| PITTSBURGHJori Epstein of YahooSports checks in on QB AARON RODGERS and WR DK METCALF who are staying in close proximity to each other at training camp: DK Metcalf was setting up a PlayStation in his training camp dorm room on Tuesday when he heard the knock. The Pittsburgh Steelers receiver headed to open his bedroom door, figuring he had his own quarters at the Steelers’ Saint Vincent College outpost. Instead, the bathroom door opened … and in walked Aaron Rodgers. “He popped out of the corner,” Metcalf said. The pair of Steelers’ star offseason acquisitions are eager to build chemistry and establish rapport. And head coach Mike Tomlin has given them another route to strengthen their communication: by sharing a bathroom for the next month. Rodgers leaned into that communication early when he realized the flushing mechanism on their shared toilet was, well, not quiet. “The toilet is super loud,” Metcalf told Yahoo Sports on Thursday. “So he was like, ‘Yeah, at night, if we got to piss, just don’t flush the toilet.’ I was like, ‘All right, bet.’” The nightly urge indeed overcame Metcalf around 9:30 Wednesday night so the receiver texted his quarterback to ask: “You asleep yet?” Rodgers confirmed he was awake. “All right, bet,” Metcalf texted back, “I’m about to flush the toilet.” And flush he did. The Steelers hope that Rodgers and Metcalf’s rapport will grow not just in their daily routines but also into a consistent problem for defenses. Pittsburgh looks to Rodgers and Metcalf as part of the recipe to winning a playoff game for the first time in nine years and a Super Bowl for the first in 17. Rodgers believes the bonding in the lunchroom and at snack time, in hot afternoon practices and meetings, are key to taking them all the way. “Most of the 32 teams would probably say something to that accord at this time of the year, but I think there’s really only six to eight that have a legitimate chance,” Rodgers said. “Sometimes it’s 10 to 12, and there’s teams that surprise you. “I would say on paper, we’re probably one of those 10 to 12.” During the first throw of team drills in Wednesday’s inaugural practice, the Steelers’ defense looked more ready to jump off paper than its offense. Metcalf lined up to Rodgers’ left alongside running back Jaylen Warren, raising the antennae of linebacker Patrick Queen. But Rodgers wanted to test Metcalf one-on-one on the hitch against a Cover 3 defense. So the quarterback threw it — and Queen intercepted it. Steelers defenders and fans erupted, a splash play landing earlier in camp practice than perhaps expected. Rodgers, entering Year 21, wasn’t fazed. “It’s good to get that out of the way,” he said. “Anybody that’s watched me practice over the years, you like to try certain throws at certain times. And anybody that’s watched me in games knows I’ve been pretty stellar taking care of the football over the years. “I’m going to try to fit certain things in. You got to deal with some sweat on the ball from time to time, so it’s going to be a good challenge. “I’m going to throw some picks. But I’m going to throw some touchdowns, too.” [Get more Steelers news: Pittsburgh team feed] During his NFL career, Rodgers hasn’t just thrown some touchdowns, but a full 503 regular-season touchdowns and 45 more in the playoffs. Rodgers joined the Steelers this offseason, a true free agent for the first time, boasting four MVPs to his name and a Super Bowl title. He’s advanced to the postseason 12 times since the Packers drafted him in 2005, and he’s won a playoff game in seven different years. That breadth and depth of knowledge showed in the Steelers’ first walkthrough, when the veteran quarterback was already diagnosing Pittsburgh’s defensive looks despite not officially reaching a deal with the club until June 5. “He was like, ‘Oh, they’re going to rotate down this. We’re going to rotate down there,’” safety DeShon Elliott told Yahoo Sports. “We’re just like, ‘All right, bro. Whatever. Bet. You know our defense, f*** it.’ “He’s seen so much football.” What Rodgers has seen has not sent him into autopilot nor bred complacency, coaches and teammates say. Elliott said Rodgers scans safeties longer presnap than any quarterback he’s faced in seven years, while rookie quarterback Will Howard says Rodgers questions just about every element of meetings to ensure he understands a play’s intent. Why audible to this play rather than that? Why not change the quarterback’s footwork on this run scheme, and open up like that on a jet motion? “Just constantly as we’re going through the install, ‘Hey, on this one, why are we canning this one to this?’” Howard told Yahoo Sports. “Constantly inquisitive and it’s not necessarily a shot at anyone, it’s not an ego thing at all with him. He’s just curious. “He just genuinely wants to know.” That excites offensive coordinator Arthur Smith, who began tailoring elements of his offense to Rodgers in mid-March, conversing with the quarterback multiple times before Rodgers officially signed in June after organizing matters in his personal life. Smith sees a quarterback with plenty left in the tank at age 41, in mind and in body. “He’s not a rigid thinker and neither am I so, that makes it easier when you’re having those conversations [on] how you want to adapt,” Smith told Yahoo Sports. “When you watch him at the end of last year when he got healthy, he still throws the football [well]. “He still moves around pretty good.” Rodgers doesn’t arrive to the Steelers coming off the best year of his two-decade career, but he doesn’t arrive far from it. It was just in 2020 when Rodgers scorched the NFL to the tune of 48 touchdowns to just five interceptions, completing a whopping 70.7% of pass attempts. He won MVP honors with a league-best 121.5 passer rating that season and again the next year with a league-best 111.9. Even so, the Packers traded Rodgers to the Jets before the 2023 season — and the star’s high-profile move from Green Bay to New York fell short of its lofty dreams. Rodgers tore his Achilles four plays into his Jets debut in 2023. Then, even at 40 years old, he rebounded to play all 17 games in 2024 despite league wisdom that players typically won’t return to their peak until 18 to 24 months post-tear. Rodgers completed 63% of his passes for 3,897 yards, 28 touchdowns and 11 interceptions last season as the 5-12 Jets spiraled, firing their head coach and general manager midseason. The franchise did not want Rodgers back under new head coach Aaron Glenn and new general manager Darren Mougey. Rodgers sought a more stable and win-now operation for what he has said is likely the final season of his career. The Steelers met the bill. If the Steelers fall short this season, they will not fall short for lack of roster-building effort. A normally quiet-in-the-offseason club upgraded to Rodgers at quarterback and traded for Metcalf before dealing its 2024 leading receiver, George Pickens. The Steelers also acquired Dolphins cornerback Jalen Ramsey and tight end Jonnu Smith, albeit at the cost of three-time All-Pro safety Minkah Fitzpatrick. Extensions included a record-setting contract for edge rusher T.J. Watt and a secondary-stabilizing extension for Elliott. The Steelers prioritized players who could contribute immediately while not fully sacrificing their future. And they did it in large part because they know their Rodgers window could close by January or February. The shakeup is no guarantee. But players are buying in. “I think we’re going to shock a lot of people,” Metcalf said. “I know there are questions about, ‘Can we figure it all out?’ I mean, we’re at a destination [for training camp], so we have no choice but to learn each other, figure each other out. We have no choice but to get better on offense versus defense every day.” And no choice, it turns out, but to learn each other’s toilet preferences and communicate accordingly. “Hell, yeah, you got to,” Metcalf said. “That toilet is loud. If somebody’s asleep, it’s gonna wake them up.” |
| IN THE PRESSURE COOKERBill Barnwell of ESPN.com has 15 individuals who are under extreme pressure in 2025. July typically means the start of two things in the NFL: training camps and contract extension season. While players sign throughout the year, teams’ desire to have happy players in place for camp and the franchise tag deadline can lead to a surge of deals in July. Over the past two weeks alone, T.J. Watt, Sauce Gardner, Garrett Wilson and Trey Smith have all signed extensions, in addition to a bevy of second-round picks coming to terms on their rookie deals. The run of deals and the start of camp has me thinking about the people who have the most to gain or lose for how they perform during the 2025 season. The NFL can feel like a league in which everybody is one season or even one bad stretch of play away from getting benched or fired, but it’s also a league in which one positive stretch can flip things the other way. Kellen Moore was essentially let go in back-to-back jobs as the offensive coordinator for the Cowboys and Chargers, landed in Philadelphia, had a great season and earned the head coaching job with the Saints. Shane Waldron went from offensive coordinator of the league’s most promising rookie quarterback this time last year to the Jaguars’ passing game coordinator. Things move fast. Subscribe: ‘The Bill Barnwell Show’ Let’s run through some of the players, coaches and executives who have more riding on what happens this season than anybody else. There are players who will get paid either way: Barring something catastrophic, C.J. Stroud is looking at a record deal for a quarterback next offseason, regardless of whether he’s the fifth- or 20th-best passer in the league. Some players have their chances at life-changing money in free agency riding on what happens in 2025. Others have their jobs on the line. Nobody roots for people to get fired or miss out on a big payday, but what happens this season might determine whether those things occur. Here are 15 people in the NFL who have a ton riding on the next six months, in no order: J.J. McCarthy, QB, Minnesota VikingsMcCarthy enters one of the most unique situations for a quarterback on a rookie deal in the modern era. Most first-rounders take over the starting jobs on losing teams. The Vikings won 14 games last season. Most land with franchises where fans were frustrated and finished with the previous quarterback. Sam Darnold might not have had the best finish to his brief run in Minnesota, but he threw for 4,319 yards with 35 touchdowns. There’s certainly a subset of Vikings supporters who didn’t want him to come back, but it’s hardly as if he disappointed in his lone season under coach Kevin O’Connell. Most first-round quarterbacks also have a very clear path to the starting role. Was there the tiniest bit of smoke around that opportunity this offseason? The Vikings reportedly were interested in bringing back Darnold on a one-year deal, where he would have competed with McCarthy for the starting job, but he eventually signed with the Seahawks. They tried to re-sign Daniel Jones, who ended up signing with the Colts. There were rumors surrounding Aaron Rodgers, although it seems more likely those came from Rodgers’ camp than it did from the Minnesota front office. It would be silly to suggest the Vikings have soured on McCarthy, simply because they’ve barely seen the 2024 first-round pick on the field, as he tore his right meniscus after 17 pass attempts in the first preseason game a year ago. They are hardly naive to the benefits of having a first-round pick on a rookie contract at the most important position in sports, and while they traded for Sam Howell, this is McCarthy’s job in 2025. If he plays as well as Darnold did last season and Minnesota returns to the playoffs, there won’t be any quarterback debate. If McCarthy disappoints, would the Vikings be more aggressive in bringing in a veteran to compete with the 22-year-old in 2026? Jones will be a free agent, and Darnold’s three-year deal with the Seahawks is essentially a one-year pact for $39 million. Kirk Cousins, who played well in O’Connell’s offense before tearing his right Achilles midway through the 2023 season, will likely be a free agent after eventually parting ways with the Falcons. McCarthy would still be the favorite to start versus those experienced passers, but he might have more riding on his debut season than other unproven signal-callers across the league. Breece Hall, RB, New York JetsSomething flew under the radar this offseason: After Saquon Barkley and Derrick Henry made 2024 the year of the running back, the only rushers who benefited were… Barkley and Henry, both of whom signed new deals with much-deserved raises. It was a quirk of weird timing that no other prominent backs were simultaneously due for a significant contract; the 2021 draft class wasn’t very good, and the most expensive back in free agency was Najee Harris, who signed a one-year, $5.3 million deal with the Chargers before suffering an eye injury in a firework accident earlier this month. The 2022 class was more fruitful, and while Kyren Williams (Rams) and James Cook (Bills) are likely to ink extensions before the start of the season, the path to a significant deal is murkier for the back who came off the board first. Hall got off to a glowing start as a rookie, but a torn ACL ended his promising season after 80 carries. Hall returned to the field for the season opener in 2023 and took his first two carries for 26 and 83 yards, but he hasn’t been able to sustain that sort of explosiveness. He has averaged 4.1 yards per carry and 54.5 rushing yards per game since that game. His 36.5% success rate since then ranks 39th out of 43 backs with at least 200 carries over the past two seasons, and he has fumbled once every 70 carries, the sixth-highest rate among those backs. Backs can thrive without an average success rate, but if they’re not keeping the offense on schedule, they need to create big plays. Hall has just eight carries of 20 yards or more in 32 games since the first game of the 2023 season, which is one more than Gus Edwards, who did that with far fewer carries and is currently a free agent. Hall is a better player than Edwards and offers more as a receiver, but with former New York general manager Joe Douglas and coach Robert Saleh no longer in the building, the people who drafted him aren’t around and incentivized to give him a new deal. If he’s just an average back or worse, the Jets will be better off spending their money elsewhere. Elsewhere has meant Sauce Gardner and Garrett Wilson, both of whom have inked lucrative extensions this offseason. Hall wants to follow in their footsteps, but he’ll need to produce more. While free agent signing Justin Fields will absorb some of the rushing workload in the new Jets offense, quarterbacks who are part of the team’s run game change the numbers for the defense and typically create more efficient opportunities for backs behind them, something both Henry and Barkley enjoyed last season. With three first-round picks and a second-round selection surrounding solid veteran guard John Simpson up front, the Jets have to feel better about their offensive line than they have in years. If it’s ever going to happen for Hall, who looked like a superstar in the making before the ACL tear, let’s hope it happens now. Brian Schottenheimer, coach, Dallas CowboysI’ve argued that Chicago’s Ben Johnson is the most-hyped first-time hire with no prior head coaching experience in decades. We might have to go back to Bill Belichick with the Browns in 1991 or Buddy Ryan with the Eagles in 1986 for assistants who inspired comparable levels of certainty that they would become great head coaches, and those guys were both coming off Super Bowl victories. On the other end of the spectrum is Schottenheimer, who is a decade removed from his last head coaching interview. Schottenheimer, 51, was a hot coaching candidate earlier in his career, when he was a successful assistant with the Chargers and Jets, but those rumors dried up as he bounced around the league. Outside of a brief moment with the Seahawks during the first half of the 2020 season, when a Schottenheimer-led offense was thriving by letting Russell Wilson cook, there haven’t been any hints that he was on radar as an NFL head coach. Well, things have a funny way of resolving themselves. After spending the past three seasons as an assistant for Mike McCarthy in Dallas, Schottenheimer went through the interview process and won over team owner Jerry Jones, who promoted him. About 15 years after he was regarded as a potential head coaching hire, he’s now in charge of the Cowboys, who will hope to make it back to the postseason after an injury-impacted, wildly disappointing 2024 season. The move didn’t inspire much excitement, but the reality is that we don’t know much about head coaching hires or their chances of succeeding. Belichick was run out of town in Cleveland and then became the most successful coach in league history in New England. Ryan went 55-55-1 in two stops. For every Kyle Shanahan or Sean McVay, there’s an Adam Gase, Matt Nagy or Nathaniel Hackett, all hot offensive-minded assistants who didn’t have much staying power or long-term success as head coaches. Schottenheimer might turn out to be a great coach. He might also be overmatched by the league’s highest-profile job. Jones has been more patient than his reputation suggests, giving his previous two coaches (McCarthy and Jason Garrett) a combined 14 seasons in charge, but they both had higher profiles than Schottenheimer. Owners are about as faithful as their options and beyond Johnson, this wasn’t a great crop of potential offensive coaches on the market. Would Jones be more aggressive than usual if Schottenheimer doesn’t impress this season and more exciting options are available next spring? Riq Woolen, CB, Seattle SeahawksWhich Woolen will show up in 2025? Will it be the guy who looked like one of the biggest steals of the 2022 draft as a rookie? He picked off a league-high six passes, finished third in the Defensive Rookie of the Year voting and allowed a 48.7 passer rating in coverage. Former Seattle coach Pete Carroll took advantage of the fifth-rounder’s 6-foot-4 frame and length to mold him into a lockdown cornerback. The obvious comparisons were made to Richard Sherman, another oversized fifth-round pick who landed with Carroll and likely will end up in the Hall of Fame one day. Or will it be the guy who has been confusingly underwhelming since? Woolen’s numbers in coverage are good, but coaches have seemingly been frustrated with his tackling and inconsistency. Since returning from a knee injury in 2023, he has been benched at different times in each of the past two seasons, most recently in December for undisclosed disciplinary reasons. There are too many moments such as what happened in the midseason loss to the Rams, when he got caught looking into the backfield on a flood concept and wideout Demarcus Robinson ran by him for a game-winning overtime touchdown. Cornerbacks with Woolen’s size and physical traits aren’t easy to come by — he was the only 6-4 corner to start a game last season — and big defensive backs who can play are always going to be in demand. Entering the final year of his rookie deal, Woolen will be in position to make more than $20 million per year in free agency if he has an impressive season. Braxton Jones, OT, Chicago BearsJones isn’t the first name mentioned when it comes to the Bears and how they’ve built their roster, but he might be the most vulnerable player in their lineup. Inheriting the starting left tackle job as a Day 3 pick during his rookie season, he was the first player drafted after pick No. 150 to start a full season at left tackle since 1986. He has managed to exceed expectations without ever convincing as a surefire building block on the blind side of his quarterbacks. Having made major investments nearly everywhere else on the offense, the one position the Bears haven’t addressed over the past two offseasons is left tackle. Jones has missed 11 games over the past two seasons with injuries, but the only move Chicago made at tackle this offseason was to use the No. 56 overall pick on Ozzy Trapilo, who was a right tackle for his final two college seasons after struggling on the left side earlier in his career. Likewise, 2023 first-rounder Darnell Wright spent the vast majority of his college career playing right tackle, and while Wright has been Chicago’s best lineman over the past two seasons, moving him to the blind side would be a major adjustment. Jones dealt with an ankle injury over the summer, leaving second-year swing lineman Kiran Amegadjie to get reps at left tackle during OTAs. If Jones can stay healthy and lock down the left side of the line in the final season of his rookie deal, the riches earned by similarly inconsistent (Dan Moore Jr.) or inexperienced (Jaylon Moore) left tackles in free agency suggest he would be in line for a deal north of $20 million per season. The pending free agent could leverage the open market against a front office that has been generous with offers to core players. If Jones can’t stay healthy or loses the job to Amegadjie, Wright or Trapilo while settling into a swing role, he is probably looking at a fraction of that amount in free agency. Bryce Young, QB, Carolina PanthersYoung’s two seasons with the Panthers haven’t gone the way anyone in Carolina would have hoped or planned, but this could be an “all’s well that ends well” outcome. The 2023 No. 1 pick was benched after two games last season, but he posted a 64.5 QBR from Week 8 onward when he was reinstated as starter, which ranked just ahead of Sam Darnold and Kyler Murray for 15th in the league. More importantly, Young simply looked better. He looked shell-shocked toward the end of the 2023 season and after those ugly first two starts a year ago, he was simply more confident and comfortable within the offense. While he was still pressured at the league’s second-highest rate over that stretch, his 59.5 QBR against pressure ranked ninth. The 2023 offense didn’t give him answers against pressure, either schematically or in terms of help on the field from his teammates. The 2024 offense gave him more solutions, and after he returned from the benching, it looked like he began to trust coach Dave Canales and reap the rewards from working within the offense. There were glimpses of Young at his improvisational best, and instead of trying to find the answer that kept him from having his head taken off, he was able to create big plays downfield. The would-be touchdown that could have given the Panthers a lead in the final minute against the eventual Super Bowl champion Eagles in Week 14 is a good example, as he turned down an open drag route on second-and-4 that would have produced a first down to (correctly) take a shot on a deep post against quarters coverage. If not for a drop by receiver Xavier Legette, the Panthers might have pulled off Young’s signature drive and victory as a pro. After another offseason spent adding new receivers and playmakers to the offense, the Panthers enter 2025 hoping they can gain some level of certainty about their quarterback situation. The coaching staff and general manager who traded for Young aren’t in the building anymore, and while Canales surely joined the Panthers expecting to turn Young into a viable starter, Carolina will face a decision on his future after the season. Will it pick up an option for 2027 that would guarantee him a salary likely north of $27 million? Will it decline the option and make plans to move on? Or could there be another offseason in which the Panthers insist they just need to get the right players around their quarterback for him to thrive? Brian Daboll, coach, New York GiantsTwo years ago, a pair of first-time head coaches in the NFC led their teams to unexpected playoff berths, but they’ve gone in different directions since. While Daboll and Kevin O’Connell unsurprisingly took a step back in their second season, O’Connell’s Vikings returned back to the playoffs in his third season with a 14-win campaign, all while cycling through a series of different quarterbacks because of injuries. The Giants decided to entrench around quarterback Daniel Jones, but they went 9-25 over the past two seasons, including a 3-13 mark with Jones before they cut him late last season. Did that unexpected run to the 2022 divisional round raise expectations too quickly? Daboll didn’t suddenly forget how to scheme open throwing lanes or create conflicts for defenders with the quarterback run game. He was never able to coax the same level of play out of Jones, though, who didn’t always have the sort of help a quarterback would want. The move to sign Drew Lock as a potential replacement delivered predictably unsatisfying results. Did the Giants get fooled by hiring a guy who was adjacent to Josh Allen — he previously was the Bills’ offensive coordinator — then falling further in love with him because Jones posted a career-low outlier of an interception rate (1.1%) in 2022? The clock is ticking on Daboll’s chances of proving he wasn’t a one-year mirage in New York. The Giants finally overhauled their quarterback room, flirting with Matthew Stafford before signing Russell Wilson and Jameis Winston. They used their first-round pick on Jaxson Dart, who represents the long-term prospect they presumably expected to draft in 2023 before Jones’ career season in 2022 sent them in another direction. If Dart shows promise, Daboll will be able to make the case that his continued employment is the best thing for his quarterback’s future. If not? He should be in demand as an offensive coordinator elsewhere, but his time in New York will likely come to an end. Terry Fontenot, GM, Atlanta FalconsThe chips have been pushed into the middle of the table. It’s a little odd to talk about an 8-9 team going all-in, but when Fontenot traded a second-round pick and a 2026 first-rounder to the Rams to take James Pearce Jr., his second edge rusher in Round 1 of April’s draft, there was no going back. With hybrid defender Jalon Walker also joining the Falcons, Fontenot made a massive bet that a team seven years removed from its last winning season is two young pass rushers away from taking the NFC South. Fontenot’s future in charge of the Falcons will be decided by the two massive and much-debated decisions he has made over the past two offseasons. One is at edge rusher. The other is at quarterback, where he signed Kirk Cousins last March and then used his first-round pick on Michael Penix Jr. a month later. Cousins fell apart because of injuries by the end of last season, leading the Falcons to promote Penix, who showed some of the unbridled aggression that helped him thrive in college, averaging a league-high 10.1 air yards per attempt over a three-start cameo. In his fifth year on the job, Fontenot has turned over the vast majority of the roster he inherited from Thomas Dimitroff. The only players left on the roster Fontenot took over in 2021 are kicker Younghoe Koo, cornerback A.J. Terrell and offensive linemen Jake Matthews, Chris Lindstrom and Kaleb McGary. He has hired two coaches, hit on some free agents (safety Jessie Bates, wideout Darnell Mooney) and expensively struck out on his biggest move (Cousins). If Penix plays well, the edge rush finally shows up and the Falcons win their division, he’s going to be in great shape to get a contract extension. If not, there aren’t going to be many other places to put the blame for another losing season. Shedeur Sanders, QB, Cleveland BrownsIf the most-discussed QB4 since Tim Tebow is going to succeed in the NFL, his best chance is this season. Twenty quarterbacks were drafted in the fifth round from 2000 to 2020. Many enjoyed long careers — A.J. Feeley, T.J. Yates and ESPN colleague Dan Orlovsky, to name a few — but none started more than 18 games in their careers. The last fifth-round pick to become a long-term starter was Mark Brunell, who was drafted in 1993, and it took him two years on the bench and an expansion team to get an opportunity. Of course, other players drafted after Sanders’ slot have launched long careers, with Tom Brady as the most famous example. One of the biggest problems for Day 3 picks, especially at premium positions, is that organizations don’t give them opportunities to play unless forced to do so by a lack of other options. Brady got his chance when Drew Bledsoe suffered a serious chest injury in 2001. Most coaches would rather put a veteran with experience on the field than stick with an unproven option and hope he pans out. What makes 2025 so important for Sanders is the clear path to opportunity. There’s no entrenched starter ahead of him on the depth chart between Joe Flacco, Kenny Pickett and rookie third-round pick Dillon Gabriel, all of whom will be competing with Sanders for roster spots in camp. A year from now, with two first-round picks in a draft expected to have a much better quarterback class and after what could be a frustrating season for Cleveland, general manager Andrew Berry will be in position to draft a premium passer, which would block everyone else’s path to the starting opportunity. There’s no better time than now for Sanders to establish himself in a meaningful role. He isn’t even guaranteed to make the 53-man roster, given that teams rarely carry four quarterbacks on a weekly basis, likely pitting him against Pickett (whose $2.6 million salary is fully guaranteed) for a roster spot. If he does make the roster, the best-case scenario would see him get an opportunity to start by midseason and hold on to it for the rest of the season. If he doesn’t, he might realistically be looking at a trip to the CFL, where the Toronto Argonauts hold his negotiating rights. Jonathan Gannon, coach, Arizona CardinalsHired by the Cardinals after his Eagles defense ran over the league and battled the Chiefs deep into Super Bowl LVII during the 2022 season, Gannon has basically spent two seasons with his hands tied behind his back on his preferred side of the ball. Arizona simply didn’t have the talent on defense to do much in 2023, and while he got creative with all kinds of sim pressures and exotic looks while maximizing Budda Baker a year ago, the Cardinals didn’t have the ability to win reliably with their front four and protect their linebackers and secondary in the coverage. That has changed. Gannon imported edge rusher Josh Sweat from his old stomping grounds in Philadelphia, signed ageless wonder Calais Campbell after an impressive season with the Dolphins, brought in nose tackle Dalvin Tomlinson from the Browns and re-signed linebacker Baron Browning, who had a short stint with the Cardinals after being acquired via midseason trade. Third-year edge rusher BJ Ojulari, who tore an ACL last August, will return, and rookie first-round pick Walter Nolen has been added to their interior rotation. With Max Melton flashing at cornerback, the Cardinals have the makings of a promising defense for the first time under Gannon. Now, after going 12-22 — admittedly without Kyler Murray for the first half of 2023 — Gannon has the chance to take a step forward. If he gets things right, he can probably count on a contract extension from an ownership group that has been extremely generous to its coaches in the past. If the defense struggles, though, he could be on the hot seat or out of a job after a third consecutive losing season. Joey Bosa, Edge, Buffalo BillsThe NFL has grown hesitant to pay superstar-caliber players on the wrong side of 30. One of the few exceptions has been edge rusher, where Pittsburgh’s T.J. Watt just signed a record-setting extension after Myles Garrett (who turns 30 in December) inked one of his own with Cleveland. The Bills know this better than anyone, as they gave 33-year-old Von Miller a six-year, $120 million deal in free agency three years ago, only for him to tear an ACL and fail to live up to expectations in Western New York. For Bosa, the time to prove he can still wreck opposing quarterbacks is right now. Having turned 30 this month, he is at a career crossroads. After missing significant time over his final three seasons in Los Angeles, he was forced to take a pay cut to stay on the roster in 2024 before being cut this spring. With the Bills still looking for a special pass rusher to get them over the hump, he essentially replaced Miller on the roster by signing a one-year deal for $12 million, with incentives that could add up to $3 million more if he stays healthy and racks up 12 sacks. Ironically, the blueprint here is Miller. After missing all of the 2020 season because of an ankle injury, Miller spent seven games with the Broncos in 2021 before being dealt to the all-in Rams. He had five sacks over eight games during the regular season, then added four more during Los Angeles’ run to Super Bowl LVI, where he led the league in pass-rush win rate. He was able to then play the Rams and Bills off one another before inking a massive deal to join Buffalo. If Bosa can stay healthy and make a significant dent on opposing quarterbacks during a deep Buffalo playoff run, he would be in position to sign one more deal with a significant multiyear guarantee. If not, he’s probably going to be looking at more one-year pacts. Things aren’t off to a great start, as he missed some of the offseason program after suffering a calf injury in May. Mike McDaniel, coach, Miami DolphinsNobody disputes that McDaniel is one of the most creative and fertile offensive minds in football. As with other great coaches in the past, though, there’s a question of whether someone who has a great mind for X’s and O’s makes a great head coach. Highly regarded coordinators such as Josh McDaniels, Norv Turner, Dick LeBeau and Vic Fangio were wildly successful in assistant roles, but for a variety of reasons, they didn’t find the same success when they were hired for the top job. McDaniel has done just fine in Miami. He has gone 28-23 over three seasons, including a 25-13 record when quarterback Tua Tagovailoa has completed the entire game without suffering a concussion. The Dolphins have made it to the playoffs twice over that span. I’d argue they needed to have better backup QB plans over that span, but in 2022, they lost Teddy Bridgewater to an injury of his own late in the season. There aren’t many teams that are going to look good down to a third-string passer, with that season’s 49ers a rare exception, thanks to Brock Purdy. And yet, Dolphins fans probably also have a right to wonder whether they’re on the right track. Their two playoff appearances ended in defeats, stretching their run without a postseason victory to 24 seasons. They blew a three-game lead in the AFC East with five games to go in 2023, leading the organization to fire defensive coordinator Fangio, who promptly won Super Bowl LIX with the Eagles. McDaniel finally retained a defensive coordinator for the first time this offseason in Anthony Weaver, but an 8-9 season in 2024 ended with Tyreek Hill refusing to play and requesting a trade in Week 18, only for the coach to later write it off as a misunderstanding. There’s a sense the Dolphins’ window to compete for a title has closed before it ever really opened. The draft picks acquired from the Laremy Tunsil and Trey Lance trades turned into veterans such as Hill and Bradley Chubb, who were alternately disappointing and out with injuries a year ago. There’s young talent here in edge rushers Jaelan Phillips and Chop Robinson, but Miami has let defensive tackle Christian Wilkins, guard Robert Hunt and safety Jevon Holland walk out the door for big deals over the past two offseasons. All of this might fall back on Tagovailoa, whose efficiency has declined from its 2022 peak. McDaniel’s primary task was to get the most out of the 2020 top-five pick, and while he has succeeded, the Dolphins are locked into a contract that doesn’t feel like it pushes them toward a title. Tagovailoa has $54 million guaranteed in 2026, a figure that suggests he won’t be going anywhere until 2027 at the earliest. The last coach of the Dolphins to make it to the end of his fourth season without losing his job is Dave Wannstedt, who was hired in 2000 and also happens to be the last Miami coach to win a playoff game. McDaniel won’t lack for suitors if the Dolphins moved on, but this team appears to be facing the reality of life with a middle-class quarterback on a big-money deal. Without any flexibility to move Tagovailoa and having already cycled out so many other players, one of the few cards ownership has left before 2027 would be to make a coaching change. Anthony Richardson, QB, Indianapolis ColtsIt’s the point of no return for Richardson, who faces serious competition for his starting job in Daniel Jones with a franchise that seems to have lost some level of faith in the 2023 top-five pick. He missed most of his rookie year with a shoulder injury, was benched for asking out of a game last season and has dealt with a setback to his surgically repaired shoulder this offseason, although it appears he will be ready to return for training camp. The story hasn’t changed with Richardson. He has the potential to be the league’s most exciting athlete at quarterback, combining elite size (6-foot-4, 244 pounds) to be part of the designed run game with speed and an elite arm. His howitzer of a throw to Alec Pierce in Week 1, where he slipped just before throwing a picture-perfect pass more than 65 yards for a touchdown, was one of the plays of the season. And yet, simultaneously, Richardson is not an experienced enough quarterback to rely on if the Colts want to win games. Nobody in the league misses open receivers more often. His 48.8% completion rate is something out of the 1970s, even allowing for the fact that his average pass travels farther than any other quarterback’s. And while he can be a threat as a runner, the Colts haven’t been able to convince him to avoid defenders at the end of plays. If coach Shane Steichen can’t trust Richardson to stay healthy as part of the run game, it’s a different story. Richardson has thrown just 741 passes over the past five years since leaving high school, let alone at the pro level. A meaningful portion of those were screens and RPOs, leaving him with a handful of dropback snaps each season. He’s still only 23, but Steichen and general manager Chris Ballard probably aren’t in position to give him another season to figure things out without being worried about competing for a playoff spot. With a decision on his fifth-year option looming after the season, Richardson needs to look like a franchise passer to be the man in Indianapolis. Evan Engram, TE, Denver BroncosIf you think the NFL is loath to pay players over 30 at key positions, just wait for positions on the bottom of the spectrum. Tight end is a spot in which players often struggle to make an impact as they pass 30, either by slowing down or not staying on the field. When they do have an exceptional season, as Zach Ertz did with Washington in 2024, veterans often struggle to parlay their performance into a multiyear guarantee. One of the few potential exceptions to that rule might pop up in 2025. Entering his age-30 season, Engram is joining the best situation of his career. Having toiled with the Giants and Jaguars, he’s joining a Denver team coming off a playoff berth. Coach Sean Payton will be the best offensive playcaller he has ever played for. Bo Nix might end up being the best quarterback he has ever caught passes from on a regular basis (although I’m still holding out hope for Trevor Lawrence in Jacksonville). There are plenty of other options in Denver, but outside of Courtland Sutton, none of them is a surefire bet to lock up significant target share. And after years of being a safety valve and underneath option for the Jaguars, Engram appears to be in line for a role with some verticality up the seam, playing to what was once 4.42-second 40-yard dash speed. If he develops a quick rapport with Nix and carves out a significant role in the offense, a Broncos team with a quarterback on a rookie deal might not want to mess with a good thing and keep him around for years to come. Otherwise, Engram is probably looking at one-year deals for the remainder of his career. Kevin Patullo, OC, Philadelphia EaglesThere’s no middle ground for recent Eagles offensive coordinators: They’re either getting promoted or getting fired quickly. After two seasons with Doug Pederson in 2016 and 2017, Frank Reich earned a head coaching job with the Colts. That opened the door for Mike Groh, who was fired after two seasons despite not being the team’s primary playcaller. Pederson took over as de facto coordinator and was fired from all of his roles after one more season in charge. (Press Taylor, the pass game coordinator that season, also left the organization.) With Nick Sirianni taking over as coach in 2021, the role has turned over even more quickly. Like Pederson, Sirianni made it to the Super Bowl after two seasons, which earned offensive coordinator Shane Steichen the top job with the Colts. Brian Johnson was promoted and fired after one season in charge of the offense, giving way to Kellen Moore, whose success and Super Bowl win earned him the head coaching job in New Orleans this offseason. Enter Patullo, who becomes the seventh offensive coordinator the Eagles have employed over their past 10 seasons. He takes over a spectacular offense that returns 10 of 11 starters, with Philadelphia spending more cash on the offensive side of the ball ($215.9 million) than any other team in NFL history. With Jalen Hurts, Saquon Barkley, A.J. Brown and arguably the league’s best offensive line, Eagles fans have every right to set their expectations incredibly high again. What happens if things don’t go as smoothly? What if the massive improvement Hurts made against the blitz under Moore last season doesn’t stick? What if Barkley, who completed just his third healthy season in seven years, misses meaningful time? What if the O-line, anchored by future Hall of Famer Lane Johnson, battles more significant injuries than it did in 2024? Brian Johnson wasn’t able to find solutions in the second half of 2023, and while the defense was more to blame for Philadelphia’s second-half collapse that season, he paid for the disappointing end to the year with his job. All of these offensive coordinators are difficult to separate from the coaches, given that Pederson and Sirianni were both offensive hires and involved in building the offensive architecture and playcalling at different stretches of their tenure, but it’s a lot easier to fire an offensive coordinator than it is to dump a head coach. Then again, if someone wants to come find their next head coach from one of the league’s most successful organizations, it’s a lot easier to hire the OC than it is to steal away Sirianni, too. |
| RANKING FANTASY QUARTERBACKSFrom KC Joyner in The Athletic (he has “upside” and “downside” for each, but we edited that out): Every year, the quarterback position becomes more important in fantasy football. Last season, 12 quarterbacks scored 282 or more fantasy points, marking the fourth time in the past five seasons that 10 or more quarterbacks reached 282+ points. While a longer schedule contributes to some of the increase in scoring, before 2018, there was only one season with 10+ QBs reaching 282 points, and no other season with seven or more QBs at that scoring level — so, there’s more to the increase than one additional game. This scoring largesse means fantasy managers must get the most out of the quarterback position. For the second consecutive season, I’m providing The Athletic’s readers access to my annual deep dive write-ups on QBs. I have been writing these for my fantasy football draft guide for the past 22 seasons (the 2025 edition can be found here). 1. Josh Allen, Buffalo BillsOverall: There isn’t a more consistent elite player at any position in fantasy football. That is more than enough to tie Allen with Lamar Jackson for the top spot on the QB draft board. Draft strategy: He will be a mid- to late-second round pick in most draft rooms. 2. Lamar Jackson, Baltimore RavensOverall: Jackson is tied with Josh Allen for the top fantasy quarterback honor this year. Draft strategy: He’s worthy of a second-round pick, but going any higher than that is ill-advised given the potential for even a marginal scoring downgrade. 3. Jalen Hurts, Philadelphia EaglesOverall: Hurts doesn’t throw often enough to contend for the top quarterback spot, but he does rush enough to earn a place in the top three. Draft strategy: Since quarterbacks typically don’t start getting selected until the end of Round 2, Hurts should be on most draft boards in Round 4. 4. Joe Burrow, Cincinnati BengalsOverall: Cincinnati had to lean on Burrow quite heavily last year, and he responded with a lights-out performance, yet it only resulted in a No. 3 ranking in QB points. The Bengals’ defensive changes should result in a marginal reduction in production, which moves Burrow just outside of the top three at his position. Draft strategy: The fantasy community knows a great passer who doesn’t run the ball will usually rate behind superb dual-threat quarterbacks, so Burrow will be generally (and properly) valued as a third-round pick in most draft rooms. While I have him behind Hurts, his ADP on FantasyPros puts him ahead of Hurts, which is why I have Burrow going in Round 3, while I suggest taking Hurts in Round 4. 5. Jayden Daniels, Washington CommandersOverall: Daniels scored 355.8 points last year. It was the 34th time a quarterback has reached that point total. Only three quarterbacks have tallied back-to-back seasons of that nature. Unfortunately for Daniels, those three are Josh Allen (2020-24), Jalen Hurts (2022-23) and Patrick Mahomes (2020-22). Add in Joe Burrow (372.8 points last year), and at least four other quarterbacks can reach or top that point total. That’s why, even though this year’s projection has Daniels posting a campaign equal to 2024, he’s only my QB5 in fantasy. Draft strategy: Daniels won’t make it past the third round in nearly all drafts. 6. Patrick Mahomes, Kansas City ChiefsOverall: Mahomes may no longer contend for the top overall fantasy QB spot, but he still has a well-defined path to be a top-six fantasy quarterback. Draft strategy: Fantasy managers who want upper-tier production without paying the draft premium for one of the top five quarterbacks should look to draft Mahomes in Round 5. 7. Jared Goff, Detroit LionsOverall: Goff was a mid-tier QB1 last year, without Williams’s potential full breakout season. Factor in the general green light of a schedule, and Goff should have another mid-tier QB1 point total. Draft strategy: Goff could generate one of the best returns on investment at quarterback. He’ll be available as a Round 7-8 pick and should generate at least fifth-round value. 8. Caleb Williams, Chicago BearsOverall: The combination of the coaching change and personnel upgrades should give Williams at least as many big games as last year and reduce the number of single-digit scores. These paths to additional points project Williams to move into the middle of the QB1 tier. Draft strategy: Williams is the perfect prospect for fantasy managers looking for a relatively low-cost quarterback with the potential for 300+ points. That value proposition justifies a pick in Round 7, yet you may be able to draft Williams as late as Round 9. 9. Baker Mayfield, Tampa Bay BuccaneersOverall: There is a lot to like here, but that’s not enough to dissipate the cloud of regression uncertainty. Even so, Mayfield should have a high floor that keeps him near the middle of the QB1 tier. Draft strategy: Mayfield will be a popular pick in Rounds 4-5 but should be selected in Rounds 7-8. 10. Kyler Murray, Arizona CardinalsOverall: Murray has been a QB1 on four occasions but ranked higher than eighth in only one of those campaigns (third in 2020). There is enough to suggest that Murray has QB1 value in 2025, but he also has the same limited ceiling as his historical trends indicate. Add it up and he’s a low-end QB1. Draft strategy: Murray’s value level is well known, so he’ll move off draft boards sometime in Rounds 7-9. 11. Bo Nix, Denver BroncosOverall: Nix has proven he is capable of QB1 production. The issue is that the competition at the QB position is incredibly fierce, and Nix has downside elements that hurt his relative value. Rate him as a reliable low-end QB1. Draft strategy: He’s a seventh- or eighth-round value who will go earlier than that in many drafts. 12. Brock Purdy, San Francisco 49ersOverall: When everything went well for Purdy in 2023, he ended up with a No. 6 ranking. When things didn’t go so well for the 49ers in 2024, Purdy ranked 13th. This year’s ranking splits the difference and places him at the border of the QB1/QB2 level. Draft strategy: The tail end of QB1s come off draft boards in Round 8. 13. Jordan Love, Green Bay PackersOverall: These elements don’t suggest Love will return to his No. 5 ranking from the 2023 season. However, they indicate a likely improvement over last year’s No. 17 rankings in both FPPG and overall QB points, earning Love a low-end QB1 rating. Draft strategy: The fantasy community is viewing Love through a 2024 prism and thus predicting another mid-tier QB2 showing, which doesn’t match his low-end QB1 ranking here, so Love can be an excellent value pick in Rounds 9-10. 14. Dak Prescott, Dallas CowboysOverall: The Dallas management and coaching staff are wise to use a run-first approach to maximize Prescott’s production while limiting his wear and tear. That’s great for the team, but not fantasy managers. It drops Prescott to the high end of the QB2 tier. Draft strategy: Prescott is a prime candidate to be drafted above his projected fantasy value. He should be selected in Rounds 9-10, but will be selected earlier quite often. 15. Justin Fields, New York JetsOverall: When a quarterback can post nearly 9 fantasy points per game on the ground, he doesn’t need much passing production to be a QB1. Fields’ aerial talents don’t quite get him to that level, but he’s just a step or so behind it. Draft strategy: The QB1 class and top of the QB2 class won’t be cleared off draft boards until at least Round 9. Consider taking Fields at any point after that. 16. J.J. McCarthy, Minnesota VikingsOverall: A Minnesota quarterback has finished in the top nine in QB points in two of the past three seasons (Sam Darnold ranked ninth in 2024; Kirk Cousins ranked eighth in 2022). Since those were veterans and McCarthy is a first-year starter, this projection doesn’t quite generate QB1 value, but McCarthy is just outside that tier. Draft strategy: McCarthy could be one of the best QB value picks. He’s apt to post borderline QB1 value for what should be a Round 10-11 draft pick. 18. Drake Maye, New England PatriotsOverall: Maye’s fantasy value will tend to go as his rushing value goes. Vrabel and McDaniels will get full utilization of that skill set. Add that to what should be improved passing numbers (even if “improved” is a relative term in this case), and Maye gets a mid-tier QB2 ranking. Draft strategy: He will be one of the many mid-tier QB2s taken in Rounds 10-11. 18. Justin Herbert, Los Angeles ChargersOverall: A Harbaugh offense will never get a quarterback to post substantial fantasy numbers on quantity alone. Quality is required, and this offense doesn’t have enough of it, so Herbert rates as a mid-tier QB2. Draft strategy: Herbert is in the ninth-to-tenth-round range this year. 19. Trevor Lawrence, Jacksonville JaguarsOverall: The Jaguars are going all out to build a strong offense around Lawrence. That’s a long-term plus, but fantasy managers can’t count on that upgrade occurring in the short term, leading to a mid-tier QB2 ranking for Lawrence. Draft strategy: There won’t be much clamoring to select Lawrence, so he should be available as late as Rounds 10-11. 20. Michael Penix, Atlanta FalconsOverall: He can be a high-volume passer, but this is a Bijan Robinson-centric offense. Combine that with this being Penix’s first full year as a starter and the limited rush volume, and Penix is a midrange QB2. Draft strategy: Penix is rated higher here than at most outlets and is a potentially good ROI pick in Rounds 12-13. 21. Tua Tagovailoa, Miami DolphinsOverall: Unless or until Tagovailoa returns to being the great vertical passer he’s been in past seasons, his fantasy value simply cannot go much higher than mid-tier QB2. Draft strategy: He’ll generally move off draft boards in Rounds 11-12. 22. C.J. Stroud, Houston TexansOverall: If the Texans were as good at the offensive line as they are at receiver, it would be easy to grant Stroud a QB1 grade. With that group in flux (or even worse), Stroud has to be rated as a low-end QB2. Draft strategy: The quality depth at the quarterback position means fantasy managers don’t have to reach here. It’s why Stroud should not be taken any earlier than Round 11. 23. Matthew Stafford, Los Angeles RamsOverall: His upside path can get to mid-tier QB2 status, but that is so reliant on the passing game that it puts Stafford at a disadvantage compared to other QB2 candidates, which is one of the main reasons Stafford ends up near the bottom of this tier. Draft strategy: The turn from QB2 to QB3 usually hits around Rounds 11-12. 24. Bryce Young, Carolina PanthersOverall: It’s tough to bank on a third of a season, but Young has done enough to warrant inclusion at the bottom of the QB2 tier. Draft strategy: The end of the QB2 tier usually leaves draft boards in Rounds 11-12. 25. Aaron Rodgers, Pittsburgh SteelersOverall: Rodgers tallied a high-end QB2 season last year due to New York focusing its offense on his passing skills. Mike Tomlin won’t rely on his new QB for various reasons, dropping Rodgers’ fantasy value to the border of the QB2/QB3 tier. Draft strategy: Do not draft outside of 2QB/SuperFlex leagues. |
