Travis Kelce expected to return to Chiefs, play in 14th NFL season

Taylor Swift's lucky number is 13.Travis Kelce, however, is counting on the number 14 to hold good fortune.

TheKansas City Chiefstight end is expected to return to the team for his 14th NFL season in 2026, NFL Media's Ian Rapoport reported, staving off retirement for at least another year.

Since announcing that he would play the 2025 season, Kelce had offered scant details about his long-term plans. He left things open-ended after the Chiefs finished 6-11, the worst mark of his career.

"Either (the decision) hits me quick or I've got to take some time," Kelce said on Jan. 4 after a loss to the Las Vegas Raiders. "Last year was a little bit easier. I think I knew right away I wanted to kind of give this one (year) a shot. We'll see."

Kelce, 36, had previously stated his intent to commit one way or another in advance of free agency so as to allow Kansas City sufficient time to make plans.

Now, on the day that the league's negotiating period beings and with his wedding to Swift still ahead, the 11-time Pro Bowl selection is back for another go, though a new contract will be required from a Chiefs team already facing a cap crunch. In 2025, Kelce played out the final year of his two-year, $34.25 million extension.

Travis Kelce's career in football before and after Taylor Swift

What does Travis Kelce's return mean for Chiefs' 2026 season?

With Kelce back in the fold, Kansas City is counting on yet another familiar figure to help push the team back to the top of the AFC power structure.

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In January, the teamhired Eric Bieniemyfor a second stint as offensive coordinator, with the former Chicago Bears running backs coach stepping back into the role he held from 2018-22. During that span, Kansas City twice ranked first in scoring and total yards, never finishing worse than sixth in either category. Since then, the Chiefs have not ranked better than 15th in scoring.

Last year's unit posted the worst scoring average (21.3 points per game) of any Kansas City offense since Patrick Mahomes took over as the starting quarterback in 2018. Offensive coordinator Matt Nagy did not return to the organization, instead taking a play-calling role with the New York Giants after his contract expired and the team moved on to Bieniemy.

Speaking prior to his announcement to return, Kelce lauded the hire in a manner that led some to believe he would be back to play a part in the reunion.

"I can't wait to see him back in the building, man," Kelce said in a late January episode of his "New Heights" podcast. "He's one of my favorite coaches of all time, one of my favorite people of all time. I've had so many unbelievable growing moments under him as a player, as a person, and I just love the guy."

Kelce adds a critical level of security for a Chiefs passing attack that could be in flux as Mahomes works his way back from multiple torn knee ligaments suffered in mid-December.

Though he posted the fewest yards per game (50.1) of any season since his injury-shortened rookie year, Kelce still led the Chiefs in receiving yards (851), receptions (76) and yards after the catch (424).

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:Travis Kelce returning to Chiefs in 2026 for 14th NFL season

byMichael Cox

in

March 09, 2026

Travis Kelce expected to return to Chiefs, play in 14th NFL season

Taylor Swift's lucky number is 13.Travis Kelce, however, is counting on the number 14 to hold good fortune. ...

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Akshay Bhatia defeats Daniel Berger in playoff to win Arnold Palmer

Akshay Bhatia found several sources of late-day momentum, which led to another victory on the PGA Tour.

Bhatia used a late-round eagle to help secure a 3-under-par 69 before winning the Arnold Palmer Invitational in a playoff Sunday in Orlando, Fla.

His par on the extra hole was enough when Daniel Berger missed a putt from about 7 1/2 feet.

They both were at 15-under 273 for the tournament at Bay Hill Club and Lodge.

"Everyone knows when you show up to Bay Hill it's going to be a test and to play one of the hardest golf courses," Bhatia said. "And to succeed is really cool."

Bhatia won for the third time on the PGA Tour with his first victory since the 2024 Texas Open. It was the tournament's first playoff since 1999.

Berger, seeking his fifth tour victory and first in more than five years, shot 70 in the final round.

"Obviously it didn't go the way I wanted it to," Berger said. "But at the start of the week if you told me I would have a chance on the 18th hole to win Bay Hill, I would be ecstatic with that. So a lot of positives, a lot of things to learn from."

There was plenty of drama on the last hole in regulation. With his tee shot into the rough on No. 18, Berger chose to lay up rather than try to carry the lake guarding the green. Bhatia put his second shot within 19 feet of the hole and then needed a tap-in for par. Berger sank a 13 1/2-foot putt, with the ball curling into the cup, to match Bhatia's par and extend the tournament.

"You just never know what can happen in this game," Bhatia said.

Berger was in the rough off the tee again on the playoff hole, and this time he couldn't make a full recovery.

"It's tough to win (a tournament)," Berger said. "It's tough to battle. But I feel like I did a good job, and a shot here or there was the difference."

Cameron Young (69) and Sweden's Ludvig Aberg (67) tied for third place at 12 under and Collin Morikawa (70), seeking his second victory in four weeks, was fifth at 11 under.

Hours earlier, Berger's lead dipped to one stroke on Bhatia after they were among a few groups completing the weather-interrupted third round Sunday morning. Bhatia posted birdie on No. 18 to finish the third round.

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Berger and Bhatia were in the final pairing for the second round in a row.

Bhatia drew even briefly with an eagle 3 -- courtesy of a 3-foot putt -- on the 16th hole. The approach shot came from what Bhatia called the best 6-iron shot of his life.

Berger, however, left the green with a one-stroke lead after making birdie. He relinquished the final-round lead with a bogey on the following hole.

Berger dodged early trouble when his tee shot on the par-5 fourth hole went into a shallow creek off the fairway. He took a risk by powering his second shot out of trouble with water spraying, and he managed to produce a birdie on the hole.

Bhatia got back in it with four consecutive birdies to begin the back nine after a three-bogey, one-birdie front side. He said a bogey on No. 9 led to a change of mindset.

"I played with some anger for those couple holes," he said.

His birdie splurge included a 58-foot birdie putt on No. 11.

"That putt on 11 was a huge bonus for me," he said. "That really switched my momentum."

Young liked being near the top of the leaderboard.

"I got myself in a place where I hit a bunch of good shots and sometimes the putts just don't go in," Young said.

Sahith Theegala had the final round's best score with 66, allowing him to share sixth place at 10 under with Russell Henley (68) and Australia's Min Woo Lee (70).

"This week was big," Theegala said. "I played some really, really nice golf. Just got to figure out how to get one of the really bad round."

World No. 1 golfer Scottie Scheffler's 73 marked his worst round of the tournament. He tied for 24th place at 2 under, yet he was far from discouraged.

"I hit a lot of really, really nice iron shots," Scheffler said. "Some worked out, others got some wind shifts, but overall, I felt like I struck it really nicely."

--Field Level Media

byMichael Cox

in

March 09, 2026

Akshay Bhatia defeats Daniel Berger in playoff to win Arnold Palmer

Akshay Bhatia found several sources of late-day momentum, which led to another victory on the PGA Tour. ...

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Winners and losers from the women's Power 4 conference tournaments

All four of the Power 4 Conference Women's Tournament champions from last season had a chance to defend their titles on Sunday.

Half got the job done asDukepushed past Louisville in overtime in the ACC and UCLA pummeled Iowa in the Big Ten. TCU fell to West Virginia in the Big 12 and South Carolina lost to Texas in a rematch of last season's SEC championship.

The Gamecocks' loss also likely knocks them down to the fourth No. 1 seed, having lost to the Longhorns ― who would move into the three after UConn and UCLA, respectively.

As winners of their conference tournaments, the Blue Devils, Bruins, Longhorns and Horned Frogs earn automatic bids into March Madness. While the runners-up in each Power 4 conference will also be shoo-ins, every other team will have to sweat it out on Selection Sunday on March 15 to see if they received at-large bid.

Here are the winners and losers from ACC, Big 12, Big Ten and SEC women's tournaments.

Winners

Texas coach Vic Schaefer

Vic Schaefer was 0-8 against Dawn Staley in the postseason entering this year's SEC Tournament. He put a tally in the win column on Sunday as his Longhorns led wire-to-wire in a double-digit win over the Gamecocks, giving Texas its first SEC Championship. The Texas victory will likely vault the Longhorns to the No. 3 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament, giving them a good chance to play in their home state — at Fort Worth's Dickies Arena — in the regional round during the second weekend of March Madness. With SEC Tournament MVP Madison Booker leading the way, few teams will want to land in Texas' quadrant of the bracket. In addition to two wins over South Carolina, Texas also already owns a win over fellow national title contender UCLA.— Mitchell Northam

More:Texas supplants South Carolina for SEC women's basketball championship

Dukeshowsresilience

Duke winning back-to-back ACC Tournament championships and punching its ticket to the NCAA Tournament is a massive win for head coach Kara Lawson and the program. The Blue Devils were gritty when it counted most, despite losing two of their last three games prior to the tournament. They grinded out wins against Notre Dame and Louisville to hoist another ACC trophy. Duke also started the season 3-6, something Lawson says she'll probably think about for the rest of her life. "It's very special for this group to kind of complete the journey in the ACC because everyone knows about our start, Lawson said. "But I'm very proud of that. I'm proud of where we started, even though it was hard, and I'm proud of where we got to. And when you look at this team, we had to figure out who we were. We didn't know that at the beginning."— Meghan L. Hall

UCLA marches into tournament on hot streak

The one-loss Bruins will enter the tournament on a 25-game win streak after defeating Iowa, 96-45, in the Big Ten championship game. The No. 2 team in the nation went 21-0 in conference play, winning 20 of those games by double digits. The Bruins also have 18 Quad 1 wins this season. Led by its five upperclassmen starters (Gianna Kneepkens, Gabriela Jaquez, Kiki Rice, Charlisse Leger-Walker and Lauren Betts), UCLA has been on a mission to return to the Final Four. Coach Cori Close's team will have momentum on its side and redemption on its mind after suffering a blowout loss to UConn in the semifinal last year.― Josh Heron

More:UCLA blows out Iowa in the Big Ten championship for back-to-back-titles

West Virginia securing NCAA Tournament hosting duties

West Virginia's first Big 12 championship since 2017 all but secures its place in the top 16, which earns them the right to host the first and second rounds of March Madness in Morgantown. The Mountaineers entered the Big 12 Tournament teetering around the top 16 seeds due to their lack of Quad 1 wins, but West Virginia didn't leave the decision up to the selection committee. The Mountaineers took their destiny into their own hands and picked up a huge Quad 1 win against TCU on Sunday. West Virginia hasn't hosted at the NCAA Tournament since 2014. The team is 14-3 at home this season.

"Hopefully this got us over the hump," WVU coach Mark Kellogg said. "I can only imagine… how electric Hope Coliseum would be if we were able to host some NCAA Tournament games. So come on NCAA, do what you're supposed to do and get that thing to Morgantown for us."— Cydney Henderson

Arizona State coming off the bubble

Arizona Statewas one of the teams with the most to gain at the Big 12 women's tournament. The Sun Devils entered the tournament on the bubble as one of the first four teams out, according to USA TODAY Sports' bracketology, but they likely did enough to go dancing for the first time since 2019. Arizona State secured wins over Arizona and Iowa State before falling short against West Virginia in the quarterfinal round. The Sun Devils improved to 24-10 on the season, the team's most wins since the 2015-16 season (26). No power 4 conference women's basketball team with 24 or more wins has been left out of March Madness. "Out of all the bubble teams, we've had the most good wins. We've won 24 games … half of those games, 12 of them are top 100 wins and we've won nine on the road. So we can win anywhere," first-year head coach Molly Miller said.— Cydney Henderson

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Clemson's NCAA Tournament hopes

Before the ACC tournament, Clemson was a bubble team. After beating Virginia in the second round of the ACC Tournament, the Tigers effectively punched their ticket to March Madness. "We kind of took this as our season is on the line. We felt like a win [against Virginia] would get us in the NCAA Tournament no matter what happens the rest of the way out, " Clemson head coach Shawn Poppie said after the Tigers defeated the Hokies in the second round of the ACC Tournament." That's how they focused and fought and competed. But ultimately that's just basketball. How you start and how you finish quarters."— Meghan L. Hall

Kansas State and Jordan Speiser

Call Kansas State women's basketball the comeback kids. Kansas State pulled out a comeback upset win against Oklahoma State in the quarterfinals on Friday to become the first No. 12 seed to advance to the semifinals in Big 12 Tournament history.

One day earlier, Kansas State went on a 21-0 run to defeat Texas Tech 58-51 in the second round on Thursday. The day before that, Kansas State set a new Big 12 Tournament record with 17 made 3-pointers against Cincinnati on Wednesday.

They couldn't muster another comeback against No. 1 TCU, but Kansas State put the league on notice and freshman guard Jordan Speiser emerged as a breakout star. Speiser was 16-of 33 from the 3-point line through four games at the tournament.

"This team has had a knack for the dramatic wins," head coach Jeff Mittie said on Friday. It feels great to be playing basketball in March."— Cydney Henderson

Duke guard Taina Mair

If anyone was unfamiliar with Taina Mair's game before the ACC Tournament, she just put the whole country on notice. Mair was the go-to player for Duke in crunch time, often settling the team down or providing a much-needed score. She also crashed the glass, despite being one of the smaller players on the court, and she was a pest defensively, totaling eight steals in the tournament. Mair was rewarded with ACC Tournament MVP honors. "Before this conference [tournament], I knew I'd play a big pivotal role if we wanted to get to this championship, we wanted to win," Mair told USA TODAY Sports. "I was in the gym, early in the morning and late at night, just trying to get shots up and trying to be the player that I can for everybody."— Meghan L. Hall

Losers

Vanderbilt and Mikayla Blakes

The Commodores entered the SEC Tournament with a chance to play their way into a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament. It was also an opportunity for Mikayla Blakes to make her case for National Player of the Year. Vanderbilt did neither of those things as they were blown out in the quarterfinals by Ole Miss, a game in which Blakes opened by shooting 0-of-10 from the floor before recovering in the second half to finish with 24 points. The Commodores didn't play with any fire until SEC Coach of the Year Shea Ralph was ejected early in the fourth quarter after delivering a curse-word-laced message to a referee. Vanderbilt will be stuck on the two-line in March Madness now, and their path to a Final Four will likely have to go through UConn or UCLA.— Mitchell Northam

Iowa without one of its 'main' threats

Iowa missed Taylor McCabe in its 96-45 Big Ten championship loss to UCLA on Sunday. The senior guard was averaging 8.1 points per game before she tore ACL in her left knee in a late January matchup against Ohio State. McCabe's 40.7% career 3-point shooting average is tied for the best in program history. Iowa shot 22% from beyond the arc against the Bruins. After Sunday's defeat, Iowa coach Jan Jensen acknowledged the impact of not having McCabe. "[McCabe] was my main outside scoring threat," Jensen said. "Every play call was pretty much designed around her."― Josh Heron

Louisville in the ACC title game

For the 12th consecutive season under Jeff Walz, the Cardinals reached the quarterfinals or better in the ACC Tournament ― something no other conference team has achieved. The overtime loss to Duke, in what would have been the program's first championship since 2018, is going to sting for a while. The Cardinals controlled Sunday's game but could not sustain their defensive consistency in the final two minutes of regulation, when the Blue Devils made them pay. The Cardinals ran out of steam in overtime allowing Duke to dictate the game. Riley Nelson sank a dagger triple to put the Blue Devils up five in the final moments. The Cardinals defense all honed in on one side of the court, leaving Nelson alone to end their title hopes. That has to feel like a gut punch for a team that expected to win the ACC Tournament championship.— Meghan L. Hall

More:Duke holds off Louisville in overtime for ACC women's championship

TCU and its chance at a No. 2 seed

TCU failed to defend its Big 12 title against West Virginia and missed a prime opportunity to snag a No. 2 seed in the 2026 NCAA Tournament. TCU was held to 53 points in the title loss, the team's second-lowest point total of the season, and some glaring concerns emerged. Ball security is one. The Horned Frogs committed 16 and 11 turnovers in the semifinal and final, respectively. The 11 turnovers against West Virginia led to 15 points for the Mountaineers. The Horned Frogs were also hampered by foul trouble. Olivia Miles picked up three fouls in the first half and Marta Suarez fouled out with 1:30 left in the final. TCU needs both players on the court during March Madness.— Cydney Henderson

Michigan State and Maryland home hopes

The Spartans and Terrapins entered the weekend looking like they would be among the top 16 seeds in the NCAA Tournament and host the first two rounds of March Madness. Instead both teams were upset in the second round of the Big Ten tournament, with No. 13 Maryland losing to Oregon and No. 17 Michigan State to Illinois. The early exits left the door open for West Virginia, in the finals of the Big 12 Tournament, and North Carolina, to host.— Heather Burns

Iowa State and Audi Crooks

Iowa State got bounced in its Big 12 tournament opening matchup by Arizona State, a team the Cyclones soundly  defeated 90-64 just two weeks prior. Iowa State was held to 68 points in the loss, nearly 15 points below their average, and shot a dismal 7-of-36 from the 3-point line (19%), well below the team's 34.7% average. Arizona State's suffocating defense deserves credit. They held Audi Crooks to four first-quarter points and forced the Cyclones into 14 turnovers, which could serve as a playbook for the rest of the nation. Crooks said the Cyclones wanted to be monsters in March, but they looked toothless against the Sun Devils.— Cydney Henderson

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:Winners and losers from women's college basketball conference tournaments

byMichael Cox

in

March 09, 2026

Winners and losers from the women's Power 4 conference tournaments

All four of the Power 4 Conference Women's Tournament champions from last season had a chance to defend their titles...

Read More

Booker scores 30 points as Suns halt Hornets' road winning streak at 10 with 111-99 victory

PHOENIX (AP) — Devin Booker had 30 points and 10 assists as the Phoenix Suns stopped the Charlotte Hornets' road winning streak at 10 games with a 111-99 victory Sunday night.

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Booker was 1 for 6 from 3-point range but made all 15 of his free throws.

Collin Gillespie and Jalen Green each scored 24 points for the Suns, who have won four of five. Rasheer Fleming added 16 off the bench, including four 3-pointers.

LaMelo Ball led the Hornets with 22 points. Their road winning streak was the NBA's longest since the Los Angeles Lakers won 11 straight away from home in 2019-20. Charlotte hadn't lost on the road since Jan. 17 at Golden State.

The longest road winning streak in NBA history is 16 games, by the 1971-72 Lakers during their league-record 33-game run overall.

Miles Bridges scored 16 points, Kon Knueppel had 15 and Brandon Miller added 11 — all in the first half — for Charlotte. Knueppel was just 2 for 8 from behind the arc but the rookie still leads the NBA with 224 3-pointers.

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This was the first of a four-game Hornets road swing. Despite losing this one and at home Friday against Miami, they're 16-5 in the last 21 games in their rebound from a 4-14 start.

Phoenix, playing its last home game before six straight on the road, has won three of four. The Suns were again without starters Dillon Brooks (hand fracture) and Mark Williams (foot fracture). Key reserve Grayson Allen also sat out with a sore right knee.

The Suns led 60-58 at halftime. Green had 20 points and Booker 14.

Up next

Hornets: Play at Portland on Tuesday.

Suns: Play at Milwaukee on Tuesday.

AP NBA:https://apnews.com/hub/nba

byMichael Cox

in

March 08, 2026

Booker scores 30 points as Suns halt Hornets' road winning streak at 10 with 111-99 victory

PHOENIX (AP) — Devin Booker had 30 points and 10 assists as the Phoenix Suns stopped the Charlotte Hornets' road win...

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World Baseball Classic: Team USA cruises to another win vs. Great Britain, with Mexico awaiting

So far in the 2026 World Baseball Classic, it's only been a matter of "when" for Team USA following a 9-1 win over Great Britain on Saturday.

The tournament favorite spent half of its second group play game trailing the British, courtesy of a dormant offense and a surprise leadoff homer allowed by the best pitcher on the planet, Tarik Skubal. Two pitchers, indy ball veteran Tyler Viza and Los Angeles Angels minor leaguer Najer Vector, shut down the Americans across four innings.

And then, carnage.

It took only one error from Great Britain to open the floodgates. Ernie Clement reached first on a bad throw from GB third baseman Ivan Johnson. He moved to third on a double from Pete Crow-Armstrong. He scored on a wild pitch.

Two pitches later, Kyle Schwarber hit the ball 427 feet, deep into the second deck.

More runs followed. Gunnar Henderson brought in two more with a bases-loaded single. Alex Bregman, Aaron Judge and Will Smith all notched RBI in a sixth-inning rally. Bregman got another sacrifice fly an inning later.

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The vaunted American lineup ground down Brazil in its first game with 17 walks. It was a bit more aggressive in this one, but maintained an identity of slowly breaking pitchers with little MLB experience.

[Join or create a Yahoo Fantasy Baseball league for the 2026 MLB season]

On the pitching side, Skubal was on the mound for what will be his only start of the tournament. As few expected, he left the game facing a loss. The reason why: Boston Red Sox utility man Nate Eaton, who ambushed a fastball on the first pitch of the game for a double that evolved into a homer after replay review.

Skubal shook that off and put down nine of the 10 remaining batters.

From there, the American bullpen took over and maintained dominance. Skubal, Clay Holmes, David Bednar, Griffin Jax and Brad Keller combined for 17 strikeouts while walking none. The only British hitter who managed a hit was Eaton, who was 3-for-4 while his teammates were 0-for-25.

Now 2-0, Team USA is virtually guaranteed a spot in the knockout rounds. However, it will soon face its biggest test against Mexico on Monday, with first place in Pool B likely on the line. Mexico defeated Great Britain 8-2 on Friday.

byMichael Cox

in

March 08, 2026

World Baseball Classic: Team USA cruises to another win vs. Great Britain, with Mexico awaiting

So far in the 2026 World Baseball Classic, it's only been a matter of "when" for Team USA following a ...

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