Sports
The most important NFL QB this season, plus questions on the Lakers sale
The Pulse Newsletter 
Good morning. RIP, Tommy John. Coming up:
How? Daniel Jones and the bionic tendon
So many things happen during the course of an NFL season that it’s easy to forget specifics. A lot can happen in 272 regular-season games.
So forgive me if I read this story and immediately thought: Remember when Philip Rivers came out of retirement last year? After four years away? That was wild.
It’s not just a random memory, because why Rivers came back — to help the Colts try to limp across the playoff finish line — matters immensely this season. Indianapolis started 7-1 last season, led by a surprise MVP push from newcomer QB Daniel Jones. The Colts finished 8-9, losing their last four games after Jones tore his Achilles tendon in Week 14.
Well under a year later, the 29-year-old is back and on track to start Week 1. Wait, what?
- Jones, apparently, looks completely healed in practice. He is not playing the preseason out of wise precaution. Two sources told The Athletic’s Jonathan Jones that the quarterback “looked like he never suffered an injury.” To be clear: This specific ailment can end a career.
- There may be no more important quarterback in the league this year. Jones proved last season that his time with the Giants was merely about growth and not his fully realized form. But it’s easy to wonder if last year’s brilliant stretch was a fluke. This is a talented roster with legitimate playoff dreams, all hinging on Jones’ play.
Take some time to read the full story this morning, including fascinating bits about how Jones is one of the fastest quarterbacks we’ve ever seen.
Details: Why did Mark Walter sell the Lakers?
Ever since the news broke, there’s been a weird pall around the Lakers sale. Sure, Mark Walter sold the Lakers at a $2.5 billion markup. But selling the Lakers? After a year? Something doesn’t smell right.
In a big investigative piece out this morning, Alex Andrejev, Melody Gutierrez and Rebecca Tauber spotlighted some reasons why. Two things I took away:
- Walter himself is interesting, a fabulously wealthy man with little nose for the spotlight who owned two of the world’s most valuable sports franchises. Most wouldn’t recognize him in a crowd, and yet he had amassed an incredible amount of sports capital.
- Now, the spotlight has found him. Two of Walter’s companies, both insurance businesses, are under federal scrutiny via both the U.S. Attorney’s Office and the Securities and Exchange Commission. Some of the transactions under investigation involve his sports teams.
Read their full investigation here. And consider the story developing until further notice.
News to Know
Frederic J. Brown / AFP via Getty Images
Taurasi immortalized
The Mercury retired Diana Taurasi’s No. 3 yesterday in a heartwarming ceremony, as one of the best basketball players to ever live got her due all day. The street outside Phoenix’s arena was named after her, a mural went up over the weekend and the team inducted her into its Ring of Honor. All hail Diana.
Miller picks Dallas
As if we need a surer sign that NFL training camps are nearing their end: Seasoned veteran Von Miller agreed to sign with the Cowboys yesterday, bolstering an already impressive defensive line and Dallas’ playoff hopes this year, should Miller stay healthy. Miller, 37, was one of the big-name veterans clearly waiting out the early camp period to choose a team. Read more here.
John dead at 83
Eight days after releasing a goodbye letter, former Yankees pitcher Tommy John — most famous for the elbow surgery named after him — died at his home in Florida. He was 83 years old. John played for a stunning 26 seasons. As Ian O’Connor remembers, John was a flamethrower of a different kind.
More news:
- An absolute stunner we missed from late Saturday: Katie Ledecky lost an 800-meter freestyle race at an international meet for the first time in 14 years.
- Vikings safety Jamal Adams will miss the entire 2026 season with a knee injury sustained in a preseason game over the weekend. Brutal.
- Tough start for Highmark Stadium, the Bills’ new digs. One player’s review: “The field is ass right now.” Welp.
- World No. 1 men’s golfer Scottie Scheffler finally won another tournament. It had been seven whole months.
- Cameroon is the WAFCON champion after a 3-0 win over Malawi yesterday. Impressive, but even more so when you learn the team didn’t initially qualify.
- Cubs shortstop Dansby Swanson is heading to the injured list with an oblique issue. It’s a tough blow for a surging Chicago crew.
- A jersey worn by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar at UCLA sold for $1.25 million. It was traded for a transistor radio 50 years ago.
Watch Guide
3 p.m. ET on Paramount+
Love them or hate them, Wrexham begins their second season one step away from the Premier League. It’s a long run, but this is a good opportunity to watch more soccer and tune in for one of the sport’s more interesting stories this year.
7 p.m. ET on ESPN
Detroit is most interesting here, 5 1/2 games back in the AL Central and just one back in the AL wild card. Pittsburgh, as we’ve noted, is fading. The Tigers desperately need a win after three straight losses.
10 p.m. ET on Peacock and NBC Sports Network
We’ve been in on the Valks for a bit, but here’s a great opportunity to catch them before a playoff run. Going against Paige Bueckers and Dallas is a good matchup, too.
Pulse Picks
Want to know what life is like for college agents in the NIL era? There are no rules, as detailed in a great piece this morning. And most of them like it that way.
I can’t get enough of Joshua Báez, who had the best MLB debut we’ve ever seen. We have a full introduction to the rookie.
I loved this story from Fluto Shinzawa on the single test that can determine an NHL player’s future.
One swimming name you need to remember from the Pan Pacific Championships: Kate Douglass, the fastest woman in the world.
Most-clicked in the newsletter yesterday: The initial story of Báez’s MLB debut.
Most-read on the website yesterday: Ledecky’s loss.
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