Sports
NFL Roundup: Cardinals officially release QB Kyler Murray
Nov 3, 2025; Arlington, Texas, USA; Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray (1) leaves the field after defeating the Dallas Cowboys at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images Kyler Murray is officially on the market.
The Arizona Cardinals released Murray on Wednesday, making him a free agent for the first time after seven seasons with the franchise.
Murray was reportedly a priority target of the Minnesota Vikings. He’s not the only veteran quarterback who was released on the first day of the league year.
Kirk Cousins was let go by the Falcons, ending his two-year stint in Atlanta at the halfway mark of a four-year, $180 million deal he signed in free agency after leaving Minnesota in March 2024.
By releasing Murray before March 15, the Cardinals kept their 2026 total cost at $36.8 million. A $19.5 million guarantee would have kicked in Saturday. The Cardinals designated Murray as a post-June 1 release, an accounting maneuver to spread the remainder of his deal over two years for cap purposes.
Murray, a two-time Pro Bowl selection, missed 12 games last season with a foot injury and has played the full regular-season schedule just once in the past five years.
The No. 1 pick in the 2019 draft and 2018 Heisman Trophy winner played for two coaches in Arizona, and a third, Mike LaFleur, was hired to replace Jonathan Gannon.
Indianapolis removed the transition tag from Daniel Jones when the quarterback opted for a two-year, $88 million contract.
Jones was in the midst of a career revival when he suffered a leg injury last season. While trying to play through the pain, Jones sustained a season-ending Achilles injury in December.
Jones threw for 3,101 yards, 19 touchdowns and eight interceptions with a completion percentage of 68.0 in 13 games in 2025.
Murray has 121 TD passes and 60 interceptions in 87 career regular-season games. If he chooses the Twin Cities as his next home, Murray could be paired with running back Aaron Jones, who returned to Minnesota on a restructured one-year deal.
Cousins is reportedly one of the veterans the Cardinals might consider. He knows LaFleur from their time together in Washington, where Cousins began his career as a backup to Robert Griffin III.
In Atlanta, former Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa signed a one-year deal with the Falcons. With Cousins out of the picture and Michael Penix Jr. returning from ACL reconstruction, Tagovailoa offers new head coach Kevin Stefanski experience as a starting option if Penix isn’t ready for the start of the season.
The Jets moved to acquire Geno Smith from the Raiders before Las Vegas could release the 35-year-old. To make the financial agreement work for all parties, NFL Network reported Smith received a $1 million bump on his $18.5 million salary, of which Las Vegas will pay more than $13 million in 2006.
–Baltimore found a pass rusher one day after pulling the plug on the Maxx Crosby acquisition due to a failed physical.
The Ravens are adding Trey Hendrickson on a deal reportedly worth $112 million over four years. Hendrickson, 31, played seven games last season before core muscle surgery pushed him to injured reserve.
Hendrickson had only 4.0 sacks last season after leading the NFL with 35 total sacks in 2023-24.
–Safety Kevin Byard III reunited with Mike Vrabel in New England, signing a one-year, $9 million deal with the Patriots.
Byard led the NFL with seven interceptions last season with the Bears. He previously played for Vrabel with the Titans, who drafted him in the third round of the 2016 draft. Vrabel coached Tennessee from 2018 to 2023.
The Patriots also signed wide receiver Romeo Doubs (Packers) to a four-year deal and guard Alijah Vera-Tucker (Jets) to a three-year contract.
–Outside linebacker Bradley Chubb signed a three-year, $43.5 million deal with the Bills, according to multiple reports.
He joins wide receiver DJ Moore, who was officially acquired in a trade with the Chicago Bears for a second-round pick, as a new addition in Buffalo. Those deals were made possible with the help of quarterback Josh Allen. Allen restructured his contract to free up more than $12 million in salary cap space, according to multiple reports.
Chubb was officially released by the Dolphins on Wednesday with a post-June 1 designation and quickly hooked on with the AFC East rival in Buffalo.
Chubb’s cap hit for 2026 was $31.2 million and the Dolphins have worked to get under the salary cap by Wednesday’s 4 p.m. ET deadline by making multiple cuts.
Chubb led the Dolphins with 8.5 sacks in 2025. Joey Bosa is a free agent in Buffalo and not expected to return.
–Tight end Chigoziem Okonkwo signed with the Washington Commanders, who had a busy day addressing needs.
Okonkwo had career-best numbers with the Titans in 2025, hauling in 56 receptions for 560 yards. He has eight touchdowns in 68 games since being drafted by Tennessee in the fourth round of the 2022 draft.
–Other deals reported by teams as official transactions on Wednesday:
–CB Trent McDuffie traded to the Los Angeles Rams by the Kansas City Chiefs for a 2026 first-round (29th overall), a 2026 fifth-round pick, a 2026 sixth-round pick and a 2027 third-round pick.
–LBs Quay Walker and Nakobe Dean signed three-year contracts with the Raiders.
–Chiefs TE Travis Kelce re-signed; one-year deal worth a reported $12 million.
–S Minkah Fitzpatrick acquired by the Jets from the Miami Dolphins.
–RT Tytus Howard acquired by the Cleveland Browns from the Houston Texans for a 2026 fifth-round pick.
–Steelers DE Cameron Heyward re-signed; one-year deal worth a reported $18 million.
–C Elgton Jenkins signed a two-year deal worth a reported $24 million with the Cleveland Browns.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Iowa rides Cooper Koch, 21-0 run to move past Maryland
Mar 11, 2026; Chicago, IL, USA; Maryland Terrapins guard Darius Adams (1) defends Iowa Hawkeyes guard Isaia Howard (23) during the first half at United Center. Mandatory Credit: David Banks-Imagn Images Iowa exploded past Maryland in the second half, capitalizing on turnovers and the tandem of Bennett Stirtz and Cooper Koch to advance to the third round of the Big Ten tournament on Wednesday afternoon in Chicago.
Koch wasn’t bothered by a bloody nose, as the freshman forward scored team-best and career-high 19 points, and Stirtz added 17 after a quiet first half. Stirtz also had eight assists and six rebounds.
Koch cashed his fifth 3 of the game in transition to put ninth-seeded Iowa up 59-47 with under seven minutes remaining.
Iowa (21-11) ended a three-game losing streak. The Hawkeyes are first on the court again Thursday with a noon ET against eighth-seeded Ohio State (20-11) at United Center. Iowa defeated the Buckeyes 74-57 on Feb. 25.
Maryland (12-21) had 16 turnovers and missed 14 of its 21 3-point tries.
Isaiah Watts had four 3s and finished with 12 points and Darius Adams scored a team-high 14 for the 17th-seeded Terrapins. Surging scorer Andre Mills was 1 of 13 from the field for Maryland, which trailed by double digits most of the second half.
Iowa took control with a 21-0 run and had Maryland coach Buzz Williams shaking his head with a second timeout in 80 seconds when Stirtz found Koch on the right wing for a 3 — his third of the second half — and buried the Terrapins in a 50-34 hole.
Maryland held Stirtz, the Big Ten’s third-leading scorer at 20.2 points per game, to four points in the first half. He ignited Iowa with back-to-back 3s as part of a the run that staked the Hawkeyes to a 42-34 lead with 14 minutes to play.
Streaky Maryland trailed early but turned to a 2-3 zone defense and knocked down open shots as part of a 15-0 run to build a double-digit, first-half lead, 21-10. Iowa cut it to 26-25 in the final minute of the half with an 11-2 run of its own thanks to Maryland’s eight turnovers in 33 first-half possession.
Maryland started the Big Ten schedule with a 1-10 record. The Terrapins picked up momentum with a close loss to No. 9 Illinois in the regular-season finale and led wire to wire in Tuesday’s tournament victory over Oregon.
–Field Level Media
Sports
KC Current acquire F Penelope Hocking from Bay FC
Nov 2, 2025; Louisville, Kentucky, USA; Bay FC forward Penelope Hocking (55) dribbles the ball during the first half against Racing Louisville FC at Lynn Family Stadium. Mandatory Credit: EM Dash-Imagn Images The Kansas City Current acquired forward Penelope Hocking from Bay FC on Wednesday.
The Current sent $350,000 in intra-league transfer funds to complete the deal for Hocking, 26.
“We are very excited to welcome Penelope to Kansas City,” general manager Ryan Dell said in a statement. “Penelope’s aptitude for scoring goals from anywhere on the field, combined with her ability to create chances for those around her, will only strengthen our attack. Above all, she is a great person and teammate who will positively impact our club on and off the pitch.”
Hocking recorded a team-high six goals and one assist in 18 regular-season matches (10 starts) last season with Bay FC. She scored seven goals with the Chicago Red Stars from 2023-24.
“I’m extremely excited to be joining the Kansas City Current,” Hocking, the No. 7 overall pick in the 2023 NWSL Draft, said in the team’s news release. “This is a club with high expectations and high standards, and I’m excited to bring my energy, compete every day and help the team win trophies.”
–Field Level Media
Sports
Quadir Copeland, NC State too strong for Pitt
Mar 11, 2026; Charlotte, NC, USA; NC State Wolfpack guard Quadir Copeland (11) reacts after scoring in the second half at Spectrum Center. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-Imagn Images CHARLOTTE — Quadir Copeland collected 24 points and eight assists in North Carolina State’s 98-88 victory over Pitt in the second round of the Atlantic Coast Conference tournament on Wednesday afternoon.
Ven-Allen Lubin racked up 18 points, Paul McNeil Jr. had 15, Tre Holloman notched 14 and Darrion Williams and Matt Able both scored 12 as the Wolfpack shot 60.8% from the field. NC State made 13 of 23 shots from 3-point range.
Seventh-seeded NC State (20-12), which won for only the second time in eight games, will meet No. 10-ranked and second-seeded Virginia in Thursday’s first quarterfinal.
Cameron Corhen poured in 27 points on 9-for-12 shooting for No. 15 seed Pitt (13-20), which had won four of its previous six games. Nojus Indrusaitis, who hit five 3-point shots, and Omari Witherspoon each scored 19 points and Barry Dunning Jr. added 11 points, but the Panthers’ 57.1% shooting wasn’t enough.
The Wolfpack scored 22 of the first 30 points of the second half to create a 73-58 lead on a Pitt team that pulled off an upset of Stanford a day earlier on a last-second shot off a rebound.
Pitt used an 11-3 run to close the gap and later trailed 78-72 with more than 10 minutes to play before Terrance Arceneaux’s 3-point shot resulted in his only basket of the game.
By the game’s eight-minute mark, NC State had five players with double-figure point totals and soon after Williams joined them by bagging his fourth 3-pointer on four attempts. Later, Copeland made a nifty move to the lane to score and expand on NC State’s 88-83 edge.
Both teams shot over 61% in the first half, which ended with NC State holding a 51-50 edge. The teams combined to make 16 of 25 shots from 3-point range prior to the break.
As a result of the shooting success, there were only three offensive rebounds in the opening half. NC State held a 16-7 scoring edge from the free-throw line.
Pitt made 12 of its first 18 shots from the field, including 8-for-12 on 3s, and led 34-25. But the Wolfpack got rolling, with McNeil’s three 3-pointers contributing to a surge of less than four minutes that produced a 10-0 run on the way to a 43-40 lead.
–Bob Sutton, Field Level Media
Iowa rides Cooper Koch, 21-0 run to move past Maryland
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