Sports
NFL Trade Deadline: Commanders deal from pick stockpile, score CB Marshon Lattimore
Oct 17, 2024; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; New Orleans Saints cornerback Marshon Lattimore (23) during the warmups before the game against the Denver Broncos at Caesars Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Lew-Imagn Images Signaling the franchise views itself as a contender again, the Washington Commanders gave up three draft picks to acquire Pro Bowl cornerback Marshon Lattimore from the sinking New Orleans Saints on Tuesday.
The Commanders (7-2) reportedly discussed multiple moves for help in the secondary to better match up with No. 1-type wide receivers and opted to bet on Lattimore despite the asking price of 2025 third-, fourth- and sixth-round picks. Washington also receives a fifth-round pick in the 2025 draft. Lattimore, 28, has missed 19 games over the past two seasons due to injuries.
The trade was the lone move at the deadline involving a guaranteed third-round draft pick and helps the Saints shift into a new phase of rebuilding days after firing head coach Dennis Allen. New Orleans has lost seven consecutive games after a 2-0 start.
Washington began Tuesday with nine draft picks in 2025 and the Commanders had two third-round picks; its own selection and the Eagles’ third-rounder from the Jahan Dotson trade earlier this year.
The sixth-round pick is going back to the Saints from Commanders GM Adam Peters. Washington acquired the pick in a trade for defensive tackle John Ridgeway III.
Adding Lattimore to pair with Benjamin St-Juste likely bumps 2023 first-round pick Emmanuel Forbes out of the starting lineup.
Lattimore started seven games this season and didn’t play last week at Carolina. He was limited by a strained hamstring in recent weeks and the deal with the Commanders is subject to a routine physical.
He has started 97 regular-season games with 405 tackles (326 solo), 15 interceptions, five forced fumbles, five fumble recoveries and 88 pass breakups.
-Lions shore up defensive line, acquire Za’Darius Smith from Browns
Smith is back in the NFC North, acquired by conference-leading Detroit from Cleveland for a fifth-round selection in the 2025 NFL Draft and a sixth-round pick in 2026.
Pushing for a pass rusher since losing Aidan Hutchinson to a broken leg, the Lions landed Smith and also receive a seventh-round pick in 2026.
A three-time Pro Bowl selection, Smith has five sacks this season playing opposite Myles Garrett in Cleveland.
The edge rusher has 65 career sacks, 321 tackles and 10 forced fumbles in 132 career games (89 starts) with the Baltimore Ravens, Green Bay Packers, Minnesota Vikings and Browns.
–Bengals bolster RB room, trade for Bears’ Khalil Herbert
Displaced by the arrival of free agent D’Andre Swift at the start of the 2024 season, Herbert could step into an immediate role in the Bengals’ backfield after Cincinnati traded a seventh-round pick to acquire the 26-year-old.
Herbert provides depth in the Bengals’ offense after running back Zack Moss landed on injured reserve Tuesday with a neck injury.
Herbert had eight carries for 16 yards and a touchdown with the Bears this season. He has rushed for 1,791 yards and nine touchdowns to go along with 45 catches for 291 yards and two scores in 48 career games (12 starts) with the Bears.
–49ers acquire DT Khalil Davis from Texans
For the fourth time in five years, 49ers general manager John Lynch acquired a defensive lineman at the trade deadline.
Lynch traded a seventh-round pick in 2026 to the Texans for Davis, a reserve defensive tackle for former 49ers defensive coordinator DeMeco Ryans in San Francisco.
Davis has played in nine games in 2024 and appeared in 15 games with the Texans last season, totaling 41 tackles and three sacks.
–Ravens pick up CB Tre’Davious White from Rams
White, a two-time Pro Bowl cornerback, was traded from Los Angeles to Baltimore along with a 2027 seventh-round pick. The Rams receive a seventh-rounder in 2026 in the deal, which provides White with a fresh start after being a gameday inactive for four consecutive games.
Even if the deal is finalized quickly, the Ravens are unlikely to use White this week. They play the Cincinnati Bengals in Baltimore on Thursday night. The Ravens allow 280.9 passing yards per game, last in the NFL entering Week 10.
Signed to a one-year deal worth up to $10 million with incentives in the offseason, White was granted permission to seek a trade by the Rams last month.
The 2017 Defensive Rookie of the Year runner-up, White was named All-Pro in 2019, when he led the NFL with six interceptions.
Since tearing his ACL in 2021, White has been fighting to stay healthy. He suffered another season-ending injury (Achilles) in 2023 and was released by the Bills in a cap-savings move in March.
White has recorded 18 interceptions, 70 passes defensed and 323 tackles in 86 career starts.
–Steelers get WR Mike Williams from Jets, edge Preston Smith from Packers
Pittsburgh was linked to multiple wide receivers in the trade rumor mill since training camp. In the Williams trade, the Steelers sent a 2025 fifth-round draft pick to New York in exchange for Williams and later in the day parted with a seventh-rounder to Green Bay for Smith.
Williams, 30, has played in all nine games (three starts) in his first season with the Jets but has only 12 catches for 166 yards and zero touchdowns.
Head coach Mike Tomlin voiced frustration with the Steelers’ WR corps behind George Pickens. Rookie third-rounder Roman Wilson was placed on injured reserve with a hamstring injury and had zero catches before Pittsburgh made the move entering its Week 9 bye.
In three games since the Jets added wide receiver Davante Adams in a trade with the Las Vegas Raiders on Oct. 15, Williams has caught two of four targets for 21 yards.
Williams signed a one-year, $10 million deal with New York in March following seven seasons with the Los Angeles Chargers.
Williams caught 309 passes for 4,806 yards and 31 TDs in 88 games (62 starts) with the Chargers.
The Steelers (6-2) have been looking for receiving help since trading Diontae Johnson to the Carolina Panthers in the offseason and were thought to be one of the frontrunners for 49ers wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk until he signed a new contract to stay in San Francisco.
Smith, who turns 32 later this month, has recorded 2.5 sacks, four quarterback hits and 19 tackles in nine starts for the Packers in 2024. He’s under contract for the next two seasons.
–Cowboys deal fourth-round pick for Panthers WR Jonathan Mingo
Carolina traded Mingo to Dallas for a fourth-round pick in the 2025 NFL Draft.
Adding Mingo, 23, gives backup quarterback Cooper Rush another big, talented target as he steps in for injured starter Dak Prescott. As part of the announced trade, the Cowboys also net a seventh-round pick in 2025.
Mingo started 14 games as a rookie last season. The emergence of rookie first-round pick Xavier Legette and undrafted free agent Jalen Coker pushed Mingo down the depth chart in 2024.
Rebuilding Carolina traded Diontae Johnson and a 2025 sixth-rounder to the Ravens last week in exchange for a fifth-round pick in 2025.
Drafted 39th overall by the Panthers in the 2023 NFL Draft, Mingo caught 43 passes as a rookie and has 12 receptions this season.
During the 2023 draft, Mingo was a receiver the Cowboys “really liked,” according to owner Jerry Jones. Dallas used its second-round pick, 19 spots after Mingo went off the board, to select Michigan tight end Luke Schoonmaker.
–Trades completed prior to Tuesday
Early action from the Kansas City Chiefs to bolster their injury-dinged offense and pass rush brought in Tennessee Titans wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins in exchange for a conditional fifth-round pick, and edge Josh Uche from the New England Patriots for a sixth-round pick 2026.
Hopkins caught two touchdown passes from Patrick Mahomes in Monday’s 30-24 victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, helping the Chiefs improve to 8-0.
–Wide receiver Amari Cooper was traded from the Browns along with a sixth-round pick to the Bills for third- and sixth-round picks. The third-rounder is in the 2025 draft and the sixth-rounder is in 2026.
–The New York Jets parted with a conditional third-round pick to acquire Davante Adams from the Raiders on Oct. 15.
–Seattle acquired linebacker Ernest Jones from the Titans for a 2025 fourth-round pick and linebacker Jerome Baker on Oct. 23. The Seahawks traded a 2026 sixth-rounder to the Jaguars for defensive lineman Roy Robertson-Harris on Oct. 14.
–Days after losing left tackle Christian Darrisaw to a season-ending knee injury, the Vikings acquired Jaguars tackle Cam Robinson and a conditional seventh-round pick for a conditional fifth-round pick. Robinson is in the final year of his existing contract. Minnesota also traded for running back Cam Akers, sending a conditional 2026 sixth-round pick to the Houston Texans. Houston also parts with a conditional seventh-rounder in 2026.
–Outside linebacker Baron Browning was traded to the Arizona Cardinals by the Denver Broncos, who received a 2025 sixth-round pick.
–Field Level Media
Sports
A'ja Wilson has no shortage of motivation after Aces' early exit in '24
Oct 1, 2024; Brooklyn, New York, USA; Las Vegas Aces center A’ja Wilson (22) and New York Liberty forward Breanna Stewart (30) during game two of the 2024 WNBA Semi-finals at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images LAS VEGAS — Entering her eighth season in the WNBA, Las Vegas Aces superstar A’ja Wilson is poised to build on what was arguably the most dominant individual campaign in league history.
Wilson joined Cynthia Cooper (1997) as the second player in league history to win a unanimous MVP award and joined an exclusive club as the fourth player to win the award three times. She averaged 26.9 points and 11.9 rebounds per game last season and set the all-time single-season mark for points (1,021) and rebounds (451).
Unfortunately for Las Vegas, injuries and fatigue from their two previous championship runs mounted and resulted in the team’s worst regular-season record (27-13) since 2019. The Aces’ three-peat hopes ended with a 76-62 home loss to the New York Liberty to drop their semifinal series 3-1.
It’s that loss on her home floor that served as Wilson’s motivation this offseason.
“Losing sucks, especially on your home court,” Wilson said “It still kind of burns a little bit, but I’ve used that as fuel to help my teammates understand how hard it is to win in this league. Yes, we can celebrate the two championships. They were great. But for us to move forward, we have to understand how hard this league is and value the basketball and the little things. I think that’s what we lacked last season, so we’re going to make sure that we can show up better than we did.”
While the Aces appeared to be on top of the world heading into their potential three-peat campaign in 2024, the reality inside the locker room was that both the internal and external pressure to win another championship had become suffocating. A common theme across media day was the fact that the team feels less pressure entering the 2025 season, a sentiment Wilson shared as the unquestioned leader of the team.
“(Three-peat talks) obviously impacted us, because it’s like, y’all think we don’t want to win? We’re trying as well,” Wilson said.
“I would definitely say it’s refreshing this year. I feel like this is one of my only years where it feels like there’s no weight. There’s a lot of weight to be defending champs. It’s a lot of weight to be trying to win one. We don’t have that. We actually have a clean slate to really dial into getting back to who we are culturally, like, in our system and everything.”
Leading the Aces back to the top of the mountain for a third time in four years is one of a few historically significant achievements Wilson can collect this upcoming season. Wilson could also become the first four-time MVP in league history, though the meaning of that is something she hasn’t quite allowed herself to ponder yet.
“I haven’t given it much thought, but it would be a blessing to have my name in that conversation,” Wilson said. “Every year, I try to be better than I was the year before just to give myself a chance in this league. Because the league is getting better. We’re growing. At this point, you just want to maintain your stamina. You want to maintain your mental, all of that, because the season gets hard. I can’t think too much about that just yet, but I’m definitely going to try to be better than I was last year.”
As Aces coach Becky Hammon put it, fans can expect to see an even better version of Wilson this season.
“What I see is, she went and got better,” Hammon said. “Which is hard to do when you’re already the best, but it speaks to her work ethic, her desire and her mindset this whole offseason. We talked a lot this offseason. She’s a busy lady, but I can tell you what she always does is her workouts. She’s always getting her workouts in. That comes first and foremost, she never gets her priorities jumbled up.”
When Hammon was asked what a player like Wilson would possibly need to improve after last season’s campaign, the coach did not feel like revealing too much.
“There was (something for Wilson to improve), and she did,” Hammon said. “I’m not going to tell you what it was. Actually, there were two things.”
–Will Despart, Field Level Media
Sports
Jacob Wilson joins Aaron Judge in spotlight for Yankees-A's series
May 5, 2025; West Sacramento, California, USA; Athletics shortstop Jacob Wilson (5) throws to first for an out against the Seattle Mariners during the seventh inning at Sutter Health Park. Mandatory Credit: Dennis Lee-Imagn Images The top two hitters in the majors square off Friday night when the New York Yankees face the Athletics in the opener of a three-game series in Sacramento, Calif.
It’s no surprise to see Yankees star Aaron Judge off to a superb start after winning American League MVP honors last season. He has a major league-best .400 batting average and entered Thursday’s play tied for the big-league lead with 12 homers and 34 RBIs.
But who had Athletics rookie Jacob Wilson ranking second in the majors at .357 as the season nears the quarter pole? Wilson has played in just 64 career games and quickly has solidified himself as a future All-Star, perhaps even this season.
Sharing the marquee board with Judge seems quite surreal for the 23-year-old shortstop who was the No. 6 overall pick of the 2023 draft.
“It’s a great feeling, for sure,” Wilson said of his name being mentioned with Judge. “Obviously, everybody has seen what he is doing. It’s pretty incredible watching him do his thing on a daily basis. To be up there with him is pretty cool for me.
“I’m excited to play against him this week and see what it looks like in person.”
Wilson had his first career four-hit game during Wednesday’s 6-5 home loss against the Seattle Mariners and has six multi-hit outings in the past eight games. He went 8-for-14 with one game-winning hit in the three-game series against the Mariners and is 16-for-34 (.471) with four walks during the eight-game stretch.
The hot hitting led to Athletics manager Mark Kotsay moving Wilson to the leadoff spot on Wednesday. Kotsay indicated Wilson may be sticking at the top of the lineup.
“I think you’ll see Jacob up there now,” Kotsay said. “Jacob’s earned it. … Jacob has shown enough over the last week. He’s walking and taking pitches, and, obviously, swinging the bat really well.”
Judge arrives in Sacramento in the midst of a four-game funk in which he is 2-for-15.
The two-time MVP just went 1-for-10 in a three-game home series against the San Diego Padres, but the one hit was a homer.
Judge grew up 50 miles south of Sacramento in Linden and starred for Linden High but wasn’t highly sought by major league teams. The then-Oakland Athletics selected him in the 31st round in 2010.
Judge instead went the college route and starred for Fresno State. He was chosen in the first round (32nd overall) by the Yankees in the 2013 draft.
Trent Grisham was one of the heroes of Wednesday’s 4-3, 10-inning win over the Padres. He hit a tying two-run pinch-hit homer in the eighth inning.
Grisham had two homers and five RBIs in the series against the Padres — one of his former teams — and already has 10 long balls in just 89 at-bats. He hit just nine last season in 179 at-bats.
“I’m having fun with the guys, I would say that more than anything,” Grisham said. “The clubhouse is really good in here, led by Cap (Judge). So, I would say the guys have been the most enjoyable part.”
New York is starting right-hander Will Warren (1-2, 5.65 ERA) in Friday’s series opener. Right-hander Osvaldo Bido (2-2, 4.71) will be on the mound for the Athletics.
Warren, 25, struck out a career-high eight in 4 2/3 innings while losing to the Tampa Bay Rays on Sunday. He gave up five runs (three earned) and seven hits. Warren hasn’t previously faced the Athletics.
Bido, 29, received a no-decision against the Miami Marlins last Saturday when he gave up four runs on three hits over five innings. He is winless (0-1) over his last three starts. Bido hasn’t faced the Yankees.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Report: Boxing legend Manny Pacquiao coming out of retirement
Aug 21, 2021; Las Vegas, Nevada; Manny Pacquiao (right) fights Yordenis Ugas in a world welterweight championship bout at T-Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images Boxing legend Manny Pacquiao plans to end his retirement and return to the ring on July 19 against Mario Barrios in Las Vegas, ESPN reported Thursday.
Pacquiao, 46, will be fighting for the first time since losing a unanimous decision to Yordenis Ugas in 2021.
The fight will be for Barrios’ WBC welterweight championship belt. Barrios turns 30 on May 18.
Pacquiao is an eight-division champion who is slated to be inducted into the boxing Hall of Fame in June. He reportedly will formally announce his return to boxing next week. The report stated that Pacquiao has been cleared to compete by the Nevada State Athletic Commission.
In recent years, Pacquiao has been focusing on his political career in the Philippines.
The boxer nicknamed “PacMan” has a 62-8-2 record with 39 knockouts during his career. He won his first major title — the WBC flyweight crown — at age 19 in 1998.
Pacquiao was 54-3-2 prior to turning 33 and 8-5 afterward. One of those losses was to Floyd Mayweather Jr. via unanimous decision in 2015, a bout that reportedly drew nearly $400 million in pay-per-view sales.
Barrios (29-2-1, 18 knockouts) fought to a 12-round, split-decision draw against Abel Ramos last November. This will be his third defense since winning the title by beating Ugas in 2023.
–Field Level Media
A'ja Wilson has no shortage of motivation after Aces' early exit in '24
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