This NFL offseason could change the league’s entire outlook. Some of the best teams in the NFL could be without their star players next season. One of the biggest defensive free agents, Rasul Douglas, was on the Buffalo Bills this past season. In the same division, the Miami Dolphins have to make a big decision. After failed contract extension talks last offseason, the Dolphins decided not to re-sign Jevon Holland, who had a dip in his production this season. The Giants made big news by signing Jevon Holland and strengthening their secondary. The Pittsburgh Steelers have a big decision coming up this offseason, who do they want at quarterback? This past season, Justin Fields had a great start, and then once Russell Wilson got healthy, he was immediately replaced. Wilson ultimately led the Steelers to a playoff birth where they lost in the first round.
The New York Jets had a very disappointing season with Aaron Rodgers who was supposed to end their playoff drought. However, instead of going 6-11 like they did in the 2023-2024 season, they went 5-12 in this past season. The Jets are moving on from Rodgers, which brings up the question; what will they do at the quarterback position? Also, it raises the question: will Rodgers retire or go to another team and try to have a comeback season? A big question is what will happen with Kirk Cousins after he was benched this season. Also, the Jets cornerback D.J. Reed says he wants to explore the free agent market which leaves a hole on the Jets roster. D.J. Reed is coming off of three string seasons and he is young and poised to get even better.
The Texans have a big decision on what to do with Stefon Diggs after he missed most of this season with an ACL tear. He has been a great receiver, but with the Texans having a disappointing season, they may want to go in a different direction at wide receiver. For the Chargers they have said they wanted to re-sign 34 year old Khalil Mack. He had six sacks this last season which is tied for his second lowest in his career.
After Bobby Wagner signed a one year contract with the Commanders last offseason, there were questions about how effective he could be in his thirteenth season. Since he was 33 years old, he didn’t disappoint. He had his thirteenth consecutive 100 plus tackle season, and he was named second team all pro. Now if the Commanders want to pick up from their very successful season, where they made they playoffs, and re-signing Bobby Wagner will be a big part of that. Bringing Keenan Allen to the Bears to help rookie Caleb Williams may have been a good idea, but with him turning 32, the new head coach Ben Johnson may want to head in a different direction this season. The Lions have to decide what to do with 34 year old star guard Kevin Zeitler, who started 16 games of their franchise best 15 win season. With his aging, the Lions might want to go in a different direction and try to go a little younger this season. Tyler Lockett got released after a long career with the Seahawks this offseason. Now, he needs to decide whether or not he wants to retire or go to a new team.
One of the best defensive backs in the NFL is entering free agency this offseason. D.J. Reed is coming off an amazing season with the Jets. Now the Jets don’t have the money to re-sign him, so he has many options of where he wants to go. He is by far the best DB in free agency, and he will not have a shortage of great offers. He is entering his prime and will most likely stand out as a top ten DB next season. He chose to go to the Lions, which sets the team up to be a serious Super Bowl contender this season.
The Chargers recently released Joey Bosa who had nine good seasons. He averages 11.4 sacks per season and 54 tackles a season. He is also a former DROY (Defensive Rookie of the Year) and a five time pro bowler, including making the pro bowl last season. Many teams can use a good edge rusher like Bosa on their defense. He will not be without good contract offers for next season.
The Seahawks are in a difficult position after losing Geno Smith and DK Metcalf. With their current roster they are going into next season without a good quarterback and one good wide receiver. They will need to make big moves this offseason if they want to make the playoffs next season. By signing Sam Darnold, the Seahawks seem to be trying to stay relevant in the playoff conversation.
The Bengals were able to re-sign both Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins, which helps keep their dominant offense. They still need to decide how they want to fix their defense, because as Snoop Dogg said, Joe Burrow can buy a batmobile, but not a good defense. They also lost Sam Hubbard who retired, and that is another huge blow for the Bengals lackluster defense.
Aaron Rodgers still hasn’t decided what team to go to, but whatever he decides to do will be a huge storyline. The Rams signed Davante Adams who replaces Cooper Kupp, and this helps set up the Rams to make the playoffs next season. The Rams have great wide receivers with Puka Nacua and Davante Adams, which makes their offense very explosive for next year.
The Eagles were able to retain most of their assets from their Super Bowl team last season which keeps them in contention. They also kept Saquon Barkley, who had the best season of his career last year. He played a big part in the Eagles’ Super Bowl run. They also held on to standout linebacker Zack Baun, who keeps their defense in tip top shape for next season. They are set and ready to try and compete for back-to-back Super Bowls.
The NFL draft is coming up, which brings with it many questions about the future of the NFL. The Titans need to decide if they want to keep the first overall pick or try to make a big trade with it. Also, the question that is going through everyone’s mind is, ‘Will Travis Hunter be able to play two ways in the NFL?’ In college, he played both offense and defense, which led to him getting the Heisman trophy. In the NFL, playing two ways will be a lot harder than in college, so people are waiting to see if he will be able to do that next season. For the Heisman runner up Ashton Jeanty, he was one of the best college running backs in recent memory, and he will be a first round pick–unlike most of the current NFL running backs. With this NFL draft, the future of the NFL will be shaped for years to come. This NFL offseason has been remarkable already, and it is shaping up to one of the most remarkable offseasons ever.
This NFL offseason has been remarkable already, and it is shaping up to one of the most remarkable offseasons ever.