Chilean international Alexis Sánchez was introduced as CF Montreal’s newest designated player Tuesday. The 37-year-old attacker joins MLS during a critical moment in the league’s history. After the 2026 World Cup, MLS hopes to attract new fans and media partners.

Additionally, the league will shift to a summer-to-spring calendar starting in July 2027. Sweeping changes to the strict squad-building restrictions are expected to take place, too, in an effort to allow MLS teams to push the envelope when it comes to international recruitment.

Sánchez, though, represents a more traditional MLS signing, one that does little to raise the profile of America’s top flight. After a brief stint with Sevilla last season, in which he scored four goals and added two assists in 28 La Liga appearances, Sánchez joins a Montreal side that sits at the bottom of the table and is winless in its last five matches.

“It’s mainly a footballing decision,” said Luca Saputo, CF Montreal’s managing director of recruitment and sporting methodology. “We have a lot of young players here, including many South American players, who can learn a great deal from a player like Alexis. Whenever we make a decision, the first consideration is always what he can bring on the field. But obviously, with a player of Alexis’ stature, he brings a lot off the field too. So it ended up being a perfect fit.”

News broke last week that Montreal had plucked Sánchez from European football, and not Inter Miami, where Sánchez would have been reunited with Lionel Messi, his former Barcelona teammate. Instead of the sun and Latino-influenced culture of South Florida, Sánchez will play in a cold-weather MLS market best known for its hockey heritage.

Still, “El Niño Maravilla” (The Wonder Boy), is eager to show the football world that one’s surroundings shouldn’t temper one’s motivations. Despite a very impressive club career that includes time with Barcelona, Arsenal, Manchester United, Inter Milan and Marseille, Sánchez is not a byproduct of an avant-garde recruitment strategy by Montreal.

His signing resembles that of James Rodríguez in February. The 35-year-old captain of Colombia joined Minnesota United but only managed to play in six games. Montreal will hope to distance itself from that type of outcome.

President and CEO of CF Montréal Gabriel Gervais presents Alexis Sánchez with his jersey in Montreal. (Photo by Minas Panagiotakis / MLS via Getty Images)

“This is something new,” Sánchez said about signing for Montreal. “It’s a club that wants to grow, a city that wants to grow. They told me hockey is very big here too, so I hope football can become the same. That passion, people coming to the stadium, enjoying it with family. And I can bring some joy to the people, too.

Joy is one way to describe Sánchez’s contributions to the sport. He debuted in Chile’s first division as a teenager and regularly performed at a high level in South America’s premier cup competitions. With a boyish smile, an intense way of playing and a knack for scoring highlight-worthy goals, Sánchez became a respected professional and a title-winner in European club football.

“I trust in my ability as a player,” Sánchez said confidently, adding that at Sevilla he could run more than the side’s 22-year-old players. “I was born playing football. I grew up playing football. It’s a talent God gave me, and I find it easy to do. It comes easy for me. Football isn’t just about running, it’s about thinking, understanding the rhythms of the game. And I think I’ll keep playing because it comes easily to me.”

MLS poses a different challenge. It’s a physically demanding league that has humbled its fair share of world-class players. Moreover, MLS teams still lack the type of squad depth that elite players are used to. Sánchez, like many stars before him, must accept his reality while elevating the play of his teammates. Sánchez, at least on Tuesday, said all the right things. He wants to mentor Montreal’s young players, win titles and set a new professional standard at the club.

“I’ll demand more from (the younger players),” Sánchez said. “I want the kids to learn because I know they love football. I think my role in recent years has been to be professional, so the young players can learn from me, showing that the team has heart and grit, and plays good football.”

Sánchez joins other recognizable players who see MLS as more than an over-30 men’s league with nice stadiums. Messi is the league’s unicorn, a greatest-ever level player who has not lowered his standards since arriving three years ago. Even after his playing days are over, Messi’s willingness to come to MLS, while continuing to produce heroics for his country on the international stage, will motivate other big names to do the same.

“I’m very competitive by nature,” said Sánchez. “Sevilla wanted me for one more year, but I made the decision that it was time to end my European chapter and come here to Montreal.

“I saw that all the world-class players were coming here. I was watching Messi, (Luis) Suárez, (Robert) Lewandowski and I said, ‘Why not come and give myself the chance to play here with the best players in the world?’ To compete, which is what I love.”

Sánchez has joined first-team training and appeared to target Saturday’s game against LA Galaxy as an opportunity to connect with the city’s growing population of Chilean expats. The back-to-back Copa América titles that Chile won in 2015 and 2016 established Sánchez as an all-time great for his national team.

When asked Tuesday about the influence he has had on Chilean football, particularly on Chilean children, Sánchez flashed his trademark smile and answered with the superstar charisma that has long defined him.

“I’m very loved back home by the kids, and by the grandmothers, too. I’m very happy about that.”

But can he capture the hearts and minds of Montrealers?

I just realized Jerry Jones’ fantasy football team is worth $15.5 billion.

Inside: Annual franchise valuations, the latest on Daniel Jones and Travis Hunter, plus Jake Ciely’s favorite players to draft.

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What to expect from Daniel Jones?

Unless you live in central Indiana, you probably underestimated how good the Colts were entering their Week 11 bye last season.

Indy was 8-2, tied with the Patriots and Broncos for the league’s best record. Its only losses were to the Rams and Steelers, one-score games despite the Colts’ nine turnovers combined (including Adonai Mitchell fumbling this touchdown). They had the league’s best offense, averaging 32.1 points and 396.9 yards per game. And not just by dominating bad teams: The Colts hung 38 points on the Chargers defense, a top-10 scoring unit.

The secondary had even recently addressed a hole with pricey cornerback Sauce Gardner. Everything was working, with Daniel Jones a possible MVP candidate.

It all went downhill from there. Jones was injured twice after that bye week, playing through a broken left fibula before tearing his right Achilles tendon.

He’s back. And we’ve got the 29-year-old’s comeback story. “Watching Jones at practice, there’s no hint of the injury to the casual observer,” writes my colleague Jonathan Jones, who added the 2019 first-rounder has shown mastery of the offense.

@traveling_ang on Instagram

One thing missing is Jones’ speed. His fastest in-game run was clocked at 21.23 mph before the infamous trip; Jones said he’s topped out at 19.7 mph this summer. Otherwise, he sounds ready to improve on last season.

Other good news: Keenan Allen is here. The six-time Pro Bowler, 34, agreed to a one-year deal with the Colts last night, reuniting with his former Chargers coach Shane Steichen. Allen’s 2025 numbers appear to be a one-for-one replacement for Michael Pittman Jr. (traded to the Steelers in March):

• 2025 Pittman: 80 catches, 784 yards and seven TDs
• Allen: 81 catches, 777 yards and four TDs

The full story on Jones’ comeback is a behind-the-scenes look at one of the most difficult processes of a player’s life. (You’ll also learn that Colts backup QB Riley Leonard had 15 groomsmen. And here I was self-conscious about my seven.)

Checking on Travis Hunter

Earlier this offseason, my colleagues shared a list of one breakout player for all 32 teams — players whose performance in 2026 could earn them league-wide notoriety.

Travis Hunter was one of them. Jeff Howe nominated the Jaguars’ dual threat as his pick, specifically for his defensive role:

💬 “Hunter needs to be an important part of Anthony Campanile’s defense, as the Jags’ vulnerabilities in the secondary were on full display during their playoff loss to the Bills.”

Hunter’s expected to feature on defense while splitting reps on offense. That’s consistent with his offseason splits; Hunter’s training camp snaps have been 65 percent defense and the rest at receiver (other than one on special teams).

“We all know he’s our 3A, 3B receiver right now, and (we’re) trying to get him the exposure to every opportunity that we have out here,” coach Liam Coen said, per ESPN.

Hunter, 23, has split his offensive reps with Brian Thomas Jr., currently the third option behind Jakobi Meyers and Parker Washington. Thomas is having a strong offseason by most reports, so Hunter’s breakout season probably comes at cornerback. Sorry, fantasy managers.

If you’re looking for alternatives, Jake Ciely has you covered. Over to him.

All In with Jake Ciely: ‘My guys’ of 2026

A few days ago, I shared the 20 players I target and draft the most. Jacob asked me to choose my top three, but I couldn’t. It had to be four. My top four “my guys” of 2026:

Bhayshul Tuten, JAX: I’ve mentioned the importance of style fits, and Tuten fits the Liam Coen offense as well as any running back can. While a full-blown committee would make Tuten a frustrating RB3/Flex, his cost is just that, but his potential is a top-15 RB.

Jonathon Brooks, CAR: Chuba Hubbard’s injury makes this more obvious, but I was a believer prior. If we get a pre-injury Brooks, he can seize the lead role without Hubbard being injured. As an eighth-round pick in fantasy drafts, I’ll click on Brooks every time.

Parker Washington, JAX: Washington was a WR1 after his bye last year, and every report this offseason has been that Trevor Lawrence and Washington are picking up where they left off … possibly with even more rapport. Even if Washington is only a WR2 for fantasy, that’s still a terrific return on a seventh-round pick.

Colston Loveland, CHI: He’s in the same tier as Trey McBride and Brock Bowers. For that reason, to get Loveland at a two-round discount is the definition of maximizing your upside.

If Jacob had let me put five, I’d have added Jaxson Dart as my target quarterback. My full list explains the 20 guys I’m betting my fantasy season on. Back to you, Jacob.

Where are you launching?

“At some point, there will be NFL teams outside the USA,” Roger Goodell told former NFL player Markus Kuhn during an interview with a German media outlet. “I have no doubt that this will happen one day.” Teams. Plural.

It won’t be cheap. If you thought inflation was hitting you hard, consider how a football-loving billionaire outside the U.S. might feel right now.

Sure, your ideal three-topping pizza (pepperoni, black olives and hot peppers) is $10 more than a few years ago. Your movie popcorn is an extra $3.

Now consider people shopping for football teams. The average NFL team got about $2 billion more expensive over the past year. That’s thanks to the Seahawks’ highest bidders, who paid $9.6 billion for the team, a 46 percent premium above last year’s valuation.

This jump had nothing to do with on-field performance, as any fans in Dallas or Cincinnati can attest. Even the last-place Bengals are up 35 percent in value, while the Cowboys lead the league at $15.5 billion.

If you could launch a new team anywhere in the world, where would you pick? What would you name the team? Let us know here. Answers will be featured tomorrow. And start saving up!

Extra Points

📽 Fernando Mendoza tape. Ted Nguyen dissects the most notable rookie performances this preseason, including those of Ty Simpson and De’Zhaun Stribling.

👀 Roster bubble. Daniel Popper launched a new preseason series to find top performers who might actually be available for teams to sign, such as Cowboys standout receiver Camden Brown.

📈 Malik Willis looks the part. Andy Behrens shares his early fantasy takeaways from preseason action and injuries. Positive start for Miami!

👬 Injury rehab buddies. Jesse Newell has the inside story of how Patrick Mahomes and Zach Ertz served as each other’s motivation for what’s typically a lonely process.

▶️ Most-clicked: People can’t get enough of Jeremiyah Love’s spin move, marking a third straight day as the most popular link.

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