MINNESOTA

OC Wes Phillips pleads guilty.  Kevin Seifert of ESPN.com:

Minnesota Vikings offensive coordinator Wes Phillips has entered a guilty plea stemming from a 2023 traffic stop in Minneapolis, according to court documents.

As part of an agreement with prosecutors, Phillips will plead guilty to an amended charge of misdemeanor careless driving. He will pay a $300 fine and a $78 surcharge, according to the documents, and perform eight hours of community work at a non-profit within 60 days. A hearing is scheduled for Friday in Hennepin County District Court to approve the agreement.

On Dec. 8, Phillips was stopped on I-394 at approximately 9:45 p.m. CT. He showed signs of impairment and ultimately his blood alcohol content tested at 0.10, according to the Minnesota State Patrol. The legal limit in Minnesota is 0.08.

Phillips was booked into the Hennepin County jail and released early the next morning after posting $300 bond. He accompanied the team to Las Vegas later that day and performed his normal duties in its 3-0 victory over the Raiders.

Afterward, coach Kevin O’Connell said he was “incredibly disappointed” and said that the team “will continue to kind of process the information as we move forward and work through whatever discipline there may be at that point.”

Speaking later to reporters, Phillips said he would learn from his mistake.

“Aside from the standards I have for myself,” Phillips said, “I do understand that as a coach in this league there are certain standards from the NFL and from the Minnesota Vikings, and I didn’t live up to those standards. The last thing I would ever want to do is detract from the attention being on the great things these guys do on the field. So that was unfortunate.

“I do believe in being accountable, and learning from your mistakes, accepting whatever discipline that may come down the road, growing from it and going forward with a positive attitude.”

WASHINGTON

The Commanders sit at number two in the draft and their OC just came off coaching the guy who many think will go number one.  Charean Williams of ProFootballTalk.com:

Caleb Williams is expected to be a top pick in the 2024 NFL draft. The Commanders, who draft second, need a quarterback. Commanders offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury coached Williams at USC last season.

Kingsbury did a deft job of avoiding a question about Williams during his introductory news conference Thursday.

“He’s a great kid. There’s no doubt,” Kingsbury said, via video from NBC4 Sports. “Just getting to watch Lincoln [Riley] from afar and observe him and how he coaches and how he schemes things up and his processes was huge, and then just being around the younger players.”

Kingsbury was asked what he looks for in a quarterback and joked, “The Chiefs quarterback.”

Kingsbury coached Patrick Mahomes at Texas Tech.

“No. I do think the game as you can see. . . . You watch those guys at the end like when the money is on the table, you’ve got to be able to make some plays with your feet, move around enough to escape a bad play,” Kingsbury said. “It doesn’t mean you’ve got to run like Lamar [Jackson] or Kyler Murray. But you better be able to move a little bit and buy yourself some time because the D-line, the rush as a defense these days is so good. And then the intangibles, you want that player to be hardest worker on your team. You want him to lead those guys. Each and every day when he shows up in the building you want him to lift the building up. That’s why those guys make the type of money they do.”

The Commanders are expected to draft a quarterback that Kingsbury will get to develop like he did with Johnny Manziel, Baker Mayfield, Mahomes, Murray and Williams.

“First off, you’ve got to have talented players to work with. There’s no doubt,” Kingsbury said. “I’ve been fortunate to be around some really good players, good people. I just try to figure out what makes them tick. Everybody’s different. Everybody learns different. Everybody processes differently. Likes different plays. Sees the game differently. So, I really try to get to the bottom of who they are as a person and who they are as a player and build it around them.”

ATLANTA

After this year in New Orleans, the Super Bowl is heading West for two years (after the last three being in the West as well).  Atlanta owner Arthur Blank believes his city will get one when the NFL brings it back east:

Atlanta hosted Super Bowl LIII, a year after the new stadium opened. The Falcons are trying to host another game there.

Owner Arthur Blank recently told Daniel Kaplan of FrontOfficeSports.com that Atlanta is back in the mix for another Super Bowl game.

“We have our hat in for another Super Bowl [for the 2028 or ’29 game],” Blank said.

That would be Super Bowl LXII or LXIII (62 or 63, in normal numbers).

It’s difficult to discern the current Super Bowl rotation, if there even is one. Los Angeles, Las Vegas, and Miami are in it. Arizona seems to be, too, along with San Francisco/Santa Clara. Houston and Atlanta want to be. Ditto for New Orleans, which will host the next one for the first time in 12 years.

Then there’s the new-stadium-with-public-money-quid-pro-quo, which wedges a periodic city into the mix on a one-time-only basis.

Regardless, Atlanta is in the mix for another one. Given that the NFL no longer does open bidding but selects and approaches cities one at a time, it looks like Atlanta will indeed get another one.

To refresh your memory:

SB55 2020 (played in 2021):  Tampa

SB56 2021 (played in 2022):  Los Angeles (SoFi)

SB57 2022 (played in 2023):  Arizona

SB58 2023 (played in 2024):  Las Vegas

SB59 2024 (played in 2025):  New Orleans

SB60 2025 (played in 2026):  San Francisco (Santa Clara)

SB61 2026 (played in 2027):  Los Angeles (SoFi)

Atlanta next? Last was SB53.

Miami? Last was SB54.

Will the following ever get another? Dallas (SB45), Indianapolis (SB46), New Jersey/New York (SB48).

And Houston (SB51) or Minnesota (SB52) or Detroit (SB40).

This from Albert Breer:

From Scott Fairbanks (@Sxottlan): Chance of another wintry city hosting a Super Bowl again any time soon?

Scott, for it to happen, you need a new, domed stadium. That’s why Detroit, Minneapolis and Indianapolis got theirs. New York, of course, is different. Nashville will get one, I’m sure, but I don’t think it’d qualify as a “wintry” city. So to me the next ones will likely be places like Chicago and Washington, big metropolises with teams trying to get domes.

NEW ORLEANS

The Saints will be heading to California for training camp.  Jeff Duncan of NoLa.com:

The New Orleans Saints are planning to head west to California for training camp this season.

With construction ongoing as part of renovations of the Saints’ facility in Metairie, Louisiana, the University of California at Irvine is the likely host of Saints camp in 2024.  A deal between the Saints and the university has not been finalized but is expected to get done, at which point an official announcement will be made.

The Saints, who are slated to play two preseason games on the road and one at home, will likely request that their two road games come in the first two weeks of the preseason, preferably against teams that play in the West, and that their third and final preseason game be played at home in New Orleans.

The team has gone to Southern California for joint practices in training camp several times, including last year when they practiced with the Chargers before playing them in a preseason game.  The Rams have previously had training camp at the Irvine location but are planning to have it this year at their practice facility in the Woodland Hills neighborhood of Los Angeles.

SAN FRANCISCO

With an eye on WR BRANDON AIYUK, Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com wonders how long the 49ers can keep all their offensive stars together:

49ers receiver Brandon Aiyuk said this week that he wants to stay with the team “if that’s the right move.” The team said this week that it wants to keep him.

The question becomes whether the two sides will find a proper middle ground regarding a new contract.

“You have to prioritize all these things,” G.M. John Lynch told reporters on Tuesday. “Brandon’s entering his fifth-year option. Brandon’s been a fantastic player for us. Kyle [Shanahan] calls him a warrior all the time because of the way he goes out and competes. That shines through. Anybody, whether you’re a trained eye or whether you’re a fan, you can see the passion he plays with. You can see the production that he’s had. We’re extremely prideful in what he’s become and he should be as well. And so, your team is comprised of guys, veterans who’ve been paid very well, of guys who want to be paid very well. We’ve got one guy on our team who is pretty prominent who can’t be paid real well right now because the CBA doesn’t allow [it]. So it’s all one big puzzle. We’ve developed a good cadence over the years, Kyle and I, where he focuses on the season. We do all the planning and then we present things to him and we work through it. That’s what we’ll continue to do. But of course you want a guy like Brandon Aiyuk to be a part of you going forward.”

Yes, it’s a puzzle. They have one more year before quarterback Brock Purdy is eligible for a new deal. They also have made major investments in key offensive players like running back Christian McCaffrey, receiver Deebo Samuel, tight end George Kittle, and tackle Trent Williams. (McCaffrey, frankly, should be looking for a raise this offseason.)

Where does Aiyuk fit? He’s due to make $14.1 million in 2024. That’s well below market value, especially for a guy who was a second-team All Pro, and who had a career-high 1,342 receiving yards — more than 300 yards more than Kittle and more than 400 yards more than Samuel.

It would be tempting for the 49ers to let it ride for another year at a fairly low investment. But then what? At some point, the 49ers will need to make some tough decisions about veteran players like Kittle (whose cap number exceeds $21 million this year) and Samuel (whose cap number is set to be $28.6 million).

If they pay Aiyuk now, they might have to let one of the other two go. If they wait, they can perhaps hold the trio together for one more year.

SEATTLE

The Seahawks have informed QB GENO SMITH that they will pay to keep him around in 2024.  Michael David Smith of ProFootballTalk.com:

The contract that quarterback Geno Smith signed with the Seahawks last year included a clause calling for his $12.7 million base salary for the 2024 season to become fully guaranteed if he’s on the roster through Friday, so the team had a decision to make about his future this week.

Adam Schefter of ESPN reports that they’ve informed Smith of that decision. They told him that he will remain on the roster and the salary will become guaranteed.

Smith’s compensation also includes a $9.6 million roster bonus. That bonus is due on March 18.

The full package is more than reasonable for a starting quarterback and Smith has played well for much of his two seasons as the starter in Seattle. He’ll be learning a new offense after the team changed coaches this offseason and his proficiency in that scheme will help determine how much longer he remains the choice to run the Seahawks offense.

KANSAS CITY

An update on the shooting in Kansas City – a “dispute” between unnamed juveniles.

Authorities in Kansas City said Thursday that the mass shooting that left one person dead and 22 injured at the Chiefs’ Super Bowl celebration appeared to have stemmed from a dispute among several people.

Police Chief Stacey Graves said Thursday that the total number of victims is 23, including Lisa Lopez-Galvan, who was killed in the shooting. Graves said that the 22 people injured in the shooting ranged between the ages of 8 and 47 years old and that half of the injured were under the age of 16.

Fire Chief Ross Grundyson said the victims included eight critically hurt and seven in serious condition.

An adult who had been detained has been released from custody, police spokesperson Alayna Gonzalez told multiple media outlets Thursday. That leaves two juveniles detained.

“The two juveniles are currently being held in custody while we work with juvenile prosecutors to review investigative findings and determine applicable charges,” Gonzalez said.

Investigators are calling for witnesses, people with cellphone footage and victims of the violence to call a dedicated hotline.

“We are working to determine the involvement of others. And it should be noted we have recovered several firearms. This incident is still a very active investigation,” Graves said at a news conference.

Did they try to shoot each other, missed, and hit 23 other people?

INDIANAPOLIS

James Boyd of The Athletic on the greatness of Shane Steichen:

There’s a right way and a wrong way to throw a challenge flag. Shane Steichen knows the difference.

The 38-year-old Steichen, who just finished his first year as head coach of the Indianapolis Colts, is typically robotic when dealing with the figurehead aspects of the job. But diving into football minutiae — for example, discussing the intricacies of the challenge flag — makes him come alive.

He remembered a questionable catch made by Eagles receiver DeVonta Smith on the sideline when Steichen was the offensive coordinator in Philadelphia in 2022. The Eagles hurried to the line to beat out a potential challenge by Washington coach Ron Rivera, but Rivera threw the flag.

Incorrectly, it turns out.

A coach’s challenge is initiated when the challenge flag hits the ground, Steichen said, not when it’s thrown. Rivera threw his flag “5 or 6 yards in front of him,” and by the time it landed, the next play was underway.

“That was a good note for the future,” Steichen said from his office late in the season. “Take it out and throw it out on the ground flat, as fast as you can. Whatever you gotta do, just get it down so you don’t get caught in between.”

NFL teams hired five first-time head coaches in the just-completed coaching cycle, with each franchise believing it has found the best leader for the present and future despite little on-the-job evidence to go on. Any of them would do well to emulate Steichen. Powered by his poise and ingenuity, the Colts improved from 4-12-1 in 2022 and overcame a 3-5 start in 2023 to finish 9-8, one win short of the playoffs and an AFC South title. The painful conclusion is likely still burning in Steichen’s mind.

Investigating the minuscule margins that decide wins and losses is where he finds solitude. The challenge flag is one of those margins. Steichen purposefully places it in his front right pocket; if the flag was in his left pocket, or either of his back pockets, he would have to reach across his body to get it, and that split-second could cost him.

“When you love something so much, you give it your all,” Steichen said. “That’s why the details are so important in this league. There is so much parity and you gotta be all over it, because if you’re not, you’re gonna get beat.”

The running joke among the media members covering the Colts is that Steichen doesn’t eat or sleep. He just goes back to his office, plugs himself in and downloads the latest coaching software update. Chris Jones, Steichen’s coach at Oak Ridge High School in Sacramento, can attest to his dedication. Instead of partying on weekends, Steichen and his top target, future Colts wide receiver Austin Collie, would meet up at their high school stadium, which Jones purposely left unlocked, and go over plays late into the night.

Steichen’s unwavering commitment continued in college at UNLV. One summer day, when Jones and his team traveled to UNLV for a camp, Jones caught a glimpse of his tall, skinny former quarterback trying his best to pack on the muscle.

“We’re out on the field practicing, and we heard this dragging of this metal on concrete sound,” Jones said. “We look over, and it’s Shane with the strength and conditioning coach and he’s pulling a weighted sled around the football complex at UNLV. We all kind of chuckled, and he just looked over at us and gave a nice little smile.

“We laugh about it now, but at the time, he was just doing whatever he needed to do to get stronger and to get better.”

That mindset never left Steichen as he transitioned into coaching, and it’s manifested itself in a multitude of ways. Early in the season, Steichen fooled fellow rookie head coach DeMeco Ryans into burning a timeout in the fourth quarter. On a fourth-and-1, Steichen sent his punt unit onto the field, waited for the play clock to tick down, then quickly substituted his offense back in.

The Texans would’ve been allowed to substitute their defense into the game, a requirement under NFL rules, and a delay of game penalty would’ve been called on the Colts if the play clock expired. But Ryans panicked and called an ill-advised timeout anyway, helping Indianapolis hold on for a Week 2 win.

Steichen pulled the same stunt the following week, this time on Super Bowl-winning head coach John Harbaugh in an upset victory at Baltimore. After tricking Harbaugh into calling a timeout on fourth-and-goal in the second quarter, Steichen doubled down on the very next play. This time, Harbaugh didn’t fall for his shenanigans and forced Indianapolis to accept a delay of game penalty. After his bluff was called, Steichen looked across the field at the Ravens’ sideline and shrugged his shoulders.

“The things that he does, he’s like, ‘I know my guys worked hard all week to prepare to compete their tails off. I’m gonna do the same. I’m not just gonna sit here with a sheet of paper and just call a play,’” star running back Jonathan Taylor said. “It’s like, ‘What can I do to get the other coach off their game and give my team an advantage?’ Once you see that, it’s easier to trust him, because you know he’s giving everything he’s got.”

When Steichen was hired almost exactly one year ago, he didn’t like what he saw (literally), so he changed it. The bare walls of his office were filled with photos of Colts legends, the team’s two outdoor practice fields repainted to include one of his four pillars — character, preparation, consistency and relentlessness — written in each end zone.

If the Colts wanted to be great, they needed to be reminded of their standard.

“It can’t live on a wall,” Steichen said early in the season. “So, when we’re watching practice, guys are seeing that everywhere. It’s up in the meeting rooms, it’s on the field.”

Defensive end Dayo Odeyingbo got a preview of Steichen’s standards in one of his first team meetings in training camp.

“I knew that motherf—er was serious when he was sitting in the training room,” Odeyingbo said. “He was like, ‘If the training room opens at 7 a.m., that means breakfast starts at 6:30. So, you need to get up and get breakfast before the training opens, not when it opens.’”

“I forgot to weigh out of practice three times,” wide receiver Michael Pittman Jr. said, laughing and shaking his head. “I’m never late for practice or anything like that, but even something as small as that, he wasn’t messing around.

“They fined me the first time, and I was like, ‘Damn.’ Then they fined me the second and third times, and was like, ‘Damn! Damn!’ That’s when I knew he was all business.”

That level of consistency from Day 1 made it easier for players to believe in Steichen throughout a tumultuous, remarkable season — despite his controversial play call that ended it.

After beating the Las Vegas Raiders in Week 17, Indianapolis was rewarded with a win-and-in de facto playoff game against Houston in the regular-season finale. The obstacles that could have sunk the Colts’ campaign to that point had been successfully navigated. It didn’t matter that Taylor missed seven games with ankle and thumb injuries, starting nose tackle Grover Stewart was suspended six games for violating the NFL’s performance-enhancing drugs policy, or, most notably, rookie QB Anthony Richardson suffered a season-ending shoulder injury in Week 5.

“Shane, I just feel like regardless of what happens, the highs and lows of the season, he just keeps us focused and keeps the main thing the main thing,” linebacker Zaire Franklin said after the Raiders win. “Keep focusing on competing. Keep focusing on getting better and preparation.”

After the game, Steichen made his way from an elated locker room to the podium in the media room one hallway away. His smile was gone. How much time would he take to soak in the three-point victory?

“None,” Steichen said. “Zero time to enjoy this win.”

Indianapolis was one victory away from its first postseason appearance since 2020 and first AFC South title since 2014. Steichen was already turning his attention to Houston and standout rookie QB C.J. Stroud. So much had changed since the two teams met in Week 2, when Richardson was arguably the best player on the field before a concussion ended his day prematurely. Three weeks later, Richardson’s season ended while Stroud ascended into stardom.

After trading blows with Houston all game, Indianapolis was trailing 23-17 and facing fourth-and-1 from Houston’s 15-yard line with 1:06 left. Steichen called the perfect play, a short pass that left third-string running back Tyler Goodson wide open in the flat. But the throw from backup QB Gardner Minshew, although catchable, was low and behind Goodson, and he wasn’t able to corral it. The ball hit his hands before falling to the turf.

Moments later, the Colts’ season was over.

“Have I stopped thinking about that play? No, I haven’t,” Steichen said two days later in his season-ending news conference. “It was a huge play in the game. We got the look we wanted, and it didn’t work out. That’s football sometimes. It is frustrating. It’s disappointing but, again, (I have) faith and trust in anyone we put on that field to go make a play.”

Steichen’s last point was validated by his team’s reaction. Outside the locker room, there were plenty of raised eyebrows at the idea of leaving your season’s fortunes in the hands of a third-string running back with six career receptions. But Steichen’s players didn’t second-guess their coach. They had run the play several times during practice that week and it worked.

Taylor, who had a monster game against the Texans but was hobbled on the last drive due to a heel injury, refused to point the finger when asked about the play in his postgame media scrum.

“Have you really questioned his calls all year?” Taylor asked, holding back tears. “He’s always been calling the right play at the right time. I don’t think anyone questioned the call. No one did.”

– – –

Those team-building moments included light-hearted shooting competitions between players and coaches on the rollout basketball hoops the Colts brought to training camp and kept on the sideline of their indoor practice field during the season. Alie-Cox said their team bonding also included fierce one-on-one football drills at the end of every Friday practice between the “young guys” to cap the week with a jolt of energy and competition.

Franklin noted there was a lot of trash talk and chatter in those settings, which Steichen was never above. Before the shooting competitions and one-on-one drills, there was just plain old preparation, practice and pride. That’s where Steichen feels most at home and where he does most of his “sh–talking,” according to Franklin.

“When we’re doing compete periods in practice and the defense is kicking the offense’s ass, I’m talking to the offense and I’m talking to Shane, too, and Shane is like, ‘Nah, don’t worry about it. Come on, let’s run it back!’” Franklin said. “And I can tell he’s getting mad, so he’s really starting to call plays. But guess what? We just really made each other better, though, because I just let y’all know that it’s not OK to get your ass kicked, and you just let me know that y’all are gonna come back and fight no matter what.”

A new culture is taking root in Indianapolis. The seeds have been planted in Year 1, and as Steichen flips the page this offseason, he plans to cultivate them in Year 2.

While some might dwell on victories and defeats, including the one that ended Indianapolis’ season, Steichen dwells in the minute margins that determine those outcomes. He knows no other way to approach football, and it’s made him one of the premier young coaches in the NFL. With a pivotal offseason ahead, Steichen will continue chasing the version of himself and his team that turns their potential into results. The Colts fell just short of doing that in his first year, but there are signs they could be on their way.

“I think we’re right there,” Steichen said. “You can see it by the way our guys fought. But every year is a new year. So, we’ve got to rebuild it again next year and have that laser focus every single day. The details, the preparation that we put into it, we’ve got to be all over it.

“But I do, I think we’re right on the cusp of something really special here.”

NEW ENGLAND

QBs BAILEY ZAPPE and MAC JONES did not have a good relationship as 2023 wore on.  Albert Breer of SI.com answers a reader’s question:

From Luke Pietrzak (@lpzak44): Any chance Mayo gives Mac Jones another chance as starter?

Luke, I’d be surprised.

It’s not that I think Jones is a lost cause. It’s that his cause in New England is lost.

It’s really hard to live down your history with an NFL team, and Jones’s with the New England Patriots is not good. He was drafted 15th and hasn’t come close to living up to his slot. He was good as a rookie, and regressed badly since. He was well-liked early on, but, over time, lost support in the building. And the quarterback room he was in the last two years got toxic, to the point where Bailey Zappe, as a rookie, sometimes watched tape in the receiver room.

That’s a lot of wounds, some self-inflicted, some not, to try and heal—and wounds that Jerod Mayo saw surface with his own eyes as a Patriots assistant. You can’t snap your fingers and make that history disappear with coaches and staff. What happens if Jones comes back and has some bumps in the offseason, in camp or in an early game? Everyone will point right back to the history. Which makes for a tough environment for Jones to try and move forward in, and potentially a tough spot for Mayo to dig his first team out of.

That’s also before we even get to the possibility that Drake Maye or Jayden Daniels are part of this equation, in which case you’d almost have to get rid of Jones.

I think the ideal for Jones is that he lands somewhere like San Francisco as a backup, gets a year to learn, play if there’s an injury, and rebuild his name and reputation in the league. I actually really have enjoyed my interactions with him personally, and I think there’s a good quarterback—like a Chad Pennington type—in there somewhere. Someone can probably get that out of him. I don’t think it can be the Patriots.

NEW YORK JETS

Rich Cimini of ESPN on Jets EDGE BRYCE HUFF:

Every corner of an NFL organization roots for a guy like Bryce Huff — the scouts who discovered him, the front office that signed him as an undrafted free agent and the coaches who groomed him into a formidable player.

“Bryce is a great player-development success story,” New York Jets general manager Joe Douglas said of the pass rusher.

Now comes the tricky part: Pay him or lose him.

Welcome to the NFL offseason

Without a doubt, Huff is the Jets’ most important free agent to be. The most compelling, too. In four years, he went from an unknown to leading the league in quarterback pressure percentage (21.8%) for edge rushers, slightly ahead of Dallas Cowboys star Micah Parsons (20.8%). The natural inclination is to say, “Sign him at all costs!” But that isn’t how the Jets view the situation, which ultimately could lead to them losing him on the open market.

Huff played only 42% of the defensive snaps last season — no starts — and his possible replacement already is on the roster, Will McDonald IV, their 2023 first-round pick. With one of the highest-paid defenses, and with owner Woody Johnson demanding major improvement from the offense, can the Jets afford to keep Huff? Or can they afford to let him go somewhere else?

“I would absolutely hate to lose him,” defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich said, “but he’s a guy that has earned every penny that he’s about to make.”

His value is difficult to project because of his unique career trajectory and relatively small role, but one player comparison is Carl Granderson, who signed a four-year, $52 million extension ($22 million fully guaranteed) with the New Orleans Saints in September. Huff’s first four seasons also compare favorably to Carl Lawson, who received a three-year, $45 million contract ($30 million fully guaranteed) from the Jets in 2021.

Jason Fitzgerald, a contract and salary-cap expert who owns the Over The Cap website, speculated that Huff could be asking for as much as $20 million per year — but predicted he will ultimately land in the $17 to $18 million range. Fitzgerald’s gut feeling is that Huff will sign an 11th-hour deal to remain in New York. The franchise tag, projected at $23 million for a defensive end, is seen as an unlikely outcome.

With only $5 million in projected cap room before cuts and restructures, the Jets might have to trim the budget at a position of need if they pay Huff. It’s a global decision for a front office under intense scrutiny from ownership and fans.

“I think the public pressure is going to be so high, and it’s going to be really bad if they lose him, so maybe they end up overpaying a little bit to keep him,” Fitzgerald said.

Huff is popular among the fan base. What’s not to like? Everybody loves an underdog story. He came up the hard way, improving each season and finally exploding with a team-high 10 sacks in 2023.

On passing downs, Huff’s impact was undeniable. With him on the field, the Jets allowed a stingy passer rating of 69.8, compared to 83.1 when he was on the sideline — the biggest differential among the Jets’ defensive linemen.

Huff has one of the quickest get-off times in the league, which allows him to “burn the edges,” as Ulbrich likes to say. That’s an invaluable commodity for the Jets, whose 4-3 scheme is predicated on rushing the passer. Ulbrich views Huff and McDonald as “curve balls” because their skillsets are different from those of fellow ends Jermaine Johnson and John Franklin-Myers, who are bigger and sturdier than Huff and McDonald. A top-shelf defense — the Jets ranked No. 3 in yards allowed — needs power and speed.

Ultimately, the Jets’ price point could be determined by their faith in McDonald, who played only 19% of the snaps and recorded three sacks as a rookie. If they believe he can move into a bigger role and replace Huff’s 10 sacks, it probably means they won’t break the bank for Huff. McDonald was drafted 15th overall for a reason, and team officials insist they remain high on his future. Coach Robert Saleh went so far as to say he has “superstar” potential.

Perhaps it was telling that the Jets made no serious effort during the season to extend Huff’s contract. They could’ve tried last offseason when he was a restricted free agent, but they opted for the one-year tender ($4.3 million). If they lose him, they could receive a third-round compensatory pick in 2025, depending on how much they spend in free agency.

Talks figure to heat up at the scouting combine at the end of the month. Douglas said he wants to re-sign Huff, but if you’re reading the tea leaves, it appears he will play hardball. Huff has made it clear he won’t give the Jets a “hometown discount,” saying he worked too hard to leave money on the table.

Huff also wants to be more than a situational player, and that might not be possible on the Jets, who are married to a rotational system.

“I definitely want to be able find a scheme that sees me as an every-down player,” he told ESPN at the end of the season. “It gives me the opportunity to show that I can be a top-tier edge in this league in the run and in the pass.”

Even though he saw more action on first and second down than previous years, Huff (listed at 6-foot-3, 255 pounds) still is fighting the perception that he struggles against the run. In fact, he has improved in that area, raising his run-stop rate to 5.2%, just a fraction below the league average (5.4%) for edge players.

Because of his size and speed, Huff has scheme versatility, which will attract interest from teams that employ 3-4 defenses as well as the 4-3 teams. If the Jets fail to lock him up before March 11, when the “legal tampering” period begins, his market will be robust. Pass rushers always are in high demand. Huff knows that, and he’s ready to cash in.

“I feel like I owe it to myself to reach my full potential, whether it’s here or somewhere else,” Huff said.

THIS AND THAT

2024 DRAFT

Albert Breer of SI.com with thoughts on Michigan QB J.J. McCARTHY:

Why is [J.J.] McCarthy not rated higher? Just not enough passing snaps? Or something more fundamental?

Kevin, it’s a couple things.

One is what you’re alluding to, and I think it’s important: There weren’t a lot of Michigan games in the last two years where he had to be the best player on the field for the Wolverines to win. And to best illustrate why that matters, let’s look at some of the best players in the sport. Patrick Mahomes had to be that guy at Texas Tech almost every week. Ditto for Josh Allen at Wyoming and Lamar Jackson at Louisville. Joe Burrow didn’t, but given the great talent around him, he was absolutely otherworldly his final year at LSU.

Bottom line, McCarthy just doesn’t have enough of that on his résumé, which brings fair questions. For example, consider Mac Jones vs. Brock Purdy. Jones didn’t have to be the guy at Alabama. Purdy did at Iowa State. Who seems more comfortable leading a team in the NFL?

The second thing is McCarthy’s frame. I had one scout tell me he’s built like a stretched-out Bryce Young—and it’s not like he’s that much taller than Young, at about 6’2″. Yes, he’s only 21. But looking at him physically, teams have concerns about how much bigger he’ll get. In fact, one AFC college scouting director said to me last month, “I get taken aback seeing him in person because he’s so slight.”

Now, with all that in mind, McCarthy’s clearly a tough, fierce competitor and possesses the quick feet, strong arm, and loose athleticism to make it in the NFL. So he’ll be a fascinating one to watch over the next couple months. I could see him sneaking in the end of the top 10. I could see him slipping out of the first round. And based solely on the conversations I’ve had, I’d put him in the second tier at his position with (and probably a little ahead of) Oregon’s Bo Nix and Washington’s Michael Penix Jr.