NFL

Titans QB Will Levis out for season with right shoulder injury

A reset year of learning and watching from the sidelines might not be the worst thing in the world for Levis. The 26-year-old suffered this injury early last season, and it hadn’t healed as hoped. In the end, the Titans and Levis opted for surgery to initiate a long but full recovery.

Levis’ first two seasons haven’t gone according to plan. The 2023 second-round pick struggled as a rookie, posting a 34.0 QBR. Unfortunately, he regressed as a sophomore, seeing his mark drop to 27.8. Despite that, Levis increased his completion percentage from 58.4 to 63.1 percent, while tossing 13 touchdowns.

Cameron Ward is Tennessee’s future at quarterback, so it remains to be seen what’ll happen with Levis upon his return. With 2026 being his last season under contract, the Titans could very well move on before Levis throws another pass with the franchise. That would be bold, but it’s a new era in Tennessee, and the regime that drafted Levis is gone.

Packers sign OT Zach Tom to four-year, $88 million contract extension

Tom has long been one of the most underrated offensive linemen — and arguably players — in the NFL, so this extension is well deserved. The 26-year-old can play anywhere on the offensive line, but he’s settled in at right tackle for Green Bay. Thus, he’s being paid the going rate for top offensive tackles.

The Packers have done some recent shuffling up front — there’s an ongoing battle at left tackle — but Tom provides stability. In a just world, the right tackle earns his first Pro-Bowl selection in 2025. Those honors, however, sometimes tend to be based on popularity. Tom’s effectiveness has gone overlooked, so he could fall victim to that ridiculousness — again.

Grade: B+

NBA

Clippers sign PG Chris Paul to one-year, $3.6 million contract

Paul recently announced that his 21st season would be his last, so it’s fitting that he’ll return to one of his most famous stops. The 40-year-old is obviously far removed from the player that was making All-NBA teams and throwing lobs to Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan, but he’s still a capable backup. Signing Paul for the veteran minimum, the Clippers are getting a steal.

Impressively enough, Paul appeared in 82 games last season with the Spurs, the first time in his illustrious career doing so. That reliability will matter to the Clippers, a team with a couple of injury-prone veterans. Durability is critical, but Paul’s most resourceful skill is — and always has been — his passing. Don’t expect the point guard to record 10 — or even eight — assists per game anymore, but Paul’s still an elite table setter.

LA is loading up for a big run next spring. The Clippers boast loads of experience, and, really, there are only two major questions regarding those veterans. First, can they stay healthy? We don’t know the answer, but somehow that’s not even the most pressing inquiry. The biggest question — and we probably won’t find out until April — is how much left in the tank do Kawhi Leonard, James Harden, Bradley Beal and Paul have? Leonard and Harden fared well in the playoffs last season, but it was only for one series. Frankly, I doubt these Clippers can put together a two-month stretch of winning basketball in the playoffs.

All of that is for another day, though. For now, the Clippers are excited and feeling ambitious about their prospects for this year. I can’t fault them for that.

Grade: A

Kings sign SF Doug McDermott to one-year, $3.6 million contract

This agreement is for the veteran minimum. In reality, that’s all the 33-year-old is worth now, as he’s no longer the quality scorer he was at the beginning of the decade.

McDermott’s jumper, as expected, hasn’t abandoned him. Last season with Sacramento, he shot 43.6 percent from three, a notch above his career average. He did so in just 8.1 minutes per game, so he won’t be called upon to shoot often.

At this point in the offseason, adding a player with one elite skill like McDermott isn’t a bad idea. The playoff-hopeful Kings could use help along the margins, and the forward can still provide that assistance, albeit in a limited capacity.

Grade: C+

MLB

Guardians 10, Orioles 5

Explosive offensive performances are rare for the Guardians, but we’ve seen a couple lately. Tonight’s onslaught was aided by two light-hitting players, Brayan Rocchio and Bo Naylor, who combined for four hits. Naylor at least offers some slug, but both youngsters have struggled at the dish this season.

The clock is ticking on the Orioles. Baltimore dug itself a 15-32 hole in May, but a deficit that early can be made up — with great play the rest of the way. That hasn’t happened, though. Baltimore has simply played mediocre baseball since that horrid start, leading to its 44-55 mark.

Pirates 3, Tigers 0

Baseball historians are going to look back at Paul Skenes’ 2025 season with awe. For starters, the Pittsburgh ace has been arguably the best pitcher in the sport, compiling a 1.91 ERA and 137 strikeouts. If that wasn’t enough, Skenes is doing so as a 23-year-old, with his best baseball likely ahead of him. Unfortunately, the controversial — or at least brushed aside — win-loss statistic hasn’t been kind to the right-hander.

Skenes put forth his typical output yesterday — six innings of scoreless ball — which only gave him his fifth win of the year. Fifth win! But more importantly, against eight — eight! — losses. Water will find its level, so it’s fair to assume that Skenes will finish the season above .500, but it’s crazy to have to even state that. Ben Cherington, get your franchise player some run support — and a better supporting cast.

Facing Skenes is always a recipe for a challenging game, but last night came at a frustrating time for the Tigers. Detroit isn’t going to be challenged in the AL Central — that’s for certain — but red flags are flying. The Tigers have scored just three runs over their last four games. That needs to be rectified, and soon.