The NFL offseason is about to ramp up.
Monday marks the start of the NFL scouting combine in Indianapolis, where teams can watch and meet the 329 prospects who were invited this year.
But the combine represents more than a scouting extravaganza.
It’s also a mile marker at which general managers must identify what they want to accomplish this offseason. That will influence trade discussions, roster decisions and extension talks.
It should be a compelling offseason, with big-name stars already on the trade block, others poised for free agency, and a draft in which the No. 1 pick is far from decided.
Here are the biggest storylines as the offseason gets underway.
STAFFORD SAGA
The key to the offseason could be whether the Los Angeles Rams reach a new contract with quarterback Matthew Stafford.
Even at 37, Stafford is among the NFL’s best quarterbacks, and his $35 million salary for 2025 is well below market value.
Stafford just led the Rams (10-7) to an NFC West title and to the divisional round of the playoffs, where they gave the Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles the biggest fight of any postseason opponent.
The Rams boast a talented young defense and a 23-year-old stud wide receiver in Puka Nacua, and they may not want to be tied up financially with an older quarterback.
Redoing Stafford’s deal remains the most likely outcome, but it’s far from a certainty for a franchise known for operating outside of the box.
The Giants have already been linked to Stafford, who would command a robust market if the Rams decide to move him.
RODGERS RELOCATION
Stafford is hardly the only veteran QB who could change teams.
Aaron Rodgers is also seeking a new home after the Jets decided to move on following a disappointing two-year marriage.
Despite the Jets’ 5-12 record, Rodgers threw for 3,897 yards, 28 touchdowns and 11 interceptions last season.
He’s no longer the quarterback who won four MVPs with the Green Bay Packers, but Rodgers, 41, showed he has something left. If he doesn’t retire, Rodgers in Week 1 would be two full years removed from the Achilles tear that ended his 2023 season after four snaps.
Still, his market is unclear.
If the Rams move on from Stafford, they could make sense for Rodgers, a California native with a home in Los Angeles.
The Minnesota Vikings also have uncertainty at quarterback. If Rodgers went there, he would follow the same Packers-to-Jets-to-Vikings path that former teammate Brett Favre once did.
K.C. CONUNDRUMS
Fresh off of their sobering 40-22 loss in Super Bowl LIX, the Chiefs enter a pivotal offseason.
At the forefront is the future of Travis Kelce, 35, who acknowledged on his “New Heights” podcast that he has not decided whether he will play a 13th season.
Kelce, a three-time Super Bowl champion and arguably the greatest tight end ever, is owed $17 million next season. But Kelce’s production has dipped the past two years, and seemingly endless media opportunities await Taylor Swift’s charismatic boyfriend in retirement.
Additionally, the Chiefs need to rebuild an offensive line that was manhandled by Philadelphia in the Super Bowl.
Whether or not Kelce returns, the Chiefs’ offense around Patrick Mahomes should be different next season.
DARNOLD’S DESTINATION
Perhaps the most intriguing QB situation is that of the Vikings, who just went 14-3 with Sam Darnold.
But Darnold, an impending free agent, struggled in a Week 18 loss to the Detroit Lions with an NFC North title on the line, then again in a Wild-Card defeat by the Rams.
Minnesota could use the $40 million franchise tag on Darnold, or they could let him test free agency and see what he comes back with.
Or the Vikings could simply move forward with J.J. McCarthy, who missed his rookie season due to a meniscus tear that required two surgeries.
Don’t forget the Vikings signed Daniel Jones after the Giants cut him in November. While Jones is now a free agent, he could return as a veteran presence.
Darnold, 27, is the NFL’s top free agent after passing for 4,319 yards and 35 touchdowns in a long-awaited breakout season.
TRADING PLACES
While this free-agent class is light on star power, the trade block should be anything but.
Wide receiver Cooper Kupp, 31, has said the Rams plan to trade him after a down season in which the 2021 NFL Offensive Player of the Year made 67 catches for 710 yards and six touchdowns in 12 games.
Cleveland Browns pass rusher Myles Garrett, the 2023 NFL Defensive Player of the Year, has requested a trade.
Same goes for San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Deebo Samuel, whose usage curiously faded last year after a 12-touchdown campaign in 2023.
And while there has not been any public reckoning with Davante Adams, the Jets are expected to part with the 32-year-old wide receiver now that Rodgers is out of the picture.
BENGALS BUNDLE
The notoriously cost-conscious Bengals have not one, but two star wide receivers primed for paydays.
Tee Higgins, 26, played last season on the franchise tag and is a candidate to be tagged again. While Higgins comes with durability concerns, he is productive when he plays, and quarterback Joe Burrow has repeatedly advocated for the 6-4 target to return.
And then there’s Ja’Marr Chase, whom the Bengals failed to extend last offseason in what appears to be a costly misstep.
Chase’s price has only gone up after he led the NFL with 127 catches, 1,708 receiving yards and 17 touchdowns.
The 24-year-old is entering the final year of his rookie deal.
DRAFT DECISIONS
Five of the top seven picks in April’s NFL Draft belong to quarterback-needy teams, yet there are not many high-end QB prospects to go around.
Most evaluators consider Miami’s Cam Ward and Colorado’s Shedeur Sanders the only quarterbacks worthy of a top-10 selection, and even those two have proven polarizing.
Whether one could fall to the Giants at No. 3 or the Jets at No. 7 remains to be seen.
The Tennessee Titans hold the first pick, followed by the Cleveland Browns at No. 2, and both are in the market for a quarterback.
Overall, this draft is considered light on generational talent, with Colorado cornerback/wide receiver Travis Hunter and Penn State pass rusher Abdul Carter pegged as the only can’t-miss prospects.
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