TODAY: NEW DETAILS EMERGE ON BROOKS KOEPKA PGA TOUR RETURN AFTER HOLIDAY SEASON BREAK
The PGA Tour issues a cryptic statement as Brooks Koepka walks away from his 100 million LIV Golf contract.
The PGA Tour's response to Brooks Koepka ditching LIV Golf was kind of weirdly lukewarm.
Brooks is a great player, and we wish him and his family all the best, the PGA Tour said in a statement. We still give golfers the best place to play, compete, and make money.
Sources say that Koepka told the PGA Tour he was leaving LIV Golf before the announcement on Tuesday. He famously left the PGA for LIV back in 2022 for a reported $100 million. But the exact amount he took home from LIV is still up in the air. Koepka was one of a bunch of big-name golfers who took Saudi money to leave the PGA Tour, which then suspended them.
If he wants to rejoin the PGA, Koepka didn't renew his membership before the 2022-23 season. So, he'll have to ask to be reinstated, which will start a disciplinary process. The board and some player directors will be involved, but it won't be public.
Fans seem to think he's coming back to the PGA.
The PGA Tour put out its statement right after Koepka's announcement on Tuesday.
Brooks is going to win a major soon, one fan wrote. He'll be back on the PGA Tour ASAP.
Another fan asked, Why would you even say this if you're not bringing him back?
Koepka had a year left on his LIV deal but wanted to quit to spend more time with his family.
Brooks will be leaving LIV Golf, his management team said in a statement released by LIV Golf. He's thankful to Yasir Al-Rumayyan, Scott O'Neil, his teammates, and the fans.
Family is what's important to Brooks, and he thinks now is the right time to be home more. He'll still support LIV Golf and hopes they do well. Brooks still loves golf and will let fans know what he's doing.
This sudden departure comes at a tough time for Koepka and his wife, Jena Sims, who recently lost their second child.
Sims, 36, shared on Instagram that they were heartbroken after finding out at 16 weeks that their baby's heart had stopped.
"This is the worst pain," she wrote. We are so sad, but we still want to give Crew a sibling someday.
Brooks Koepka is playing a shot at The Old Course.
Jena Sims is watching with a friend at The Old Course.
The couple got married in 2022 and already have a two-year-old son named Crew, who was born six weeks early and spent 20 days in intensive care.
Sims, a Sports Illustrated model, is often seen supporting her husband, like at the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship in St Andrews.
Despite all this, Koepka is trying to figure out how to get back to playing regular tournaments. He might have to sit out a year from the PGA Tour, starting from his last LIV event in August 2025.
That could keep him off the U.S. circuit until the September 2026 FedEx Cup Fall series.
But he could play on the DP World Tour right away since he's still a member and isn't banned.
Koepka can still play in all four major championships until 2028, giving him a place to play while he's not allowed on the PGA Tour.
RAIDERS PLACE RECEIVER JUSTIN SHORTER ON IR; SIGN HOOSIERS STAR BRADY
With Justin Shorter on IR, discover how new signing Jonathan Brady fits into the Raiders' wide receiver youth movement for 2026.
The Raiders aren’t sitting still; rookie minicamp just started, and they're already shuffling the roster. Right now, some veteran players are basically on borrowed time as the team leans hard into getting younger.
Take Justin Shorter. He’s been in Vegas since 2024 but hasn’t caught a pass in an actual NFL game. Well, his spot just got even more shaky. The Raiders put him on the Reserve/Injured list, which, let’s be real, is never a good sign this early in the offseason. Usually, that sort of move means a buyout could be next so he can test free agency.
There’s a steady influx of young receivers competing for spots, so it’s tough to see Shorter making his way back, even if he heals up. To fill his spot, the team signed Jonathan Brady, a receiver out of Indiana.
Nobody’s really sure what kind of injury Shorter has. If it’s serious, maybe he sticks around and rehabs with the team. If not, we might see him try his luck somewhere else.
As for the Raiders’ wide receiver group, the youth movement is real. Wide receiver was a big need heading into the offseason, but they didn’t do much outside of signing Jalen Nailor and drafting Malik Benson in the sixth round.
Vincent Bonsignore from the California Post pointed out that the Raiders might still look to add more receivers if the current group doesn’t step up. He basically said that the early rounds of the draft went to bigger needs, and now guys like Bech and Thornton Jr. have a chance to prove the team doesn’t have to keep looking elsewhere. But don’t expect the Raiders to hesitate if things look shaky.
Now, about that passing game, it was rough last season. The Raiders finished in the bottom five. But with Klint Kubiak calling plays and Fernando Mendoza hopefully taking over for Geno Smith, things honestly should get better. If Kirk Cousins ends up starting, he’s probably an upgrade, too. And bringing in Tyler Linderbaum at centre will only help.
Chances are, the Raiders will use an early pick on a receiver in next year’s draft. Even though they have a rookie quarterback waiting in the wings, they didn’t spend big at receiver this offseason. Maybe that’s because they don’t expect him to start right away. Who knows. For now, the wide receiver group looks decent enough to get by.
NFL EXECUTIVE NAMES COLE PAYTON HIS "NO. 2 QUARTERBACK" IN THE 2026 CLASS
From 94.6 PFF grades to 4.56 speed, Cole Payton is the Eagles' latest QB project. Analysing his path to the NFL depth chart.
Cole Payton, who played quarterback at North Dakota State, might end up making a bigger splash as a fifth-round pick than people expect.
He’s not just another late-round flyer, either. An NFL executive recently told insider J.L. Canfora that Payton has real upside. The Eagles have done something similar before, so this isn't coming out of nowhere.
Remember Carson Wentz? Philly grabbed him with the second overall pick back in 2016, but Jalen Hurts ended up taking over. Now, some people around the league think history might repeat itself with Payton possibly replacing Hurts down the road.
The executive went all in on Payton: “You know, I believe in that kid. That was my No. 2 quarterback in the draft. And Howie [Roseman] takes him? Come on. He sees it too. Cole Payton, if you bring him along the right way, can start in this league.”
Roseman, the guy in Philly’s front office, was a big part of the Wentz pick. He’s seen his fair share of quarterback changes over the years, and honestly, that might matter this time, too.
The executive didn’t hold back: “All the stuff you hear about Hurts, all the drama and where he is in his contract." You can call me crazy, but I think this kid could take over from him in a few years. They did this with [Kevin] Kolb, even when [Donovan] McNabb was still there. I know how Howie thinks. This kid has a chance.”
Payton had to wait for his turn at NDSU.
Payton rolled into North Dakota State in 2021, known as a strong recruit for an FCS quarterback, straight out of Omaha.
He was supposed to be the next big thing, just like the string of successful Bison quarterbacks before him. But things didn’t break that way at first. Cam Miller, the QB ahead of him, kept stacking up wins and making a name for himself in Fargo.
Miller even beat out Quincy Patterson II, a gifted dual-threat quarterback who transferred in from Virginia Tech. After Patterson got banged up in 2021, Miller took over, steered the team to a national championship, and then hung on to the starting job through 2024.
Patterson left for Temple, so Payton slid into the Bison’s running packages in a spot that Patterson had filled before. And Payton did more than just fill that role. In 2022, he ran for 284 yards and two touchdowns on 38 carries. By the next year, he really took off: 615 yards and 13 touchdowns on 84 carries.
Setback, then a breakout
Payton started 2024 looking like the same kind of threat on the ground, but a shoulder injury cut his season short. He only managed 164 rushing yards and a score on 21 carries before he went down.
Finally, in 2025, his shot as the full-time starter arrived after Miller left for the NFL draft, drafted by the Raiders in the sixth round. Payton made the most of it. He led NDSU to an unbeaten 12-0 regular season, completing 70% of his passes for 2,719 yards, with 16 touchdowns and just four picks. And he still ran wild, with 777 rushing yards and 13 touchdowns on 136 carries.
Now, he’s got a fresh chance in Philadelphia. If you ask people around the league, he’s not just there to hold a clipboard. They're watching to see what happens next.
_1777814568.webp)
