Sports
Commentary: Agent Nez Balelo 'wouldn't do anything different' with Shohei Ohtani's $700-million deal
The business of sports often is cloaked in secrecy. You can find out the salary of your favorite player, but how much money his team makes and how much money he makes off the field are the stuff of estimates, not public discourse.
Not on Thursday, though. Is Shohei Ohtani really making more than $100 million this year in endorsements?
Nez Balelo, the agent for Ohtani, did not hesitate.
“Absolutely,” Balelo said at Sportico’s Invest West conference at Intuit Dome.
Balelo is not, shall we say, Scott Boras. He does not embrace public speaking. So we dropped by to hear what Balelo had to say after the first full season of Ohtani’s record-breaking $700-million contract with the Dodgers.
The record did not last long. Juan Soto signed for $765 million with the New York Mets last winter.
And, because Ohtani deferred $680 million and Soto deferred $0, and because a dollar today is worth more than a dollar 10 years from today, the actual value of Soto’s contract is $765 million and the actual value of Ohtani’s contract is $460 million.
Regrets?
“Not at all,” Balelo said. “We wouldn’t do anything different. He won a championship. He went to the right team. Why would we do anything different? No regrets. Nothing.”
Not even about the Angels, the team with which Ohtani chose to play the first six seasons of his major league career. The Angels never posted a winning record with Ohtani, let alone won a championship.
They did, however, stand by their commitment to let Ohtani bloom as a two-way player, even after his first Cactus League season was so rough they fielded questions about whether they would demote him to the minor leagues.
“If we had to do it all over again today, we would have done it exactly the same way,” Balelo said. “We would have chosen the Angels back in the day. It was the right place, with the group and Mike (Scioscia) and the whole team over there. They gave him an opportunity. They stuck with him. He had a tough spring. It was the right home for him at the time.”
“The Dodgers are the right home for him now.”
It was with the Angels — and in particular in 2021, when Ohtani won his first most valuable player award — that he blossomed into what Balelo called a “global superstar.”
However, before the start of his final season with the Angels, Balelo and Ohtani decided there would be no talks about an extension.
“We knew we were going to exercise our rights to go into free agency,” Balelo said.
The Angels opted to try to win with Ohtani in 2023 rather than trade him for a desperately needed infusion of young talent. They were three games out of a playoff spot at the end of July and traded prospects for rental help, then finished 16 games out of a playoff spot.
Balelo would not say exactly how many companies Ohtani endorses but put the number in the “low 20s.”
“It’s not like I’m out there pounding the pavement and soliciting companies,” Balelo said. “After 2021 and 2022, we could have really gone crazy. That’s not who he is. He doesn’t want that.”
He is everywhere in Japan, in advertisements above street crossings and at the airport, on television and in magazines. He endorses shoes and skin care products, airlines and watches and so much more.
An electronic billboard spanning nearly a city block featured advertising starring Shohei Ohtani near the Tokyo Dome in March, when the Dodgers were in town to play the Chicago Cubs to open the season.
(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
“We have to make sure we don’t overexpose him,” Balelo said.
Say what?
“We could probably have 40 or 50 deals,” Balelo said.
That $100 million in endorsement income enabled Ohtani to offer the Dodgers — and other free-agent finalists, including the Angels — the same deal: $700 million, with $680 deferred. The Angels declined. On Thursday, Balelo condemned what he called the “reckless reporting” of Ohtani’s alleged flight to Toronto to sign with the Blue Jays.
The Dodgers took the deal, promising to use the money they would not be spending on Ohtani right away to sign other players.
“They get it,” Balelo said. “They have the vision.”
Within two weeks of signing Ohtani, they had spent more than $450 million on pitchers Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Tyler Glasnow.
“He knew the marketing leg was doing extremely well,” Balelo said. “He knew it was not about the money. It was more about getting with a team that would appreciate him and understand him and allow him to develop as a two-way player.”
With Ohtani coming off his second elbow reconstruction, Balelo said he wondered whether teams might recruit him only as a hitter. As it turned out, he said, none made such an offer.
Balelo said he could have pursued deals of as many as 15 years, and maybe even longer, but Ohtani rejected those overtures. When his contract with the Dodgers expires, he’ll be 39.
“He just didn’t want to have the end of his storybook career tail off,” Balelo said, “and then in Year 13, 14 and 15: ‘Who is this guy? He can’t even run down to first.’”
That raises the possibility that Balelo already has negotiated Ohtani’s last playing contract, even though Ohtani is 30.
Ohtani already has won three MVP awards, all unanimously. He would have won a fourth if not for Aaron Judge breaking the American League home run record in 2022. No one besides Barry Bonds has won more than three.
So Balelo might not be done negotiating on Ohtani’s behalf after all. The Cooperstown marketing deals await but, fortunately for the Dodgers, not any time soon.
Sports
Russell Wilson not thinking about retirement, plans to play in 2026: ‘I know what I’m capable of’
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Russell Wilson went from starting quarterback of the New York Giants to third string just a few weeks into the 2025 season, leaving many to question if the 10-time Pro Bowler decides to play next season.
Wilson, 37, doesn’t sound like he’s mulling over his decision. He wants to play in 2026.
“I’m not blinking,” Wilson said, per SNY. “I know [what] I’m capable of. I think I showed that in Dallas, and I want to be able to do that again, you know, and just be ready to rock and roll, and be as healthy as possible and be ready to play ball.”
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New York Giants’ Russell Wilson attempts to escape a sack by Dallas Cowboys defensive end James Houston (53) in the first half of an NFL football game Sunday, Sept. 14, 2025, in Arlington, Texas. (Julio Cortez/AP Photo)
Wilson signed a one-year, veteran minimum deal with the Giants this past offseason worth $10.5 million, which had tons of incentives if he were to play the entire season.
That same offseason, the Giants traded back into the first round to select Jaxson Dart out of Ole Miss, and he proved during training camp to have NFL-ready chops under center.
GIANTS STICK WITH GM JOE SCHOEN DESPITE ANOTHER LOSING SEASON, CITING NEED FOR ‘CONTINUITY AND STABILITY’
Still, then-head coach Brian Daboll was steadfast in his decision to start Wilson despite Dart’s success. But, after just three games, where the Giants went 0-3, a change was made.
Daboll went with Dart in Week 4 against the Los Angeles Chargers at home, and the rookie defeated Justin Herbert and company to not only get his first career win, but cement himself as the team’s starter moving forward.
Even then, Wilson remained positive, saying in interviews after practice that he understands the direction of the team and wanted to help Dart develop and grow in his new role.
New York Giants’ Russell Wilson, left, and Jaxson Dart, right, talk on the bench in the first half of an NFL football game against the Dallas Cowboys Sunday, Sept. 14, 2025, in Arlington, Texas. (Julio Cortez/AP Photo)
In his three starts for the Giants, Wilson threw for 831 yards with three touchdowns to three interceptions, though all of those touchdowns came in a Week 2 overtime heartbreaker for New York. Over half of Wilson’s passing yards also came in that game, throwing for 450 in the 40-37 loss.
Wilson also said that he tore his hamstring during that game against the Cowboys.
“I played that game, you know, I tore my hamstring on Friday in practice – the last play of practice. And I had a Grade 2 (tear). I couldn’t tell anybody. I had to go and play on it just because I knew the circumstance, I had to play on it, no matter what,” Wilson explained.
“I actually ended up going to the Dallas Mavericks’ facility, training. And you know, just kept it quiet, just trying to get treatment on it and just knowing that I probably couldn’t run from the goal line to the 10-yard line if I wanted to, but I feel like… I got to play this game.”
New York Giants quarterback Russell Wilson (3) scans the field at the line against the New York Jets during the first half at MetLife Stadium. (Rich Barnes/Imagn Images)
It will be interesting to see if Wilson will land anywhere, and better yet, if a team is willing to try him out as a starter again.
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Sports
Can Ravens’ Tyler Loop rebound from missed kick better than Scott Norwood or Mike Vanderjagt?
Those who snub Father Time like to say that 50 is the new 30. A different Father — Benedictine priest Maximilian Maxwell— sprinkled holy water in the end zone before his beloved Pittsburgh Steelers took on the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday with the AFC North title on the line.
Fifty is the new 30 also applies to field goals. More than 70% of kicks over 50 yards are successful these days, a dramatic increase in accuracy from only five years ago. Excuse Maxwell for thinking divine intervention might be necessary should a last-second missed kick determine the outcome.
A 44-yarder is a chip shot for most NFL kickers, including Ravens rookie Tyler Loop, who had made 90% of his attempts — including eight of eight from 40-49 yards — when the ball was snapped with three seconds to play and Baltimore trailing 26-24.
Two words coined when Scott Norwood missed a 47-yard attempt that cost the Buffalo Bills Super Bowl XXV in 1991 once again were screamed on a television broadcast: “Wide right!”
Another memorable miss came from a kicker regarded as the best in the NFL 20-some years ago. Brash, outspoken Mike Vanderjagt of the Indianapolis Colts led the league in scoring in 1999 and four years later became the first kicker in history to make every kick in a full season: 83 of 83 on field goals and extra points.
Yet he botched a boot with 21 seconds to play during a playoff game in 2006, enabling the Steelers to upset the Colts. Pittsburgh went on to win the Super Bowl and Vanderjagt was replaced by Adam Vinatieri. He never regained his form.
Here’s hoping Loop rebounds better than Vanderjagt or Norwood, who was released a year after the historic miss and never played again. Loop was All Pac-12 in 2023 at Arizona, where he holds records for longest field goal (62 yards) and success rate (83.75%). He was the Wildcats’ GOAT before becoming the Ravens’ goat.
Loop, 24, didn’t duck the media, leaving the impression that he won’t let this failure define him.
“Just want to say I’m super grateful to Baltimore, the organization and the city, just how they embraced me this year has been incredible,” he said. “Just for it to end like that, sucks, and I want to do better.
“Unfortunately, the nature of the job is you have makes, and those are awesome, and unfortunately, you have misses, and for that to happen tonight sucks.”
The specialized nature of kickers can place them on the periphery of team bonding, but Loop’s teammates and coaches were supportive in the aftermath of the season-ending loss.
Coach John Harbaugh walked alongside Loop from the field to the locker room, with his arm around his back comforting him. Quarterback Lamar Jackson downplayed the impact, telling reporters, “He’s a rookie, you know. It’s all good. Just leave it in the past.”
Only time will tell whether Loop can do just that.
Sports
Raiders dismiss longtime NFL head coach Pete Carroll after one season
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Longtime NFL head coach and Super Bowl champion Pete Carroll was fired after just one season with the Las Vegas Raiders, the team announced Monday.
The 74-year-old coach said after Sunday’s win over the Kansas City Chiefs that he “of course” would want to return for another season. But owner Mark Davis had different plans for the former Seattle Seahawks coach.
Las Vegas Raiders head coach Pete Carroll jogs on the field during a timeout in the first half of an NFL football game against the Kansas City Chiefs in Las Vegas, on Jan. 4, 2026. (AP Photo/John Locher)
“The Las Vegas Raiders have relieved Pete Carroll of his duties as head coach. We appreciate and wish him and his family all the best,” Davis said in a statement provided by the team.
“Moving forward, General Manager John Spytek will lead all football operations in close collaboration with Tom Brady, including the search for the club’s next head coach. Together, they will guide football decisions with a shared focus on leadership, culture, and alignment with the organization’s long-term vision and goals.”
The move marks a period of instability for the Raiders organization as they begin their third straight year on the hunt for a new coach.
Carroll, who won the Super Bowl with then-Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson in 2014, was brought in with the hopes of bringing that same playoff magic to the Raiders after the team dismissed Antonio Pierce.
Las Vegas Raiders head coach Pete Carroll watches his team warm up before an NFL football game against the Kansas City Chiefs in Las Vegas, on Jan. 4, 2026. (AP Photo/John Locher)
BROWNS FIRE HEAD COACH KEVIN STEFANSKI AFTER SIX SEASONS
Pierce was also fired after just one season – he served as the interim head coach in 2023, after Josh McDaniels was fired midseason.
But Carroll wasn’t able to live up to those expectations.
The Raiders went on a 10-game losing streak, Geno Smith finished with a league-high 17 interceptions and for the second season, the Raiders finished at the bottom of the AFC West with a 3-14 record.
Las Vegas Raiders head coach Pete Carroll speaks during a news conference following an NFL football game against the Kansas City Chiefs. The game was played in Las Vegas, Nevada, on Jan. 4, 2026. (AP Photo/John Locher)
Carroll was animated after the team closed out the season with a 14-12 win over the Chiefs, but was immediately met in his postgame presser with questions about wanting to come back the following season and reports of retirement.
“Nobody’s talking to me about that,” he dismissed at the time.
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The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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