The quarterback market got a little bit more intriguing heading into NFL free agency.

The Atlanta Falcons are set to release quarterback Kirk Cousins on the first day of the new league year (Wednesday, March 11), Atlanta GM Ian Cunningham said on Feb. 24. Cousins’ impending release will add a splash of veteran to the pool this offseason, a move that should make some ears perk up around the league.

Cousins’ market isn’t expected to be quite as robust given he’s entering the twilight of his career, though he had a presentable 2025 season filling in for an injured Michael Penix (1,721 passing yards, 10 touchdowns to 5 interceptions). That could mean that a team which is looking for a guiding veteran hand or a stopgap passer could view Cousins, 37, as an intriguing option as he enters, presumably, the last few seasons of his NFL career.

Here are a few teams who could consider Cousins’ services entering 2026 NFL free agency:

New York Jets

This one seems most obvious. The Jets will look under every rock, exhaust every option, search every nook and cranny and use every idiom and cliche they can to try and find quarterback help this offseason. Coming off a year where the Justin Fields gamble went big-time bust, New York needs nothing but stability at the position entering 2026.

Cousins won’t be the long-term answer in New York, but there are worse options to be had on the open market. The Jets and Cousins famously flirted during his free agency in 2018, but that resulted in Cousins signing with the Minnesota Vikings and the Jets drafting Sam Darnold a few months later.

Plus, Cousins immediately has the inside track to starting in 2026, giving him a good, last shot as an NFL starter without any true competition – barring some kind of shocking draft move for the Jets.

Minnesota Vikings

Could the Vikings keep it all in the family with Cousins?

Already there are question marks surrounding quarterback J.J. McCarthy, both in productivity and health. It couldn’t hurt to bring in Cousins or a veteran-type to accomplish several missions: compete, mentor and provide a viable backup passer in case of injury. Cousins could check all three of those boxes as a veteran passer with an opportunity to see the field again if McCarthy isn’t cutting it.

Cousins enjoyed some of the best football of his career with Kevin O’Connell before an Achilles tear ended his tenure in Minnesota prematurely (47 touchdowns over 25 games while with O’Connell). The familiarity would certainly help in a season where Minnesota should be gunning for a playoff spot in a crowded NFC.

Las Vegas Raiders

The Raiders are almost assuredly going to take Fernando Mendoza with the No. 1 overall selection. That doesn’t mean that sitting him for a bit isn’t in the best interest of the team.

With the Raiders moving on from Geno Smith in the coming weeks, that may signal that they’re looking to hand the keys to Mendoza, assuming he’s the pick. But a veteran in the room with a young quarterback should be part of Vegas’ plan.

New Raiders head coach Klint Kubiak and Cousins worked together in Minnesota, as Kubiak operated as the team’s quarterbacks coach and offensive coordinator between 2019 and 2021. There would probably be few better to take the reins and be a voice in the quarterback room to a young, potential franchise passer than Cousins, who seemingly worked very well alongside Michael Penix in Atlanta.

Miami Dolphins

The Dolphins have to navigate choppy waters in the first offseason of the Jeff Hafley and Jon-Eric Sullivan era, largely at the quarterback position.

Tua Tagovailoa is still on the books, and it seems like both sides would be open for a fresh start that isn’t in South Beach. There are several hurdles in order to get to that point, largely Tagovailoa’s contract and another team’s willingness to take a gamble on his health and a change of scenery helping his case.

The new Miami braintrust may look to bring in free agent passer Malik Willis, but if that price tag is too great for the Dolphins, then maybe they look elsewhere for a bridge to their QB of the future. If the Dolphins manage to get through the Tagovailoa wall, maybe Cousins is a viable stopgap on a cheap deal as they figure out their QB situation moving forward.

House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-Louisiana, said he received a phone call from President Donald Trump on Sunday night, once the U.S. men’s hockey team had won its thrilling gold-medal game against Canada at the 2026 Winter Olympics.

Trump had invited the entire team to attend his State of the Union address while congratulating the players and coaches in the midst of their locker room celebration. But he still needed Johnson to make room for them.

‘Mike, we got to make some changes. We need some more guests,’ Johnson recounted on Tuesday, Feb. 24 regarding the conversation. When Johnson asked how many additional people might be attending the State of the Union, noting how cramped seating already is at the event, Trump told him, ‘I think the whole team.’

‘We’re going to work out logistics,’ Johnson told reporters, hours before Trump was set to speak in front of Congress, ‘and somehow, some way we’ll squeeze in the hockey players tonight, and it’ll be a great moment for America.’

Here’s more on the U.S. men’s hockey team’s appearance at President Trump’s State of the Union address on Tuesday:

Will the USA men’s hockey team be at the State of the Union?

A large contingent of the gold-medal-winning team appears to be on its way to Washington, D.C., for the State of the Union after initially flying from Milan to Miami following the conclusion of the 2026 Winter Olympics on Sunday. Local 10 News in South Florida captured video of members of the U.S. men’s hockey team boarding an Air Force 757 and taking off from Miami International Airport on Tuesday. The network reported the plane was headed for D.C.

Team USA and Florida Panthers star Matthew Tkachuk also posted a photo to his Instagram account outside the plane, and it featured what appeared to be more than a dozen U.S. team members wearing their Olympic gold medals and holding up American flags.

Quinn Hughes, during an appearance on ABC’s ‘Good Morning America’ with brother Jack Hughes, confirmed they would be among those in attendance at the Capital Tuesday night for Trump’s State of the Union address.

‘I don’t know how much I’m allowed to say, but yes … we’re excited to go,’ Quinn Hughes said. ‘It’s something you don’t get to do … every Tuesday, but it’s going to be special for us.’

Detroit Red Wings center Dylan Larkin, during an appearance on FOX News Channel’s ‘FOX & Friends’ Tuesday morning, also indicated he would be in Washington, D.C. when asked about the State of the Union. He called the chance to come to the White House on Tuesday night after winning the gold medal, ‘the cool experience of a lifetime,’ according to a transcript provided by FOX News.

Larkin then posted a photo of Team USA goalie Connor Hellebuyck holding up a ‘Secretary of Defense’ sign on the plane.

Celebrate USA hockey with new book

It’s unclear how many members of the U.S. men’s hockey team will be at the State of the Union address. But not everybody is able to attend, despite Trump’s comments to Johnson, because of the resumption of the NHL’s schedule beginning Wednesday, Feb. 25.

‘Some uncertainty around when Team USA players will rejoin their NHL clubs,’ TSN insider Darren Dreger reported on Feb. 23, via social media. ‘… A challenge for all NHL clubs with US players.’

The Denver Post reported Colorado Avalanche center Brock Nelson didn’t go on the White House trip in order to be with his family before the team plays in Utah on Thursday. Team USA forward Kyle Connor was also back on the ice with the Winnipeg Jets for Tuesday’s skate, according to The Athletic. Jake Guentzel of the Tampa Bay Lightning is also in Tampa despite not being on the ice for the Lightning’s practice on Tuesday, the Tampa Bay Times reported.

Did Trump invite the USA women’s hockey team?

Yes, but the gold medal-winning United States women’s hockey team declined an offer by the White House to attend Tuesday’s State of the Union address. The team cited ‘timing and previously scheduled academic and professional commitments’ as the reason.

When Trump called the U.S. men’s hockey team after its gold medal win and offered a military plane for the State of the Union and a White House visit, he also said, ‘I must tell you, we’re going to have to bring the women’s team, you do know that?’

‘We’re extremely happy for them,’ Quinn Hughes said Tuesday about the women’s hockey team, and then referenced the reaction to Trump’s locker room remarks. ‘Obviously a lot going on right now on social media surrounding our team and their team, but in the last couple summers, we did a lot of training with them and I actually know a lot of those girls really well. We’re extremely happy to come.’

The most memorable smile at tonight’s State of the Union address will likely belong to U.S. hockey hero Jack Hughes.

The New Jersey Devils center, whose overtime goal secured a gold medal for Team USA over Canada at the Milano Cortina Olympics, is expected to be among the American players attending the prime-time speech at the invitation of President Trump.

Still missing pieces of his two front teeth after taking a high stick to the mouth before netting his game-winner in overtime, Hughes’ jagged smile as he celebrated on the ice (and afterward) is one of the iconic images from the 2026 Winter Games.

Celebrate USA hockey glory with commemorative front pages

How did Jack Hughes lose his tooth?

Hughes took a high stick to the mouth from Canada’s Sam Bennett in the third period of Sunday’s gold medal game in Milan. The hit drew blood and knocked out parts of two front teeth as Hughes went down on the ice before play was stopped.

Hughes returned to the game and less than three minutes later was called for a high-sticking penalty of his own. However, neither team could score on their resulting power plays and the game went to overtime.

Less than two minutes into the extra period, Hughes took a perfect pass from Zach Werenski to beat Canadian goaltender Jordan Binnington for the game-winning and gold medal-clinching goal.

When will Jack Hughes get his tooth replaced?

Hughes has not offered a timetable for fixing his teeth, but he did confirm that he intends to indeed get them fixed.

‘I’m gonna fix these things, Hughes said to NBC 5 Chicago. ‘I want my good smile back.’

Jack Hughes golden goal vs. Canada

In a thrilling, intense, superbly played championship game, Jack Hughes’ goal lifted the United States to a 2-1 overtime victory over Canada and to the gold medal in men’s ice hockey at the 2026 Milano Cortina Olympic Games.

Skating 3-on-3, Hughes collected the puck in the Canadian end and scored the golden goal one minute, 41 seconds into the extra period.

How old is Jack Hughes?

Jack Hughes was born in Orlando, Florida on May 14, 2001 and is 24 years old.

Jack Hughes stats

Jack Hughes was among the top goal scorers at the 2026 Winter Olympics. His four goals tied him with Nick Olesen (Denmark), Tim Stutzle (Germany), Sebastian Aho (Finland), Nathan MacKinnon (Canada) and Juraj Slafkovsky (Slovakia). Macklin Celebrini (Canada) scored five at the Milano Cortina Games.

Hughes has played 36 games in his seventh season for the New Jersey Devils, amassing 36 points across 12 goals and 24 assists.

The NCAA went 2-1 in high-profile eligibility cases, following win versus Joey Aguilar. That’s a series victory for the guardrails crowd.
Trinidad Chambliss scored lone victory, while NCAA prevailed against Aguilar, Charles Bediako.
Coaches and administrators say they want rules and guardrails. Apparently, the folks at NCAA HQ took them seriously.

They asked for this, don’t forget. Downright begged for it, even.

University leaders, conference commissioners, coaches, all of them. They wanted — no, they craved — guardrails.

Got to have those guardrails. Can’t behave themselves without guardrails.

Apparently, the folks at NCAA HQ were listening. They’ve heeded the call to action with a feverish push to enforce the association’s membership-approved eligibility rules that impede eighth-year senior quarterbacks and prohibit ex-college basketball players from returning to college hoops after three years in the NBA G League.

A strange thing is happening, too. Rules are enjoying a renaissance. The NCAA is winning in court. Now, that’s what I call an upset!

In recent weeks, the NCAA prevailed in two of three court decisions in high-profile eligibility cases.

Mississippi quarterback Trinidad Chambliss scored the lone win against the NCAA, when a judge determined the NCAA improperly denied Chambliss a medical redshirt for one of his years at Division II Ferris State. This court ruling will allow Chambliss a sixth season.

The NCAA, though, prevailed in eligibility cases brought by Tennessee’s forever-a-student Joey Aguilar and pro basketball player (turned Alabama basketball player) Charles Bediako.

For those scoring at home, the 2-1 score counts as a hard-fought best-of-three series victory for the NCAA. Reports of the NCAA’s imminent demise were premature.

If the universities and coaches affected by the decisions don’t like it, well, just remember, y’all asked for this. You wanted rules. Here they are, your precious guardrails!

No crying when the rules work against you.

NCAA scores upset road win in case brought by Tennessee’s Joey Aguilar

The NCAA won these rulings as a road underdog, too.

A Knoxville, Tennessee, judge who calls UT his alma mater ruled in favor of the NCAA and against Aguilar last week. The judge denied Aguilar’s quest for a fourth season of FBS eligibility after he previously spent four years in junior college.

NCAA rules — remember those old things? — say an athlete has five years to play four seasons, no matter whether he spends some of his time in JUCO.

Being a college quarterback in perpetuity is good work if you can get it, so I don’t blame Aguilar for shooting his shot in court. Another season would’ve generated millions for him in NIL payout.

Just one problem: NCAA rules inhibit Aguilar’s desires to never leave college sports, and the guardrails held up, in this case.

Hometown judge Chris Heagerty might have cost his alma mater a win or two this season when he ruled against Aguilar, a big win for guardrails and a triumph for Johnny Law against Joey Quarterback within the Wild, Wild West of college sports.

The NCAA celebrated the judge’s ruling as if it scored an upset against a ranked opponent.

‘We will continue to defend the NCAA’s eligibility rules,’ the NCAA announced in a triumphant statement.

To support his ruling, the judge used language people with a juris doctorate would understand. Here’s the upshot, in layman’s terms: Aguilar already played five college seasons. He spent two additional years on JUCO rosters as redshirt and COVID years. NCAA eligibility rules being what they are, it’s finally time for him to go pro in something other than college sports.

This wasn’t just a victory for the NCAA and the gotta-have-some-rules crowd. It’s also a win for George MacIntyre, a redshirt freshman who now moves to the head of the line in Tennessee’s quarterback competition.

Charles Bediako renews dream to be an ex-pro basketball player

While Aguilar turns his attention to the NFL combine, Bediako refuses to take the “L.” He’s appealing to the Alabama Supreme Court in his quest to play college basketball, three years after he decided he wanted to be a pro basketball player instead of staying in college.

As Bediako toiled in the G League, he saw the light that the bliss of college combined with NIL riches yields the good life.

Nate Oats has thrown his steadfast support behind Bediako, because guardrails are great in theory, but here in reality a win-at-all-costs coach needs a big man with pro experience to fuel his team’s March Madness run.

“The system’s clearly broken,” Oats said in support of Bediako’s college comeback, “and I’m all for figuring out a way to fix it.”

That loosely translates to: The system is imperfect, and I’ll do whatever I can to take advantage and worm my way through the system’s cracks.

And, hey, that’s the job.

Too bad for Alabama, the NCAA took its membership seriously when coaches and administrators hollered en masse they wanted guardrails and rules enforcement.

Don’t mistake these courtroom wins as the NCAA becoming a judicial system juggernaut or a sweeping roadblock to future lawsuits. Sure as lawyers make their living off billable hours, the NCAA’s rules and its attempts to enforce them will be challenged in court.

For a moment, though, the beleaguered NCAA can celebrate a couple of wins. A few guardrails still stand within the O.K. Corral of college sports. That’s what everyone said they wanted, right?

Blake Toppmeyer is the USA TODAY Network’s senior national college football columnist. Email him at BToppmeyer@gannett.com and follow him on X @btoppmeyer.

Olympian Quinn Hughes addressed receiving an invitation from President Donald Trump to attend the State of the Union and supporting the women’s hockey team following several days of backlash.

‘I don’t know how much we’re allowed to say, but yes. Yeah, we’re excited to go. It’s something you don’t get to do … every Tuesday,’ Hughes told Good Morning America about accepting the invite. ‘It’s going to be special for us.’

Hughes revelation comes on the heels of President Trump calling the men’s U.S. hockey team to congratulate the players on their gold medal win over Canada at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Italy. During the locker room call, President Trump invited the players to the State of the Union address and said they could tour the White House. He offered to transport the team on a military plane.

The President also mentioned the U.S. women’s hockey team, which won gold during the Olympics. ‘I must tell you, we’re going to have to bring the woman’s team. You do know that?’ President Trump said. The President’s comment elicited immediate laughter. ‘I do believe I probably would be impeached,’ the President added moments later.

The now viral video generated varying reactions and backlash, including the women’s team declining the invitation and rapper Flavor Flav extending an invite to the women’s team for an alternative celebration. Hughes seemed to address the chatter during his Good Morning America appearance.

‘I’m glad you mentioned the women’s team again. You know, we’re really happy for them,’ Hughes said. ‘Obviously, a lot going on social media right now surrounding our team and their team, but in the last couple of summers, we’ve done a lot of training with them and got to know a lot of those girls really well.’

Hughes wasn’t the only U.S. men’s hockey player to comment on the reactions to the President’s call. His brother, Jack, who also plays for Team USA, shared his thoughts.

‘People are so negative out there, and they are just trying to find a reason to put people down and make something out of almost nothing,’ Jack Hughes said. ‘People are so negative about things. I think everyone in that locker room knows how much we support them, how proud we are of them, and we know the same way we feel about them, they feel about us.’

The Hughes brothers’ mother, Ellen, a consultant for the U.S. women’s hockey team, added her thoughts to the conversation. ‘These players, both the men and women, can bring so much unity to a group and to a country,” Ellen Hughes said.

“People that cheered on that don’t watch hockey, people that have politics on one side or on the other side, and that’s all both the men’s team and the women’s team care about.’

The sixth edition of the World Baseball Classic takes place in March, with 20 countries vying to claim bragging rights in the sport’s premier international tournament.

The 20 countries were broken into four pools in different locations, with each team playing the other four in the group. Pool A will be played in San Juan, Puerto Rico; Pool B in Houston; Pool C in Tokyo and Pool D in Miami.

The top two teams from each group will advance to the quarterfinals, which will be held in Miami and Houston. The semifinals (March 15-16) and championship game (March 17) will also be played in Miami at LoanDepot Park, home of the Marlins. The tournament’s first games will be played in Tokyo on Thursday, March 5, with Team USA beginning its campaign on Saturday, March 6 against Brazil in Houston. Defending champion Japan’s first game is Friday, March 6 against Chinese Taipei.

Here’s a look at the 2026 World Baseball Classic pools and schedule

2026 World Baseball Classic schedule and pools

Pool A (San Juan, PR)

Puerto Rico
Panama
Cuba
Canada
Colombia

Pool A schedule

March 6: Cuba vs. Panama
March 6: Puerto Rico vs. Colombia
March 7: Colombia vs. Canada
March 7: Panama vs. Puerto Rico
March 8: Colombia vs. Cuba
March 9: Colombia vs. Panama
March 9: Cuba vs. Puerto Rico
March 10: Canada vs. Puerto Rico
March 11: Canada vs. Cuba

Pool B (Houston)

United States
Mexico
Italy
Great Britain
Brazil

Pool B schedule

March 6: Mexico vs. Great Britain
March 6: United States vs. Brazil
March 7: Brazil vs. Italy
March 7: Great Britain vs. United States
March 8: Great Britain vs. Italy
March 8: Brazil vs. Mexico
March 9: Brazil vs. Great Britain
March 9: Mexico vs. United States
March 10: Italy vs. United States
March 11: Italy vs. Mexico

Pool C (Tokyo)

Japan
South Korea
Australia
Czechia
Chinese Taipei

Pool C schedule

March 5: Chinese Taipei vs. Australia
March 5: Czechia vs. South Korea
March 6: Australia vs. Czechia
March 6: Japan vs. Chinese Taipei
March 7: Chinese Taipei vs. Czechia
March 7: South Korea vs. Japan
March 8: Chinese Taipei vs. South Korea
March 8: Australia vs. Japan
March 9: South Korea vs. Australia
March 10: Czechia vs. Japan

Pool D (Miami)

Venezuela
Netherlands
Dominican Republic
Israel
Nicaragua

Pool D schedule

March 6: Netherlands vs. Venezuela
March 6: Nicaragua vs. Dominican Republic
March 7: Nicaragua vs. Netherlands
March 7: Israel vs. Venezuela
March 8: Netherlands vs. Dominican Republic
March 8: Nicaragua vs. Israel
March 9: Dominican Republic vs. Israel
March 9: Venezuela vs. Nicaragua
March 10: Israel vs. Netherlands
March 11: Dominican Republic vs. Venezuela