We are just over a week into the NFL offseason and the headlines are already starting to come thick and fast. The NFL truly is a beast that never sleeps. And while the action on the field will not return until September, there will be plenty to talk about between now and then.
The NFL Combine is just around the corner. Free agency is coming in March and the NFL Draft in April. Then we'll be into summer training camps before you know it. Here are five storylines I believe will be on our radar in the coming weeks and months.
A house cleaning in Miami
This has already begun with the Miami Dolphins – under new leadership in the form of general manager Jon-Eric Sullivan and head coach Jeff Hafley – cutting ties with a pair of Pro Bowlers in wide receiver Tyreek Hill and edge rusher Bradley Chubb.
More releases will be coming and I believe it's only a matter of time before the Dolphins officially move on from quarterback Tua Tagovailoa. Miami are about to embark on a draft-and-develop approach and have seen enough from their passer, who really regressed in 2025.
The Dolphins will have to eat close to $100 million in salary cap costs over the next two seasons, but they've just seen Denver work with numbers not a million miles away from that figure over the past two years and they reached the AFC Championship Game. Of course, Denver quickly found their new QB answer in Bo Nix. Miami are without a proven passer once they move on from Tua. Could they be in play for Malik Willis, who shone when thrust into the starting lineup in Green Bay this season?
Big names on the move?
Who else could be on the move in the coming months? It looks like the Seattle Seahawks will not be placing a franchise tag on Super Bowl MVP running back Kenneth Walker. So, let's see if that means he will be on his way out of Seattle. Will another running back be out of the door in New York where Breece Hall is about to hit the open market? Surely the Jets will work hard to keep him as the focal point of their attack.
The Indianapolis Colts are likely to sign quarterback Daniel Jones to a new contract, but will there be enough money left over to re-sign Alec Pierce? The explosive wide receiver led the NFL with 21.3 yards per catch in the 2025 season. The Colts should keep him, but finances may seem him on the move. Another big-time wide receiver is not likely to hit the open market as I expect Dallas to franchise tag George Pickens. That makes total sense. He was excellent in 2025.
What about pass rushers who could get a contender over the hump? Will a championship-chasing team swing a trade for Maxx Crosby (Las Vegas Raiders) or Myles Garrett (Cleveland Browns)? As great as both players have been, I get the feeling they could still be moved away from their rebuilding franchises if the price is right. And it feels like the end of the road for Trey Hendrickson in Cincinnati. There is going to be a big market for the defender who recorded a combined 35 sacks in the 2023 and 2024 seasons.
Mendoza the Raider
The first round of the NFL Draft does not take place until April 23, but it already seems apparent that Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza will be the top selection of the Las Vegas Raiders.
Newly-installed Raiders head coach Klint Kubiak has expressed a strong desire to get to know Mendoza over the coming months and it appears any attack unveiled in 2026 will be built around the quarterback. Any rebuild is going to require a franchise quarterback to be in place.
The only curveball comes if the Silver and Black believe that Mendoza is not a generational talent. Could they see him – as some in league circles do – as a player who could only ever become a mid-level NFL quarterback? If that is the case, could the Raiders sell the first overall pick for a bunch of selections to build across the board? That could see them attempt to do business with quarterback-desperate teams just behind them such as the New York Jets (picking second), the Arizona Cardinals (picking third), or the Cleveland Browns (picking sixth). And I include the Cardinals in that mix because I believe they are moving on from Kyler Murray.
For now, my strong belief is that Mendoza will be wearing the silver and black come September, teaming with other young offensive players in running back Ashton Jeanty and tight end Brock Bowers.
Rodgers' future
While he was not playing at the levels that saw him win four NFL Most Valuable Player awards during his prime in Green Bay, Aaron Rodgers had a decent season at quarterback for the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Will he return in 2026 for a 22nd campaign? A season in which he would turn 43 in December. Steelers head coach Mike McCarthy has expressed an interest in reuniting with the quarterback he won a Super Bowl with in Green Bay, but he may need to be patient. Rodgers has never been in a rush to make such offseason decisions.
Until he does, the Steelers are once again in quarterback limbo. Drafting a young passer in the first round seems unlikely if Rodgers does return and the free agency options might be limited to the likes of Kirk Cousins (when he is inevitably released by the Atlanta Falcons) and Joe Flacco.
Which AFC contender can rebuild the fastest?
The 2025 season left four teams with arguably the four best quarterbacks in the game with some serious regrets. So, how do the Buffalo Bills, Baltimore Ravens, Kansas City Chiefs and Cincinnati Bengals bounce back in order to take their respective Super Bowl chances to a higher level?
Buffalo (Joe Brady) and Baltimore (Jesse Minter) will be breaking in new head coaches and priority number one will be getting the best out of Josh Allen and Lamar Jackson. Keeping those guys playing at a high level will be imperative. But both of those teams could really use defensive upgrades to become more stout on that side of the ball.
There are question marks surrounding the Chiefs. They not only need to rebuild their attack around Patrick Mahomes, they need to get their quarterback fit again. Mahomes suffered a torn ACL in mid-December and there are legitimate questions about when he will return to 100 percent.
And Burrow will just be hoping that any semblance of a defense will get built in Cincinnati. Of course, that particular project could be slowed by the departure of the aforementioned Hendrickson.
