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An artificial intelligence startup that helps developers write and debug code is now worth nearly as much as United Airlines. A two-month-old AI computer company raised a massive $475 million seed round, with plans to secure even more financing soon. And a platform for ranking AI models is now valued at nearly $2 billion, less than a year after it was spun out of an academic project. The exuberance for all things AI has rapidly spilled over into the normally staid field of developer tools, benchmarking services and back-end systems — areas that most regular consumers will never encounter directly — becoming a focal point for a new wave of tech investment. And behind many of these companies, you’ll find a relatively nascent multibillion-dollar fund run by an unconventional team at Andreessen Horowitz. The venture capital firm, which goes by the nickname a16z, set up a dedicated $1.25 billion war chest in 2024 for bets on AI infrastructure, a term that the fund defines more broadly than the costly chips and data centers that make AI run. This month, the firm said it would commit another $1.7 billion to the effort. To a16z, the word infrastructure encompasses any AI software marketed to technical buyers, rather than consumers. Think coding applications, foundational models and networking security, among others. “Some of the most important companies of tomorrow will be infrastructure companies,” said Raghu Raghuram, a managing partner at the venture firm and former VMware chief executive officer. Those bets are starting to pay off. In recent months, Stripe Inc. agreed to buy Andreessen-backed billing platform Metronome for a reported $1 billion; Salesforce Inc. acquired Regrello, an AI provider for manufacturers; and Meta Platforms Inc. bought AI audio company WaveForms. In November, AI coding startup Cursor raised a new round of financing at a $29.3 billion valuation, far more than the $400 million it was worth in 2024 when a16z first backed it. The VC firm’s co-founder Ben Horowitz cautions that it’s too early to make any judgments about the fund’s performance, which is usually assessed on a decade-long time horizon. But so far, he said, “It’s one of the best funds, like, I’ve ever seen.” As with so much in AI investing right now, however, it’s unclear whether a16z’s success with the fund defies an AI bubble or exemplifies it. Silicon Valley has proven AI businesses can raise unprecedented sums from investors at ever-higher valuations to fuel grandiose dreams of rewiring society. The central tension of the boom is whether businesses will find AI software valuable enough to pay up for it — and soon. If companies don’t spend as much as anticipated, trillions of dollars of tech investments will look more precarious, including for firms a16z is now backing. The task of guiding the prominent VC firm through the frothy AI infrastructure landscape falls to Martin Casado, a former computational physicist and longtime programmer who sold his startup, Nicira, to VMware for $1.26 billion. Casado joined a16z a decade ago and has become a successor of sorts to Horowitz, the firm’s original infrastructure expert. “I’m completely replaced,” Horowitz said. “I don’t know nothing anymore.” Casado acknowledges “private valuations are crazy,” but professes not to be worried about an AI bubble. “This stuff is magic,” he said. “The users are real. The demand is real. The GPU usage is real.” Still, he and a16z have been careful to sidestep certain investment trends. For example, the firm has stayed away from directly backing the trillion-dollar AI data center buildout, though occasionally with some regrets. Casado rues not investing in so-called neocloud providers. One such company, CoreWeave Inc., now has a market capitalization of about $50 billion. “We just talked ourselves out of it stupidly,” he said, noting his team’s questions about whether these businesses had enough customers and differentiated technology. But the longer Casado does this…

The Washington Commanders must now remove Jeff Ulbrich from their list of defensive coordinator candidates. On January 19, the Atlanta Falcons confirmed they are retaining Ulbrich as defensive coordinator. Team owner Arthur Blank discussed the matter with atlantafalcons.com, stating:“Jeff Ulbrich, in my view, did a really fine job for us this year,” Blank said. “Certainly look at the record of sacks. And just the overall performance of the defense was definitely better than it’s been in the past.”As a result, Washington finds itself looking for their new defensive coordinator. On January 6, head coach Dan Quinn fired defensive coordinator Joe Whitt Jr. The day before, offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury and the team went their separate ways. As a result, head coach Dan Quinn will need to hire two new coordinators.Atlanta Falcons Keep Jeff Ulbrich as DC, Commanders Continue SearchDespite Atlanta finishing 8-9, its defense played a role in the franchise winning five of its last seven games. Throughout the season, the team allowed fewer than 200 passing yards ten times. Atlanta heavily invested in bolstering their pass rush last offseason. They spent two first-round picks on edge rushers Jalon Walker and James Pearce Jr. The duo combined for 16 sacks. Meanwhile, 36-year-old Von Miller paced the Commanders with nine.With Ulbrich no longer available, Washington will shift focus to other candidates. Their recent interview with Minnesota defensive coordinator Brian Flores appears likely to end with Flores remaining with the Vikings, if he doesn’t get a head coaching job. The next candidate under consideration is former Arizona Cardinals head coach Jonathan Gannon. Gannon is reportedly eyeing a coordinator job to restore his reputation after finishing his tenure in Arizona with a 15-36 record.Gannon utilizes a quarters defense that can feature five players near the line of scrimmage to counter spread offenses. His scheme is adaptable for both 4-3 and 3-4 formations, focusing on the defensive backfield. GettyFormer Arizona Cardinals head coach Jonathan Gannon surveys field after a December 21, 2025 game. Scott Brings Secondary Approach to the Field with Passing Game FocusAnother candidate for Washington is Karl Scott, Seattle Seahawks‘ passing game coordinator and defensive backs coach. Seattle allowed just 292 points in 2025, the fewest in the league. Their pass defense excelled, surrendering less than 200 yards 11 times, and only Baker Mayfield in Week 5 and Matthew Stafford in Week 16 surpassed 300 passing yards against them. However, Scott has never called defensive plays, as his focus has been on concepts and position groups rather than overall playcalling. Only 14.6% of the Seahawks’ defensive drives have ended in a TD Best in the NFL 🤯 pic.twitter.com/tOImwheYwu — PFF (@PFF) January 19, 2026https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.jsGraham’s Defenses Center Around Active Linebacker PlayAnother coach in the mix is Patrick Graham, formerly of the Las Vegas Raiders, who could fit Quinn’s aggressive approach. Graham, a Bill Belichick disciple, has adapted those teachings into his own system. Known for generating pressure, he prefers to free up linebackers by employing at least two large defensive linemen to fortify the line of scrimmage.This tactic also prevents guards from engaging linebackers, allowing them to move freely, stuffing the run, blitzing, and dropping back into coverage. Linebacker Devin White exemplified this approach, tallying 174 tackles in 2025, with 95 solo. GettyFormer Las Vegas Raiders defensive coordinator Patrick Graham fires up his team before a January 5, 2026 game Washington must address a defense that allowed 26.5 points per game last season. Opponents did not hesitate to attack through the air. Bringing in a new coordinator has the potential to revitalize the defense and restore its ability to close out games, as demonstrated in 2024. Like Heavy Sports's content? Be sure to follow us. This article was…

The Toronto Blue Jays started the offseason strong with a series of major roster additions, but have struck out on a pair of major pursuits as they aim to reload and return to the World Series. The Blue Jays could have a chance to turn their luck with a shot at Cody Bellinger, though one insider shared that it would come at a high expense. USA Today’s Bob Nightengale reported on Monday that the Yankees have a large standing offer to Bellinger — one that the Blue Jays can choose to beat. One insider believes the Blue Jays should jump at the chance, despite the high price tag. Blue Jays Get Another Chance to Improve Roster The Blue Jays had been connected to Kyle Tucker and reportedly had a short-term offer for Bo Bichette to return, but both ultimately landed elsewhere. Nightengale reported that the Blue Jays would have a chance to land Bellinger if they are willing to go over the top of the existing offer from the New York Yankees. “The Yankees open the week still waiting on decision by Cody Bellinger,” Nightengale reported in a post on X. “They are sitting with a 5-year, $160 million offer with no deferrals and two opt-outs. If the Toronto Blue Jays or Mets decide to beat it, they’ll be hit with 110% luxury tax penalties. The standoff continues.” The Blue Jays will still face some fierce competition, as the Mets have been particularly active. They made a significant offer to Tucker and later scooped up Bichette on a three-year, $126 million deal. The Mets are undergoing a major roster change, parting ways with longtime veterans Pete Alonso, Jeff McNeil and Brandon Nimmo. The Yankees have also been active, including the $160 million offer to Bellinger that could ultimately be too high for the Blue Jays to top. Blue Jays Urged to Jump at Chance for Cody Bellinger Reporter Billy Heyen of The Sporting News suggested that the Blue Jays should jump at the chance to top their division rival and land Bellinger, despite the high cost to the organization. “Toronto missed out on Kyle Tucker, and Bellinger would go into the books as a cheaper but similar version of Tucker (and Bellinger can actually play centerfield if desired),” Heyen wrote. “The Blue Jays had such an exciting start to the offseason when they landed Dylan Cease for their pitching rotation. “They kept it going with the signing of Japanese star infielder Kazuma Okamoto.” The tides shifted after the Blue Jays lost out on Tucker and Bichette, but Heyen suggested they could still find an improvement by signing Bellinger. “The Blue Jays could use one more win. There’s really only the one remaining major victory in the form of Bellinger,” Heyen wrote. “His sweet lefty swing was great in the Bronx, but it appears the Yanks are dug in on their offer. All Toronto (or the Mets) has to do is beat that deal. If the Blue Jays were prepared to go $350 million over 10 years for Tucker, they surely can beat $160 million for 5 years that the Yanks are offering Bellinger.” Like Heavy Sports's content? Be sure to follow us. This article was originally published on Heavy SportsThe post Blue Jays Get Great News With Latest Cody Bellinger Update appeared first on Heavy Sports.

The Buffalo Bills‘ offseason only began 48 hours ago, but they have already made some big changes. Less than two days after their season came to an end with a crushing 33-30 overtime defeat at the hands of the Denver Broncos in their divisional round playoff matchup, the team decided to fire head coach Sean McDermott on Monday morning.Regardless of the team’s reasoning for firing McDermott, there’s no doubt that this is a shocking move. Now, the Bills will have to move quickly to find his replacement, as they are already behind the eight-ball when it comes to their head coach search. However, according to one NFL insider, they have a key advantage over the rest of the league that should help them in their quest to find McDermott’s replacement.NFL Insider Gets Real on Bills’ Head Coach Search 💻 @TomPelissero Who's on #BillsMafia head coach radar after they fired Sean McDermott after nine seasons?#NFL #NFLPlayoffs pic.twitter.com/L35OS15kts — Rich Eisen Show (@RichEisenShow) January 19, 2026 McDermott took over as the Bills’ head coach in 2017, and while he led the team to a lot of success during the regular season, the same was not true for the playoffs. During Josh Allen’s time under center for Buffalo, he has made it to the AFC Championship Game just once, and after they failed to advance past the divisional round this year, that ended up being what cost McDermott his job.Now that Buffalo doesn’t have a head coach, it will have to begin searching for a new one. The immediate question that everybody has involves who the team will target. Two of the top candidates in this cycle, John Harbaugh and Kevin Stefanski, have already come off the board, and the Bills won’t be able to interview candidates from the four remaining playoff teams until they are eliminated.Considering how this move was made only a few hours ago, it’s tough to know which direction Buffalo is looking to go with for its coaching search. While it may seem like the team’s options are limited, though, the opposite may end up being true. That’s because, according to NFL insider Tom Pelissero, the Bills are now widely believed to have the most attractive head coach opening across the NFL.“Everybody is going to be lining up for this job,” Pelissero said on “The Rich Eisen Show.” “Anyone who is a coaching candidate who has an opportunity to go and interview in Buffalo is going to race (there). They will fly themselves in. They will pay for their own per diem. There’s no question whatsoever, this is now the job.”Who Should the Bills Hire as Their Next Head Coach? GettyGeneral manager Brandon Beane of the Buffalo Bills. Pretty much any head coach candidate is going to want an opportunity to work with Allen, because he will provide them with a great chance of succeeding right off the bat. Only a handful of candidates will have a real shot at landing this job, though. Bills’ offensive coordinator Joe Brady, Broncos’ quarterbacks coach Davis Webb, and former New York Giants head coach Brian Daboll have all emerged as potential candidates right from the get-go.Ultimately, it is still too early to know what Buffalo wants to do with its head coach position, but it will have the pick of the litter once it narrows its search down. So while it seemed like some coaches were closing in on landing new jobs, the emergence of the Bills in the head coach market has once again drastically changed the look of the head coach carousel. Like Heavy Sports's content? Be sure to follow us. This article was originally published on Heavy SportsThe post NFL Insider Drops Truth Bomb on Bills Head Coach Opening appeared first on Heavy Sports.