Vikings waive Adam Thielen, who requested to finish NFL career elsewhere before retiring

The Minnesota Vikings are parting ways with a franchise icon for a second time. The team released veteran wideout Adam Thielen on Monday at his request, allowing the 35-year-old to finish his career with another franchise.

Thielen and the Vikings confirmed the news with posts on social media Monday. The team said Thielen approached it about finishing out his NFL career in a competitive situation. The Vikings decided to grant that wish.

Thielen confirmed as much, saying this will be his final season in the NFL and he wanted to compete over the final weeks of his career.

#Skolhttps://t.co/PmpGmts9lrpic.twitter.com/AAZl4B0q6j

— Adam Thielen (@athielen19)December 1, 2025

While Thielen didn't explicitly say it, it's pretty clear the veteran is hoping for a Super Bowl run before he hangs up his cleats. That wasn't going to come with the Vikings. After nearly winning the NFC North last year, the Vikings find themselves at 4-8 this season thanks topoor quarterback play, among other issues. With the playoffs all but out of the question for the Vikings, Thielen will look to hook on with a team still in the hunt.

The 35-year-old hasn't been super involved in the Vikings' offense this season. Through 11 games, Thielen has just eight receptions for 69 yards. He likely wouldn't start on a more competitive team, but could provide solid depth with the playoffs quickly approaching.

Whether he can catch on with another club depends on how the rest of the NFL views Thielen at this point in his career. During his prime, he was a sure-handed, target commander with a knack for getting open in the end zone.

From 2016-2022, Thielen averaged nearly 1,000 yards and 7.7 touchdowns per season with the Vikings. He made two Pro Bowls over that period, earning a second team All-Pro nod in 2017. Though his yardage totals dropped at the back end of that stretch, Thielen made up for it with his end-zone dominance. He caught 14 touchdowns in 15 games in 2020 and 10 in 2021 despite only playing in 13 games.

Following the 2022 NFL season, Thielen joined the Carolina Panthers ona three-year deal. He gained over 1,000 receiving yards in his first season with team.

After a down year in 2024, the Panthers agreed to trade Thielen back to the Vikings in a draft-pick swap. He hasn't emerged as a big option back in Minnesota, though the team does have both Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison on its depth chart, making it hard for Thielen to make a significant impact.

If contending NFL teams still believe Thielen has something left, he could still fulfill his dream of competing for a title before his career is over. If not, there's always the possibility a late injury opens the door for Thielen to get one more shot at a Super Bowl win.

byVaclavien Pynzarien

in

December 01, 2025

Vikings waive Adam Thielen, who requested to finish NFL career elsewhere before retiring

The Minnesota Vikings are parting ways with a franchise icon for a second time. The team released veteran wideout Adam Th...

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Helsley, Orioles finalize $28 million, 2-year deal that gives reliever option for 2027

BALTIMORE (AP) — Reliever Ryan Helsley and the Baltimore Orioles finalized a $28 million, two-year contract on Monday, a deal that includes a player option for 2027.

Helsley gets a $14 million salary next year and has a $14 million player option for 2027. If traded, the two-time All-Star would receive a $500,000 assignment bonus from the acquiring team.

Helsley and the team hadagreed to termsover the weekend, pending a physical.

Orioles closer Félix Bautista is expected to miss much of next seasonfollowing surgery in Augustto repair a torn rotator cuff and torn labrum.

Now 31, Helsley became one of baseball's best relievers while spending his first six-plus seasons with St. Louis, making the All-Star team in 2022 and 2024. The right-hander went 3-1 with a 3.00 ERA and 21 saves in 26 chances this year before he was traded by the Cardinals to the Mets onJuly 30.

Helsley struggled in New York, going 0-3 with a 7.20 ERA in 22 appearances. He allowed four homers and 16 earned runs in 20 innings and was 0 for 4 in save chances.

Baltimore has been active as it looks to bounce back from a last-place finish in the AL East. The Orioles won the division in 2023 and made the playoffs as a wild card in 2024.

Outfielder Taylor Ward was acquiredin a tradewith the Los Angeles Angels on Nov. 18.Bautistaagreed to a $2.25 million, one-year contract on Nov. 21, avoiding arbitration.

Helsley had his best season in 2024, finishing with a 2.04 ERA and a major league-best 49 saves. He also struck out 79 in 66 1/3 innings.

AP MLB:https://apnews.com/hub/MLB

byVaclavien Pynzarien

in

December 01, 2025

Helsley, Orioles finalize $28 million, 2-year deal that gives reliever option for 2027

BALTIMORE (AP) — Reliever Ryan Helsley and the Baltimore Orioles finalized a $28 million, two-year contract on Monday, a ...

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Eagles OC Kevin Patullo's house egged, vandalized after loss to Bears on Black Friday

Philadelphia Eagles offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo's home was vandalized with eggs on Saturday morning, just hours after the team fell 24-15 to the Chicago Bears at home, police confirmed Monday.

Avideo has been making the rounds on social mediashowing several people who appeared to be throwing things at Patullo's home, via thePhiladelphia Inquirer. The Moorestown Police Department in New Jersey confirmed Monday that multiple people threw eggs at Patullo's home around 2:50 a.m. on Saturday.

An investigation is ongoing. It's unclear if any damage was caused.

[Get more Eagles news: Philly team feed]

Patullo, 44, has been on the Eagles' staff since head coach Nick Sirianni took over before the 2021 season. Patullo was promoted to offensive coordinator this past offseason to replace Kellen Moore, who left to take over the New Orleans Saints.

The Eagles' offense, however, has struggled at times under his watch this fall. With five games left in the regular season, the Eagles' offense ranks in the bottom third in yards per game, passing yards per game and rushing yards per game. They've averaged just 22.5 points per game, including 15.5 in their past four games.

Against the Bears, the Eagles managed just 87 yards on the ground — nearly 200 fewer than the Bears put up — on just 17 carries. The Bears led the entire way on Friday, and put up two touchdowns in the fourth quarter to roll to what was their fifth straight win. Both running backs Kyle Monangai and D'Andre Swift ran for more than 120 yards and a touchdown, too.

The Eagles have now lost two straight, and sit at 8-4 on the year. Plenty of Eagles fans at Lincoln Financial Stadium started chanting, "Fire Kevin!" in reference to Patullo toward the end of the game, too, though head coach Nick Sirianni confirmed Monday that Patullo would keep calling plays.

"I have confidence in him. I have confidence in this team," quarterback Jalen Hurts said after the game, viathe Associated Press. "I have confidence in us when we're collaborative. I have a lot of confidence when we have an identity, so I think that's the first thing that we have to establish that we've talked about."

The Eagles will take on the Los Angeles Chargers next week, where they'll try to avoid what would be their longest losing skid since 2023.

byVaclavien Pynzarien

in

December 01, 2025

Eagles OC Kevin Patullo's house egged, vandalized after loss to Bears on Black Friday

Philadelphia Eagles offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo's home was vandalized with eggs on Saturday morning, just hou...

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Trump administration to inject up to $150 million into XLight, WSJ reports

WASHINGTON, Dec 1 (​Reuters) ‌- The Trump ‌administration has agreed to take an equity stake ⁠in former ‌Intel CEO Pat Gelsinger's ‍XLight startup, the Wall Street ​Journal reported on ‌Monday, citing the U.S. Commerce Department.

The newspaper ⁠said the ​Trump administration ​will inject up to $150 million ‍into ⁠the company.

(Reporting ⁠by Jasper Ward; ‌Editing by ‌Tom Hogue)

byVaclavien Pynzarien

in

December 01, 2025

Trump administration to inject up to $150 million into XLight, WSJ reports

WASHINGTON, Dec 1 (​Reuters) ‌- The Trump ‌administration has agreed to take an equity stake ⁠in former ‌Intel CEO Pat Ge...

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U.S. marshals join hunt for fugitive Virginia football coach, warn he may be armed

Federal authorities joined the search fora fugitive high school football coachbeing sought in connection with a child sex abuse image and solicitation probe in Virginia — and warn he may be armed.

The U.S. Marshals Service on Mondayasked anyone with informationabout Travis Turner, 46, to call it or Virginia State Police.

"VSP is still searching for Turner with the assistance of the FBI and U.S. Marshals Service," state police spokesperson Robin Lawson said in statement Monday.

Turner, coach of the undefeated Union High School Bears in Big Stone Gap,vanished Nov. 20in what was initiallycast as a simple missing persons case.

But then state police announced last week they had obtained arrest warrants for Turner on suspicion of five counts of possession of child pornography and five counts of using a computer to solicit a minor.

Since his disappearance, Union has won two playoff games, most recently a 21-14 triumph overRidgeviewon Saturday tocapture the Region 2D championship.

Union is set to playGlenvar High Schoolon Saturday in the Class 2 state semifinals.

Police and school officials have declined to say whether any victims or complaining witnesses against Turner are connected to Union High, a public school with about 600 students in the far southwest corner of Virginia.

The high school is about170 miles west of Virginia Tech Universityin Blacksburg and about120 miles northeast of the University of Tennessee.

byVaclavien Pynzarien

in

December 01, 2025

U.S. marshals join hunt for fugitive Virginia football coach, warn he may be armed

Federal authorities joined the search fora fugitive high school football coachbeing sought in connection with a child sex abuse image and s...

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First Week Of Meteorological Winter Will Bring Record Cold To Millions Across The U.S.

As if the Thanksgiving blast of cold air wasn't enough, an even colder shot of arctic air will dive into the country by the end of the week bringing even colder temperatures.

This time daily records could be broken from the mid-Mississippi Valley to the Midwest and even into parts of the mid-Atlantic and Northeast.

Dozens Of Records Could Fall

We could see several dozen daily record lows across more than a dozen states either tied or broken Thursday and Friday morning. These stretch from the Plains and Midwest to the Northeast. Places like Cedar Rapids and Des Moines, Iowa, as well as La Crosse, Wisconsin, could all break record morning lows.

We are talking not just temperatures below freezing, butbelow zero.A pretty significant chunk of the Midwest and Northern Plains will wake up Thursday morning below zero.

The afternoons won't offer much warmth either. More than a dozen record cold high temperatures could be felt from Missouri to Michigan, and a few even sprinkled in the Northeast.

Here's a look at where the record cold will be.

Timing The Arctic Blast

This next round of cold will begin arriving in the Northern Plains and Upper Midwest on Wednesday. Highs across portions of North Dakota and Minnesota will only make it to the single digits.

Thursday:Thursday morning, the big freeze will dive down as far south as Oklahoma. Morning lows will drop as much as 10 to 15 degreesbelow zerofor a wide swath of the Midwest and Northern Plains. Even Iowa and southern Nebraska will feel the bitter cold, sub zero temperatures.

If the forecast for Des Moines holds on Thursday morning, and they drop to their forecast temperature of -12 degrees, this would be the coldest temperature ever recorded this early in the season.

Meanwhile, places as far south as Kansas and Missouri will bottom out in the 20s.

Afternoon temperatures won't help much as temperatures will stay below freezing for millions Thursday afternoon. Temperatures across portions of the Midwest will run 20-25 degrees above average. Green Bay, Detroit and Milwaukee could all break records for coldest high temperatures.

Even places as far south as Oklahoma City will struggle to make it above freezing.

The widespread freezing temperatures will extend well into the mid-South and eastward into the Ohio Valley.

Friday:Friday morning the cold dips even further south and east. The 20s will be felt as far south as the Texas Panhandle and Little Rock. The Midwest and Ohio Valley will largely start the day with temperatures in the teens. And even the busy I-95 corridor will wake up in the low 20s on Friday morning.

Baltimore, Philadelphia and even New York City could break record lows Friday morning.

The Northeast will struggle to make it above freezing Friday afternoon. While the Midwest and Plains begin to "warm up," temperatures will still only be in the 20s for afternoon highs.

Will There Be Any Snow?

I'm glad you asked! This front will be on the drier side, however, there will be a little snow possible for the extreme northern tier of the country ahead of the cold front for parts of the Midwest, Ohio Valley and interior portions of the Northeast. Most areas outside the Great Lakes snowbelts shouldn't pick up more than a dusting from this.

The first full week of meteorological winter is here, living up to its name.

Jennifer Grayis a weather and climate writer for weather.com. She has been covering some of the world's biggest weather and climate stories for the last two decades.

byVaclavien Pynzarien

in

December 01, 2025

First Week Of Meteorological Winter Will Bring Record Cold To Millions Across The U.S.

As if the Thanksgiving blast of cold air wasn't enough, an even colder shot of arctic air will dive into the country by the end of the w...

Read More

Michigan State finalizes deal to hire ex-Northwestern coach Pat Fitzgerald to replace Jonathan Smith

Michigan State has secured its replacement for Jonathan Smith.

The Spartans finalized a five-year deal to hire Pat Fitzgerald as their next head coach on Monday afternoon, according toYahoo Sports' Ross Dellenger. Themove came just one day after Michigan State fired Smith, though they were reportedly locked in on Fitzgerald for the job almost immediately.

A new era begins in East Lansing!Welcome home, Coach Fitzgerald!pic.twitter.com/Ds77loJOlf

— Michigan State Football (@MSU_Football)December 1, 2025

"I am honored to be named the head football coach at Michigan State University," said Fitzgerald said in a statement. "I'd like to thank President Guskiewicz and athletics director Batt for this opportunity. This is a program with a deep and storied tradition, a passionate fan base, and a commitment to excellence that extends far beyond the football field. What excited me most about this opportunity was the vision for what Michigan State can be for years to come. We will restore tradition, and I'm eager to earn the trust of our players, alumni, and fans while competing at the highest level."

The job will mark Fitzgerald's first since he was fired from Northwestern ahead of the 2023 campaign following a hazing scandal within the program. Fitzgerald spent 17 seasons with the Wildcats, and he had three 10-win seasons there before finishing with a 110-101 record.

Fitzgerald was fired in the summer of 2023, shortly after he was initially put on a two-week suspension after the hazing allegations were first made public. He reached an undisclosed settlement with the university in August afterfiling a wrongful termination lawsuit, and he said in a statement at the time that it was proventhat he did not know about the hazing allegationswhile he was head coach.

Northwestern went just 4-10 over Fitzgerald's final two seasons, and 1-11 in 2022. They've since hired David Braun to replace him, and he's led the Wildcats over the past three seasons.

Fitzgerald will now enter just his second head coaching job in college football and take over for Smith, who struggled during his two seasons with the Spartans. The team went just 4-8 this season, marking its second losing campaign since Smith took over after a six-year run at Oregon State. Smith finished with a 9-15 record in East Lansing.

Though Fitzgerald has been away from the game for a few years, there's no doubt he knows the Big Ten landscape well and is still a very capable coach for Michigan State — especially during an offseason where so many top jobs have been open throughout the Power Four conferences. Now he'll have to try and quickly get the Spartans back to the top of the conference, a place they haven't been consistently in years.

byVaclavien Pynzarien

in

December 01, 2025

Michigan State finalizes deal to hire ex-Northwestern coach Pat Fitzgerald to replace Jonathan Smith

Michigan State has secured its replacement for Jonathan Smith. The Spartans finalized a five-year deal to hire P...

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