As the Philadelphia Eagles and Kansas City Chiefs prepare for Super Bowl LVI, the 30 teams not playing in the big game are gearing up for the 2023 season. The league has one more game left before the madness of the NFL offseason begins, especially with free agency less than two months away and the draft less than three months away.
The NFL offseason won’t be short on drama either, especially after last year’s free agent debacle. Teams try to improve their rosters to get to the Super Bowl and compete against the Eagles and Chiefs going forward. This free agent season will definitely focus on quarterbacks, as there will likely be a lot of activity among signal callers around the league.
With just a few weeks left in the season, here are the main storylines to watch going forward:
For the third time in the last four seasons, the NFL world revolves around Tom Brady and what he decides to do next season. The soon-to-be 46-year-old Brady has a few options to consider, including, of course, retiring and taking a 10-year, $375 million deal with Fox.
Brady retired last season, but that lasted 40 days and he decided to return to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. A return to Tampa Bay seems unlikely for Brady, so there may be a few options. How about the Las Vegas Raiders, San Francisco 49ers or Miami Dolphins? Are those franchises enough to convince Brady to play another season — or two?
This offseason will be critical for Brady and the franchise’s quarterback from being Super Bowl contenders. Any team that gets Brady gets a lot of players with him.
Aaron Rodgers and the Packers have been playing the dance game for the past two seasons, leading to Rodgers becoming the league’s highest-paid quarterback and the Packers trading away their best pass rusher in Davante Adams. As Packers Jordan Love enters the final year of his rookie contract, will Green Bay and Rodgers finally decide to part ways?
The New York Jets hired Nathaniel Hackett as their offensive coordinator in order to entice Adams if Rodgers wanted to deal with him. There will certainly be a bidding war on the trade market for Rodgers, especially since he has two years left on that three-year, $150 million deal.
3. Will the Ravens sign Lamar Jackson to a long-term deal?
Lamar Jackson’s future with the Ravens is as uncertain as it came, especially since the two sides were unable to reach a long-term deal before the quarterback retired before the season. The Ravens could certainly try to franchise Jackson to a long-term deal this offseason, but does Jackson want to be in Baltimore at this point?
The Ravens certainly haven’t helped Jackson in providing pass catchers this season, playing against Jackson’s strengths in a run-first offense for the Ravens all season. Baltimore is moving on from longtime offensive coordinator Greg Roman and will seek Jackson’s input on finding a new offensive coordinator.
Unless the Ravens decide not to pay the lucrative extension he wants and move on, Jackson’s short-term future in Baltimore appears secure. Then as for Jackson, things will get interesting as to where he wants to play, how much he wants and how much Baltimore can get for him.
4. Where does Derek Carr end up?
The Raiders will be moving on from Derek Carr this offseason, but which team will Carr go to? Will Carr be the consolation prize after the fates of Brady, Rodgers and Jackson are decided — or will Carr be the first domino to fall?
Since Carr has been with the Raiders, the franchise has had the worst scoring defense in the NFL. With Carr getting a second chance with a new franchise, will a more capable defense bring out the best in him? Carr was the franchise quarterback the Raiders had lacked since Rich Gannon, but the Raiders were respectable but could not win the playoffs.
How much is the car worth? What teams will be willing to pay him? With Carr on the market, it will be interesting to see which teams jump on him first.
5. Can the NFC champion Eagles keep all of their free agents?
The Eagles have arguably the best roster in the NFL, steamrolling their opponents in the regular season and making it to the Super Bowl. Not all of these players are guaranteed to return for the 2023 season, as several key performers are free agents.
James Bradbury, Javon Hargrave, CJ Gardner-Johnson, Miles Sanders, Fletcher Cox, TJ Edwards, Isaac Seumalo and Marcus Epps are key starters for free agents this coming March. That’s a lot of good players the Eagles have to keep — and Philadelphia can’t afford to keep them all at cap space.
The Eagles need to re-invent the salary cap and retain players who are part of their long-term future. This team will definitely not be the same as the NFC Championship team.
6. Who will be the 49ers quarterback next season?
San Francisco basically made a decision on Jimmy Garoppolo before the season when the 49ers decided to go with Trey Lance in camp. They reworked Garoppolo’s contract for 2022, allowing him to walk in free agency in 2023. Garoppolo essentially took over the job after Lance was injured and lost for the season, but he himself was injured – and replaced by Brock Purdy.
Purdy hurt UCLA in the NFC Championship Game, and the 49ers’ implosion could be a star quarterback away from winning the Super Bowl. With Christian McCaffrey, Debo Samuels, George Kittle and Brandon Ayuk — the 49ers need to develop all the skill players at their disposal.
Does San Francisco think Purdy is the answer in 2023, or will the 49ers double down on their investment with Lance? Is it a challenge to move on from both Brady and other free agent quarterbacks?
San Francisco has a tough decision to make, the difference between winning the Super Bowl or making the postseason.
Saquon Barkley is the cream of the crop among loaded backs in free agency, but how much will he command from the Giants? Barkley said he doesn’t want to set the market for a running back, despite his benchmark after his best season since his rookie year.
Barkley isn’t the same player he was five years ago, but he’s still a player who challenges defenses. The Giants’ offense is gone without Barkley sometime in 2022, but New York will pay $10 million or more for their best offensive player. The Giants have the cap space but have other concerns to address.
Barkley doesn’t have to be the first domino to fall, but he’ll be in high demand.
8. How much will the 2020 quarter make with extensions?
Joe Burroughs, Justin Herbert and Jalen Harts are due for lucrative extensions this offseason, especially since Burroughs and Herbert exercised their fifth-year options this year. Since he had a second-round pick, the Hearts don’t have a fifth-year option, meaning an extension from the Eagles could come sooner rather than later.
Aaron Rodgers earns the highest average salary for a quarter at $50,271,667, which is set to surpass Russell Wilson’s $49 million and Kyler Murray’s $46.1 million last season.
Burroughs and Herbert are set to reset the market and the downside won’t be far behind them. Tua Tagovailoa will be in the mix for another extension, with a fifth-year option coming up.
The quarter market is about to be relaunched with this brilliant episode.
9. Will teams pay any of these running backs in this deep free agent class?
There are plenty of talented running backs to hit the open market, but how much are these players worth? Saquon Barkley, Josh Jacobs, Miles Sanders, Tony Pollard, Kareem Hunt, Rashad Penny, Jamaal Williams, Raheem Mostert, D’Onta Foreman, Devin Singles, Samaje Perine and Jerick McKinnon are some of the notable names to become free agents.
There are many good players available to teams, but will these franchises enter a bidding war for some of these players? Should teams lower some of these backs and let the market play out until the draft — or after the draft?
Teams want running backs all they want, but running backs are proving to be better value on a rookie contract than paying a player big money on a second contract.
Will it be the same this season? There are many good players available.