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Shai Gilgeous-Alexander etched himself into the history books Thursday night.
After surpassing the 20-point mark during the Thunder’s 104-102 win over the Celtics, Gilgeous-Alexander surpassed Hall of Fame big man Wilt Chamberlain for most consecutive games (127) with at least 20 points scored.
Gilgeous-Alexander, who finished with a team-high 35 points, broke the record with a 3-point shot to start the third quarter after hitting two free throws on the Thunder’s previous possession.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander looks to celebrate with a teammate during a timeout shortly after he broke Wilt Chamberlain’s 20-point streak record during the second half of the Thunders’ 104-102 win over the Celtics on March 12, 2026, in Oklahoma City. AP
The four-time All-Star’s streak dates back to the beginning of the 2024-25 NBA season, when Gilgeous-Alexander scored 30 points in a 137-114 win over the Trail Blazers on Nov. 1, 2024.
Chamberlain held the record with 126 straight games since 1963, with the 13-time All-Star holding the next highest streak at 92 that started the following year. Legendary point guard Oscar Robertson went for 79 straight games in 1963-64.
In the modern era, Kevin Durant had 72 straight games hitting the 20-point mark in 2015-16.
Before breaking Chamberlain’s record, Gilgeous-Alexander referred to the four-time MVP as a “mythical creature,” but admitted he did not know much about him.
Wilt Chamberlain of the San Francisco Warriors grabs the rebound against the Boston Celtics circa 1963 at the
Boston Garden in Boston. NBAE via Getty Images
“Not much besides he was pretty insanely dominant,” Gilgeous-Alexander told ESPN. “Based on the stats, did whatever he wanted and was like … honestly, it feels almost like a mythical creature.
“It’s not real.”
Gilgeous-Alexander is having another MVP-caliber season for Oklahoma City, averaging 31.7 points, 4.5 rebounds and 6.6 assists while shooting 55 percent from the field through 54 games played this season, helping lead the Thunder to an NBA-best 51-15 record headed into Thursday’s game.
A fan holds a sign after Oklahoma City guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander broke Wilt Chamberlain’s 20-point streak record, during the second half of the Thunders’ win over the Celtics on March 12, 2026, in Oklahoma City. AP
Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault recently told reporters how Gilgeous-Alexander thrives under pressure, saying that he can always mentally stay in the game.
“He never presses,” Daigneault told reporters, according to ClutchPoints. “He’s just got unbelievable awareness of the circumstance, awareness of the length of the game; I think that’s one of his superpowers. He understands how long the game is. So, he can make the right play, knowing that he’ll get his cracks. If he misses shots early, he knows that there’s more game left.
“He always stays in it mentally. I think that’s part of the reason why he’s consistent as he is.”
DENVER, COLORADO - NOVEMBER 26: David Njoku #85 of the Cleveland Browns warms up with his shirt off prior to an NFL football game between the Denver Broncos and the Cleveland Browns at Empower Field At Mile High on November 26, 2023 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Michael Owens/Getty Images) | Getty Images
SANTA CLARA, CALIFORNIA - FEBRUARY 08: Jaylinn Hawkins #21 of the New England Patriots and Craig Woodson #31 of the New England Patriots celebrate after breaking up a pass against the Seattle Seahawks during the second half of Super Bowl LX at Levi's Stadium on February 08, 2026 in Santa Clara, California. (Photo by Kathryn Riley/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The New England Patriots had an active first day of the NFL’s new league as they agreed to contract terms with four external free agents while also seeing several defenders depart from last year’s squad.
With the dust settled, here’s who was impacted the most, both positively and negatively, by their moves on Wednesday.
Winners
S Craig Woodson: Last year’s fourth-round pick ended his rookie season playing some of the best football among anyone on the Patriots roster. Entering year two, he will lose running mate and former University of Cal teammate Jaylinn Hawkins, but will now get to work alongside three-time first-team All-Pro Kevin Byard. The 32-year old, who Mike Vrabel has described as having a “very calm, confident demeanor” while be a key mentor for Woodson early in his career. Byard’s work in the deep part of the field may also free Woodson up to play closer to the line of scrimmage at times next season.
ED Elijah Ponder & ED Bradyn Swinson: New England released Anfernee Jennings on Wednesday and saw K’Lavon Chaisson then sign with the Washington Commanders. Even after adding Dre’Mont Jones on the first day of the legal tampering period, the Patriots have much work to do along the edge. Where the group stands now, however, thrusts second year players Elijah Ponder and Bradyn Swinson into elevated roles on the depth chart. Ponder, a favorite of outside linebackers coach Mike Smith, could especially be in the team’s plans as a rotational rusher next season.
Losers
S Dell Pettus& LB Marte Mapu: Beyond the addition of Byard, the Patriots also signed safety Mike Brown after the start of the league new year. Brown was with Mike Vrabel and special teams coach Tom Quinn for over a year in Tennessee where he served as a key special teamer — which included spending most of the 2023 season as the team’s personnel protector on punt coverage. In New England, that role was held by Marte Mapu last season and Dell Pettus the year prior, while Brown will also challenge Pettus on the safety depth chart.
Newly signed safety Mike Brown (No. 44) was the Titans personal protector when healthy in his first full season under Mike Vrabel and special teams coordinator Tom Quinn. pic.twitter.com/zTtM5Ebhdk
TE C.J. Dippre: A 2025 UDFA, Dippre started his rookie year on the practice squad before earning a spot on the 53-man roster — where he was active for just two games. Entering the offseason, Dippre slotted in as the top tight end under contract behind Hunter Henry. That was until Wednesday when the Patriots made a three-year commitment (pending guarantees) to Julian Hill, who’s primary strengths overlap with Dippre as a blocking tight end. The Patriots are now also expected to target the position in the draft.
Sep 28, 2025; Arlington, Texas, USA; Green Bay Packers guard Elgton Jenkins (74) blocks against the Dallas Cowboys during the game between the Dallas Cowboys and the Green Bay Packers at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images | Jerome Miron-Imagn Images
Cleveland Browns Free Agency Live Blog – Rumors, Signings, and More (Jared Mueller, Matthew Wilson, Thomas Moore, and Chris Pokorny) Our live blog and free agency tracker for the Cleveland Browns will be going all day long, so make sure you continue to refresh this page for the latest updates!
Browns 2026 draft order is set … for now (Thomas Moore) Cleveland has 9 selections for now, but that can change as GM Andrew Berry ponders the fate of the roster.
Browns re-sign G Teven Jenkins (clevelandbrowns.com) “The Browns are working to re-build their offensive line, beginning internally, as they have re-signed G Teven Jenkins. Jenkins first signed with the Browns…”
Vera-Tucker agreed to a three-year contract with the division rival Patriots late Monday night, according to the NFL Network. It is a three-year deal worth $42 million and worth up to $48 million, according to ESPN.
Vera-Tucker, 26, had an injury-plagued run with the Jets, but when he is healthy, he can be a very good player.
The Jets drafted Vera-Tucker in the first round in 2021. He played 16 games in that first season but suffered season-ending injuries in 2022, 2023 and 2025 that limited him to 43 games over five seasons.
A torn triceps suffered before Week 1 last year cost him the entire season.
Jets guard Alijah Vera-Tucker signed with the Patriots. Bill Kostroun/New York Post
The Jets need to find a guard after losing Vera-Tucker and John Simpson, who started every game at left guard last season. Simpson agreed to a three-year, $30 million contract with the Ravens on Monday.
Texans guard Ed Ingram will remain in Houston rather than testing free agency.
Ingram and the Texans have agreed to a three-year contract, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network. He was slated to become a free agent this week.
The deal is reportedly worth $37.5 million, although there's no word on how that contract is structured and how much money is guaranteed.
Ingram was a 2022 second-round pick of the Vikings who never quite lived up to expectations in Minnesota, and a year ago he was traded to Houston for a sixth-round pick. He started 14 regular-season games and both postseason games for the Texans last season, and they'll pencil him in as a starting guard for this season as well.
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA - DECEMBER 15: Jayden Daniels #5 and Terry McLaurin #17 of the Washington Commanders celebrate during a NFL football game against the New Orleans Saints at Caesars Superdome on December 15, 2024 in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Photo by Logan Bowles/Getty Images) | Getty Images
There have been several changes to the Commanders roster since we published the last depth chart update. Here’s a quick summary of the February and March reported transactions:
Cuts:
C Tyler Biadasz
CB Marshon Lattimore
Extensions
P Tress Way
K Jake Moody
OL Andrew Wylie
OL Nick Allegretti (early extension)
DL Shy Tuttle
DL Deatrich Wise
DL Drake Jackson
WR Treylon Burks
At the time of writing, the Commanders have 56 players under contract. Expect the team to bring 90 or 91 players to training camp in July. The front office has until then to add about 35 players — with only 6 of them expected to come via April’s draft, which means the team needs to be very active in signing veteran free agents in March and undrafted college free agents after the draft in April.
With the start of veteran free agency imminent, it seems like an ideal time to take one last pre-free agency look at Washington’s roster.
The updated depth chart
Players under contract are shown in BOLD
Pending free agents are shown in italics with a grey background
Zach Ertz & Austin Ekeler have black backgrounds to indicate severe injury last season
Tyree Jackson & Chris Rodriguez have yellow backgrounds to indicate that they are Restricted Free Agents — RFAs have to be tendered by 4 p.m. ET Monday or they become unrestricted free agents
The numbers that appear beside some players’ names are 2025 cap hits per Over the Cap. I have not included cap hits below $1.5m. Newly extended players do not have cap hits listed since most have not yet been publicly reported; these will be updated as we move forward through the offseason.
The Commanders currently have 29 defensive players, 24 offensive players and 3 special teams players.
Please note that assigned positions and color coding are my own personal opinions. They do not necessarily represent the thinking of Washington’s coaches or front office, nor are they necessarily consistent with fan consensus. This chart represents my personal interpretation, and may not reflect the thoughts of other writers on Hogs Haven. Finally, when it comes to backup players, I don’t put much effort into making sure that they are on the right or left or behind the specific player that they backup. I mostly just try to fit everyone on the chart efficiently.
It’s also probably worth noting that I have retained the 4-3 “look” on the defensive side of the chart, primarily to avoid a lot of angst in trying to assign players to positions in a 3-4 alignment. After free agency, there should be more clarity and I may update the layout of the chart.
Free agent frenzy
Starting at noon on Monday, NFL teams will have a 2-day window to negotiate with agents of impending veteran free agents (or with players like Laremy Tunsil who represent themselves), though no negotiated deal can be finalized before the start of the new league year at 4 p.m. EDT on Wednesday, March 11th. It is not unheard of for players to agree to a deal during the negotiating window, then change their minds before signing the actual contract.
Rumors will be floated, and, in today’s world of immediate reporting via X/Twitter, many people seem to amuse themselves by publishing false reports that have the appearance of being legitimate. If you see a report — especially one that sounds surprising or unbelievable — check the source carefully, including the spelling of the name and number of followers, to avoid re-posting hoaxes from parody accounts or mischief-makers.
There is every reason to expect Washington’s general manager, Adam Peters, to be active in free agency — both extending Washington’s own players and signing free agents from other teams — throughout the week.
Questions at key position groups
Quarterback
Washington, of course, has clarity about the starter — it’s Jayden Daniels. The questions surround the backup and depth. Will Marcus Mariota return? If not, who will be the primary backup? Also, after 2 years of the Sam Hartman experiment, will the Commanders move on from the former Notre Dame player and (reportedly) Jayden Daniels’ good friend?
Offensive line
Having cut Tyler Biadasz, who is the starting center? Is he on the roster now or will he be signed in veteran free agency?
Will the Commanders extend last year’s starting LG Chris Paul? If so, how much does he get paid? If not, who is his replacement? Will the team rely on Brandon Coleman, or will the front office look to replace the position in veteran free agency or the draft?
Tight end
With Zach Ertz clearly not returning before mid-season, if ever, will Ben Sinnott step up to replace him or will the Commanders look for a new pass catching tight end in free agency?
Wide receiver
I’m gonna go out on a limb here and suggest that the receiver room has most of what it needs:
Terry McLaurin
Luke McCaffrey
Jaylin Lane
Treylon Burks
What’s lacking is another play-making wideout and one more depth piece. Both can be added in free agency and/or the draft. The big questions are: Who will the Commanders sign free agents or draft rookies, and, if they sign a veteran, how much do they pay him?
Related to these questions is the plan for Terry McLaurin. His contract structure suggests that 2026 could be his last season in Washington. How much does that impact the decisions at this position group this offseason?
Defense
The Commanders need several difference-makers on the re-made defense under Daronte Jones — specifically, at edge, linebacker, cornerback and safety. That’s 4 top-tier players minimum to help build a completely new identity to go with the new scheme.
Washington can probably get one of them (or an offensive player) with the 7th overall pick in the draft, but that means the team needs an infusion of 3 or 4 huge-impact defensive players covering every level of the defense.
Can the team find those players in free agency?
How much will they have to pay them to field the kind of defense that can help lead the team to playoff success?
Will Adam Peters be willing to commit to multi-year contracts to multiple veteran players from other teams this offseason to create more roster stability than the team has had so far under his leadership?
Special teams
Will Adam Peters and Dan Quinn finally bring in a 2nd (and maybe even a 3rd) kicker for training camp competition?
Strap up — it should be a fast-paced and exciting week!!
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