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FRISCO, Texas — Dallas Cowboys wide receiver George Pickens said he is prepared to play the 2026 season on the franchise tag.

“Like the tag and all that, it’s just football first,” Pickens said after the first day of mandatory minicamp. “So, definitely play football first, kind of like I did last year, and then worry about [the contract] … Well, let my agent worry about it really.”

Pickens did not participate in the voluntary part of the Cowboys’ offseason program but never thought about skipping the minicamp as a way to kick-start negotiations on a long-term deal.

Before the draft, the Cowboys announced they would not negotiate a long-term deal with Pickens and soon thereafter he signed the $27.3 million franchise tag. Before signing the tender, owner and general manager Jerry Jones and coach Brian Schottenheimer spoke with Pickens about the club’s decision.

Pickens said he did not ask Jones why they wanted to wait, nor was he disappointed in not having talks that could have made him one of the highest-paid receivers in the NFL. He said it was “super important” to have that conversation.

“Just definitely as a person, as anybody, I would want you to tell your kids or friends exactly what you’re going to do,” Pickens said.

Schottenheimer never doubted the star receiver would show up for minicamp.

“I think No. 1, what he feels about his brothers in the locker room, the guys he cares about, Dak [Prescott] and CeeDee [Lamb] and Quinnen [Williams] and Kenny Clark and guys like that. That’s the first part,” Schottenheimer said. “As you guys know, [the] OTAs and offseason program is voluntary. This is the one part of it that’s mandatory. He’s not the only player that hasn’t been at camps around the league. It just shows his commitment to the guys in that locker room and helping us win a Super Bowl.”

Schottenheimer said his discussions with Pickens on Monday were more about life and what he has been up to during the offseason, like the trips he has taken.

“He’s gotten into golf, which is cool. I love to play golf, so might have to go take his money on the golf course a little bit,” Schottenheimer said. “But, no, we just chopped it up about life. Again, great to catch up and he’s in a really good spot, which again, his smile is infectious and when he’s around it’s great for us. I say it all the time the influence he has, I don’t even think he has the understanding of how powerful it is because he loves playing the game so much and he loves playing the game specifically here with his teammates.”

In Tuesday’s workout, Pickens went through individual drills and caught some passes from Dak Prescott. After one completion, Pickens did a little dance that was a sign he said of his happiness to be back. When practice ended, Schottenheimer had Pickens break down the group.

“Everybody was cheering,” running back Javonte Williams said. “I mean we were all glad to see him back. We know how hard he works. He might get the rep in public that we know in the locker room people might think different of him, but we know he’s a great person, and we love having him back.”

Pickens had been working out and running routes without a quarterback at a high school while also having some throwing sessions with Prescott. He said he felt good in his return to work Tuesday but the Cowboys kept him out of the team and 7-on-7 drills to avoid exposure to injury.

Schottenheimer said when training camp starts in Oxnard, California, he expects Pickens to be full-go after the same ramp-up period every player undergoes.

In his first year with the Cowboys, Pickens caught 93 passes for 1,429 yards and nine touchdowns, all career highs. He said it’s “super, super fathomable,” to put up the same numbers in 2026.

“Now that it’s been put on tape and it’s been seen, me personally, all I was doing was being my best,” Pickens said.

CINCINNATI — The way Joe Burrow feels about this year’s Cincinnati Bengals team feels familiar to him.

For the Pro Bowl quarterback, the vibes are similar to what they were when he led LSU to the national championship and had one of the most decorated seasons in college football history. And he feels the Bengals could be on the cusp of a similar season.

“You go back and watch what I said before the 2019 season at LSU,” Burrow said Wednesday. “I feel very similarly about this team. I’m so excited to get started and get moving. I wish we ramped this right into training camp so we can continue to improve.

“I feel like there’s so much greatness we’ll be able to achieve this year that I’m just excited to get going.”

Burrow will have to wait on that. The Bengals wrapped up minicamp two days early, with Wednesday serving as a team activity day before coach Zac Taylor dismissed the group for the summer. Taylor said all the necessary parts of the playbook have been installed and the on-field work the team has done over the past few weeks merited the early dismissal.

But that didn’t stop Burrow from putting in an incredible amount of work. He was on the practice field for an additional hour after Tuesday’s practice and also had an extended throwing session Wednesday, which will be the team’s final workday at Paycor Stadium before training camp begins in mid-July.

The reasoning behind Burrow’s approach this week was simple. “Just trying to get better, man,” he said.

Improving with a greater sense of purpose was a common refrain for the bulk of Burrow’s news conference Wednesday. When asked if this was going to be a make-or-break year for the Bengals following a series of aggressive moves by the franchise, Burrow said there is “certainly” a sense of urgency for the group.

This offseason, the Bengals traded the 10th overall pick for Pro Bowl defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence and restructured Burrow’s contract to give them an additional $10 million in cap space for the 2026 season. And that urgency has changed how Burrow operates around his teammates.

“I’ve tried be a little more vocal in a mean way,” Burrow said. “I think that’s a little out of my comfort zone, but that’s somewhere that I’m improving. Maybe it’s good and maybe it’s bad, but we’ll find out.”

Bengals offensive coordinator Dan Pitcher termed that a little bit differently.

“I would say maybe he’s just been a little more blunt and a little more immediate at times,” Pitcher said.

And time is certainly of the essence. The Bengals were 6-11 last year. They have missed the playoffs in each of the past three seasons. The team retained Taylor and de facto general manager Duke Tobin in hopes that consistency and proven success before the recent rut can yield winning results again.

That is what Burrow wants.

And as conversation swirls about Burrow’s future, which is under contract in Cincinnati through 2029, and whether the Bengals can become a contender again, Burrow is eager to embrace the expectations he has for the team.

“Put pressure on guys,” Burrow said. “I love it. I thrive in it. We’ll find out who else does. I know we have the kind of people who want to be in that spot. I want everybody talking about the Bengals. I want everybody talking about what I’m saying in my press conferences.”

The 2026 NBA free agent class will have its top point guard.

Washington Wizards guard Trae Young plans to decline his $48.97 million option for the 2026-27 season and will become a free agent on Monday, according to Andscape’s Marc Spears. The Wizards reportedly remain the frontrunner to sign Young long-term, but he expects to get max contract interest from other teams.

It was reported earlier this week that Young has been receiving trade interest, as well.

Young joined the Wizards via a midseason trade with the Atlanta Hawks, where he was once the face of the franchise. That luster has faded in recent years, and his known limitations as a player resulted in Atlanta moving on from him. He wound up playing only five games for Washington last season before getting shut down with lower back pain and a right quad contusion.

The Wizards’ plan since that trade has been clear: Acquire two multi-time All-Stars in Young and Anthony Davis, shut them down as much as possible to tank the remaining season, claim a top pick in one of the most stacked draft classes in NBA history, retain Young long-term and enter next season with more reason for optimism than any season in recent memory.

So far, the plan has gone off without a hitch. The franchise is currently weighing whether to draft A.J. Dybantsa, Darryn Peterson or Cam Boozer after winning the lottery. Either way, it will be getting an impact talent to combine with a roster that already had a healthy mix of experience and youth.

That plan depends on retaining Young, though. The 27-year-old has said he wanted to come to Washington originally, which would bode well for the Wizards’ chances. They just have to hope none of the other teams circling are that attractive for Young.

The stars have been out at the 2026 World Cup. It’s already been a week of the group stage, and there are a host of multi-goal scorers.

It isn’t too early to start tracking the race for the Golden Boot, the award is given to the tournament’s top goal scorer. Assists are used as a tiebreaker if two or more players finish with the same goal total.

Kylian Mbappé earned the prestigious honor during the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. He mounted eight goals while leading France to the doorstep of another title. Mbappé opened the scoring gates in France’s first match of this year’s World Cup.

As of Wednesday night, he’s one of eight players with at least two goals in the tournament so far. And he’s not the only former Golden Boot winner in the mix. So is England’s Harry Kane, who claimed the honor with six goals during the 2018 World Cup in Russia.

World Cup 2026: Daily schedule | Group schedule, results | Standings

2026 World Cup Golden Boot race

RANK	NAME	COUNTRY	GOALS
1	Lionel Messi	Argentina	3
T-2	Folarin Balogun	USA	2
T-2	Kai Havertz	Germany	2
T-2	Yasin Ayari	Sweden	2
T-2	Eli Just	New Zealand	2
T-2	Harry Kane	England	2
T-2	Erling Haaland	Norway	2
T-2	Kylian Mbappé	France	2

Argentina’s Lionel Messi is out in front, thanks to his head-turning hat trick, the first in his illustrious World Cup career. As a result of his prolific outing versus Algeria, Messi is now tied with Germany’s Miroslav Klose for the most goals in World Cup history.

Kane bagged a record-tying brace against Croatia on Wednesday. In rematch of the teams’ 2018 World Cup semifinal, he scored on a penalty kick and a set-piece header to tie Gary Lineker as the Three Lions’ all-time leading goal scorer at the World Cup.

On Tuesday — the same day Messi sparkled and Mbappé scored a pair of goals in a win over Senegal — Norway’s Erling Haaland found the back of the net twice in his long-awaited World Cup debut, piloting his country to a convincing victory against Iraq.

If you missed any of those performances, you can relive the nine combined goals scored by Messi, Kane, Mbappé and Haaland.

Of course, last Friday, the USMNT’s Folarin Balogun became a household name in the U.S. He accounted for half of the Americans’ scoring in a 4-1 statement-making win over Paraguay. The other three players with two goals in this year’s World Cup are Germany’s Kai Havertz, Sweden’s Yasin Ayari and New Zealand’s Eli Just.

The International Basketball Federation announced on Tuesday that Guadalajara will stage an eight-team competition from 17-23 August, with the winner advancing in February 2028 to the qualifying events for the Los Angeles Summer Olympic Games.

The women’s event, presented by FIBA as the ‘First stop on the road to LA 2028’, will bring together teams that failed to qualify for the next FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup 2026 in Berlin and are being given an immediate opportunity to rejoin the Olympic process.

Argentina, Brazil, Canada, New Zealand, the Philippines, Senegal and South Sudan are among the participants after missing out on the World Cup, while Mexico will enter the field in place of Colombia, which will not take part. The federation explained that the host country takes that place as the highest-ranked non-qualified team from the same continental region in the FIBA World Ranking for Women.

The tournament will be played at the Arena Astros, a venue in Guadalajara that staged international action earlier this year when it hosted several Basketball Champions League Americas games involving Astros Jalisco. For FIBA, that recent experience strengthens the choice of a venue that will open the road to Los Angeles 2028 for teams that, after missing out on the 2026 World Cup, can still “bounce back quickly and fuel their Olympic dreams”.

The draw will be held on 20 June at the Patrick Baumann House of Basketball in Mies, Switzerland. The eight nations will be divided into two groups of four, with a single round-robin format in which each country will play at least three games before the tournament moves into its decisive phase.

The top two teams from each group will advance to the semi-finals, and the winner of the final will secure a place in the FIBA Women’s Olympic Qualifying Tournaments 2028. For the rest, defeat in Guadalajara will not close the road to Los Angeles 2028, because all the teams will remain in the process and will be able to reach that same round through the Women’s Continental Cups 2027.

The allocation of places for those qualifiers will reserve two berths for the best teams from the AfroBasket tournament, four from the AmeriCup, four from the Asia Cup and six from EuroBasket.

The winner of the 2026 pre-qualifying tournament will occupy one place within its region’s quota rather than earning an additional berth. The remaining places for LA28 will be determined through the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournaments in 2028, with 12 teams advancing. Those teams are expected to include the host nation, the United States, subject to approval by the FIBA Central Board, and the winner of the 2026 World Cup.

Track and field’s governing body launched the ‘Childbirth And Return in Elite Sport’ project on Tuesday to protect female competitors and reduce inequities through scientific research and policy development.

“We are continually looking for ways to make our sport even more equitable, and the ‘CARES’ project is the next step in ensuring athletes who experience pregnancy are protected, receive support, and do not face barriers when it comes to being able to make a return to elite athletics,” said World Athletics President Sebastian Coe.

As part of the ‘CARES’ project, the federation is calling for female athletes – both those who have experienced pregnancy and those who have not – to complete one of two surveys, which are being conducted in collaboration between the Health and Science and Competition departments of World Athletics, with direct input from the World Athletics Athletes’ Commission.

“It is important that our athletes are the driving force behind this. The responses generated by these surveys and the associated analysis of performance metrics is vital to this project, to inform future action,” stressed Coe.

The first survey is intended for female athletes who experienced pregnancy on or after 1 January 2019 during their elite athletics career, regardless of whether the pregnancy resulted in childbirth. This survey collects information on pregnancy and, where applicable, childbirth and return to sport, including perceived barriers and facilitators, professional and organisational support, contractual and financial considerations, and possible ways to support world rankings during maternity leave. This part of the project is integrated by a retrospective analysis of the World Athletics database, including performance metrics, providing new data and novel scientific insights.

The second survey is intended for elite female athletes who have not experienced pregnancy. It focuses on perceptions of organisational support, maternity-related governance, and possible ranking-policy mechanisms.

“I am really proud to see World Athletics taking a leading role in encouraging research and more open dialogue about what it means to be a mother and an athlete,” said World Athletics Athletes’ Commission Chair Valerie Adams.

“When I started my career, you didn’t want to tell your sponsors if you got pregnant because you might get dropped. By the time I retired – as a mother of two – we’re seeing more female athletes coming back from having kids and performing at an elite level. I hope that the work being done in this space will further inspire female athletes to not only plan their sporting career, but also plan their life,” the two-time Olympic champion in shot put added. 

Adam’s fears are not unfounded. Several athletes have seen sponsorships dropped or reduced after announcing their pregnancies, including elite marathon runner Emma Bates and Allyson Felix, the most decorated American in Olympic track and field history.

The 11-time Olympic medallist’s contract with her sponsor Nike was reduced by 70% because of her pregnancy in 2018. She went on to build her own brand of athletic wear for women. Her own experience with discrimination has powered her advocacy work, campaigning for policy changes and even launching a child care initiative for athlete moms. 

Felix was also behind the first-ever Olympic Village nursery, which launched at the Paris 2024 Summer Games. Olympian moms were given access to private spaces for breastfeeding, a family lounge for playtime and a changing station. Now a mother of two, the legendary sprinter plans to continue racing. She recently announced that she was coming out of retirement, with an eye on the Los Angeles Olympics in 2028.

SOUTHAMPTON, NY — If the PGA Championship taught us anything, it is that even amid an era of professional golf catered towards the world’s best, any player can be the world’s best on any given week. At Aronimink Golf Club, it was Aaron Rai who played his way into the winner’s circle at the second major championship of the season by teeing it up in an alternate field event across from a signature event the week prior.

This week at Shinnecock Hills, it could be someone similar as the U.S. Open has had a way of crowning champions who were perhaps on the second or third page of potential contenders. Last season, it was J.J. Spaun who shocked the world with a birdie to remember on the 72nd hole at Oakmont Country Club. Two years earlier, Wyndham Clark fended off fan favorites in Rory McIlroy and Rickie Fowler at Los Angeles Country Club amid a week of record scoring.

It is true, world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler is likely to threaten the career grand slam on Sunday — a day that triples as the final round of the championship, Father’s Day and Scheffler’s 30th birthday. McIlroy has done everything but win a U.S. Open since his last trip to Shinnecock Hills in 2018. Schauffele has never finished outside the top 15 in the U.S. Open. Fitzpatrick has the most wins this season.

The big names one should expect to be there in the final round should be present, but there are surprises every single year, and at the U.S. Open, those surprises have had a knack of bettering both expectations and the rest of the field.

Check out the nine golfers who we believe could be the last man standing come Sunday at Shinnecock Hills, along with a full slate of U.S. Open picks and expert predictions from the CBS Sports staff before play begins, and a complete breakdown of the U.S. Open TV schedule and coverage guide for the week.

1.	Scottie Scheffler
Sentiment around the world No. 1 is down due to his lack of wins relative to his torrid pace and some frustrations aired on the golf course. But get this: Scheffler ranks inside the top 10 in this field in each tee to green metric and inside the top 20 in terms of strokes gained putting and driving accuracy over the last three months. The four-time major champion simply does not have a weakness. He contends in every tournament and has an underrated U.S. Open record with four top 10s in his last five outings. Odds: 6-1
2	Rory McIlroy
It’s not only about picking off certain golf tournaments these days for McIlroy but also about picking off certain golf tournaments at certain golf courses. Shinnecock Hills is one of those U.S. Open venues that is a résumé builder, and McIlroy knows this. He has evolved into a five-tool player with an affinity for firm, fast U.S. Open conditions, as evidenced by his record ever since missing the cut in 2018. The driver has been a little wayward in 2026, but if that tightens, he’ll be right in this championship. Odds: 12-1
3	Jon Rahm
The only other player alongside Scheffler to rank inside the top 15 in each tee-to-green metric the last three months, Rahm looks ready for another major run. The Spaniard played brilliant golf in Philadelphia only to be run down by Rai in the final moments of the PGA Championship. That experience should add fuel to the fire and give him the confidence that he can play himself into the mix in a topsy-turvy major championship. Odds: 15-1
4	Xander Schauffele
The 2026 season has been one defined by Schauffele’s floor performances, as the two-time major champion has yet to piece his game together for an entire tournament. The keyword there is yet. As mentioned above, Schauffele’s name has found a home on the first and second pages of the U.S. Open leaderboards, as certain parts of his game have a way of picking up the slack when others are lacking. He is one of three players to finish inside the top 10 at both the Masters and PGA Championship. Odds: 20-1
5	Matt Fitzpatrick
The 2022 champion has yet to contend in a major this season, but his runner-up result at last week’s Canadian Open suggests that will come to an end this weekend. Fitzpatrick’s chipping and pitching have reached new heights to complement an increasingly savvy iron game. The Englishman has not driven it great the last month, but the wider fairways could help even if they are running a mile a minute. Odds: 20-1
6	Tommy Fleetwood
There have been a number of 63s at Shinnecock Hills, but only one in the U.S. Open, with that coming courtesy of Fleetwood in the final round of the 2018 tournament. Missing a putt for 62, the Englishman nearly chased down Brooks Koepka and makes his return this week in as good form as ever. Fleetwood earned himself late tee times at the Memorial and Canadian Open in the lead-up to this event, allowing himself to understand where his body and habits are in the heat of weekend contention. That is valuable for a man whose game stacks up with the best of them, even if the number of wins does not. Odds: 20-1
7	Russell Henley
The reputation around recent U.S. Opens is that players need to be long in order to win, and that could not be further from the truth. Henely was the first-round leader in 2018 and is among the most well-rounded players in the world, even without the pop of his peers. A recent winner at Colonial Country Club, Henley has become more comfortable by the year in these majors. He had his chances on the second nine at Augusta National and quietly has four top-15 finishes in his last five U.S. Opens. Odds: 35-1
8	Patrick Reed
Reed’s diet heading into the summer has consisted of two dishes — the Masters and the PGA Championship. He finished inside the top 15 in both of them and was in with a chance at this championship in 2018 before a bogey on the par-3 11th in his final round. Reed has the short game, the hands, the touch and a surprisingly much improved driver all in the bag. The 15th club will be tested this week, favoring a grinder like Reed. Odds: 45-1
9	Harris English
Let’s take a chance on an outsider who thrives in difficult conditions and possesses a sneaky good U.S. Open record. English has three top 10s in his last six U.S. Opens and is close to piecing his whole game together. He has managed to get by without his best ball-striking so far this season, but once the iron play turns, so will his fortunes. English has one of the best short games in the world, and if Retief Goosen’s performance in 2004 is any indication, putting will play a massive role in any area where English thrives. Odds: 80-1

Who will win the 2026 U.S. Open, and which longshots will stun the golfing world? Visit SportsLine now to see the projected leaderboard, all from the model that’s nailed 17 golf majors heading into the weekend, including the past five Masters, and find out.