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New York Post
23 minutes ago
- Sport
- New York Post
Why Sauce Gardner and Aaron Rodgers don't talk after QB's messy Jets divorce
Don't expect Sauce Gardner and Aaron Rodgers to recreate their viral smoking handshake when the Jets and the Steelers face off in Week 1 of the 2025 NFL season. In an interview with Complex published Tuesday, the star Jets cornerback explained that he and the new Steelers quarterback don't talk anymore after Rodgers moved on from Gang Green. 'We haven't been in touch as much,' Gardner said. 'At the beginning of the offseason, we were more in touch. I think once there was really a reality that he was going to go to Pittsburgh, we just felt that we didn't need to talk no more. 5 Jets cornerback Sauce Gardner talks to the media at minicamp in Florham Park, NJ on June 12, 2025. Bill Kostroun/New York Post 'I feel like we seen us having to play each other week one. We really just seen the future — I'm joking about that. But no, we haven't really talked. We play each other week one. I'm sure we going to talk before that, and it's going to be a good game.' It's unclear if the former teammates had a falling out. 5 New Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers during minicamp at UPMC Rooney Sports Complex on June 12, 2025 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Getty Images Rodgers passed his physical Saturday and signed officially with the Steelers on a one-year deal worth up to $19.5 million — after telling ESPN's Pat McAfee his 20th season this fall will likely be his last. Gardner and Aaron Rodgers became close after Packers traded the four-time NFL MVP quarterback to the Jets ahead of the 2023 season. 5 Aaron Rodgers and Sauce Gardner gesture during practice at OTAs in Florham Park, NJ on June 6, 2023. Bill Kostroun/New York Post They went viral for their handshake, which mimicked them smoking marijuana, while at Jets OTAs in June 2023. The next month, Gardner gifted Rodgers a chain with his jersey number — eight — in green diamonds. 5 Aaron Rodgers and Sauce Gardner gesture their handshake before a game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at MetLife Stadium, Saturday, August 19, 2023, in East Rutherford, NJ. Corey Sipkin for the NY POST Rodgers missed almost all of the 2023 season after tearing his Achilles just four plays into Week 1. He returned last year and played in 17 games, recording 3,897 passing yards, 28 touchdowns and 11 interceptions. The former NFL MVP had a busy offseason, including his Jets exit. 5 Aaron Rodgers and Sauce Gardner sit court side in the second half of Game 2 of the Eastern Conference semifinals playoff series between the Knicks and the Heat on May 2, 2023, at Madison Square Garden in New York. AP While at Steelers minicamp last month, Rodgers told reporters that he had been married 'a couple months' when asked about the black ring he had been wearing in the weeks prior. During an appearance on 'The Pat McAfee Show' last week, Rodgers explained that his wife's identity will remain private. He previously told McAfee in December he was dating a woman named Brittani. The Jets finished last season with a 5-12 mark and missed the playoffs.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Dennis Schröder agrees to 3-year, $45 million deal with Sacramento Kings
Dennis Schröder is on the move again. The 31-year-old free agent guard agreed to a three-year, $45 million deal with the Sacramento Kings, ESPN's Shams Charania reported Tuesday. In other words, Schröder will join his 10th team for his 13th NBA season. Advertisement Schröder was drafted No. 17 overall by the Atlanta Hawks in 2013 and spent five seasons with the organization. Since then, however, the German native has joined nine different franchises, now including the Kings. This past season, he scattered 75 regular-season games played across three teams and was even traded twice in less than 24 hours. Schröder began the 2024-25 season with the Brooklyn Nets, for whom he started 23 games and averaged 18.4 points and 6.6 assists. In December, the Golden State Warriors traded for him, but Schröder's scoring and assist averages dropped to 10.6 and 4.4, respectively, in 24 games and 18 starts with the Warriors. Advertisement Then, on Feb. 5, Golden State shipped Schröder off, as part of the five-team, blockbuster Jimmy Butler trade. Schröder was briefly rerouted to the Utah Jazz, who then traded him to Detroit on Feb. 6. That same week, in the wake of the jaw-dropping Luka Dončić trade, Schröder vocalized his frustrations with the NBA trade deadline in an interview with NBC Sports Bay Area, even comparing the trades to "modern slavery." "It's like modern slavery," Schröder said. "It's modern slavery at the end of the day. Everybody can decide where you're going, even if you have a contract. Yeah, of course, we make a lot of money and we can feed our families, but at the end of the day if they say, 'You're not coming to work tomorrow, you're going over there,' they can decide that." Despite his February whirlwind, Schröder found success in Detroit, where he joined the upstart Pistons. As a veteran backcourt piece, Schröder made only eight starts in his 28 games with the Pistons. Still, his impact was still felt with 10.8 points and 5.3 assists per contest. As was the case in Golden State, Schröder's field goal percentage hovered below 40% in Detroit — and his 3-point percentage sat below 33% — but he helped the Pistons earn the No. 6 seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs. Detroit previously hadn't made the postseason since 2019. Advertisement Schröder has played games for the Atlanta Hawks (2013-18), Oklahoma City Thunder (2018-20), Los Angeles Lakers (2020-21 and 2022-23), Boston Celtics (2021-22), Houston Rockets (2022), Toronto Raptors (2023-24), Brooklyn Nets (2024), Golden State Warriors (2024-25) and Detroit Pistons (2025). He'll now join a Sacramento Kings team that was in need of help at the point guard position. Prior to Tuesday's news, the Kings' only point guard was 23-year-old Devin Carter, who averaged just 11 minutes in 36 games as a rookie this past season. Sacramento finished 40-42 in 2024-25 and missed the playoffs.
Indianapolis Star
an hour ago
- Sport
- Indianapolis Star
ESPN writer: 'If I'm an Indiana Pacer right now, I'm absolutely disgusted, I am sick to my stomach'
Myles Turner's decision to leave the Indiana Pacers for the Milwaukee Bucks was a stunner. When the news broke Tuesday, NBA fans were wondering how the Pacers let their longest-tenured player leave for a division rival for what appears to be a marginal gap in millions offered. IndyStar's Gregg Doyel reported the Pacers were offering closer to $95 million over four years. The Bucks are reportedly giving Turner $107 million over four years. Indiana is already over the salary cap, so any deal would have put the Pacers into the luxury tax for the first time in 20 years. But apparently there was a limit to just how high they'd go with their All-NBA guard Tyrese Haliburton likely out for the 2025-26 season. Count ESPN's Brian Windhorst among those flabbergasted at Turner's move. "If I'm an Indiana Pacer right now, I'm absolutely disgusted, I am sick to my stomach. If I'm Tyrese Haliburton, I am breaking things right now. If I'm Rick Carlisle, I'm furious at just what's happened because they were unwilling to spend a little bit of luxury tax money to hold this team in place for a year when Haliburton came back. "To go to a team that they hate, they hate the Bucks. So it's going to take a while to digest this, and if Giannis tweets later today a big smiling emoji and indicates that he is happy as a clam, the Bucks can declare a win. But I'm not sure the balance of power was changed in the Eastern Conference even though this has been a stunning turn of events."
CTV News
2 hours ago
- Business
- CTV News
Arrivederci. Toronto FC buys out hefty contracts of Italy's Insigne, Bernardeschi
Toronto FC forward Federico Bernardeschi (10) and New England Revolution forward Leonardo Campana (9) argue during first half MLS soccer action in Toronto, Saturday, May 3, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Frank Gunn TORONTO — Toronto FC is parting ways with Italian designated players Lorenzo Insigne and Federico Bernardeschi, ending an expensive and unsuccessful partnership. The struggling Major League Soccer club said their contracts had been mutually terminated, with TFC using its two permitted buyouts of their guaranteed deals. 'After several meaningful discussions, we are happy to have found a solution that is agreeable to all parties involved,' Toronto GM Jason Hernandez said in a brief statement Tuesday. The two Italian designated players arrived to much fanfare — with paycheques to match — midway through the 2022 season. But they could not return the club to its former glory. Insigne, 34, was making US$15.4 million this season, second only to Lionel Messi's US$20.5 million. Bernardeschi, 31, was earning US$6.295 million this season, sixth-best in MLS. Insigne's contract ran through June 2026 with an option for the remainder of the year, while Bernardeschi's deal covered 2026 with option years through 2028. It was not money well spent. Toronto (4-10-5) currently sits 13th in the 15-team Eastern Conference, four places and 11 points below the playoff line, and 26th overall in the 30-team league. It has not made the playoffs since 2020, when it stumbled at the first hurdle. Their departure means Toronto is without a designated player, with two such spots available. Under MLS roster rules, a designated player aged at least 24 only carries a salary budget charge of US$743,750, no matter how much they are paid. 'The designated player strategy is a critical component to Toronto FC's success in Major League Soccer and the club will continue to prioritize TFC's short-, medium- and long-term strategy in the weeks ahead,' said MLSE president and CEO Keith Pelley. Insigne scored 19 goals and added 18 assists in 76 games for Toronto across all competitions. That includes one goal and three assists in 12 appearances this season. Bernardeschi scored 26 goals and added 22 assists in 99 appearances across all competitions. An all-star in 2024, he has four goals and four assists through 15 matches this season. Bernardeschi offered a parting message via social media. 'Every single day on the pitch, I gave everything I had. All my passion. All my drive. All of myself. I never held back,' he wrote. 'I gave everything for this shirt, for this city, for its fans.' 'Now a new journey begins for me,' he added. 'A new chapter, a new challenge. But the bond with this city, with its people, will forever live in my heart. Toronto FC, MLS: thank you for this extraordinary adventure. This is not goodbye. It's see you soon.' Bernardeschi has been linked to a move to Italy's Bologna. Insigne sat out the last two TFC games. He did not make it off the bench in a 1-1 draw with the New York Red Bulls and did not dress for Saturday's 3-0 win over Portland. At the time, Toronto coach Robin Fraser said the club wanted to give other players a chance. Toronto sat Insigne for the first four games of this season after failed attempts to move him to clubs in Italy, Spain, Turkey and Brazil. Insigne kept training with the first team while out of favour. 'It wasn't a happy time for me,' he told The Canadian Press in May. 'But I'm not going to keep thinking about it.' 'I've always been happy here, and as long as my contract lasts, I'm going to do the best I can to make us win,' he added. The club eventually returned him to action, but with one goal and three assists in 12 league outings, he did not make much of an impact. Bernardeschi has not played since May 24 when he picked up a fifth yellow card that earned him a one-game suspension. He missed the last three games with what Fraser described as a 'lingering' injury. At his best, the flamboyant Bernardeschi was a sight to behold, marauding down the wing and heading towards goal, looking to unleash his dangerous left boot. But with 26 yellow and four red cards in 88 league appearances, he was also volatile and somewhat unreliable. Insigne showed only flashes of past brilliance that earned him the nickname 'Il Magnifico.' Injuries and family health issues did not help. Unlike Bernardeschi, who was able to converse in English, Insigne's limited language skills meant his side of the story was rarely heard. In May, however, he said he was going to finish out his contract. 'With the money I earn, I could just sit down, I could have said, 'Who cares? I make a lot of money. I don't have to do anything,'' Insigne said in an interview with The Canadian Press. 'But that's not who I am. I'm going to always, every day, come and work hard. And as long as my contract's here, that is my goal at the end — I'm here to work hard and respect everybody.' Hopes were high when the two made their debut in July 2022, when Bernardeschi scored one goal and set up another and Insigne collected a stylish assist in a 4-0 romp over expansion Charlotte FC. The Italians' debut drew an announced sellout of 29,067, well above the average of 23,676 over the previous 11 home matches that season. Compare that to the 14,019 that Toronto drew this season for a 1-0 home loss to FC Cincinnati on May 14. The two Italians reportedly bumped heads with former coach Bob Bradley. John Herdman, who succeeded Bradley. converted Bernardeschi to wingback with Fraser returning him to his more accustomed winger position. Bernardeschi arrived with a Grade-A resume. 'We are thrilled to add Federico to our team,' said Bill Manning, TFC's president at the time. 'As a player and a person, we believe he's exactly what we need right now, both on the field and in the locker room. Federico has proven himself to be a champion and a leader at Juventus and for the Italian national team and brings a pedigree to Toronto that's second to none.' Manning, fired by Pelley in July as president of TFC and the Toronto Argonauts, famously said he settled on insigne after seeing the local interest in Italy's run to the European championship. 'I actually went to the Transfermarkt website and I looked up the Italian national team on what players were coming out of contract,' Manning told reporters. 'And Lorenzo was one of the few players that was coming out of contract. I started writing down players that I thought were world-class, that I thought would have commercial value in this market.' Insigne arrived from Napoli, where he captained the side. He made a combined 416 appearances for the Serie A club, scoring 114 goals with 95 assists across all competitions. He scored 10 goals in 53 appearances for Italy. But he never seemed to find a fit with Toronto. Bernardeschi arrived from Juventus, where he had spent five seasons after joining from Fiorentina. He scored six goals in 38 appearances for the Italian national team, including the winning penalty in the shootout to seal Italy's win over England in the 2020 UEFA European Championship final (played in 2021). --- This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 1, 2025 Neil Davidson, The Canadian Press
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Business
- Yahoo
The Milwaukee Bucks Bobby Bonilla'd Damian Lillard
A very happy and topical Bobby Bonilla Day to Damian Lillard, formerly of the Milwaukee Bucks. On Tuesday, the point guard was waived by a franchise desperate to hold onto Giannis Antetokounmpo in the immediate aftermath of the Bucks signing center Myles Turner to a massive four-year, $107 million deal after helping the Indiana Pacers win the Eastern Conference just weeks ago. Advertisement The money for Turner's contract had to come from somewhere — and because god forbid a team have to go over the second apron — Lillard's $113 million contract became the inevitable casualty. The Bucks weren't just going to hand that all over in a lump sum, however. Not when there's creative math to rely on. BOBBY BONILLA DAY: How much he's earned from Mets through 2025 According to ESPN's Shams Charania, the Bucks are "stretching the remaining" salary on Lillard's contract over the next five seasons: In a scarce market during the early days of free agency, Bucks general manager [Jon Horst] and CAA Co-Head of Basketball Austin Brown partnered on executing a complex, massive deal to reshape Milwaukee and allow the franchise to retool aggressively again around Giannis Antetokounmpo. The Bucks have re-signed Bobby Portis, sharpshooter Gary Trent Jr., forward Taurean Prince and guard Kevin Porter Jr. this offseason, while losing Lopez, who signed with the LA Clippers. The Bucks had visions of attempting to acquire Turner, but had no pathway due to their salary restrictions, but Horst and Brown huddled on Monday and Tuesday to create an opening. Perhaps it's no coincidence the "opening" they were searching for appeared on July 1, the day the sports world collectively laughs at the New York Mets' outlandish deal with Bobby Bonilla defer millions in salary. Lillard will get his money, that's the most important part here. Advertisement It may also be the last major payday of his pro career, so stretching it out isn't exactly the worst news. After rupturing his Achilles tendon in the playoffs, the guard will likely need a full year to recover. When he returns, he'll be 36 years old with quite a few question marks. It doesn't feel like a stretch to say the Bucks will still be paying Lillard after he's retired. And that, friends, is the best possible way to celebrate Bobby Bonilla Day there is. This article originally appeared on For The Win: The Milwaukee Bucks Bobby Bonilla'd Damian Lillard
