Report: Seahawks not expected to tag Super Bowl MVP Kenneth Walker III

The Super Bowl MVP may be moving on.

Running back Kenneth Walker III is not expected to receive the franchise tag from the Seattle Seahawks, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported on Tuesday.

Walker III will likely hit free agency. If he signs elsewhere, he would become just the fourth Super Bowl MVP ever to not return to his team the next season.

The 25-year-old earned the prestigious honour at Super Bowl LX after gaining 135 yards on 27 carries in the Seahawks’ 29-13 win over the New England Patriots.

A second-round pick of Seattle’s in 2022 out of Michigan State, Walker III has rushed for 3,555 yards over 821 career regular-season totes with 29 touchdowns. He also has 1,005 receiving yards to go with two scores through the air.

Walker III is coming off his second-career 1,000-yard rushing season after compiling 1,027 yards while playing in all 17 games for the first time.

His ensuing playoff performance was one for the ages, totalling 417 yards and four touchdowns over three games.

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Oilers looking at skaters, not goalies ahead of deadline

The Edmonton Oilers are prioritizing skaters over goaltending as they approach next week’s trade deadline.

The Oilers sit in third in the Pacific Division, just three points ahead of the Seattle Kraken, who hold the final wild-card spot in the West. But with a loss to the Sharks on Saturday and a 1-2 record out of the Olympic break, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported that the team is looking to add a forward or a defenceman.

One name mentioned was the Maple Leafs’ Oliver Ekman-Larsson, whom Friedman believes is “on the Oilers’ radar”.

“From what I’ve heard, I think Edmonton is looking at two possibilities: a defenceman who can play the right side, OEL has done that before, or potentially a third centre, especially if Ryan Nugent-Hopkins stays on the wing,” Friedman said on Hockey Night in Canada’s Saturday Headlines segment. “They’ve got to move on from (Andrew) Mangiapane, but those are, I think, the two positions that Edmonton is considering shoring up.”

Ekman-Larsson has enjoyed a solid season with the Maple Leafs, logging eight goals and 25 assists in 59 games, and represented Team Sweden at the Olympics.

The 34-year-old is under contract for two more seasons after this one with an average-annual value of $3.5 million, and despite being a left-shot, often plays on the right side with Toronto.

The Oilers currently have just $10,508 in cap space and $12,009 in deadline cap space, per PuckPedia, meaning some money would need to go out in order to add to the roster.

Mangiapane makes $3.6 million for this season and next, far too rich for a struggling player on a cap-strapped team. The 29-year-old signed in Edmonton last off-season, and he’s produced just seven goals and seven assists this year while receiving a handful of healthy scratches.

Friedman also added that he doesn’t believe the Oilers will look to add a goalie despite the recent struggles from Tristan Jarry and Connor Ingram.

“No, I don’t think so. They’ve already made their move,” Friedman replied when asked if the team will target a netminder. “I think they’re either looking at D or 3C”.

Jarry, of course, was acquired on Dec. 12 from the Penguins in exchange for goalie Stuart Skinner.

But in 12 contests with Edmonton, Jarry has posted a 3.85 goals-against average and an .864 save percentage. Ingram, meanwhile, owns a 2.75 GAA and a .894 save percentage in 16 games.

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Report: Vikings moving on from RB Jones, DT Hargrave

The Minnesota Vikings are poised to make significant moves ahead of the new league year.

According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the Vikings have informed running back Aaron Jones and defensive tackle Javon Hargrave that, barring a trade, both will be released at the start of the league year later this month.

The moves would create some financial flexibility for Minnesota. Releasing Jones would save the club $7.75 million against the salary cap, while moving on from Hargrave would clear an additional $10.9 million.

Jones, who joined the Vikings after spending the first seven seasons of his career with the Green Bay Packers, provided veteran stability and versatility in the backfield. The 31-year-old played in just 12 regular-season games due to a slew of injuries, finishing with 132 carries for 548 yards and two touchdowns while adding 28 catches (on 41 targets) for 199 yards and a score

Hargrave, meanwhile, was brought in to bolster the defensive front with his interior pass-rush ability. He had 3.5 sacks, four tackles for loss and 52 total tackles in 16 games.

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Premier League Roundup: Bournemouth stretches unbeaten run to eight

Bournemouth stretched its unbeaten run in the Premier League to eight games by fighting back to draw 1-1 with Sunderland on Saturday thanks to an equalizer by substitute Evanilson.

The Brazilian striker converted Marcus Tavernier’s cross with his shoulder in the 63rd minute to cancel out Eliezer Mayenda’s opener for Sunderland.

Bournemouth is making a late run for European qualification and is six points behind Chelsea in fifth place, which could secure a place in the Champions League.

There are four more games on Saturday, including Liverpool hosting West Ham before second place Manchester City visits Leeds.

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Messi knocked down as fans storm pitch during Inter Miami friendly in Puerto Rico

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — Soccer star Lionel Messi was knocked to the ground by a fan and a security guard at the end of Inter Miami’s friendly match in Puerto Rico.

Inter Miami was playing Ecuador’s Independiente del Valle in Bayamón on Thursday when a fan ran to the center circle and grabbed Messi by the waist before both were pulled down by a security guard.

Messi appeared to be unharmed. The Argentine star immediately got up and walked to another part of the pitch.

It happened around the 88th minute of the exhibition tour match. Several fans jumped onto the pitch at Juan Ramón Loubriel stadium.

The match was originally scheduled for Feb. 13, but was postponed because Messi felt discomfort in his leg during the previous exhibition match against Barcelona SC of Ecuador.

Santiago Morales and Messi scored in the 16th and 70th minutes, respectively, to give Inter Miami a 2-1 win.

Miami, which started its MLS season with a 3-0 loss to LAFC, faces Orlando City next Sunday.

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Toronto FC lands U.S. striker Josh Sargent as designated player

Toronto FC finally secured their striker signing American forward Josh Sargent to a long-term deal from EFL Championship side Norwich City FC.

The 26-year-old will join TFC as a designated player with his deal running through the 2030-31 MLS season, the club announced Friday.

To complete the move, Toronto also acquired Sargent’s MLS right of first refusal from St. Louis City SC in exchange for $500,000 in General Allocation Money — split evenly across 2026 and 2027 — with up to $225,000 more in conditional GAM tied to performance incentives.

The deal is pending a medical, work permit and International Transfer Certificate.

Sargent spent five seasons in England with Norwich, making his Premier League debut in August 2021. The Missouri native produced 56 goals and 15 assists in 157 appearances across all competitions.

Sargent was named to the Championship Team of the Season in 2024-25 after posting 15 goals and five assists in just 32 league matches, including an 11-goal surge over a 15-game stretch.

Before his move to England, Sargent spent two-and-a-half seasons in Germany with SV Werder Bremen, tallying 15 goals and nine assists in 83 appearances.

Internationally, Sargent has made 29 appearances and scored five goals for the United States. He represented the Americans at the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, appearing in all three group-stage matches.

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