NFL's 10 biggest offseason stories: Aaron Rodgers' future, ownership issues lead the way
The longest season in NFL history is in the books, and now comes another offseason of intrigue.
For most teams, the offseason has already gotten underway. Coaching vacancies have been filled, as have the general manager openings. Finishing touches are being applied to some coaching staffs and front offices. Meanwhile, every team’s focus quickly has shifted to draft evaluation and free agency.
As is often the case in the NFL, the offseason figures to play out in nearly as intriguing fashion as the regular season usually does.
Quarterback decisions and drama, badly-behaving team owners and a potentially splashy free agent class rank among the highly-intriguing matters now facing the league and its teams.
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Here are 10 of the biggest storylines of the offseason.
The Rams’ title defense efforts
The go-for-broke approach worked, but now a great deal of uncertainty looms over the Super Bowl 56 champs. With Los Angeles currently $17 million over the salary cap, according to overthecap.com, contracts will need to be restructured to make room for re-signings and the acquisition of reinforcements. Will Aaron Donald really retire, or is this all a leverage move for a new deal? Will a Lombardi Trophy and musings about his future translate into a contract extension for Sean McVay? Can they re-sign Von Miller? What do they do about Odell Beckham Jr., who is looking at a lengthy recovery from a torn ACL? How do they approach the draft, where they lack a first- or second-round pick? Thus far, general manager Les Snead has managed to push all of the right buttons and pull all of the right levers. If he and the Rams can continue to finagle successfully, they have the makings of something special for years to come.
Aaron Rodgers’ future
All eyes zero in on Aaron Rodgers as he ponders his next move while coming off of back-to-back MVP campaigns. Because of the tumultuous offseason of 2021, there was once a sense that Rodgers would set sail for a new destination this year. But many within the league now aren’t so sure. Rodgers’ tone shifted late in the season and postseason, and he has conveyed that he now has a very good relationship with general manager Brian Gutekunst. While accepting his MVP trophy last week, he expressed his love and appreciation for coach Matt LaFleur. Rodgers plans on making his decision shortly so the Packers and other teams know how to proceed in free agency. Plenty of teams would love to pry him away from the Packers, but Rodgers very well could decide that there’s no place like home and come back to Green Bay for an 18th season.
Russell Wilson’s situation
The Seattle Seahawks say they have no plans to trade Russell Wilson, but the quarterback still wants to review his options and see if he could potentially find a better situation. You can’t really blame him. There are so many deficiencies around him, and Pete Carroll’s message to the team seems to have grown stale. The Seahawks seem ripe for a reboot, and trading Wilson for a first-round pick or two could expedite this while allowing the 33-year-old a chance to compete on a Super Bowl-ready team.
Deshaun Watson’s legal woes and future
Nearly a year after the first of the 22 current civil suits against the talented quarterback were filed, there’s little clarity to his situation, and Watson remains under contract for the Houston Texans. All parties involved want resolution, so look for Houston to deal Watson sometime between now and the draft. Teams have hesitated to fork over a king's ransom for a player with so much legal uncertainty hanging over him, but there’s a sense within league circles that some kind of movement could be ahead, paving the way for the desired separation. A number of teams need quarterbacks, including the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Pittsburgh Steelers, Denver Broncos, Washington Commanders and Carolina Panthers. That list, of course, could continue to expand, depending on Rodgers’ and Wilson’s fates.
Kyler Murray’s relationship with the Cardinals
After a late-season slide and unceremonious exit from the postseason, things have gotten off to a rocky start for Kyler Murray and his team this offseason. Murray has scrubbed his social media platforms of references to the Cardinals amid frustrations with how things played out. Meanwhile, people within the organization have seemingly fired back with anonymous accusations about their 2019 first overall draft pick. It’s unclear whether Arizona brass can smooth things over with Murray, who is eligible for a contract extension.
Brian Flores’ legal battle
The former Miami Dolphins coach took a big gamble by suing the NFL and three teams for allegedly discriminatory hiring practices. Flores understands that this fight could cost him his coaching career, but he hopes to make a difference for future coaches and generations. This legal battle will take some time to play out because of the amount of material that must be reviewed. This action by Flores also will spark additional review of the Rooney Rule as NFL commissioner Rodger Goodell and his staff seek solutions to the league’s ongoing diversity hiring woes.
Daniel Snyder and the Commanders’ investigation
Congress continues to pressure the NFL and Washington Commanders for more information on the investigation regarding allegations of sexual harassment and additional acts of misconduct within Daniel Snyder's team. And it remains unclear if the findings of the report initially conducted will be made public, or if Snyder will be able to continue to hide behind the protection of the NFL shield. As additional have recently surfaced, Snyder tried to hire another independent investigator to review the situation. But the NFL stepped in and took over. The league also wrote a letter to congress accusing Snyder and the team of blocking the release of the findings of Beth Wilkinson’s 10-month probe. Some within the league believe that eventually, Snyder’s fellow owners could become frustrated and try to force him to sell the team. However, it’s widely expected that Snyder would take legal action to block such a move. Others in NFL circles believe that the majority of NFL owners do not want to set a precedent that could result in their own skeletons being exposed and their own security as team owners jeopardized. But if the details of the investigation are indeed released and found to be so egregious, the other owners may not have a choice but to act.
The fallout of the Stephen Ross tanking allegations
Snyder isn't the only owner in hot water. Flores' allegations that Dolphins owner Stephen Ross attempted to bribe him to tank games will spark a league investigation into the matter. Goodell said leading up to the Super Bowl that the allegations – which involved Ross allegedly offering Flores $100,000 per loss so the Dolphins could secure a better draft pick – are being taken very seriously, and that "if there were violations, they won't be tolerated." This is considered a potentially very serious matter, not just because of the draft-pick implications, but also because of gambling ramifications. Goodell said that depending on the outcome of the investigation, owners do have the power to vote on whether to remove Ross as owner of the team. Three-fourths of the owners would have to approve the ousting to trigger such a move.
Lamar Jackson’s contract status
Back to quarterbacks: This offseason could represent the window in which the Baltimore Ravens' Lamar Jackson finally lands his big contract extension. Jackson, who doesn’t have an agent and instead is representing himself, opted to not accept the Ravens’ offers last season. Now, he enters the final year of his contract (the fifth-year option that was exercised on his rookie deal). The Ravens remain adamant that they want to re-sign Jackson, and team officials relay that talks remain positive and ongoing. Last year, draft classmate Josh Allen landed a six-year, $258 million extension to stay with the Buffalo Bills. Jackson is equally as important to Baltimore’s success as Allen is to Buffalo's, so he seemingly could command similar dough. However, there are questions as to whether durability issues (injury forced Jackson to miss the final four games of the season, and Baltimore fell short in its playoff quest) and a lack of traditional representation will prove costly.
WR free agent market
This year's draft class isn't as highly regarded as those of years past. But free agency should be rather compelling. With the salary cap set to go up and teams looking for difference-makers to put them over the top in their quests for a Super Bowl, this could be the year that wide receivers cash in big. This year's crop of free agent market is expected to feature four marquee wideouts: Davante Adams' situation in Green Bay could hinge on Rodgers' decision, but if Adams opts to go elsewhere (and if the Packers don't franchise him, which would pay him $20 million for 2022), he will have plenty of suitors. Meanwhile, Tampa Bay's Chris Godwin also will be highly sought after despite coming off of a torn ACL. Mike Williams of the Los Angeles Chargers and Allen Robinson II of the Chicago Bears round out the list of elite receivers expected to draw a lot of interest.
Follow Paste BN Sports' Mike Jones on Twitter @ByMikeJones.