Burke Sports Talk

NCAAF 2025 five-star LB Riley Pettijohn commits to Ohio State If the current commitments stick — and in today’s day and age, that’s a big if — Ohio State’s linebacker room should be fortified for years to come. In addition to Pettijohn, a fast and rangy sideline-to-sideline linebacker, the Buckeyes also have Tarvos Alford’s pledge.…

NBA Magic sign SF Franz Wagner to five-year, $224 million contract Wagner is an ascending talent, despite an 8 percent drop in three-point percentage last season, so Orlando is doing the right thing by locking him up. One could haggle over whether or not the forward is worth the supermax, but the Magic are clearly…

NFL Rams sign S John Johnson to one-year contract Contract details weren’t released, but I wouldn’t be surprised if Johnson signed for the minimum. The safety is no longer the player he was during his first stint with the Rams, but he can bring familiarity and depth to Los Angeles. The Rams drafted Kamren Kinchens…

NBA Lakers sign SF LeBron James to two-year, $104 million contract As expected, James returns to the Lakers, and while he’s no longer the league’s best player — he probably still lands in the top 10 — the 39-year-old is still good enough to help drag Los Angeles to the playoffs. James surely had options…

NFL Patriots sign LB Jahlani Tavai to three-year, $15 million contract extension Tavai recorded 105 tackles, one sack and two interceptions in a variety of roles for New England last season, and the organization is smartly keeping the linebacker around. Grade: A- NBA Cavaliers sign SG Donovan Mitchell to three-year, $150.3 million contract extension Cleveland…

NBA 76ers sign SF Paul George to four-year, $212 million contract The 76ers — armed with upwards of $60 million in salary cap space entering free agency — were equipped to upgrade their roster more than any other contender. In an era of first and second aprons hamstringing franchises from adding talent, Philadelphia had a…

NBA Heat sign C Bam Adebayo to three-year, $166 million contract extension This extension ties Adebayo with the Heat through 2029, his age-31 season. Miami’s center is one of the top players at the position — a three-time All-Star and four-time All-Defensive honoree — but this is a ton of money. Obviously, Adebayo needs to…

NBA Cavaliers hire Kenny Atkinson as head coach Predicting the success of coaching hires — even retreads like Atkinson — is a tricky proposition. The 57-year-old is a well-respected assistant and guided an overachieving Nets club for four seasons, but he’s yet to lead a team with expectations similar to those he’ll be facing with…

MLB Phillies 4, Diamondbacks 1 Philadelphia wisely locked the emerging Cristopher Sanchez up with a four-year deal on Friday, and the 27-year-old rewarded the Phillies yesterday. Sanchez is more or less the No. 4 starter in a stacked Phillies rotation, but he’s pitched like a typical No. 2 at worst through 15 starts. In this…

MLB Mets 11, Cubs 1 Shota Imanaga, a fly ball pitcher, has mostly limited the power of opposing lineups this season, but all trends sort themselves out over time. The Mets made sure of that in this contest, tagging Chicago’s lauded rookie for three homers and 10 runs. Imanaga entered the day with a 1.89…

NFL Patriots sign RB Rhamondre Stevenson to four-year, $36 million contract extension New England has prioritized retaining its own talent this offseason by locking up Stevenson, Mike Onwenu, Kyle Duggar, Hunter Henry and Kendrick Bourne to long-term deals. I can’t fault the process — keeping home-grown players around is normally wise — but the Patriots…

NCAAF 2026 five-star QB Dia Bell commits to Texas Bell, the No. 10 recruit in 2026, will have a somewhat clear path to the field early in his Longhorn career. Arch Manning will follow Quinn Ewers after this season, but in the event Manning enters the 2026 NFL Draft, Bell, the son of former NBA…

MLB Cubs 5, Cardinals 1 How bad have things been going for the Cubs? Prior to this win, Chicago hadn’t beaten a team by more than three runs since May 15th — one month ago — against the Braves. Suffice to say, the 34-37 Cubs needed this victory, one aided by the indomitable Shota Imanaga.…

NCAAF 2025 four-star S Kainoa Winston commits to Michigan Michigan has been lagging on the recruiting trail since Sherrone Moore was promoted to head coach, so receiving Winston’s pledge is a nice boost for the Wolverines. Winston, the No. 88 player for 2025, instantly becomes arguably the best player in Michigan’s 40th-ranked class. NCAAB Illinois…

MLB Brewers 5, Blue Jays 4 The 40-28 Brewers are very adept at winning close games, a trend that’s been in place for a few years. Much of the credit in previous seasons went to Craig Counsell, but perhaps it was misplaced, at least to a degree. Pat Murphy has done a good job in…

My NBA Draft big board is well underway and will likely be posted the week of the draft — probably on Monday or Tuesday. It’s a weak draft — no doubt about it — but it will surely produce effective NBA players. MLB Orioles 5, Rays 2 With Baltimore opting to bat Gunnar Henderson leadoff,…

NFL Chiefs sign WR Mecole Hardman to one-year contract Monetary details for this contract weren’t released, but I’m guessing it’s a cheap deal. Kansas City, with Rashee Rice’s legal issues and Marquise Brown being a new addition, has a lot of uncertainty at wide receiver, so it makes sense for the franchise to bring back…

NFL 49ers sign RB Christian McCaffrey to two-year, $38 million contract extension While this is framed as a contract extension, in actuality, the 49ers ripped up McCaffrey’s old two-year deal and replaced it with a four-year, $62.2 million contract. Either way, the new money in this pact averages at $19 million per year, far above…

NFL Vikings sign WR Justin Jefferson to four-year, $140 million contract extension The 24 year old is almost certainly the best wide receiver in the sport, but the market for the position has run amok. Don’t get me wrong, wideouts deserve their fair share — they’re less valuable than only quarterbacks, left tackles, edge rusher…