GLENDALE, AZ — Wouldn’t you know it, as we reach peak crazy in the ever-evolving menagerie that is college football, the Miami Hurricanes decided to reintroduce old school nostalgia.  

Breathe deep, everyone, and soak in the brief respite from the nouveau riche transitory, cash is king aura of the game while Miami takes you on a wayback tour for the ages. 

One that almost died before it could reach a beautiful ending.

The dagger is the game-winning drive that ended with a 3-yard touchdown run from Carson Beck with 18 seconds remaining. The story of Miami’s 31-27 Fiesta Bowl College Football Playoff semifinal win over Ole Miss is so much more than that. 

It has been 24 years since Miami last won a national title, 23 since the phantom pass interference call against Ohio State that stole another. Now after more than two decades away from the national elite, Miami has finally returned.

Even if it almost blew it in the process.

‘It’s a reflection of our players and their DNA,’ said Miami coach Mario Cristobal, the former Canes offensive linemen who has spent four years rebuilding and reshaping a team that spent the majority of the 21st century in the college football hinterlands. ‘The tougher it gets, the better we play.’

This is what Cristobal wanted all along, anyway. Too many times over too many seasons in the 2000s, Miami underachieved or oversold, and underdelivered or just plain underwhelmed.

They weren’t tough enough. Didn’t know how to win games that mattered, games that define programs.

They wilted in the moment, and didn’t believe in each other. They weren’t physically or mentally tough enough.

They dodged a near catastrophe when the CFP selection committee nearly chose Notre Dame ― which Miami beat in the season opener and had the same record as the Irish ― and they’ve now won five consecutive games away from Miami.

How fitting that the final game in this journey, the last step of Miami returning to glory, will be the national championship game (against Indiana or Oregon) played at home in Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens.

‘We made a promise to each other that we’d get to this point,’ said Miami safety Jakobe Thomas. ‘It’s go time now, and we coming.’

So while former players with their championship rings of years past crowded the field and celebrated with each other, while former receiver Michael Irvin continued his postseason sideline party by storming around State Farm Stadium and screaming ‘Happy U Year!’, the heavy lifting of it all was in the moment.

Miami dominated nearly every facet of the game. The Canes were the better team, the tougher team. They also were the team that couldn’t get out of its own way with an interception at the Ole Miss 15, 10 penalties, missed scoring opportunities and strange play-calling that ignored a run game that got what it wanted, when it wanted.

So when the game-winning drive began with three minutes to play and Miami trailing 27-24, Beck stood on the sidelines with his teammates and told them, ‘this is what college football is all about.’ Canes offensive coordinator Shannon Dawson then leaned in and summed up the rare opportunity.

‘This (expletive) ain’t easy, but we’re built for it,’ Dawson told the offense. ‘Now go get it.’

A year ago at this time, Beck was recovering from ulnar surgery on his elbow and sitting at his home in Jacksonville. He wasn’t leaving for the NFL, and wasn’t returning to Georgia.

Across from him was Cristobal, with a plan and a vision to not only return Miami to the top of the mountain ― but to do it with Beck as his quarterback. A year later, it came down to Beck and the final drive of the Fiesta Bowl.

‘I looked at the guys and said, ‘These are the big moments,” Beck said. ‘Are we going to respond or not?’

This is how Cristobal envisioned the return of Miami. This is what he knew it could look like once the right players were recruited, the right coaches were hired and a never-fear, never-flinch culture was born and developed.

All of those Miami teams of the past that would’ve wilted in this moment, all of those teams that followed the greatest team in college football history in 2001 that couldn’t close out games, couldn’t make their mark. That includes the 2024 team, a group that could’ve reached the CFP but lost two of its last three games and finished playing in a meaningless bowl game.

As the confetti fell late Thursday night, as the realization of what had transpired and where it was headed had settled in, former Miami quarterback Cam Ward stood outside the stage on the field and smiled. They were so close in 2024, but the buildout wasn’t complete.

‘This team took what we built, and took it to another level,’ Ward said.

The Canes did it by going old school, by lining up and physically punishing Ole Miss on both sides of the ball. At this point, who cares if they nearly gave away the game, if it took a 75-yard drive to pull it off.

Miami is back among the national elite because Cristobal’s plan from Day 1 has worked. Even in the face of nearly blowing it all in the most important game of the season. 

You remember the good ol’ days, don’t you? When players weren’t paid (legally, anyway), universities hoarded the cash and free movement of players was from the starting lineup to the bench.

And when Miami, with the best players and coaches, did whatever it wanted in a two-decade run that rivaled anything the sport had ever seen. Until a guy named Saban came along. 

But this Miami team has plenty of Nick Saban in it, and more of what made Miami great — and led to five national titles from 1983-2001. Cristobal played at Miami under Jimmy Johnson and won a national title, and coached under Saban at Alabama and won another. 

He’s now returned Miami to the elite of the game, and on the verge of ending that national title drought. By taking the formula Johnson used and Saban perfected, and imposing its will on anything and anyone in its way.

A formula so perfected, it even perseveres through human error.

‘We let our play on the field answer any and all questions,’ Cristobal said.

All the way to the national championship game.

Carson Beck disappointed in his two seasons at Georgia, failing to reach the College Football Playoff in 2023 before suffering a season-ending injury last season in the SEC Championship game.

But it has all been worth it for the sixth-year senior and first-year Miami quarterback, as he led the Hurricanes to the national championship game with a game-winning drive to beat Ole Miss 31-27. It was a storybook ending to the Fiesta Bowl for Beck, who ran untouched for a 3-yard touchdown with 18 seconds left.

Now he’ll play his final collegiate game at Miami’s home stadium of Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida, against the winner of Indiana and Oregon.

‘It’s the best feeling I’ve ever had in my life,’ he said postgame on the ESPN broadcast. ‘I’m so proud of this team. We never flinched. I mean, in the face of adversity when we had to respond, we responded. We never gave up. I looked to the guys on the sideline, and you could just see it in their eyes.

‘We all had a good feeling that what happened was about to happen.’

Beck completed 23-of-37 passes for 268 yards with two touchdowns and an interception against the Rebels, also rushing for a score. He was 6-for-11 passing for 49 yards on the final drive, converting twice on third down.

Beck said he gathered his teammates before the final drive of the game to set the tone for the game-winning score.

‘I told them, ‘We got three minutes for the rest of our life,” he said on the broadcast. ‘No (expletive) else matters. … Nothing else matters, we got three minutes to go through this. I mean, everything we’ve worked for since January, everything we’ve been through, all the adversity that we’ve faced, all comes down to three minutes in the semifinals.’

Now, Beck has a chance to rewrite his narrative in the national championship game, looking to bring Miami its first title since 2001.

Alysa Liu will debut a revamped Lady Gaga free skate at the U.S. figure skating championships.
The new program features different songs and a new platinum, sparkly costume.
Her performance will help determine which program she uses for the 2026 Winter Olympics.

ST. LOUIS — With the 2026 Winter Olympics less than a month away, Alysa Liu will be using the U.S. figure skating championships to see what will be in her arsenal when she arrives in Milano Cortina.

For the free skate at the nationals on Friday, Jan. 9, the reigning world champion will be using her revamped Lady Gaga medley, bringing back a program figure skating fans have been eagerly awaiting to see.

‘It’s a totally new free skate, so I’m excited,’ Liu told reporters on Wednesday, Jan. 7.

It’s been a work in progress for several months for Liu, last performing it at the 2025 CS Lombardia Trophy in September. It wasn’t the strongest showing, so she and choreographer Massimo Scali decided it was ‘not right yet’ and needed to be re-worked. In the meantime, she went back to her ‘MacArthur Park Suite’ free skate.

Since then, there’s been wonder when the Lady Gaga free skate would come back. At Skate America in November, Liu said her team was still tinkering with the music and choreography, working on it ‘behind the scenes and in training.’

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Ahead of the U.S. figure skating championships, Liu said the program had been officially reworked and would be ready to go in St. Louis. 

There are some changes, notably in the song choices. ‘Bloody Mary’ is no longer in the mix, and instead Liu is using the songs ‘Chromatica’ and ‘Paparazzi,’ with ‘Bad Romance’ remaining as the closer.

There’s also a new costume. Instead of the fiery red dress, Liu is wearing a platinum, sparkly dress that looks inspired by Lady Gaga’s VMA performance in 2009, something she’s been excited to reveal.

‘I really like the dress, so I hope you guys like it too,’ Liu said.

Liu mentioned there won’t be a triple axel in the program, adding that’s mostly her fault because she didn’t realize how close the competition was and ‘it didn’t cross my mind’ to train for it. However, it could be included if she decides to keep it after the U.S. championships going into the Winter Olympics.

The performance will be a key moment for Liu as she has the two free skates in her inventory and could decide to go back to her old one for Milano Cortina, as it is widely expected she will be on the Olympic roster when it is announced on Sunday, Jan. 11. A solid performance could lead to keeping it with some tweaks, while issues could lead to ‘MacArthur Park Suite’ coming back.

Liu heads into the final performance of the nationals in second place after a stunning short program that landed her a season-best 81.11, a U.S. championship record. However, it was shortly broken when Amber Glenn’s program netted her an 83.05 score to jump ahead in first place. 

Liu’s free skate will take place roughly around 10:35 p.m. ET as she tries to win her first U.S. title since 2020 after finishing in second place – behind Glenn – last year.

The Miami Dolphins made a seismic decision Friday. The question now becomes: Will there be an even bigger aftershock?

The Fins are hiring Jon-Eric Sullivan, formerly the vice president of player personnel for the Green Bay Packers, as their new general manager, according to multiple reports. The move comes just a day after owner Stephen Ross fired head coach Mike McDaniel following his fourth season, Miami’s second straight without a playoff berth.

The Dolphins’ next move is obviously to find McDaniel’s successor. Sullivan’s arrival could be an indication that the next coach won’t be John Harbaugh, who was fired by the Baltimore Ravens earlier this week, ending his 18-year tenure. Miami had interviewed Los Angeles Chargers assistant GM Chad Alexander, who spent much of his 20 seasons in Baltimore working alongside Harbaugh, as a candidate for the job that went to Sullivan.

Per multiple reports, Ross did not fire McDaniel merely because of Harbaugh’s unexpected availability but instead independently decided the franchise needed a new direction.

Sullivan had been affiliated with the Packers since interning for them during training camp in 2003 − back when Brett Favre was the face of the franchise. Sullivan was in Green Bay with currently unemployed coach Mike McCarthy and was a scout when the Pack won their most recent Super Bowl at the conclusion of the 2010 season. Sullivan is also the son of longtime NFL assistant Jerry Sullivan, a Miami native who was the Dolphins’ wide receivers coach in 2004.

Jon-Eric Sullivan had been in his VP role with the Packers since 2022, promoted after years of scouting college players.

The Dolphins haven’t won a playoff game in 25 years, the longest such drought in the league. Miami has not won the AFC East title since the 2008 season. Among the numerous challenges Sullivan and the coach he hires face will include resetting the organizational culture; deciding the futures of quarterback Tua Tagovailoa and wideout Tyreek Hill, among others, with the team; getting the team’s bloated salary cap in shape; and reloading a roster that had become old, expensive and underachieving under McDaniel and former GM Chris Grier.

The Dolphins, who finished 7-10 this season, will pick 11th overall in April’s draft and also own two additional third-round choices courtesy of trades that were made last year.

The general manager of the NHL’s Ottawa Senators issued an explosive statement on Thursday, Jan. 8 to admonish ‘the lowest form of trolls and sick people who scour the internet’ in the wake of rumors spreading about the ongoing leave of absence by goaltender Linus Ullmark.

Steve Staios, who also serves as the Senators president of hockey operations, took the unusual step of addressing the social media speculation about an hour before faceoff of the Senators’ 8-2 loss to the Colorado Avalanche. He said Ullmark had the organization’s support and alleged ‘outside forces are attempting to disrupt our hockey club,’ but did not offer any other specifics about the situation.

Ullmark has not played for Ottawa since allowing four goals on 14 shots in a loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs on Dec. 27. The Swedish goalie has been away from the team for ‘personal reasons’ since then and the Senators moved him to a non-roster spot on Thursday to make room for the return of veteran center Lars Eller.

“Our organization was extremely disappointed to read the completely fabricated and false stories that are spreading around social media about our hockey club,” Staios said in the statement. “Linus is away from our team for personal reasons and he has the entire organization’s support. We asked that people respect his privacy, but clearly that request was not heard by the lowest forms of trolls and sick people who scour the internet. We are disgusted that outside forces are attempting to disrupt our hockey club. This statement will put an end to the ridiculous speculation that spread online.”

Ullmark is 14-8-5 with a 2.95 goals against average and an .881 save percentage in his second season with the Senators. The 32-year-old is in the first year of a four-year, $33 million extension he signed in October 2024.

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Three days clear of Black Monday, and the NFL’s coaching carousel continues to have plenty of steam.

Thursday morning, the Miami Dolphins fired Mike McDaniel − just three days after he seemed to express some confidence about his future with the organization. “My understanding is that I am the coach of the Miami Dolphins until I’m told otherwise,’ McDaniel said Monday, when he also expressed his belief he’d be involved in helping to identify Miami’s next general manager while also sharing his thoughts about the offense’s outlook for 2026, which would have been his fifth season.

What changed in South Florida? Most notably, perhaps, was the availability of former Baltimore Ravens coach John Harbaugh, fired himself Tuesday after 18 seasons and one Super Bowl win in Charm City and now likely to be as coveted as anyone in the upcoming hiring cycle.

McDaniel’s professional demise brings the number of NFL head coaching openings to eight. The Giants and Titans made changes during the season. The Falcons fired head man Raheem Morris (and GM Terry Fontenot) on Sunday night. Black Monday claimed two-time NFL Coach of the Year Kevin Stefanski, former Super Bowl-winning coach Pete Carroll and ex-Cardinals coach Jonathan Gannon.

And while more vacancies could yet develop in the coming days and maybe even weeks, let’s assess the eight* jobs that are presently open − ranked from most attractive to least. (*Subject to change.)

1. Baltimore Ravens

Quarterback situation

They don’t come much better than two-time league MVP Lamar Jackson, who’s as dynamic as anyone who’s ever played the position. Naturally, he has detractors − not yet able to win the Super Bowl and more pointed recent questions about his work ethic and relationship with Harbaugh. Jackson also tends to get banged up and misses a lot of practice time. Still, most teams would love to have such problems behind center.

However there’s a major financial issue facing Jackson and the team in the aftermath of what was a massively disappointing season for him personally and the team as a whole. Jackson carries a $74.5 million salary cap number in both 2026 and 2027, the final two years of his five-year, $260 million extension. Those are untenable figures for any team looking to maintain or improve a roster, suggesting some kind of renegotiation or new extension is needed − assuming Jackson remains in Baltimore, which seems a virtual given.

Backup Tyler Huntley is about to hit free agency. Cooper Rush, who was signed to be the primary backup a year ago but struggled when Jackson was out and eventually replaced by Huntley, is signed for the 2026 season but could be a cap casualty.

Roster

Heading into the 2025 season, the Ravens were widely viewed as a team with one of the best talent quotients in the league. Yet it’s fair to say that, while acknowledging its injuries, the team added up to much less than the sum of its parts over the course of an 8-9 campaign. Baltimore wound up with six players earning Pro Bowl honors in a season when Jackson and star RB Derrick Henry didn’t. Kyle Hamilton is arguably the game’s best safety, leading a talent-laden secondary. But there’s clearly work to be done on both lines.

Salary cap

GM Eric DeCosta is set to have about $28 million at his disposal this year, per Over The Cap, putting the team in the upper half of the league in terms of spending power. However Jackson’s contract muddies that outlook. Pro Bowl C Tyler Linderbaum, TE Isaiah Likely, Pro Bowl P Jordan Stout, S Alohi Gilman, LB Kyle Van Noy and Pro Bowl FB Patrick Ricard are among the pending free agents.

2026 NFL draft

Baltimore is scheduled to pick 14th in the first round this year, which would match the earliest spot it has selected in the past decade. Given the roster holes free agency is likely to create, DeCosta is likely to have a busy offseason.

Outlook

As currently constructed, the Ravens remain one of the league’s most formidable teams − yet probably one that needed a new voice and philosophy after Harbaugh held sway for nearly two decades. He maintained them as a near-perennial contender and won Super Bowl 47 but has been dogged in recent years by rampant tactical failures and repeated challenges holding onto fourth-quarter leads. The organization should have its pick from plenty of qualified candidates, but the main priority may be finding someone who will jibe with Jackson while getting the rest of the roster to play all the way up to its estimable potential.

2. New York Giants

Quarterback situation

Jaxson Dart’s rookie season was a mixed bag, his swagger a nice fit in the Big Apple even if his typically reckless on-field approach too often undermined his health and availability. After the Giants traded back into last year’s first round to obtain Dart, it will be incumbent on the next coach and his staff to rein in the young slinger enough to reasonably protect himself while also giving him sufficient leeway to leverage his multi-dimensional play-making ability and get this offense truly humming. Russell Wilson’s one-year stay is up, but Jameis Winston remains in 2026 as one of the league’s top backups.

Roster

The team’s enviable young core is damaged but not irreparably so. Incandescent WR Malik Nabers (ACL) and rookie RB Cam Skattebo (ankle) didn’t survive the 2025 season. OLB Abdul Carter, the third overall pick of last year’s draft, could wind up being the best player on the team – but he’s got plenty to work on in terms of his professionalism, on and off the field. Veteran OLB Brian Burns, DL Dexter Lawrence II and LT Andrew Thomas are all Pro Bowl-caliber players. The defense needs extensive work behind its front, and Thomas is the only player whose name should be written in pen on the O-line … when he’s healthy enough to play.

Salary cap

GM Joe Schoen, who’s running the coaching search and will retain his post despite coach Brian Daboll’s firing in November, is currently set to have about $11 million in cap space. It’s a figure that has the Giants middle of the pack league-wide, but the clubs above them have significantly more spending power – especially if they decide to target WR Wan’Dale Robinson, who’s coming off his first 1,000-yard season, or frontline Cor’Dale Flott, who are both headed for free agency.

2026 NFL draft

In contention for the No. 1 overall pick barely a week ago, the Giants will now select fifth in this year’s first round. They still owe the Houston Texans their third-rounder to consummate last year’s draft night deal to get Dart.

Outlook

Despite largely residing in the wilderness since they won Super Bowl 46 to cap the 2011 season, the Giants remain one of the league’s flagship franchises and a plum job – even if the organizational stability they boasted for years seems to have largely evaporated. Schoen has made questionable decisions during the draft and free agency but has also amassed an ample amount of talented players to win – and maybe fairly quickly if the right coach is able to translate potential into production.

3. Cleveland Browns

Quarterback situation

Insert shrug emoji? As much national interest as they generated in 2025, Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders − mostly Sanders − were a mixed bag as rookies. They have fairly distinct skill sets, yet both flashed their positive traits while also raising enough questions to suggest neither is likely to be instantly anointed QB1 in 2026 by Stefanski’s successor. Deshaun Watson is under contract for one more season – for a fully guaranteed $46 million – and returned to practice late in the season after undergoing multiple Achilles surgeries after originally being injured during the 2024 season. He could obviously rejoin the mix, yet also (still) seems like a problematic figure – in a football context and otherwise – as the next staff tries to get this club back to the playoffs. Going fishing for another option in the 2026 draft is certainly on the table.

Roster

It’s fair to call DE Myles Garrett legendary at this point, and he might legitimately be the best player in the NFL. He’s also one whose prime is being wasted and only a year removed from requesting a trade after expressing a belief he’d never win a Super Bowl in Cleveland – which tracks given no player ever has. Yet there’s a lot to like around Garrett, particularly a highly promising 2025 draft class that includes DT Mason Graham, LB Carson Schwesinger, TE Harold Fannin Jr., WR Isaiah Bond, RBs Quinshon Judkins and Dylan Sampson … and maybe one or both quarterbacks. WR Jerry Jeudy and CB Denzel Ward are generally among the league’s better players at their respective positions, though 2025 wasn’t a banner year for either. With Gs Wyatt Teller and Joel Bitonio out of contract, it’s high time to reconstruct the offensive line – particularly if GM Andrew Berry and the next coach target another young QB.

Salary cap

Currently, Berry will need to trim more than $12 million to simply be cap-compliant once free agency starts, and he and the team won’t get relief from ownership’s Watson gaffe for another year – whether or not he’s on the roster in 2026. TE David Njoku is the most high-profile pending free agent, but Fannin and the cap crunch likely make him expendable.

2026 NFL draft

The Browns own the sixth overall pick this year plus the first-rounder of the Jacksonville Jaguars, wherever that lands. Berry could put together a package to target a specific quarterback, but such a gambit could be quite expensive given what appears like a dearth of high-end prospects at the position this year. And continuing to load up on needed talent elsewhere wouldn’t be a bad fallback as Cleveland resets − while also potentially giving Sanders, Gabriel or someone else the opportunity to run with the reins a little longer.

Outlook

Dismissing Stefanski was a bold (and perhaps misguided) choice given what he’d accomplished despite the drawbacks of this job – especially after he and Berry got saddled with Watson and had to prematurely offload Baker Mayfield. Moving forward, quarterback remains the obvious issue holding back a team that will likely continue to look up at the rest of the AFC North until it’s solved. But, if it gets rectified by Berry and the next coach in short order, this team could emerge as a powerhouse in almost no time.

4. Tennessee Titans

Quarterback situation

Cam Ward, the No. 1 pick of the 2025 draft, was basically treated to a learning experience as a rookie. He was hamstrung by the lack of talent around him, to say nothing of the consequential chaos that firing coach Brian Callahan at midseason created. Ward made his fair share of mistakes, too, taking way too many sacks – which certainly isn’t to suggest all of the league-high 55 he absorbed were his fault – while also regularly reverting to his college habit of trying to extend plays that probably wouldn’t have good outcomes under most circumstances. But given the challenges he faced, it’s hard to give Ward a fair evaluation for 2025 – and, to his credit, he remained accountable and didn’t back away from the leadership chops that helped make him such a coveted prospect to begin with.

Will Levis, the 33rd overall pick of the 2023 draft, presents an interesting dilemma. This team obviously belongs to Ward, which would theoretically make Levis, who’s under contract for 2026, somewhat intriguing trade bait entering an offseason when quarterback-needy teams may not have a lot of alternatives. But he’s also coming off surgery to his throwing shoulder, which kept him on injured reserve for all of 2025. It might be worth trying to showcase Levis in the preseason in hopes of getting something in return for him.

Roster

Ward needs to be a foundational piece and should get at least another two years to prove as much. Otherwise, there’s not much to hang your hat on here aside from Pro Bowl DT Jeffery Simmons, whom the team refused to trade at last year’s deadline, and maybe OL Peter Skoronski. Much of the damage here was done via misguided forays into free agency by the front office that preceded first-year GM Mike Borgonzi.

Salary cap

Borgonzi is projected to have upwards of $105 million to spend in free agency this year, more fiscal resourcing than any other team has. However he’d probably be wise to be far more measured than his predecessors given this team seems at least a year away from being a year away. Borgonzi’s time in Kansas City would suggest he’ll spend intentionally in the short term while establishing a new culture as he focuses on drafting the players who will need to get the Titans off the mat.

2026 NFL draft

Tennessee’s 3-14 record once again tied for the league’s worst. But this year, the tiebreakers didn’t pan out in Borgonzi’s favor, the Titans slotted with the No. 4 pick. They’ll certainly get an excellent prospect, just no opportunity to leverage the value of a first or second overall selection.

Outlook

Borgonzi should have plenty of discretion to chart a path as he now gets to pick his own guy to run the team. But it will be interesting to see how things play out given the disconnect in the recent past between former coach Mike Vrabel, the front office and ownership. And there probably will be some pressure to try and microwave a winner here as the franchise plans to move into its new stadium in 2027 − preferably with a bang.

5. Las Vegas Raiders

Quarterback situation

It’s bad. Right now. The decision to trade for and extend Geno Smith last year smacked of an organization unwilling to embrace an obviously needed rebuild. Aidan O’Connell and Kenny Pickett seem like quality backups at best – and there’s probably not much reason for Pickett to re-sign here. All that aside, a team that holds the No. 1 pick of the 2026 draft seems almost certain to invest anew at the position, whether it’s for Heisman Trophy winner Fernando Mendoza or someone else.

Roster

It’s bad. Right now. Pro Bowl DE Maxx Crosby has long been a loyal warrior, but even he was disillusioned by the end of the 2025 campaign given how his injury situation was handled. Kolton Miller is a solid left tackle. He’s also 30 and missed 13 games this season. Recent first-rounders Brock Bowers and Ashton Jeanty should be cornerstones – but good luck finding a winner that was built around a tight end and running back, respectively … and the decision to select Jeanty sixth overall last year deserves even more scrutiny now than it did at the time.

Salary cap

It’s great. Right now. The Raiders also have upwards of $100 million in their free agency coffers. But whether it’s minority owner Tom Brady or GM John Spytek who earmarks those funds, they’d be wise to not throw more good money after bad at a talent deficit that obviously requires longer-term thinking and an infusion of young players from the draft.

2026 NFL draft

Vegas won’t pick atop every round but pretty close to it. The Raiders also picked up a fourth-rounder for dealing WR Jakobi Meyers, who was unabashedly eager to leave Sin City, at the trade deadline. The big question is whether they actually pull the trigger for a quarterback off the top … or try to flip the pick and address their numerous needs elsewhere before replacing Smith in earnest further down the road.

Outlook

This operation is nicely set up to rise from the ashes … provided it recognizes it’s covered in ashes and shouldn’t be pursuing coaches in their seventies. But it’s also worth monitoring how things proceed. It’s widely assumed Brady is calling a lot of the shots behind the scenes even as Spytek and Carroll were the ones front and center answering questions about the franchise’s direction and philosophy − and still hard to say what those are exactly after a categorically disastrous and wasted year.

6. Atlanta Falcons

Quarterback situation

Uh, yeah. What seemed like a powder keg two years ago when Fontenot signed Kirk Cousins to a massive free agent contract before taking oft-injured Michael Penix Jr. eighth overall in the 2024 draft – without revealing that strategy to Cousins from the jump – has indeed blown up in this franchise’s face. Penix hardly set the league on fire in his second season and is now dealing with his latest ACL injury, one that seems likely to keep him off the field at the start of next season. Meanwhile, Cousins now knows he’s a placeholder but may very well be needed in that role given the unknowns with Penix. However Cousins does only have $10 million guaranteed remaining on the final two years of his contract, which should theoretically make him far easier to trade or release if the next regime so chooses.

Roster

There are certainly some studs in house. RB Bijan Robinson, WR Drake London and G Chris Lindstrom all rank among the best players at their respective positions – Robinson seemingly on the cusp of being one of the league’s faces. Rookie pass rushers Jalon Walker and James Pearce Jr. and S Xavier Watts gave the defense a much-needed boost and should form its nucleus for years to come. The cupboard’s hardly bare beyond that, though much will depend on how the existing depth chart aligns with the preferences of the next decision makers.

Salary cap

Fontenot’s replacement will have to trim about $4 million off the books before free agency begins in March, a pretty easy lift. The issue is that Atlanta has little bandwidth to retain pending free agents like TE Kyle Pitts, OLB Arnold Ebiketie or RB Tyler Allgeier – a valuable sidekick who spares Robinson a lot of the harder miles. London is already somewhat overdue for a contract extension, and Robinson is newly eligible for one – and his price tag could get astronomical, relative to his position, the longer the team waits to reward him. Unloading Cousins in some fashion would cause a lot of money to flow back into the budget – but such a decision obviously comes with its own ramifications.

2026 NFL draft

A year after the shocking selection of Penix, Fontenot dealt back into the bottom of the 2025 draft’s first round for Pearce – and he unequivocally has the makings of a good player, leading the Falcons with 10½ sacks. But the opportunity cost of what seemed like something of a desperate reach at the time is the loss of this year’s Round 1 choice – No. 13 overall – which now belongs to the Los Angeles Rams. Fontenot also spent this year’s fifth-rounder in a separate trade in 2025 – but that’s aging well so far given it put Atlanta in position to choose Watts.

Outlook

The quarterbacking morass is a major issue – and that probably would have been the case even if Penix was fully healthy. There are some enticing components of this roster, though another of Fontenot’s unorthodox strategies – which hasn’t borne the desired results – was pouring so much first-round capital into offensive skill players. The good news is that winning the NFC South should remain a bar that’s not all that difficult to clear – and Atlanta was only one win shy of doing it this season. But whether or not the Falcons are sensibly constructed for the long haul is another question entirely, as desperate as 83-year-old owner Arthur Blank is to win the franchise’s first Super Bowl.

7. Arizona Cardinals

Quarterback situation

Unclear as it was whether deposed Gannon would move forward with Kyler Murray, it’s equally unclear if another coaching staff would embrace a player who tends to freelance and hasn’t done much to craft a rep as the locker room CEO most successful NFL quarterbacks are. Murray is guaranteed $36.8 million in 2026, and cutting him would incur a cap hit of nearly $55 million – though that’s hardly prohibitive in this era of the ballooning salary scale. A decision on his future could be further accelerated given nearly $20 million more will be guaranteed to Murray in 2027 if he remains on the roster on March 15. The two-time Pro Bowler and top pick of the 2019 draft is also only 28 and might yet fetch something on the trade market – especially if the Cards are willing to eat some money to facilitate a transaction.

But moving on from him – if that winds up being the eventual course of action – isn’t as daunting a prospect on the field given career backup and occasional bridge QB Jacoby Brissett remains under contract after operating the offense at a much higher efficiency level than Murray did in 2025.

Roster

The makings of a really good passing game are in place (though a more balanced offense would likely benefit the greater good). Trey McBride has emerged as the league’s best receiving tight end, WR Michael Wilson was a revelation late in the season, and Paris Johnson is a top-shelf left tackle. WR Marvin Harrison Jr. continues to be something of a disappointment – especially relative to draft mates like Nabers, Brian Thomas Jr. and even Ladd McConkey. First-round DL Walter Nolen III only appeared in six games before suffering a season-ending knee injury. Elsewhere, OLBs Josh Sweat and Zaven Collins had solid seasons. Otherwise, there’s a lot of work to be done here on both sides of the ball.

Salary cap

Similar to the Giants, GM Monti Ossenfort has some spending power with a projected $21 million budget. While that’s much more than some teams have, it’s a lot less than those that are shaping up as the significant free agent power brokers in 2026. Murray’s situation also seems bound to have further impact here.

2026 NFL draft

Ossenfort has a full complement of picks, including No. 3 overall – though that would likely force him to reach for a quarterback this year if that’s the way the franchise wants to go. Like the three other 3-14 teams from the 2025 season, the Cards will rotate near the top of every round.

Outlook

It appeared like they were building toward a positive crescendo under Gannon. But Murray’s health – and whatever else is going on there – a torrent of other injuries and simple bad luck (in the form of eight losses by one score) caused the bottom to fall out over the past few months. Arizona’s issues are further amplified by its membership in the NFC West, which currently serves as the home of three of the league’s very best teams. The road back to relevance here seems to remain long and winding.

8. Miami Dolphins

Quarterback situation

McDaniel’s departure, which comes two months after former GM Chris Grier and the team divorced, does seemingly pave the way for what seems like the inevitable exit of QB Tua Tagovailoa as well. The 2020 first-rounder not only had his worst season on the field since his rookie year, benched after Week 15, he also made a habit of airing the locker room’s dirty laundry. Tagovailoa signed a four-year, $212.4 million contract extension ($167.2 million of it guaranteed) before the 2024 season. Compensated at $53.1 million annually on average, he currently ranks sixth on the league’s QB compensation scale … but was nowhere near No. 6 from a performance perspective.

Cutting him this year triggers close to $100 million in dead cap money whether it’s eaten entirely in 2026 – the requisite $99.2 million hit would establish a new record among cap financial mistakes – or spread over two years. There is a $15 million option due in March that the Fins could trigger to mildly assuage the financial fallout for Tagovailoa, whose contract has $54 million guaranteed in 2026. His pact, combined with a troublesome concussion history, make him virtually untradeable. But with a complete leadership turnover at the top of the organization, swallowing the bitter financial pill that would come with cutting Tua, who’s expressed a desire for a fresh start, now seems far more palatable. And logical.

Coming off their rookie seasons, Quinn Ewers and Cam Miller are the only quarterbacks on the roster currently under contract for 2026. Ewers did a solid enough job in his three-game audition following Tagovailoa’s benching.

Roster

There’s some talent in place, but it’s worth wondering how much of it might be going out the door in the coming weeks and months. WR Jaylen Waddle and, especially, RB De’Von Achane are dangerous playmakers − though it’s worth wondering if they might have more value as trade commodities given the new direction the Dolphins have signaled. Selloffs are probably less feasible for DT Zach Sieler, S Minkah Fitzpatrick and OLB Bradley Chubb, who will also be at least 30 this year and come with hefty contracts. WR Tyreek Hill, who dislocated his knee in September, is owed $36 million (none of it guaranteed) in the final year of his contract − circumstances almost certain to lead to his release. OLB Chop Robinson and C Aaron Brewer could be players to build around.

Salary cap

Miami is currently more than $23 million over budget on its 2026 cap. Dumping Hill would balance the books, however parting with Tagovailoa would add $11 million to the deficit − if he’s designated as a post-June 1 cut. Otherwise, his release would accelerate another $42.8 million alone onto this year’s expenditures. Not pretty. But at least this won’t be a team that should be looking to make a free agency splash in 2026 anyway.

2026 NFL draft

A 7-10 season confers the 11th overall pick this year − certainly a range that should bring a very good player if not one likely to step in immediately at quarterback, assuming Tagovailoa isn’t long for Miami. Grier acquired an additional third-rounder from Houston during last year’s draft, and interim GM Champ Kelly picked up another one for dealing OLB Jaelan Phillips at the trade deadline. Helpful assets, if not to Grier or Kelly.

Outlook

Miami hasn’t won a playoff game in more than 25 years, the longest dry spell in the league. Tagovailoa briefly seemed like the guy to stop the revolving door behind center that’s spun almost perpetually since Dan Marino retired after the 1999 season. Those will remain clear and present challenges for the next administration, which likely faces a very daunting 2026 − when the successful establishment of an improved culture is probably the most important win this team can hope for. But after that? It’s certainly not difficult to recruit NFL players to Miami, it’s just going to remain a matter of getting the right ones.

ST. LOUIS — The ‘Quad God’ has entered the chat at the 2026 U.S. figure skating championships. And punctuated his entry with a fist pump.

Malinin completed two quadruple jumps, including a quad Lutz, and a back flip en route to posting a first-place 115.10. Second-place Tomoki Hiwatashi earned a 89.26 and third-place Jason Brown posted an 88.49.

“I just came into this competition just to see what happens out there and I impressed myself, I didn’t know I could skate that good,’ Malinin said after.

Milan Magic: Listen on Apple, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.

The three-time defending U.S. champion will almost certainly make it four in a row after his free skate Saturday, setting him up for a mega 2026 Winter Olympics, which’ll be his first.

To start the day’s action, the dominant ice dance duo of Madison Chock and Evan Bates put on a spectacular rhythm dance to capture first place with a whopping 91.70. They are aiming to capture their fifth straight U.S. crown.

On Friday, Amber Glenn, Alysa Liu and Isabeau Levito take the ice to settle the women’s championship while Alisa Efimova and Misha Mitrofanov vie to close out the pairs championship.

Here are all the highlights, scores, reactions and standings from Day 2 of nationals.

Ilia Malinin’s short program

Malinin gave a fist pump when he wrapped, and the crowd started tossing stuffies of Toothless from How to Train Your Dragon onto the ice.

Maxim Naumov’s emotional short program

It was one of the most anticipated programs of the night. The championships were going to be emotional for Maxim Naumov, who lost his parents in the January 2025 plane crash that devasted the skating community.

It wasn’t the cleanest performance, but that didn’t matter. The crowd rallied behind him and he closed out strong, receiving a standing ovation as he sat on the ice.As he awaited his score, he held up a photo of him as a kid with his parents, holding their hands, all three on an ice rink.

Naumov received a score of 85.72, putting him in first place. He looked stunned and cried, holding the picture and kissing it for one of the most emotional moments of the week.

U.S. figure skating championships results, men’s short program scores

Here are the standings after the men’s short program.

Ilia Malinin: 115.10 total segment score, 67.15 technical elements score, 47.95 program components score.
Tomoki Hiwatashi: 89.26 total segment score, 47.62 technical elements score, 41.64 program components score.
Jason Brown: 88.49 total segment score, 42.82 technical elements score, 45.67 program components score.
Maxim Naumov: 85.72 total segment score, 44.57 technical elements score, 41.15 program components score.
Andrew Torgashev: 84.99 total segment score, 44.48 technical elements score, 41.51 program components score.
Daniel Martynov: 81.63 total segment score, 43.15 technical elements score, 38.48 program components score.
Jacob Sanchez: 81.27 total segment score, 41.79 technical elements score, 39.48 program components score.
Liam Kapeikis: 78.87 total segment score, 40.38 technical elements score, 38.48 program components score.
Kai Kovar: 76.91 total segment score, 40.16 technical elements score, 36.75 program components score.
Lucius Kazanecki: 75.72 total segment score, 40.71 technical elements score, 35.01 program components score.
Jimmy Ma: 75.56 total segment score, 37.50 technical elements score, 38.06 program components score.
Goku Endo: 72.68 total segment score, 35.10 technical elements score, 37.58 program components score.
Lorenzo Elano: 71.65 total segment score, 35.36 technical elements score, 37.29 program components score.
Samuel Mindra: 65.02 total segment score, 29.70 technical elements score, 36.32 program components score.
Emmanuel Savary: 60.21 total segment score, 25.19 technical elements score, 35.02 program components score.
Michael Xie: 59.95 total segment score, 26.13 technical elements score, 33.82 program components score.
Will Annis: 54.95 total segment score, 24.16 technical elements score, 31.79 program components score. He had a one-point deduction for a fall.
Ken Mikawa: 51.69 total segment score, 23.93 technical elements score, 28.76 program components score. He had a one-point deduction for a fall.

Ilia Malinin on his short program

Malinin on how his short program makes him feel: ‘This short program is really emotional for me, and I get this feeling of I go through these different battles, these different fights or emotions of just feelings or processes of life, and it’s really just an emotional piece. Both this and the long program are really just spiritually and the feeling of it is so deep, and I really want the audience to feel that.’

‘Quad God’ of figure skating: Ilia Malinin’s nickname

Simply put, Ilia Malinin has the greatest array of jumps any figure skater in history has ever possessed. He’s launched himself into the air for seven quadruple jumps in a single long program at last month’s Grand Prix Final and was the first skater to land a quad Axel.

Malinin’s username used to be Lutz God, but he changed it to Quad God after landing his first quad jump. 

“i didn’t think much about it … Days go by and people started asking, ‘Why’d you name yourself Quad God, you only landed one jump,’’ he said on Milan Magic, USA TODAY’s new Olympics podcast that drops its first episode Saturday. ‘And then I was like, ‘Oh, OK maybe I should be come a Quad God.’ From there I found my rhythm of landing quad after quad after quad and then of course landing the first quad axel.”

“In the most humble way possible, I think it’s definitely helped my confidence in not only to skating in general but just feeling like I deserve to be recognized as who I am.”

Madison Chock and Evan Bates put up season-best performance

Another rhythm dance, another night starting off with a bang.

Madison Chock and Evan Bates continued their U.S. championship dominance with an elite performance to their Lenny Kravitz medley, catapulting themselves to the top of the leaderboard with a score of 91.70, a season-best mark.

It gives them a healthy margin after the first night of skating in the ice dance, nearly six points ahead of the second place team of Christina Carreira and Anthony Ponomarenko. It’s common for Chock and Bates to take a big, early lead, this time putting them in great position for a fifth-straight U.S. title.

Ilia Malinin’s parents

Malinin was born into figure skating. His mother, Tatiana Malinina, is from the Soviet Union, Siberia specifically, and competed at 10 consecutive world figure skating championships for Uzbekistan. She finished eighth at the 1998 Winter Olympics in Nagano, the competition in which Tara Lipinski won the gold medal and Michelle Kwan the silver. Malinina finished fourth at the 1999 world championships as well, and she also competed at the 2002 Salt Lake City Olympics, but withdrew after the short program with the flu.

Malinin’s father, Roman Skorniakov, represented Uzbekistan at the same two Olympics, 1998 and 2002, finishing 19th both times. He and Malinina were married in 2000 and became skating coaches in the United States, moving to the Northern Virginia suburbs of Washington, D.C., where, in December 2004, Ilia was born. He took the Russian masculine form of his mother’s last name because his parents were concerned that Skorniakov was too difficult to pronounce. 

US figure skating rhythm dance scores, standings

Here are the running standings for rhythm dance.

Madison Chock and Evan Bates: 91.70 total segment score, 53.13 technical elements score, 38.57 program components score.
Emilea Zingas and Vadym Kolesnik: 85.98 total segment score, 49.88 technical elements score, 36.10 program components score.
Christina Carreira and Anthony Ponomarenko: 83.29 total segment score, 47.86 technical elements score, 35.43 program components score.
Caroline Green and Michael Parsons: 80.55 total segment score, 45.94 technical elements score, 34.61 program components score.
Emily Bratti and Ian Somerville: 79.43 total segment score, 45.88 technical elements score, 33.55 program components score.
Oona Brown and Gage Brown: 75.72 total segment score, 43.07 technical elements score, 32.65 program components score.
Katarina Wolfkostin and Dimitry Tsarevski: 74.99 total segment score, 42.30 technical elements score, 32.69 program components score.
Eva Pate and Logan Bye: 73.54 total segment score, 41.29 technical elements score, 32.25 program components score.
Leah Neset and Artem Markelov: 71.28 total segment score, 40.84 technical elements score, 30.44 program components score.
Maia Shibutani and Alex Shibutani: 71.25 total segment score, 39.66 technical elements score, 31.58 program components score.
Elliana Peal and Ethan Peal: 69.90 total segment score, 39.44 technical elements score, 30.16 program components score.
Amy Cui and Jonathan Rogers: 67.60 total segment score, 38.00 technical elements score, 29.60 program components score.
Isabella Flores and Linus Colmor Jepsen: 66.37 total segment score, 37.82 technical elements score, 28.55 program components score.
Raffaella Koncius and Alexey Shchepetov: 65.15 total segment score, 36.12 technical elements score, 29.03 program components score. The pair had their program interrupted by a music issue at the arena, stopping their program for a few minutes. They went to the referee’s table to discuss where in the program and song they should pick back up.
Vanessa Pham and Anton Spiridonov: 61.41 total segment score, 33.49 technical elements score, 27.92 program components score.

Team USA figure skating roster

The Olympic team will be named on Sunday, Jan. 11 at 2 p.m. Three men and three women singles skaters will be chosen, as will three ice dance teams and two pairs, 16 athletes in all. The USFS selection process includes past performances, focusing on the athlete’s body of work over the past two seasons.

Ice dancing vs. figure skating

Ice dancing is a type of figure skating that does not feature jumps or lifts. Ice dancing is made up of two segments, the rhythm dance and the free dance.

What Chock and Bates said before tonight’s rhythm dance

Here’s how Evan Bates said they are feeling going into nationals: ‘I think at this point we understand how special and unique the opportunity is to skate at an Olympic Games and this is the last competition before Milan, so we’re using it as a building block, and we’re excited to go out on the ice today.’

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How does Ilia Malinin train for his quad jumps?

Malinin shared with Christine Brennan and Brian Boitano on Milan Magic, USA TODAY’s new Olympics podcast that drops its first episode Saturday, that he likes to skate a full program at least once a day, but that doesn’t mean every jump in that practice session must be a quad. It depends on how his body feels.

“For me, at least the standard base can be all triple jumps, just to keep that stamina, just to keep that stamina in there. But then, of course, depending on how I feel or how the training is going, then I can say, ‘Maybe tomorrow I can go for a full quad layout or maybe do a full quad and the rest can be triples.’ 

“I think the main focus for me is just running the whole program in itself with all the jumps, all the spins and really just getting that muscle memory in your head because I think a lot of the times, especially with me, if I do a certain amount of triple jumps and I feel comfortable with it, then I can go and the quad jumps will get a little easier for me because I’ve been practicing that muscle memory for a while.”

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Types of figure skating jumps

Toe jump: A skater drives the toe pick of their non-takeoff foot into the ice to launch themselves into the air and generate momentum into the jump.

Toe loop: A skater takes off backward and lands on the same back edge of their blade.
Lutz: A skater moving backward jumps off the back outside edge of their skate and uses the toe-pick of their other skate to catapult into the air in the opposite direction and lands on the back outside edge of the picking leg.
Flip: A skater launches off the back inside edge of one skate and lands on the back outside edge of the other skate.

Edge jump: A skater takes off not with their toe pick but off the edge of their skate.

Salchow: A skater launches off the back inside edge of one skate and lands on the back outside edge of their other skate.
Axel: The only forward-facing jump, a skater lands on the back outside edge of their non-takeoff foot while traveling backward. The axel is the hardest jump because of the extra half-revolution that comes with a forward takeoff and a backward landing.
Loop: The skater jumps off a back outside edge of their skate and lands on the same edge.

How Jason Brown feels going for third Winter Olympics

In a time where the young stars headline U.S. figure skating, Jason Brown is out to prove he still has it.

The 31-year-old burst onto the scene in 2014, when he went viral and earned a spot on the 2014 Winter Olympics team, eventually winning a bronze medal. Afterward, he thought he would call it quits, but he still had more to give and made it back to the Winter Games in 2022. Again, he thought he was done after that.

But in 2026, Brown is back at it for what could be the last dance. He heads into the 2026 U.S. figure skating championships with a chance to make Team USA for a third time, and he’ll try to do it with something that helped him reach stardom. That something is a blast from the past, and making it to the 2026 Winter Olympics would remain just as special.

ST. LOUIS — Ilia Malinin, the 21-year-old ‘Quad God’ of figure skating, had just finished another typically superlative performance in Thursday night’s men’s short program at the U.S. championships when dozens of black stuffed animals began raining down onto the ice. 

These weren’t the typical teddy bears or the flowers of days past showered upon a skater finishing his or her program. These were — well, what were they exactly? What did it all mean? It looked strange, and oddly menacing. They were all being thrown onto the ice from one side of the arena. Someone along press row wondered aloud if it was a protest of some sort.  

It turns out that NBC and U.S. Figure Skating made the bizarre and cringe-worthy decision to link Malinin’s short program costume to the network’s cross-promotional efforts of the Winter Olympics and the 2025 movie ‘How To Train Your Dragon.’ It turned the moments after Malinin’s program into an NBC promotion on the arena’s big screen. 

Listen to ‘Milan Magic’ on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. Watch full episodes on YouTube or on USA TODAY. The first episode drops Jan. 10.

The black stuffed animals were actually Toothless, the dragon from the movie, in honor of Malinin dressing like the main character. The movie is part of NBC’s Olympic promotion and is available on Peacock, NBC’s streaming service.

Although this was a collaboration between USFS and NBC, according to USFS — including the planting of all the stuffed dragons in the crowd with instructions to throw them when Malinin finished his program — Malinin said he knew nothing about it.

“I was definitely surprised with that,” he said. “I did not expect that. That was definitely not my plan at all. So I was just as surprised as you are for that.”

But he smiled as he stepped off the ice and looked up as the NBC promotion was playing above him on the big screen. “That just made me feel so warm. The Toothless Dragon is like my spiritual animal, so that was just so incredible.” 

Meanwhile, in actual sports news, Malinin performed a sublime short program and landed two quadruple jumps that rocketed him to his highest score ever of 115.10 points, so far ahead of his competitors that he would need to be kidnapped by aliens — hey, it happens in the movies — to not capture his fourth consecutive national title and his first Olympic berth Saturday night. 

He was thrilled with how he skated and where he stands with less than a month to go until he will be competing in the Olympic figure skating team competition in Milan. He talked about the fun, acrobatic moves he puts into his performances, such as his signature “raspberry twist” and back flip. 

“I feel like it’s very useful for the sport to bring in something new, so everyone has something unique to watch,” Malinin said.

That they certainly did Thursday evening, both during his program, and immediately afterward.

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