With COVID fears receding and lockdowns vanishing, the NFL can get back to the business of making money and increasing player pay in the process.  Nick Shook ofNFL.com:

The NFL’s path back to normalcy has met a significant point on the financial side of things.

The league and the NFL Players Association have agreed to a salary cap ceiling of $208.2 million for 2022, NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero reported Wednesday. Pelissero noted that there is not currently an agreed-to cap floor and that the final cap figure will not be set until next February.

The ceiling for 2022 is nearly $30 million more than the $182.5 million cap set for 2021, pointing toward an expected spike in future revenue for the league following a season that was primarily played without fans in attendance due to COVID-19.

While this might seem irrelevant to those solely focused on 2021, it’s highly important for front offices and player agents as they understand how each side can go about working on long-term deals and planning well beyond 2021. The cap ceiling doesn’t guarantee that the 2022 cap will be $208.2 million, but at least gives teams and players a point of reference for their financial planning, and indicates the league is headed back toward a cap number most expected before the COVID-19 pandemic caused revenue shortfalls resulting in 2021’s reduced cap number.

The higher cap ceiling is also good news to players who took less money to bet on themselves while holding out for more available financial liquidity in 2022. Again, it’s not guaranteed to land at $208.2 million in 2022, but it indicates the NFL and NFLPA expect money from new media deals, the return of fans to games, etc., should bring the salary cap back in line with previous projections — and perhaps well beyond it in future years.

– – –

If you are an NFL player who took the vaccine, life is back to normal.  If you have declined, for any reason – more tests and restrictions.  Kevin Seifert of ESPN.com:

NFL owners agreed Wednesday to relax COVID-19 protocols almost entirely for fully vaccinated players and staff, an additional incentive to seek shots before training camp opens this summer. The NFL Players Association also signed off on the new policy.

The league has told staff members that it expects them to get vaccinated unless they have an approved religious or medical exemption. But player participation is voluntary, per agreement with the NFLPA. Speaking after a two-day virtual league meeting, commissioner Roger Goodell said that 30 of the 32 teams have reported vaccination rates of more than 90% among the Tier 1 and Tier 2 staff groups that work among their football operations. The other two teams are over 85%, Goodell said.

Goodell did not specify rates for players but made a point to say that they will be safer if they are vaccinated.

“We know for a fact that that is the one step that everyone can take that makes them safer, not just for themselves but for their families and others that they may be in contact with,” Goodell said. “We’ll continue to provide whatever education that we can about vaccinations themselves with medical experts as well as others to try to help people make their personal decisions in the best possible way for their safety as well as the people around them.”

Moving forward, players and staff who are fully vaccinated will not be subject to daily testing. They will have no mask requirements, will not have to quarantine if they are exposed to a COVID-19 positive person and won’t have travel restrictions. They will be allowed to eat in the team cafeteria, won’t be subject to weight room capacity limits, can use the team sauna and can interact with vaccinated friends and family during travel.

Those who are not fully vaccinated, however, will not receive those perks. They must still test daily, wear a mask at team facilities, follow social distancing procedures and quarantine after exposure. They will have restrictions when they travel, will be subject to capacity limits in the weight room, won’t be able to use the sauna and will be prohibited from interacting with vaccinated friends and family during travel.

NFL players have begun returning to team facilities for voluntary offseason workouts, in many cases on modified schedules negotiated between coaches and player representatives to the NFLPA. The leaguewide positivity rate since the end of the 2020 season is 0.04%, Goodell said. That rate in 2020 was about 0.08%.

NFC NORTH

DETROIT

DT JOEL HEATH opted out of 2020.  Now, not of his volition, he’s out of 2021, as well.  Dave Birkett in the Detroit Free Press:

The Detroit Lions have lost defensive tackle Joel Heath to a torn ACL.

NFL Network reported that Heath suffered the injury in a bag drill during the individual portion of practice.

Heath, who played at Michigan State, signed a futures deal with the Lions in February. He opted out of the 2020 season due to the COVID-19 pandemic and spent time in 2016-19 with the Houston Texans and Denver Broncos.

GREEN BAY

Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.con on how the Green Bay braintrust’s decision not to confide in QB AARON RODGERS about their lust for QB JORDAN LOVE haunts them to this day.

Former Chiefs quarterback Alex Smith, who knows a thing or two about being entrenched as a starter and having the team draft his replacement, has said that the Packers’ handling of Aaron Rodgers has been “inexcusable.”

Here’s one reason for Smith’s belief. Rodgers didn’t know that the Packers planned to trade up for Jordan Love in round one of the 2020 draft. Smith, in contrast, was well aware of Kansas City’s plan.

“Yes, without a doubt,” Smith told Colin Cowherd regarding Smith’s awareness of the move up for Patrick Mahones. “One hundred percent. . . . I’m talking multiple times. . . . There were no surprises, it was absolutely laid out for me. And I think that all helps when that’s communicated. It does make a difference how you treat people.”

Kansas City’s interest in Mahomes was one of the best-kept secrets of the 2017 draft. Indeed, a small handful of NFL coaches had become smitten with Mahomes, they kept their views quiet, and the media/draftniks had no idea that Mahomes was so highly regarded. Telling Smith what the Chiefs planned to do required the Chiefs to place significant trust in Smith. If he’d known that the Chiefs had planned to trade up to draft his replacement, Smith easily could have leaked that information, with the goal of getting someone else to draft Mahomes before the Chiefs could.

That’s an important factor to consider when trying to understand why the Packers didn’t tell Rodgers about the plan to trade up for Love. Since the Packers gave Rodgers no head’s up at all, it’s easy to say that they should have at least called him minutes before the trade was made and the card was submitted. But if the Packers had given Rodgers a perfunctory courtesy call seconds before calling Love, would that have been good enough?

Probably not. Rodgers would have had questions. Rodgers would have been upset, confused. To have full and proper notice, the Packers would have had to tell him about it well before the first night of the draft. They would have had to have as many conversations with Rodgers as the Chiefs had with Smith, and maybe more.

So here’s the real question. Did the Packers not trust Rodgers with that information? In other words, did the Packers fear that Rodgers would have gotten the word out that the Packers were targeting Love, in the hopes that someone else would get him?

The Packers will never reveal their reason(s) for not telling Rodgers about Love. But there aren’t many potential explanations. First, they didn’t think to do it. Second, they decided not to do it, because Rodgers simply works there and has no right to expect to know these plans. Third, they decided not to do it in order to protect the secret — either against accidental disclosure or an intentional one.

The fact that Rodgers has no animosity at all toward the coaching staff suggests that coach Matt LaFleur had no idea about the plan to move up for Love, either. Maybe that was part of the plan to keep the information from Rodgers; if LaFleur had known, there’s no way he wouldn’t have given Rodgers a head’s up.

Whatever the true reason for the team’s failure to let Rodgers know about Love, the one gesture encapsulates the dysfunction that currently exists between the franchise and its franchise quarterback.

NFC EAST

DALLAS

Ben McAdoo, once the head coach of the Giants, has been hired as a Cowboys “consultant.”  Zachary Links of ProFootballRumors.com:

The Cowboys have hired former Giants head coach Ben McAdoo as a consultant (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Mike Garafolo). Now, McAdoo is set to face his former squad twice in 2021. He’ll also get to reunite with head coach Mike McCarthy — the two last worked together in Green Bay with McAdoo serving as the quarterbacks coach.

McAdoo climbed up the NFL coaching ranks during his stints with the Saints, 49ers, and Packers. He caught on with the Giants in 2014 as their offensive coordinator, improving the squad from the 28th-highest-scoring offense to the sixth-highest-scoring offense. Ownership and the front office turned to their OC after Tom Coughlin stepped down, making McAdoo their 17th head coach in franchise history.

The Giants went 11-5 during McAdoo’s first season as the helm, although the team lost to the Packers in that year’s Wild Card Game. New York stumbled to a 2-10 record to start the 2017 campaign, and the organization ended up firing both their head coach and general manager Jerry Reese before the end of the year.

Since that time, McAdoo has seemingly been out of football altogether. The coach has worked with the likes of Aaron Rodgers and Eli Manning throughout his career. Now, he’ll be asked to strategize around Dak Prescott.

WASHINGTON

QB RYAN FITZPATRICK has no problem heading to another team.  Michael David Smith of ProFootballTalk.com:

Ryan Fitzpatrick has been the starting quarterback for the Rams, Bengals, Bills, Titans, Texans, Jets, Buccaneers and Dolphins. Now he’s with the Washington Football Team, and he says he’s having no trouble fitting right in on his ninth team.

“There are certain things that maybe it is easier for me to switch teams than other guys because I’ve done it so many times,” Fitzpatrick said, via ESPN. “I’ve been through the process.”

Fitzpatrick said he’s quickly learning the language of his new offense and serving as a leader in Organized Team Activities.

“Communication is a huge thing,” Fitzpatrick said. “When that communication gets crisp, you can play faster and that puts a lot of pressure on the defense. I have a lot of discussion with the guys up front. I’m the one having to catch up right now with what they’re doing.”

On eight different teams, Fitzpatrick has figured out how to communicate with new teammates. On Team 9, he knows how it’s done.

AFC NORTH

BALTIMORE

Quoth QB LAMAR JACKSON, evermore a Raven.  Jamison Hensley of ESPN.com:

Lamar Jackson isn’t sure when he will sign a contract extension with the Baltimore Ravens. All the former NFL MVP knows is he wants to remain long term with the organization that drafted him.

“I would love to be here forever,” Jackson said after Wednesday’s offseason practice. “I love Baltimore. I love the whole organization. I love everybody in the building. Hopefully, we’ll be making something happen pretty soon whenever.”

In his first comments about his contract this offseason, Jackson said he spoke with Ravens general manager Eric DeCosta a month or two ago about an extension.

Jackson, 24, is perhaps the best bargain in the NFL. He is scheduled to earn $1.77 million in base salary this season, which ranks 23rd among all quarterbacks. His salary spikes to $23.1 million in 2022, when he enters his fifth-year option and final year under contract.

Jackson’s extension is expected to place him among the highest-paid players in the game. Over the past year, Patrick Mahomes (an average of $45 million per season) and Dak Prescott ($40 million per year) signed the two richest deals for quarterbacks.

Neither Jackson nor the Ravens have put a timetable on when a new deal could get struck.

“I’m really focused on the season, and I’m focused on trying to win,” Jackson said. “I’m not really worried about if it gets done this year or next year. We’re going to see. We don’t know yet.”

This is the first year in which the top quarterbacks of the 2018 draft class — Jackson, Josh Allen and Baker Mayfield — can negotiate an extension. Unlike those other quarterbacks, Jackson has never had an agent.

Asked whether he will represent himself on this blockbuster deal, Jackson said, “Maybe. We’ll see.”

Selected with the last pick of the first round three years ago, Jackson has won more games (30) than any other NFL quarterback since taking over as Baltimore’s starter midway through the 2018 season, and in 2019 he became the second unanimous league MVP. He is the first player in NFL history to produce 5,000 yards passing and 2,500 yards rushing in his first three seasons.

Ravens wide receiver Marquise “Hollywood” Brown, one of Jackson’s best friends on the team, said contract talks aren’t really discussed.

“I think the most we talk about is the Super Bowl,” Brown said. “I’m pretty sure that Lamar wants to stay here. The Ravens want him here. If we win a Super Bowl, everybody can stay here.”

In April, DeCosta said the team would work “tirelessly” after the draft to get a new deal done with Jackson.

“At some point, hopefully, we’ll have some good news for everybody,” the GM said last month

AFC SOUTH

INDIANAPOLIS

No one called on PK ADAM VINATIERI during 2020, so the legendary kicker is formalizing his retirement.  Mike Chappell of CBS4Indy.com:

The long-anticipated end to Adam Vinatieri’s historic career has arrived.

The all-time scoring leader for the NFL and Indianapolis Colts confirmed Wednesday on the Pat McAfee Show he is retiring.

“Let me put it this way,’’ Vinatieri said. “Today’s Wednesday. By Friday if paperwork goes in, you heard it here first.’’

The official announcement ends any lingering speculation.

Vinatieri, 48, last kicked in 2019, his 10th season with the Colts and 24th in the NFL. He walks away as the league’s career scoring leader in the regular season (2,673 points) and playoffs (238).

Vinatieri appeared in five Super Bowls and has four championship rings: three with the New England Patriots and one with the Colts (2006).

Vinatieri finished the 2019 season on the injured reserve list and underwent surgery on his left knee to address damage to the meniscus and patellar tendon. The balky knee contributed to him enduring one of the worst seasons of his career: 14 missed kicks, including six missed PATs.

It was an unfortunate ending to a career that undoubtedly will deliver Vinatieri to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio.

He contemplated returning for a 25th season, but always knew the end was near.

“If I can’t make it back, it is what it is,’’ he said while rehabbing from the knee surgery. “I’d like to play again, but if not, that’s part of the deal.

“If after 24 years you’re not at peace with what you’ve done in your career, then you’re a jackass. What more? I always wanted to be a good father and a good husband. Football is what I do, it doesn’t define me.’’

Even so, Vinatieri admitted he performed at a high level for a long time.

“My definition of Adam Vinatieri the football player is he’s had a pretty good run,’’ he said. “If it’s not in the cards and I’m not coming back, then yes, I’ll be at peace.’’

Vinatieri spent the first 10 years of his career with the New England Patriots and methodically established himself as the NFL’s premier clutch kicker.

He provided the late game-winning field goals as the Patriots won Super Bowl XXXVI against the St. Louis Rams and Super Bowl XXXVIII against Carolina. He converted 29 game-winning kicks in his career and was part of 231 victories.

The Colts signed Vinatieri as a free agent in 2006 and he more than proved worth the investment.

In 14 seasons he appeared in 220 games, including the playoffs, and set club records for points in the regular season (1,515) and postseason (121). In the Colts’ 15-6 win at Baltimore in the second-round of the 2006 playoffs that helped propel them to the Super Bowl, Vinatieri accounted for all of Indy’s points with five field goals.

– – –

The Colts profess to be agog over the brilliance of QB CARSON WENTZ.  Jim Ayello of the Indianapolis Star:

Michael Pittman Jr. doesn’t get it. Neither does Jacob Eason. Frankly, no one with the Indianapolis Colts seems to understand where some of the more malicious rumors surrounding Carson Wentz came from. A few of them have admitted to hearing about what allegedly went down in Philadelphia between Wentz and his teammates and they can’t reconcile those rumors with the man they’ve come to know over the past few months.

“I have no idea what everyone else is talking about,” Pittman said Tuesday after Colts practice during their two-week voluntary workout program. “I just see a team guy. He’s always ready to help and just do whatever it takes. He’s been a great guy, a great teammate.”

 “He’s done a tremendous job, whether it’s in meetings or in the locker room, he engages guys,” Eason added. “He goes up and introduces himself. He’s one of those guys who can talk to anyone in the locker room. I know there’s stuff being said about this and that in Philly. As far as us, in here, he’s been nothing but great.”

You could say that Pittman and Eason were speaking for the entire team when they said those things, but then again, they don’t really need to. Every Colts player or coach who has been asked about how Wentz has acclimated himself to his new team and new surroundings has voiced similar opinions.

However, most of them don’t bring up Philadelphia, which makes sense. For one, they weren’t there. For another, the most damning report about Wentz’s alleged inability to connect with teammates, the one in the Philly Voice in 2018, was filled with anonymous sources, which were later refuted by many of the team’s veteran leaders, including defensive tackle Fletcher Cox, center Jason Kelce, tight end Zach Ertz and defensive end Chris Long.

Former Eagles captain Malcolm Jenkins told Long on his “Green Light” podcast, shortly after Wentz was traded to the Colts, that the quarterback sometimes needed to reach out more, but he was never the sort of “locker room cancer” he was accused of being.

Wentz himself has addressed this particular topic multiple times since the report came out three years ago, and has repeatedly said he’s always tried to be a good teammate, even if he sometimes fails.

“I’ve learned in this business and in life, you’re just not going to make everyone happy, as much as you want to,” Wentz said at his first news conference as a Colt. “It’s unfortunate that people have those opinions, but I’m going to learn from it and try to be the best teammate I can be, and if any of my teammates out there don’t think I was the best teammate, I apologize. I wish I could be better.”

In Indianapolis, so far, Wentz has nothing to apologize for. He’s drawn rave reviews from his new teammates, many of whom have been heartened that he’s reached out to them during the offseason — either simply to introduce himself, to organize a get-together, or both.

T.Y. Hilton wasn’t even officially a Colt when Wentz started texting him. The veteran wide receiver was still sitting on the free agent market when Wentz was shooting him messages: “I want you to be here. I want to throw passes to you.”

That meant a lot to Hilton, and after he signed his new deal with the Colts, the two got together for a throwing session. They’ve been working to grow their bond ever since. That type of work will continue, even once these two weeks of voluntary workouts end  — not just with Hilton but with almost all of the Colts receivers, Zach Pascal said.

They’ve already been planning on getting together and continuing to work, something that has caught the eye of Pascal.

“He’s a guy that likes to work,” he said, “so that just blends in perfectly with everybody on the team.”

Pittman sees the same thing from Wentz: “He’s so dialed in.  It’s like he’s on a mission. … He’s so focused on whatever it is, proving himself, winning a Super Bowl, whatever it is, he’s lasered in.”

Among the other major takeaways from their initial interactions with Wentz, one that is also quickly endearing him to the wide receivers in particular, is his big arm.

Hilton has already talked about how seeing Wentz’s arm strength in practice has him pumped up about catching more deep balls than he has in recent years. Over the past two seasons, Hilton’s average yards per reception have been the two lowest of his career (11.1 and 13.6) by a wide margin. Hilton wouldn’t dive into details, but it’s safe to say he is expecting that number to be much higher this season — perhaps closer to what he had during his Pro Bowl years with Andrew Luck, whom he has compared to Wentz.

Pascal just laughed when talking about Wentz’s arm, saying he thinks Wentz might be able to sling it 80-100 yards on a good day.

Pittman remembers the first time he realized how strong Wentz’s right arm was — either his first or second throwing session with the new Colts quarterback in California, when Wentz fired a 65-yard post at him.

“I was like, Oh my gosh! I really gotta dig down and run!” Pittman laughed.

Obviously, it’s still early days, and Wentz skeptics would perhaps rightly point out that his teammates are going to say only nice things about him. That’s fair. The reality is that Wentz’s bona fides as a teammate and a leader will be tested — just as they are for all players — when he and the team face adversity during the season. How he comports himself then will matter most.

But for now, it’s fair to say his teammates raving about him is better than the alternative. 

JACKSONVILLE

Kareem Kassam has come and gone from the Jaguars.  Michael DiRocco of ESPN.com:

Jaguars senior vice president of football operations and strategy Karim Kassam is out, sources tell ESPN’s Seth Walder.

The reason that Kassam is no longer with the team was not immediately known.

Kassam was hired Feb. 19 to oversee the team’s football technology and analytics department in addition to salary-cap administration while working with head coach Urban Meyer and general manager Trent Baalke.

Kassam is the second person hired earlier this year by the new regime to leave the franchise. Chris Doyle resigned as director of sports performance a day after his hiring was announced after there was immense backlash over the move. Doyle had reached a separation agreement last summer with Iowa after he was accused of making racist remarks and belittling and bullying players while the program’s strength and conditioning coordinator.

Kassam came to the Jaguars after serving as the director of baseball research with the Minnesota Twins. He spent the previous five years as the Pittsburgh Steelers’ analytics and football research coordinator.

AFC EAST

BUFFALO

QB JOSH ALLEN’s extension is not a hot burner item in Buffalo, but he seems unperturbed.  Jay Skurski in the Buffalo News:

Allen isn’t sweating his contract. The Bills made the obvious move of picking up the quarterback’s fifth-year option, meaning he’s signed through the 2022 season. It’s widely expected both sides will work out a long-term contract extension, perhaps even before the start of the upcoming season.

“I’m just trying to be the best quarterback that I can be for the Bills,” he said. “That’s why as players, most of us, not all of us, have agents to take care of that side of things. Again, that’s the least most thing I’m worrying about right now. I’m just trying to find ways I can do better and be better for this team, and help us accomplish the goal that we want to accomplish.”

Allen did see one potential benefit to getting a deal done sooner than later.

“I think on your guys’ end, getting it done quick would kill all these questions that you have about it,” he said. “Again, I’m focused on being the best version of myself. Being the best quarterback, best leader that I can be for this team day in and day out.”

MIAMI

QB TUA TAGALOVIA admits he didn’t know the offense like he should last year.  Cameron Wolfe of ESPN.com:

Rocking a new offseason beard and a much louder line-of-scrimmage cadence, Tua Tagovailoa looked and sounded like a different quarterback leading the Miami Dolphins’ offense during Wednesday’s organized team activities. He also showed up without many of the constraints that followed him a year ago.

Tagovailoa said his surgically repaired hip feels “10 times” better than it did a year ago. The addition of wide receivers Will Fuller (free-agent signing) and Jaylen Waddle (first-round pick) gives him much-needed speed to open up the offense. Maybe most important, he is finally comfortable — a buzzword at Dolphins headquarters this offseason surrounding the young quarterback — with his game and the team’s offensive playbook for the first time as a pro.

In his first interview with South Florida media since the Dolphins’ 2020 season ended, Tagovailoa opened up about the factors behind his up-and-down rookie season while detailing why improved confidence and comfort will help him be a better quarterback in Year 2.

“Last year, for me, I wasn’t as comfortable just in general. I wasn’t comfortable calling plays,” Tagovailoa said. “The guys that were here last year were phenomenal. I just didn’t have the comfortability of checking plays, alerting plays. I just rode with the play, even if I knew it wasn’t going to work. I was going to try to make it work.

“I didn’t actually know the playbook, necessarily, really, really good, and that’s no one else’s fault but my fault. Our playcalls were simple when I was in. I didn’t have alerts and checks. Where now, I feel comfortable and I can maneuver my way through these things.”

THIS AND THAT

BOLD PREDICTIONS

Adam Schein of NFL.com offers these nine bold predictions for 2021:

1) Aaron Rodgers leads the Broncos on a deep playoff run

If you watched Rodgers’ chat with the legendary Kenny Mayne on his final SportsCenter on Monday night, you have to believe Rodgers is done with the Packers. Why? Well, the Pack inexplicably put an expiration date on the future Hall of Famer’s time in Green Bay. Instead of getting Rodgers some help in a 2020 draft class loaded with receiver talent, the Packers traded up to draft his replacement.

As Rodgers said while talking to Mayne, he threw a wrench into GM Brian Gutekunst’s ill-conceived transition timeline by going out this past season and winning his third MVP award. No, the quarterback didn’t mention Gutekunst by name, but it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to read between the lines.

“It’s just kind of about a philosophy and maybe forgetting that it is about the people that make the thing go,” Rodgers said to Mayne. “It’s about character, it’s about culture, it’s about doing things the right way.”

Rodgers is speaking directly to Pack brass there: Gutekunst, team president Mark Murphy and the front-office folks. Those people aren’t changing. It’s over. It’s been over. Go back and listen to Rodgers’ press conference following the Championship Sunday loss to Tampa Bay. He basically said goodbye. It’s significant he isn’t at OTAs for the first time in his career. Do you think he’s showing up to mandatory minicamp in a couple weeks? Training camp? Standing side by side with Gutekunst and Murphy?

Enter Denver.

Rodgers is the most talented quarterback ever, fresh off his best season ever, so he won’t come cheap. Three first-rounders and OLB Bradley Chubb is the starting point of a potential trade. But man, just think of this quarterback with this roster. The Broncos would surround the 37-year-old with explosive playmakers in the passing game, including receivers Jerry Jeudy, Courtland Sutton and KJ Hamler, as well as tight end Noah Fant. The ground game is rock solid, with enticing second-round pick Javonte Williams joining seasoned veteran Melvin Gordon. And you know Vic Fangio will field a stout defense, especially now that he has stud corners in Patrick Surtain II and Kyle Fuller to fulfill his vision.

I would still call Kansas City “the team to beat” in the AFC West and AFC, but I’d put a Rodgers-led Broncos team up with anyone else in the loaded conference. Denver would be right in the mix with a Bills squad that’s beginning to look like a juggernaut, an emerging Browns team thinking Super Bowl, the always-in-the-conversation Ravens and the ready-to-rumble Colts. And come January, are you betting against Mr. Rodgers?

2) Myles Garrett breaks the single-season sack record

Michael Strahan set the record at 22.5 — with a little last-minute help from Brett Favre — 20 seasons ago. Over the past two decades, Jared Allen, Justin Houston, Aaron Donald, J.J. Watt and DeMarcus Ware all reached 20-plus sacks, but none could knock Strahan from his throne. Now, with 17 games in the regular season, I expect this record to fall ASAP. And Garrett’s the guy to do it.

Garrett looked like he’d make a run at the record in the first two months of last season, racking up nine sacks in the first seven games. But he missed two games after testing positive for COVID-19 and just didn’t look the same upon return, dealing with additional injuries that also sapped his superpowers. Make no mistake, though: When this cat’s right, he’s unblockable, with size, speed, skill and a motor like no other. And it’s not like he’s surrounded by scrubs, either. With a bevy of high-end free-agent additions (Jadeveon Clowney, Malik Jackson, John Johnson III and Troy Hill) and a pair of instant-impact draft picks (Greg Newsome II and Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah), the Browns’ D is loaded at all three levels. So opponents can’t just throw every resource at Garrett. The man is going to eat.

3) Ezekiel Elliott wins another rushing title

It’s been a minute, but Elliott has actually led the league in rushing twice. A lot of people are down on Zeke in the wake of a 2020 season where he averaged a career-low 4.0 yards per carry, but I think he still has it. I know running backs generally struggle to age gracefully, but Elliott’s far from geriatric, turning 26 in July.

With a healthy, properly compensated Dak Prescott back in the fold, Dallas is going to dominate offensively. I envision the Cowboys jumping out to a lot of leads, allowing a highly motivated Zeke to play Emmitt Smith meets Mariano Rivera by closing games with chunks of yards.

4) The Bengals win more games than the Steelers

Joe Burrow took the field at Bengals workouts on Tuesday. That’s all I needed to see. Burrow will hit the ground running with old LSU teammate Ja’Marr Chase. This connection was special in that 2019 national championship run — I can’t wait to see these two make sweet music together once again. And the Bengals’ band of playmakers runs deep. Burrow already showed a fine rapport with Tee Higgins and Tyler Boyd, while Joe Mixon has the all-around skill set to bounce back in a major way from last year’s injury-riddled campaign. Like colleague Gregg Rosenthal said, the offensive line looks better on paper than you think. Lou Anarumo’s defense remains a big question mark — with a bunch of notable losses and gains in free agency — but the offense has the kind of firepower to win some shootouts. All in all, I think the arrow is pointing up in Cincy. Meanwhile, in Pittsburgh …

The Steelers still have a Hall of Fame quarterback in Ben Roethlisberger, but he’s not Benjamin Button. Now 39 years old, Big Ben clearly hit a wall down the stretch last year. So did Pittsburgh. From 11-0 to first-round playoff exit. And I don’t see the trend reversing for the better in 2021. While first-round pick Najee Harris is a stud runner, the offensive line remains problematic. The defense lost Bud Dupree (who’d become a fabulous edge-rushing complement to T.J. Watt) and Mike Hilton (the stud slot corner who just so happened to relocate to Cincy). And it sure doesn’t help that the aging Steelers drew the NFL’s toughest strength of schedule.

5) The Falcons win 10 games without Julio Jones

I’d never trade Julio myself, but it appears that’s where we’re headed. Sad for Falcons fans, but on the bright side, I do like the overall outlook in Atlanta with Arthur Smith taking the reins as head coach.

Smith is the right guy to maximize the offensive talent beyond Julio. Think about what he did in Tennessee, turning Ryan Tannehill, Derrick Henry and A.J. Brown into a prolific trio. Having just turned 36, Matt Ryan still has plenty left in the tank. Under Smith, I think we’ll get a quarterback closer to the guy we saw in Atlanta under Kyle Shanahan — you know, when Ryan won MVP? Smith coaches up tight ends beautifully, and now he has an absolute freak at the position in Kyle Pitts. Calvin Ridley has already shown he can excel as a WR1, balling out while Julio was injured last season. And overall, Smith brings the kind of winning attitude — and ability to finish — that has been lacking in recent years for the Falcons.

6) The Titans win 11 games with Julio Jones

I keep thinking Tennessee makes the most sense as a landing spot for Julio. The Titans lost Jonnu Smith and Corey Davis in free agency, leaving the passing attack thin on weaponry. It’d be an out-of-conference trade for the Falcons. And Arthur Smith obviously knows the Titans roster, so he can pick a player (a linebacker or offensive lineman?) to get in return. Imagine Julio Jones and A.J. Brown running routes for Ryan Tannehill with the best back in the game, Derrick Henry, mauling cats on the ground. I’m in!

Mike Vrabel is a great coach, and I think his defense added some enticing pieces this offseason. Bud Dupree was a superb signing, and barring unexpected setbacks in his recovery from ACL surgery, he should be able to provide the kind of pass rush Tennessee sorely needs. Meanwhile, Denico Autry’s a rock on the defensive front and Janoris Jenkins remains a capable corner at age 32. Draft-wise, Tennessee could end up with a steal in Caleb Farley, the spectacularly gifted cornerback who would’ve been long gone by pick No. 22 if not for health concerns. And versatile DB Elijah Molden was a real nice snag at the No. 100 overall pick.

Vrabel went 9-7 in his first two years, then took the division with an 11-5 mark in 2020. If Julio joins the party, I see another 11-win campaign in 2021.

7) The Colts field the NFL’s best defense

Darius Leonard is an absolute machine at linebacker. DeForest Buckner wrecks games up front. And hey, welcome to first-round pick Kwity Paye, a freaky-athletic edge rusher of Michigan.

Leonard is fond of telling me on my SiriusXM Radio show, “Schein on Sports,” that practices are more intense under defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus than games. Come game time, when the Colts are flying around and making plays, that shows. Last year, Indianapolis ranked 10th in scoring defense and eighth in total defense, so this isn’t exactly an outrageous prediction. But it still feels like this Indy D doesn’t get the respect it deserves. I’m here to change that!

8) The Panthers field a top-five offense

All the ingredients are here. Christian McCaffrey says he’s “back to 100 percent.” Remember his last healthy season? The dynamite runner/receiver became just the third member of the 1,000/1,000 club. And the Panthers just had a receiver duo combine for a 1,000/1,000 of their own, with D.J. Moore racking up 1,194 receiving yards and Robby Anderson posting 1,096. These guys are game-breaking wideouts, and Carolina just acquired the perfect third banana in the draft, stealing Terrace Marshall Jr. late in the second round. In Charlotte, Marshall reunites with Joe Brady, who knows how to maximize the receiver’s big-bodied skill set from their time together at LSU.

OK, let’s stop beating around the bush. What about that other position? You know, the most important position in the game? New Panthers GM Scott Fitterer explained to me on SiriusXM Radio how much he loved newly acquired quarterback Sam Darnold when he was coming out of USC. Same here, Scott. I think he was dropped into a horrendous situation with the Jets, in terms of coaching and surrounding talent. Darnold will thrive under Matt Rhule and Brady, a masterful play caller. In fact, I think he’ll blow past 4,000 yards passing for the first time in his career and guide a top-five offense.

9) Derwin James reassumes his rightful title: First-team All-Pro

He’s heathy, happy and hopeful at Chargers workouts. That’s all I need. James is a ballhawk, a game wrecker … just a pure playmaker. Plus, he’s a great teammate. The shame is that, three years into his NFL career, we’ve seen one healthy season. But what a season it was! As a rookie, Derwin racked up 105 tackles, 13 passes defensed, six QB hits, 3.5 sacks and three interceptions, earning first-team All-Pro honors in the process. I say he gets right back to that lofty status in 2021.

Dear, Football Gods … Please keep Derwin healthy. He deserves it. The Chargers deserve it. We deserve it.

Of Schein’s predicitions – we don’t see RB EZEKIEL ELLIOTT winning the rushing title (or even being in the Top 5).

We kind of like the pick of the Bengals winning more games than the Steelers.