Eli Manning isn't dwelling on his omission from the 2025 Pro Football Hall of Fame class.

The former New York Giants quarterback, speaking a day after the four-person class was announced, said he's happy for those who made it and isn't letting what happened sour his outlook on his career or the Hall of Fame overall.

"I'm excited for those guys that got in," Manning told NFL Network's "Good Morning Football." "All of them are so deserving. Happy for them. I texted a few of them, the guys that I knew, and just congratulated them.

"I had a feeling it wasn't going to be my night, and I understand that. And I'm totally at peace. It's not going to change my outlook of my career and how I feel about it."

The 2025 class includes tight end Antonio Gates, cornerback Eric Allen, defensive end Jared Allen and wide receiver Sterling Sharpe. It's the smallest class since 2005.

The group will be inducted Aug. 2 in Canton, Ohio.

Manning was in his first year of eligibility and had a complicated case for the Hall of Fame, leading to widespread debate on his candidacy. He led the Giants to two Super Bowl wins over the New England Patriots and two Super Bowl MVPs. He was top 10 all time in passing yards (57,023) and touchdowns (366) when he retired following the 2019 NFL season. And he never missed a game in his 16-year career because of injury.

But the biggest obstacle, according to some Hall of Fame voters in the room, was that Manning was never really in the discussion as the best player at his position for a chunk of his career.

Manning, of course, still can be selected as part of future classes. But a maximum of five modern-era players can be chosen each year, and first-time nominees for the 2026 class include Drew Brees, Larry Fitzgerald, Jason Witten, Frank Gore and Philip Rivers, so the competition will remain stiff.

Information from ESPN's Jordan Raanan was used in this report.

Jake Paul fired back at Canelo Alvarez on Friday night, claiming that the four-division champion "ducked" a fight with him to sign a lucrative deal with Riyadh Season.

In a video posted to social media, Paul showed what he said was a contract signed by himself and Alvarez for a fight that the two sides were set to formally announce next week. Sources told ESPN's Mike Coppinger on Thursday that Alvarez and Paul were finalizing a deal to fight May 3 in Las Vegas.

But in a stunning development, Alvarez changed course hours later Thursday and instead completed a four-fight deal with Turki Alalshikh and Riyadh Season, effectively killing the fight with Paul that was expected to land on Netflix.

"The truth is, you could be bought," Paul, addressing Alvarez, said in his video. "You're a money-hungry squirrel chasing your next nut. The truth is, these sports-washing, shady characters are paying you hundreds of millions of dollars to stop our fight from happening because they couldn't fathom the fact that they can't create a bigger fight than me and you."

Sources told ESPN that Alalshikh, the chairman of Saudi Arabia's General Entertainment Authority, told Alvarez that the deal with Riyadh Season -- which included a Sept. 13 megafight with former undisputed welterweight champion Terence Crawford in Las Vegas -- would be off the table if he proceeded with the planned fight with Paul.

After Alvarez's deal with Riyadh Season was announced, Alalshikh told ESPN, "Canelo only fights real fighters," a not-so-subtle shot at Paul and the deal with Alvarez that fell through.

"Claiming he's not fighting YouTubers. Bulls---," Paul said in his video. "Claiming he's fighting real fighters, but he's fighting Crawford, a 135-pound fighter, and running from a real fighter like David Benavidez."

Crawford, ESPN's No. 2 pound-for-pound fighter, began his career as a lightweight but recently made his 154-pound debut with a victory over Israil Madrimov in August.

Paul took one final shot in his video, challenging the notion that Alvarez is boxing's top star.

"You call me a YouTuber, but you've never had a boxing match as big as mine," Paul said. "I promise you one thing, Canelo. Any fight that you do this year, mine will be bigger."

Paul, 28, gained fame as a social media star who turned into a boxer and has an 11-1 record. He is one of boxing's top attractions despite his novice skill level. His November fight with the 58-year-old Mike Tyson, which Paul won via an eight-round decision, peaked at a staggering 64 million concurrent streams on Netflix.

Alvarez, 34, is the unified champion at 168 pounds and is a former 175-pound champion. He has surpassed 1 million pay-per-view buys several times, including twice during his legendary trilogy with Gennadiy Golovkin.

PHOENIX -- Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal are both out due to injuries for the Phoenix Suns in their game against the Utah Jazz on Friday night, one day after a trade deadline where both players were the subject of multiple trade rumors.

Durant (ankle) is missing his second straight game while Beal (left toe) was seen hobbling late in the Suns' loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder on Wednesday night. Both were listed as questionable on the injury report earlier Friday.

The disappointing Suns are 25-25 and on a three-game losing streak.

The Suns were relatively quiet at the trade deadline, though they traded disgruntled center Jusuf Nurkic and a first-round pick to the Charlotte Hornets for Cody Martin and Vasilije Micic.

Nate Robinson has a new kidney.

The ex-NBA guard received the new organ during an hourslong transplant surgery that began Friday morning at the University of Washington Medical Center in Seattle.

Robinson, who began the day surrounded by friends and family, received his new kidney from a live donor.

As ESPN chronicled in the summer of 2024, Robinson first learned nearly 20 years ago, when he was playing for the New York Knicks, that his kidneys weren't functioning properly and that he would one day need a transplant.

Then, in 2021, Robinson learned that his kidneys were failing, and he began receiving weekly dialysis treatments at a Seattle clinic, where, on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, he would sit in a chair from 5:30 a.m. to 9 a.m. while a tube pumped fluids in and out of his arm.

Robinson had assumed, initially, that he would automatically be placed on a waiting list for a kidney, and he struggled to navigate his way through the process.

In the fall of 2022, Robinson first went public about undergoing treatment for kidney failure, but it wasn't until two years later, in the spring of 2024, that he announced that he needed a donor.

Soon after, Robinson told ESPN last year, the University of Washington -- his alma mater -- was inundated with offers from people willing to donate their kidney.

Last fall, Robinson underwent a series of procedures, including a colonoscopy, as the number of donors were whittled down to find an ideal match.

Before the procedure began Friday, Robinson posted on his Instagram, saying, in part, "I'm here to celebrate and thank the LORD for all he has done in my life, today is the day I get my new kidney, thank you to all the people that sent prayers and texted my phone giving me encouragement (and) love!!!"

From 2005 through 2016, Robinson played 11 seasons in the NBA with eight different teams. He averaged 11 points per game, including 17.2 in 2008-09, his final season with the Knicks, and he won the slam dunk contest in 2006, 2009 and 2010.

OKLAHOMA CITY -- Chet Holmgren's return from injury makes the NBA-best Thunder even better.

Last season's runner-up for rookie of the year was back in Oklahoma City's starting lineup Friday night after missing nearly three months with a pelvic fracture. The versatile 7-foot-1 forward had four points, five rebounds, four blocks and two steals during the Thunder's 121-109 win over the Toronto Raptors.

"It's amazing," he said. "I missed it for a long time, and I worked really hard to be able to get back out there. So I'm happy and excited and look forward to continue to try and help us win and keep improving."

He played 22 minutes and the Thunder outscored the Raptors by 22 points while he was on the floor.

Holmgren was the second pick in the 2022 draft but missed what would have been his rookie season with a foot injury. He played all 82 games in 2023-24, averaging 16.5 points and 7.9 rebounds to help the Thunder earn the No. 1 seed in the West.

He averaged 16.4 points and 8.7 rebounds in 10 games this season before getting injured. He wasn't expected to approach those numbers Friday.

"It ties a bow on his return to play. His return to performance isn't over," Thunder coach Mark Daigneault said. "It takes a while for a guy that's been out that long, especially a lower-body injury, to get himself back to game shape, endurance, rhythm, all those things. And so we'll continue to work with him on probably a week-to-week basis. But it was a great start."

Holmgren could afford to ease his way in because his absence did little to slow MVP contender Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the Thunder, who sit comfortably atop the West standings. They improved to 41-9 with the win over Toronto.

Still, there was high anticipation for his return. Holmgren was cheered during pregame warmups, and the crowd was even louder when he became the first Thunder player introduced.

Holmgren's first basket was a floater from 4 feet away just over two minutes into the game.

On Oklahoma City's next basket, Holmgren drove to the paint, spun and found center Isaiah Hartenstein, who drove to the lane and made a floater.

Holmgren's second and last field goal, also in the first quarter, was set up by the footwork fans have come to expect. With his back to the basket, he jab-stepped right, then spun left and hit a fadeaway from just inside the free-throw line.

In the fourth quarter, he stuffed a dunk attempt by Scottie Barnes, his most emphatic play of the night and emblematic of his overall strong defense.

According to Second Spectrum, Holmgren held the Raptors to 1-of-8 shooting (12.5%) in the paint as the contesting defender. That is his second-lowest field goal percentage allowed in the paint in a game in his career. He is now holding opponents to 38.6% shooting in the paint as the contesting defender this season, the best in the NBA.

Holmgren and fellow big man Hartenstein played together for the first time all season. Hartenstein, a free-agent pickup this past summer, missed the early part of the season with a broken left hand.

Holmgren only took five shots because he knew he didn't need to score to affect the game.

"It's not going to be the Chet Holmgren show," he said. "This is the Thunder. Whether I had an injury or not, that's what it is. I'm just trying to go out there and help the team win in any way I can. I'm not expecting to become like a sideshow apart from what our goal is going out there every single night, and that's to win basketball games."

Daigneault said inserting such a talented player into a group that's having success can present challenges. He commended Holmgren for being a good teammate and making it easier.

"We're not asking for it to be perfect," he said. "It's one of those things that, if it requires one step backwards to take two steps forward, we're willing to do that because we think it's got a really high ceiling."

Information from ESPN Research and The Associated Press was used in this report.

DALLAS -- For the first time in his career, Anthony Davis' arrival to a franchise hasn't resulted in celebrations in the city.

In Dallas, the deal that brought the 10-time All-Star to the Mavericks has resulted in heartbreak and anger. Days later, the fan base remains in shocked disbelief that 25-year-old superstar Luka Doncic got blindsided by the blockbuster deal only months after he led the Mavericks to the NBA Finals.

"I understand it," Davis said Friday regarding the fans' outrage. "Obviously it's a business, and I get who Luka was to this franchise, to the city. I'm never going to downplay that -- just how I know what I meant to the city of L.A. So I'm not surprised by the fans' reaction and the city's reaction, but it's my job to come in and play basketball and do what I'm supposed to do and give the fans hope and reassurance on why [GM] Nico [Harrison] brought me here."

A protest is planned outside the American Airlines Center before Davis makes his Mavericks debut in Saturday afternoon's home game against the Houston Rockets. Billboards criticizing Harrison and the team's new ownership group are planned around the arena after a GoFundMe account raised more than $40,000.

"I don't know how tomorrow's going to be as far as the reaction, but I can't control that," Davis said. "What I can control, it's going and just winning basketball games and helping the team do whatever I can. But at the end of the day, I'm going to give the city life back."

Harrison, who has accepted sole responsibility for the decision to trade Doncic, did not participate in the Friday news conference to introduce Davis along with Max Christie and forward Caleb Martin, who was acquired in a separate trade.

The general manager cited a desire to upgrade Dallas' defense and enhance the Mavericks' culture as among the reasons he made the trade when he met with a smaller group of media Sunday, hours after the deal was done.

Sources told ESPN that there will be an increased security presence at the American Airlines Center on Saturday due to threats received by Harrison, some of which have included racial epithets. Harrison has also employed personal security in the aftermath of the trade, sources said.

Harrison managed to keep his discussions with Los Angeles Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka private before agreeing to the deal and did not negotiate with other teams. After determining that it was in Dallas' best interest to trade Doncic, Harrison targeted Davis as the headliner of the return package.

A longtime Nike executive before being hired as the Mavericks' general manager in 2021, Harrison has had a close relationship with Davis since the star was a teenager. Mavericks coach Jason Kidd, who was a Lakers assistant coach when Davis helped lead Los Angeles to the 2019-20 championship, also has a strong bond with the big man.

"Obviously, I understand who Luka is and what he's able to do and what he's already done for our game," said Davis, a five-time All-Defensive selection who is averaging 25.7 points, 11.9 rebounds and 2.1 blocks per game this season. "He's a phenomenal player, going to be one of the best to ever play the game of basketball.

"But to have Nico trade for me just shows his belief in me and what I can do on the floor. It's my job to produce every night and have Mavs nation believe that as well. So I'm excited for the challenge."

Wade Boggs is cancer free.

The Hall of Fame third baseman made the announcement on social media Friday, five months after he revealed that he had prostate cancer.

"An extremely emotional day I can't thank my doctor's Dr. Engleman and Dr. Heidenberg enough also to everyone for your thoughts and prayers Debbie and I are pleased to announce I am cancer free," Boggs wrote.

An extremely emotional day I can't thank my doctor's Dr. Engleman and Dr. Heidenberg enough also to everyone for your thoughts and prayers Debbie and I are pleased to announce I am cancer free

Wade Boggs (@ChickenMan3010) February 7, 2025

The 66-year-old Boggs played 18 MLB seasons between the Boston Red Sox (1982 to 1992), New York Yankees (1993 to 1997) and Rays (1998-99).

A five-time batting champion and a 12-time All-Star, he was elected to the Hall of Fame on the first ballot in 2005.

The Hall of Fame congratulated Boggs after Friday's announcement, writing on social media: "The best news for @ChickenMan3010."

The San Diego Padres are closing in on a deal with free agent outfielder/first baseman Connor Joe, according to multiple reports Friday.

Joe, 32, could help fill the club's hole in left field. Jurickson Profar, a 2024 All-Star, recently left San Diego as a free agent and signed with the Atlanta Braves.

Joe is a San Diego native who played at Poway High and the University of San Diego before starting his professional career. He was a teammate of future National League MVP Kris Bryant for two seasons (2012-13) at USD.

Joe was a first-round pick (39th overall) in the 2014 draft by the Pittsburgh Pirates and first reached the majors with the San Francisco Giants early in the 2019 season.

Joe didn't play in 2020 after being diagnosed with testicular cancer and undergoing surgery.

He spent the next two seasons with the Colorado Rockies before being traded to the Pirates.

He played the past two years with Pittsburgh and hit .228 with nine homers and 36 RBIs in 123 games last season.

Overall, Joe has a .242 career average with 35 homers and 141 RBIs in 438 career games.

Veteran first baseman/outfielder Trey Mancini and the Arizona Diamondbacks are in agreement on a minor league contract with an invitation to spring training, sources told ESPN, launching a comeback for the 32-year-old who sat out the 2024 season.

Mancini, who has played parts of seven major league seasons, missed 2020 after being diagnosed with stage 3 colon cancer. He returned to the Baltimore Orioles in 2021 before being traded to the Houston Astros the next season and signing with the Chicago Cubs in 2023.

After signing with the Miami Marlins last year, Mancini was released toward the end of spring training and did not play the rest of the season. He continued working out in Nashville and will compete for a job with the Diamondbacks, who had the best offense in baseball last year and traded for Josh Naylor to play first base, with incumbent Christian Walker signing a three-year, $60 million free agent contract with Houston.

For half a decade, Mancini was a powerful right-handed presence in the middle of Baltimore's lineup. In 831 career games, he has 129 home runs and 400 RBIs, hitting .263/.328/.448 with a 110 OPS+.

Drafted in the eighth round out of Notre Dame in 2013, Mancini debuted in 2016 and by 2017 was a full-time player, splitting time between first and left field. His best season came in 2019, when he hit .291/.364/.535 and finished sixth in the American League with 75 extra-base hits (including 35 home runs) and 322 total bases.

Mancini will have plenty of competition for a roster spot. In addition to Naylor, Arizona has a loaded outfield, with Corbin Carroll, Lourdes Gurriel Jr., Jake McCarthy, Pavin Smith, Randal Grichuk, Alek Thomas as well as non-roster invitations for Garrett Hampson and Cristian Pache.

TORONTO -- Max Scherzer joined the Toronto Blue Jays convinced he can win a World Series with a third team following titles with Washington and Texas.

"Winning cures everything," the 40-year-old right-hander said Friday, three days after his $15.5 million, one-year contract was announced. "All you need to do to wake up in the morning is to have that drive to win, and the rest kind of takes care of itself."

A three-time Cy Young Award winner, Scherzer was 2-4 with a 3.95 ERA last year for the Rangers. He started the season on the injured list while recovering from lower back surgery and was on the IL from Aug. 2 to Sept. 13 because of shoulder fatigue. He didn't pitch after Sept. 14 because of a left hamstring strain.

Scherzer feels healthy.

"Normal ramp-up kind of in the lifting, normal ramp-up in the throwing, right where I need to be in terms of my bullpen progression," he said during a Zoom news conference. "So I'm looking to come in here into spring training at full tilt."

He joined a rotation projected to include José Berríos, Kevin Gausman, Chris Bassitt and Bowden Francis.

"The backbone of any team is always the starting rotation," Scherzer said. "It doesn't matter how much offense you got, if you don't have a starting staff, you're always going to be in trouble if you don't have starters going out there and eating innings."

Scherzer learned about the current Blue Jays when he spoke with Bassitt, a New York Mets teammate in 2022, and assistant hitting coach Hunter Mense, a University of Missouri teammate from 2004 to 2006.

"Just understanding how the team is, how the organization is, how they treat the families and how the guys on the team are, where the state of the organization is, how they want to improve," Scherzer said. "I had a good chat with those guys how the Blue Jays handle everything and felt like this was going to be a fit."

A Florida resident, Scherzer had geography in mind when considering teams.

"First and foremost is kind of staying here on the East Coast, especially with my family here in Florida. The kids are in school," he said. "That makes it very easy to be able to get back and forth, be able to see them and have them be able to travel in, as well."

Scherzer is 216-112 with a 3.16 ERA over 17 seasons with 3,407 strikeouts in 2,878 innings. His average fastball velocity dropped from 94.7 mph in 2020 to 92.5 mph last year.

"I still feel I can pitch at a very high level here. I frankly got all the pitches to be able to navigate a lineup," he said. "It's not about throwing 98. If you can throw 94, 95, you can get a lot of people out."

He limits his use of analytics.

"There's too much data, actually," he said. "What we're talking about with pitching now, I actually completely disagree with. And so, for me I understand what I do well, what I need to look at, what I actually need to be thinking about in terms of all my pitches, in terms of everything I'm doing ... there's some data that's good, but a lot of data is bad."

Though Scherzer spent parts of parts of nine seasons in the NL East, this will be his first time in the AL East.

"You got five teams that can all beat each other up. So, that's the good news," he said. "When you're in a highly competitive division, that only makes you better. ... It makes you battle-tested."

Vladimir Guerrero Jr. negotiations are ongoing, meanwhile. The star first baseman has said he won't negotiate a long-term contract after Toronto starts full-squad workouts Feb. 18.

The 25-year-old, a four-time All-Star, has a $28.5 million, one-year contract and can become a free agent after the World Series.

"You all know our desire to have him here for a long time, and we'll continue to work towards that," Blue Jays general manager Ross Atkins told reporters during the news conference.