Some talking points as offseason heats up
Most North American professional sports leagues take a couple of months off after their championship has been decided. Not the NFL.
The Chiefs’ Super Bowl win is just two weeks old, but the NFL is already on to 2024. The Combine will be held this coming week in Indianapolis, signaling not only the official start of draft season, but the beginning of free agency and rule changes for next season.
The NFL news cycle is about to explode. Let’s take a look at the top stories of the 2024 offseason:
What will the Bears do at quarterback?: Holders of the No. 1 overall draft pick, the Bears are the linchpin of the offseason, since everyone wants that pick and the ability to draft Southern Cal quarterback Caleb Williams.
The obvious decision for the Bears is to draft Williams and trade Justin Fields. Williams is a superior passer, and cheaper — as the No. 1 pick, he will sign a fouryear deal worth about $40 million, while Fields is entering the final year of his rookie contract and will cost $25.7 million with a fifth-year option in 2025. The Bears should be able to recoup a second- or third-round pick for Fields, who is only making $3.2 million in 2024 and could be a good bridge option for teams such as Atlanta, Pittsburgh, Denver, or Las Vegas.
But it has to be tempting for the Bears to trade the pick, because they can potentially get a king’s ransom.
Veteran quarterback musical chairs: It looks as if at least nine teams have unsettled quarterback situations, and there will be several notable names available. Kirk Cousins is an impending free agent after six seasons in Minnesota, and the Vikings haven’t shown much urgency in getting him re-signed. Cousins would be an obvious upgrade for the teams previously mentioned for Fields, even at 35 and coming off a torn
Achilles’.
Fields is the second-best veteran quarterback potentially available, followed by Russell Wilson, who is likely to be released by the Broncos, even though they owe him $39 million fully guaranteed. That means Wilson, 35, will probably come cheaply for his new team, especially if he wants to prove that the Broncos made the wrong decision to dump him.
Baker Mayfield is a free agent, but it’s hard seeing him leave the Buccaneers after they helped revitalize his career and hired an offensive coordinator (Liam Coen) with whom he previously worked. Other veteran quarterbacks to hit free agency will be Jimmy Garoppolo, Ryan Tannehill, Jacoby Brissett, Jameis Winston, Gardner Minshew, Mitchell Trubisky, and Drew Lock. Watch out for Winston and Denver given his previous relationship with coach Sean Payton.
Tua Tagovailoa’s contract: Fellow 2020 draftees Joe Burrow and Justin Herbert got mega contracts last offseason, deals that average $55 million and $52.5 million per year, respectively. But the Dolphins have a tricky decision with Tagovailoa, who is set to play on his fifth-year option at $23.17 million.
Tagovailoa put up big numbers in 2023 and the Dolphins surely want to keep building with a team that made the playoffs in consecutive years for the first time since 2000-01. But do they really want to sink big bucks into a player who has a troubling concussion history and might just be a “system” quarterback?
Saquon Barkley — again:
Remember hearing Barkley’s name ad nauseum last offseason when the Giants gave him the franchise tag but couldn’t work out a longterm deal? Hope you’re ready for more. The franchise tag at $12.1 million doesn’t seem likely this time for Barkley, a 27-year-old running back who averaged just 3.9 yards per carry last year. Don’t be surprised if the Giants ultimately let him walk.