Seven-time Super Bowl champion Tom Brady will begin his broadcast career as Fox’s lead analyst during Week 1 as the Cleveland Browns host the Dallas Cowboys on Sept. 8, the network announced Monday. Brady will broadcast the game alongside Fox’s lead play-by-play broadcaster Kevin Burkhardt.

Brady’s Fox regular-season debut likely would have featured curiosity seekers no matter when it aired but Fox and the NFL have set up his debut game to have massive viewership because it features the Cowboys in an exclusive national Sunday afternoon window on Week 1.

The NFL had given Fox and CBS Week 1 doubleheaders in recent years so this figures to help Fox out. Not only is the top NFL draw based on viewership and an emerging Browns team, but they also have the debut of the highest-paid NFL broadcaster in history.

Brady appeared at Fox’s media upfronts in New York City on Monday afternoon where Michael Strahan announced Brady’s broadcasting assignment alongside the future Hall of Fame quarterback in front of media buyers and Fox executives. Brady and Strahan closed out the upfront presentation alongside celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay.

And on Tuesday morning, we learn that it is Jets at 49ers for the Monday Night opener per Josh Alper of ProFootballTalk.com:

The Jets will be opening the season on Monday night for the second year in a row, but they’ll be hoping things play out differently this time around.

ESPN announced that the Jets will be at Levi’s Stadium to face the 49ers to kick off the Monday Night Football schedule for the 2024 season.

The Jets were at home on Monday night to start the 2023 season and a festive night took a bad turn when quarterback Aaron Rodgers tore his Achilles on the fourth offensive snap of the game. The Jets would go on to beat the Bills in overtime on a punt return touchdown by Xavier Gipson, but the injury wound up looming large in another losing season for the Jets.

Rodgers grew up in Northern California and went to Cal, so the trip will be to a familiar neck of the woods for the quarterback.

This year’s opener will also be a return to Santa Clara for Jets head coach Robert Saleh. He spent four years as Kyle Shanahan’s defensive coordinator with the 49ers before moving on to the Jets job in 2021.

The Chiefs’ Week 2 game has also dropped, see KANSAS CITY.

DETROIT

QB JARED GOFF has his extension – worth north of $50 million per year.  Myles Simmons of ProFootballTalk.com:

Lions General Manager Brad Holmes said last week that he had faith that the team and quarterback Jared Goff would be able to reach an agreement on a contract extension.

Holmes’ belief has now been rewarded. And so has Goff.

According to Tom Pelissero, Goff has agreed to an extension with the Lions to put him under contract through 2027 with an option for 2028.

ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports the deal is worth $212 million with $170 million guaranteed.

The average annual value of $53 million would put Goff behind only Joe Burrow’s $55 million per year on the list of highest-paid quarterbacks.

The No. 1 overall pick of the 2016 draft, Goff was traded from the Rams to the Lions in 2021 as part of Los Angeles’ deal to acquire quarterback Matthew Stafford. Goff has since helped make Detroit a Super Bowl contender, with the club reaching the NFC Championship Game in 2023.

Goff, 29, completed 67 percent of his passes for 4,575 yards with 30 touchdowns and 12 interceptions in 2023.

A three-time Pro Bowler, Goff has completed 65 percent of his career throws for 30,429 yards with 185 touchdowns and 82 picks in 117 games. He’s compiled a 66-50-1 record as a starter along with a 93.6 passer rating.

Goff is the third offensive cornerstone the Lions have signed to an extension in recent weeks, joining receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown and offensive tackle Penei Sewell.

Zachary Pereles of CBSSports.com with Winners and Losers from the deal:

As with any major deal, there are ripple effects across the NFL. Here are the winners and losers from Goff cashing in.

Winner: Jared Goff

This one is obvious, and not just for the money. When the Lions dealt Matthew Stafford to the Rams in early 2021, Goff was thrown into a tough situation, and his career as a starter seemed to hang in the balance. Two seasons after leading Los Angeles to a Super Bowl appearance, he was heading to a Detroit team with a first-year head coach (Dan Campbell) and low expectations. It’s hard to remember now because Detroit and, in turn, Goff have become such feel-good stories, but 2021 was rough. The Lions went 3-13-1, and even though Goff had a solid season, things could have gone in a number of directions.

They all went in Goff’s direction. Most importantly, Detroit promoted Ben Johnson to take over for Anthony Lynn at offensive coordinator. It also got major leaps from second-year players Amon-Ra St. Brown and Penei Sewell, and a talented offensive line came together. Goff delivered in a major way, earning a Pro Bowl nod.

Things could have really gone off the rails for Goff after his unceremonious LA exit. Instead, he persevered and improved. Last month, Goff said the trade was, “the greatest thing that ever happened to me, for my career and my development as a human.” Now he’s getting paid like it.

Winner: Amon-Ra St. Brown and the rest of the Lions’ core

Goff’s signing continues the Lions’ commitment to keeping the pillars of their offense around for the long haul. On April 24, they signed St. Brown to a four-year, $120-million extension and Sewell to a four-year, $112-million extension. So it’s been a great offseason for the Lions but also a great offseason for the Lions’ top players: The team has shown a major financial commitment to those who have earned it. That bodes well for a guy like Aidan Hutchinson, who becomes extension-eligible next offseason, too.

As for one single player, St. Brown might be the biggest beneficiary long-term. Fresh off a 119-reception season, St. Brown has established elite chemistry from Goff and is an excellent fit for Goff’s strengths. Goff is a strong-armed quarterback who can deliver intermediate-depth balls over the middle with the best of them. Over the past two seasons, St. Brown’s 129 receptions on passes between the numbers rank third in the NFL, only behind Travis Kelce and Tyreek Hill.

Winner: Ben Johnson

Johnson has been a hot name on the coaching carousel for the past two offseasons. He turned down interviews in 2023 to stick with Detroit, and after taking several interviews in 2024, he again elected to stay in the Motor City, even backing out of the Commanders’ search as team brass were on their way to Detroit. Johnson has breathed life into Goff’s comeback by blending a strong running game, effective play-action, creative designs that accentuate Goff’s strengths and intelligent play-calling. Johnson’s commitment to Detroit is being repaid in full.

Loser: Dallas Cowboys

Depending on how you view it, the Cowboys are a loser and Dak Prescott is a winner. Let’s focus on the former. Dallas has strung out extending Prescott far too long, and Goff is now yet another development that gives Prescott the upper hand in negotiations. Dallas has waffled back and forth, with the latest development being executive vice president Stephen Jones saying getting a new contract done is a “priority.” Back in March, however, NFL Media reported Prescott could play out the final year of his four-year, $160-million deal without an extension. Whatever the case is, Prescott’s price tag just went up, and that’s a daunting prospect for a Cowboys team that also needs to pay CeeDee Lamb and Micah Parsons, among others.

Loser: Hendon Hooker

It’s hard to deem Hooker too much of a “loser,” but the 2023 third-round pick is now slotted into Detroit’s backup role for the foreseeable future. That’s not really a bad thing — he’ll continue to learn behind an accomplished veteran quarterback and under a terrific offensive coordinator — but it may be a tough pill to swallow that as long as Goff stays healthy, Hooker won’t see the field much.

Here’s where Goff fits in near the top of the revised QB pay scale from CBSSports.com:

Jared Goff just became a much richer man Monday after the Detroit Lions inked their quarterback to a mammoth contract extension. Goff agreed to a four-year, $212 million contract that includes $170 million guaranteed. This deal now has him as the second-highest paid quarterback in the NFL only behind Bengals superstar Joe Burrow, who signed a record-setting $275 million deal last September.

Now that he’s being paid like an elite quarterback in the league, Detroit is hoping Goff can be the steady hand under center that helps propel the franchise to new heights as it hunts for that elusive Super Bowl title. While Goff and the Lions are coming off a successful season in 2023, backing up the Brinks truck for a quarterback doesn’t always produce Lombardi Trophies.

In fact, just one player inside the newly etched top 10 highest-paid quarterbacks in the league has hoisted a Lombardi Trophy — Patrick Mahomes. Here’s a rundown of the highest-paid signal-callers in the league and a comparative chart of how they stack up against one another on the field.

Note: APY denotes average per-year earnings (via Spotrac).

QB                   TEAM               APY         STARTS         RECORD          PLAYOFFS      

Joe Burrow        Bengals            $55M           52                 29-22-1           5-2

Jared Goff         Lions                $53M           117                66-50-1           4-4       

Justin Herbert    Chargers           $52.5M        62                   30-32            0-1       

Lamar Jackson Ravens             $52M           77                   58-19            2-4       

Jalen Hurts        Eagles               $51M          51                  34-17               2-3      

Kyler Murray     Cardinals           $46.1M       65                  28-36-1           0-1       

Deshaun Watson Browns           $46M         65                  36-29                1-2      

Kirk Cousins       Falcons           $45M          145               76-67-2              1-3      

Patrick Mahomes   Chiefs          $45M               96            74-22                15-3      

Josh Allen              Bills             $43M               93            63-30                 5-5      

On top of Mahomes being the only quarterback within this top 10 to actually win a Super Bowl, just three others have been to the big game. That includes Goff, who was able to help bring the Los Angeles Rams to an appearance in Super Bowl LIII back in 2018. So, Goff has shown that he has the stuff to have Detroit knocking on the door of the Super Bowl.

Still, this list does signal that quarterbacks are arguably overcompensated if the name of the game is to win at a high level in the playoffs. Only Mahomes and Burrow have playoff records above .500, and six of the 10 have records below .500. In any event, if Goff can lead the Lions to their first-ever Super Bowl title, no one will blink twice when hearing he’s the second-highest-paid quarterback in the league.

DALLAS

With QB JARED GOFF getting his deal done, the Cowboys are faced with a $200 million decision for a QB they don’t truly act like they believe in.  Charles Robinson of YahooSports.com:

The debate about the Dallas Cowboys’ understanding of what an “all-in” push entails should have come to an end Monday. That’s largely thanks to endless instruction from Detroit Lions ownership, which capped a series of staff and player extensions over the past two months with a four-year, $212 million deal for quarterback Jared Goff.

More than anything else that has happened this offseason, that Goff extension — with $170 million expected in guarantees — puts the Cowboys at a crossroads with Dak Prescott. On one path, Dallas makes Prescott the highest paid player in NFL history at the time of his signing. On the other path, the Cowboys decline that commitment, letting Prescott enter free agency next offseason, at which point another franchise will make him the highest paid player in NFL history.

The only detour between those two avenues would be if Prescott gives Dallas a discount, signing a lesser deal than one he would draw on the open market 10 months from now. That’s the unanimous opinion of multiple sources with experience in these scenarios, including team executives and prominent NFL agents who have negotiated top quarterback deals. All of whom have watched Dallas linger a step behind the market on the extensions for Prescott and wideout CeeDee Lamb.

“They’re in the same spot Detroit was with Goff, [wideout Amon-Ra St. Brown] and [offensive tackle Penei] Sewell,” one prominent agent said Monday night. “Detroit did the work and got it moving and Dallas is just watching the prices go up. … They’re an entire year late on a couple deals.”

Added a second prominent agent of the Cowboys’ growing dilemma, “When in doubt, blame Jerry.”

That Jerry would be Cowboys owner Jerry Jones, who initially promised an “all-in” push this offseason, then fell back into what has effectively been a wait-and-see mode on contracts. The result has been months of roster gridlock for the franchise, aside from a smattering of cheap veteran signings after the free-agent market lost steam. That has left a segment of the fan base frustrated, particularly as the window for a Prescott deal has continued to dwindle without the saving grace of other key extensions between Lamb and edge rusher Micah Parsons.

All of this has lent to a sizable air of uncertainty surrounding the franchise, which lost defensive coordinator Dan Quinn this offseason and allowed head coach Mike McCarthy to enter the final year of his contract. Realistically, the Cowboys could be engaging in a rebuild of sorts next offseason, particularly if Dallas loses Prescott and declines to retain McCarthy, which would lead to a search for another franchise quarterback and an entire retooling of the coaching staff under a new head coach.

That’s effectively the opposite of what Detroit has accomplished this offseason, managing to retain coveted offensive coordinator Ben Johnson another season, signing general manager Brad Holmes and head coach Dan Campbell to contract extensions, and inking new deals with three cornerstone players in Goff, St. Brown and Sewell. Not to mention getting ahead of four other quarterback extensions that have yet to be completed: Prescott, the Jacksonville Jaguars’ Trevor Lawrence, the Miami Dolphins’ Tua Tagovailoa and the Green Bay Packers’ Jordan Love.

Following Goff’s deal, Prescott and Lawrence will be expected to reset the market as the league’s highest paid quarterbacks, while both Love and Tagovailoa are expected to exceed $50-million in average annual salary.

So what happens now with Prescott?

As of last week, two sources with knowledge of negotiations told Yahoo Sports there was no progress to speak of on an extension. The time frame to get a deal done, according to both sources, will likely extend into the Cowboys’ training camp stint in Oxnard, California. If a deal isn’t completed prior to departing Oxnard and heading back to Dallas, it’s expected that Prescott will play out the remainder of his deal and test free agency.

Three potential suitors to keep in mind: the Pittsburgh Steelers, Las Vegas Raiders and New York Giants.

The Steelers don’t have a starting quarterback locked in beyond 2024 and are currently projected to be nearly $175 million under the 2025 salary cap. The Raiders can create ample cap space with the release of wideout Davante Adams next offseason along with the restructuring of a few other deals. And the Giants will reach easy exit points from the deals for quarterback Daniel Jones and tight end Darren Waller — who could retire or get cut this offseason — creating plenty of cap space to pursue a free-agent quarterback.

Of course, those horizons come into play only if Dallas can’t get a Prescott extension done in the coming months. But the writing is on the wall foreshadowing a split, and it’s coming in the form of every other quarterback contract signed this offseason, starting with Monday’s deal for Goff.

NEW YORK GIANTS

QB JAYDEN DANIELS and his college receiver WR MALEK NABERS have been advised to, at the least, take their Rookie of the Year bet off the public square.  Paul Schwartz of the New York Post:

The bet is … off.

Malik Nabers and his former LSU quarterback, Jayden Daniels, following the NFL draft, decided to put a wager on which of them would win the Rookie of the Year award.

The winner would take $10,000 from the other.

That is not going to happen.

“I’m educated now that I got here about sports betting and gambling so we called the bet off, there’s no bet now,” Nabers said Friday after his first rookie minicamp practice. “It was just another brother pushing another brother to try to get the most success.”

Nabers first revealed the nature of the bet on “The Pivot” podcast and discussed it again earlier this week on the “All Facts No Brakes” with Keyshawn Johnson podcast.

Someone must have informed Nabers and Daniels that wagering on NFL awards was not going to fly with league policies and they called it off.

Daniels threw 40 touchdown passes at LSU this past season, while Nabers had 14 touchdown catches.

Daniels went No. 2 overall to the Commanders; Nabers went No. 6 to the Giants

ATLANTA

Composing himself after a couple of weeks, QB KIRK COUSINS says all the right things in his first public comments after the shocking selection of QB MICHAEL PENIX, Jr. in the first round.  Michael David Smith of ProFootballTalk.com:

Falcons quarterback Kirk Cousins insists he’s not angry with the Falcons for drafting quarterback Michael Penix.

Cousins was asked on the Bussin’ with the Boys podcast if there’s a beef between him and the Falcons over the draft, and Cousins answered, “No, I don’t think there can be. I don’t think it’s helpful.”

Cousins said his only priority is winning.

“We’re trying to win the Super Bowl and it’s hard enough. So let’s all be on the same page and let’s go try to win the Super Bowl,” Cousins said.

Still, Penix only helps the Falcons win the Super Bowl in a scenario where he has replaced Cousins. If the Falcons want to win a Super Bowl with Cousins, the best option would have been to use the No. 8 overall pick on a player who can be a part of building a winning team around Cousins. But Cousins said he can’t let himself worry about that.

“You’re reminded again that there are things you control, and there are a lot of things you don’t control,” Cousins said.

Cousins said that one year when he was the Vikings’ starting quarterback, they gave him a heads-up hours before the draft started that they might spend their first-round pick on a quarterback. The Vikings didn’t draft a quarterback, but Cousins said that experience served as a reminder that no player can ever assume his team won’t draft his replacement.

“This wasn’t like a foreign concept. This is the NFL. Anything can happen,” Cousins said.

Cousins knew anything could happen, but no one expected the Falcons to spend the eighth pick in the draft on a quarterback. And that raises a question about how patient the Falcons will be in their quest to win a Super Bowl with Cousins, and how soon they’ll move on to Penix.

TAMPA BAY

The Buccaneers and S ANTOINE WINFIELD, Jr. have agreed to a huge contract.  Nick Shook of NFL.com:

Antoine Winfield Jr.’s steady rise to stardom with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers has prompted a massive pay day.

The safety agreed to a four-year, $84.1 million deal with the Bucs on Monday, NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport reported. Tampa Bay later announced the contract.

The deal includes $45 million in guaranteed money and makes him the highest-paid defensive back in the NFL, marking the first time in league history that such a title belongs to a safety.

Winfield certainly deserves the deal. He’s earned one Pro Bowl nod (2021), and after being robbed of All-Pro honors in previous years, he finally secured one in 2023, drawing Defensive Player of the Year votes along the way.

Winfield recorded a career-high six forced fumbles — including two that saved the Bucs from allowing touchdowns — in a 2023 campaign that saw him start in all 17 games, logging 122 tackles, six sacks, three interceptions and 12 passes defensed, all of which also standing as career-best totals.

As faces have changed in Tampa Bay’s secondary, Winfield has remained the constant, delivering consistent production that has often swung games in the Buccaneers’ favor. He received the franchise tag in early March from the Buccaneers, and on Monday he became the latest tagged player to agree to a long-term deal, leaving Cincinnati’s Tee Higgins as the only player tagged in 2024 without a multi-year extension in place.

KANSAS CITY

The NFL has frontloaded the Chiefs schedule with two hard games, but they are at home.  Jordan Dajani of CBSSports.com:

The 2024 NFL schedule is set to be released this Wednesday evening at 8 p.m. ET, but certain matchups and tidbits have leaked out prior to the official announcement. For example, we know the Kansas City Chiefs will host the Baltimore Ravens in the season opener. Now, we know the Chiefs’ Week 2 opponent.

On Tuesday’s CBS Mornings program, former Steelers coach and current NFL Today analyst Bill Cowher announced that the Chiefs will host Joe Burrow and the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 2 on Sept. 15. It will be the fifth installment of this epic rivalry between Burrow and Patrick Mahomes. The Chiefs are 0-2 vs. the Bengals in the regular season when both Burrow and Mahomes start, and 1-1 in the playoffs. Cincinnati did play Kansas City last year on New Year’s Eve, but Jake Browning was under center for an injured Burrow. The Bengals fell to the Chiefs in Arrowhead, 25-17.

– – –

Bill Barnwell thinks S JAMAL ADAMS can resuscitate his career if he lands in Kansas City:

Chiefs sign S/LB Jamal Adams

The Seahawks sent two first-round picks to acquire Adams from the Jets in 2020, then gave him a significant contract extension the next year. Things didn’t pan out, mostly because of injuries. He never completed a full season in Seattle, missing 34 games over four seasons with various ailments. I would have loved to see him in new coach Mike Macdonald’s scheme as a blitzer near the line of scrimmage, but his contract made that an unrealistic proposition.

At this point, Adams needs to be spotted in a situational role as a strong safety and even as a potential linebacker on passing downs. After he had 16 sacks from 2019 to 2020, he hasn’t had a single sack across the past three campaigns, so it remains to be seen whether the explosiveness that marked his earlier days is still there. At the right price, I have to believe the upside is worth the risk that Adams, 28, just isn’t the player he was earlier in his career.

Get him to Chiefs coordinator Steve Spagnuolo, who can surely find a spot in the lineup for a player with Adams’ talent and ability as a blitzer. Kansas City lost Mike Edwards and Willie Gay this offseason, and although it used a fourth-round pick on safety Jaden Hicks, Adams could compete for a role as a situational safety and linebacker. There’s a chance he might not make the team, but the Chiefs are shopping in the luxury aisle given their roster. If he will take a deal built around per-game roster bonuses, I would love to see him in camp with Kansas City.

BALTIMORE

Bill Barnwell of ESPN.com has a player the Ravens should get:

Ravens sign G Dalton Risner

Let’s finish with a guard who hasn’t been able to find much love in back-to-back offseasons. Risner went into the 2023 offseason looking for a long-term deal after four seasons with the Broncos only to languish on the market into September, when he signed a one-year deal with the Vikings. He moved into the starting lineup the next month and stayed there at left guard for the remainder of the season, with NFL Next Gen Stats crediting him for zero sacks allowed across 11 starts.

Here we are in the 2024 offseason, and … Risner is still a free agent. When a solid player doesn’t get a contract extension in consecutive offseasons, your mind naturally wanders to medical concerns, but he has missed just four games because of injuries over his five-year career. After entering the starting lineup in Minnesota, he missed just four snaps over the remaining 11 games. It certainly seems as if he’s physically capable of holding up to steady work as a starting guard.

At this point, unfortunately, Risner is probably looking at another one-year deal with the hopes of proving himself for a more significant contract next offseason. His best landing spot would be in Baltimore, where the Ravens have a track record of both taking fliers on undervalued linemen and earning them new contracts elsewhere around the league. Morgan Moses would be an example of the former, and John Simpson is a clear case study for Risner after emerging as a useful player in Baltimore’s offense a year ago.

Moses and Simpson are no longer on the roster, and the Ravens look perilously thin up front. They used a second-round pick on Roger Rosengarten, who projects to step in at right tackle, and utility lineman Patrick Mekari signed a three-year extension that will likely see him compete for one of the starting guard roles, but they could use another NFL-caliber starter on the interior.

The Ravens also love to play the compensatory pick formula game, and they can play both sides with Risner. By waiting until after June 1 to bring in the veteran guard, they won’t cost themselves one of the four picks they’re currently set to land after losing Simpson, Jadeveon Clowney and Patrick Queen in free agency. (The Vikings also wouldn’t be eligible to receive a compensatory pick for losing Risner.) Then, if Risner finally does sign that long-term deal with another team next offseason, Baltimore would be in position to pick up a compensatory selection for its one-year dalliance with him.

CINCINNATI

EDGE TREY HENDRICKSON is present and accounted for even though he has a public trade request on file.  Chris Rolling of USA TODAY:

Cincinnati Bengals defensive end Trey Hendrickson is currently at team spring activities despite the recent trade request.

Hendrickson was one of many players who showed up in practice highlights shared by the team on Monday.

Given Hendrickson’s strategically-timed trade request just before the 2024 NFL draft last month, it was important to watch whether he might be with the team over the spring and summer.

A follow-up report after Henrickson’s trade request suggested the team and star defender would meet about his contract situation, so perhaps that plays a role here.

Hendrickson and his reps want a longer-term contract and pay to match his production, although the team and player agreed on a one-year extension with a pay bump this time last year.

At least for now, it doesn’t appear that a holdout will be a part of Hendrickson’s summer.

INDIANAPOLIS

There is a significance to the uniform number, #10, of rookie WR ADONAI MITCHELL.  Kevin Patra of NFL.com:

Indianapolis Colts rookie wide receiver Adonai Mitchell isn’t carrying a draft chip on his shoulder. He’s putting it on his chest.

Mitchell will wear No. 10 in Indy, representing the number of wideouts taken ahead of him in the 2024 NFL Draft.

“I originally picked another number, but then I was just up late thinking about it,” Mitchell said recently, via The Athletic. “I couldn’t get it off my mind.”

Marvin Harrison Jr., Malik Nabers, Rome Odunze, Brian Thomas Jr., Xavier Worthy, Ricky Pearsall, Xavier Legette, Keon Coleman, Ladd McConkey and Ja’Lynn Polk were all selected before the Colts ended Mitchell’s slide at pick 52.

– – –

Coach Shane Steichen with the positives of QB ANTHONY RICHARDSON missing most of his rookie season:

No one in Indianapolis wanted quarterback Anthony Richardson to miss most of his rookie year with a right shoulder injury, but there’s no way to turn back the clock and get a second chance to stay on the field.

Instead of getting a chance to experience life on the field, Richardson had to rehab his injury and, per head coach Shane Steichen, “try to look at the positive in it.” Steichen said that Richardson had a chance to “look at things from a different perspective” while he was injured and offensive coordinator Jim Bob Cooter told Albert Breer of SI.com that he sees growth in the quarterback as a result.

“To hear him talk through some of the footwork things, all the fundamentals and details of the quarterback position, to hear what he had been working on with the guys that he works out with, and how he was doing that in conjunction with getting back healthy, it didn’t sound like a rookie quarterback who just showed up from the draft,” Cooter said. “Anthony was extremely professional with how he was discussing those things with Cam Turner and some of the other guys around the building. It was evident we didn’t have a rookie on our hands anymore. That was for sure.”

The Colts will prefer for Richardson’s future learning to come on the job because the team tied their future to him in 2023 and the sooner that bet pays off the better in Indianapolis.

JACKSONVILLE

Bill Barnwell of ESPN.com thinks the Jaguars should make a deal with New Orleans:

Jaguars trade for Saints CB Marshon Lattimore

Let’s start with a deal that made some sense before the draft and only seems more rational now. When the Saints reworked Lattimore’s contract as part of their annual effort to get under the salary cap in March, they conspicuously used an option bonus structure as opposed to their more traditional roster bonus restructure. This shift meant they realized the cap savings of his restructure but didn’t yet have to pay the option bonus, which will come due before the season. It’s the same sort of bonus structure the Packers used when they eventually traded Aaron Rodgers to the Jets.

While the Saints march to the beat of their own drum when it comes to where they see their roster versus the rest of the league, a Lattimore deal would be sensible. The nearly 28-year-old is coming up for a new deal after signing his prior extension in 2021, and New Orleans might feel good about its cornerback situation without him since it has Alontae Taylor, Paulson Adebo and second-round pick Kool-Aid McKinstry, whom general manager Mickey Loomis traded up to acquire in April’s draft.

Even without McKinstry, the Saints have been able to get by while Lattimore has missed 17 games over the past two seasons. They’ve actually posted a slightly better QBR without him on the field (47.7) than they have with the four-time Pro Bowler (48.5). Last season, coach Dennis Allen got capable play out of journeyman Isaac Yiadom, who parlayed his best season into a new deal with the 49ers. If the Saints think McKinstry is a building block, they can afford to trade Lattimore.

Unfortunately, those injuries also cap what the Saints are likely to land in a Lattimore trade. The market for veteran cornerbacks as they approach their third contracts is unforgiving. Remember that the Rams netted only a third-round pick and a backup tight end when they dealt Jalen Ramsey, a more accomplished cornerback, to the Dolphins last offseason. I would be surprised if Lattimore netted more than a fourth-round selection in a deal, which might not be encouraging for New Orleans unless it just wants to move on for the best trade possible.

The top landing spot for Lattimore certainly looks like Jacksonville, where former Saints assistant Ryan Nielsen is the defensive coordinator. The Jaguars didn’t get great play at corner last season and then cut veteran Darious Williams. They need their corners to play well; they played man coverage at the third-highest rate of any team last season. One of the two teams that were in man-to-man defensive looks more often? The Falcons, where Nielsen was in charge of the defense in 2023.

To be fair, the Jaguars have attempted to solve their problems at cornerback already this offseason, but I’m not sure they’ve gotten all the way there. They’ve bought in bulk while attempting to upgrade at corner by signing veteran Ronald Darby and using third- and fifth-round picks on Jarrian Jones and Deantre Prince. Adding Lattimore would be a much more significant upgrade. He has allowed a passer rating below 75.0 in each of the past two seasons while giving up just one touchdown.

In a division in which the Texans and Titans have made major wide receiver investments this offseason, adding a veteran option across from Tyson Campbell makes sense for the Jags, who have extra picks in Rounds 3 and 4 of the 2025 draft after trading down with the Vikings last month. Sending a fourth-rounder to the Saints would clear up a financial and positional logjam for New Orleans and land an immediate plug-and-play starter at a position of need for Jacksonville.

BUFFALO

It is the Bills who are counting on the expertise of former NFL official John Parry per Mike Sando of The Athletic:

Former NFL referee John Parry is heading from the ESPN broadcast booth to the Buffalo Bills, where he will advise coach Sean McDermott on rules and replay, the team confirmed Monday.

The move could bolster the Bills’ game-management processes relating to rules and replay. Teams sometimes hire former officials and other rules experts to serve in these roles, helping the head coach navigate an increasingly complex rulebook. Former officials can also serve as informal liaisons to the league office on officiating matters.

Parry, 59, has served as ESPN’s rules analyst since 2019. He was previously an NFL referee from 2007 to 2018 and primarily a side judge from 2000 to 2006. He worked two Super Bowls as a referee.

The Bills could be looking to improve upon their 10-23 record in replay challenges since McDermott became coach. The 30.3 percent success rate ranks last by a wide margin among the 2023 coaches with at least 100 career games, per Pro Football Reference. The San Francisco 49ers’ Kyle Shanahan topped the 12-coach list with a 21-16 record (.577).

NEW YORK JETS

Nathaniel Hackett is still running the Jets offense, but allegedly the Jets tried and failed to replace him.  Connor Hughes of SNY.com answers a question from a reader:

@5858Jack: Internally, do you get the sense that the team is uneasy about Nathaniel Hackett as the fan base is?

HUGHES: This is the major “but” of the Jets offseason, in my opinion. They really don’t have many weaknesses on paper. As long as they stay healthy, they have the chance to be among the best in the NFL. Even if some of their injury-prone guys miss some time (Tyron Smith, Mike Williams), they have players behind them who can fill in (Olu Fashanu, Brownlee). This is as well-rounded, deep of a team as I can remember covering.

But then there’s Hackett. The Jets made legitimate attempts this offseason to hire someone who would, essentially, replace Hackett. Not as a new offensive coordinator, but a title above who would run the show. The Jets had enough things they needed to address this offseason without replacing areas they’re content with. That pursuit tells me, internally, there are legitimate concerns with Hackett’s ability to successfully run things.

It almost feels like the Jets are putting so much faith in Rodgers’ ability to correct Hackett’s wrongdoings. Sources spoke of many, many times last summer where Hackett called a play, then Rodgers changed it completely at the line. They figure he can do the same come the regular season.

That’s a lot to put on the plate of a player, though – even one of Rodgers’ stature. This isn’t the NBA.

If there’s one major concern heading into the Jets season it’s that: Hackett.