Perhaps obliterated.  Certainly on its heels.

Amazing efficiency (only 3 US casualties?) thus far.  Hopefully minimal civilian casualties, also.  Yet the precision of the US/Israeli bombings are just incredible.  

Top Iranian political leaders (mullas) taking a dust nap.  more encouraging to me, Trump relates (yeah, I know) Iranian Revolutionary Guard giving up.  I hope that’s true, as that’s needed for a long suffering Iranian populace to celebrate freedom.  (Some vids out there demonstrating that).

Apparently the IRG is blocking the Strait of Hormuz.  (blocking free flow of oil)  Oil prices predicted to spike…however EU’s naval presence (UK, France, Germany)already positioned.  Hopefully oil interruption temporary (90% of Iranian oil went to China, anyways)

I wouldn’t want to be on a IRG ship right now.  They next? if they don’t lay down.

Colin Powell had prescient (pier 1) advice to Bush on Iraq.  ‘You break it, you own it’. 

Cautious optimism here, but the early results are hopeful.

Lots to unpack here, but apparently there have been conversations and discussions ramping up in Indy this past week.  So the actual sources apparently are not just interweb posters looking to create clickbait.  
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The combine is traditionally a major event for NFL offseason news, so it's a great source for gathering intel. National reporters Jeremy Fowler and Dan Graziano spent the week talking to execs, coaches, agents, scouts, players and other team sources to learn more about what could happen in the coming weeks.

Will the Vikings add quarterback competition?

Graziano: The Vikings are not ready to give up on J.J. McCarthy, their 2024 first-round pick who missed his rookie season because of a knee injury and struggled mightily through an injury-riddled second season in 2025. But they also aren't ready to hand McCarthy the keys for 2026. The odd quarterback landscape of this offseason makes it difficult to predict where the Vikings land, but if and when someone such as Geno Smith or Kyler Murray gets cut, I could see Minnesota pursuing that kind of passer on a low-cost, one-year prove-it deal.

Bringing in a veteran quarterback who has had some success in the league could be what the Vikings need to get McCarthy's attention. It would remind him about the parts of his game he still needs to work on and get him back on track to where Minnesota can hopefully harness his talent and build him into the franchise QB it thought he was when it drafted him. If the Vikings don't land that type of QB, they'd probably pivot to the older free agents in that group, such as Joe Flacco, former Viking Kirk Cousins and, yes, Aaron Rodgers, whom they discussed bringing in last offseason before deciding against it.

It's also possible that the Vikings look into one of the potentially available unproven backup QBs who could be available via trade, such as Tanner McKee, Davis Mills or even Anthony Richardson Sr. But while such a move might help them feel better about the depth of their QB room, it likely wouldn't help them accomplish their goal with McCarthy -- either get him back on track or at least buy themselves another year to evaluate his long-term viability.

Fowler: I've also heard that the Vikings are considering Kyler Murray and Geno Smith as they outline their veteran quarterback plan. Tua Tagovailoa and Cousins are also on their radar. Some I've talked to are breaking those four into two tiers, with Murray and Smith in the first group.

None of those quarterbacks are free agents, but Cousins will be soon, and the others are available via either a trade or a release. The expectation leaguewide is that a combination of Murray, Smith and Tagovailoa -- and possibly all three -- will be free agents soon enough, barring intensified trade talks. And many quarterbacks view Minnesota as an attractive destination.

Smith possibly joining the Vikings has been underplayed as a pairing in league circles, but it makes a lot of sense. He's due $18.5 million in 2026 guarantees but has another $8 million that guarantees on the third day of the new league year. He also offers "bridge QB" cover if the team doesn't want to bail on McCarthy and show a true QB competition, even if veiled.

What about Cousins and the rest of the QBs?
Graziano: The Falcons will release Kirk Cousins before the start of the league year, when his $67.9 million salary would become fully guaranteed under the terms of his reworked contract. Atlanta has to pay Cousins a $10 million roster bonus this year, whether he's on the team or not, but it does not appear to be interested in bringing back Cousins.  (Read into that a $10mm discount for whoever signs him).

Cousins wants to play this season; I was told the rumors of him potentially retiring to take a TV job are incorrect. But he could be selective about his next destination. The past two times Cousins was a free agent, he received deals from Minnesota and Atlanta quickly. But this time, Cousins likely will wait to see how some of these situations shake out before deciding -- even if that means waiting through the offseason for some team's situation to change in his favor.

According to Schefter, both Jones and Hargrave were told that they will be released, absent finding a trde.

Vikes are $44.3 million over the cap.  Cutting Jones before March 13 would save $7.8 mm, while cutting Hargrave would shave $11mm.
Jones' dead cap space is $6.8 mm.  He is guaranteed $2mm but assuming he signs elsewhere, that amount would be reduced.

Hargrave's dead cap hit is $10.5 mm.  $4mm of his salary is guaranteed for 2026, but again, that could be reduced depending if/where/how much he signs elsewhere.

There is some interest in Hargrave on the trading block.

Fastest TE group ever lead by Sadiq who broke the combine record for fastest 40 by a TE. 4.39 is crazy. Also 43.5 inch vertical. Freak athlete and another round 1 possibility for the Vikings

For the third consecutive year, the Miami Dolphins ranked first in the NFL Players Association annual report cards, according to survey results obtained by ESPN. The Minnesota Vikings finished second, followed by the Washington Commanders in third.

"Players consistently describe the organization as 'the best in the NFL,'" the NFLPA survey wrote about the Dolphins.

The Pittsburgh Steelers finished last for the first time in the four-year history of the union's survey. Last year, the Steelers ranked 28th. The Arizona Cardinals finished 31st in the 2026 survey, after a last-place finish in 2025, and the Cleveland Browns finished in 30th, the same as in 2025.

The NFLPA is not making the report cards public this year after a grievance filed by the NFL, which said the survey violated the collective bargaining agreement. Earlier this month, an arbitrator agreed with the league, saying the report cards violated the CBA by "disparaging NFL clubs and individuals." The NFLPA said it would continue to collect responses for report cards even if it can't publish them.

Entire story is at ESPN.com

I love this guy's delivery. Decidedly NSFW, but funny as hell. 

https://youtube.com/shorts/j2Ok07pXhqE?s...0pcyeSZLs9

Surprising cut by the Commanders. 28 years old, 6'4", 325 lbs. Wouldn't break the bank, could compete with Brandel. Nice vet presence that Jayden Daniels said helped him tremendously in his growth.

https://www.startribune.com/minnesota-vi.../601589059

Jim Souhan
@SouhanStrib

1h
Souhan: "J.J. McCarthy doesn’t need competition. He needs to be the Vikings’ top priority"

This is a few years old, but I doubt it's changed much, if at all. Picking 18th, we're looking at a 60% chance of hitting. Our pick in the 2nd round (49), has about a 36% chance of hitting. It's a crapshoot and luck plays a big part. 

   

https://frontofficesports.com/nfl-is-lin...f-america/

There’s nothing bigger on U.S. television than the NFL, but keeping those rights presents a range of challenges for the incumbent linear rights holders.

“NFL-related content at this point is the key linchpin holding the linear cable bundle together, a massive driver of linear advertising dollars, retransmission fees, and even more recently, direct-to-consumer sign-ups. This market paradigm has not gone unnoticed by the NFL,” Bank of America analysts wrote in a research note released Wednesday. “In short, it is hard to paint a positive outcome from the traditional media ecosystem perspective.”