The first wave of free agency is complete.

Every year the free agency period provides us a glimpse inside each organization – what they are thinking, approach for the immediate and long-term future and roster construction.

The New England Patriots spent upwards of $200 million during the first wave of free agency and the Washington Commanders aggressively made trades.

The quarterback carousel is churning as Geno Smith, Sam Darnold and Justin Fields all found new homes. All eyes are on Aaron Rodgers and Russell Wilson as we await their decisions.

The first week of free agency featured many highlights. Here are my favorite moves of free agency thus far:

Rams bring Davante Adams back to West Coast

Adams is originally from the Bay Area and played college football at Fresno State. He was the No. 1 free agent on my board when the Jets released him.

The 32-year-old wide receiver isn’t the prolific playmaker he once was but he’s still a smooth route runner who knows how to create separation.

The Rams officially parted ways with Cooper Kupp. While Kupp ranks third in franchise history in receiving touchdowns and receptions, Adams is the superior all-around wide receiver, especially at this point in each of their respective career.

Adams is a six-time Pro Bowler and has five straight 1,000 receiving-yard seasons, tied for the second-longest active streak in the NFL. He’ll form a tremendous wideout due with Puka Nacua in Los Angeles. Adams has the versatility to line up in the slot or outside. He had slot 361 snaps in the slot and played on the outside 431 times last season, and he thrives running intermediate routes.

“We’re going to do some good things,” Rams wide receiver Tutu Atwell said. “He is a great player, excited to play next to him and just can’t wait for this season to start.’

Harold Landry reuniting with Mike Vrabel in New England

Armed with the most cap space in the NFL entering the new league year, New England justifiably went on a spending spree. The Patriots doled out over $200 million dollars in overall contract value to players who should make immediate impacts this season.

Milton Williams agreed to a four-year deal worth $104 million, a person familiar with the situation told USA TODAY Sports. They spoke on condition of anonymity because they weren’t given permission to discuss contracts.

Williams’ 54 pressures last year ranked in the top 10 for all interior defensive linemen this past season. He’s a disruptive defensive tackle with huge upside. But my favorite move in New England is the addition of Landry.

Patriots new head coach Mike Vrabel and Landry know each other well from their days together in Tennessee. Landry’s familiarity with Vrabel’s defensive philosophy should make for a seamless transition and he’ll instantly become a defensive leader.

The Patriots had an NFL-worst 28 sacks last year. Landry will swiftly improve New England’s pass rush. He’s tallied 64 pressures and 19.5 sacks the past two seasons. He comes to the Patriots with 50.5 career sacks all in a Tennessee uniform, which ranks sixth in Titans history.

Laremy Tunsil lands in nation’s capital

The Texans traded their standout left tackle to the Commanders for a collection of draft picks.

Tunsil bolsters Washington’s offensive line and will be tasked to protect Jayden Daniels’ blindside. He’s a five-time Pro Bowler who’s just 30 years old.

The 6-foot-5, 313-pound left tackle allowed only two sacks and 19 pressures during 1,026 snaps last season. He had a 93% pass block win rate, per ESPN analytics.

Washington had the seventh ranked total offense and a top three rushing attack in 2024. Tunsil’s ability at left tackle will only strengthen the Commanders offense in Daniels’ sophomore season and beyond.

Tunsil marks the second big trade the Commanders made since the start of March. The Tunsil trade was preceded by a deal that landed wide receiver Deebo Samuel in the nation’s capital. Both moves signal the Commanders are going all in while they are in an advantageous position of having a budding star quarterback on a rookie contract.

Bears fortify offensive line

The Bears made a concerted effort to bolster their offensive line. Chicago acquired guards Jonah Jackson and Joe Thuney in separate trades and then signed USA TODAY Sports’ top ranked free agent center in Drew Dalman.

Dalman allowed just a 4.8% pressure rate in nine games last year and Jackson gave up zero sacks and nine pressures in four games, per Pro Football Focus. Both Dalman and Jackson were limited by injuries, but they present a clear upgrade from Chicago’s 2024 O-line. Plus, Thuney is a four-time Super Bowl champion and regarded as one of the best guards in the NFL. Thuney had the third-highest pass blocking grade for all guards last season, per Pro Football Focus (even though he slid over to left tackle later in the year to help end Kansas City’s revolving door at the position).

Thuney’s experience and leadership will be invaluable for Caleb Williams and the Bears. Williams was sacked 68 times last year, which is the third-most in NFL history.

Williams acknowledged some of the sacks were his fault. He tended to play oft-script and hold onto the football too long. Offensive-minded head coach Ben Johnson can help Williams become a better quarterback. The offensive line Chicago’s assembled will aid, in a big way, in that effort as well.

Chiefs taking calculated chance at left tackle

Kansas City went through four starting left tackles last year. Guard Joe Thuney filled in admirably when he moved to left tackle to finish the season, although, he was overwhelmed playing on the outside (just rewatch Super Bowl 59).

The Chiefs seem to be confident that they fixed a glaring position of need after they acquired career backup offensive tackle Jaylon Moore.

Is it risky choice? Sure. But the Chiefs clearly studied Moore, liked what they saw on tape and Andy Reid and Brett Veach deserve the benefit of the doubt.

The former 49ers tackle registered only 12 regular season starts in four seasons, albeit playing behind Trent Williams doesn’t warrant criticism. He looks the part when on the field. He’s 6-foot-4, 311 pounds and moves well. The left tackle allowed one sack and 10 pressures in 271 offensive snaps, including 159 pass-block snaps, according to Pro Football Focus. He’s given up five sacks and 31 pressures in 447 career snaps.

Moore signed a two-year deal worth $30 million, a person familiar with the situation told USA TODAY Sports. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because they aren’t authorized to discuss the contract. He has the potential to fill a big void and be Kansas City’s long-term answer at left tackle.

The Los Angeles Rams released wide receiver Cooper Kupp on Wednesday after failing to find a trade partner for him ahead of the NFL’s new league year.

The veteran receiver didn’t last long on the free agent market. He reached an agreement with the Seattle Seahawks on Friday. The deal is for three-years and $45 million, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter.

Kupp played in 12 games for the Rams last season and recorded 67 catches for 710 yards and six touchdowns. He largely served as Los Angeles’ No. 2 receiver, as second-year receiver Puka Nacua continued to establish himself as Matthew Stafford’s favorite target following a historic rookie season.

The Seahawks had perhaps one of the funnier confirmations of a player joining a franchise during this free agency period by posting a picture of a cup.

Kupp was a first-team All-Pro in 2021 after leading the NFL in receptions (145), receiving yards (1,947) and touchdowns (19). He became the first receiver to win the league’s triple crown since Steve Smith Sr. in 2005.

However, since then, Kupp has played just 33 of a possible 51 regular-season games while battling injuries. During that span, he has averaged just 753 receiving yards per season, with a high of 812 in 2022.

That played a part in the Rams releasing Kupp. They replaced him with fellow veteran Davante Adams; the 32-year-old has posted five consecutive 1,000-yard receiving seasons while playing for three different teams – the Green Bay Packers, Las Vegas Raiders and New York Jets.

Major League Baseball’s 2025 campaign is set to get underway with the Los Angeles Dodgers looking to defend their World Series championship.

The Dodgers should be even better this season, going big in the winter to sign two-time Cy Young winner Blake Snell and Japanese pitching phenom Rōki Sasaki. MLB’s greatest hitter Shohei Ohtani is also expected to make his pitching debut for Los Angeles, introducing three new ace-level starters to the Dodgers staff.

Some of baseball’s other top groups include the Seattle Mariners, Philadelphia Phillies and Arizona Diamondbacks.

With the Dodgers array of arms earning the No. 1 ranking, here’s a look at baseball’s top 10 rotations entering 2025:

1. Los Angeles Dodgers

Blake Snell
Tyler Glasnow
Yoshinobu Yamamoto
Rōki Sasaki
Dustin May

The World Series champions added Snell and Sasaki in the offseason and should welcome Shohei Ohtani back to the mound at some point. Clayton Kershaw is also on the mend and while just about everybody has injury or workload concerns, this is the most talented group in baseball.

2. Seattle Mariners

Logan Gilbert
Luis Castillo
George Kirby
Bryce Miller
Brian Woo

Seattle’s starting pitchers led the majors with a 3.38 ERA last season but Kirby looks set to start 2025 on the injured list. This is something of a unicorn pitching staff that was let down by offensive ineptitude, also posting baseball’s best WHIP (1.03) and average against (.222).

3. Philadelphia Phillies

Zack Wheeler
Aaron Nola
Cristopher Sanchez
Ranger Suarez
Jesús Luzardo

Wheeler is an ace’s ace, tossing 200 innings to finish runner-up in Cy Young voting last year. The trade for Luzardo could prove to be huge, buying low on the 27-year-old lefty who racked up 208 strikeouts for the Marlins in 2023. Nola has averaged 32 starts over the past four years and received Cy Young votes for the fourth time in his career ln 2024.

4. Arizona Diamondbacks

Corbin Burnes
Zac Gallen
Merrill Kelly
Eduardo Rodriguez
Brandon Pfaadt

Burnes’ arrival on a $210 million pact pushes Gallen to a ‘co-ace’ role and the Diamondbacks should get more from Rodriguez after an injury-shortened first season in Arizona. The continued development of Brandon Pfaadt is something to keep an eye on and lefty Jordan Montgomery should see some starts as well if he isn’t traded.

5. Atlanta Braves

Chris Sale 
Spencer Strider (expected to return in May)
Reynaldo Lopez 
Spencer Schwellenbach
Grant Holmes

Certainly dinged here with Strider coming off Tommy John surgery, the Braves boast the NL Cy Young winner in Sale and one of the game’s top young pitchers in Schwellenbach. The 24-year-old had a 3.35 ERA in 21 starts as a rookie last season and Atlanta hopes he takes another leap forward.

6. Kansas City Royals

Cole Ragans
Seth Lugo
Michael Wacha
Michael Lorenzen
Kris Bubic

Getting back to the postseason for the first time in nine years Royals starters had baseball’s second-best ERA in 2025. In his first year with Kansas City, the veteran Lugo finished runner-up in Cy Young voting while Ragans had 223 strikeouts in 32 starts to place fourth. Wacha has become one of baseball’s most consistent starters over the past three years.

7. Detroit Tigers

Tarik Skubal
Jack Flaherty
Reese Olson
Casey Mize
Kenta Maeda

The Tigers brought back Flaherty after trading him to the Dodgers last summer, and he slots back in behind the Cy Young winner in Skubal. Mize is one to watch as a post-hype sleeper, the former No. 1 overall pick who returned in 2024 after missing nearly two full seasons.

8. Pittsburgh Pirates

Paul Skenes
Mitch Keller
Andrew Heaney
Jared Jones
Bailey Falter

Skenes is obviously the star attraction and may be the most dominant pitcher in baseball right now, but don’t sleep on Keller, an All-Star in 2023 who has averaged 31 starts over the past two seasons. Jones enjoyed a fine rookie campaign at the age of 22 with a 4.14 ERA in 22 starts while averaging more than a strikeout per inning.

9. San Diego Padres

Dylan Cease
Michael King
Yu Darvish 
Nick Pivetta 
Kyle Hart

Cease is primed for a big contract year, while King looks to build on a stellar first year with the organization after coming over from the Yankees in the Juan Soto trade. Darvish is 38 now and something of a question mark, but he could be one of the better No. 3 starters in baseball.

10. Cincinnati Reds

Hunter Greene
Brady Singer
Nick Martinez
Nick Lodolo
Andrew Abbott

Greene’s 6.3 WAR led all NL pitchers last season and Cincinnati acquired Singer from the Royals in the offseason, giving the staff another veteran presence in addition to Martinez. Abbott had a 3.72 ERA in 25 starts last season, his second full year in the majors.

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Duke is one win away from the ACC tournament championship and likely securing a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament, but it will have to play one more game without its star player.

In the first half of Duke’s quarterfinal matchup against Georgia Tech, freshman sensation Cooper Flagg sustained a left ankle injury after he took an awkward landing from a rebound attempt. He didn’t play the rest of the game as the Blue Devils beat the Yellow Jackets, and in the semifinal matchup against rival North Carolina, Flagg was on the bench in street clothes as his team fended off a late comeback from the Tar Heels.

Now with Duke set to face Louisville for the conference crown on Saturday, Flagg will be a spectator again. Here’s the latest updates on Flagg’s injury status for the ACC tournament final:

Will Cooper Flagg play today?

No, Flagg will not play against the Cardinals.

After Friday’s 74-71 win over North Carolina, Duke head coach Jon Scheyer addressed his star player’s injury and determined he wouldn’t play.

‘As far as Cooper goes, he’s doing better. Sprained ankle, all the imaging came back negative. He sprained it pretty good, though. It’s a good sprain. I’m not breaking any news. He’s not going to play tomorrow. He can’t play,’ Scheyer said Friday night.

Scheyer had previously said it was a ‘long shot’ Flagg would come back for any more games in the ACC tournament. Now he said the focus will be on making sure Flagg is healthy enough for March Madness next week.

‘Our goal is to have him ready for the tournament. But we need to see how this weekend goes with the swelling and what he can do,’ he said.

Flagg appeared to be in a good condition during Friday’s game, walking on his own and was seen celebrating with teammates on big plays.

What is Cooper Flagg’s injury?

Flagg suffered a sprained ankle, Scheyer confirmed.

Cooper Flagg stats

The Blue Devils will certainly be without a major contributor against Louisville on Saturday as Flagg leads the team in several statistical categories, including points (18.9), rebounds (6.1), assists (4.1), blocks (1.3) and steals (1.5) per game.

Flagg’s stellar play this season has put him on the list of 15 men’s players on the ballot for the John R. Wooden Award, which is presented annually to the most outstanding men’s and women’s college basketball players. He is one of the favorites to win the award along with Auburn’s Johni Broome.

American Justin Thomas was in danger of missing the cut at The Players Championship for the second consecutive year, but the 2021 Players Champion performed a historic turnaround. 

Thomas got off to a rough start at the 2025 Players Championship on Thursday and shot a 78 in the opening round, registering three bogeys, two double-bogeys and a triple-bogey on his scorecard. He entered Friday’s second round sitting at 6-over on the tournament, well below the projected cut line of 1-under.

Then, Thomas got to work. 

Thomas tied the 18-hole course record at TPC Sawgrass by shooting 10-under 62 during the second round on Friday, a record previously set by American Tom Hoge in the third round in 2023. Thomas’ 16-stroke turnaround marks the largest improvement from the first to the second round at The Players Championship.  

“I’m just happy to have a tee time tomorrow,” Thomas said after wrapping up his second round.

Thomas opened the second round with birdies on the first two holes and went on to hit 11 total birdies on Friday, which set a record for the most birdies in a round at The Players Championship. 

Thomas had an opportunity to break the course record entering the 18th and final hole of the day. He needed par or better on the Par 4, 462-yard hole, but Thomas ended his historic second round with a bogey, his first of the day. Despite missing out on the record, Thomas said he’s satisfied with how he locked in on Friday.

“I was losing to I think everybody that was playing golf yesterday at one point. I really wasn’t worried or upset about the golf I played, I was more upset about the round and how I was mentally out there. I feel like I wasn’t sharp. I was just really spacy,’ he said. ‘So I really made a conscious effort (today.)”

Thomas’ best finish at the Player Championship came in 2021, when he won the tournament. Last year, he missed the cut into the weekend. He is currently tied for 29th place at 4-under. 

Australian Min Woo Lee and American Akshay Bhatia are tied atop the leaderboard at 11-under through two rounds of play. American J.J. Spaun is in third place at 10-under. Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland is tied for fourth place with Collin Morikawa and Alex Smalley at 9-under. 

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The Cincinnati Bengals are close to getting ‘massive contract extensions’ done with both of their star wide receivers.

Cincinnati has made ‘significant progress’ on reaching agreements on extension for both Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins, according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport. Chase was due to begin the final season of his rookie deal in 2025, and the Bengals had just placed their franchise tag on Higgins for a second year in a row after failing to reach an agreement on an extension before the franchise tag deadline.

At the NFL Scouting Combine late last month, Cincinnati general manager Duke Tobin shared that he hoped the team would be able to sign Chase, Higgins and defensive end Trey Hendrickson to contract extensions this offseason.

‘We’ve managed our cap well,’ he said at the time. ‘We’ve got low dead money. We want a high payroll and low dead money so the people that are in Cincinnati playing for us can get all the money. That’s what we want. We’re in a position to re-sign these guys. It’s a good position to be in. It really is. We’re going to attack it.’

ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported that Chase is expected to make more than $40 million per year. The number is significant because it would pass the mark Browns defensive end Myles Garrett set as the new highest-paid non-quarterback in the NFL after his recent extension.

Tobin said at the combine that he expected to give Chase that distinction.

‘Ja’Marr is always going to be our priority,’ he said. ‘He’s a fantastic football player. He’s going to end up being the No. 1 paid non-quarterback in the league. We’re there. Let’s get it done.’

Higgins could receive as much as $30 million per year as part of his contract negotiations, other reports have stated. Chase and Higgins would be the top-paid wide receiver duo in the league if the Bengals pay them a combined $70 million per year.

In four seasons with Cincinnati, Chase has recorded 395 catches for 5,425 yards and 46 touchdowns. In 2024, he won the receiving triple crown by leading the league in catches (127), receiving yards (1,708) and receiving touchdowns (17).

Higgins has played five seasons with the Bengals and tallied 330 catches for 4,595 receiving yards and 34 touchdowns in his career so far. Last year, the wideout missed five games due to various lower-body injuries but still managed to put up 911 yards and 10 touchdowns on 73 receptions.

According to Overthecap.com, the Bengals have $26.9 million in available cap space for the 2025 league year.

Cincinnati is coming off a 9-8 season in which it narrowly missed the playoffs. It currently holds the No. 17 overall pick in the 2025 NFL draft.