Seven days after the Super Bowl was known as “the first Sunday without soccer.”
That's not true anymore.
Certainly there are no games to watch today, but that doesn't mean there's nothing to discuss. The NFL is 24/7.
Here are 10 storylines to help you prepare for the offseason. This increases steam only on the start dates of the NFL Combine (February 25th), Free Agency (March 10th), and NFL Draft (April 24th).
1. Miles Garrett standoff
Garrett says he's ready to do “anything” to force trade from the Browns that's been dug up against dealing with him. Even at the high price of two first round draft picks.
The first round of the draft serves as a soft deadline. If the Browns become a cave, why not get a 2025 pick that can help the administration under some pressure for a quick turnaround?
If the standoffs pass away, the 29-year-old pass rusher may have to prove he's willing to miss training camp.
Receivers Deebo Samuel and Cooper Kupp are already in the trade bloc.
2. The influence of Dion Sanders
Will “Coach Prime” make him try to block certain teams that he thinks will not work to draft his son, Chedure Sanders, as the next quarterback?
If so, can those teams include either the Titans (No. 1 pick) or the Browns (No. 2)?
No matter which team drafts Chedur, their head coaches will be the ones who are potentially well-known vocal critics (as critics of the potential voices that Chedur has been coached by his high school and college father, and things will be on the verge of the sidelines. He inherits Dion's big shadow as a candidate to take over if he becomes a
3. QB Draft Class
A year after a record six quarterbacks are top 12 picks, the consensus is that the 2025 draft class isn't above average. In the two-man race between Camward and Sanders, we'll see who will be drafted first and if both are top five picks.
After that duo, either Jalen Milroe or Jaxson Dart will boost his stock enough to sneak into the first round?
Three years ago, three quarterbacks entered the NFL combination and first round buzz, with only (Kenny Pickett) proven to be the top 73 pick.
4. Aaron Rogers' future
Welcome to another offseason edition of “Wil Aaron Rodgers Retires.”
Rodgers leaned towards retirement in 2023 and entered the cave, making sure he could win with the Jets. Where will the 41-year-old quarterback Ayahuasca strengthening vision lead him this time?
Concerned that his career would end in a whisper, Rodgers sued with the Jets for another year or two, sources told the Post, but the team was uninterested. The quarterback market on the wrong side of the 39 is by no means particularly strong.
The Rams, Steelers and Raiders feel like the most likely possibility, unless Rogers receives an overture into the entertainment field.
5. Remains of QB Carousel
There should be a lot of movements, whether Rodgers plays or not.
Sam Darnold is the top free agent due to his youth (27) and the revitalization of the Pro Bowl he experienced with the Vikings. Will he be tagged with a franchise or is the Viking ready to move on to his JJ McCarthy days (although probably along with Daniel Jones as insurance)?
How much will Darnold's back-to-back stinker at the end of the season reduce what will be a contract worth at least $40 million per season?
Russell Wilson and Justin Fields are free agents.
Kirk Cousins can point out where he will next land, as his no-trade clause binds Falcon. Derek Kerr may be moving.
And Matthew Stafford's contract dispute makes him vulnerable to being traded or cut off by the Rams. However, Stafford appears to be the most surviving in all veteran tanks. So I'm curious why the Rams are willing to let go of the 2021 Super Bowl winner.
6. How the Chiefs (and Traviskells) respond
When Kansas City last lost the Super Bowl, it was the first of the draft class to bolster the offensive line in free agency and bolster the two straight franchises.
How will the Chiefs respond to another Super Bowl loss that they were controlled by Trench?
In fact, the first order of the business that shapes (or reshapes) the roster is about whether they're playing in 2025 or retiring to start a new life with girlfriend Taylor Swift. You need to get the definitive answer from the Hall of Fame Kelse.
The weights committing to grinds over another season sound like Kelse has weight.
7. Unicorn Watch
Draft prospects like Travis Hunter are the top receivers of the draft and could become the top cornerback. He heads to the NFL Combine as cornerback.
Do some teams prefer him as a receiver?
Will the team drafting him use him full time in both positions, like Colorado, or will he be scattered on one side of the ball?
Is his versatility enough to move forward with Abdul Carter from Pas Rashah, the first non-quarterly selected?
8. Bengal's composition
Bengal was ranked by CNBC as the least valuable team in the NFL by the CNBC before the season and is not normally run as a large spender.
However, quarterback Joe Barrow (armed with a five-year, $275 million contract) is campaigning for Bengal to extend three of the NFL's best players.
Receivers Ja'marr Chase and Pass-Rusher Trey Hendrickson are frustrated with money in the final year of their respective deals, while receiver Tee Higgins is a free agent. Re-signing all three can cost more than $90 million a year.
Bengal must decide whether they are candidates for the Super Bowl. Barrow would not want to hear otherwise. It seems unlikely that both Higgins and Chase will be held.
9. Running clock
Saquon Barkley, Derrick Henry and Josh Jacobs were rushing for at least 1,300 yards in their first season after changing teams in free agency. What kind of bargain?
Will it be enough to advance a market that has been stagnant over the past decade compared to contract growth in other positions? Or will the running back still be devalued?
Aaron Jones, Nick Chubb and Nagie Harris head to the free agency.
James Cook of the Bills is not a free agent, but has expressed his hopes of extending $15 million a year after tying the league's lead with 16 rushing touchdowns.
10. Change rules
The final offseason created a new dynamic kickoff rule.
Will the rules be amended to punish the flop as they are scrutinizing more than ever before in 2024? Or at least to reduce weaponization of quarterback slides?
There is a talk that replay reviews can be expanded to include face mask penalties. Additionally, laser technology can be used to measure the initial down.
