Quick Hits

• Record money in hockey. Colorado Avalanche star defenseman Cale Makar agreed to an eight-year, $163.2 million extension — the largest contract in NHL history — making him the league's first $20-million-per-year player.
• It's NFL cut-down day. All 32 teams must trim their rosters to 53 players by 6 p.m. ET tonight; among the early moves, the Bills cut receiver Hardman and the Giants acquired defensive tackle Okoye.
• MLB age-fraud scandal. The league suspended a once-prized Dominican prospect in the Guardians' system after uncovering a scheme to falsify his age and identity — one that, per ESPN's sources, included a fictitious death.
• Veteran over rookie in Vegas. The Raiders are expected to open the season with 38-year-old Kirk Cousins at quarterback while No. 1 pick Fernando Mendoza begins his career as a backup.
• And a fun one: A Knicks fan commemorated the biggest comeback in NBA Finals history — New York's Game 4 rally against the Spurs this summer — with a tattoo of the win-probability chart.

Minnesota Teams

Quiet day on the local front — no Twins, Wolves, Wild, Lynx, United, or Gophers headlines in the national feed. The one relevant note: the Vikings are subject to today's leaguewide NFL cut-down deadline and must get to 53 players by 6 p.m. ET. No specific Vikings moves made today's roundup, and Minnesota wasn't part of college football's "Week 0" slate that kicked off Saturday.

NFL

Today's big event is administrative but consequential: every team must cut its roster from 90 to 53 players by 6 p.m. ET, and ESPN is tracking the moves as they happen — already, the Bills have released receiver Hardman, and the Giants have picked up defensive tackle Okoye. Cut players whose service time is short go through waivers, meaning other teams can claim them, so the list is worth a skim if you like roster intrigue.

In actual player news, the Dolphins traded quarterback Quinn Ewers to the division-rival Jaguars for a late-round pick in the 2028 draft — CBS Sports gave both teams middling grades for the deal. Elsewhere, per a report, the league placed new Seahawks cornerback Terrion Arnold on the commissioner's exempt list, which bars him from practicing or playing while he's on it.

MLB

The strangest story of the day: MLB suspended a Guardians prospect from the Dominican Republic after discovering that "great lengths" — including, according to ESPN's reporting, a fictitious death — were used to make him appear several years younger than he actually is. Age fraud matters because younger prospects command bigger signing bonuses.

In sadder news, Larry Christenson, a pitcher on the Phillies' 1980 World Series championship team who spent his entire career in Philadelphia, died at 72 while on a fishing trip with family. And in a lovely story from the Little League World Series: the only retired jersey in Williamsport belongs to No. 11, Michael Cammarata, honoring the 9/11 fallen hero's legacy.

NHL

No games to report, but the biggest contract in league history: Cale Makar, Colorado's star defenseman, signed an eight-year extension worth $163.2 million total — a $20.4 million average that makes him the highest-paid player the NHL has ever had and its first to crack $20 million a season. For context, that's a new financial ceiling for the whole sport.

College Sports

College football's season opened Saturday with "Week 0" — a small appetizer slate before most teams start next weekend. The headliner was history: North Dakota State, a longtime powerhouse from college football's second tier, made its debut in the top-level FBS at home against Jacksonville State on CBS Sports Network. Other Saturday games included Virginia vs. NC State and Florida State hosting New Mexico State. (Final scores weren't in today's roundup.)

In college basketball news, Florida locked up coach Todd Golden with a six-year, $49.5 million extension that CBS reports will make him one of the five highest-paid coaches in the sport.

Other Sports

• Golf: The PGA Tour season wraps this weekend at the Tour Championship in Atlanta, where the final 29 players compete for the FedEx Cup title and a $10 million winner's prize.
• UFC: A meaningful bantamweight (135-pound) fight headlined Saturday's card in Shanghai — Umar Nurmagomedov vs. Song Yadong, which CBS streamed on Paramount+.
• NASCAR: The Cup Series ran its summer night race at Daytona, the Coke Zero Sugar 400, on Saturday night.