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Morning Edition

November 17, 2025

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After a record seven-game slate abroad, the NFL is closing in on its 2026 plans, with Roger Goodell saying the league expects to return to familiar markets while possibly adding a couple of new ones.

— David Rumsey [[link removed]], Colin Salao, [[link removed]] and Ben Horney [[link removed]]

Goodell: NFL Close to Adding a ‘Couple More’ International Games [[link removed]]

Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

After capping its record seven-game international slate [[link removed]] Sunday in Madrid, the NFL is already planning for what’s set to be an even larger presence abroad in 2026.

“It’s been spectacular,” NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said Sunday at Santiago Bernabéu Stadium before the Dolphins beat the Commanders 16–13 in overtime in front of a crowd of 78,610 fans that watched the league’s debut game in Spain.

Goodell, speaking during an interview on NFL Network [[link removed]], indicated the league is exploring more new markets to play in next year, in addition to debuting in Australia [[link removed]]—the Rams will host a to-be-determined opponent in Melbourne—and Rio de Janeiro (the second city in Brazil to host the NFL after successful showings in São Paulo).

“Australia is going to be our big learning test next year,” Goodell said. “We’re excited about that. I think we’ll be back in a lot of the markets we’ve been [in] this year. But we have a couple more that we’re thinking about right now.” Goodell said the NFL is “close” to finalizing those plans. “We’re getting there,” he said.

There could be up to nine games played outside the U.S. next season, and Goodell and many franchise owners want to expand that number to 16 per season [[link removed]] in the near future.

This year, the NFL played games in Brazil, Ireland, England, Germany, and Spain. Goodell said the league continues to receive inbound interest from new foreign markets. “The great thing about our success is that so many other cities are reaching out and saying, ‘We want one of these,’” he said. “And that’s a great thing for us.”

The NFL will return to Spain, Goodell confirmed. “Yes, we’ll be back,” he told [[link removed]] EFE Deportes.

SPONSORED BY DIRECTV

The Come Up: New Life in Indy

[[link removed]]

In this week’s episode of The Come Up [[link removed]], presented by DIRECTV, host Demetria Obilor spotlights Daniel Jones—a quarterback who’s rewritten his story. After tough years with the Giants, Jones has found his stride in Indianapolis, commanding the Colts’ offense with poise and efficiency while putting them firmly in the playoff mix.

A fresh start. The right system. And a reminder that Daniel Jones got hot—and so did the Colts.

Watch now. [[link removed]]

Wave of CFB Coaching Moves Point to Busy Hiring Cycle Ahead [[link removed]]

Maria Lysaker-Imagn Images

There were no college football coaches fired over the weekend. But that doesn’t mean the coaching carousel took a week off from spinning.

A slew of moves, reports, and statements of intent figure to have a major impact on the upcoming hiring-and-firing cycle, as college football’s regular season now has just two weeks left.

Texas Two-Step

After Texas A&M completed a 27-point comeback to keep its undefeated season alive with a 31–30 victory over South Carolina on Saturday, coach Mike Elko signed a six-year contract extension.

Elko is the latest Power 4 coach to get a new deal in the wake of major openings at LSU, Florida, and Penn State, following recent extensions for Nebraska’s Matt Rhule and SMU’s Rhett Lashlee. Elko will get a raise [[link removed]] from a $7 million annual salary to $11 million, according to ESPN, which would make him one of the five highest-paid coaches in college football.

Coach Speak

Ole Miss coach Lane Kiffin remains the hottest candidate for the aforementioned LSU and Florida jobs. After the Rebels beat the Gators 34–24 on Saturday, Kiffin was asked in his postgame press conference if he anticipates being the coach at Ole Miss next season.

“I love what we’re doing here,” he said. “Today was awesome. I don’t talk about that stuff. To even talk about it right now would be so disrespectful to our players and how well they played today. We’ve got a lot of things going here. Doing really well, and I love it here.”

Arizona State coach Kenny Dillingham, who received a five-year extension after last year’s Big 12 championship and College Football Playoff appearance [[link removed]], said he has no plans to pursue other jobs.

“I was never leaving,” he said Saturday after the Sun Devils beat West Virginia to improve to 7–3 on the season. “I never said I was leaving. This is home. You have to continue to push and my job running the program is to push and push and push until you can’t push anymore. And if I didn’t do that, I’d be cheating my players. I’d be cheating my staff. I’d be cheating the fan base. I’d be cheating everybody in the city. I’d be cheating the local businesses that feed off of us winning, and then they sell more beer.”

Making Moves

Maryland athletic director Jim Smith announced football coach Mike Locksley will return in 2026, despite a six-game losing streak and 4–6 record for the Terps. Locksley would be owed a buyout of roughly $13 million if he were fired.

“We are fully committed to giving him and our student-athletes the resources and investments necessary to succeed,” Smith wrote in a letter to fans [[link removed]]. “I have worked closely with Coach Locksley to rapidly strengthen our NIL support for 2026 and beyond, with a clear and focused effort on roster retention, recruiting, and being highly competitive in the transfer portal.”

Meanwhile, momentum is reportedly building around Virginia Tech potentially hiring James Franklin [[link removed]], who was fired by Penn State [[link removed]] on Oct. 12. Franklin’s buyout was $49 million, although the school could owe him less [[link removed]] if he immediately returns to coaching.

In September, Virginia Tech approved [[link removed]] $229 million of new funding for the athletic department over the next four years, after AD Whit Babcock said the school was lacking sufficient funding. [[link removed]]

Jannik Sinner Beats Carlos Alcaraz in Season Finale for $5.1M Prize [[link removed]]

Robert Deutsch-Imagn Images

The ATP season came to a fitting end: Another battle between Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner.

At the ATP Finals in Turin on Sunday, world No. 2 Sinner triumphed over No. 1 Alcaraz to win the $5.1 million prize for the second year in a row. By going undefeated in the tournament, Sinner secured the largest prize on the 2025 men’s tennis calendar, slightly more than the $5 million Alcaraz won at the US Open [[link removed]] by defeating Sinner in the final.

It was the sixth official battle of the season between the two rivals, with Alcaraz winning four times and Sinner taking two.

With the win, Sinner, 24, set the second-largest single-season record with $19.1 million, surpassing his own personal best mark of $16.9 million last year. On top of the ATP Final, Sinner made the finals at all four Grand Slams, winning two of them (Australian Open and Wimbledon). He also won the Paris Masters, an ATP 1000 tournament.

He still fell short of the single-season record set by Novak Djokovic in 2015 ($21.15 million).

Despite the loss, Alcaraz, who won $2.7 million, moved to fifth all-time in career earnings ($57.5 million), ahead of world No. 3 Alexander Zverev ($56.7 million). Zverev won about $730,000 in Turin after being eliminated in the group stages.

Sinner is right behind Zverev in seventh ($56.6 million), though he took home the $6 million prize at the Six Kings Slam [[link removed]] exhibition in Saudi Arabia last month, which is not considered in the official ATP earnings count.

The Italian also beat Alcaraz in the final of that tournament, though it’s also not considered in their official head-to-head standings.

If the two young stars replicate their 2025 seasons next year, they will both pass Andy Murray ($64.7 million) for fourth in career earnings. But they are a long way from catching tennis’ Big Three of Roger Federer ($130.6 million), Rafael Nadal ($134.9 million), and Djokovic ($191.3 million).

SPONSORED BY USAA

Beyond Thanks

This Veterans Day, USAA [[link removed]] has gone beyond thanks with the launch of Honor Through Action, our $500 million commitment over the next five years to strengthen the military community. By investing in programs that drive meaningful, measurable change, we’ll help veterans build fulfilling careers, create secure financial futures and care for their overall well-being.

USAA [[link removed]] is proud to lead this effort, advocating for veterans and their families, championing their future and calling on others to do the same. Because while saying “thank you” will always matter, showing up for what’s next means everything.

Steph Curry on Warming Up in Nikes: ‘I’m a Free Agent’ [[link removed]]

Scott Wachter-Imagn Images

Steph Curry and Under Armour broke up Thursday after a dozen years together. By Friday night, he made clear he’s open for business elsewhere.

The internet immediately noticed [[link removed]] the two-time NBA MVP was warming up in a pair of Nikes ahead of Friday night’s matchup between the Warriors and Spurs. Specifically, he was wearing Nike Kobe 6 Protro “Mambacita” sneakers— unveiled in 2022 [[link removed]], meant to recognize Bryant’s relationship with his daughter, Gigi.

By tipoff, he had changed into Curry 12s. The shoes served him well—Curry erupted for 49 points and sank game-winning free throws [[link removed]] in a 109-108 victory over San Antonio. And on Sunday night, [[link removed]] he was wearing the Curry Series 7 shoes.

But the sneaker world has been officially put on notice.

“I’m a free agent,” he said when asked about warming up in Nikes after the game [[link removed]]. “New beginnings.”

Curry was originally a Nike athlete for four years before signing with Under Armour in 2013. He famously fled the checkmark for the scrappy Baltimore apparel brand [[link removed]] after Nike executives—including newly fired Nico Harrison [[link removed]]—botched a pitch meeting that offended Curry and his father, Dell Curry.

Curry quickly rose to stardom and helped turn Under Armour into a relevant competitor. Before long, the brand had an athlete endorser lineup that included Tom Brady, Cam Newton, Michael Phelps, Lindsey Vonn, Bryce Harper, and Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson.

Now, Under Armour is without its brightest star and trying to turn around a long-lasting slump in performance. Its stock is down 52% in the past year and down 91% since its all-time high of just above $53 per share in 2015 (it closed Friday below $5 per share).

The timing of the separation was intriguing because Under Armour and Curry had announced [[link removed]] a “long-term contract extension” just two years ago. That announcement also named Curry president of his brand.

Kevin Plank, founder and CEO of Under Armour, said in the press release announcing their breakup [[link removed]] that working with Curry has “been an incredible privilege,” and looked toward the future: “For Under Armour, this moment is about discipline and focus on the core UA brand during a critical stage of our turnaround.”

Under Armour will release one last Curry sneaker, the Curry 13, in February. By next October, Curry will be gone—and he’s taking his brand and signature logo with him. He owns all his IP, a spokesperson for Curry told Front Office Sports this week.

Under the separation agreement, Curry—who is 36 years old, still playing excellent basketball, and remains one of basketball’s most marketable stars—does not need to wait until October to sign with another brand. He is free to sign elsewhere immediately.

A representative for Nike did not immediately respond to a request for comment Friday night.

STATUS REPORT Three Up, One Push

Violeta Santos Moura/Reuters via Imagn Images

Dolphins ⬆ Miami’s victory over the Commanders in Spain is their second straight win, and third out of the last four, as the team continues to try and turn the season around since GM Chris Grier was fired Oct. 31. Dolphins owner Stephen Ross has said coach Mike McDaniel will finish the season before a decision is made on his future.

College Football Playoff expansion ⬆⬇ SEC commissioner Greg Sankey called for a resolution on the impending decision about the CFP’s 2026 format, with a Dec. 1 deadline looming [[link removed]]. “The move to 16 should be a priority for all of us in conference leadership,” Sankey told reporters [[link removed]] Saturday. The SEC and Big Ten remain at odds over what an expanded format would look like.

Drew Brees ⬆ The former Saints quarterback made his broadcasting debut [[link removed]] for Fox Sunday, serving as the color analyst for the Packers–Giants game alongside play-by-play announcer Adam Amin. Brees was hired by the network after it fired Mark Sanchez [[link removed]].

Rory McIlroy ⬆ Despite losing to Matt Fitzpatrick in a playoff at the DP World Tour Championship on Sunday, McIlroy won his seventh Race To Dubai title—the tour’s season-long points race—collecting a $2 million bonus check.

Editors’ Pick Sophie Cunningham Isn’t Sure the WNBA Will Exist Next Year [[link removed]]by Annie Costabile [[link removed]]The WNBA guard spoke with FOS about the CBA, Project B, and more. Question of the Day

Which European country will the NFL play in next?

Italy [[link removed]] France [[link removed]] Switzerland [[link removed]] Other [[link removed]]

Friday’s result: 35% of respondents planned to watch Commanders-Dolphins in Madrid on Sunday morning.

Advertise [[link removed]] Awards [[link removed]] Learning [[link removed]] Events [[link removed]] Video [[link removed]] Show [[link removed]] Written by David Rumsey [[link removed]], Colin Salao [[link removed]], Ben Horney [[link removed]] Edited by Matthew Tabeek [[link removed]]

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