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Morning Edition

December 16, 2025

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Micah Parsons is the latest NFL star sidelined, joining a string of high-profile injuries this past week that could alter the league’s final stretch and reshape the playoff race.

— Eric Fisher [[link removed]] and David Rumsey [[link removed]]

Micah Parsons’s Season-Ending ACL Injury Caps Brutal Stretch for NFL [[link removed]]

Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

The Packers’ worst fears were confirmed Monday as star defensive end Micah Parsons sustained a torn anterior cruciate ligament, now forming part of one of the most damaging injury stretches in recent NFL history.

Parsons, the highest-paid defensive player in NFL history, will be out for the rest of this season, and his status for the start of the 2026 season is uncertain.

Growing List

The injury to the standout Parsons adds to a similar injury on Sunday for Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes, who is also out for the rest of the season [[link removed]], and Rams receiver Davante Adams, who sustained a hamstring injury against the Lions. Parsons tore the ligament while in pursuit of Broncos quarterback Bo Nix, but it was a noncontact injury.

Mahomes is also facing an extended recovery.

“[It] would be extremely fast for Mahomes to play in Week 1 next year,” said Tom Christ of Motion Stability Physical Therapy Group. “Some players have returned that fast, so not impossible, but fast.”

Will Ratings Be Hurt, Too?

Like the Chiefs, the Packers are one of the most popular NFL teams, including among TV viewers, and the loss of Parsons could impact viewership for the rest of the season. The Packers, however, remain in the mix for the 2025 playoffs, unlike Kansas City, which was eliminated on Sunday. Green Bay, with a 9-4-1 record, currently holds the final playoff slot in the National Football Conference and still has an 88% probability of reaching the postseason [[link removed]].

“I may be sidelined, but I am not defeated,” Parsons said in a social media post [[link removed]]. “I will rise again.”

The injury to Adams is not as severe as Parsons’s and Mahomes’s, but the Rams are the first NFC team to clinch a playoff spot and have serious aspirations of a return to the Super Bowl.

Trade Factors

The Packers acquired Parsons just before the start of the regular season in a blockbuster trade with the Cowboys [[link removed]]. After that deal, Parsons signed a four-year, $188 million contract with Green Bay, including $136 million in guaranteed money and representing the type of deal he unsuccessfully sought from Cowboys owner Jerry Jones.

The pact is the largest for a non-quarterback in league history.

The 12.5 sacks that Parsons registered this season are tied for third in the league, and beyond that statistic, he has been a fixture in a Green Bay defense that ranks sixth in the NFL—showing the immediate payoff from the deal.

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Mets Owner Steve Cohen Clears Final Hurdle for $8B Casino Project [[link removed]]

Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

Steve Cohen’s $8 billion New York casino, at long last, is officially happening.

The Mets owner and his Metropolitan Park received full approval Monday from the New York State Gaming Commission for a gaming license. The decision paves the way for a large-scale project to be built with Hard Rock International adjacent to Citi Field, with plans including a casino and hotel, 5 acres of green space, playgrounds, a 5,000-seat indoor music venue, a rebuilt transit hub, and a locally inspired food hall, among other amenities.

This last and final regulatory decision was widely expected after the gaming commission’s facility location board formally and unanimously recommended the Metropolitan Park project [[link removed]], along with two other proposals, on Dec. 1.

That board holds significant sway on the final decision, and indeed, the gaming licenses were formally granted to Metropolitan Park, along with Bally’s, which plans a $4 billion resort complex at Ferry Point in the Bronx, and to Resorts World New York City, which proposes to build at the site of the Aqueduct Racetrack in Queens.

More directly, though, the Metropolitan Park project aims to convert a sea of asphalt surrounding the Mets’ home ballpark with something far more impactful and vibrant. Cohen, Hard Rock, and their partners have been in active pursuit of the gaming license for several years.

“Since the day I bought the team, the community and Mets fans have made it clear to me that we can and should do better with the area around the ballpark,” Cohen said. “Now, we are going to be able to deliver the sports and entertainment district that our fans have been asking for.”

Construction is expected to begin early next year in anticipation of a June 2030 opening.

Each of the three recipients of the gaming licenses will need to pay an upfront licensing fee of $500 million, commit to another $500 million in capital improvements, and pay annual taxes on the gaming revenue.

EXCLUSIVE

ESPN Hires Top Editor for New Role

ESPN has created a new top editorial role, hiring Roxanna Scott to lead all TV and digital newsgathering, Front Office Sports has confirmed. Scott, formerly of USA Today and The Athletic, will serve as SVP, editor-in-chief based in Bristol, Conn. For more on ESPN’s new hire, read Ryan Glasspiegel and Michael McCarthy’s story here [[link removed]].

For all of our sports media news and analysis, you can subscribe to the twice-weekly Tuned In newsletter [[link removed]].

Scotland Warns Its Fans of ‘Eye-Watering’ World Cup Ticket Prices [[link removed]]

Matt Kryger-Imagn Images

Scotland is in the midst of “World Cup fever” after claiming its first berth to the tournament since 1998, and following FIFA’s recent event draw [[link removed]], the country knows its men’s team will start group play in June against Haiti. The Scottish national team, however, has a stark warning for fans: Don’t overextend yourself financially to see us.

In the wake of World Cup ticket prices that soared roughly fivefold [[link removed]] compared to the 2022 tournament in Qatar, Scotland team manager Steve Clarke implored fans to watch their wallets as they consider traveling to North America for matches.

“One of my biggest wishes is that people don’t put themselves too much into debt trying to buy tickets,” Clarke said. “Even the cheapest ones look to be pretty pricey.”

FIFA said Scotland is one of the top countries making ticket requests for the upcoming World Cup, beyond the host countries of the U.S., Canada, and Mexico—further signifying the upstart nature of the country’s appearance amid global powers such as neighboring England, 2022 World Cup winner Argentina, France, Brazil, and Germany.

Football Supporters Europe, however, estimated it would cost at least $6,900 for a single fan to follow their team from the start of group-stage play to the final. That fan advocacy group, along with many others around the world, has decried what they describe as “extortionate” practices by FIFA. Compounding the sticker shock is FIFA’s use of dynamic prices for much of its World Cup ticketing.

“Some of the figures are eye-watering, if you look at them,” Clarke said.

Clarke’s comments followed those of Scottish fan group the Association of Tartan Army Clubs, which said that “FIFA has killed the dream of our young fans, desperate to get to a World Cup.”

Robust Demand

Despite the continued global pushback on FIFA’s World Cup ticket pricing, sales continue to be strong. The governing body said it received 5 million ticket requests during its third phase of ticket sales, adding to the nearly 2 million tickets sold during the two prior phases.

For Scotland specifically, the Scottish Football Association has claimed the maximum ticket allocation it can for its matches, amounting to 8% of the available inventory, and it will be distributing those tickets to its member supporter groups. That 8% allocation matches what is happening for all 48 participating countries.

“Tickets are going to be tight,” Clarke said. “The Scottish FA have taken the full allocation. I’m sure it’ll be used.”

Jaguars’ Offseason Gambles Paying Off With Best Season Since 2017 [[link removed]]

Florida Times-Union

With three games left in the 2025 NFL regular season, the Jaguars have already matched their highest win total since 2017, as the franchise rolls toward a likely playoff berth after high-priced leadership changes this offseason.

Jacksonville blew out the Jets 48–20 on Sunday to improve to 10–4 this season, and retain a one-game lead over the Texans in the AFC South. That guarantees the Jaguars their first double-digit win total since 2017, when they went 10–6 and reached the AFC championship game. Before that, the team’s previous best record was an 11–5 mark in 2007.

The improved play on the field comes following a major overhaul of the front office and coaching staff after missing the playoffs the previous two seasons.

First-year head coach Liam Coen is also Jacksonville’s offensive play-caller; he signed a five-year contract [[link removed]] in January worth an estimated $12 million annually after turning down an offer to remain with the Buccaneers as the highest-paid offensive coordinator in the NFL.

The pursuit of Coen led the Jaguars to also fire former GM Trent Baalke [[link removed]], who owner Shad Khan originally intended to keep in place despite moving on from former coach Doug Pederson.

Jacksonville then hired former Rams executive James Gladstone, 35, making him the youngest GM in the NFL (and second youngest in league history when he was hired at 34). To complement the youth strategy, the Jaguars also brought in franchise legend Tony Boselli, the team’s only Pro Football Hall of Famer, to serve in the newly created role of EVP of football operations [[link removed]].

The new-look front office made an aggressive move [[link removed]] in the 2025 NFL Draft to trade up to the No. 2 pick to select two-way star and Heisman Trophy winner Travis Hunter, who sustained a season-ending knee injury in October. Despite that injury, Jacksonville has found success under quarterback Trevor Lawrence, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2021 draft, whose five-year, $275 million contract extension kicks in next year.

Home Field Advantage?

Any potential postseason run will come as the Jaguars prepare for extensive renovations at EverBank Stadium that will lower the venue’s capacity in 2026 and reportedly see the team play home games in Orlando [[link removed]] in 2027.

The project is expected to cost $1.4 billion [[link removed]] and add a roof to the facility, which originally opened in 1995, and underwent a major renovation in 2003 and 2004 that led to Jacksonville hosting Super Bowl XXXIX in 2005.

Conversation Starters Jon Sumrall, who will leave Tulane for Florida after this football season, has donated $100,000 [[link removed]] to support his former program and the Green Wave’s new head coach. The high school team Philip Rivers coaches went crazy when their coach, who just unretired last week, threw his first NFL touchdown pass in five years. Watch it here [[link removed]]. Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza’s teammates swarmed him at his press conference after he won the Heisman Trophy on Saturday. Check it out [[link removed]]. Editors’ Pick FIFA Gets 5M World Cup Ticket Requests As Fans Protest Prices [[link removed]]by Eric Fisher [[link removed]]The governing body says it receives another 5 million ticket requests. How Pickleball Became One Massive Private-Equity Rollup [[link removed]]by Sam Blum [[link removed]]Pickleball roads lead back to billionaire Tom Dundon. The Lucrative NBA Cup Is Here to Stay [[link removed]]by Colin Salao [[link removed]]The in-season tournament, launched in 2023, is turning into a staple. Question of the Day

Do you think the Packers can still make a Super Bowl run without Micah Parsons?

YES [[link removed]] NO [[link removed]]

Monday’s result: 57% of respondents still plan to watch the Broncos-Chiefs game on Christmas Day.

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