Hopefully you packed for the long trek.
While the NFL offseason began in a literal sense a few months ago it feels like it began in earnest on Monday.
Ever since the Super Bowl ended there has always been something going on to hold our attention. We had the NFL Combine to look forward to, and then free agency started shortly after, that carried us to the heart of NFL Draft preparation, then the draft itself happened, and last week we were examining the fallout of everything.
Obviously there are still things to come before training camp starts, but the point is that the offseason marathon has now sort of just begun. This is the time of year where the NFL lets the NBA, MLB, and soon the World Cup have their five minutes.
What do NFL fans do now that the draft is behind us?
This is a tough time of year for sure. I love all sports, but the NFL runs our lives and when there is no sun for anything to orbit around (which is the case for the next couple of months) then we are all just floating in space.
Ultimately we also have to remember that we are all kind of Michael Jordan when Daffy tells him that they are in Looney Tune land. Basically, anything is possible because there are no rules. Consider that on the morning of this writing I saw discussion around Fernando Mendoza having to adjust to taking snaps from center. Fine. Talk about it.
But the discussion included that Mendoza was “even practicing in his hotel” at the same time.
I try my best to avoid lulls in the calendar when there’s simply nothing to keep my interest. It does get difficult following the NFL draft because it’s the one last big event to look forward to before things go quiet for a number of weeks before training camp arrives. However, the best thing I did was get invested in the WNBA.
My daughter was born during Caitlin Clark’s tenure at the University of Iowa and as an Iowa alumni myself, it was very easy to lean heavily into what was going on. We have followed her in the WNBA and have since become massive fans of not just her, but the entire league. Since we live in Minnesota, we also love the Lynx. With the season starting up in less than a week, we’ll be right back to ingesting all the sports we can get, alongside the NBA playoffs (Go Timberwolves!)
TL:DR, find other sports to care about and you won’t regret it!
What is the biggest thing that’s happened so far this NFL offseason?
Now this is something that happened way at the start of the offseason, but I still think the Bills firing Sean McDermott has been the biggest thing that’s happened this offseason. This was a perennial powerhouse in the AFC and it will always blow my mind that franchises would rather blow it all up and risk a complete turnaround (in the wrong direction) than continue chugging along as a team that could compete for a Super Bowl every single year.
The Bills felt pressured to make a change because the Chiefs were not in the postseason in 2025 and they’ve been their main obstacle in the way of playing for a Lombardi most years. When they couldn’t get out of the early rounds in a year such as this, they just felt compelled to rip this massive band-aid off.
I don’t agree with it at all because the Chargers were never the same consistently after firing Marty Schottenheimer following the 14-2 campaign, but who knows? Maybe the Bills will be just fine.
Ultimately I think the most critical thing that happened this offseason was probably Matthew Stafford’s sort of overall orbit.
I don’t think anybody assumed he would retire, but it also isn’t absurd to start talking about that these days. His return gave the Rams a clear green light to move forward into 2026, but now that path is complicated by the drafting of Ty Simpson.
The Rams are one of the best teams in the NFL and share a division with the Super Bowl Champions. The reigning MVP is going to be a huge part of what continues to happen here and his status was made all the more interesting over the last few months.
What’s the most overblown story in the NFL this offseason?
It pains me to say this, but I think the answer is the Philadelphia Eagles and their dramatics.
Obviously trading away A.J. Brown, assuming they wind up doing so, will only serve to make them worse on paper. You simply cannot deny this.
But as obnoxious as some of the personalities associated with their team are, the Eagles have built up an enormous benefit of the doubt in the Nick Sirianni era. They have been to they playoffs in five straight seasons and have reached the Super Bowl twice in that span with a title to show for their work. You will not find opposition from me to call them annoying or overly intense, but I am just not willing to assume that they are going to totally bottom out any time soon.
I think any and all hype around the Las Vegas Raiders will always be overblown until they actually show they can be a competent franchise for more than one season in a row. The Raiders have had a number of highly-regarded offseasons over the past 10-15 years but none of them have led to any kind of sustained success. They’ll get one good year occasionally and then it’s right back to the basement of the AFC West.
I almost WANT them to have a good season and their moves to work out (this is coming from a Chargers guy here) but I just don’t see it happening. It’s almost impossible how often the majority of moves don’t work out for the Raiders. Call it a curse or whatever you want, but we’ve all seen this before and rightfully, until they show they’re able to put it together, I’ll continue to be a massive doubter in their future prospects.
Is there anything an NFL team can still do to impress you this offseason?
Honestly I think the Raiders may be on the verge. If Fernando Mendoza can find his footing — maybe the hotel snaps help with that — then I think we all trust Klint Kubiak to do his part. Wouldn’t it be all sorts of interesting if they were contenders if even on a mild level in 2026?
This would flip so many things upside down. The Broncos seem to be presuming they are the AFC West frontrunners now, but the Chiefs obviously did not enjoy their time out of the spotlight last year. The Chargers exist and whatever, but imagine if the Raiders can get involved here.
I think the Browns would surprise me a great deal if they could have just a regular, uneventful offseason where they have a solid plan for their quarterback room and what the team will look like come the start of the 2026 regular season.
If we have to spend the entire offseason hearing about all of their quarterbacks and we have to wait until late August to hear who the starter will be, I’m going to bet all of my money that they will finish in last place of the AFC North yet again.
The Browns need to commit to one quarterback as soon as possible to allow Todd Monken to hone his offense into the best version of itself long before September arrives. If they are going to ride the quarterback carousel all summer long, it’ll be hard to imagine him hitting the ground running in his first season at the helm of the franchise.
