Teams who are looking to sustain drives may be in need of a Carr.

Former NFL quarterback Derek Carr is mulling a return, according to reports. NFL Media says that Carr could unretire for the ‘right situation and coaching staff.’

Carr, 34, retired in the lead up to the 2025 season as he nursed and rehabbed from shoulder surgery. Weeks earlier, the Saints would draft Tyler Shough in the second round of the 2025 NFL Draft, putting into question the future of the Carr era in New Orleans. As it turns out, it didn’t last much longer.

Now, the veteran passer may consider a return to the field, and if nothing else, teams may view him as an intriguing bridge option or a stop-gap veteran who could provide a modicum of stability for otherwise unbalanced QB rooms.

If Carr is serious about a return, where could he land? Here are a few spots that make sense for the veteran quarterback’s services;

Derek Carr landing spots

New York Jets

The Jets and Carr flirted during the 2023 offseason, with the quarterback reportedly wined-and-dined by Jets brass. Could the Jets make the call to consider Carr again?

New York finds itself in quarterback purgatory entering the offseason. With only Fernando Mendoza labeled as a slam-dunk first-round NFL draft prospect, the No. 2 pick isn’t going to do New York any favors in the QB hunt. A Day 2 or 3 pick seems more likely, but also is much less of a sure thing.

If New York is looking for some level of stability or a bridge passer entering the 2026 season, Carr would make a lot of sense. The Jets own multiple first-round picks in the 2027 NFL Draft, meaning they could target their passer of the future next draft cycle.

If head Aaron Glenn wants a passer that could provide a competent floor offensively with intriguing weapons and an ascending offensive line, then maybe Carr is the guy for the job.

Pittsburgh Steelers

With Mike McCarthy landing in Pittsburgh, a rumored reunion between him and former Green Bay Packer quarterback Aaron Rodgers has been floated.

If Rodgers decides to call it a career, though, Carr could be another option while the Steelers look for their elusive long-term successor to Ben Roethlisberger.

McCarthy has plenty of regular-season success and a Super Bowl ring to show for it. Now with the Steelers, it’ll be on the veteran coach to find the answer at quarterback. For now, in a division that’s in flux with the departures of John Harbaugh, Kevin Stefanski and the entrance of Todd Monken, Carr might be a shot in the arm for an offense that was among the league’s most middling in 2026.

Las Vegas Raiders

Could a return to the Raiders make sense for both sides?

Some of that depends on what Carr would want coming out of retirement. Does he want an opportunity to start and stick as a team’s QB1 for the long-term? Or would he be willing to enter a QB competition just to get a taste of the game again?

With Indiana’s Fernando Mendoza the presumptive No. 1 overall selection come April, it may benefit all involved with the Raiders to ease along the passer and not throw him into the fire, especially after a season of turmoil along Las Vegas’ offensive line, the worst in the NFL.

That doesn’t sound like an overly desirable situation for any veteran passer, but there may be a hook for Carr: the passer’s one-time offensive coordinator in New Orleans, Klint Kubiak, is reportedly tabbed to be the next head coach in Vegas. That could make for the right coaching staff, but the situation may be TBD.

Miami Dolphins

Could Derek Carr take his talents to South Beach?

There’s the looming question of Tua Tagovailoa, his contract and how he’ll fit in new head coach’s Jeff Hafley’s vision for the Dolphins. Miami would have to find a way to move on from Tagovailoa – something that he would welcome – or reassign his role on the team, something that might not sit well with the veteran passer.

That said, the Dolphins have endured a few seasons of organizational strife at passer and Carr, as mentioned, would give a floor of competent quarterback play. Is the situation ‘right?’ In a loaded AFC East that features the AFC champion New England Patriots and the perennial contender Buffalo Bills, maybe not. But options across the league are fleeting, and Carr may not have many of those if he is serious about an NFL comeback.

Lindsey Vonn knew the risks of skiing in the Olympic downhill on a ruptured ACL in her knee. Yet she also knew this was likely her last chance, at age 41, to chase gold.

Her decision would be polarizing, regardless of the outcome.

Vonn’s quest ending in a high-speed crash was always a possibility. But seeing it happen to the world’s No. 1-ranked downhiller less than 15 seconds into her run at the 2026 Milano Cortina Winter Games was still stunning to watch.

The intial reaction from fans around the world was one of concern. Vonn remained down on the course surrounded by medical personnel for roughly 15 minutes before being airlifted of the mountain in Cortina by helicopter.

Vonn’s Alpine skiing teammate Mikaela Shiffrin and 1984 Olympic figure skating champion Scott Hamilton were among the first to offer their thoughts and prayers.

With the crash occurring early in the morning, U.S. time, many of the first to weigh in on social media were, predictably, journalists.

Once the shock had worn off, the question of whether or not she should have even attempted to compete in these Games was sure to be second-guessed.

And after all the knee-jerk initial takes had poured in, the real irony of the crash began to come into focus.

Vonn’s dream of a fourth Olympic medal was derailed not by her barely intact knee, but by her arm just clipping a gate on the course − an extremely rare occurrence that could have happened whether she was injured or not.

SAN JOSE, CA – By nearly any metric, the Seattle Seahawks were a success in 2024, head coach Mike Macdonald’s rookie season. They finished 10-7 – better than any of previous coach Pete Carroll’s final three years in the Pacific Northwest – and fell just a tiebreaker shy of winning the NFC West and qualifying for the playoffs.

Yet it didn’t necessarily feel like success to Macdonald, something Pro Bowl defensive lineman Leonard Williams noticed during the offseason.

“To me, as a leader, I think he showed vulnerability,” Williams told USA TODAY Sports while reflecting on Macdonald’s message to the team last spring.

“He was super open and brutally honest about where he felt like he lagged and where he felt like he needed to grow. And I think to see the head man like that, be so vulnerable, it allowed all of us to (see) we all have room to grow. And I think he created an environment where like you can really give each other advice and talk to each other without anyone taking it personally.”

And grow the Seahawks did, no longer a team that couldn’t quite overtake the Los Angeles Rams and their genius of a coach, Sean McVay, but one that finished 14-3 in the regular season – beating LA twice over the last two months on the way to the divisional crown and then a berth in Super Bowl 60 against the New England Patriots.

“Sean McVay’s one of the greatest offensive minds, and Mike Macdonald’s the greatest defensive mind in my book,” Seattle linebacker Ernest Jones IV, who’s played for both men, told USA TODAY Sports.

“And the way they’re just intentional to the details, they’re able to adjust at any moment – I think that’s what separates them. And they’re not stuck in their ways where if something else is working (better), they’ll adjust.”

Yet Macdonald’s Seahawks were able to separate from McVay’s Rams this season, thanks to a thrilling 38-37 overtime win in Week 16, followed shortly thereafter by a 31-27 triumph in the NFC championship game.

Certainly Seattle was vastly improved by the free agent signing of quarterback Sam Darnold. The team also employed the complementary football approach Macdonald craved, reliant on a dominant defense plus a balanced offense that could control the clock with an efficient passer and strong run game.

That, plus added experience in his role, allowed Macdonald to truly flourish.

“His confidence has really grown over this last year. First time being a head coach, so he didn’t know what to expect,” linebacker Uchenna Nwosu told USA TODAY Sports while referencing 2024.

“Over the year, his confidence grew, his trust in us grew, and we started all playing better. And once we were playing better, it makes it a lot easier for him to do this thing, get in his bag and call his plays.”

Yet the starting point of the Seahawks’ arc begins with the organizational decision to hire a rising defensive-minded coach like Macdonald in a division that had been dominated by offensive masterminds McVay and Kyle Shanahan of the San Francisco 49ers. And Macdonald and Co. quickly caught up, going 22-5 (including postseason) since Seattle’s Week 10 bye in 2024.

“Mike Macdonald over in the NFC West? Where it’s McVay and Shanahan? OK, we’re not gonna find another guy like that – let’s find a defensive genius who can combat it. And then the leap we saw from Year 1?” marveled NBC analyst and former NFL quarterback Chris Simms to USA TODAY Sports.

“The defense grew schematically. … All of that’s special.”

Indeed.

After finishing 11th in scoring defense in 2024, the Seahawks allowed the fewest points in the league in 2025. Their 230-point differential (playoffs included) is the fourth best this century among teams entering the Super Bowl. And Macdonald’s defense created havoc, mostly generated by its stunting front four – finishing with 180 pressures, third in the league, despite being 26th in blitz rate (not quite 20% of the time).

“This defense attacks, they simply attack,” analyst Cris Collinsworth, who will call Super Bowl 60 for NBC, told USA TODAY Sports. “The overriding theme for this team is to attack.

“It’s an exciting defense to watch. Is it the Legion of Boom? No, it’s completely different. But it’s exciting to watch.”

Yet Macdonald feels the most important change from Year 1 to Year 2 was a philosophical shift.

“You’re not waking up in the morning trying to be a players’ coach or not be a players’ coach, or ‘I want to be this type of coach,’” he told USA TODAY Sports. “Where do we want to go?”

And the answer was he wanted his team to feel more “connected,” part of the reason he laid bare his shortcomings in those offseason meetings.

“I just felt like that’s what we needed to get to,” he continued. “Tried to make all the decisions to try to create that as the core identity of our team.”

Macdonald’s boss noticed.

“He’s so intelligent. Everything he does, there’s an intent to it. He’s a real clear thinker,” Seahawks general manager John Schneider said Monday on NFL Network. “It’s really been a cool fit.

“He’s a very authentic person, and I love that about him.”

And, in addition to the players and Schneider, Macdonald’s staff noticed, too – the entire organization now just four quarters away from winning its second Lombardi Trophy.

“It’s a million things – it’s like which grain of sand makes the sandcastle?” Seahawks special teams coordinator Jay Harbaugh told USA TODAY Sports regarding the adjustments Macdonald made before this season.

“It isn’t really one thing. In my opinion, for a leader, the first real responsibility is to model the desired behavior of the group. That’s where a lot of people go wrong, especially in high-stakes, high-pressure environments, where people see through b.s. really fast. Mike’s really modeled the behavior that he wants from the team. So we just do what he does.”

Harbaugh also said the accountability and vulnerability Macdonald value has “trickled down” to the players and staff.

“It gives you permission to (acknowledge) you’re not perfect, you don’t need to pretend to be perfect,” said Harbaugh. “He’s already shown that’s an acceptable thing. I think there’s a cumulative effect of that, really just minimizing egos and increasing the collective vulnerability and accountability to just being the best that it can and not needing to protect your image or cover your tracks, that kind of thing – which you can get sometimes on bad teams.

“There’s a lot of things under that umbrella, the way he acts. That’s the leader you want to follow and do things like him and look where we are – it’s working out pretty well.”

Just ask McVay.

As most people expected, Pittsburgh Penguins’ Sidney Crosby has been named captain of Team Canada’s 2026 Winter Olympics team.

Edmonton Oilers’ Connor McDavid and Colorado Avalanche’s Cale Makar will serve as the alternate captains. This is the same leadership trio the Canadians ran at the 2025 4 Nations Face-Off, where they won gold after defeating the USA in the finals. 

Crosby finished that event with a goal and five points in four games, proving he still has what it takes to dominate a best-on-best tournament.

Crosby has worn the ‘C’ for Canada in every event he’s played in since the 2014 Olympics. 

In that time frame, he’s led Canada to an Olympic gold medal, a World Cup of Hockey gold medal and a World Championship gold medal in addition to the 4 Nations Face-Off. In total, Crosby has won four gold medals in five events as captain of Canada. 

His most recent time captaining Canada was at the 2025 World Championships, where Team Denmark shockingly defeated Canada in the quarter finals.

The 2026 Olympics will be Crosby’s third tournament, winning gold in his previous two attempts. In 2010, Crosby served as an alternate captain, scoring four goals and seven points in seven games, scoring the iconic golden goal against Team USA. In 2014, Crosby scored just one goal and three points in six games, but his lone goal came in the finals against Sweden.

Crosby is one of the most decorated hockey players at the NHL level and has become one of, if not Canada’s most decorated international players on the men’s side. His on-ice dominance and stout leadership have become a staple of Canada’s success ever since he first donned the Canadian jersey. 

McDavid and Makar are partaking in their first Olympic Games. McDavid has captained Team Canada previously, leading the team at the 2018 World Championship, where he scored five goals and 17 points in 10 games.

Makar has never worn the ‘C’ for Canada, and it was his first time wearing a letter at the 4 Nations Face-Off. It was also Makar’s first bit of international experience at the senior level. 

Canada begins its quest for a gold medal on Feb. 12, when they takes on Czechia. 

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It hasn’t been a smooth journey to Olympic gold for 2026 Olympic women’s downhill champion Breezy Johnson.

The American star edged Emma Aicher of Germany by a razor-thin margin of 0.04 seconds on Sunday, Feb. 8, just a little over a year after returning from 14-month suspension by the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency.

Johnson − who finished seventh in the downhill in the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Games, but didn’t qualify for the 2022 Olympics in Beijing − was banned from competition starting on Oct. 10, 2023, for three separate violations of drug testing protocol over a 12-month period.

USADA policy requires an athlete to inform anti-doping authorities where they will be for at least one hour every day for unannounced out-of-competition testing. The punishment for violations can range from one to two years.

Johnson’s suspension was announced on May 13, 2024, with all of her competition results and prize money forfeited dating back to the previous October when her third violation occurred.

She missed all of the 2024 World Cup season, returning last year to take gold in the downhill at the World Championships − making her one of the favorites heading to Cortina.

Atlanta Falcons rookie defensive end James Pearce Jr. was arrested Feb. 7 in Doral, Florida, after police say he crashed his vehicle during a police pursuit while fleeing a domestic dispute.

Doral Police Chief Edwin Lopez told WPLG Local 10 News that Pearce, 22, was involved in a dispute at the Doral police headquarters when Pearce fled the scene and later crashed a vehicle he was driving before he was arrested.

Court records show that Pearce was jailed Feb. 7 on suspicion of two counts of aggravated battery with a deadly weapon, aggravated stalking, fleeing/eluding police officers, aggravated battery of a law enforcement officer and resisting an officer without violence to his person. Bond had not been set on three of the charges, according to Miami-Dade County Corrections and Rehabilitation.

According to NFL Network reporter Mike Garafolo, the Falcons released the following statement Feb. 7:

“We are aware of an incident involving James Pearce Jr., in Miami. We are in the process of gathering more information and will not have any further comment on an open legal matter at this time.”

Pearce was runner-up to the Cleveland Browns’ Carson Schwesinger for NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year after compiling 10.5 sacks and a forced fumble for the 8-9 Falcons. Pearce attended the University of Tennessee prior to being selected 26th overall by the Falcons in the 2025 NFL Draft.