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FOOTBALL
JSN agrees to extension
The Seattle Seahawks and wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba have agreed to a four-year, $168.8 million contract extension, with $120 million guaranteed, a person with knowledge of the deal told the Associated Press on Monday. The person spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because the contract, which would make Smith-Njigba the highest-paid wide receiver in the NFL, hasn't been finalized. The 24-year-old set the team record for receiving yards (1,793) and receptions (119) in a single season en route to winning AP NFL Offensive Player of the Year award last season. He will be under contract with Seattle through the 2031 season. The Seahawks exercised the fifth-year option on Smith-Njigba's rookie contract last week. Smith-Njigba's new deal surpasses that of Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Ja'Marr Chase, who signed a $161 million extension with $112 million guaranteed last March. Smith-Njigba had nine 100-yard receiving games during the regular season and was a key to Seattle winning its second Super Bowl in franchise history.
HOF honors assistants
Influential special teams coach Mike Westhoff, former San Francisco 49ers offensive line coach Bobb McKittrick and longtime defensive coach Ted Cottrell will be honored with the Pro Football Hall of Fame's Awards of Excellence for the 2026 class. The Hall announced on Monday that the three assistants were picked as part of the fifth class for the Awards of Excellence who will be honored later this year. Westhoff spent 33 seasons in the NFL, spending the majority of his career in charge of special teams with the Miami Dolphins and New York Jets. McKittrick was the offensive line coach for 21 seasons with the 49ers, and was one of four coaches involved with all five of the franchise's five Super Bowl titles. Bill Walsh brought McKittrick to San Francisco in 1979 and he played a key role in establishing a dynasty. Cottrell worked for six franchises over 24 seasons and is viewed as an innovator of the 3-4 defense. He helped develop several Hall of Famers, including Bruce Smith in Buffalo.
BASKETBALL
Players approve CBA
WNBA players unanimously approved the new collective bargaining agreement on Monday with more than 90% participating in voting over the weekend. The seven-year CBA, which will begin this season and run through 2032, represents a landmark labor deal for the WNBA and its players. The union said in a statement the deal "delivers consequential economic progress and expanded benefits that support players on and off the court." Once the WNBA Board of Governors approves the CBA it will become official. Then there will be a sprint to the start of the regular season on May 8. First up is an expansion draft for the two new teams -- Toronto and Portland. Rules regarding who the current teams will be able to protect and how the draft will work are still being figured out. The draft is expected to take place right around the Final Four. Next up would be free agency. More than 80% of the league are free agents this year as players had signed deals that were going to expire last year. There are only two veteran players that aren't under rookie contracts who are signed for this season. The college draft is scheduled for April 13 in New York. Teams are expected to start training camp on April 19 and will have little time to get prepared for the regular season.
Creighton coach to retire
After leading the Creighton men's basketball program to unprecedented heights over his 16 years as coach, Greg McDermott announced Monday he would retire at the end of the season and turn the program over to right-hand man Alan Huss. McDermott, 61, will step down after the Bluejays' final game in the College Basketball Crown tournament next month. McDermott is 365-188 at Creighton and 514-319 in 25 years as a Division I head coach. Only one of his Creighton teams finished below .500, but the Bluejays are 15-17 heading into their April 2 game against Rutgers in the Crown in Las Vegas. McDermott had losing records each of his four seasons at Iowa State before Creighton hired him in 2010 after Dana Altman, then the school's all-time wins leader, left for Oregon. McDermott's son, Doug, was his first recruit. He went on to become a three-time Associated Press All-American (2012-14) and score more than 3,000 career points while leading the Bluejays through their transition from the mid-major Missouri Valley Conference to the Big East. Under Greg McDermott, Creighton has had 14 seasons of 20-plus wins and 10 appearances in the NCAA Tournament. The Bluejays made the Elite Eight for the first time in 2023 and also reached the Sweet 16 in 2021 and 2024. Huss, 47, played at Creighton from 1997-2001, was an assistant under McDermott from 2017-23 and then left to become head coach at High Point. He was 56-15 in two seasons and led High Point to its first NCAA Tournament appearance in its Division I history in 2025. Huss was named head coach-in-waiting when he returned to Creighton last April.
Bennett to lead Sun Devils
Arizona State has lured Randy Bennett away from Saint Mary's to become its next men's basketball coach. Arizona State and Saint Mary's announced Bennett's hiring following a team meeting with the Gaels on Monday. Bennett spent 25 years as Saint Mary's head coach, repeatedly turning down offers to coach at larger programs. The chance to return home after the firing of Bobby Hurley was too much for the 63-year-old coach to turn down this time. Bennett grew up in Mesa, Ariz., and graduated from Westwood High School on the west side of town, not far from Arizona State's campus. He began his college career at Mesa Community College, playing two seasons under his father, Tom, before transferring to the University of San Diego. He was the West Coast Conference Coach of the Year seven times and is the Saint Mary's all-time leader in wins with 589. Saint Mary's went 27-6 this season, reached as high as No. 21 in the AP top 25 and shared the WCC regular-season title with Gonzaga, the fourth straight season the Gaels won or shared the title. Saint Mary's also announced Monday it had promoted associate head coach and former player Mickey McConnell to replace Bennett. McConnell, 36, helped the Gaels reach the Sweet 16 in 2010.
Report: Cincy hiring Calhoun
Cincinnati is expected to hire Utah State's Jerrod Calhoun as its next head coach, according to a report from Jeff Borzello and Pete Thamel of ESPN. Calhoun, 44, graduated from Cincinnati in 2004 and was a student assistant for Hall of Famer Bob Huggins as a senior in college. He played at Cleveland State from 2001-03. Calhoun led Utah State to the second round of the NCAA Tournament before falling to Arizona on Sunday. Calhoun went 55-15 in two seasons leading the Aggies. Before taking over at Utah State in 2024, Calhoun spent seven seasons as the head coach at Youngstown State, where he went 118-106, including 46-20 over his last two years. He coached Division II Fairmont State from 2012-17, going 124-38 with a national runner-up finish in his last season. Calhoun will replace Wes Miller, who went 100-74 in five seasons at Cincinnati and was hired by UNC-Charlotte earlier Monday.