Just a month after requesting a trade away from the Cleveland Browns, the star pass-rusher is now sticking around for the foreseeable future. He has agreed to an extension with the team, that will make him the highest-paid, non-quarterback in NFL history.

Garrett famously made headlines during Super Bowl week, making his trade request known on Feb. 3. By the end of the month, both sides began to dig in. Garrett was unwilling to negotiate with the Browns, while the team was unwilling to meet with him.

As the trade rumors swirled, general manager Andrew Berry expressed at the NFL combine that he couldn’t imagine a situation where Garrett leaving was best for the team.

Now he won’t have to.

Here’s what to know about Garrett’s record-breaking deal.

Myles Garrett contract details

Garrett inked a four-year, $160 million extension with the Browns.

The contract is valued at $40 million per year and includes $123.5 million in guaranteed money, a person close to the situation confirmed to USA TODAY Sports’ Tyler Dragon. The person spoke on a condition of anonymity given the sensitivity of the subject.

Garrett now tops the Raiders’ Maxx Crosby, who just set the record on March 5 with his contract extension.

The 29-year-old Garrett expressed his desire to win as the reason for the trade request, saying in a statement:

‘As a kid dreaming of the NFL, all I focused on was the ultimate goal of winning a Super Bowl — and that goal fuels me today more than ever,’ Garrett wrote. ‘My love for the community of Northeast Ohio and the incredible fanbase of the Cleveland Browns has made this one of the toughest decisions of my life. These past eight years have shaped me into the man that I am today.

‘While I’ve loved calling this city my home, my desire to win and compete on the biggest stages won’t allow me to be complacent. The goal was never to go from Cleveland to Canton, it has always been to compete for and win a Super Bowl.

‘With that in mind, I have requested to be traded from the Cleveland Browns.’

It appears that both sides have made peace.

A four-time All-Pro, six-time Pro-Bowler and 2023 Defensive Player of the Year, Garrett has stacked plenty of success individually in Cleveland. He’s eclipsed double-digit sacks in seven of the eight seasons with the Browns and posted 102.5 over 117 career games.

Despite that, Garrett has only played in three playoff games. Based on his previous comments, he’ll hope this contract extension also includes more of those.

The NASCAR Cup Series speeds into Phoenix Raceway Sunday for the first of two races this season – the second, of course, will crown the 2025 champion later this year.

The drivers last raced at Phoenix in November when Joey Logano won the 2024 championship race to capture his third career Cup Series title.

While success in the early Phoenix race doesn’t necessarily presage a strong finish in the season finale, it has proven to be a fairly decent indicator – at least since the championship race moved to the Avondale, Arizona, track in 2020.

In four of the past five seasons, at least three drivers who finished in the top seven of the first race at Phoenix also finished in the top seven in the season finale. In 2022, five drivers finished in the top seven of both races.

Last season proved to be an exception, however, with just Christopher Bell and Ryan Blaney earning top-seven finishes at Phoenix in both March and November. Bell, who won this race last year, is seeking his third consecutive victory of the 2025 season on Sunday.

It’s worth noting, however, that in the same five-year span, no driver has won both races at Phoenix in the same season. Will that change this year?

Here’s all the information you need to get ready for the Shriners Children’s 500, Sunday at Phoenix Raceway:

What time does the NASCAR Cup race at Phoenix start?

The Shriners Children’s 500 starts at 3:30 p.m. ET (12:30 p.m. local) at Phoenix Raceway in Avondale, Arizona.

What TV channel is the NASCAR Cup race at Phoenix on?

FS1 is broadcasting the Shriners Children’s 500 and has a pre-race show beginning at 2 p.m. ET (11 a.m. local).

Will there be a live stream of the NASCAR Cup race at Phoenix?

The Shriners Children’s 500 can be live streamed on Max and the FoxSports app. Viewers can also stream the race on Fubo, which is offfering a free trial to new subscribers.

Watch NASCAR at Phoenix on Fubo (free trial)

How many laps is the NASCAR Cup race at Phoenix?

The Shriners Children’s 500 is 312 laps around the 1-mile oval at Phoenix Raceway for a total of 312 miles (502.115 kilometers). The race will feature three segments (laps per stage) — Stage 1: 60 laps; Stage 2: 125 laps; Stage 3: 127 laps.

Phoenix Raceway: March to November comparison in last five years

Here’s how many drivers each year finished in the top seven of both Phoenix races since the championship race moved to the Avondale, Arizona, track in 2020:

2020: Joey Logano (March winner), Kevin Harvick, Chase Elliott (November winner).
2021: Martin Truex Jr. (March winner), Denny Hamlin, Elliott, Kyle Larson (November winner).
2022: Chase Briscoe (March winner), Ross Chastain, Ryan Blaney, Harvick, Kyle Busch.

The November race winner was Logano.

2023: William Byron (March winner), Blaney, Larson, Harvick.

The November race winner was Chastain.

2024: Christopher Bell (March winner), Blaney.

The November race winner was Logano.

What is the lineup for the Shriners Children’s 500 at Phoenix?

(Car number in parentheses)

(24) William Byron, Chevrolet
(22) Joey Logano, Ford
(77) Carson Hocevar, Chevrolet
(21) Josh Berry, Ford
(43) Erik Jones, Toyota
(9) Chase Elliott, Chevrolet
(71) Michael McDowell, Chevrolet
(7) Justin Haley, Chevrolet
(45) Tyler Reddick, Toyota
(11) Denny Hamlin, Toyota
(20) Christopher Bell, Toyota
(12) Ryan Blaney, Ford
(17) Chris Buescher, Ford
(2) Austin Cindric, Ford
(8) Kyle Busch, Chevrolet
(16) AJ Allmendinger, Chevrolet
(5) Kyle Larson, Chevrolet
(35) Riley Herbst, Toyota
(23) Bubba Wallace, Toyota
(6) Brad Keselowski, Ford
(3) Austin Dillon, Chevrolet
(47) Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Chevrolet
(41) Cole Custer, Ford
(1) Ross Chastain, Chevrolet
(10) Ty Dillon, Chevrolet
(38) Zane Smith, Ford
(34) Todd Gilliland, Ford
(60) Ryan Preece, Ford
(88) Shane Van Gisbergen, Chevrolet
(19) Chase Briscoe, Toyota
(99) Daniel Suarez, Chevrolet
(48) Alex Bowman, Chevrolet
(4) Noah Gragson, Ford
(54) Ty Gibbs, Toyota
(51) Cody Ware, Ford
(42) John Hunter Nemechek, Toyota
(78) Katherine Legge, Chevrolet

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Another day, another record for Mikaela Shiffrin.

Shiffrin’s third-place finish in the slalom Sunday in Are, Sweden, was her 156th World Cup podium. That breaks Ingemar Stenmark’s record for career podium appearances, which had stood since 1989.

The milestone comes two years after Shiffrin won the slalom in Are to break Stenmark’s record of 86 all-time World Cup wins. Shiffrin has since blown past that mark, winning her 100th World Cup race two weeks ago.

Shiffrin was solidly in the lead after the first run, finishing 0.43 seconds ahead of Germany’s Lena Duerr. But with conditions deteriorating, Shiffrin was 25th in the second run and wound up behind Austria’s Katharina Truppe and Katharina Liensberger.

Her combined time of 1:42.27 was 0.19 seconds behind Truppe.

Shiffrin needed to win Sunday to keep her slim chances of winning the season slalom title alive. Though she’s won three of her five World Cup slalom races this season, she missed two months after tearing a deep gash in her oblique muscles in a crash during a giant slalom race in Killington, Vermont.

“I’m still trying to get the repetition back,” Shiffrin said, according to NBC. “I feel almost like when you haven’t skied the whole summer, and then you come back and your timing is just a little bit wrong. It’s coming really well in slalom now, but I just have to keep practicing it.”

Shiffrin now has two weeks before the World Cup finals in Sun Valley, Idaho.

The Buffalo Bills are releasing Von Miller but haven’t ruled out a reunion, according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.

It’s a move that comes three years into a six-year, $120 million deal. The Bills will save about $8.4 million against the cap by releasing Miller, according to Spotrac.

Buffalo made plenty of headlines by signing Miller ahead of the 2022 season. For Miller, he was fresh off winning a Super Bowl with the Los Angeles Rams. It was an opportunity for Buffalo to improve its roster after another heartbreaking playoff loss.

The Bills lost to the Kansas City Chiefs in the divisional round to end their season in the now-famous ’13 seconds’ game. Miller was signed with the expectation of boosting a defense that couldn’t yet overcome the Patrick Mahomes hurdle.

Miller has been plagued by injuries during his time in Buffalo, unable to play more than 13 games in a season. He posted 14 sacks in 36 games and didn’t register a single sack over 12 games in the 2023 regular season.

More importantly, Miller failed to make his presence known in the playoffs.

He totaled just two tackles, one fumble recovery, one quarterback hit and failed to record a sack in five playoff games for the Bills.

Miller’s cap hit was set to check in at $23.8 million for 2025 in what will be his age-36 season.

ESPN’s Chris Canty, co-host of the show “Unsportsmanlike,” recently said something about the Pittsburgh Steelers that caught my attention. Yes, it was inflammatory. But hear him out. Listen carefully. What he says about the Steelers is important because the organization, historically one of the best in all of sports, will be among the most watched teams when the tampering period for free agency begins at noon ET on Monday.

Canty isn’t a flamethrower. If you watch the show regularly you know his takes are opinionated but also smart and measured. He also brings the perspective of a former NFL player. He’s someone you should listen to.

The Steelers, by any measure of success, haven’t struggled over the course of their existence. Obviously, it’s been the opposite. There have been moments when the team’s dominance was staggering.

But that has changed. Coach Mike Tomlin has lost six straight playoff games with another one-and-done postseason. The Steelers have not won a playoff game since January 2017.

Again, the Steelers make the playoffs a lot. It’s that once they get there, they falter.

The Browns would love this type of futility.

But the Steelers? Nah, nope, no way. It’s not who they are or, better put, it’s not what the organization is supposed to be.

This was the point Canty was making.

‘The Pittsburgh Steelers, it’s been a decade and a half since they’ve been in a Super Bowl,” Canty said on the show. “So the standard, the excellence that we’ve seen in that franchise, essentially excellence personified, that has now lost a little bit of its luster and it continues to do so with each passing year where they have early exit after early exit in the postseason.

“And so, I don’t know what the move is, but clearly they need to be more aggressive than they have in years past because they’re sitting on (their) hands, and doing business as usual hasn’t gotten them to where the organization prides itself on being in terms of one of the teams that is constantly in the chase for championships.’

He added, in part, one last thing: ‘They got a championship-level coach, but their roster is not championship caliber, and their quarterback play certainly has been anything but, post-Ben Roethlisberger. So yeah, it’s hard for me, and I can’t believe I’m saying this because the Pittsburgh Steelers seem like they are as buttoned up, as functional, as any franchise in the NFL. But the Pittsburgh Steelers, they’re not a serious franchise. They’re just not. I don’t take them seriously.’

Not a serious franchise.

Is that true? Maybe that’s harsh. But Canty isn’t alone thinking that.

If you want to say Canty said those things because he’s a former Baltimore Raven and the two franchises hate each other, well, you’d be wrong. He also played for the Giants and Cowboys. Canty is simply stating things that some across the NFL are saying privately.

The Steelers have lost some of that air of greatness that has surrounded the organization for decades. It’s still an outstanding franchise. It still has a great head coach in Tomlin.

But, for now at least, it’s not those Steelers any longer.

The organization could change the direction of the franchise with a significant move. Go get wide receiver DK Metcalf. Be aggressive in the draft. Something.

At some point the Steelers will have to enter the 21st century when it comes to free agency and big moves. It’s OK, Steelers. We got rocket ships. Flying cars are on the way.

Modern football isn’t going to bite. Promise.    

The Los Angeles Lakers lost Saturday night to the longtime rival Boston Celtics, but that’s suddenly the least of their concerns.

All eyes are now on the health of LeBron James.

The NBA’s all-time leading scorer was shown on ABC’s broadcast heading to the locker room with just over six minutes left in the fourth quarter and he was ruled out with a groin strain. The Lakers lost the contest 111-101. James finished the night with 22 points, 14 rebounds and nine assists in 35 minutes.

He said the injury occurred on the play where he scored his final basket of the night with 7:05 to go.

James has dealt with plenty of injuries since he signed with the Lakers in 2018, but groin strains have been a persistent issue during his time in Los Angeles. He suffered a left groin strain on Christmas Day 2018 in a win over the Golden State Warriors that ended up derailing Los Angeles’ season. He missed 17 straight games − then a career-high − and Los Angeles went 5-12 without him as its playoff hopes evaporated. He didn’t play the final six games of that season.

Left ankle and foot injuries have plagued James in recent years, but he’s been relatively healthy this season, missing only four contests heading into Saturday.

LeBron James groin injury: What we know

The NBA play-in games start on April 15 and the first round of the playoffs is slated to begin on April 19.

James said after the game he didn’t have ‘much concern’ about the injury and considered himself ‘day-to-day.’

James said he immediately thought of that 2018 injury.

‘I’ve been there before and I know what type of injury you’re dealing with,’ James said.

But he added this injury is ‘not as bad as that’ one that kept him out for 17 straight games.

The Lakers (40-22) have been rolling since mid-January and are now 12-3 since acquiring Luka Doncic after falling Saturday. They are currently the No. 3 seed in the Western Conference, a half-game behind the Denver Nuggets and 1½ games ahead of the Memphis Grizzlies.

This story has been updated with new information.

It’s officially conference tournament time in college basketball.

The conference tournaments that begin next week could be the final opportunity for some teams to jump from the bubble into the tournament. But it could also be a chance for a team that is not on the radar to surprise everyone and steal a bid.

With a 68-team field, less than half are currently a ‘lock’ in the tournament. However, many teams have done enough and should be in it. Then there are the teams firmly on the bubble that need to make a deep run, if not win their conference tournaments.

In ESPN’s Bracketology by Joe Lunardi, San Diego State, Ohio State, Oklahoma and Xavier are the last four teams in the tourney following play on Saturday. Conversely, Boise State, North Carolina, Texas and Nebraska are the first four teams out of the tournament.

Here’s an updated look at the NCAA Tournament bubble, with which teams are locks and likely in the field as the conference tournaments begin this week:

March Madness bracket bubble watch tracker

Tracker based on games through Saturday, March 8

NCAA Tournament locks

ACC (3): Duke, Clemson, Louisville
Big Ten (8): Michigan State, Michigan, Purdue, Wisconsin, Maryland, Oregon, UCLA, Illinois
Big 12 (6): Houston, Iowa State, Texas Tech, Arizona, Kansas, BYU
Big East (4): St. John’s, Marquette, Creighton, UConn
SEC (9): Auburn, Florida, Alabama, Tennessee, Texas A&M, Mississippi State, Missouri, Kentucky, Ole Miss
Other (3): Memphis, Saint Mary’s, New Mexico

Not much has changed in terms of locks for the three big conferences. The SEC still leads the way with nine locks, while the Big Ten is up to eight now after Illinois was bumped from a ‘likely in’ to a ‘lock’ following ranked wins against Purdue and Michigan.

NCAA Tournament likely ins

ACC: None
Big Ten: None
Big 12 (2): Baylor, West Virginia
Big East: None
SEC (3): Georgia, Oklahoma, Vanderbilt
Other (3): Gonzaga, Drake, Utah State

Georgia and Oklahoma join Vanderbilt as SEC teams that will likely make the tournament following strong recent runs. The Bulldogs had an impressive win over then-No. 3 Florida and have followed it with three more wins. A win over Missouri at least changed the narrative around the Sooners.

Drake and Utah State can lock in a spot in the tournament by winning their respective conference tournaments, rather than leaving a potential bid to be stolen by a surprising run by a school in the tournaments.

NCAA Tournament bubble teams

ACC (3): SMU, North Carolina, Wake Forest
Big Ten (3): Ohio State, Indiana, Nebraska
Big 12 (1): Cincinnati
Big East (1): Xavier
SEC (2): Arkansas, Texas
Other (10): VCU, Bradley, San Diego State, Liberty, Dayton, North Texas, Boise State, Colorado State, UC San Diego, UC Irvine

These teams have an outside shot of making the Big Dance but will also need help. According to ESPN RPI, these schools have a 25% to 69% chance of qualifying for the tournament.

For one, winning their conference tournaments would remove doubts about the strength of the schedule, quality of wins, etc. Schools such as Arkansas or Texas in the SEC, or Ohio State, Indiana and Nebraska in the Big Ten, could use deep runs in their respective conference tournaments to lock in a spot.

At this point, none of the schools on this list should book tickets for the NCAA Tournament, but one good week could change the discourse and make Selection Sunday less stressful.

The ACC has the most bubble teams this week, and they are hoping to join the three locks listed above. The SEC could prove very deep if Arkansas and Texas find a spark and make a deep run into the tournament to steal a spot away.

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — Lionel Messi is feeling ‘much better’ with a possibility he could play for Inter Miami in Sunday’s home game against Charlotte FC, coach Javier Mascherano said Saturday.

Messi has continued to practice despite fatigue from a jam-packed start to the 2025 season for the Argentine World Cup and the defending MLS Supporters’ Shield champions.

Sunday’s match would be Messi’s first game since Feb. 25, if he plays. Messi has missed Inter Miami’s past two games, not because he’s injured, but to rest.

‘Leo is much better,’ Mascherano said before Messi participated in Saturday’s practice. ‘We are going to evaluate him. We are optimistic that if all goes well, there is a possibility that he will be called up, so we’ll see.’

Is Messi playing today?

Mascherano did not declare whether Messi would play against Charlotte.

Messi’s playing status will be confirmed when Inter Miami’s starting lineup is announced about an hour before kickoff on Sunday.

What time is Inter Miami vs. Charlotte FC match today?

The match begins at 4 p.m. ET (5 p.m. in Argentina) inside Chase Stadium in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

How to watch Inter Miami vs. Charlotte FC match?

The match will be available to live stream on MLS Season Pass via Apple TV.

How much has Messi played to begin 2025?

Mascherano said Messi was considered day to day with fatigue, after Inter Miami’s 2-0 win over Jamaican champions Cavalier FC in their Concacaf Champions Cup round-of-16 match last Thursday.

Messi also did not travel when Inter Miami played on the road against the Houston Dynamo, winning 4-1, on March 2.

Messi predominately played in three matches during a six-day stretch from Feb. 19-26, and eight matches in a 40-day span from Jan. 18 to Feb. 14, including five preseason matches played in Las Vegas, Peru, Panama, Honduras and Tampa, Florida.

Overall, Inter Miami has played in 10 matches in 47 days from Jan. 18 to last Thursday.

‘With so many matches in a short period of time, yes, clearly, we are looking at the issue of minutes,’ Mascherano said.

Mascherano said along with consulting with Inter Miami’s team doctors, he’s also gauged Messi on how he feels to determine his playing status.

What’s next for Messi later this month?

After the Charlotte match, Inter Miami will visit Cavalier FC at National Stadium in Kingston, Jamaica on Thursday for the second leg of their Champions Cup matchup. The match could be Messi’s first match in the Caribbean country.

When Inter Miami returns from Jamaica, they will travel to face Atlanta United on March 16 in a rematch of last season’s first-round series in the MLS Cup playoffs, which saw Messi and his side lose in upset fashion.

Messi is also expected to join the Argentine national team for two World Cup qualifying matches later this month. Argentina will visit Uruguay on March 21, then host Brazil on June 25.

‘I know that if Leo plays, we’re stronger. I’m not going to shoot myself in the foot – it’s crazy,’ Masherano said when asked about the risks of pushing Messi before he’s ready to play.

Messi’s upcoming schedule with Inter Miami, Argentina

Messi could play in the following six matches with Inter Miami and the Argentina national team later this month: 

Sunday: Inter Miami vs. Charlotte, 4 p.m. ET (MLS)
Thursday: Cavalier FC vs. Inter Miami, 8 p.m. ET (Champions Cup) 
March 16: Atlanta vs. Inter Miami, 7 p.m. ET (MLS)
March 21: Uruguay vs. Argentina, 7:30 p.m. ET (2026 World Cup qualifier)
March 25: Argentina vs. Brazil, 8 p.m. ET (2026 World Cup qualifier)
March 29: Inter Miami vs. Philadelphia, 7:30 p.m. ET (MLS)