Max Verstappen's path to a second Formula One drivers' championship appears clear following Ferrari's mishaps in France, with the Red Bull ace looking to extend his lead in Hungary.
Heading into the final race before F1's summer break, Verstappen holds a mammoth 63-point advantage over Ferrari's Charles Leclerc in the standings – while Red Bull lead their rivals by 82 points in the constructors' championship.
Ferrari's latest setback, which saw Leclerc retire from the lead for the third time this season, brought an end to what had been a positive stint for the Italian manufacturers – who had won back-to-back races before heading to the Circuit Paul Ricard.
While Leclerc has been the leading man for Ferrari this season, his crash in France was the latest mistake from the young driver – and it may now be Carlos Sainz that has the biggest part to play in chasing down Red Bull.
After a difficult start to the season, the Spaniard has found his rhythm with the car and weaved his way through the field in France to secure fifth place, having started 19th on the grid and impressed in qualifying.
Sainz boasts two fastest laps in 2022, both of which have come in the last four races (in Canada and France) – one more than he recorded in his previous 148 outings, and he's now eyeing consecutive fastest laps for the first time in his F1 career.
Ferrari's record in Hungary is also encouraging, with only McLaren (11) winning more races at the venue than Ferrari (7) – who last won at the Hungaroring in 2017. Red Bull, meanwhile, have won twice, in 2010 and 2014.
Red Bull's main strength this season has been straight-line speed, which may not fit with the Hungaroring's lack of straights – the track is comparable to Monaco, with several corners to string together.
It's on those sorts of corners where Ferrari have been the better outfit but, even with a win, they would require some serious reliability issues or incidents from Red Bull to rejuvenate their flagging title hopes.
Hamilton's charge reviving Mercedes
Mercedes' woes this season have been well documented and are not yet over, with the team extremely disappointed by their upgrade package failing to have the desired effect for the French Grand Prix last time out.
However, Lewis Hamilton is at least back at his best after registering four consecutive podium finishes heading into Hungary, while George Russell's appearance alongside his team-mate on the podium was the first time Mercedes have had both drivers in the top three this season.
The Hungaroring is a track Hamilton knows well, having secured eight victories at the venue – including all five of Mercedes' wins.
Now 12 races without a win, Mercedes are in the longest winless stretch of their F1 history, and Hamilton is still awaiting the triumph which would see him break Michael Schumacher's record of consecutive seasons with at least one victory – with both drivers currently on 15.
Ricciardo's moment of truth
Daniel Ricciardo's spell at McLaren has been disappointing for both driver and team but both are committed to each other for the long haul, with the Australian's contract running through 2023.
Speculation of an early termination appears to have cooled, with Ricciardo taking to social media to quash such rumours before issuing a strong message ahead of France – telling Sky Sports he'll deliver a win if McLaren can deliver a car.
That's something the Silverstone-based team are yet to do, however. Ricciardo's experience in France was another disappointing one, having come in ninth and, yet again, finished behind team-mate Lando Norris.
The young Brit is clearly the more comfortable driver, having registered 70 of McLaren's 89 points this season, and Ricciardo needs to start changing the game.
A positive race in Hungary would provide a significant boost ahead of what is a crucial sequence for the Australian after the summer break.
England boss Eddie Jones says he would love to swap codes and take up an NRL head coach position, but admits the likelihood of a move to rugby league is small.
The Australian spent time following his side's tour victory over the Wallabies visiting leading sports clubs across the country, including NRL premiers Penrith and AFL duo Melbourne and Carlton.
Jones has his focus on taking England one step further than their silver-medal finish at the Japan 2019 World Cup next year when he leads them to France 2023.
But beyond that, his future is unclear, and the veteran admits he would be delighted to get the chance to chance his arm in league's biggest domestic competition, particularly with boyhood club South Sydney Rabbitohs.
"I like the game," Jones told Nine. "If there was an opportunity there [in the NRL] I would jump at it, but the reality is it’s probably not going to be there."
Jones' admiration for the rival code comes at a time when a proliferation of great union successes have been guided by former league stalwarts.
Ex-Wigan forward Andy Farrell guided Ireland to a first-ever series win in New Zealand against the All Blacks earlier this month, while ex-Leeds captain Kevin Sinfield was instrumental in Leicester's Premiership triumph too.
Shaun Edwards has helped revolutionise France's defence under Fabien Galthie, and Jones' own assistant, the former Souths head coach Anthony Seibold, has been an ace in their revival this summer against the Wallabies.
It is the Rabbitohs the 62-year-old grew up as a fan of, and asked if he would be tempted by the top job at Redfern, he admitted: "That would be the dream team. That would be the dream.
"From the age of five, I’ve supported Souths. That would be fantastic [to coach the Rabbitohs]. I loved the old teams with Ronnie Coote, Bob McCarthy, John Sattler and Eric Simms. 100 per cent [I'd take the job]."
Souths are currently led by former assistant Jason Demetriou, who succeeded veteran coach Wayne Bennett at the end of last year, and currently lie sixth on the NRL ladder as they push for the playoffs.
NRWL star Karina Brown says she felt "triggered" by the decision of several Manly Warringah Sea Eagles players to prominently boycott wearing a pride-inspired rainbow jersey this week against Sydney Roosters.
The Sea Eagles will be missing seven players for the NRL crunch clash with the Roosters over the club's decision to wear a kit featuring coloured stripes instead of white on the traditional swap.
Boss Des Hasler apologised to both the LGBTQ+ community and the players, who claim they were not consulted on the call, and have cited family, religious and cultural beliefs for their boycott.
Brown, a two-time World Cup winner and prominently out sportswoman, admitted the furore has left her angered, joining the latest list of voices to speak out against the players' decision.
"It did trigger me, if I’m honest," the Queensland and Australian representative told the On Her Game podcast. "I felt a bit enraged and frustrated.
"This jersey is a Women in League round jersey and it's 'everyone in league' ... whether you love someone of the same sex or whether you love Jesus Christ, there’s a place for you here in rugby league.
"To get upset about a jersey with a few added extra colours on the piping to represent everyone in league, not just pride, I was just astounded that was a stance that some players have taken.
"It's just so important. People are realising that discrimination is so hurtful in this society and so we're trying to do something about it.
"[It's] definitely frustrating that we're still talking about it but it does still exist. I can see now why we don’t have an NRL Pride round."
The continued fallout has led to suggestions a designated pride round could be installed in the NRL as soon as next season, with ARLC chairman Peter V'Landys floating the concept as a possibility on Tuesday.
Roosters coach Trent Robinson backed Manly's decision to stick with their jersey, adding that he was frustrated by continued discrimination.
"It is great what the owners of Manly have decided to do and it is unfortunate that it has panned out this way because everyone is equal, no matter what race, gender, sexual preference, everyone is equal," he stated.
"Let people make their choice and let’s not discriminate against those, and we are still doing that, and that is why it is unfortunate."
Max Verstappen is still "evolving", according to Red Bull team principal Christian Horner, as the Dutchman continues his march towards successive Formula One world championships.
After winning the French Grand Prix for a second year in a row, Verstappen holds a 63-point lead over Ferrari's Charles Leclerc at the top of the drivers' standings.
Another title for the reigning champion looks inevitable after he posted six victories in his last nine races, and Verstappen's 2021 rival Lewis Hamilton recently claimed it will be "smooth sailing" for the 24-year-old this year.
Speaking to Eurosport, Red Bull boss Horner hailed Verstappen's development as he suggested the Dutchman ranked among the best drivers to ever feature for the team.
"I think he's very much a mature package now," Horner said. "He's got experience behind him but he's still very, very young.
"He's hugely talented and is using his experience, using his head and his drive, his determination is undiminished.
"So he's just evolving still as a person and as a driver.
"It's very difficult to compare drivers. We've had some amazing drivers but he is certainly right up [there]."
While Verstappen looks likely to cruise to the drivers' title, Red Bull also hold a commanding 82-point advantage over Ferrari in the battle for the constructors' championship.
Although Red Bull are clear favourites to end Mercedes' eight-year stranglehold on the team prize, Horner says he is simply taking it one race at a time.
"The target is to keep building on what we've achieved. There are no finite targets," he added. "It's just about race-by-race, season-by-season and giving him [Verstappen] a car that his talent warrants.
"I still get the same buzz driving into the track on race morning that I did, even when I was driving myself many years ago. It's the competition, going up against the best teams in the world. You need to be at the top of your game.
"It's a team sport, the biggest team sport in the world. If you're lucky enough to win a grand prix, it means every single person within that organisation is doing and fulfilling their part and role."
Verstappen and Red Bull will bid to extend their fine run of form at the Hungarian Grand Prix on Sunday.
Boston Celtics star Jayson Tatum says Kevin Durant is a "great player", but is unsure his team needs to bring the wantaway Brooklyn Nets man onboard.
Two-time NBA Finals MVP Durant requested a trade out of Barclays Center last month following a 4-0 playoff exit to the Celtics.
That sparked discussions between a host of sides and the Nets, with Boston also reportedly making enquiries into his availability.
Durant averaged 29.9 points per game in the regular season across 55 appearances, with only Joel Embiid (30.6) and LeBron James (30.3) averaging more, as well as 6.4 assists and 7.4 rebounds.
But while Tatum has tremendous respect for Durant, having played alongside him for the United States team as part of the Tokyo 2020 gold medal-winning squad, he thinks the Celtics already have the players they need onboard.
"I played with [Durant] during the Olympics," he said on Tuesday at the premiere of Showtime documentary 'Point Gods'. "Obviously, he's a great player, but that's not my decision. I love our team. I love the guys that we got.
"We got two new pieces [in Malcolm Brogdon and Danilo Gallinari]. I love our team. I just go out there and play with my teammates. I don't put that [general manager] hat on to make decisions."
Dallas Cowboys owner and general manager Jerry Jones has put his expectations for 2022 firmly on the agenda, saying they need a viable playoff run for a successful season.
The Cowboys had a hugely disappointing first-round home playoff loss last season, going down 23-17 to the San Francisco 49ers after earning the third seed in the NFC.
Long-time Cowboys owner Jones, who turns 80 in October, said they were in better shape for a Super Bowl push this season compared to last, fuelling the expectations on Mike McCarthy's side.
"Well, I need to win it. I need to win it, but I'll be candid with you, there's degrees," Jones told reporters on Tuesday on the first day of the Cowboys' training camp.
"I want to be fair to everybody concerned. We need to be in the playoffs. We need to be viable in the playoffs for it to be a successful season."
He added with a touch of humour: "I told them I've got a birthday coming up here real quick and I don't have time to have a bad time. It ain't on my schedule."
Amari Cooper, La'el Collins and Randy Gregory have all departed the Cowboys in the off-season.
"(Last year) we had it teed up pretty good, and in my mind we made a hell of a run at it," Jones said.
"I think we're in better shape today to make a run at it than when we were sitting here this time last year.
"I thought last year we had a chance to make a heck of a run at it and had people in place that if we were healthy enough, we might get 'em. And I think we're in better shape."
Jones also threw his support behind McCarthy, who has been Dallas' head coach since 2020, finishing his first season with a 6-10 record and missing the playoffs.
"I want to be real clear: He wouldn't be sitting here if I didn't think he was the man to lead this team to a Super Bowl," Jones said.
Jones added: "I like this staff. And frankly, I like the makeup of the players one year later that were on this team last year and I like the new players that we've brought on."
Eduardo Escobar and Edwin Diaz came up big as the New York Mets beat their cross-town rival Yankees in what could be a potential World Series rehearsal on Tuesday, emerging with a 6-3 win.
Kicking off a highly anticipated Subway Series, with 2015 being the last time the two teams lead their respective divisions, the Mets made the big plays amid a charged atmosphere in Queens.
Back-to-back home runs from Anthony Rizzo and Aaron Judge put the Yankees up 2-0 in a thrilling first inning, with the Mets rallying back with four runs in their opening frame, including Escobar's huge two-run, two-out shot off Jordan Montgomery.
Before extending their lead to 6-3 in the eighth inning, Diaz came in to close for the Mets, striking out four and giving up a solitary hit for his 22nd save out of 25.
Running away with the American League at one point, the Yankees now only lead the Houston Astros by two games on 66-32, while the Mets moved to 60-37 and within five of the National League-leading Los Angeles Dodgers.
Springer slam propels Blue Jays
Though his team trail the Yankees by 11.5 games in the AL East, George Springer hit the seventh grand slam of his career, as the Toronto Blue Jays claimed a 10-3 win over the St Louis Cardinals.
The Cardinals were without Paul Goldschmidt and Nolan Arenado, whose unvaccinated status prohibits them from entering Canadian soil, with Alejandro Kirk hitting his 12th homer of the year.
It was not enough against the Blue Jays, who notched up a tie-breaking five-run sixth inning via Springer's slam and Matt Chapman's RBI single, to extend their winning streak to seven games.
Pinder punches second slam of the night in A's win
The Houston Astros were not able to capitalise on the Yankees' defeat and edge closer in the AL standings, with the Oakland Athletics earning a 5-3 win.
The best and worst records in the AL West faced off and the latter reeled off a four-run third inning to get the eventual win, with Chad Pinder slugging a grand slam of his own off Luis Garcia.
The A's are now one game away from a shock three-game series sweep against the Astros, who remain stuck on 64-34.
San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan has made it abundantly clear that Trey Lance is their man and they are moving on from Jimmy Garoppolo.
Garoppolo, who underwent shoulder surgery in March, led the 49ers to the NFC Championship game, losing 20-17 to eventual Super Bowl LVI champions Los Angeles Rams.
The 30-year-old quarterback is widely expected to depart the 49ers in the off-season, with Shanahan effectively confirming the assumption that 2021 NFL Draft's third pick in Lance will take over.
"We have moved on to Trey," Shanahan told reporters ahead of the 49ers training camp. "This is Trey's team.
"That's nothing against Jimmy. We made that decision a year ago and we're going with that. We're not going to mess around with that anymore.
"Jimmy understands that fully. That's a business decision and that's what makes it not awkward. Jimmy knows we're going with Trey.
"Trey knows we're going with Trey and our team does, and everyone likes both of those guys."
Shanahan along with 49ers general manager John Lynch sat down for a meeting with Garoppolo on Tuesday morning to discuss his future.
Garoppolo has only just been cleared to practice having resumed throwing after his shoulder surgery, meaning opposition teams were reluctant to make trade plans for him until now.
"As soon as we can," Shanahan said about a Garoppolo move.
"Hopefully with everyone being on the same page, hopefully that will happen sooner than later. I think that would be good for him and for us."
Garoppolo threw 20 touchdowns - with his 1.33 per game was ranked 19th in the NFL among quarterbacks - with a 68.3 per cent completion rate for 3,810 yards across the 2021 season.
Meanwhile, Lynch was positive about the future of wide receiver Deebo Samuel, who had requested a trade in April.
"We've had really productive and substantive talks," Lynch said.
"I don't want to get everyone all excited that something is imminent because we're not there yet, but really hopeful that in the near future we'll be able to announce something that is exciting for everyone involved.
"Deebo is here today and we're excited about moving forward with him as part of this team."
Wimbledon runner-up Nick Kyrgios was a late withdrawal from the Atlanta Open, after he was originally scheduled to play Peter Gojowczyk on Tuesday.
Kyrgios' replacement in Adrian Mannarino eventually defeated Gojowczyk 6-3 7-6 (9-7), but the Wimbledon finalist's withdrawal due to injury overshadowed the match.
After receiving a wild card for the Cincinnati Masters, the 2016 champion in Atlanta was expected to make a deep run to kick off his hard-court season.
Coming out to apologise to the crowd before Gojowczyk and Mannarino took to the court, Kyrgios expressed his sadness at the withdrawal, in the hope he could still play in the doubles draw with fellow Australian Thanasi Kokkinakis.
"I'm extremely shattered that I'm not able to compete tonight," he said pre-match. "I've won this tournament once, and you know, I'm playing some of the best tennis of my career.
"All I wanted to do was come out here and give you guys a show, to see what I was capable of. I'm unable to give out my best performance today, and I'm just extremely sorry.
"I'm going to keep my hopes up and maybe be able to continue doubles with Thanasi this week. I hope you'll all not be too hard on me."
Kokkinakis just has the doubles to attend to now after Andres Martin's 6-3 6-2 win, while Ilya Ivashka progressed with a 6-0 3-6 6-3 win over Quentin Halys.
James Duckworth was the lone Australian to advance on Tuesday, beating Dominik Koepfer 6-1 6-7 (5-7) 6-3.
Jenson Brooksby made an encouraging Atlanta Open debut earlier in the day, eliminating Benoit Paire 6-3 6-1 to reach the second round.
Countryman and fifth seed Tommy Paul breezed past wild card Jack Sock 6-1 6-1, while Ben Shelton and Mackenzie McDonald also advanced.
All-Star Giancarlo Stanton has been placed on the New York Yankees' 10-day injured list due to left Achilles tendonitis.
Yankees outfielder Stanton has been in strong form in the majors this season, batting .228 with 24 home runs and 61 RBIs. He also won last week's All-Star Game MVP.
Stanton had been out of the Yankees' starting line-up in their past two games and the franchise announced the roster move ahead of Tuesday's game against the New York Mets.
The 32-year-old had undergone an MRI on Monday after experiencing a sore Achilles, with Yankees manager Aaron Boone hoping it was a "minor thing".
Boone revealed that Stanton will take a complete break from baseball for 10 days and indicated that Stanton's timeframe to return to play was roughly two to three weeks.
"Could be shorter. We'll see," he said. "We'll just kind of make those evaluations, or the trainers [will], and see how he does this week."
Five-time All-Pro wide receiver Julio Jones will catch passes from Tom Brady in 2022 after signing a one-year contract with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, ESPN's Adam Schefter reported on Tuesday.
The move gives Brady, who led the NFL in passing yards and touchdowns last season, another potentially dangerous target and may offset the loss of tight end Rob Gronkowski, who retired earlier this offseason.
A seven-time Pro Bowl selection, Jones will join a deep wide receiver room that already has Mike Evans, Chris Godwin and Russell Gage.
Signing Jones is the latest in a string of win-now moves by the Buccaneers as they try to extend their window of championship contention with Brady, who turns 45 years old next month.
Jones, 33, has been limited by injuries over the last two seasons, having ended a 10-year stint with the Atlanta Falcons to join the Tennessee Titans last season.
In 10 games with the Titans, Jones caught a career-low 31 passes for 434 yards and was cut earlier this offseason.
Jones had been connected to the Indianapolis Colts, a move that would have reunited him with longtime quarterback Matt Ryan, but Colts general manager Chris Ballard dispelled those rumours earlier on Tuesday, the Indianapolis Star reported.
Jones is the NFL's active leader with 13,330 career receiving yards, making 879 catches and scoring 61 touchdowns in 145 games.
Among players who have played at least 100 games, Jones' 91.9 receiving yards per game are the most in NFL history.
Dominic Thiem started his bid for a second Austrian Open title with a comfortable triumph over Alexander Shevchenko.
Thiem, a 2019 winner at the tournament in his home country, prevailed 6-4 6-2 in Kitzbuhel.
He will next face compatriot Sebastian Ofner as he seeks a first title since his grand slam breakthrough at the US Open in 2020.
Ofner came from a set down to beat former world number seven Richard Gasquet 1-6 7-5 7-5.
Meanwhile, seventh seed Pedro Martinez saved six out of six break points en route to a 7-6 6-3 victory over Chilean Nicolas Jarry.
At the Croatia Open in Umag, Bernabe Zapata Miralles set up a round of 16 meeting with third seed Holger Rune by beating Croatian Dino Prizmic, who retired when facing a 6-4 3-0 deficit.
Alex Molcan is safely through to the next round after defeating Duje Ajdukovic, while French 23-year-old Corentin Moutet cruised to a straight-sets victory over sixth seed Daniel Altmaier.
Top seed Anett Kontaveit took just 48 minutes to secure her place in the second round of the Prague Open, but Sorana Cirstea suffered a surprise loss.
Defeated in the final of the Hamburg European Open last weekend, Kontaveit got straight back to winning ways in rapid time with a 6-0 6-1 win over Ekaterine Gorgodze.
The world number two got 81.8 per cent of her first serves in, with the overwhelmed Gorgodze only able to win nine returning points across the entire match.
Up next for Kontaveit is Lucie Havlickova after the Czech defeated compatriot Barbora Palicova 6-2 7-6 (7-5).
Fourth seed Cirstea was sent packing from the first round by 19-year-old qualifier Oksana Selekhmeteva, whose 7-5 6-4 success was her first in the main draw of a WTA Tour event.
Dominika Salkova marked her WTA main-draw debut with a 6-1 6-4 win over Ylena In-Albon, while Barbora Krejcikova delighted the home crowd with her 6-3 6-1 triumph against Anna Blinkova.
Due to persistent rain, only three matches were completed at the Warsaw Open on Tuesday.
Clara Burel, Ana Bogdan and Jasmine Paolini all advanced to the second round with wins over Anna-Karolina Schmiedlova, Nuria Parrizas-Diaz and Danka Kovinic respectively.
The neck injury that cut short Seattle Seahawks running back Chris Carson's 2021 season has ultimately ended his career.
Carson decided to retire on Tuesday after five NFL seasons, according to NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport.
The 27-year-old had failed his physical and the Seahawks are officially releasing him with a failed physical designation, which under the collective bargaining agreement allows Carson to receive several million dollars in injury protection benefits.
Carson had been hopeful of being healthy enough to play this year after being sidelined since Week 4 of the 2021 season with the serious neck injury.
When healthy, Carson was one of the top running backs in the league, ranking fifth in rushing yards in 2018 with 1,151 yards and fifth again a year later with a career-high 1,230 yards.
A seventh-round pick by the Seahawks in 2017, Carson finishes his career with 3,502 rushing yards with 24 rushing touchdowns.
Upon Carson's retirement, Rashaad Penny and rookie Kenneth Walker III will handle the running back duties for a Seattle team that expects to rely heavily on the ground game with Geno Smith and Drew Lock competing for the starting quarterback job after Russell Wilson was traded to the Denver Broncos.
Penny led the Seahawks with 749 rushing yards last season and his average of 6.29 yards per attempt was the highest in the NFL among all players with a minimum of 100 carries.
Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow is undergoing surgery to have his appendix removed, NFL Network's Ian Rapoport said Tuesday.
Burrow is expected to miss practice time during training camp but make a full recovery before the defending AFC champion Bengals begin their season on September 11 against the visiting Pittsburgh Steelers.
The news comes one day after team owner Mike Brown said Cincinnati's "whole focus" is to get an extension in place with Burrow, who is eligible to negotiate a new deal after this season – his third in the NFL.
"Right now our obvious, most important issue will be our quarterback," Brown said on Monday. "It's not quite ready or ripe yet, but it's right down the track and we see the train coming."
Burrow went 2-7-1 as the starter in 2020 after the Bengals selected him with the No. 1 overall pick in the NFL Draft. He tore his left ACL and MCL in Week 11 that season before returning last year and leading Cincinnati to their first playoff berth since 2015 and first Super Bowl appearance since 1988.
The Bengals led the Los Angeles Rams 20-13 in the third quarter of the Super Bowl before eventually losing 23-20. Burrow passed for 263 yards with a touchdown and no interceptions against the Rams.
"We couldn't be happier with Joe Burrow," Brown said. "He's everything you would wish for, especially for a quarterback in Cincinnati. And our whole focus is going on keeping him here."
The Chicago Bears have bolstered their offensive line, signing veteran tackle Riley Reiff to a one-year deal that will likely pay him $10million, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
The deal, which was reported on Tuesday, could be worth up to $12.5million.
Considered one of the best free agents still on the market, Reiff started 12 games for the Cincinnati Bengals in 2021 before an ankle injury ended his season.
Since being drafted 23rd overall by the Detroit Lions in 2012, the 33-year-old Reiff has appeared in 147 games with 139 starts. This will be his third NFC North team after spending his first five seasons with the Lions and the next four with the Minnesota Vikings, with whom he signed as a free agent prior to the 2017 season.
Reiff is expected to win the starting left tackle job for a Bears team that struggled mightily to protect Justin Fields in his 2021 rookie season.
The Chicago offensive line allowed a league-worst 58 sacks last season with Fields being sacked on 11.8 per cent of his dropbacks – the worst rate in the NFL among quarterbacks with at least 250 pass attempts.
San Francisco 49ers players are scheduled to report to training camp on Tuesday, and coach Kyle Shanahan expects star wide receiver Deebo Samuel to attend despite his ongoing contract dispute.
Shanahan is also certain Samuel will get a new deal soon.
"What I do know is: I'm not worried about it not getting done," he told The Athletic. "I feel very confident that Deebo's going to be on our team this year, and he's going to be for many years after. I do believe he'll get a deal. I know that they're working on it right now."
Shanahan said general manager John Lynch and the 49ers front office have been working with Samuel's agent, Tory Dandy, on a new deal over the past few weeks.
Samuel emerged as a dangerous playmaker lined up both as a receiver and in the backfield for San Francisco last season, earning All-Pro honours with 1,770 scrimmage yards and 14 total touchdowns.
Due to make $3.986million in the final year of his rookie contract in 2022, the 26-year-old Samuel requested a trade after the 49ers failed to sign him to an extension earlier this offseason.
"I think every player in the league is underpaid," Shanahan said. "I think this league makes a lot of money, and these players go through a lot of stuff, so like you always look at it that way.
"But when you become a head coach or a general manager and stuff like that, you do get to see the other side, and your job is to put the best football team together possible, and so you work with these players and your goal is to get them paid, [but you] got to balance all that stuff together so you have a chance to win."
The 49ers reached the Super Bowl in Samuel's 2019 rookie season and nearly made it again last year before losing to the eventual champion Los Angeles Rams in the NFC Championship Game.
This year's offense will have a different look, however, with Trey Lance taking over at quarterback for Jimmy Garoppolo.
Despite Samuel's contract dispute, he still attended mandatory minicamp and is expected to be at training camp because of the collective bargaining agreement that deters players from holding out.
"The days of holding out and stuff are a little bit different now because players, regardless of what the team decides later, always have to pay [the fines] back," Shanahan said. "Now, those fines can't get paid back."
Manly Warringah Sea Eagles have confirmed seven of their players will sit out their NRL clash with Sydney Roosters on Thursday over the team's decision to wear a pride jersey.
The Northern Beaches outfit are set to become the first club in the competition's history to sport a specialised strip, with rainbow stripes in place of the club's typical white set to show support for the LGBTQ+ community.
But the club have become embroiled in a boycott by seven players, who say they were not consulted on the decision, and have objected on religious and cultural grounds.
In a press conference on Tuesday, coach Des Hasler apologised to both the LGBTQ+ community and the players, stating they should have been consulted on plans to wear the strip.
"They were not included in any of the discussions, and at a minimum, they should have been consulted," the two-time NRL premiership-winning boss said.
Though the club has not named the seven who will sit out the clash, reports in local media have identified them as Josh Aloiai, Jason Saab, Christian Tuipulotu, Josh Schuster, Haumole Olakau'atu, Tolu Koula and Toafofoa Sipley.
The match is a crucial one for both Manly and Sydney, with the winner taking the advantage in the race to reach the NRL playoffs in September.
While Hasler added that he respected the decision of the players, backlash to it has been widespread.
Former Manly star Ian Roberts, the first rugby league footballer to come out as gay, said the decision "saddens" him.
Ex-Wakefield Trinity prop Keegan Hirst, who became the first professional British rugby league player to come out as gay, in 2015, questioned the players' beliefs given Manly are sponsored by a betting firm.
ARLC Chairman Peter V'landys meanwhile stated the competition could introduce a pride round as soon as the 2023 season, in response to the furore, pointing to the game's history of immigrant inclusivity as a springboard.
"It was inclusive back then and it is inclusive now," he told the Sydney Morning Herald. "It's important that every boy and girl and man and woman can go to the game and feel they can be treated the same as everyone else."
This is not the first time the NRL has sought to make a stand opposing LGBTQ+ discrimination, with the league previously blacklisting ex-Wallabies star Israel Folau following his attempts to return to rugby league after he was dismissed from rugby union.
The centre ultimately landed at Catalans Dragons in Super League, before returning to Australia and then Japan, where he currently plays with the Shining Arcs.
Sergio Garcia has revealed he will "hold off" on quitting the DP World Tour, claiming he remains hopeful he can feature at the Ryder Cup despite signing up to feature in the LIV Golf series.
Garcia is one of several big names to join Greg Norman's controversial breakaway tour in recent months, and declared earlier in July he was "quite clear" on his intention to quit the European circuit.
At this month's Open, the 2017 Masters champion also said he had all but given up on another Ryder Cup appearance after claiming he was "not wanted" on the European tour.
Last week, Europe's 2023 Ryder Cup captain Henrik Stenson was stripped of the role after signing up to the LIV circuit, while both the PGA and DP World Tours have looked to sanction players joining the series.
But Garcia has gone back on his earlier pledge, and says he will wait for clarification on his chances of Ryder Cup participation before making any decision on his future.
"When I finished the Open Championship [last] Sunday, I said that I was most likely going to resign my membership from the [DP World] Tour," Garcia told ESPN. "That obviously meant not being eligible for the Ryder Cup because you have to be a member.
"[But] I had a couple of good conversations with guys on the [DP World] Tour, I'm going to hold off on that.
"I want to at least see what's happening when Ryder Cup qualification starts. See what kind of rules and eligibilities they have in there. If I agree with what they [are], I'll definitely keep playing whatever I can on the tour and try to qualify for that Ryder Cup team.
"And if not, then we'll move on. But it is definitely something that is in my mind.
"I told Keith Pelley [chief executive of the DP World Tour]: 'I want to keep being a member of the DP World Tour. I want to play my minimum, still support the tour, still have my eligibilities to make Ryder Cup teams.
"He said: 'That's great, but we've got to do what's best for us'. We'll see what that is."
However, Garcia did express sympathy for Stenson, describing the Swede's Ryder Cup ousting as "sad".
"Now it's gotten a little bit sadder with fines and bans," Garcia added. "What they did to Henrik. It's a little bit sad."
Garcia finished 24th in LIV Golf's first event in London at the start of June before posting a 26th-placed finish in Portland in early July.
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