Let's imagine for the sake of argument that while Erling Haaland is not on the transfer market, his contract is definitely available. He has a queue of suitors and Borussia Dortmund stand to triple their investment a year ahead of the Norway forward's reported €75 million release clause kicking in, making him available to sign for a lower set price.

Let's also admit, to advance things, that while Barcelona might have left it too late to become Spanish champions (we shall see in what promises to be an excruciatingly tight title run-in) they are unquestionably playing the best football in La Liga right now. Now let me assure you that despite the global debt at Camp Nou being more than €1.1 billion (just roll that figure around your brain for a moment or so), president Joan Laporta is desperately keen to sign this phenomenon of a kid who very few teams seem to know how to shut down and whose goal-scoring stats, so far, are historically good.

Laporta not only soared to victory in the recent Barcelona presidential elections because of the stellar achievements of his first Camp Nou reign, but on the promise of greatness awaiting in the near future. The first couple of times he produced this trick as a new president of the Catalan club, the results were Ronaldinho and Samuel Eto'o. Two of the greatest footballers, the biggest characters and the most important figures in the entire history of Laporta's club.

One of the things that the present situation has in common with 2004 and 2005, when the Brazilian World Cup winner and the Cameroon Olympic gold medalist were signed, was that each was betrothed to someone else.

Ronaldinho's deal to move from Paris Saint-Germain to Manchester United was verbally agreed between the two clubs' senior executives but, still, he ended up winning the Ballon d'Or, the Spanish title and the Champions League at Barcelona -- not in Old Trafford red.

Eto'o's playing rights were split between Mallorca and Real Madrid. I interviewed him once and he considered himself to have won the Champions League with Los Blancos, despite having made no starts and enjoying a total of 53 minutes on the pitch during their 1999-2000 tournament win -- in fact, he listed it as one of the five proudest achievements of his career. In theory, this maverick, exhausting, scintillating, born winner was due to play out the rest of his career for Florentino Perez's club, and what an absolutely dynamite footballer he would have been for Madrid. But, somehow, Laporta (and his vice-president Sandro Rosell) managed to persuade Perez that the wiser move would be to take the club's minor share of the purchase price (€24m) and move on. What a mistake.

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Just by coincidence, the third club president involved in those 2005 negotiations was Mallorca's Mateu Alemany, who Laporta has said he wants to become Barcelona's new director of football. So far, so good.

The reason that Laporta is desperate to repeat those two stunning rabbit-from-the-hat pieces of magic is that Haaland, right now, looks like a once-in-a-lifetime force of nature. Brutally strong, immensely quick, tall, aggressive and blessed with what looks like an infallible ability to finish every kind of opportunity (from the feasible to the unbelievable), this is the kind of striker you either try to sign or you fear living in lifelong regret.

That kind of regret is something Barcelona have already had to suffer, given that they turned down the chance to sign Cristiano Ronaldo from Sporting Lisbon and chose Ricardo Quaresma instead. Just imagine the entire history of Ronaldo and Lionel Messi being rewritten from the beginning, with the pair growing up at the same club.

Back to the present day.

Stranger things have happened than it turning out that Dortmund's own director of football, Michael Zorc, is telling the stone-cold truth when he says that Haaland will be playing for the Yellow and Black next season. Or than the Leeds-born 20-year-old, who just became the fastest and youngest to score 20 goals in Champions League history, deciding that he owes some youthful loyalty to Dortmund and opting to stay.

But, football being as it is, money and ambition usually talk loudest. Which is why even though Laporta is mad keen on being able to say the phrase: "Leo Messi, meet Erling Haaland ... Erling, meet the greatest footballer who ever lived," when introducing the new teammates to one another, there's a brutal process lying in wait if the deal is to be made.

At very minimum Real Madrid, not to mention Liverpool, Manchester City and Chelsea, are determined to win a player who is so devastatingly difficult to face that he gives defenders nightmares several weeks before actually having to play against him. Each of those clubs has distinctly better financial firepower than Barcelona, a less pungent debt situation and can offer Haaland a bunch of things on and off the pitch that make them premium contenders for his signature.

Nor is it to be forgotten that when Barcelona signed Ousmane Dembele from the Westphalian club for around €105m in 2017, they hugely annoyed Zorc and his board of directors by seeming to approve of the player going on strike so that he'd be granted his move to Catalunya. Matters like that tend not to be forgotten.

But, of course, the fact that Madrid like the idea of signing Haaland is just catnip to Laporta. Imagine his frisson of schadenfreude if he could capture the player who threatens to dominate the scoring scene for the next 10 years, thereby convincing Messi to stay on at Camp Nou and thwarting Perez into the bargain. It's enough to make one throw caution to the wind and abandon all financial prudence. You can see his case, can't you?

Even though his immediate priorities are to pay off the debt in delayed wages for his players (which must, by now, amount to nearly €100m), to pay off or persuade creditors owed another couple of hundred million to be patient, and convince Messi to stay, Laporta has always been the guy who wants everything. Immediately. No arguments.

But is there an argument, now, for Laporta to show self-restraint, to accept that time and tide are against him and that he needs to grit his teeth and not even put Barcelona in the race for Haaland. To raise funds in order to become competitive for that high-stakes game, Laporta wouldn't simply need another high-interest investment fund loan, on top of all those vast debts he's inherited, he'd have to move Philippe Coutinho on (for a much-reduced fee compared to the €160m they spent to land him) plus one of Dembele and Antoine Griezmann, the latter of whom was not cheap either when signed for €120m from Atletico Madrid.

Looking at Barcelona and their current form, is that the right option? Both Frenchmen have shown character and maturity to emerge this season as key players for the club and teammates who now understand and dovetail with Messi.

During the first 14 domestic matches of Ronald Koeman's reign, the Blaugrana were barely scoring at a rate of two goals per game. Since then, the following 14 La Liga matches have yielded scorelines, and no defeats, that shows a goal average touching three per match.

Moreover, it's not just that Messi, Griezmann, Dembele, Martin Braithwaite and others are hitting the net, there's the small matter of Ansu Fati's return to action to factor in. We live in a butterfly-memory era of world football, and some may have forgotten that Ansu is another standout, mould-breaking talent. He's already the youngest this-that-and-the-next-thing for both club and country, and he's the youngest ever scorer in the Champions League. Ansu is different from Haaland in so many ways, but united with the Norwegian in possessing something truly exceptional for which Barcelona haven't had to pay €160m.

Right now Barcelona play with verve, they are keeping the ball better, using Koeman's version of 3-5-2 to stretch and penetrate opposition and, in Paris a few days ago, there was the hint that the Champions League buffetings they were taking at the hands of PSG, Juventus, Liverpool and AS Roma might be a thing of the past.

Compared to the forward positions, there's little doubt that Barcelona require a first-class central defender, proper high-quality cover at left-back or that they should be trying to sign a robust, clever, athletically and mentally sharp central midfielder who can begin to mimic the best of Sergio Busquets. What with these tasks and the general need to repay huge debts while generating new revenue in order to draw Barcelona back from the financial precipice, would you be frantically chasing Dortmund, Haaland and his famously avaricious agent Mino Raiola with a €160m bank draft? Or would you be willing to watch a generational talent turn up at Real Madrid and torture you, in football terms, for the next handful of seasons because there's more important Camp Nou housekeeping to see to first?

Choose honestly, write your answer down on a piece of paper to review in five or six years' time to see whether your decision holds up to review. Then admit to yourself that, come what may, Laporta will pursue the signing of Haaland until either: he joins Messi at Barcelona or is presented as a new player at Madrid, Bayern Munich, Manchester City, Chelsea, Liverpool or wherever.

Because that's the way Laporta, and almost every big-club president, rolls. Let battle commence.

SAN FRANCISCO -- Golden State Warriors star guard Stephen Curry will miss at least another week as he continues to recover from a bruised tailbone.

Warriors coach Steve Kerr said that Curry underwent an MRI on Tuesday morning that showed inflammation and led to the organization's decision to keep him out for at least four more games.

"We're going to re-evaluate in a week," Kerr said prior to Tuesday night's game against the Philadelphia 76ers. "He got an MRI this morning and it showed inflammation in that tailbone. He had made some progress the first couple of days just resting and then he did a little bit more work [Monday] and was still pretty sore. So our training staff and Steph put their heads together and decided this is going to be a little bit longer than we thought and hoped. So we'll re-evaluate in a week."

Curry suffered the injury after tripping over a riser and falling hard on his tailbone after taking an off-balance 3-pointer at the end of the third quarter in Wednesday's 108-94 win over the Houston Rockets. The Warriors were initially hopeful that Curry would return shortly after the injury, but the MRI was the latest setback for a team that has dealt with several injuries and COVID-19 protocol absences recently.

Young big men James Wiseman and Eric Paschall were set to return Tuesday after missing the last week because of COVID protocols. Kerr also noted that the 19-year-old Wiseman will likely start down the stretch for the Warriors.

"I anticipate James is going to start the rest of the season," Kerr said. "That's the thought. You never know how things play out, but there's 29 games left, it feels like a good time to get him into the lineup and we've tried a lot of different lineups this year as you well know. Not so much starting lineups, we've been pretty consistent with four starters, but we've tried a lot of different rotations, we just feel like after 40 plus games -- 43 games, James has come along really well. He's picked up a lot of the concepts, it's really important now, especially given the absences, missing the 10,11 games with the wrist, the last three games with COVID protocol, he needs to be out there."

Wiseman has had a mixed rookie season that has included flashes of the major talent that made him the No. 2 overall pick in the 2020 NBA draft. He has also been inconsistent on both ends of the floor and dealt with a wrist injury that sidelined him almost a month. He was pulled out of the starting lineup earlier in the season for veteran Kevon Looney.

"Earlier in the season when I made the switch to Loon, I felt like that was the right thing to do competitively and rotationally and I think we did pretty well," Kerr said. "Our defense got a lot better, rotations improved, but this feels right now. This feels like the right time to do this. And it would be great for James to get a really good stretch here over the last 29 games."

Kerr also figures to give second-year guard Jordan Poole an even bigger look with Curry out. Poole started in Curry's place Tuesday and is averaging 20.9 points a game this month after being recalled from the G-League bubble.

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- Arizona Diamondbacks starting pitcher Zac Gallen has a hairline fracture in his right forearm, casting more doubt on his ability to open the season on the active roster.

The 25-year-old Gallen hurt his forearm after getting jammed while taking batting practice nearly two weeks ago. Gallen said the injury doesn't affect most of his pitches, but he feels some discomfort when throwing his curveball.

D-backs manager Torey Lovullo said he wasn't sure how much time Gallen will miss. The right-hander is still allowed to play catch, and the injury will continue to be evaluated. He received two different medical opinions and both diagnosed the injury as a fracture.

Gallen was practicing his hitting because the National League will switch back to pitchers batting for the 2021 season after adopting the designated hitter rule during 2020's shortened 60-game schedule.

"It's definitely frustrating considering I'm kind of an advocate for the DH," Gallen said Monday. "I get paid to pitch, that's kind of how I look at it. It comes along with the job. I play in the National League -- you have to hit, you have to bunt, you have to do those certain things."

Gallen was the Diamondbacks' best pitcher last season, finishing with a 3-2 record, 2.75 ERA and 82 strikeouts in 72 innings. He finished ninth in the NL Cy Young Award voting.

Fares foils Farag and Marwan masters Coll in Black Ball quarters
By ALAN THATCHER – Squash Mad Editor

Joel Makin mastered his training partner Mohamed ElShorbagy in a thrilling 91-minute battle and reigning champion Fares Dessouky beat world No.1 Ali Farag in the quarter-finals of the CIB Black Ball Open in Cairo. Both underdogs had to save match balls before fighting back to beat the world’s top two players.

On a day of intense drama and high quality squash in this PSA Platinum event, Marwan ElShorbagy also overcame Paul Coll and Tarek Momen dispatched Zahed Salem.

In the semi-finals, Makin meets Marwan ElShorbagy and Momen tackles Dessouky. Expect more fireworks in these two momentous battles. Dessouky, who beat Farag in December’s Black Ball final, will attempt to follow up his victory over the world No.1 by beating the world champion.

For world No.9 Makin and defending champion Dessouky to send the world’s top two players out of the event shows just how competitive the standard is inside the top 10.

Makin came back from two match balls down in a captivating 91-minute epic after ElShorbagy’s fighting spirit saw him come back from 2-1 down to force a decider.

He held a match ball advantage twice in the fifth, but the tenacious Makin dug in and converted his first match ball after a tin from ElShorbagy at the front of the court to reach the last four of a PSA World Tour Platinum event for the second time.

Makin said: “You know what it’s going to be like with Mohamed. The intensity is there from the start.

“He clearly had a set tactic from the start and he was slow balling me, but I was trying to do the same back, so it became a bit of battle that way. The pace wasn’t necessarily fast all the time, it was a bit in and out, but he’s just so hard to put away.

“I thought I had him hurt from 1-1 but he made it so tough. He’s so clever, his shutouts, his subtleties, his soft hands and stuff, it was just a good battle all the way through.

“You have to back yourself or you wouldn’t be in those kind of positions in the match. If you don’t take it when it’s on there or back yourself to run and win the point, then you have no chance at this level. Mohamed is going to hit far too many winners, so you have to back yourself and commit to it.”

Dessouky backed up December’s Black Ball Open final victory over Farag after he produced a mesmerising comeback from 2-1 down to win 11-8, 6-11, 7-11, 12-10, 11-4.

Farag looked in control after he walked off court after the third game. But Dessouky, who came back from two games down to clinch victory in December’s Black Ball finale, clawed back three match balls in the fourth to draw level and looked unbeatable in the decider as he rattled off winner after winner to seal his place in the semi-finals.

This tournament will be the first Platinum event not to feature either ElShorbagy or Farag in the semi-finals since the 2017 El Gouna International.

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“It was a very tough match, Ali today was unbeatable,” Dessouky said. “I had to dig really deep to find the turning point to win the match. I found it at 10-7, match ball down, and I’m really glad that I found it.

“He was getting everything back, I was a bit disappointed on court that he was getting everything and it was hard to beat him and to win a point against him. All credit to him, today I had to take advantage from this match, I was solid again and was able to grab the win.”

Makin will now look to take out the younger ElShorbagy brother, world No.6 Marwan, as he bids to reach his maiden Platinum final.

ElShorbagy came through an absorbing 96-minute clash with World No.4 Paul Coll in one of the matches of the season so far. It was an extremely high quality affair, with ElShorbagy closing out an 10-12, 11-7, 11-9, 3-11, 11-9 win to reach his second Platinum semi of the season.

“It was a tough match and I just hoped everyone enjoyed it,” said ElShorbagy. “I gave it more than 100% today and Paul gave it more than 100%. It’s always tough playing Paul, especially in those conditions, I think we gave it everything. I stayed calm, I learnt my lesson and that’s why I won the match.”

Meanwhile, Dessouky will go up against world champion Momen in the semis after the World No.3 overcame Egypt’s Zahed Salem, who was appearing in his first Platinum quarter-final. Momen had a slight dip in the third game against a resilient opponent, but he held firm to close out the victory in the fourth, winning 12-10, 15-13, 9-11, 11-7.

“I don’t think it was my best performance of the tournament, there were far too many errors, and he made a few errors which helped me a bit,” Momen said.

“I would’ve loved to have played better today, but it’s OK, I’m allowed to have a performance that is not 100%. Still, I managed to play the important points well. Both the first two games went to the tie-break and I managed to close them out, so that was a positive thing.”

The semi-finals will take place tomorrow (March 24) and play begins at 11:00 (GMT+2). All of the action will be shown live on SQUASHTV and the channels of contracted broadcast partners.

Men’s 2021 CIB PSA Black Ball Squash Open, Black Ball Sporting Club,Cairo, Egypt.

Quarter-Finals:
[7] Fares Dessouky (EGY) bt [1] Ali Farag (EGY) 3-2: 11-8, 6-11, 7-11, 12-10, 11-4 (67m)
[3] Tarek Momen (EGY) bt Zahed Salem (EGY) 3-1: 12-10, 15-13, 9-11, 11-7 (67m)
[6] Marwan ElShorbagy (EGY) bt [4] Paul Coll (NZL) 3-2: 10-12, 11-7, 11-9, 3-11, 11-9 (96m)
[8] Joel Makin (WAL) bt [2] Mohamed ElShorbagy (EGY) 3-2: 10-12, 11-3, 11-6, 7-11, 13-11 (91m)

Semi-Finals (March 24):
[7] Fares Dessouky (EGY) v [3] Tarek Momen (EGY)
[6] Marwan ElShorbagy (EGY) v [8] Joel Makin (WAL)

Pictures courtesy of PSA

Using pitchside saliva tests to diagnose concussion is a step closer after a "game-changing" trial among male elite rugby union players.

Using microscopic DNA markers in saliva, they made a test that predicted an HIA result with 94% accuracy.

However, the test cannot yet be used on women because of a lack of data.

The study's chief investigator, Prof Antonio Belli, said that presented an "opportunity to bang the drum for more of this research to be done in groups not traditionally included".

Prof Belli described the study's findings as "game-changing", adding: "When I see on TV a player is taken off for the medical saliva test, it will be a major achievement."

Though a laboratory test could be in use within the next few months for elite players, a pitchside test that delivers instant results could be several years away.

The new technology could also be used beyond sport, potentially in general medicine and the military.

What are the study's findings?

The three-year study was carried out by the University of Birmingham, in collaboration with the Rugby Football Union (RFU), Premiership Rugby and Marker Diagnostics, a company which specialises in biomarkers

Dr Simon Kemp, the RFU's medical services director, described the findings as "incredibly exciting" and said the potential for the test was "far bigger than rugby".

He told BBC Sport: "It sits across all head injury, but within a rugby setting we know you can get a change in biomarkers very quickly so you could have a test in a medical room at a game and certainly that could be fed back the next day in the elite game."

Belli said the study was a "breakthrough" and he had "never really seen something so exciting" in a field of work that has previously relied on blood samples.

He explained: "Blood is much more difficult to work with and doesn't really work for a pitchside test or for children.

"Now you have something that is non-invasive, quite easy to get, objective and accurate at the same time."

Further stages of the study will look at brain injury in retired players in contact sports, with Prof Belli confident they will have "something exciting soon".

The RFU, World Rugby and the Welsh Rugby Union are facing a lawsuit from retired players suffering with early on-set dementia.

Could it be used in football?

The Premier League is conducting separate studies into the early signs of dementia and is in talks about working with the University of Birmingham team around three-minute concussion substitution rules.

The saliva test is laboratory-based, but the speed of development in testing following the Covid-19 outbreak could see that evolve quickly.

Prof Belli said concussion biomarkers are present in saliva "within minutes" after an injury, that a three-minute test was "theoretically possible", and that it was intended the study would be expanded into these areas in the next few years.

How about outside sport?

Prof Belli highlighted the saliva test's potential for use in military conflict, as well as it being "quite significant" for the National Health Service.

He said between a third and a half of brain injuries in road traffic accidents can go undiagnosed, adding: "To be able to make that diagnosis from a simple test could potentially change the outcome for that patient."

And the test's use may extend beyond concussion.

"It's fast becoming of interest as a possible target for liquid biopsies for cancer and heart attack, and other conditions that would normally require a blood test," said Prof Belli.

"If you can get the data from saliva you can get it at a GP and test children, it opens up a number of avenues."

What about concussion in women?

Prof Belli believes women suffer symptoms that are "more severe and more prolonged" than men, and that "to say this test would work in women would be wrong".

Dr Kemp said: "In the women's international game we run the HIA, we don't in the women's domestic game. There are very real aspirations for that to change very quickly and that would be a personal objective of mine to help that happen."

The RFU hopes to collect data in the "next phase" of the women's Premier 15s, and had wanted to do likewise at the Rugby World Cup, which has been postponed because of Covid-19.

What happens next?

The current findings will be presented to the World Rugby Symposium later this month with the hope two further global competitions will join the study to gather data, refine the algorithm, and provide independent verification of the findings.

PELETIER, N.C. – Five of the eight scheduled late model races at Bobby Watson’s Carteret County Speedway will be run with an enhanced payout this year.

The Solid Rock Carriers Fast Five Late Model Series will consist of five races – four in the regular season. The four regular season races will pay $5,000-to-win each while the fifth race, the Christmas Clash, will pay significantly more to win.

“We’re excited to be launching our new Solid Rock Carriers Fast Five Late Model Series this year at Bobby Watson’s Carteret County Speedway,” track owner Bob Lowery said.  “Kirk Ipock has done so much for Late Model racing in this region and we’re proud to be able to work with him to make this series happen and continue making Carteret County Speedway the premier track in the United States.”

The Solid Rock Carriers Fast Five Late Model Series races will kick off on Saturday, April 3 as part of the 2021 season opener at Carteret County Speedway. The second race will be held on Saturday, May 15. The third race will be held on Sunday, May 30th as part of the sixth running of the Memorial Classic. The fourth race will be on Saturday, Aug. 7.  The series will conclude on Saturday, Dec. 11 at the Christmas Clash.

In addition to the enhanced purses, the Fast Five Late Model Series will also come with bonuses for drivers who win three or more Fast Five races.  If someone wins three races, they will receive a $2,000 bonus on top of their race winnings, while four race wins would feature a $5,000 bonus and sweeping the series will come with a $10,000 bonus.

Other notes about the Fast Five Late Model Series:

• Purse: 1 – $5,000; 2 – $2,250, 3 – $1,200, 4 – $1,000, 5 – $800, 6 – $500; $500-to-start.
• Entry fee: $100 for early entry fee, $150 for late entry fees.
• Early entry fee deadline will be 12pm on the Thursday before the race.
• Races will under Carteret County Speedway Late Model rulebook.
• Tires: Four (4) Hoosier F45 tires.
• Distance: Races will be 100 laps.

MONTREAL -- The NHL announced Tuesday that the Montreal Canadiens have had their games through Sunday postponed.

The league made the announcement a day after the Canadiens' game against the visiting Edmonton Oilers was postponed following the addition of Montreal forwards Joel Armia and Jesperi Kotkaniemi to the NHL's COVID-19 protocol list.

The NHL said the decision was made by the medical groups from the league, the NHL Players' Association and the Canadiens.

The league said it's expected that the Canadiens will be able to reopen their facilities for practice on Monday pending COVID-19 test results over the next few days.

Montreal and Edmonton were scheduled to meet again Wednesday and Friday at the Bell Centre. The decision also affects a home game Sunday against Ottawa.

The Canadiens canceled practice Tuesday, but the Oilers were back on the ice Wednesday at the Bell Centre.

There was no immediate word on makeup dates for the games, the first North Division matchups to be postponed this season because of the COVID-19 protocol.

There have been 41 games postponed this season because of the COVID-19 protocol. The truncated 56-game campaign began Jan. 13.

Lachlan Stevens will step down as the Melbourne Renegades WBBL and Victoria women's coach at the end of the season with the WNCL final against Queensland his final match.

Stevens has been in the joint role for one season having taken over from Tim Coyle (WBBL) and David Hemp (Victoria). He is returning to his native Queensland for personal reasons.

Stevens has held numerous roles in Victoria cricket and has also been part of three Sheffield Shield titles, a domestic one-day title and the Renegades' 2018-19 BBL title.

"I'd like to thank everyone at Cricket Victoria and the Melbourne Renegades - the players, my fellow coaches, support staff - everyone who has made this such an enjoyable place to do what we do," Stevens said. "I'm proud to have been involved in both the women's and men's programs - from the inception of WBBL through to Shield titles with the men's team. It has been a fantastic experience and opportunity."

Cricket Victoria general manager Shaun Graf said: "Lachlan's transition between our programs over the last five years is testament to his ability to build great relationships and get the best out of cricketers - regardless of what stage they are at in their careers.

"He's a coach of outstanding character, a terrific mentor and a great exponent of skill acquisition for young cricketers."

Melbourne Renegades general manager David Lever lauded Stevens' role amid the increasing professionalism of the women's game. "He's taken first time professional cricketers and guided them all the way through to the national team. Lachlan has led with integrity, empathy and grace mixed with immense tactical and technical cricketing knowledge."

Cricket Victoria and the Melbourne Renegades will commence the process for securing a new head coach shortly.

ASHBURN, Va. -- The Washington Football Team name has gone from being a generic placeholder to one that will be strongly considered as a permanent one. As the organization inches along in its rebranding, team president Jason Wright said fans have warmed to the name.

Wright stressed that there is not a leading contender for the new name. However, the fact that some fans have warmed to WFT highlights what Wright said they want most in a name: a strong connection to the past.

Wright has previously said, and reiterated during an interview with ESPN on Tuesday, that Washington Football Team will remain in 2021. He said the permanent name would be in place for 2022.

The organization announced in July that it would retire its former name, which it had used for 87 years.

"There are a set of folks that have warmed to the Washington Football Team," Wright said of input the organization has received. "Some of the things that are emerging from that are the Washington Football Team has something that ties deeply to our history. It feels like that isn't jettisoning all the things we have been in the past, whereas something that's completely new might feel that way.

"It's important for a substantial part of our fan base to feel that this is a continuation of something versus a complete reset, something brand new."

Wright also said there's a chance a new name could be announced before the end of the 2021 season, although no timetable exists.

"The sooner the better -- that's one thing I hear from the fan base," he said. "I would like it sooner than later, but it's hard to commit to timing because the importance here is thoroughness, rigor and ensuring that we have been inclusive of all the folks that we need to listen to. That works against speed in some ways, but we're moving as fast as possible."

Wright said the team has received 15,000 submissions -- from 60 countries and six continents (all but Antarctica) -- regarding the name or a new logo.

The organization will continue to accept submissions on the name and logo through April 5.

Washington has been active in seeking input from fans, saying the team long ago made the decision to keep the burgundy-and-gold color scheme based on fan opinion. ESPN reported in July that Washington was likely to keep the color scheme, and nothing in the process has altered that thinking.

Wright said he will be on the social media site Clubhouse on Wednesday morning to discuss the rebranding. The organization will have a series called "Making the Brand" -- a play on MTV's old "Making the Band" series -- to take fans inside the process.

Wright said the rebranding goes beyond just a new name and logo, citing the game-day experience -- everything from entertainment to parking to concessions, and even ticketing and Washington's charitable foundation. The cheerleader program was changed in favor of a coed dance team -- Wright said he was a dancer in musical theater before sticking with football -- and the marching band, which also paused, will return with a new look as well.

Wright and his team has communicated with alumni, fans overseas, young fans, the military and longtime fans. He said owner Dan Snyder and his wife, Tonya, aren't involved in the process on a daily basis but have roles akin to being on the "board of directors." Snyder was a fan of the team long before he bought the franchise in 1999.

"The pressure is felt from the fan base to us," Wright said. "Dan feels it. I feel it. Our entire team feels it. This fan base deserves something that is thoughtful, that has taken their input into consideration very deeply."

Washington will use focus groups as well. Wright also listens to local sports talk radio and podcasts to gain as much insight as possible into what others are thinking. He actively engages on social media, especially Twitter.

"How can I steward a rebrand if I don't understand deeply held beliefs?" Wright said.

The team is approaching the expiration of its FedEx Field lease after the 2027 season and can use feedback gathered now when it comes to plans for a new stadium.

"Part of our rebrand will incorporate technology and things that Gen Z are engaged with, whether that's legal gambling or fantasy football or VR technologies, ways to engage socially, how to bring those folks in," Wright said. "The whole league and sports in general need Gen Z to remain as robust and healthy as it is today."

Quarterback Joe Flacco has agreed to a contract with the Philadelphia Eagles, his agency announced Tuesday.

"Congratulations to our client @JoeFlacco on signing with the @Eagles #NextChapter," JL Sports tweeted.

Flacco is receiving a one-year deal with $3.5 million guaranteed and the opportunity to earn $4 million more in incentives, a source told ESPN's Adam Schefter.

In Philadelphia, Flacco is in line to back up Jalen Hurts, who is the presumed starter after the Eagles traded Carson Wentz to the Indianapolis Colts.

With 175 career starts, Flacco can be a veteran resource for Hurts, the Eagles' second-round pick last April, while also pushing him.

"We've always tried to value that position and have depth at that position. I don't see any of that changing here as we go forward," general manager Howie Roseman said last week. "We want to have a really strong quarterback room. We feel like we have incredible coaches on the offensive side of the ball and the defensive side of the ball who can maximize quarterback play."

The Eagles are in the midst of overhauling their quarterback room. They traded Wentz following a rocky 2020 season, while reserve Nate Sudfeld is a free agent. The Eagles could still draft a quarterback this April. They have 11 picks, including No. 6 overall.

The move represents a return home for Flacco, who grew up close to Philadelphia and went to high school in Audubon, New Jersey.

Flacco appeared in five games for the New York Jets last season and went 0-4 as a starter, replacing the injured Sam Darnold (shoulder) in October and November. His numbers were mediocre (an 80.6 passer rating and a 55.2% completion rate), but he was responsible for the team's best passing day of the season.

In a Week 9 game against the New England Patriots on Monday Night Football, Flacco passed for 262 yards and three touchdowns. The Jets blew a late lead and lost 30-27, falling to 0-9.

Upon replacing Darnold, Flacco admitted his goal was to again become a full-time starter, saying, "I think I'd be lying if I were to deny that. I want to play quarterback in this league. ... I think I have a lot left."

Flacco, who turned 36 in January, signed a one-year, $1.5 million deal with the Jets with the hope of proving to potential suitors that he was healthy after his neck surgery in April 2020. Because of an extended rehab period, he missed training camp and was inactive for the first three games, but he made it through the season unscathed.

Flacco reached the pinnacle of his career in 2012, when he led the Baltimore Ravens to a win in Super Bowl XLVII and was named the game's MVP. He parlayed the incredible postseason run into a six-year, $120 million contract, which made him the league's highest-paid quarterback at that time.

He lasted six more seasons with the Ravens, becoming the franchise leader in every major passing category. Late in the 2018 season, he lost his job to Lamar Jackson, leading to a trade to the Denver Broncos in 2019.

In 13 seasons, Flacco has passed for 40,931 yards, which ranks eighth among active quarterbacks, and he has 224 touchdown passes and 144 interceptions.

ESPN's Tim McManus and Rich Cimini contributed to this report.