Get ready for a wild week in the NFL.
Not that this off-season hasn’t already been pretty eventful, of course.
The quarterback carousel has already taken a spin, with Derek Carr landing in New Orleans while both the Seahawks and Giants opted to keep their QBs in the fold. Last Tuesday’s Franchise Tag deadline saw a handful of top running backs (Saquon Barkley, Josh Jacobs, Tony Pollard) tagged while Lamar Jackson’s situation in Baltimore just got a whole lot more complicated. And just this weekend, we saw a blockbuster deal that saw Chicago send the 2023 No. 1 overall pick to Carolina in exchange for a hefty return, saving us from another six weeks of speculation about whether Justin Fields is still their guy to build around.
We’re only just getting started, with Monday ushering in the legal tampering window as of noon ET, permitting teams to begin negotiating with prospective free agents and agreeing to deals in principle. (No contracts can be signed until 4 p.m. ET Wednesday, when the new league year opens up.)
To help navigate the rumour mill, here’s a roundup of the latest reports around some of this off-season’s most notable names.
AA-R-O-N! Jets? Jets? Jets?
At this point, Aaron Rodgers is definitely going to the New York Jets… right?
The 39-year-old Green Bay Packers quarterback hasn’t said much about his future in football, instead leaving everyone (including himself) in the dark when it comes to his next destination. Rodgers isn’t a free agent but is still firmly in control here as he can shoot down any trade proposals that come Green Bay’s way.
The future hall of famer has been linked pretty much exclusively to the Jets for months now — incidentally, the same post-Packers destination, and at the same age, as his predecessor, Brett Favre — and reportedly met with Jets brass last week. The union makes sense for both sides: Green Bay is heading into what looks like a transition period and needs to know if Jordan Love is their next star while New York appears to be one capable QB away from being a true contender.
Rodgers hinted, in his usual cryptic fashion, that the decision “won’t be long” and… well, hopefully, he was telling the truth. Should Rodgers’ decision bleed into Tuesday, and not result in his landing in New York, it would prevent the Jets from being able to target another big name during the all-important negotiating period.
What’s the latest on Lamar?
Another big name with little in the way of answers just yet is Lamar Jackson, who received the non-exclusive franchise tag from Baltimore management last week. That tag means he can sign a proposed deal with another club but not without the Ravens having a chance to match it first.
The complication here is that any team proposing a deal with the 2019 MVP right now would miss out on the important first days of free agency, as Baltimore can take five days to make their decision. So, perhaps this situation could remain on the quiet side for now.
Browns clear cap space with restructured Deshaun Watson deal
It’s still an egregious contract, but now Deshaun Watson’s deal with the Browns is a little more manageable when it comes to cap constraints this off-season.
Per Ian Rapoport, Cleveland now has some flexibility — perhaps to buy their pricey QB another receiver or two?
Where to next, OBJ?
After a false start last year, with continued questions about his knee ultimately hindering his late-season attempt to return to the field as a free agent ready for a playoff run with the highest bidder, Odell Beckham Jr. is healthy and prepared to sign on the dotted line.
The last time we saw him in a game, he was putting together a pretty strong case for Super Bowl MVP with the Rams before going down with a devastating knee injury. He was sidelined the entire 2022 season because of it.
The former Giants, Browns, and Rams wide receiver held a workout in Arizona on Friday to prove to teams he’s ready to go. The Dallas Cowboys feels like a match for the 30-year-old, but workout attendance records indicate the Bills, Patriots, and Giants are among the interested parties.
From Brady to Baker: Buccaneers interested in Mayfield?
Baker Mayfield’s rollercoaster career has brought a particularly wild ride this past year. After the Browns landed Watson last spring, Mayfield was sent to Carolina to compete for the Panthers’ starting role — and he got the job, but injuries and team struggles limited his success.
A trade to the Rams preceded a miraculous late-season comeback, but now he appears to once again be on the market. According to Ian Rapoport and Mike Garafolo, Tampa Bay is interested. Following Brady’s retirement, the Buccaneers are barreling towards a question-filled free agency period. The biggest one being: What does life look like post-Brady?
