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Good morning, sports fans! It’s Austin Nivison greeting you on this wonderful Wednesday morning. The Eagles still haven’t made a decision on A.J. Brown’s future with the team, the Braves locked in their ace and Victor Wembamyama is making his presence felt in the NBA MVP race.
Let’s get to all those stories and many more from the world of sports, shall we?
⚾ Five things to know Wednesday
- The Braves signed Chris Sale to a $27 million contract extension. Sale was entering the final season of his contract, but now he stays in Atlanta at least through the 2027 season. Sale signed a one-year extension worth $27 million, and the deal includes a $30 million club option for 2028. Sale is expected to be an ace for the Braves again this year after posting a 2.58 ERA and 165 strikeouts in 2025.
- The Eagles are still noncommittal about the future of WR A.J. Brown. Will the Eagles have their star receiver back for the 2026 season? That remains an open question after Nick Sirianni told reporters he couldn’t “guarantee” Brown would be on the roster. General manager Howie Roseman said he would have to listen to trade offers if other teams reached out. Brown made his frustrations know last season as the Eagles’ offense sputtered, and he finished with 78 catches for 1,003 yards and seven touchdowns.
- Trent Williams is still working through his contract issues with the 49ers. With Williams slated to carry a $39 million cap hit in 2026, there’s a real possibility that his time in San Francisco is coming to an end, despite optimism from GM John Lynch. If Williams does hit the open market, expect a long list of teams to be interested, including the AFC champion Patriots.
- The SEC fined Kentucky coach Mark Pope $25,000 for criticizing officials. Pope’s bank account just got a little bit lighter thanks to his off-mic comments about the officiating in Kentucky’s loss to Auburn last week. The SEC slapped Pope with a $25,000 fine — as well as a public reprimand — for publicly criticizing officials. After walking away from the podoium on Saturday, Pope had some strong — and loud — words about the officiating on The Plains.
- Virginia QB Chandler Morris seeks a seventh year of eligibility. After leading Virginia to the ACC title game in 2025, Chandler Morris completed his sixth year of NCAA eligibility, but his college career may not be over just yet. Morris has filed a lawsuit against the NCAA as he seeks a seventh college season. Morris and the Cavaliers have to hope that his suit is more successful than that of former Tennessee quarterback Joey Aguilar, who was recently denied a preliminary injunction in his quest for another year of eligibility.
🏈 Do not miss this: College Football Playoff newcomers in 2026?
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With College Football Playoff expansion reaching 16 teams, we’ve seen a number of fresh faces in the tournament over the last couple years. When the 2026 season kicks off this fall, a few new programs will be hoping to break through for their first playoff berth.
Our own Brad Crawford identified the teams capable of making their first College Football Playoff appearance. It’s pretty surprising that a program like USC, given its history of competing for national titles, has yet to reach the playoff. That could change later this year, thanks to a lot of firepower in the backfield.
- Crawford: “The Trojans are due under his watch, at least that’s how boosters feel approaching his fifth campaign. USC prioritized bringing back quarterback Jayden Maiava after a 3,700-yard season and its running back room is lethal with Waymond Jordan and King Miller as the headliners.”
Oklahoma State, another one of those teams looking to crash the College Football Playoff party, might be able to ride one of the country’s most explosive offenses to title contention.
🏀 NBA MVP Rankings: Wemby is on the rise
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The NBA MVP race, complicated by the league’s 65-game rule, is really starting to heat up. Thunder star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is the clear frontrunner at the moment, but don’t count out a late push from Spurs standout Victor Wembanyama.
Yes, Wembanyama is a bit of a long shot at the moment, but hear us out. By “us” I mean NBA writer Brad Botkin, who updated his NBA MVP Rankings. Wembanyama is now in the top three thanks to his role in the red-hot Spurs’ nine-game winning streak. The numbers have been gaudy, and it will be especially tough to rule Wembanyama out of the MVP race if San Antonio passes Oklahoma City for the top seed in the West.
- Botkin: “Over San Antonio’s current nine-game winning streak he’s averaging 24.9 points, 12 rebounds, 3.4 assists, 3.4 blocks and 1.3 steals a night. For the season, he’s currently on track to become the only player in NBA history to average over 24 points, 11 rebounds and two blocks in less than 30 minutes per game.”
Sitting at the other end of the spectrum are the teams gunning for the No. 1 overall pick. Tanking has been a hot topic in the NBA lately, and few teams are better at it than the Bulls, who are moving in the right (or wrong) direction in our latest Tank Watch.
👍👎 The best (and not-so-best) of the rest
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📺 What we’re watching Wednesday
🏀 No. 15 St. John’s at No. 6 UConn (M), 7 p.m. on NBCSN
🏀 No. 7 Florida at Texas (M), 7 p.m. on ESPN2
🏀 Thunder at Pistons, 7:30 p.m. on ESPN
🏒 Maple Leafs at Lightning, 7:30 p.m. on TNT
🏀 No. 8 Michigan at No. 13 Ohio State (W), 8 p.m. on Peacock
🏀 Celtics at Nuggets, 10 p.m. on ESPN
🏒 Golden Knights at Kings, 10 p.m. on TNT
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