Quick Hits

• Aaron Donald might not be retired after all: The legendary defensive lineman was spotted working out with the Los Angeles Rams using team equipment, forcing the team to report his activity to the league. A potential 2026 NFL return appears to be gaining real momentum.
• The Yankees are shaking up their infield: Ahead of top prospect George Lombard Jr.'s major league debut, New York made the surprising move to demote starting shortstop Anthony Volpe to the minors.
• The NFL is officially back (sort of): The preseason kicks off Thursday night with the Hall of Fame Game. Arizona Cardinals rookie quarterback Carson Beck—who led Miami to last year's college championship game—will make his highly anticipated NFL starting debut against the Carolina Panthers.
• Soccer shocker: Global soccer star Mohamed Salah has officially left Liverpool to play for Trabzonspor, a relatively smaller club in Turkey.
• Brock Lesnar calls it a career: After a massive weekend at WWE SummerSlam, the former UFC and WWE heavyweight champion officially announced his retirement, passing the torch to rising star Oba Femi.

Minnesota Teams

It’s a relatively quiet day on the local wires! While the Twins grind through the dog days of the MLB regular season and the Lynx battle in the WNBA, there are no major national headlines featuring our Minnesota squads today. We'll keep you posted the moment the Vikings make a training camp splash or the Wild finalize any late-summer roster moves.

NFL

Training camps are in full swing, and the biggest storyline is undoubtedly Aaron Donald. The future Hall of Famer stepped away from the game recently, but his recent workouts at the Rams' facility suggest a blockbuster return could be on the horizon.

On the injury front, the Atlanta Falcons are holding their breath after edge rusher Jalon Walker was feared to have torn his ACL. It's a tough blow for a defensive unit counting on the young playmaker.

If you're looking for some weekend entertainment, the preseason officially opens Thursday with the Cardinals facing the Panthers in the annual Hall of Fame Game in Canton, Ohio. Meanwhile, out in Cleveland, Browns owner Jimmy Haslam is feeling incredibly confident in his team. Haslam publicly stated he'd bet on his team this year, noting that they have statistically the easiest schedule in the league heading into the fall.

NBA

The NBA released its 2026-27 schedule this week, and league insiders are pointing to the new-look New York Knicks vs. Philadelphia 76ers rivalry as a must-watch heavyweight showdown in the Eastern Conference.

Over in the WNBA, the race for the final playoff spot is heating up. Seven teams look like locks for the postseason, leaving six squads—the Mystics, Sparks, Mercury, Sky, Fire, and Tempo—to battle it out for the eighth and final seed. Individually, rookie Olivia Miles continues to widen her lead as the front-runner for Rookie of the Year, while Sydney Taylor is turning heads and climbing the rookie rankings after hitting a massive game-winning shot against the Las Vegas Aces.

MLB

The biggest baseball news comes out of New York, where the Yankees are shaking things up after a quiet trade deadline. The team demoted shortstop Anthony Volpe to call up George Lombard Jr., one of their top prospects, for his major league debut. It's a bold move meant to spark the roster down the stretch.

Across the country, all eyes are on Los Angeles. Star pitcher Tarik Skubal is set to make his Dodgers debut Tuesday night against the Cubs. The blockbuster trade deadline addition is being asked to stop the Dodgers' season-high losing streak. Baseball executives around the league are already groaning about L.A.'s stacked pitching staff, with one MLB exec quoted as saying, "I'm glad we're not in the National League."

NHL

With the hockey season still a couple of months away, the focus remains on the league's free-agent moves. Fantasy hockey analysts are highlighting veteran defenseman John Carlson as one of the biggest winners of the summer, expecting him to see a major boost in production with his new team.

College Sports

The first major preseason college football poll is out, and it's a wide-open race. Ohio State and Oregon lead the way at the number one and two spots, respectively, while the SEC leads all conferences with nine teams in the top 25.

Over at Notre Dame, head coach Marcus Freeman is doing his best to keep his team grounded. After missing the College Football Playoff last season, Freeman is ignoring the early hype and keeping the Fighting Irish strictly focused on their Week 1 opener against Wisconsin.

In a wild off-field story, a former Western Kentucky defensive lineman, Victory Vaka, is currently suing the NCAA. Vaka lost his scholarship while grieving his mother's death and is fighting in court for the right to use his final year of eligibility at a different school.

Other Sports

• Soccer: Mohamed Salah leaving Liverpool for Trabzonspor is the transfer story of the summer. With the European transfer window closing soon, Liverpool is now left scrambling to replace one of the biggest stars in franchise history.
• Golf: The PGA Tour's regular season comes to an end this weekend at the Wyndham Championship in North Carolina. It's a tense week for golfers like Keegan Bradley, who are on the "bubble" and desperately need a good finish to qualify for the lucrative FedEx Cup playoffs.
• Combat Sports: UFC 331 is officially set for September in Los Angeles, headlined by a massive flyweight title rematch between Joshua Van and Alexandre Pantoja.
• Poker: If you need a break from the field sports, 22-year-old Lucas Jumalon just made history as the second-youngest player ever to win the World Series of Poker main event, taking home a cool $10 million prize.