management, and that’s just kind of how the cookie crumbles.

‘It’s not for me to say whether or not it’s the right thing to do or not. I’m just getting here, and I’m still learning about the way things work in this building and the way things have been in this building. So, I’m not here to talk about whether or not it was supposed to happen, I’m just saying that’s just typically how it goes.’

Later, Adams refuted rumors that he wasn’t someone Douglas wanted to bring in, that the decision to trade for him was one made because of pressure from ownership – or from quarterback Aaron Rodgers.

Instead, the receiver says, he always felt supported by the former general manager. Adams said that even before he got to New York, Rodgers had told him about positive conversations that he (Rodgers) had had with Douglas.

‘I had no idea that that was even a thing – people thinking that I wasn’t a Joe D guy – I didn’t even know that was a narrative. But, definitely not true,’ Adams said.

The USA TODAY app gets you to the heart of the news — fast.Download for award-winning coverage, crosswords, audio storytelling, the eNewspaper and more.