Well au revoir 2025! Don't let the door hit your ass on the way out!
Let's be honest the past year was not a good one for many us for many reasons. And if you are a New York sports fan, it really wasn't good at all.
We had the Knicks get bounced by Indiana in the playoffs; Tom Thibodeau got fired; the Giants and Jets both stank up the joint, and the Yankees and Mets both failed miserably to meet expectations. It wasn't fun. But with 2026 on the horizon hope springs eternal, or at least we hope.
So here are some wild, wacky and even funny predictions for the year ahead!!!
1) San Francisco 49ers upend the Denver Broncos in Super Bowl LX.
The Niners are as hot as any team in the NFL right now having won six in a row, and are getting healthy at the right time. Plus San Fran is due after so many close loses in the recent past. They get a chance to be the third team this decade to play in and win the Super Bowl in their home stadium joining the 2020 Bucs and 2022 Rams.
The Niners pound Bo Nix and the Broncos who come off a brutal overtime slug-fest with the Jaguars in the AFC Championship game. The Niners beat back the Seahawks and Bears to get back to the Big Game. So Kyle Shanahan finally gets his ring, this time against the team his dad won two super bowls with in the late 90s.
2) The New York Giants Hire Jeff Hafley as Head Coach
Hafley was considered a target for the job early in the process. His Packers defense hasn't played well down the stretch, part in parcel with the loss of Micha Parsons. Still Hafley is highly regarded, and his New Jersey roots are hard to ignore. He's also been a head coach at Boston College, much like another former Giants head coach, Tom Coughlin.
Jeremy Fowler of ESPN said this week of Hafley "He seems to have some traction in New York, too. I’ve heard his name linked to the Giants’ job a few times in my calls over the past week, and I expect him to be on their list.”
3) Cody Bellinger Signs with Yankees just before Spring Training.
After months of speculation and waiting, Bellinger takes the Pete Alonso route and signs a two-year deal with an opt out after one year to return to the Bronx Bombers. It makes perfect sense. The Yankees get their right fielder back who can protect Aaron Judge, and Bellinger gets to hit in a stadium he loves to play in.
4) Jets Draft Dante Moore come April.
5) Knicks Get Bounced from Playoffs Again
After winning the NBA Cup, fans were ready to lay claim that 2025-26 is the year of the Knicks. Not so fast. The Knicks are good, really good. They have an incredibly well put together roster led by Jalen Brunson and Karl Anthony Towns, but in the postseason they just have a tendency to tire out. The Knicks get stunned by the Jason Tatum-less Celtics in the second round, meaning the Detroit Pistons will rep the East in the finals.
6) Jalen Brunson Named 2025-26 NBA MVP
7) OKC Thunder Win NBA Finals ... again
With the Pistons representing the East, the Oklahoma City Thunder run roughshod all over them to win their second title in a row, this time in five games.
8) Colorado Avalanche win the Stanley Cup.
The Aves have only two losses this year in regulation. They are red hot, been that way all year. Things can change, but right now they are the favs to win it all.
9) Seton Hall and St. John's NCAA Tournament
Both the Pirates (12-2) and Red Storm (9-4) look destined right now for March Madness. We predict that both teams will qualify and advance to at least the round of 32.
10) Mets Fire Carlos Mendoza in mid-June.
Hopefully the Mets don't wait till 3:00 the morning of a big west coast series like they did to Willie Randolph back in the day. But with the way things are going, the Mets look like a team destined to struggle in 2026. That could be bad news for Mendoza, who is a good man, and a good manager who deserves better than this. The Mets as a result will name bench coach Kai Correa as the interim manager.
11) Mets Fans Boo Lindor and Soto
12) Mets Finish with 73 wins, Steve Cohen Defends David Stearns
If this season turns into the nightmare it appears it will be for the Mets, it should be interesting to see if Cohen stands behind President David Stearns who has drawn the ire of the fanbase since Edwin Diaz and Pete Alonso left in free agency. Our guess is Cohen stands by Stearns to turn it around.
13) Tarrik Skubal to the Phillies at the Deadline.
The Philadelphia Phillies have the ammunition in Andrew Painter and Aidan Miller to get a deal done, and GM Dave Dombrowski is notoriously aggressive. The Phils spare no expense to target the Dodgers in the N.L., and get one of the games most coveted starters at the deadline.
14) Paul Skenes to the Yankees in Deadline Deal.
It feels inevitable that Skenes will be in New York with one of the New York teams. The Yankees right now are the closest to contending. It won't be cheap as someone like a Jaason Dominguez or Spencer Jones will have to go back to Pittsburgh in return for the dominant righty.
The Yankees ace returns to form, as he goes 12-5 with a 3.08 ERA for the Bombers in his return to the mound post Tommy John Surgery. With Cole, Cam Schiliter, and a midseason additon of Paul Skenes, the Yankees have what many believe is the best rotation in baseball.
16) Yankees make it to the ALDS ...
... And get bounced in five games thanks to a long ninth inning home run off the bat of ... Pete Alonso and the Baltimore Orioles.
17) Dodgers win the World Series ... again
Edwin Diaz strikes out Brandon Nimmo of the Texas Rangers looking in the ninth. Sorry Mets fans.
18) Brooklyn Nets win 30 games and ...
... still get screwed in the NBA Lottery.
19) John Harbaugh & Mike Tomlin futures...
Harbaugh takes a break from coaching to join CBS so we can have Cowher vs. Harbaugh chats on the NFL Today next season. Meanwhile Mike Tomlin stays in Pittsburgh another year after Aaron Rodgers convinces him to return. Rodgers, after inviting Tomlin and owner Art Rooney II to a darkness retreat, returns as well.
20) Miami Beats Indiana in the College Football Final.
The U is back baby! Miami humbles projected first overall pick Fernando Mendoza and the undefeated Indiana Hoosiers in a 27-20 slug-fest.
21) USA gets bounced early from the World Cup
Somehow this will get political. You can imagine how this would happen ...
22) England will make a Big Run at the World Cup.
We predict they'll get the Semifinals. Combine that with the USA celebrating 250 years of Declaration of Independence, things could get pretty saucy at bars across the country. Hoboken ... we're looking at you.
23) Argentina Wins the World Cup
Finally a championship hoisted up at MetLife Stadium.
24) NFL announces a future Super Bowl will be ...
... streamed exclusively on Netlflix. I'll run and hide now...
25) Jets and Giants open '26 within their own divisions.
Giants Open the 2026 season with a win at Metlife over the Philadelphia Eagles. The Jets open with a heartbreaker in South Beach to the Dolphins.
26) Aaron Glenn Will Get Fired In-Season ...
It will take nine or ten games, but Woody Johnson in typical panic fashion, after a 2-8 start, will bend the knee to the anti-AG crowd and pull the plug. I feel bad for whomever the rookie QB will be already.
Will these come to pass? We'll find out soon enough. But the most important thing is we want to see everyone succeed, and hope for the best as the New Year begins. Here's to a healthy and happy 2026.
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