For most former athletes, a brush with the law in their sixties would be a stunning anomaly. For Dykstra, it fit seamlessly into a grim pattern that has defined his post-playing life for more than a decade. Bankruptcy filings. Fraud charges. Prison sentences. Drug arrests. Public meltdowns. Lawsuits were dismissed because judges ruled his reputation was already beyond repair. Each new incident feels less like an isolated mistake and more like another domino in a collapse that began long after the cheering stopped and the clubhouse doors closed for good.

What makes Dykstra's unraveling so unsettling is how far he once climbed. At his peak, he was not a fringe player or a footnote. He was a World Series champion, a three-time All-Star, an MVP runner-up, and the emotional heartbeat of two of the most iconic teams of the 1980s and 1990s. He earned tens of millions of dollars, lived in mansions owned by sports royalty, and for a brief, surreal period after retirement, convinced the world he had reinvented himself as a financial mastermind. That version of Lenny Dykstra, brash, confident, and seemingly untouchable, now feels almost fictional when contrasted with the man who keeps appearing in police blotters.

The story of Lenny Dykstra is not simply about bad luck or a few poor decisions. It is the story of an extraordinary rise fueled by obsession and fearlessness, followed by one of the most complete and public implosions professional sports has ever produced.

Rick Stewart /Allsport

The Rise of "Nails"

Long before police reports replaced box scores, Lenny Dykstra built his reputation on defiance. He was drafted in the 13th round by the New York Mets in 1981, a long shot with no obvious star profile. He was undersized, lacked power, and did not project as a franchise cornerstone. What he possessed instead was obsession. Dykstra did not merely compete. He attacked.

By the mid-1980s, that relentlessness made him indispensable to a Mets team overflowing with talent and chaos. The 1986 Mets are remembered as one of the most volatile champions in baseball history, equal parts brilliance and self-destruction. Dykstra fit perfectly. His most famous moment came in Game 3 of the National League Championship Series, when he hit a walk-off home run that swung the series and became an instant postseason classic. Weeks later, the Mets won the World Series, and Dykstra was no longer a long shot. He was a champion.

He earned the nickname "Nails" because he refused to concede. He fouled off pitch after pitch, took borderline balls personally, and played through injuries that would have sidelined most players. Opposing pitchers dreaded him not because he was overpowering, but because he was exhausting.

Philadelphia, Peak Performance, and Real Money

When the Mets traded Dykstra to the Philadelphia Phillies in 1989, it seemed like a reset. Instead, it unlocked the best stretch of his career. In Philadelphia, Dykstra became the embodiment of the city's sporting identity. Confrontational. Unpolished. Relentless.

As a leadoff hitter, he transformed into one of the most effective on-base threats in baseball. In 1993, he finished second in National League MVP voting while leading the Phillies to a World Series appearance. He was a three-time All-Star and, for a brief window, one of the most feared table-setters in the sport.

Over a 12-year MLB career, Dykstra earned roughly $36 million in salary. Adjusted for inflation, that figure is closer to $65 million today. At the time, it was life-altering money. For most players, it would have meant long-term security.

For Dykstra, it became leverage.

The Traits That Couldn't Turn Off

Dykstra never learned how to slow down. The same mentality that made him effective between the foul lines proved dangerous once the structure of professional baseball disappeared. He chased edges everywhere. In business, in investing, in life.

In 2007, Dykstra was named in the Mitchell Report, which detailed widespread steroid use across Major League Baseball. Multiple sources alleged he used performance-enhancing drugs during his career. While Dykstra never cooperated with investigators, the allegations fit a familiar pattern. Fear of replacement. Fear of decline. Fear of losing the edge.

When injuries finally forced his retirement in the mid-1990s, Dykstra was still young, wealthy, and unanchored. The schedule was gone. The clubhouse accountability vanished. What remained was impulse.

Post-Baseball Financial Guru

When Lenny Dykstra's baseball career ended in 1996, he did not fade quietly into retirement. At just 33 years old, he had earned more than $36 million in salary and, by any conventional standard, was set for life. Autograph signings, charity appearances, and the occasional golf outing would have been enough to sustain a comfortable existence. Dykstra wanted more.

Instead of retreating from competition, he redirected it. Using a portion of his baseball earnings, Dykstra invested aggressively in a network of car-wash and quick-lube franchises across Southern California. Unlike many athlete-run ventures, these businesses worked. They worked extremely well. At their peak, the operations generated enough profit to pay Dykstra an estimated $1 million per year in personal salary.

The success culminated in 2007, when Dykstra sold the car wash and lube empire for $51 million. Overnight, he was no longer just a former athlete with savings. He was a liquid millionaire entrepreneur.

He upgraded his lifestyle accordingly. He moved from a $4 million home into an $18 million estate inside Sherwood Country Club. The sellers were Wayne Gretzky and his wife, Janet, who had custom built the mansion a few years earlier. Here's a video tour of the STUNNING estate:

He bought a fleet of luxury cars and began flying exclusively on private jets. For a brief moment, Dykstra appeared to have pulled off one of the rarest transitions in sports, turning athletic success into genuine business wealth.

That success attracted attention far beyond baseball. CNBC personality and TheStreet.com founder Jim Cramer was so impressed by Dykstra's business instincts that he gave him a weekly stock-picking column on TheStreet.com. Subscribers paid nearly $1,000 per year for investment advice delivered with baseball metaphors and aggressive confidence. In 2008, Dykstra expanded further by launching "The Players Club," a glossy magazine marketed as a financial and lifestyle guide for wealthy professional athletes.

By 2009, Dykstra publicly estimated his personal net worth at just under $60 million.

The Collapse

Dykstra did not merely want to be rich. He wanted to live like a billionaire. Spending accelerated far faster than income. "The Players Club" became a financial disaster, bleeding millions of dollars and eventually collapsing. Dykstra continued to operate as if his wealth were infinite, chartering private jets, maintaining multiple properties, and funding ventures that never stabilized.

In July 2009, barely a year after boasting of a $60 million net worth, Dykstra stunned the financial world by filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. Court documents told a radically different story. He claimed to have less than $50,000 in assets and between $30 million and $50 million in liabilities.

What followed was not a sudden accident but a rapid unraveling. Dykstra stopped paying bills. He harassed employees at all hours, pressuring them to hand over personal credit cards with promises of repayment. One employee's card was charged tens of thousands of dollars, including a $32,000 private jet flight. He allegedly used similar tactics with family members. A $700,000 signing bonus earned by his son, Cutter, went missing, later claimed to have been invested and lost by Dykstra.

As creditors closed in, Dykstra tried to unload the Gretzky mansion, listing it for as much as $18.5 million. The timing could not have been worse. The housing market was in free fall, and the property failed to sell despite repeated price cuts. Eventually, the house was lost to foreclosure, stripping Dykstra of the crown jewel of his post-baseball wealth.

By August 2009, he was living out of his car. A month later, he sold his 1986 New York Mets World Series ring and other memorabilia to a Beverly Hills pawn shop, a jarring reversal for a man who once appeared untouchable.

The financial collapse soon turned criminal. Investigators determined that during bankruptcy proceedings, Dykstra lied under oath, concealed assets, and sold property belonging to the bankruptcy estate. Prosecutors later said he hid, sold, or destroyed more than $400,000 worth of items from the Sherwood mansion, including furnishings and fixtures. Among them was a $50,000 sink ripped from the home after bankruptcy protections were already in place.

Years later, the story came full circle. In 2018, Wayne and Janet Gretzky quietly re-acquired the very house Dykstra had lost for $13.5 million. Two years after that, they listed the property for roughly $23 million, a stark contrast to the wreckage left behind.

What had once been proof of Dykstra's extraordinary second act ultimately became the most visible monument to its collapse.

The Long Aftermath

In the years following his release, the pattern never truly changed. In 2020, a New York Supreme Court judge dismissed Dykstra's defamation suit against former teammate Ron Darling, ruling that Lenny was legally "libel-proof." The judge stated his reputation was already so tarnished by fraud, drug abuse, and bigotry that it could not be meaningfully harmed.

In February 2024, the physical toll finally arrived. Dykstra suffered a major stroke that left him in a brief coma. He later claimed on the Howard Stern Show that he only woke up because someone whispered in his ear that Robin Quivers was rooting for him. The stroke left him with permanent damage, including slurred speech and physical frailty, prompting a move to Scranton, Pennsylvania, to live a quieter life.

Which brings the story back to that 2026 traffic stop. Before that night, Dykstra had been boasting on social media about a "streak" of 2,771 days without an arrest. Whether that streak technically survived the night in Pike County is a matter for his lawyers, but the optics were unmistakable.

Lenny Dykstra's story is not one of simple bad luck. It is the story of a man whose greatest strengths became his undoing. Obsession without brakes. Confidence without restraint. A relentless refusal to slow down, even after he had already won. On the field, that mentality made him unforgettable. Off it, it destroyed everything else.

Read more: The Incredible Rise And Catastrophic Fall Of Lenny Dykstra: From World Series Hero To Financial Guru To Bankrupcty And Ongoing Legal Issues

It's one of several ill-fated contracts the Angels have had over the years. The team last made the playoffs in 2014 and have offered five players massive contracts over the past decade and a half. Those players agreed to deals worth $1.156 billion. They've ultimately missed nearly half of the possible games they could have played. Out of a collective 5,100 games, Rendon, Mike Trout, Justin Upton, Josh Hamilton, and Albert Pujols have only appeared in 2,627—a mere 51.5% of all possible game days.

Let's dive into the guys the Angels have invested in, and how those investments have turned out.

Albert Pujols (5), Anthony Rendon (6), and Justin Upton (10) all signed large contracts with the Angels. (Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images)

Albert Pujols, $254 million

Albert Pujols was a legend in St. Louis, but after the Cardinals reportedly gave him a shorter offer, he opted to sign with the Angels instead. His ten-year deal was worth $254 million. Pujols had won three MVPs and made nine All-Star teams before joining the Angels. He made one All-Star team during ten seasons with the Angels. Pujols actually was the most available player on this list, appearing in 78% of a possible 1,518 games.

However, he was 32 during his first season with the team and saw his production decline as he moved into his late 30s. The Angels released him midway through the 2021 season; he ultimately wound up back on the Cardinals and made one more All-Star appearance for good measure (though that was largely due to fans having nostalgia for a Hall of Fame career). On the plus side, Pujols and the Angels have been reunited since his retirement. He received a 10-year contract to become a special assistant for the team in 2023.

Anthony Rendon, $245 million

Anthony Rendon arguably had the worst contract in MLB history. He signed his seven-year deal shortly after winning a World Series with the Washington Nationals in 2019. He had just posted career-highs in home runs and RBIs, and even led the league in the latter category. But his tenure with the Angels couldn't attain those same levels of success.

He had a solid 2020 during the COVID-19-shortened season before injuries derailed the rest of the decade. His numbers on the field dropped; his batting splits fell and he had fewer home runs and RBIs during his entire stint with the Angels than he did during his final season in Washington. Rendon also had two separate suspensions, including one that he received for participating in a brawl while he was already injured. He'll ultimately only appear in 25% of his team's games, including missing the entirety of both the 2025 and 2026 seasons—and the Angels will pay him his entire contract anyway.

Josh Hamilton, $125 million

Back in 2013, the Angels offered outfielder Josh Hamilton a five-year contract worth $125 million. He was coming off five straight All-Star appearances and had won MVP in 2010. He also reached the World Series with the Texas Rangers in back-to-back years in 2010 and 2011. His first season with the Angels went well enough: He hit .250 with 21 home runs and 79 RBIs across 151 games. A dip in power, to be sure, but he was consistently on the field for the team.

The following year, Hamilton only played in 89 games as he suffered injuries to his thumb and shoulder and needed time off to recover. The Angels made the playoffs in 2014, but Hamilton didn't record a single hit in the ALDS, going 0-for-13 in the series. In February 2015, Hamilton had surgery on his separated shoulder. Soon after, reports came out that he had relapsed into his drug addiction, which had hampered him earlier in his career. Angels owner Arte Moreno said he didn't want Hamilton returning to the team and traded him back to the Rangers. However, the Angels still owed Hamilton the majority of his contract. He ultimately wound up playing in 240 out of a possible 343 games while he was still on the Angels roster, or 240 out of a possible 810 games that the Angels thought they were signing him for.

Justin Upton, $106 million

In August 2017, the Angels received Justin Upton in a trade with the Detroit Tigers. He finished the season in Los Angeles, and that November, the Angels signed him to a five-year, $106 million extension. During his first full season on the roster, Upton played well. He posted splits of .257/.344/.463 while hitting 30 home runs and knocking in 85 RBIs.

But after that first year, things started unraveling. Hmm…we're sensing a theme here. He suffered a handful of injuries, including turf toe, patellar tendinitis, and multiple lower back issues. The Angels designated Upton for assignment on April 2, 2022, and he never played the final season of his deal. He finished his Angels career with a .232 batting average, 75 home runs, and 203 RBIs, playing in 366 out of a possible 708 games (52%).

Mike Trout, $426 million

How this one shakes out is still to be determined, though the Angels have played 1,032 games since Mike Trout began what was then the largest contract in MLB history. Trout has only played in 583, or about 56% of them. He's been fairly productive while on the field, winning MVP in 2019 and being named an All-Star in four out of five seasons (and the time he didn't make it was in 2020, when there wasn't an All-Star Game).

However, the past two seasons have seen Trout post his worst batting numbers since he was called up to the majors midway through the 2011 season. 2024 could have been chalked up to injury, but Trout played in 130 games this past season. The Angels are hoping he can get back to his All-Star-level performance in the coming year. After all, they've invested a ton of money into their big stars.

Read more: The Los Angeles Angels Have Paid Over $1.1 Billion To Five Stars Who Have Missed Nearly Half Of The Team's Games

That decision has led to another intriguing subplot in a postseason that's been full of interesting storylines. Kiffin had a clause in his Ole Miss contract that paid him various levels of bonuses depending on how well the Rebels did in the playoff.

Kiffin hasn't coached a single snap during the CFP, but he's still getting a bonus—and LSU is paying it.

Brian Bahr/Getty Images

After Ole Miss defeated Tulane in the first round, Kiffin was going to receive a payout of $250,000. Now, upon Ole Miss's 39-34 win over Georgia in a thrilling Sugar Bowl, Kiffin's payout will increase to $500,000.

As part of Kiffin's LSU contract, the Tigers will add "ancillary benefits" to the deal. The Ole Miss payout is included among those benefits. And the money LSU owes could potentially double.

If Ole Miss wins its semifinal matchup against Miami, Kiffin's payday will rise to $750,000. Should the Rebels then defeat either Indiana or Oregon and win the national championship, he'll get a cool $1 million.

Meanwhile, Golding has done an admirable job continuing to lead the Rebels through its best season yet. Ole Miss is 13-1 and just avenged its lone loss by defeating Georgia. The game included comebacks from both sides and a thrilling fourth quarter where the teams put up a collective 30 points. It also featured a final six seconds that took about ten minutes of real time, and multiple confusing moments where players rushed the field, confetti fell, Gatorade baths were doused, and the stadium crew had to wheel the celebratory stage on and off the field. A truly magical college football moment.

The Rebels are only two wins away from winning its first championship in the College Football Playoff era and first national title since 1962. All the while, they're running up a more expensive tab for LSU to pay.

Read more: LSU Now Owes Lane Kiffin $500,000 After Another Ole Miss Win

The restructuring of this deal doesn't change the fact that Rendon's contract might be the worst one ever signed in MLB history. At the time, it felt somewhat defensible. Rendon had just won the 2019 World Series with the Washington Nationals and posted career bests in home runs (34) and RBI (126), leading the league in the latter category. He was a big name to pair with superstar outfielder Mike Trout and then-rising young star Shohei Ohtani.

But things almost immediately soured. Rendon had a decent year in 2020 during the COVID-19-shortened campaign, and then his body began breaking down. He had a host of injuries—notably groin and hamstring strains, oblique damage, hip impingements, wrist surgery, and a fractured tibia—that caused him to miss 605 of his team's 810 games from 2021 through 2025. With another lost season coming up, Rendon will have played in just 257 of a possible 1,032 games over seven years.

Katharine Lotze/Getty Images

Even though this last season will be spread out over a few years to help with the Angels' cap situation, they'll still wind up paying Rendon the full $245 million of his contract. If you're scoring at home, that's $953,307 Rendon received per game.

And no, Rendon was not playing well enough on the field to make up for it. After posting .319/.412/.598 splits in his final season in Washington, Rendon mustered just .242/.348/.369 with the Angels. In five seasons in Los Angeles, he totaled 22 home runs and 125 RBIs. That's right, despite playing in 111 more games than his final season with the Nationals, Rendon still finished with fewer home runs and RBIs.

Injuries weren't the only thing impacting Rendon's availability—he also had a pair of suspensions that led to nine missed games. He was involved in a 2022 brawl against the Seattle Mariners (while being injured). The following year, he grabbed a fan after an Opening Day loss against Oakland. When his time with the Angels is over, his MLB career likely will be, too. He turns 36 this season and hasn't shown much consistency, either at the plate or in staying healthy.

Before the 2024 season, Rendon called playing baseball "a job" and added that it had "never been a top priority," saying his faith and family come first. Perhaps the Angels would have liked to know that tidbit before giving him nearly a quarter of a billion dollars.

Read more: The Los Angeles Angels Paid Anthony Rendon Nearly $1 Million Per Game Over Seven Injury-Plagued Seasons

Unfortunately, injuries plagued Diggs, and his play on the field suffered, too. He only played in 21 total games over the past three seasons, recording just three interceptions—and none this year.

Now, less than two-and-a-half years after giving Diggs a deal, the Cowboys are cutting ties with him. They'll save a lot of money in the process.

Sam Hodde/Getty Images

Diggs's contract had $42.3 million in guarantees. With no guaranteed money remaining on the deal, Dallas could cut him with no real penalties. That means Diggs will leave the Cowboys without getting about $55 million of his contract's value. The Cowboys will also save about $12.5 million in salary cap space.

The Cowboys have already been eliminated from the postseason, but Diggs is still only 27 years old and could be of value to a playoff contender. If a team signs him before the final week of the season, it will owe him $472,000 (his game check from his base salary), plus $58,823 if he's active during the final game. Even if he doesn't sign with a team this week, Diggs could find a new home next year.

Still, it's another disappointment for the Cowboys. The team traded edge rusher Micah Parsons to the Green Bay Packers right before the start of the season. Though Parsons has missed the past couple of games due to injury, the Packers are heading to the playoffs, while the Cowboys will be watching from home. We'll see if Diggs also makes it to the postseason.

Read more: The Dallas Cowboys Cut Trevon Diggs Two Years After Giving Him A $97 Million Deal

As a result, each season also features several schools firing those underperforming coaches. While college coaches often make millions of dollars per year, getting fired can be nearly as lucrative thanks to large buyouts within their contracts. In fact, this season has seen a record amount of money paid out to fired coaches.

This season, 15 schools parted ways with head coaches who will receive buyouts. There were a few other instances of coaches getting fired with cause, so they aren't included on this list. Per college football reporter Ross Dellenger, 15 coaches will receive a whopping $228 million in buyouts. Here's who's getting major pay days.

Billy Napier (L) and Mark Stoops are among the fired college football coaches who have received lucrative buyouts. (James Gilbert/Getty Images)

Brian Kelly, LSU: $54 million

LSU fired Brian Kelly on Oct. 26, and it seems like the university has been mired in a coaching mess ever since. Despite two 10-win seasons, Kelly was never able to get the Tigers back into the College Football Playoff. After a 5-3 start this year, the Tigers parted ways. Kelly is suing the school to earn his full buyout. In the meantime, LSU hired Lane Kiffin as its new head coach. The Tigers now owe money to Kiffin, Kelly, and Ed Orgeron, despite two of those coaches no longer being at the school.

Mark Stoops, Kentucky: $38 million

Mark Stoops is the all-time winningest coach in Kentucky football history, but it wasn't enough to save his job. Stoops got fired on Dec. 1 after a second consecutive losing season. The school is in talks with Stoops to restructure what it owes him, though as it currently stands, he'll get one of the largest buyouts the NCAA has ever seen.

Jonathan Smith, Michigan State: $33.5 million

Michigan State hired Jonathan Smith in 2023 with hopes he could help the Spartans contend for a Big Ten title. Instead, the Spartans went 5-7 and then 4-8 in Smith's two years at the helm before firing him. He'll also receive an additional three months of health benefits as part of the buyout. Michigan State might get some help in paying Smith, since the coach must make "a reasonable effort to seek new employment."

Billy Napier, Florida: $21 million

Florida has won three championships since 1996, so there's a certain expectation of success in Gainesville. Billy Napier couldn't hit that level with the Gators, finishing 22-23 in four seasons. The university fired him, though he got a new job at James Madison shortly after his dismissal from Florida. His buyout does not include any offsetting, which means he'll be getting paid from both Florida and James Madison.

Hugh Freeze, Auburn: $15.8 million

Hugh Freeze signed a six-year, $49 million contract with Auburn in 2022. He made it about two-and-a-half seasons before the university fired him, ending his Auburn tenure with a 15-19 record. Freeze will receive the entirety of his money even if he signs with another school.

Mike Gundy, Oklahoma State: $15 million

Mike Gundy gained fame back in the early days of the Internet for his "I'm a man—I'm 40!" press conference. He spent 21 years at Oklahoma State and was the second-longest tenured head coach in FBS before his dismissal. Gundy finished with a 170-90 record, a Big 12 title, and 12 victories in bowl games. The university decided to part ways after a rough season last year and a slow start to this one.

Justin Wilcox, California: $10.9 million

Justin Wilcox began his coaching career in 2001, though he didn't become a head coach until 2017, when California gave him a shot. Whether they were in the Pac-12 or the ACC, the Bears could never quite overcome mediocrity. Wilcox's best season was in 2019, when Cal finished with an 8-5 record. Over nine years, Wilcox's Bears went 48-55 and only 26-47 in conference play.

Sam Pittman, Arkansas: $9.8 million

Sam Pittman had an even longer journey to becoming an FBS coach, spending 35 years at the junior college level and at various assistant positions throughout FBS schools. Arkansas hired him in December 2019, and his first season was during the COVID-19-impacted schedule. After that rough year, Pittman looked like he was turning things around. The Razorbacks finished 9-4 in 2021, ending the season ranked 20th in the Coaches Poll. Despite two more winning seasons over the next three years, the Razorbacks couldn't reach that 2021 level of success. The school fired Pittman five games into this season after a blowout loss at home against Notre Dame. He ended his Razorbacks tenure with a 32-34 record.

James Franklin, Penn State: $9 million

Last season, James Franklin led Penn State within a score of reaching the national championship. Yet that didn't matter after a slow start to this season. Franklin was fired in mid-October, and his buyout of about $49 million was one of the largest in college football history. However, Franklin and Penn State negotiated a lesser buyout after the coach found a new home with Virginia Tech.

Brent Pry, Virginia Tech: $6 million

The Hokies fired Brent Pry in September after an 0-3 start, ending his head coaching stint with a 16-21 record over three-plus seasons. But in a move that's never been seen before, Virginia Tech rehired Pry as defensive coordinator after Franklin accepted the head coaching gig. Pry's buyout is almost like a raise, since he signed a new contract as defensive coordinator.

DeShaun Foster, UCLA: $5 million

DeShaun Foster spent several years with UCLA, serving in multiple positions (most notably running backs coach) before getting the head coaching job in 2024. Foster didn't see much success running the program at his alma mater, however. The Bruins finished 5-7 last year and began this season with an 0-3 record before UCLA showed Foster the door.

Trent Bray, Oregon State: $4 million

In 2024, Trent Bray got promoted to head coach from defensive coordinator and linebackers coach at Oregon State. Bray replaced Jonathan Smith, who left the Beavers to coach at Michigan State. Both coaches wound up getting fired this year; Bray finished 5-14 with Oregon State, including an 0-7 start this season. Coincidentally, Bray has since taken a job with the other Pac-12 holdover, Washington State.

Trent Dilfer, UAB: $2.4 million

After his NFL career ended, Trent Dilfer spent more than a decade as a broadcaster before moving into coaching. Dilfer had a successful stint at Lipscomb Academy, a high school in Nashville, and that was enough for the UAB Blazers to hire him as their head coach. The jump to college didn't go smoothly, however. The Blazers had a 9-21 record in two-and-a-half seasons under Dilfer before UAB fired him.

Tim Beck, Coastal Carolina: $1.7 million

Tim Beck led the Coastal Carolina Chanticleers to an 8-5 record and Hawaii Bowl victory in his first season as head coach. However, the past two years ended in .500 or below records, and the school fired Beck on Nov. 30. Less than three weeks later, he accepted a job as the offensive coordinator of the South Florida Bulls.

Jay Norvell, Colorado State: $1.5 million

After a solid five years with Nevada, Jay Norvell headed to Fort Collins to coach the Colorado State Rams. He only managed one winning season in four years, an 8-5 campaign in 2024. After a 2-5 start this season, the Rams fired Norvell and will owe him a modest buyout. Coincidentally, Norvell had 26 losses at both Nevada and Colorado State, though he won 15 more games with the Wolf Pack.

Read more: College Football Coaches Received A Record $228 Million In Buyouts This Year

This season, second-year coach Sherrone Moore was fired with cause after the university discovered "credible evidence" that he was having an inappropriate relationship with a staff member. Moore is also facing a possible felony charge for third-degree home invasion and two misdemeanor charges for stalking in a domestic relationship and breaking and entering.

The Wolverines have signed a new coach and are hoping they've put their coaching issues behind them. Michigan has hired Kyle Whittingham, the longtime head coach at Utah. Whittingham left the Utes earlier this month but made it clear that he wasn't retiring. He jokingly said instead he was entering the transfer portal—and his move is paying off.

Ed Zurga/Getty Images

Whittingham and Michigan agreed to a five-year deal worth an average of $8.2 million per season, per Pete Thamel and Dan Wetzel of ESPN. Whittingham's contract also includes 75% in guaranteed money, and he'll earn $8 million during the 2026 campaign.

It's an impressive raise for Whittingham. His contract with Utah, which was set to run through the 2027 season, was paying him about $5 million per year. A 60% pay increase is nothing to sneeze at.

The 66-year-old Whittingham has coached at Utah since 2004. Over 21 seasons, he went 177-88, an impressive 66.8% winning percentage. That includes a perfect 13-0 season in 2008 and Rose Bowl appearances in 2021 and 2022. The Utes finished 10-2 this year—one game better than the Wolverines—though Whittingham will not be coaching his former school in its bowl game.

Instead, he'll head to Florida to meet his new team ahead of the Cheez-It Citrus Bowl on New Year's Eve. Michigan is facing off against Texas, with both teams looking to reach double-digit wins on the season. And Whittingham will look to build the foundation for a successful program in 2026 and beyond.

Read more: Kyle Whittingham Is Getting A Significant Pay Raise To Become Michigan's Head Coach

Though the current location of the A's won't last long, the team will have its best player around for quite a while.

The A's and left fielder Tyler Soderstrom agreed to a seven-year, $86 million contract extension. There's also a team option for an eighth season and performance escalators that max out at $131 million. It's the largest contract in A's franchise history.

Justine Willard/Athletics/Getty Images

Soderstrom is only 24 years old and has played just one full season in the major leagues, but he's performed well over that span. He hit .276/.346/.474 in 2025, finishing with 25 home runs and 93 RBIs. He switched to left field this season after originally playing catcher and first base, and proved to be an above-average defender in addition to his strong presence at the plate.

Despite the contract being a record in terms of total money, it's actually quite reasonable from an average annual value. Right now, Soderstrom will make about $12.3 million per season. Even if he maxes out his deal, it'll be about $16.4 million per year over eight seasons. And that means Soderstrom will be delivering great results for the A's.

For context, Juan Soto of the New York Mets has the highest average annual value in his contract at $51 million. The A's divisional rival, the Los Angeles Angels, are actively trying to get out of third baseman Anthony Rendon's contract, which has an average annual value of $35 million.

The A's last made the postseason in 2020, and last year's record of 76-86 was their best since the 2021 season. The team is willing to spend to keep its top talent around; last offseason, the A's set a then-franchise record with a $67 million contract for right-handed pitcher Luis Severino.

It won't be a long stay in Sacramento for the A's. But with the way they're making progress, there could be a playoff appearance or two before the move to Las Vegas.

Read more: The A's Have Given Tyler Soderstrom The Largest Contract In Franchise History

Upon his return, King still displayed enough potential to keep the Padres interested in him. And that's paid off: The two sides agreed to a three-year, $75 million contract extension.

King ended 2025 with a 5-3 record, posting a 3.44 ERA and striking out 76 batters in 73⅓ innings. The Padres are certainly hoping he returns to his 2024 form, when he had 201 strikeouts and a 2.95 ERA in 173⅔ innings, posting a 3.9 Wins Above Replacement rating and finishing seventh in National League Cy Young Award voting.

Brandon Sloter/Getty Images

The overall contract value is the third-highest for a pitcher in Padres history. Only Yu Darvish ($108 million) and Joe Musgrove ($100 million) have had larger deals.

It's a nice little raise for King, too. The Padres had tendered him an offer worth $22.025 million. However, he turned that down in hopes of a more lucrative deal. Though his average annual salary has a modest increase—$25 million compared to just over $22 million—he's got long-term security.

Now, the goal is to help the Padres get over the hump and reach the World Series. The team has had four winning seasons in a row, reaching the postseason in three of them. But after an NLCS appearance in 2022, the Padres have faltered in the NLDS (2024) and NL Wild Card (2025). Equally as disheartening, San Diego has watched its intrastate rival, the Los Angeles Dodgers, win the World Series in both of the past two seasons.

We're still a long ways off from Opening Day, but that's the thrill of the baseball offseason. Moves like this generate plenty of excitement. When it all comes together on the field, that's when the game is at its most magical.

Read more: Padres Pitcher Michael King Turned Down a $22 Million Offer—Then Signed For $75 Million Instead

Stevenson didn't get tackled for quite a while, however. By the time he did, he pitched the ball to Jakobi Meyers, a glimmer of hope that the Patriots might be able to turn a miracle.

Well, a miracle did happen. It just went in favor of the Raiders. After Meyers received the pitch from Stevenson, he turned and heaved the ball across the field—directly into the arms of Raiders' defensive end Chandler Jones. Jones only had to beat one Patriots player, and then he was off to the races, scoring one of the most improbable touchdowns you'll ever see.

The play was so wild that it received its own nickname: "The Lunatic Lateral." In case you need a refresher:

While Meyers received plenty of criticism and jokes around his decision, what got lost in the shuffle was that he finished as the Patriots top receiver that year. That led to a three-year, $33 million offseason deal with none other than the Raiders.

Meyers topped 800 yards in his first season in Las Vegas, then posted career highs in receptions (87) and receiving yards (1,027) the following season. Midway through this year, the Raiders, going nowhere in the standings, traded Meyers to the Jacksonville Jaguars for 2026 fourth and sixth-round picks.

The impact has been immediate. Before Meyers's arrival, the Jaguars were 5-3 and 23rd in the NFL in scoring, averaging 20.4 points per game. Since the trade, Jacksonville has won five out of six games and seen its scoring output jump to 31.8 points, second only to the Los Angeles Rams. Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence has also seen his production improve, posting 14 touchdowns across six games with Meyers to just nine touchdown passes in eight games without him.

As a result, Meyers has scored the largest contract of his career. The Jaguars extended him with a three-year, $60 million deal that runs through the 2028 season. The contract includes $40 million in guaranteed money.

Yes, Meyers may still hear the occasional joke about a play from years ago. But it's a lot easier to have a sense of humor when you've got millions of dollars coming your way.

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Read more: Jakobi Meyers And The Jacksonville Jaguars Agree To A $60 Million Contract