A win for Kyle Busch, new Aaron Rodgers rumors, and more last week in Las Vegas sports (Feb 20 – 26).
Kyle Busch had a lot of questions to answer heading into the 2023 season and did so very quickly. The first one was how long it would take him to win, which got answered when he won at Auto Club Speedway on Sunday. This marks his first win with Richard Childress racing in only his second start for the organization.
The Las Vegas native held off Chase Eliott to win the 61st race of his Cup Series career and guaranteed himself a spot in the postseason. The victory comes after Busch left team owner, Joe Gibbs Racing due to sponsorship issues. He is now signed with RCR through 2024 and stands a good chance of winning a championship during that time.
The Las Vegas Aces are looking to go back-to-back as WNBA Champions in 2023, but there are several things standing in their way. One of the biggest however is the New York Liberty Super team that could cause them trouble in the playoffs. While the Aces have a sort of superteam as well, it is going to be interesting to see how they match up.
Las Vegas Aces star Aj’a Wilson spoke had some great insight on the matter. The leading MVP believes that the introduction of superteams might be exactly what the WNBA needs right now.
“I’m going to try to beat everybody, Wilson said in an interview with Uproxx. “My goal is I’m going to try to beat everyone alongside my teammates, but it’s super exciting just to have that because I think every sport needs a good rival rivalry.”
The NFL trade deadline is approaching in March, prompting several teams to look into possible deals to strengthen their roster. The Las Vegas Golden Knights are one of those teams due to struggling to score against tough opponents. That puts them in the market for an offensive boost and there are a lot of people that could do that.
“Pretty much every name you see out there has at least one connection to the Golden Knights,” writes The Athletic. “Now they’re going to trade for all those players? Probably not but there’s good reason to wonder if certain players are going to the Golden Knights.”
The big names heading into the trade deadline are Patrick Kane, Timo Meier, and Tyler Bertuzzi. All three guys could bring a unique spark to the offense, but some believe it should be Meir who ultimately goes to the Golden Knights. This is due to his ability to get those” dirty goals”
“I would expect if this team makes a move, to try to add a winger. I think a lot of people look at Timo Meier. He’s an interesting one because he’s younger than most of the guys at the deadline,” Granger said. “I think Timo Meier would be a great fit for this team stylistically. He gets to the front of the net. He scores those dirty goals that this team seems to have a hard time finding in the playoffs.”
Derek Carr is a nine-year veteran in the NFL and wants to be paid big money for his services. Not only is that evident by his $121.5 million contract extension last season, but also according to a new report.
According to ESPN’s Dianna Russini, Carr is reportedly seeking upwards of $35 million a year from potential teams. This might be why his negotiations with the New Orleans Saints broke down after he met with them last week. It could also explain why other teams are skeptical about bringing him to their town.
While some Las Vegas Raiders fans want to see Aaron Rodgers come to Sin City, that might not be happening. Unfortunately, a new statement from Raiders General Manager, Dave Ziegler, points to the organization looking past Rodgers. There are also stirrings from Sports Illustrated that a rookie might end up getting the position.
“We’re in charge of filling the most important position on the team,” Dave Ziegler said when asked about the ongoing search for a new starting quarterback. “There’s some pressure that comes along with that…it doesn’t mean we’re going to have an immediate answer this year.”
The Las Vegas Raiders have finally rid themselves of Derek Carr after a nine-year partnership, but it almost ended sooner. This is according to a new interview that Darren Waller did with Forbes, where he claimed that he thought Tom Brady was coming to Vegas in 2020.
“I’ve heard it from multiple sources that I respect and I’ve been close to,” Waller said. “They’re like, ‘Yeah, Brady to the Raiders was a lock. It was almost a done deal, and at the last minute, Gruden blew the deal up and said that he didn’t want [Brady], and all hell broke loose.”
This means the Raiders could have acquired the services of one of the greatest quarterbacks to ever play the game.
And that’s what happened last week in Las Vegas Sports (Feb 20 – 26).
Next: Everything you need to know about the XFL and the Las Vegas Vipers
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