The Baltimore Ravens have agreed in principle an extension that will make Roquan Smith the highest-paid linebacker in the NFL.

Smith joined the Ravens in an October trade in exchange for a package that included a second-round and a fifth-round pick in the 2023 NFL Draft.

That trade followed an offseason stand-off between the Bears and Smith over a new contract.

According to reports, he will now receive the deal he has long since desired, with the Ravens set to pay him $100million over a five-year contract that includes $45m fully guaranteed and $60m in total guarantees.

Smith will become the first off-ball linebacker to earn an average annual salary of $20m.

In his nine games with the Ravens this season, he has racked up 86 total tackles, seven tackles for loss, two sacks, three pass breakups and an interception.

His efforts this season saw him selected to the Pro Bowl for the first time. Smith had been a second-team All-Pro with the Bears in 2020 and 2021.

Sunday will see Smith, a first-round pick of the Bears in 2018, play only his second playoff game as the Ravens visit the Cincinnati Bengals in the Wild Card round.

The Carlos Correa sage appears to be over with the All-Star shortstop returning to the Minnesota Twins on a six-year contract worth $200million.

The deal, which was reported by multiple sources on Tuesday, is pending a physical – which has ultimately been a stumbling block in previous agreements between Correa and the San Francisco Giants as well as the New York Mets in the last month.

The 28-year-old free agent had originally agreed to a 13-year, $350m contract with the Giants back on December 13, but San Francisco pulled out of the deal shortly before a press conference to announce the signing on December 20 over concerns about an ankle injury sustained in 2014.

That setback allowed the Mets to swoop in and offer Correa a 12-year, $315m contract hours after the deal with the Giants fell through.

Weeks later, however, the Mets also raised concerns about Correa's surgically repaired ankle following a physical exam and attempted to revise language in his contract.

The team became frustrated with the contract talks during this negotiation period and was considering simply walking away from the deal altogether.

That allowed the Twins to re-enter the picture and their deal with Correa includes a vesting option that can push the contract’s total value to $270m for 10 seasons if he stays healthy.

Correa signed a three-year, $105m contract with Minnesota shortly after last offseason's lockout ended in March, with the deal containing an opt-out clause after one year that was ultimately exercised.

In 136 games for the Twins in 2022, he hit .291 with 22 home runs and 64 RBIs with 70 runs scored.

The two-time All-Star and 2021 Gold Glove winner spent his first seven MLB seasons with the Houston Astros after being picked first overall in the 2012 draft and was named the 2015 American League Rookie of the Year.

A career .279 hitter and key contributor to Houston's 2017 World Series championship team, Correa has 155 home runs and 553 RBIs in 888 games.

Jerry Jones has dismissed talk that Mike McCarthy's job is on the line when the Dallas Cowboys face the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the NFL Wild Card round.

The Cowboys reached the postseason for a second successive year with a 12-5 record, setting up a Monday Night Football showdown with the Bucs at Raymond James Stadium.

Dallas were beaten by the San Francisco 49ers at the same stage last season and come into the clash with the Tom Brady's Tampa Bay on the back of a 26-6 loss to the Washington Commanders.

Cowboys owner and general manager Jones has given head coach McCarthy his backing ahead of the playoff encounter.

When asked if McCarthy could pay the price for a defeat to the Bucs, he told 105.3 The Fan in Dallas: "No. I don't even want to ... No. That's it.

"I don't need to go into all the pluses or minuses. I've got a lot more to evaluate Mike McCarthy on than this playoff game."

There are doubts about defensive coordinator Dan Quinn's future after he was approached by the Denver Broncos following the firing of Nathaniel Hackett.

Yet Jones is not contemplating the prospect of any members of his coaching staff moving on.

"I can't tell you how much confidence I've got in Mike and our coaching staff of being on top of where we are with this team right now," Jones said.

"They've got every nuance. They understand every frailty that we might have or we might have shown Sunday [against Washington].

"They've got everything in their grasp and in their understanding, and I have complete confidence in this coaching staff. It's outstanding. We've got a great chance to go down there and have success."

England hooker Luke Cowan-Dickie could miss the Six Nations after suffering an ankle injury.

The 29-year-old will definitely be sidelined when the Red Rose start the tournament against Scotland at Twickenham on February 4.

Cowan-Dickie sustained the injury during the second half of Exeter Chiefs' win against Northampton Saints on Saturday after scoring two tries.

Exeter director of rugby Rob Baxter told BBC Radio Devon on Tuesday: "Luke's injury looks relatively serious.

"He's seeing a surgeon today; that will maybe give us a more definitive outcome and timing."

Baxter is optimistic British and Irish Lion Baxter can still play a big part for the Chiefs before joining Montpellier at the end of the season.

He added: "It does look like an operation is going to be required but that said, at this stage, it wouldn't be a season-ending situation.

"We could still see him back for a good chunk of the season if rehab and everything goes well."

Impossible as it was to avoid the buzz and the enormity of the news reports – a $15million purse, $2.7m to the winner – the most valuable commodity to the PGA Tour and its membership arrived at the end of the Sentry Tournament of Champions with no advance hype.

That's because it was unscripted and didn't cost a thing – except for a heavy dose of Jon Rahm's might and a small hole in Collin Morikawa's gut.

"A crazy day," said Rahm, shaking his head.

If you think he was surprised to make up a six-shot deficit over the final seven holes and win on the Plantation Course at the famed Kapalua Resort on the Hawaiian island of Maui, imagine the shock that enveloped Morikawa. He had a commanding lead to start the final day and was 27-under to Rahm's 21-under through 11 holes.

Then, the improbable crashed in like one of those waves exploding against the rocks in Honolua Bay beneath the par-three 11th hole.

Rahm went birdie, birdie, birdie, eagle, par from holes 12-16; Morikawa played those five holes in three-over. Factor in matching pars at 17 and birdies at 18 and you've got an eight-stroke swing. Six back as he teed off on the 12th, Rahm won by two.

Set aside, for a moment, what the unfathomable turnaround means to the growing aura of Rahm, 28, or what the challenge will now be for the 25-year-old Morikawa, a ball-striking wonder whose short game failed him horribly down the stretch.

Instead, appreciate what this tournament finish meant for the PGA Tour as it debuted the first of 13 designated events that feature huge increases in purses and commitments from the best players to be in all 13 (plus the four major championships).

Its fundamental strength is set to shine through, as it did at the Sentry.

Elite players battling over the same holes at the same time late in a fourth round of a tournament that had attracted 17 of the world's top 20 players. These are the moments that reinforce the notion that the PGA Tour's steadfast commitment to individual play over 72 holes works best.

When at its best, golf that is fuelled by raw passion delivers the purest form of entertainment. And athletic entertainment, remember, is both the unmistakable face of joy and the can’t-take-your-eyes-off gut-wrenching anguish.

Because it was what elite golfers want in their competition – the individual challenge to prove you have what it takes – there was a series of thundering Rahm fist pumps over the Plantation Course's back nine that could have been emphatic exclamation points to a series of truisms.

Designated events will work. Fist pump.

The money is great, but the true lure is the attendance of nearly every top 20 name. Fist pump.

This is how the game's hottest player stays on a mission. Fist pump.

No time to rest, as four more designated events will be played in the next nine weeks. Fist pump.

"Obviously, a great start for me, for what's going to be a very different year," Rahm said.

Admittedly, the Spaniard was still a bit stunned by the unexpected end. Morikawa had played 54 bogey-free holes in 24-under and everyone, Rahm included, thought he would push towards 30-under and coast.

"Honestly, I wasn't thinking about winning," he added.

But this is why you play the game. Especially 72 holes with a field that was jam-packed with those top 10 guests Scottie Scheffler, Patrick Cantlay, Xander Schauffele (last-minute withdrawal with a back issue), Will Zalatoris, Justin Thomas, Matt Fitzpatrick, and Viktor Hovland, while invitations were accepted by Tony Finau, Sam Burns, Tom Kim, Jordan Spieth, Max Homa, Cameron Young, and Billy Horschel.

The gang's all here. Get used to it, because it's going to be delightfully frequent according to Rahm, whose smile seemed to indicate he relishes it. And the flow of fist pumps suggested he's not backing down from any of them.

"I feel like I've been the best player in the world [since last summer]," Rahm continued. He acknowledged that Scottie Scheffler was clearly No. 1 early in 2022, then it was Rory McIlroy, "but I feel like right now it's me."

Computers spit out a different set of numbers – McIlroy, Scheffler, Cameron Smith and Cantlay are Nos. 1-4. Rahm concedes he's confused by that, but clearly he doesn't bring such cloudiness to the golf course.

He's won three of his last worldwide starts and in his last eight starts, going back to August, Rahm's been top five six times, with his other tournaments being a T-8 and T-16.

As torrid as that has been, McIlroy's achievements read splendidly, also. Since the Masters last April, the Northern Irishman has three wins, a total of 11 top-five finishes, and 13 top 10s. His last seven starts saw finishes of 4th, 1st, T-4, 4th, T-2, 1st, T-8, which adds up to a worthy claim to the No. 1 spot.

But if you wanted to side with Rahm's contention that he's playing like the real No. 1, not many would fight you. It helps explain why this series of designated tournaments will do more than reward players financially; it will pump up the entertainment to delightful levels.

"We're all working hard. I know everybody's putting in a lot of effort to try and stay [high in the OWGR] as long as possible," said Rahm. "But, yes, I want to be back up there [at No. 1]."

So, too, is Morikawa promising to shake off the back-nine meltdown on Maui. That his only bogeys of the tournament came at an ill-advised time – his 68th, 69th, and 70th holes of the week – seemed to gnaw at the two-time major winner.

"It's just kind of going to hopefully push me more and more to really figure out what it's going to take for 72 holes," he said.

Paula Badosa savoured a strong serving day as she overcame Anett Kontaveit in a tricky Adelaide International 2 opener ahead of the Australian Open.

Badosa and Kontaveit both got as high as number two in the world rankings last year, but neither currently sits in the top 10, with Badosa down at number 11 and Kontaveit 17th.

Tuesday's tussle in South Australia went the way of the Spaniard, with Badosa scoring a 6-4 6-3 win against her Estonian opponent.

She had five aces and only one double fault, winning 77 per cent of points when landing a first serve in.

Another Estonian awaits her at the last-16 stage in veteran campaigner Kaia Kanepi and Badosa is happy with how she had begun the tournament.

"I think I started really good," Badosa said in an on-court interview. "I was serving very well. I was going for the first shots."

Asked about signs of improvement with her serve, Badosa said: "It depends on the day, to be honest. I worked a lot this past 10 days and was really focused on that, so I'm happy about that."

Czech Barbora Krejcikova, another player with a career-high ranking of number two, earned a second-round shot at Russian Daria Kasatkina after winning 6-2 7-6 (7-3) against last year's runner-up Alison Riske-Amritraj.

Other winners in Adelaide on Tuesday were Amanda Anisimova, Zheng Qinwen, Veronika Kudermetova, Anna Kalinskaya and Katerina Siniakova.

At the Hobart International, second seed Elise Mertens fell 6-4 6-4 to fellow Belgian Maryna Zanevska, while French third seed Alize Cornet was also knocked out, losing 6-4 6-2 to Italy's Elisabetta Cocciaretto.

Former Australian Open champion Sofia Kenin had no such trouble, seeing off China's Zhu Lin 6-2 6-2

FIA chief Mohammed Ben Sulayem is adamant Formula One should be "encouraging" companies like General Motors to enter the sport.

Andretti, partnering with GM brand Cadillac, expressed intentions last week to join the F1 grid, though their announcement was met with a lukewarm response from within the sport.

It has been reported there is concern whether Andretti would "add value" to F1, particularly given the team's desire to base themselves in the United States and not in Europe, where the rest of the sport is homed.

Previous failures of Toyota and Jaguar in the 2000s serve as evidence of the difficulties in meeting the demands of F1, particularly as, at least initially, the Andretti/Cadillac name would be merely added to a Renault engine.

Additions of original equipment manufacturers (OEM) are seen as a more tangible prospect for an F1 expansion, though Ben Sulayem feels F1 should not be shutting the door to alternative approaches.

"Today there are two sides of sustainability. There is sustainability of the environment, and there is sustainability of the sport," he told reporters at the Dakar Rally.

"If you want to sustain the sport, you have to open it to the rest of the manufacturers. And to us, we are allowed to have 12 teams on the grid.

"To have a big company like GM, which is one of the top five in the world, we should be encouraging them to come to Formula 1. That is the way I would like to see the future: having an OEM in with sustainability.

"Every single partner there [in F1], or stakeholder there, should be welcoming an OEM, especially from America. You have three races there [in the United States], and we don't have maybe a racer, a driver, and for sure we don't have an OEM.

"I welcome anyone to fill up the 12 [spots], but proper teams. We have accepted good teams but also smaller teams, like Haas and Sauber. I hope that this will change, and we will be able to have a proper team on the grid. It will be odd [to be] at 11, and not 10 or 12. But we'll see."

However, despite already publicly hitting out at the "adverse reaction" to Andretti's proposed entry, Ben Sulayem made it clear he is not yet at a stage where he is ready to fully approve the proposals.

"There is the due diligence. There is a process, we wait, and it goes. As an FIA or a president, I didn't say yes [we approved it]: we opened it. So let them see," he added.

"Are they going to succeed? Will they tick the boxes? Will they be able to be there? We cannot just go and rely on what's going on, we have to look for the future."

Eddie Hearn expects to see a "reinvigorated" Anthony Joshua this year after taking on a new trainer.

The former heavyweight champion has not fought since suffering defeat in a rematch against Oleksandr Usyk in August, which left the 2012 Olympic gold medallist with three defeats in his past five bouts.

With a clash against Tyson Fury not materialising, Joshua is on the hunt for an opponent for a targeted date of April 1 and will partner with a new trainer for the next stage in his career.

The 33-year-old parted ways with long-term trainer Rob McCracken following the first defeat to Usyk, taking on Robert Garcia for the rematch, and will now undergo a training camp in the United States ahead of his return to the ring.

Though still yet to be announced, Derrick James is reported to be the man Joshua has taken on as trainer, and Hearn believes a change from his usual surroundings in England is the right move.

"April 1 is our targeted date in London. I'll go through the final list of opponents. We're almost ready. He's excited," Hearn told DAZN.

"I'm happy with the trainer. I'm happy with anyone who makes AJ feel comfortable, motivated, and excited. I think this is going to be a nice break.

"The problem is being in the UK, he can't breathe. When he goes to America, people know who he is, but it's like a different world.

"I think it's going to be really good for him. I think you're going to see a reinvigorated Anthony Joshua."

Gregoire Barrere withstood a barrage of aces from John Isner and a change of court triggered by Cyclone Hale as he upset the American sixth seed at the Auckland Open.

French qualifier Barrere and US veteran Isner were forced indoors by the adverse weather threat in New Zealand, with the entire Tuesday schedule taking place on inside courts and without spectators.

Despite Isner rifling down 28 aces to move 10 away from becoming the first man to post 14,000 in ATP tour and grand slam events, Barrere stuck with him and pulled off a 6-7 (3-7) 7-6 (7-5) 6-3 victory.

He snatched the only break of the match in game eight of the deciding set, before serving out for victory, with the world number 88 firing down 10 aces himself across the contest.

Argentine seventh seed Sebastian Baez also fell at the last-32 stage, bowing out 7-6 (7-1) 6-1 to American wildcard Ben Shelton.

Serbian Laslo Djere set up a second-round clash with top seed Casper Ruud by edging out Spain's Jaume Munar 3-6 6-1 7-6 (7-4), while Czech Jiri Lehecka will face second seed Cameron Norrie next after sinking Brazilian fellow qualifier Thiago Monteiro 6-3 7-5.

Ruud and Norrie received first-round byes.

At Adelaide International 2, American eighth seed Tommy Paul battled past Australian Christopher O'Connell 6-4 7-5, setting up an appetising second-round clash with Britain's Jack Draper, who won through on Monday.

There was a home success for the Australian crowd to cheer, though, as qualifier John Millman, who beat Roger Federer at the 2018 US Open, this time dug deep for a 4-6 6-3 7-6 (8-6) win against Spain's Albert Ramos-Vinolas.

Kevin Fiala was hailed as a "rare" talent by head coach Todd McLellan after helping the Los Angeles Kings to a 6-3 triumph over the Edmonton Oilers on Monday.

Just two days on from scoring a hat-trick in a 5-1 win over the Vegas Golden Knights, Fiala finished with two power-play goals and two assists to improve the Kings to a 2-0-0 head-to-head record against the Oilers this season.

It was the sixth game this campaign in which Fiala finished with at least three points, and McLellan was effusive in his praise of the left winger.

"His engine is really good, he can play lots of minutes, he's dangerous and he can play up and down the lineup," McLellan said after the Kings' victory on their home rink at the Crypto.com Arena.

"His game transfers with him wherever he goes. He can play with big players, small players, quick, crafty players, straight-line players. It's rare to find a player like that."

Adrian Kempe had two power-play goals, making it the first instance the Kings had two players doing so in one game, while Alex Iafallo and Viktor Arvidsson registered goals for in-form LA, who have gone 9-2-1 since the middle of December.

Kailer Yamamoto, Ryan McLeod and Connor McDavid were the goalscorers for an Oilers side that failed to capitalise on any of their six power-play opportunities.

McLellan acknowledged his side were fortunate not to be punished more.

"It's not a recipe for success against that team," he said. "Rarely are they going to be shut out in that type of situation. 

"So we were fortunate to come through in that situation. I thought our penalty killers did a really good job."

The Kings, who had seven penalties in total to the Oilers' six, ultimately triumphed because of their proficiency with the power plays, Edmonton coach Jay Woodcroft felt.

The Oilers have given up 42 power-play goals this season, tied most with the Anaheim Ducks.

"I think the refs got involved. There was a lot of calls both ways and we went 0-for-6 on our power play and they scored four on their power play, four on seven," Woodcroft said.

"So obviously some of those penalties are within our control and our penalty kill. They moved the puck around well and give them a little bit of credit, but our penalty kill can be a lot sharper and we ended up on the wrong side of the special teams battle.

"I thought that was the difference in the game."

The Kings sit second in the Pacific Division of the Western Conference, with the Oilers down in fifth.

Denver Nuggets head coach Michael Malone described the qualities that make reigning back-to-back MVP Nikola Jokic so unique after his selfless performance on Monday.

The 27-year-old Serbian dished 16 assists while only attempting five field goals – hitting all five – for his 14 points and 11 rebounds as his Nuggets beat the LeBron James-less Los Angeles Lakers 122-109.

It improves his career-high assist average to 9.7 per game, which places him third in the league behind only Indiana Pacers point guard Tyrese Haliburton (10.3) and Atlanta Hawks All-Star Trae Young (9.8).

His field goal attempts are the lowest they have been since the 2019-20 season at 15.2 per game – leaving him outside of the top-50 – while being efficient enough to score 25.0 points per game, the 20th-best average.

Speaking to reporters after the win, Malone said it is rare to find a star player so unfazed by their shot attempts.

"I tell you man, we always talk about it, I've been around the league a long time," he said. "I know a lot of players that, if they took five shots in 35 minutes, would be p***** off right now, I'm being serious.

"Nikola doesn't care – whether he takes five [shots] or 25. There's not many guys like him that I've ever been around, and I've been around the game a long time myself, and with my father when he was an assistant coach and a head coach in the NBA.

"It just speaks to – another triple-double – but, a truly selfless superstar. Five shots, no complaints, no pouting, no bad body-language. Let's just play the game the right way, that's all he cares about."

When asked a question about Jokic's ability to throw pinpoint bullet passes, Malone expanded on the craft of the near seven-footer.

"He will throw a bullet if a bullet is needed to be thrown, he will also throw a lob pass when it needs to be thrown, or he will just feather a bounce-pass through traffic if it needs to be thrown," he said.

"That's the beautiful thing about it, he can read the situation, and make the appropriate pass at the right time."

Lakers head coach Darvin Ham echoed those sentiments, sharing admiration for his opponent.

"Man, his ability to play-make, bringing the ball up, out of the post, the mid-post, the nail," he said. "His touch on his passes, his touch on his shots. He's one of those once-in-a-generation type bigs who just does it all.

"So his impact is not based on – he can put up big numbers – but it's not solely based on his scoring output. The way he puts his fingerprints all over the game – that's a rarity.

"Especially at his size, it's only a few of those guys in the league that are able to do that."

With the win, the Nuggets are tied for the best record in the Western Conference at 27-13.