Take a breath, Seattle Seahawks fans. Your QB1 is okay.

Sam Darnold appeared on the Seahawks’ injury report Thursday as a limited participant due to an oblique injury. This was unexpected; Darnold was off the report on Tuesday and Wednesday.

The team listed him as questionable to play in Saturday’s divisional playoff game against NFC West foe San Francisco.

He later confirmed that he would indeed be suiting up against the 49ers.

‘Kind of just felt a little something on that oblique, just didn’t want to push it,’ Darnold said today. ‘Wasn’t the day to push it so that was it. So I just came inside, got some rehab and feel like I’ll be ready to go for Saturday.’

Thursday was the final practice for the Seahawks due to the short week. They’ll be at home for Saturday’s game against the visiting No. 6 seed 49ers.

Seattle took care of business on the road against San Francisco the last time these two teams faced off. The Seahawks’ defense held the 49ers’ offense in check for a 13-3 win in Week 18.

Darnold was a steady 20 for 26 passing for 198 yards in that one. He fumbled once but it did not end in a turnover for the Seahawks.

This is the fourth time Darnold is playing his former team, but the first time in the postseason. Darnold spent the 2023 season with the 49ers on their way to an NFC title before signing with Minnesota in 2024. The Vikings and 49ers faced off in Week 2 of the 2024 season with Darnold and Minnesota earning a 23-17 win.

Saturday marks Darnold’s first playoff game since the Vikings’ 27-9 loss in the wild-card round of the 2024 playoffs. He struggled in that game and completed 25 of 40 passes for 245 yards, one touchdown, one interception and a fumble lost.

The Rams defense sacked him nine times in that game. He and the Seahawks will be hoping for a better result this time in the postseason.

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At least SEC country can celebrate one title this offseason. The Nielsen ratings are in for the 2025 college football season and Birmingham, Alabama ranked No. 1.

Six other SEC markets made the top 10, though Ohio State’s rabid fan base helped the Buckeyes land spots No. 2 (Columbus) and No. 3 (Dayton).

Here’s a look at this year’s top 10 markets, which didn’t feature too many surprises. However, Indianapolis is notably absent despite Indiana’s historic season and a heavy Notre Dame contingent in the market. Guess it just means more down south.

Top TV markets for 2025 college football season

List via Nielsen, numbers from July 31-Dec. 17.

1. Birmingham (Alabama/Auburn)
2. Columbus (Ohio State)
3. Dayton (Ohio State)
4. Greenville-Spartanburg-Asheville (Clemson)
5. Tulsa (Oklahoma/Oklahoma State)
6. Oklahoma City (Oklahoma)
7. Atlanta (Georgia/Georgia Tech)
8. Knoxville (Tennessee)
9. New Orleans (LSU)
10. Jacksonville (Florida/Georgia)

Kyle Tucker, the top slugger and most coveted player on this year’s free agent market, startled the baseball industry with a destination that’s become all too familiar to those finishing out of the money for a player’s services: The two-time defending champion Los Angeles Dodgers.

Tucker spurned the Toronto Blue Jays and New York Mets and instead agreed to terms Jan. 15 with the Dodgers on a four-year, $240 million contract, a person familiar with the agreement confirmed to USA TODAY Sports. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the deal, first reported by ESPN, has not been finalized. Tucker’s contract will include opt-outs after the second and third years.

Tucker, who turns 29 in January, was undeniably the top free agent this winter after first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr. signed a 14-year, $500 million extension with the Blue Jays. And after the Blue Jays reached Game 7 of the World Series and signaled their intention to remain aggressive, they appeared to be the frontrunner for Tucker’s services.

Instead, the Dodgers – who just more than two months ago vanquished the Blue Jays in an unforgettable World Series Game 7 – prevailed again.

While it took two months of free agency for Tucker to find a home, he had no shortage of options as the bidding process wound down. The Mets offered him a reported $50 million annual salary, but on a shorter-term deal, a parameter the Dodgers apparently preferred as well; despite a half-billion dollar roster, the Dodgers were in need of outfield punch and lurked in the running.

And now they will land him on an average annual salary that trails only new teammate Shohei Ohtani’s heavily-deferred 10-year, $700 million deal.

Tucker becomes the eighth Dodger with a nine-figure contract, and with the off-season not yet finished, pushes their estimated 2026 payroll commitment to $334 million – and their competitive balance tax payroll will far exceed $400 million.

Tucker, a four-time All-Star, has reached the playoffs in every season since 2019, lifting the Chicago Cubs to a wild-card berth in 2025 after a stint with the Houston Astros that included a 2022 World Series title.

He’s been one of the game’s most consistent offensive producers in that span.

Tucker has accumulated 25.3 Wins Above Replacement since 2021 and posted a 145 adjusted OPS in that span. He’s posted a .277/.365/.514 slash line and averaged 27 home runs per season.

Selected with the fifth overall pick by the Astros in 2015, Tucker, a four-time All-Star was one of the last remaining connections to that rebuild and prosperity when Houston traded him to the Cubs over the winter.

In his one year in Chicago, he anchored a lineup that vaulted from 12^th in the major leagues in runs scored to fifth, with players like Pete Crow-Armstrong, Dansby Swanson and Nico Hoerner enjoying significant upticks in production.

While many factors contributed to those players’ improvements, it’s also hard to deny the downstream effect of Tucker’s presence. Though they were lauded for the return haul in their trade with the Cubs, the Astros nonetheless saw their streak of consecutive playoff appearances end at eight without Tucker.

“I think it kind of speaks for itself, right? We all know what he brings to this team,” Swanson told USA TODAY Sports in June when asked about Chicago retaining Tucker. “He’s an aircraft carrier of a guy in the lineup.

“He’s so good. How could you not want that?

The Dodgers agreed.

And now he’ll be the linchpin of a lineup laden with former MVPs, future Hall of Famers and nine-figure contracts. The Dodgers will blitz opposing pitchers with Ohtani ($700 million deal) in the leadoff spot, Mookie Betts ($365 million pact) hitting second, likely followed by Tucker and then Freddie Freeman ($162 million).

Heck, if they want to keep the left-right-left cadence, All-Star catcher Will Smith (a paltry $140 million man) can slide between Tucker and Freeman. Either way, the game’s greatest team just got a lot better – and left a hole in the lineups of those who came up short.

The Los Angeles Angels are acquiring outfielder Josh Lowe from the Tampa Bay Rays as part of a three-team trade that sends relief pitcher Brock Burke to the Cincinnati Reds, and infielder Gavin Lux and reliever Chris Clark to Tampa, ESPN’s Jeff Passan reported on Thursday night.

Lowe, a five-year veteran and 2016 draft pick by the Rays, is coming off a tough two-year stretch in which he has posted a combined slash line of .230/.292/.378 with 0.8 bWAR in 214 games. He missed 56 games in 2024 with a right oblique injury as his OPS dipped to .693 from a career-high .835 the year before. In 2025, Lowe strained his oblique again on Opening Day and didn’t return until May 15. He was never able to get into a rhythm from then on, finishing the season with a .649 OPS.

Despite the back-to-back injury-riddled seasons, Lowe remained a respected clubhouse presence among his Rays teammates. He fills a need for the Angels, who have been shorthanded in the outfield for quite some time. In 2025, the Halos’ outfield depth was a consistent issue and saw them shuffle through prospects such as Kyren Paris, Matthew Lugo and Bryce Teodosio. It’s worth noting that Lowe remains under club control for the next three years.

The Angels are betting on Lowe getting back to the level he was at in 2023, when he hit 20 home runs, finished top five in the American League in stolen bases (32) and posted career-high numbers across the board. That seems to be a philosophy Angels GM Perry Minasian has taken this offseason as he’s taken fliers on Kirby Yates, Grayson Rodriguez, Alek Manoah, Vaughn Grissom and Jordan Romano, all of whom are in need of a bounce-back year.

But even after freeing up a chunk of payroll with the deferment of third baseman Anthony Rendon’s contract last month, the Halos have yet to make a major move. It remains to be seen if they will this offseason.

“Offseasons are long, right?” Minasian told reporters. “If you look at what we did last year, I signed Kenley Jansen and Yoán Moncada with a couple days left right before Spring Training. So, there’s still a lot of good players out there.

‘We’re still looking for ways to improve the team.’

More than two months into Major League Baseball’s free agency period, plenty of elite talent remains ‒ though the overall depth available has been significantly hollowed out.

A run on relievers ‒ often the last class of players to come off the board ‒ finally gave way to elite sluggers finding homes, with Kyle Tucker’s stunning deal with the Los Angeles Dodgers leaving infielder Bo Bichette the best player available.

Who’s left on the free agency market? USA TODAY Sports ranks the top remaining free agents and breaks down who’s already signed:

Ages on April 1, 2026:

1. Bo Bichette (28, SS, Blue Jays)

Bichette’s sterling World Series performance on, essentially, one leg spoke to both his grit and significant skill set. Posted a .311/.357/.483 line before getting hurt. And if he’s better suited to second base in the future, consider that he’s hitting the market two years earlier than Marcus Semien, and that worked out OK for Texas.

2. Framber Valdez (32, LHP, Astros)

Not sure if he’ll sniff the Max Fried rent district for lefty starters but it never hurts when you’re literally one of two on the market. Valdez is consistently right around 200 innings, has a championship pedigree and suppresses the home run ball. Not an ideal conclusion to his Houston era, but it’s also easy enough to hand him the ball and set your alarm clock for September.

3. Cody Bellinger (30, OF/1B, Yankees)

Bellinger topped the 150-game mark for the first time since 2019 and had an excellent season his one year in the Bronx – producing 5.1 WAR, hitting 29 homers and playing typically sound defense. Given his health history, there will be some risk wagering on a hale Bellinger for the next five-plus years – but his overall skill set will be difficult to ignore.

4. Zac Gallen (30, RHP, Diamondbacks)

He led the NL in WHIP (0.91) and the majors in fewest hits per nine innings (5.9) in 2022, but regressed to 1.26 and 8.3/8.1 the past two seasons. He was much better once the trade deadline passed, posting a 3.32 ERA in his last 11 starts.

5. Lucas Giolito (31, RHP, Red Sox)

Giolito finally turned the page on a pair of injury-ravaged seasons to make 26 starts and post a 3.41 ERA, enough to comfortably decline his $19 million player option. Giolito completed at least six innings in 15 of his 26 starts, though he missed a playoff outing with elbow soreness.

6. Eugenio Suárez (34, 3B, Mariners)

Forty-nine home runs at age 34: What kind of a price do you put on that? Suarez, a free agent for the first time in his career, is about to find out. Suitors know what they’re getting: Punishing power, a ton of strikeouts, suboptimal defense at third but off the charts on the clubhouse affability index.

7. Chris Bassitt (37, RHP, Blue Jays)

A little high for the reliable righty? Well, consider that there are so few Chris Bassitts out there and this one just completed a three-year, $63 million deal with numbing consistency: 32 starts a year, a 3.89 ERA, nearly six innings per start. He topped that off with a selfless stint in the playoff bullpen, where he gave up one earned run in seven appearances.

8. Max Scherzer (41, RHP, Blue Jays)

He indicated after World Series Game 7 that he hadn’t thrown his final pitch, and he posted often enough in 2025 that the standard one year, $15.5 million deal should still be waiting for him.

9. Justin Verlander (43, RHP, Giants)

Those videos of Verlander and Scherzer playing bridge in the nursing home are gonna be wild 40 or so years from now. For now, though, they’ve got innings in their arms and for Verlander’s sake, hopefully he can find a home that’s both pitcher-friendly but also not totally lacking in run support: His 3.85 ERA resulted in a 4-11 record as he sits on 266 wins.

10. J.T. Realmuto (35, C, Phillies)

What’s the going rate for a highly skilled glue guy these days? Realmuto has been integral to the Phillies’ success in recent years, but he’s now a decade into a career as a big league catcher. His OPS and adjusted OPS sagged to career-worst marks of .700 and 91 last season, even as he caught a major-league high 132 games. Seems likely player and team will find a price agreeable to both.

11. Luis Arráez (28, INF/DH, Padres)

Let the Arráez Rorshach tests begin. Do you see a singles hitter with a league average OPS? Or a magician with elite bat-to-ball skills? A three-time batting champion with three teams? Or a guy who can never justify his lack of slug despite all those one-baggers. Be interesting to see what the market thinks.

12. Nick Martinez (35, RHP, Reds)

More invaluable than his peripherals indicate, Martinez took the ball 82 times over two years in Cincy, including 42 starts, and amassed 6.3 WAR and a steady 3.83 ERA.

13. Jose Quintana (37, LHP, Brewers)

Can we at least spare this man the indignity of nosing around for a job in March?

14. Paul Goldschmidt (38, 1B, Yankees)

Until further notice, he remains a decent right-handed platoon option at first, the Yankees eminently pleased at the 1.2 WAR and clubhouse gravitas he provided.

15. Harrison Bader (31, OF, Phillies)

The man simply seems to get better and more valuable with age. He received $6.25 million from Minnesota last winter, and after a July trade to Philadelphia was perhaps their most valuable player down the stretch.

16. Rhys Hoskins (33, 1B/DH, Brewers)

A bumpy couple of years in Milwaukee, where injuries and the emergence of Andrew Vaughn cut Hoskins out of the fun this past season. He struck out more than once per game as a Brewer but did salvage league-average OPS thanks to his power.

17. Zack Littell (30, RHP, Reds)

Littell completed the transition from swingman to full-fledged starter the past two seasons and this year reached 186 ⅔ innings with Tampa Bay and Cincinnati. Just 130 strikeouts might give suitors pause to believe he can repeat it, but Littell has proven himself as a reliable innings-eater.

18. Seranthony Dominguez (31, RHP, Blue Jays)

Durable and relatively dependable, Dominguez cut his home runs per nine in half this year (1.5 to .7) and landed a high-leverage spot in a playoff bullpen after a trade to Toronto.

19. Tomoyuki Sugano (36, RHP, Orioles)

A tale of three seasons for Sugano, who started strongly, faded badly and then made a mini-comeback to land almost exactly on the definition of ‘quality start’: A 10-10 record and 4.64 ERA. Probably did enough to land another job stateside in 2026.

20. Michael Conforto (33, OF, Dodgers)

Will that beautiful left-handed swing again prove irresistible to a suitor? The Dodgers gambled $17 million that they could turn him into a weapon and he batted .199 and did not make the playoff rosters.

21. Marcell Ozuna (35, DH, Braves)

Last call for the full-time DH? The Braves couldn’t get rid of Ozuna at the trade deadline and now he’ll take his 21 homers to the market. Hit 40 and 39 homers in 2023-24, finishing fourth in NL MVP voting in ’24.

22. Isiah Kiner-Falefa (31, INF, Blue Jays)

Simple though his role may be, there’s simply not many IKFs out there, tasked with catching the ball, running the bases well and possessing the ability to fill in anywhere on the infield.

23. Austin Hays (30, OF, Reds)

Cincy was a solid fit for Hays, who smacked 15 homers in 380 at-bats. Still adept in a right-handed platoon role.

24. Patrick Corbin (36, LHP, Rangers)

Can still eat innings – 155 of ‘em in 2025 – and now with a little less pain, as he shaved his ERA from 5.62 his final year in Washington to 4.40 in Texas.

25. David Robertson (40, RHP, Phillies)

Used to be only Roger Clemens could get away with chilling out for a few months and then hopping aboard a playoff train. Robertson did so to some success in Philly; will he be up for the long haul next spring?

26. Tommy Kahnle (36, RHP, Tigers)

Leaving New York – where he’d posted a 2.38 ERA his past two seasons – was tricky for Kahnle, whose 4.43 ERA was his worst since 2018.

27. Daniel Coulombe (36, LHP, Rangers)

Was better before he got caught up in the Twins fire sale (1.16 ERA in Minnesota, 5.25 in 15 appearances in Texas) but on balance remains one of the most reliable and versatile lefty relief options available.

28. Jakob Junis (33, RHP, Guardians)

All he does is get outs, though the itinerant swingman did see some WHIP inflation (1.230) this past season.

29. Walker Buehler (31, RHP, Phillies)

The arm is too good to give up on, even if the Red Sox had little choice but to do so after posting a 5.45 ERA and 5.89 FIP in 22 starts there. He fared a little better in a two-start look-see with Philadelphia, but he’ll clearly be in a short-term incentive-laden situation in 2025.

30. Jon Gray (34, RHP, Rangers)

His 2025 was a wash, as a fractured wrist in spring training and shoulder neuritis limited him to six appearances.

31. Tyler Anderson (36, LHP, Angels)

Seemed like a quick three years in Anaheim, mercifully, where Anderson posted a good year, not-so-good and a so-so season. He’s coming off the last of those, the biggest bugaboo a career worst 1.8 homers per nine.

32. Miles Mikolas (37, RHP, Cardinals)

A bit of will-he or won’t-he involved with Mikolas, who may retire, though he’s never one to leave any innings on the table. Last year, he ate up 156 ⅓ of them, with a 4.84 ERA.

33. Victor Caratini (32, C, Astros)

A fairly deluxe backup catcher, with a league-average OPS, 12 homers and well-regarded behind the plate.

34. Miguel Andujar (30, INF, Reds)

A nifty revival for the 2018 Rookie of the Year runner-up, as he posted an .822 OPS with the A’s and Reds and positioned himself as a versatile righty platoon bat going forward.

35. Justin Wilson (38, LHP, Red Sox)

About as close to a LOOGY as one can get in this three-batter minimum era, as Wilson tossed 48 1/3 innings in 61 appearances, holding lefties to a .212 average.

36. Mitch Garver (35, C/DH, Mariners)

The bat continues to fade, but Garver did catch 43 games backing up the Big Dumper in Seattle.

37. Scott Barlow (33, RHP, Reds)

A throw-till-you-blow guy and well, Barlow hasn’t blown yet, his 75 appearances always a value to a team needing innings.

38. Martin Perez (34, LHP, White Sox)

Declined the player portion of his mutual option after a flexor strain limited him to 10 starts in 2025.

39. Starling Marte (37, OF, Mets)

His four years of meritorious, if injury-plagued, service in Flushing are over. But Marte should still retain some value as an extra outfielder.

40. Andrew McCutchen (39, OF, Pirates)

He’s not so sure about that open invitation to return to Pittsburgh, but has indicated he’ll run it back one more time, somewhere, in 2026.

41. Brent Suter (36, LHP, Reds)

If only for the post-clinch dance moves. For real, though, Suter never pitched more than 3 ⅔ innings last season but appeared in 1 through 9 at some point. Anytime, anywhere.

Free agent signings, with pre-winter rankings:

1. Kyle Tucker (29, OF, Cubs)

SIGNED: Four years, $240 million with Dodgers, Jan. 15.

3. Alex Bregman (31, 3B, Red Sox)

SIGNED: Five years, $175 million with Cubs, Jan. 10.

5. Pete Alonso (31, 1B/DH, Mets)

SIGNED: Five years, $155 million with Orioles, Dec. 10.

7. Kyle Schwarber (33, DH, Phillies)

SIGNED: Five years, $150 million with Phillies, Dec. 9.

8. Dylan Cease (30, RHP, Padres)

SIGNED: Seven years, $210 million with Blue Jays, Nov. 26.

10. Edwin Diaz (32, RHP, Mets)

SIGNED: Three years, $69 million with Dodgers, Dec. 9.

11. Ranger Suárez (30, LHP, Phillies)

SIGNED: Five years, $130 million with Red Sox, Jan. 14.

12. Josh Naylor (28, 1B, Mariners)

SIGNED: Five years, $92.5 million with Mariners, Nov. 16.

13. Shota Imanaga (30, LHP, Cubs)

SIGNED: Accepted $22.025 million qualifying offer from Cubs, Nov. 18.

15. Trent Grisham (29, OF, Yankees)

SIGNED: Accepted $22.025 million qualifying offer from Yankees, Nov. 18.

18. Merrill Kelly (37, RHP, Rangers)

SIGNED: Two years, $40 million, with Diamondbacks.

19. Ha-Seong Kim (30, SS, Braves)

SIGNED: One year, $20 million with Braves, Dec. 15.

20. Robert Suarez (34, RHP, Padres)

SIGNED: Three years, $45 million with Braves, Dec. 11.

24. Michael King (30, RHP, Padres)

SIGNED: Three years, $75 million with Padres, Dec. 18.

25. Gleyber Torres (29, INF, Tigers)

SIGNED: Accepted $22.025 million qualifying offer from Tigers, Nov. 18.

26. Raisel Iglesias (35, RHP, Braves)

SIGNED: One year, $16 million with Atlanta, Nov. 19.

32. Mike Yastrzemski (35, OF, Royals)

SIGNED: Two years, $23 million with Atlanta, Dec. 10.

33. Devin Williams (31, RHP, Yankees)

SIGNED: Three years, $51 million with Mets, Dec. 1.

34. Emilio Pagán (34, RHP, Reds)

SIGNED: Two years, $20 million with Reds, Dec. 3.

35. Tyler Mahle (31, RHP, Rangers)

SIGNED: One year, $10 million with Giants, Dec. 31.

38. Tyler Rogers (34, RHP, Mets)

SIGNED: Three years, $37 million with Blue Jays, Dec. 12.

39. Jorge Polanco (32, INF, Mariners)

SIGNED: Two years, $40 million with Mets, Dec. 13.

40. Ryan O’Hearn (32, 1B/OF, Padres)

SIGNED: Two years, $29 million with Pirates, Dec. 23.

42. Kyle Finnegan (34, RHP, Tigers)

SIGNED: Two years, $19 million with Tigers, Dec. 9.

45. Brad Keller (30, RHP, Cubs)

SIGNED: Two years, $22 million with Phillies, Dec. 17.

47. Steven Matz (34, LHP, Red Sox)

SIGNED: Two years, $15 million with Rays, Dec. 8.

48. Ryan Helsley (31, RHP, Mets)

SIGNED: Two years, $28 million with Orioles, Nov. 30.

49. Drew Pomeranz (37, LHP, Cubs)

SIGNED: One year, $4 million with Angels, Dec. 16.

50. Michael Lorenzen (34, RHP, Royals)

SIGNED: One year, $8 million with Rockies, Jan. 7.

52. Danny Jansen (30, C, Brewers)

SIGNED: Two years, $14.5 million with Rangers, Dec. 13.

53. Phil Maton (33, RHP, Rangers)

SIGNED: Two years, $14.5 million with Cubs, Nov. 25.

54. Josh Bell (33, 1B/DH, Nationals)

SIGNED: One year, $7 million with Twins, Dec. 15.

56. Caleb Thielbar (39, LHP, Cubs)

SIGNED: One year, $4.5 million with Cubs, Dec. 16.

58. Shawn Armstrong (35, RHP, Rangers)

SIGNED: One year, $5.5 million with Guardians, Dec. 18.

60. Luke Weaver (32, RHP, Yankees)

SIGNED: Two years, $22 million with Mets, Dec. 17.

67. Mike Soroka (28, RHP, Cubs)

SIGNED: One year, $7.5 million with Diamondbacks, Dec. 8.

69. Sean Newcomb (32, LHP, Athletics)

SIGNED: One year, $4.5 million with White Sox, Dec. 23.