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Aaron Rodgers is expected to join the Steelers for a reunion with Mike McCarthy, while Breece Hall signs a major extension with the Jets and the NFL teases a record nine international games. The Thunder move to 3-0 against the Lakers, and Carolina co
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Welcome to The Sports Hangover Daily, I'm Michael Benatar. Today on the show: Aaron Rodgers and Mike McCarthy are about to reunite in Pittsburgh and I have thoughts, Breece Hall just got a massive bag from the Jets, the NFL schedule drop is coming this week with some wild international games, and the Thunder are one win from sweeping LeBron and the Lakers. Let's get into it.
Alright, Pittsburgh. This Rodgers thing is getting real. Ian Rapoport reported that Rodgers was expected to visit the Steelers this weekend and is likely to play for them in twenty twenty-six. And I get why Pittsburgh wants him. The man went ten and six in sixteen starts last year. Completed almost sixty-six percent of his passes. Twenty-four touchdowns, seven picks. That's a productive season. But here's what makes this so good. Mike McCarthy is now the head coach in Pittsburgh. Rodgers played under McCarthy for thirteen years in Green Bay. Won two MVPs. Won Super Bowl forty-five. These two know each other better than most married couples. And that's either a great thing or a terrible thing. Because Rodgers and McCarthy didn't exactly end on great terms in Green Bay. There were reports of tension, of Rodgers undermining the play-calling, of a relationship that just ran its course. Now they're back together, and Rodgers is about to turn forty-three during the season. OTAs start May eighteenth. If this deal doesn't get done in the next week, Rodgers misses first-team reps and you're already behind. And multiple outlets are reporting that Rodgers wanted more respect throughout this process. That's classic Aaron. The talent is still there. But the ego comes with it. Pittsburgh, you know what you're signing up for. I just hope McCarthy does too.
Sticking with the NFL — Breece Hall is no longer playing on the franchise tag. The Jets locked him up with a three-year, forty-five point seven five million dollar extension. That is serious money for a running back in today's market. And honestly? He's earned it. Hall has been the most dynamic piece of that Jets offense for two years now. You don't let that walk. Smart move by New York. Get it done, move on, build around the kid.
Speaking of building — the NFL schedule drop is this week and there are some great details already out. Nine international games this season. A record. The season opens on a Wednesday night — some team at Seattle, September ninth on NBC. That's only the second Wednesday opener in seventy-five years. Then Thursday you get Rams versus Niners in Melbourne, Australia on Netflix. And the Cowboys play the Ravens in Rio de Janeiro on September twenty-seventh. Dallas going international, prime time, against Lamar Jackson in Brazil. That's gonna be appointment television. The full two hundred seventy-two game schedule drops Wednesday night on NFL Network and ESPN2.
Also worth noting — the Giants and Odell Beckham are still dancing around a reunion. John Harbaugh says he's had multiple conversations with OBJ and believes the guy can still contribute in this league. But the Giants already have Malik Nabers coming back from his ACL tear, plus Darnell Mooney and Calvin Austin. So where does a thirty-three-year-old Beckham fit? I think this is more nostalgia than roster need. But stranger things have happened at the Meadowlands.
Now the NBA — the Oklahoma City Thunder demolished the Lakers last night, one thirty-one to one oh eight, and they lead the series three games to nothing. Shai had twenty-three and nine assists, but the real story was Ajay Mitchell going off for twenty-four points and ten assists. Career playoff highs. LA actually led at halftime, fifty-nine to fifty-seven. Then OKC flipped a switch in the second half and it was over. The Thunder are seven and oh this postseason. Seven and oh. LeBron and the Lakers are staring at a sweep on Monday night and there is no cavalry coming.
In the East, Cleveland kept their series alive against Detroit, winning one sixteen to one oh nine. Donovan Mitchell went for thirty-five and ten rebounds. The Cavs ended the game on a thirteen to five run in the final few minutes. Harden hit some clutch shots. Max Strus came up with a huge steal and go-ahead bucket. Pistons still lead the series two to one but that felt like a must-win for Cleveland, and they got it done.
And real quick on the ice — Carolina completed the sweep of Philadelphia in overtime last night, three to two. Jackson Blake scored five minutes and change into the extra period. The Hurricanes are eight and oh this postseason. They swept the first round, they swept the second round. That is dominant hockey. They're sitting in the Eastern Conference Final now just waiting to see who shows up. Filip Gustavsson and that defense have been suffocating.
Here's the Hangover Take. The running back market is back, and GMs around the league should be nervous. Breece Hall just got forty-five point seven five million. Saquon Barkley got paid. McCaffrey got paid. Josh Jacobs got paid. For years, the analytics crowd told us running backs don't matter. Don't draft them early. Don't pay them. Let them walk. And now? Teams are handing out massive deals to their bell-cow backs again. Because it turns out, when you have a great running back, your offense just works better. Your play-action hits. Your quarterback's life gets easier. The market is correcting itself in real time. And if you're a team with a young back on a rookie deal who's producing — Bijan Robinson, Jahmyr Gibbs, whoever — you better start planning for that extension now. Because the price tag just went up again.
That's your hangover. Go hydrate. I'll see you tomorrow.