Sports briefs

By NewsPress Now

Denver Broncos

inform Russell Wilson they’ll release him

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. | The Denver Broncos told Russell Wilson on Monday that they’re going to release him next week, just 18 months after signing the Super Bowl-winning quarterback to a five-year, $242 million contract extension.

The Broncos still owe Wilson his $39 million salary for 2024 minus whatever he’d sign for with another team, which would likely be the veteran’s minimum salary of $1.21 million.

One potential landing spot is Pittsburgh. The Steelers are set to visit Denver next season.

The Broncos also will take a record $89 million hit in dead cap charges over the next two seasons.

Wilson enjoyed a bounce-back year last season under new head coach Sean Payton, throwing for 26 touchdowns with eight interceptions in 15 games.

But it wasn’t good enough and Payton benched him for Jarrett Stidham for the final two games. Stidham went 1-1 and the Broncos finished 8-9, their seventh straight losing season and their eighth in a row outside the playoffs.

Payton hinted at an impending split at the NFL scouting combine last week when talking about Denver’s long string of middling quarterbacks and suggested his job was to make sure “the next one” was the right QB to lead the Broncos back into contention.

Wilson, who had gone radio silent on social media at Payton’s request a year ago, resumed sharing videos of his workouts and over the weekend he removed all Broncos references from his profile on X (formerly Twitter).

Wilson was acquired in 2022 from the Seattle Seahawks, where he won a Super Bowl title after the 2013 season, for a bevy of draft picks (two first-rounders and two seconds) and players (Drew Lock, Noah Fant and Shelby Harris).

He signed a nearly quarter-billion dollar extension before playing a single down in Denver and then went 4-11 in his first season under coach Nathaniel Hackett, who was fired after 15 games.

Payton had Wilson dial back his social media presence a year ago and a focused and fit Wilson showed up to training camp 20 pounds lighter.

He went 7-8 before being benched. Wilson contended the Broncos had threatened to bench him for the final nine games if he didn’t push back his $37 million injury guarantee in his contract.

He declined to adjust his contract and started seven more games before getting benched in what Payton insisted was a football move, not a financial one.

Wilson’s $37 million salary for 2025 would have become guaranteed if he were still on Denver’s roster on March 13, the start of the league’s new year.

Mike Evans agrees to a 2-year contract to remain with the Buccaneers

TAMPA, Fla. | There’s still a chance Mike Evans could play his entire career with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Instead of testing his worth in free agency this winter, the team’s career receiving leader has agreed to a two-year, $52 million contract to remain with the club that drafted him seventh overall in 2014, a person familiar with the deal told The Associated Press on Monday.

The person spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because the contract had not been finalized. ESPN first reported the agreement, saying it includes $35 million guaranteed.

The deal comes just days after Bucs general manager Jason Licht and other team officials returned from the annual NFL scouting combine in Indianapolis, where discussions with Evans’ agent gained momentum.

Evans, 30, is the only player in NFL history to begin a career with 10 consecutive seasons with 1,000-plus yards receiving and is Tampa Bay’s career leader in receptions (762), yards (11,680) and touchdowns (94).

Last summer, the five-time Pro Bowl selection unsuccessfully sought an extension on a five-year, $82.5 million contract he signed in 2018.

Despite his disappointment, the 6-foot-5, 231-pound receiver remained open to the prospect of playing his entire career with the Bucs while having 79 receptions for 1,255 yards and tying Tyreek Hill for the league lead in TD catches with 13 in 2023.

The team is hopeful that re-signing Evans will help ensure quarterback Baker Mayfield remains with Tampa Bay, too.

Mayfield joined the team on a one-year contract last winter and had his best season as a pro, throwing for a career-best 4,044 yards and 28 touchdowns while helping Tampa Bay capture a third straight NFC South title.

The Bucs, the only NFC team to reach the playoffs each of the past four seasons, upset Philadelphia in a wild-card matchup before losing to Detroit in the divisional round. Evans had 11 receptions for 195 yards and one TD in the two games.

The day after being eliminated from the postseason, coach Todd Bowles was asked if he cringed at the thought of Evans potentially playing for a different team.

“I don’t even think about it. I don’t like to be asked about it,” Bowles said. “I don’t want to know about it. I hope to hell that does not happen.”

In addition to hoping to retain Mayfield and Evans, Licht said last week in Indianapolis that the Bucs have also prioritized trying to re-sign All-Pro safety Antoine Winfield Jr., veteran linebacker Lavonte David and placekicker Chase McLaughlin, who are set to become free agents.

The team also is looking to extend the contract of left tackle Tristan Wirfs, who is scheduled to play on his fifth-year option of $18.24 million next season.

“We’re focused on signing ours right now.,” Licht said at the combine. “I mean, if we can re-sign Mike and Baker and Lavonte, Chase, Antoine and Tristan, I mean, we should be throwing another boat parade. That’s a pretty good class there.”

Zack Wheeler and Phillies reach 3-year deal

PHILADELPHIA | Zack Wheeler and the Philadelphia Phillies agreed Monday on a $126 million, three-year contract for 2025-27, the fourth-highest average salary in baseball history at $42 million.

The Phillies’ ace gets $23.5 million this year in the final season of a $118 million, five-year contract, one of the best free agent contracts in Phillies history.

“I’ve really just enjoyed being here in Philly,” the 33-year-old right-hander said. “The fans are the best. Playing in Citizens Bank (Park) in October, there’s nothing like it.”

Wheeler’s average salary trails only Los Angeles Dodgers two-way star Shohei Ohtani ($70 million), Texas pitcher Max Scherzer ($43.33 million) and Houston pitcher Justin Verlander ($43.33 million), the latter two who signed their deals with the New York Mets.

“What it tells us is we think Zack is as good as anybody in baseball right now,” team president Dave Dombrowski said. “For us right now, when we look over the last handful of years, we think Zack Wheeler is as fine a pitcher in the game of baseball.”

Wheeler has led the NL in strikeouts and innings during his four seasons after missing time with injuries while with the Mets from 2013-19. He also leads all pitchers in wins above replacement (WAR) while with the Phillies at 19.3, per FanGraphs.

After he missed the 2015 and 2016 seasons following Tommy John surgery, Wheeler has made 90 starts the last three seasons.

An NL Cy Young Award runner-up in 2021, Wheeler also won a Gold Glove last season.

The new deal for Wheeler adds yearly salaries of $42 million. He gets a hotel suite on road trips and agrees to make a $100,000 charitable contribution each year.

Wheeler credited the training staff for keeping him healthy, making him a rarity among modern pitchers who is better in his 30s than his 20s. Wheeler said he never wanted a massive long-term deal and didn’t look for the seven or eight-year deals most top free agents seek these days — and the righty didn’t want lingering contract negotiations hanging over his head this season.

“I think it works out for me, I think it works out for the team,” Wheeler said. “I’d rather have it now than go to free agency and see what happens.”

The Phillies, who reached the NL Championship Series each of the last two years, now have their top-two starters anchoring the rotation for years to come. Philadelphia signed fellow right-hander Aaron Nola to a $172 million, seven-year deal.

In 11 postseason games, Wheeler has a 2.42 ERA. He’s pitched at least six innings and allowed fewer than three runs in eight of his 10 postseason starts. He won three games in the 2023 postseason, including a 2-0 record against Arizona in the NLCS.

“Let’s establish right now, he’s one of the best pitchers in baseball,” Dombrowski said. “Is he first, second, third? We don’t have to get into that. But he’s one of the best. And the reality is, when you start not only talking about being one of the best pitchers, he’s one of the best big-game pitchers in the game of baseball. In the postseason when he takes that ball, I can’t think of anybody I’d rather have take the ball than Zack.”

The Phillies continue to spend in their hunt for their first World Series title since 2008. Team owner John Middleton hasn’t been shy in signing free agents such as Bryce Harper, Trea Turner and Kyle Schwarber, while keeping Nola, Wheeler and catcher J.T Realmuto in the fold with lucrative extensions.

“We have a high payroll, as you know,” Dombrowski said. “We are very appreciative of what ownership gives us. But there’s a limit on how much we can do. It’s not unlimited, but there will be questions I think we’ll face more at the end of the year.”

Wheeler is 87-63 with a 3.45 ERA in 227 career starts that dates to his 2013 debut with the Mets. Wheeler and his wife just welcomed their third child late last month.

“I don’t want to play until I’m old, old,” Wheeler said. “I want to be around my family. But I’m definitely enjoying the moment here, enjoying every moment I take the mound.”

Houston holds tight

grip on No. 1, Kansas drops out of top 10

Houston still has a tight grip on No. 1 in the AP Top 25.

The Cougars received 52 first-place votes from a 62-person media panel in the poll released Monday to hold the top spot for the second straight week.

UConn moved up a spot to No. 2 and had six first-place votes to leapfrog No. 3 Purdue, which had four first-place votes. Tennessee and Arizona rounded out the top five.

Houston moved to No. 1 for the first time this season a week ago and won both of its games last week: a 67-59 home win over Cincinnati and, thanks to Jamal Shead’s last-second shot, a win at Oklahoma 87-85.

Houston is still leading the country in KenPom’s adjusted defensive efficiency despite giving up 85 points to the Sooners. The win allowed coach Kelvin Sampson to have a triumphant return to Norman, where he coached from 1994 to 2006.

UConn had a nice bounce back after being knocked from the No. 1 spot following a six-week run, blowing out Seton Hall 91-61 at home for its first outright Big East title in 25 years. The Huskies, the reigning national champions, had not won even a share of the Big East regular-season title in 18 years.

“The hardest thing to do is to be excellent over the course of three, four months in a brutal, hard league,” UConn coach Dan Hurley said.

Purdue dropped a spot despite an 80-74 win over Michigan State that clinched a share of a second straight Big Ten title. The Boilermakers have a two-game lead with two games left.

FADING JAYHAWKS

Kansas spent the first three weeks at No. 1 and has been in the top 10 for three years.

Consecutive losses last week ended the Jayhawks’ run.

Kansas fell seven spots to No. 14 in this week’s poll, its worst ranking since hitting No. 15 midway through the 2020-21 season. The Jayhawks were in the top 10 for 55 straight weeks, which had been the longest active streak. Houston now has the longest active top-10 run at 36 straight weeks.

Losses to No. 20 BYU and No. 11 Baylor ensured Kansas can’t win the Big 12 regular-season title. The Jayhawks have seven conference losses for the first time in 21 years under coach Bill Self.

RISING AND FALLING

No. 15 Baylor and No. 19 Gonzaga had the biggest climbs among teams in the poll this week, each moving up four spots. No. 23 Saint Mary’s had the biggest drop, losing six places after Gonzaga ended the Gaels’ 16-game winning streak.

IN AND OUT

BYU moved back into the poll after dropping out last week, coming in at No. 20 after wins over Kansas and TCU. Florida dropped out from No. 24 after losing at No. 17 South Carolina.

CONFERENCE WATCH

The Southeastern Conference and the Big 12 each have five ranked teams after BYU re-entered the poll and Florida dropped out.

The Big East has three, followed by the Big Ten, Atlantic Coast, Pac-12, Mountain West and West Coast conferences with two. The Atlantic 10 and AAC each have one.

Top 10 shuffle in women’s AP Top 25 as Stanford

and Iowa move up

Stanford and Iowa jumped up behind top-ranked South Carolina in The Associated Press Top 25 women’s basketball poll as the top 10 got a shuffle on the eve of conference tournaments and Fairfield cracked the rankings for the first time in school history.

Stanford moved back up to No. 2 after a weekend sweep of Oregon State and Oregon. Iowa knocked off then-No. 2 Ohio State on Sunday behind Caitlin Clark, who became the NCAA Division I scoring leader during the game. The Big Ten champion Buckeyes fell to fourth.

While Iowa has been in the Top 25 all season, Fairfield made its first appearance, coming in at No. 25. The Stags (26-1) have won 24 straight games and are the only team in the country besides undefeated South Carolina with one or fewer losses.

“Its a huge moment. This place is special,” Fairfield coach Carly Thibault-DuDonis said. “One of the major reasons I came here is that it was a program on the brink of being on the national stage. We’ll for sure celebrate it. We talk a lot about a team enjoying the moment and being in the moment. This is a big moment.”

The Gamecocks are in a familiar spot atop the poll after finishing their regular season undefeated for the second consecutive year. Dawn Staley’s squad is the top seed in the SEC Tournament this week.

Southern California was fifth, its highest ranking since 1994 when the team was fourth. Texas dropped three spots to sixth.

UCLA, LSU and UConn were next. N.C. State moved up two places to 10th, passing ACC regular-season champion Virginia Tech, which fell six places to 11th.

MORE ON THE STAGS

Fairfield became the fourth team from the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference to earn a spot in the Top 25, joining Saint Peter’s, LaSalle and Marist, whose last ranking was in 2011.

The Stags, who replaced West Virginia in the poll, have already broken the school record for victories in a season and have two games left in the regular season. Fairfield has 14 true road victories which is tied with Saint Joseph’s for the most in the country.

“I think we knew we’d be pretty good. I use the term a lot, cautiously optimistic. I didn’t imagine what we did to this point,” Thibault-DuDonis said. “We have good senior leadership and a healthy balance of seniors and young guys. We kept learning and growing along the way.”

CONFERENCE WATCH

The Pac-12, which has been the most dominant conference so far this season, has three of the top seven teams and six ranked in the Top 25 overall.

The ACC is next with five teams. The Big 12 has four and the Big Ten three. The SEC and Big East each have two. The West Coast and Mountain West join the MAAC with one each. All the Power Five conferences have their tournaments this week.

—From AP reports