HOT CORNER

1 PRO FOOTBALL: Maybe Russell Wilson and the Broncos aren’t headed for a nasty, costly divorce, after all. That was the main message from coach Sean Payton, GM George Paton and team owner/ceo Greg Penner at the Broncos’ seasonending news conference. While the head coach said he hasn’t made up his mind about the direction the Broncos will take at quarterback, Denver’s GM said the “door is open” to a reconciliation that would keep Wilson in Denver and added that Wilson has indicated to him“he’s open to returning.” The Broncos (8-9) benched Wilson for their final two games and Jarrett Stidham went 1-1 with a pair of middling performances.

2 PRO FOOTBALL: Browns kicker Dustin Hopkins is expected to sit out Saturday’s wild-card playoff game at Houston with a hamstring injury he sustained while chasing a kick returner in Cleveland’s win over the Texans on Dec. 24. Hopkins, one of the NFL’S most accurate kickers all season, missed the final two regular-season games with the injury. Hopkins is 33 of 36 on field-goal tries and made all eight attempts beyond 50 yards. He’s also made four winning kicks.

PRO FOOTBALL: The Dolphins signed veteran linebackers Justin Houston and Bruce Irvin and placed three more players on injured reserve. Houston and Irvin are expected to add depth to a linebacker group that has been decimated by injuries, with Jerome Baker, Cameron Goode and Andrew Van Ginkel going down in the past week. Miami is preparing for its wild-card game at Kansas City on Saturday night.

PRO BASKETBALL: Pistons guard Cade Cunningham will miss at least a week with a left knee strain, the team said. He will be reevaluated in seven to 10 days. The Pistons have an Nba-worst 3-33 record, but Cunningham has been a bright spot, averaging 22.8 points, 7.3 assists and 4.1 rebounds.

PRO SOCCER: Liverpool defender Trent Alexanderarnold will be sidelined for three weeks because of a slightly torn knee ligament, the team said. The right-back hyperextended his knee during Liverpool’s 2-0 win over Arsenal in an FA Cup third-round game Sunday. Liverpool leads the Premier League by three points and was already preparing for an extended stretch without top scorer Mohamed Salah, who is on international duty with Egypt at the Africa Cup of Nations.