Sauce Gardner is ready to soar into a new tax bracket with the New York Jets.

The All-Pro cornerback appeared on ‘The Pat McAfee Show’ on Wednesday, where he addressed his contract situation and called the talks ‘productive’ thus far.

‘We have our goals, in terms of numbers and stuff like that, and the Jets are aware of that,’ Gardner said. ‘And I’m aware of the rest of my peers, like [Jaycee Horn], [Derek Stingley Jr.], even [Patrick Surtain II] got paid, obviously before me, but those are all guys that are well-deserving of the money that they got. It’s definitely something that my team and the Jets are talking about.’

It’s a market that has gained momentum in recent years, with Stingley catapulting to the top with a three-year, $90 million deal from the Houston Texans. Gardner is considered to be someone who could, and probably will, surpass his fellow 2022 NFL Draft classmate as the highest-paid cornerback in terms of average annual value (AAV).

The Jets opened contract talks with Gardner and Garrett Wilson earlier this offseason.

Both players reported to offseason activities, electing to participate rather than force the issue for a new deal. As Gardner indicated, it was important for him to be at minicamp.

‘Man, I just wanted to show my teammates, show my coaches how much I’m bought into this now,’ Gardner told reporters on June 12. ‘I want to win. I want to change the organization. I want to be a part of changing the organization.’

Gardner has continued to be unfazed by the negotiations, maintaining his focus on the activities on the field.

‘My main focus has been being the best football player I can be, but my team and the Jets have been talking and, you know, I feel pretty good about how the talks have been going,’ Gardner added at the time.

And the star cornerback also seems happy with the work that has taken place on the field as well. When asked by McAfee about the coaching staff and, specifically, new head coach Aaron Glenn, Gardner had good things to say.

‘I’m impressed,’ Gardner said of Glenn and the new coaching staff. ‘Obviously I love defensive-minded head coaches, but the thing that sets him apart is he knows so much about offense as well, so much about special teams. And him, just as a person, he wanna get the best out of you.’

Given Glenn’s experience playing cornerback for the Jets, the new coach is in a unique position to guide Gardner to new heights.

The contract figures to be a foregone conclusion, barring any unexpected bumps in the road – meaning it’s a matter of when, not if. Gardner’s rookie deal still has two years remaining on it after the team picked up his fifth-year option, according to Spotrac. He carries a cap hit of $10.6 million for 2025 and $20.1 million for 2026.

Gardner has been patient and taken the road less traveled in this negotiation.

It appears that it will pay off in a big way sooner rather than later.

Rashod Bateman is set to remain with the Baltimore Ravens long-term after inking a three-year, $36.75 million contract extension with the team during the 2025 NFL offseason.

However, Bateman acknowledged his return to Baltimore wasn’t always a sure thing. In fact, there was a time the 25-year-old wide receiver believed he might be traded to the Dallas Cowboys.

‘I went through a lot of things with the Cowboys and all of that with my contract,’ Bateman told The Athletic. ‘There was a time when I didn’t know what was going to happen.’

Bateman’s uncertainty stemmed from an understanding the Ravens had other key players they wanted to re-sign. Knowing that, he delivered a clear message to Baltimore general manager Eric DeCosta.

‘That’s the first thing I told him: I don’t want to go anywhere else. ‘I know you’ve got a lot of stuff to work through and we’ll figure it out when we figure it out,” Bateman said of his conversation with DeCosta. ‘It took time, but it takes time with a lot of people’s contracts. He had a lot of contracts to get done, and maybe more to get done in the future.’

DeCosta worked through some of those priorities, notably signing star running back Derrick Henry to a two-year extension worth up to $30 million. Once that was completed, the Ravens shifted their focus to Bateman, who signed his three-year extension less than a month after Henry’s new deal was finalized.

Bateman praised DeCosta for prioritizing him even during an offseason where Baltimore is exploring another long-term contract with two-time MVP quarterback Lamar Jackson.

‘To be a priority for him in that way is important,’ Bateman said of DeCosta. ‘He shows he values me.’

Still, Bateman is aware things could have played out differently, given he was on Dallas’ radar during an offseason in which the Cowboys traded for George Pickens.

‘(The Cowboys talks) were a thing, for sure. It was a possibility. I don’t want to deny that,’ Bateman said. ‘But you know, DeCosta, he’s always making magic work, and he made it work. And I’m thankful for that.’

Pittsburgh Steelers edge rusher T.J. Watt has been the subject of conflicting trade rumors as the offseason wears on.

Watt, 30, is set to enter the final year of the four-year, $112 million contract extension he signed in 2021. In early June, the four-time All-Pro sat out of the Steelers’ mandatory veteran minicamp in an attempt to push his team to the negotiating table.

For now, Watt remains without a contract extension.

So as the Steelers’ offseason strategy progressed with a blockbuster trade on Monday, teams around the league began to wonder if a trade for Watt, their star edge rusher, was possible.

Here’s what we know:

T.J. Watt contract

Length: Four years
Total value: $112 million
Average annual value (AAV): $28 million

Watt signed his most recent contract extension in 2021, and 2025 is the last season of the four-year deal.

The overall value of Watt’s current contract ranks fifth among NFL edge rushers. Nick Bosa, Myles Garrett, Joshua Hines-Allen and Brian Burns are all playing on more lucrative overall deals.

In terms of AAV, Watt is the seventh highest-paid edge rusher per year. All five of the aforementioned edge rushers are above him as well as Texans pass-rusher Danielle Hunter on his one-year, $35.6 million deal and the Raiders’ Maxx Crosby making $35.5 million per year for three years.

Crosby and Garrett signed massive extensions earlier in the offseason. Crosby’s deal reset the edge rusher market first, then Garrett’s extension pushed it even further with its $40 million-per-year average over four years.

T.J. Watt trade rumors

ESPN reported Monday that ‘multiple teams’ have discussed making a move for Watt after the Steelers traded safety Minkah Fitzpatrick and a 2027 fifth-round pick for cornerback Jalen Ramsey and tight end Jonnu Smith.

With Ramsey getting a pay bump in 2025 and Smith getting a one-year extension as part of the trade, other teams wondered if the Steelers might have been gearing up to move their star pass-rusher. As Watt remains without an extension and his holdout continues, trade speculation will likely only continue to grow.

However, ESPN also reported that ‘the Steelers are adamant they want Watt to finish his career in Pittsburgh.’

Will the Steelers trade T.J. Watt?

Both ESPN and NFL Network reported that the Steelers don’t want to trade their four-time All-Pro edge rusher.

ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported that the team is ‘adamant’ to keep Watt in Pittsburgh for the rest of his career. NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero reported that the Steelers ‘have no interest’ in moving on from the seven-time Pro Bowler.

It remains to be seen whether another team can provide an offer the Steelers can’t refuse while also having the capability to give Watt the extension he seeks.

T.J. Watt career earnings

According to Spotrac, Watt has made $110.9 million in his eight-year career so far. With the $21.05 million he’s set to make in 2025, that number will jump to over $131.9 million after this season.

T.J. Watt stats

Watt has played his entire career for the Steelers. Here’s how his stats looked last year as well as his career totals through eight seasons:

2024

Tackles: 61
Tackles for a loss: 19
Sacks: 11.5
Forced fumbles: 6 (led the league)
Passes defensed: 4

Career

Tackles: 462
Tackles for a loss: 126
Sacks: 108
Forced fumbles: 33
Passes defensed: 49
Interceptions: 7

Watt won the Defensive Player of the Year award in 2021. He’s also on an active Pro Bowl streak of seven straight seasons and has earned four All-Pro nods in his eight-year career.

The Atlanta Braves’ nightmare season has no end in sight, and the latest blow might be too much to overcome.

Spencer Schwellenbach, who grew into an ace role with Atlanta after injuries to Spencer Strider and Chris Sale, will be out until at least September with a fracture in his right elbow.

Schwellenbach, 25, was a good bet to earn inclusion on his first All-Star team after a first half that saw him post a 3.09 ERA in 17 starts and rank third in the National League in WHIP (0.97). But Schwellenbach felt soreness after his most recent start against the Philadelphia Phillies, and imaging revealed a small fracture in his elbow.

The timing is almost too much to be believed: Atlanta’s season went sideways before April when outfielder Jurickson Profar earned an 80-game suspension for a PED violation just days into his three-year, $42 million contract. Profar’s suspension expired this week and he is set to be activated for the July 2 game against the Los Angeles Angels.

Meanwhile, Sale, the defending NL Cy Young Award winner, is out indefinitely with a fractured rib cage suffered two weeks ago. Strider completed a 12-month rehab from Tommy John elbow surgery, made one start and then missed five more weeks with a hamstring injury.

‘Sale went down,’ Schwellenbach told reporters in Atlanta, ‘and as a staff we knew we had to pick things up and now this happens and I feel horrible. I set a goal for myself to throw a bunch of innings and it just sucks.”

Add it up, and the Braves are 38-46 entering play July 2, in fourth place in the NL East and seven games behind first-place Philadelphia.

At stake: Atlanta’s seven-year streak of playoff appearances, which includes six division titles and a 2021 World Series crown. While their deficits aren’t insurmountable, their rotation thins out very quickly after Strider, with Grant Holmes bumped to the No. 2 spot and rookie Didier Fuentes – who has a 10.80 ERA in two starts – suddenly a significant piece of it. Additionally, veteran Bryce Elder is supposed to be depth, but instead has been forced to make 13 starts, posting a 5.82 ERA.

Schwellenbach was a second-round pick in 2021 by Atlanta.

A 12-person Manhattan jury delivered a split verdict Wednesday in the case of Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs, who was found guilty of two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution but was acquitted on the top charge of racketeering and both sex trafficking counts.

The verdict came after allegations of sexual assault and trafficking started mounting against the music mogul following a bombshell lawsuit from his former girlfriend of a decade, Casandra ‘Cassie’ Ventura Fine, who provided devastating testimony during the trial that began May 5 in Combs’ hometown of New York City.

It wasn’t long ago that Combs attempted to join one of the most exclusive clubs in American society: NFL ownership. Here’s a look back at Diddy’s dalliance with ‘The Shield.’

Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs wanted to buy Carolina Panthers

Combs first voiced his desire to buy the Carolina Panthers via social media in December 2017. The Golden State Warriors’ Stephen Curry responded that he wanted to be a part of the ownership group.

Combs’ ownership push came amid the Colin Kaepernick protests that he inspired across the league. In May 2018, however, owners unanimously approved a new national anthem policy that requires players to stand if they are on the field during the performance and extinguished Combs’ desire to own a team, apparently.

‘Man, I really wanted to go in there and be a part of the NFL and try to be a positive change,’ Combs said, via Billboard. ‘This last move, though, I don’t even want to own an NFL team no more.’

The team eventually went to David Tepper.

During an appearance with ‘The Breakfast Club’ following his failed attempt to buy the team, Combs said:

“It was never about me buying the Panthers. It was always about ‘we.’ It was always about ‘we’ need a team,” he said. “I jumped out there to make sure that they understood that they have to consider some Black ownership right now with 80%, 70% of the league being African American. It’s just time.”

Robert Kraft wanted Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs to own NFL team

During a run-in with gossip website TMZ, Patriots owner Robert Kraft voiced his support for Combs when asked about the prospect of the 55-year-old buying into the league.

‘I hope so,’ he told TMZ Sports. ‘I’m a big fan of his.’

Combs later told TMZ that ‘it’s time’ for him to own a team.

PHILADELPHIA — Philadelphia Phillies right-hander Aaron Nola remains on track with his rehab process.

That latest step towards the mound for the veteran, who has been out since May 16, has taken place across the last few days at Citizens Bank Park with agility work and throwing on the ground in the outfield ahead of each game of the Phillies’ three-game series vs. the San Diego Padres.

‘It’s going smooth so far,’ Nola told USA TODAY Sports. ‘I’ve thrown probably seven times, no problems. Haven’t really gotten on it super hard yet. Hoping today goes well again and having tomorrow off to recover and back at it on Friday. It is going smoothly.’

Prior to his stint on the injured list on May 16, Nola was in an uncharacteristic rut for the Phillies, who signed him to a new seven-year, $172 million dollar contract in 2023. In nine starts this season, Nola had a 1-7 record with a career-high 6.16 ERA in 49 ⅔ innings pitched.

The Phillies entered Wednesday, July 2 with a two-game lead over the New York Mets in the National League East.

Here’s the latest updates on Nola’s injury and when the Phillies might expect their All-Star right-hander back:

Aaron Nola injury update

Nola went on the injured list for the first time — for a non-COVID injury — since 2017, on May 16 with a right ankle sprain that he sustained while doing agility work ahead of a May 9 road start vs. the Cleveland Guardians.

He pitched with the injured ankle vs. the Guardians and then again on May 14 against the St. Louis Cardinals, two starts in which he’d give up a combined 13 runs on 18 hits and five home runs.

‘I’m just blessed that it’s nothing season-ending or anything huge. But yeah, it’s been a while obviously since we’ve been on the [IL], but it’s part of baseball,’ Nola said, on the injured list for a lengthy period for the first time in his career. ‘A little speed bump that I got to get over and I believe I’m going to get over it and hopefully come back strong and have a fresh arm hopefully.’

Nola said over the last few days, he has been able to continue doing some running and agility work in the outfield, along with getting some tossing in. As for how his arm has responded to the throwing, Nola said it’s ‘feeling good.’ He also said his stress-fractured rib cage is progressing well.

‘We’re doing a good job of planning everything out and I’ve been feeling good every time I’ve thrown. I’m not trying to push it too quickly because I don’t want any setbacks,’ Nola said. ‘Obviously have some days that are a little sore just in the arm because we’re not throwing for three weeks, but that’s just normal.’

He was scheduled to run and toss a bit ahead of Game 1 of the Phillies’ doubleheader vs. the Padres on July 2, and then throw again in two days, where he hopes to get back near the mound.

‘Just to throw a couple up off the mound to feel the slope and feel the push off with my ankle and stuff like that since I haven’t been (doing that) in a little while,’ Nola said. ‘That’s kind of the progression right now.’

In his pregame availability with the media on July 2, Phillies manager Rob Thomson said the hope is to get Nola on the mound for a full bullpen session by the end of the weekend. Thomson also said that once Nola begins to ramp up his throwing program, the Phillies will treat it like a second spring training.

‘I’d say pretty close, yeah, starting over really,’ Thomson said.

Nola reiterated that plan, building up to bullpen sessions on the mound and then getting a few rehab starts — maybe two or three — to get his pitch count up. He additionally said he’s still hopeful for a target date of late July, early August, though he couldn’t tell ‘a date or a week’ for that return.

‘Honestly, trying to take it day by day and pushing the envelope just a little bit more every day I throw and run and work out,’ Nola said. ‘That’s kind of the way it’s going right now.’

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