David Shama's Minnesota Sports Headliners

Contract Extension for P.J. Fleck Reportedly in the Works

Posted on February 2, 2026February 2, 2026 by David Shama

University of Minnesota head football coach P.J. Fleck, hired in January of 2017, has received numerous adjustments to his contract over the years and apparently is headed for another revision soon.

School president Dr. Rebecca Cunningham indicated that at a social club gathering in Naples, Florida recently. Minneapolis-based attorney, writer and historian Marshall Tanick reported via email to Sports Headliners what Cunningham and Fleck said at the Minnesota Breakfast club gathering, an organization in Southwest Florida that was started in 1964 by Minneapolis natives and draws prominent speakers during the winter months to its weekly programs.

Tanick wrote Cunningham “intimated that the school is about to extend Fleck’s contract” which now runs through 2030. Other details weren’t offered but a new extension falls in line with the support Fleck has received from athletics director Mark Coyle who hired him.

U coach P.J. Fleck & school president Rebecca Cunningham — Coach Fleck & Dr. Cunningham photo by Marshall Tanick

Coyle has frequently praised Fleck’s work at Minnesota, and he mentioned on local radio last fall the possibility of another revision to the coach’s contract which most recently was upgraded in July. The details of that agreement included increasing the amount of annual retention bonuses for remaining Minnesota’s coach. Also, part of the new agreement was a reduction in the amount owed to the U if Fleck were to leave the program by his own choice.

Fleck’s present deal pays him $6 million, plus escalating retention bonuses that started at $1 million in 2025 and go up each year. His $7million compensation last year ranked No. 12 in the 18 team Big Ten, per USA Today. He was tied for 31^st best paid among all college football head coaches, according to data published annually by USA Today.

Fleck has frequently had his name linked to other coaching openings in college football. Although he has yet to win a division or conference championship at Minnesota, his record compares favorably with his predecessors. He is the fifth-longest tenured coach in program history and currently only Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz has been at his school longer among Big Ten coaches.

Fleck’s career Big Ten record is 39-40 and having about a .500 winning percentage is the best among Gopher coaches since Murray Warmath coached his last season in 1971. He is 66-44 overall at Minnesota and has moved ahead of Glen Mason for fourth most wins ever by a Gopher coach. He’s led the Gophers to five seasons of eight or more wins. His winning percentage of .600 is third best among Gopher coaches who coached 40 games or more.

Last season the Gophers were 8-5 overall, 5-4 in the Big Ten. Minnesota was 7-0 and undefeated at home for the first time since 1967. The Gophers won their seventh consecutive bowl game under Fleck when they defeated New Mexico in the Rate Bowl in Phoenix.

Tanick reported Fleck said the 2025 season was about what he expected and “pretty good.” He also said the Gophers may be better next season with the “majority of the team” returning. He highlighted three of his most gifted returnees in quarterback Drake Lindsey, running back Darius Taylor and edge rusher Anthony Smith.

Tanick wrote that Fleck is excited about Beckham Sunderland, a placekicking transfer from Michigan and Texas State. Fleck described the senior as an “unreal kicker.” He played at Texas State for special teams coordinator Daniel Da Prato, who recently was hired for that job at Minnesota.

Fleck and his staff have had success in retaining most of their best players in the recent past. The transfer portal has created a lot of annual change with rosters but Fleck told the Florida audience his program has lost only two key players dating back to 2022. Both ironically transferred to Oregon with running back Bucky Irving joining the Ducks in 2022 season and safety Koi Perich leaving last month.

Fleck dropped an interesting nugget when he said Perich will receive a $2 million compensation package to play his junior season at Oregon in what is expected to be his final year of college football. Perich is one of the nation’s best strong safeties and excels as a punt and kick returner.

Yet the Ducks may have overpaid for the Esko, Minnesota native. Safety is usually not a position where players are able to command $2 million. That level is more typical for quarterbacks and stud linemen, particularly pass rushers.

Fleck expressed confidence to his Naples audience about the players competing to replace Perich who was a 2024 freshman All-American. Speculation is a top candidate is junior Mekhai Smith, the transfer from Lehigh who Pro Football Focus graded as the top safety in the Patriot League last year.

With limited high school talent in the state to recruit, and challenged by Name, Image and Likeness funding below many programs in the Big Ten and other power conference teams, Fleck and the Gophers are a developmental program. That often dictates finding undervalued recruits and overseeing the progress of all players on the roster to improve and even exceed expectations.

With that status, the Gophers are often compared to Iowa, a program that consistently makes the most of its talent. The Hawkeyes are better at what they do than the Gophers, characterized by their lights out defenses and extraordinary special teams that include top tier returners, kickers and punters.

Fleck is 1-8 against Iowa and no doubt burns to get that second win this fall in Minneapolis when the Hawkeyes come to town. Fleck and Coyle also got the message that once lowly Indiana was able overnight to climb from the basement of college football to the penthouse.

Beat the Hawks, improve the overall Big Ten record and muscle into the college football playoffs soon, and Fleck will certainly be in line for another extension, his best yet!

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What to Make of Twins Split with President Derek Falvey

Posted on January 31, 2026January 31, 2026 by David Shama

Yesterday’s announcement about the change in leadership with the Twins makes it clear executive chair and part owner Tom Pohlad is decisive and in charge of the organization’s future going forward. On Friday Pohlad and President Derek Falvey announced the two were parting ways.

But why?

Falvey had been leading the baseball operation since late 2016 and in 2025 added the responsibility of directing the business side of the franchise which has been owned by the Pohlad family going back to 1984. Tom succeeded his younger brother Joe as executive chair last December, and it appears he may not be long on patience.

The Twins were 70-92 last season. Many baseball gurus don’t see Minnesota doing much better in 2026. The fallout between Tom Pohlad and Falvey may have been driven by disagreement on how quickly the Twins could win with limited spending on payroll. Pohlad has been quoted as saying the club “will be competitive” in 2026.

The Twins are expected to have a payroll in the low $100 million range. That’s the most minimal payroll Falvey would have ever had to work with. Falvey had to know his task of contending for a championship in 2026 was going to be a mega challenge.

In a statement yesterday Pohlad said “our commitment to building a championship caliber organization requires decisiveness and urgency.”

Twins executive Derek Falvey — Derek Falvey

There may have been personality differences between the two men that factored into the decision but what’s most plausible in driving the decision was likely a difference in vision as to what is realistic for the team and how soon success can happen. Falvey has felt the limitations of ownership’s lack of payroll commitment in the past, including last summer when the Twins had a fire sale, trading 10 players for prospects or players with limited MLB success.

Falvey may have been on board with that salary dump, viewing it as a chance to restructure the roster and build for the future. Ownership, led by Joe Pohlad, eased the bank balance of a franchise that reportedly was carrying $500 million in debt.

It’s believed Falvey wasn’t so on board with the firing of manager Rocco Baldelli after last season. Baldelli had been hired by Falvey in 2018, and he later managed three division winning teams. The two worked effectively together including with the enhanced use of analytics.

Joe Pohlad succeeded his uncle Jim as Twins executive chair in December of 2023. The club nosedived in performance and popularity during his leadership.

Why did he receive his appointment? Because his last name was Pohlad and he had about 15 years of experience working for the organization in various departments.

Tom is much more the outsider and is generally off to a favorable start with the fans and media. He’s come across as articulate and optimistic, although critics will see him as naïve in his expectations for 2026. Sports Headliners is told he is also willing to spend money in building the franchise.

The club is not without any talent on the roster. The starting pitching rotation could be among the better ones in the American League led by Joe Ryan, Pablo Lopez, Bailey Ober and Simeon Woods Richardson. The Twins have two of the more underrated players in baseball in catcher Ryan Jeffers and right fielder Matt Wallner. Center fielder Byron Buxton is a superstar when healthy. Young position players Luke Keaschall and Brooks Lee showed promise last year. Royce Lewis remains an enigma, tantalizing at times with his potential.

It’s also predicted that much hyped minor league prospects like Walker Jenkins will play for the club in 2026. The Twins are regarded as having one of the better minor league organizations in baseball.

A difference in expectations about what this cast can do and how soon may have driven the split between Pohlad and Falvey. Certainly, the silly theories advanced don’t cut it including the notion that Falvey was let go to save money. His compensation is unknown but almost for sure was in seven figures.

To run the baseball side the Twins are promoting general manager Jeremy Zoll to lead the show. He has admirers and it’s also believed the organization has a “deep bench” of talented administrators, coaches and scouts.

Pohlad has said he’s not searching for someone to replace Zoll or be his boss. He is searching for a new president of the business operations. Sports Headliners predicts there will be internal and external candidates.

Former President and CEO Dave St. Peter, now a strategic advisor, will not return to his old position. He announced in late 2024 he was transitioning from his role of 22 years leading the franchise and led to Falvey’s new business side responsibilities.

There was no public mudslinging in the Falvey departure. Both Falvey and Pohlad were cordial in their words spoken to the media. They admitted their conversations led to a parting, as surprising as it was to almost everyone.

In the past the Twins have fielded calls about Falvey’s availability. It’s likely he will have baseball offers now that will keep him in the industry.

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Return of Cousins Could Mean a Battle for Viking QB Job

Posted on January 4, 2026January 4, 2026 by David Shama

The whispering about a Kirk Cousins return to the Vikings for the 2026 season is ongoing. If he leaves the Falcons for Minnesota, it’s likely a reunion where he’s told ahead of arrival there will be an open competition for the starting quarterback position.

At 37 years old and having been an NFL starter for most of his career, including six seasons with the Vikings from 2018-2023, that’s an understanding probably necessary for an Act 2 involving Cousins who has a no trade clause in his contract with the Falcons. An NFL authority familiar with Cousins believes that despite the quarterback’s age Cousins may well want to be somewhere next season that he can start.

“I think you’d have to sell it as a competitive situation,” said the source who could see a starting position battle between Cousins and J.J. McCarthy.

The source, who was a top front office executive with a couple of NFL teams, thinks the Vikings could be well positioned to persuade Cousins to leave the Falcons where he’s been starting recently for the injured 25-year-old Michael Penix, Jr. Cousins is familiar with the Vikings offense and likes his former head coach, Kevin O’Connell.

The Falcons, who are committed long-term to Penix, are incentivized financially to move on from Cousins in the coming offseason. Cousins, who turns 38 in August, will receive $45 million ($35 million base salary and $10 million bonus roster) if he’s on the Falcons’ roster next season. But if Cousins is traded to another team, or waived, only $10 million of his $45 million is guaranteed.

Ex-Vikings QB Kirk Cousins — Kirk Cousins

That $10 million could be negotiated with a Falcons trade partner, with possibly both parties splitting the cost or the new team absorbing all of the money. It’s believed the Vikings might offer a late round draft choice for Cousins and negotiate a new guaranteed salary with him.

The source referenced here suggests the Vikings might be willing to offer their former starter $10 million for next season. That’s what they paid veteran Sam Darnold when they acquired him in the 2024 offseason.

“He liked it here, and likes KOC,” the authority said in regard to a Cousins’ homecoming. “But we’ll see. Money will talk in that situation.”

With Penix out with a serious knee injury, it’s possible the Falcons will choose to keep the costly Cousins on the roster. Down the stretch of this season Cousins has played well including a three down pass game in a 29-28 win over the Bucs. He would offer assurance for 2026 if Penix is slow to recover in mobility and performance. It’s also not likely the Falcons could acquire a Cousins replacement of his caliber during the coming offseason.

O’Connell talked about McCarthy becoming the Vikings “franchise quarterback” in 2024 before he had even played in a regular season game. The Vikings had selected him at No. 10 in the first round of the 2024 draft and the coaching staff, front office and ownership were excited about him.

However, injuries, body mechanics and inconsistencies in his play have cast doubt on McCarthy in the view of many Vikings followers. The source, however, remains confident in McCarthy long-term. He said franchise priority No. 1 for next season is to find a “quality No. 2” to back up the 22-year-old who missed the entire 2024 season and several games in 2025 with injuries.

The source also said McCarthy is a “potential Pro Bowler. I think he’s got the talent. He just needs more experience. But the problem is his injury history and so you gotta have a better No. 2 than what they had this year. …”

Cousins might be the best alternative in a 2026 quarterback market that looks so-so. Daniel Jones, for example, was briefly with the Vikings in 2024 and knows the offense. He will be a free agent in 2026 and although he played spectacularly for the Colts this season, he didn’t finish the year because of a torn Achilles. His rehab progress and future performance is conjecture now.

Jones, 28, and his representatives might well insist on more than $15 million from interested teams next season. So, it might be “Captain Kirk” to the rescue for the Vikings. The nickname is a reference to Star Trek character James T. Kirk who is known for leadership, poise and comeback skills.

The source also listed other priorities for the Vikings starting with the center position. “Because you can’t count on Ryan Kelly. He played really well when he was in there but he’s had too many concussions. He probably should retire.

“And (Michael) Jurgens, I don’t think is solid enough to be a starter. He’s an okay back up. So I think they probably need to draft a center in the early rounds or go to free agency again and try to find a quality center. …”

Other needs the authority identified include cornerback, suggesting the Vikings find help there via free agent signings or the draft. Safety needs attention, too, he said. “I am not sold on Theo Jackson. And we’ll see what happens with Harrison Smith. I think he played well enough to come back but will he want to, and that’s a question.”

Jackson is a potential replacement for Smith, 36, who could retire. Some observers wonder if Smith’s offseason decision will be impacted on whether acclaimed defensive coordinator Brian Flores leaves for another NFL job.

Asked about a potential replacement for Flores, the authority offered the name of Daronte Jones. Although he has never been a defensive coordinator in the NFL, he has called plays in the preseason and been a college coordinator. He’s also Smith’s position coach, handling the Vikings secondary.

“So, I think there’s a decent chance that Harrison would come back again,” the source said.

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