like Philadelphia Eagles And Kansas City Chiefs Preparing for Super Bowl LVII The 30 teams not playing in the Big Game are gearing up for the 2023 season. The league still has one more game to go before the NFL offseason madness begins, especially with free agency less than two months away and the draft less than three months away.
The NFL season will be nothing short of dramatic either, especially after the free agent craze that existed last year. Teams will try to prepare to improve their roster to get to the Super Bowl and compete with the Eagles and Chiefs going forward. This free agent season will definitely focus on quarterbacks, as there could be significant movement among signal callers around the league.
With the weekend just around the corner, these are the top events you should keep an eye on moving forward:
For the third time in the past four seasons, the NFL world will pivot to Tom Brady and what he decides to do next season. Brady, who will soon be 46, has a few options to consider, including de facto retirement and a 10-year, $375 million contract with Fox.
Brady retired last season, but that lasted 40 days and he decided to come back Tampa Bay Buccaneers. A return to Tampa Bay seems unlikely for Brady, so there will be a few options available. what about Las Vegas RaidersAnd San Francisco 49ers or Miami Dolphin? Are those perks enough to entice Brady to play another season – or two?
This offseason will be crucial for Brady and the franchises that are a quarterback away from being Super Bowl contenders. Whichever team gets Brady gets multiple players with him.
Aaron Rodgers and the Packers have been playing the dance game the past couple of seasons, which has resulted in Rodgers being the highest paid quarterback in the league and the Packers replacing their top pass rusher in Davante Adams. With Jordan Love’s Packers entering the final year of his rookie deal, will Green Bay and Rodgers finally decide to part ways?
the New York Jets hired Nathaniel Hackett as offensive coordinator in an attempt to entice Rodgers and the Las Vegas Raiders to have Adams should Rodgers wish to reunite with him. There’s sure to be a bidding war for Rodgers in the commercial market, especially since he still has two years left on this three-year, $150 million deal.
3. I will crows Signing a long-term deal with Lamar Jackson?
Lamar Jackson’s future with the Ravens is about as uncertain as they come, especially since both sides were unable to reach a long-term deal before the quarterback-imposed preseason deadline. The Ravens could certainly franchise Jackson this season and try to strike a long-term deal, but does Jackson even want to be in Baltimore at this point?
The Ravens certainly haven’t helped Jackson by supplying him with passing touchdowns this season, with Jackson’s strengths matching up with first offense over the entire Ravens tenure. Baltimore moved on from longtime offensive coordinator Greg Roman as a result and would seek Jackson’s input in finding a new offensive coordinator.
Jackson’s short-term future in Baltimore looks secure unless the Ravens decide not to push the lucrative extension they want and move on. Then things get interesting in terms of Jackson, in terms of where he wants to play, how much he wants to play, and how much Baltimore can get for him.
4. Where will Derek Carr end up?
The Raiders will move on from Derek Carr this offseason, but which team will Carr go to? Will Carr be the prize of consolation after deciding the fates of Brady, Rodgers and Jackson – or will Carr be the first domino to fall?
Since Car was with the Raiders, the franchise has had the worst scoring defense in the NFL. With Carr getting a second chance with a new franchise, will a more efficient defense get the best in it? Carr was the quarterback the Raiders had been missing since Rich Gannon, yet he couldn’t get the Raiders to a playoff victory even though they were respectable.
How much is Carr worth too? What would the teams be willing to pay? With Carr in the market, it will be interesting to see which teams make the jump to him first.
5. Can the NFC Champion Eagles keep all of their free agents?
The Eagles arguably have the best roster in the NFL, outscoring their opponents during the regular season and playoffs in advancing to the Super Bowl. Not all of these players are guaranteed to return for the 2023 season, as several key players are free agents.
James Bradbury, Javon Hargrave, CJ Gardner Johnson, Miles Sanders, Fletcher Cox, TJ Edwards, Isaac Somalo and Marcus Epps are the main rookies who become free agents this coming March. There are too many good players for the Eagles to keep – and Philadelphia can’t keep them all with the amount of space available.
The Eagles will have to fiddle with the salary cap again and keep players who are part of the future for the long haul. This team will definitely not be like an NFC Championship team.
6. Who will be the quarterback for the 49ers next season?
San Francisco essentially made up its mind on Jimmy Garoppolo before the season when the 49ers decided to go with Tre Lance at camp. They reworked Garoppolo’s contract for 2022, allowing him to walk in free agency in 2023. Garoppolo essentially took the job after Lance was injured and lost it for the season, only to injure himself midway through the season—and be replaced by Brock Purdy.
Purdy was injured in the NFC Championship Game, and the blast that the 49ers showed could be the star quarterback away from winning the Super Bowl. With Christian McCaffrey, Debo Samuel, George Kittle and Brandon Ayuk on hand – it’s important for the 49ers to maximize all the skill the players have at their disposal.
Does San Francisco think Purdy is the answer for 2023, or is the 49ers doubling down on their investment with Lance? With Brady and the other two players in the free center role, is it tempting enough to move from both?
San Francisco has a tough decision to make, one that will be the difference between winning the Super Bowl or missing the postseason.
Saquon Barkley is the cream of the crop among the loaded running back class in free agency, but how much does he lead from the Giants? Barkley said he didn’t want to put the market down for running backs, even though he would be the benchmark after his best season since his rookie year.
While Barkley isn’t quite the same player he was five years ago, he’s still a player who runs afoul of his defences. The Giants offense without Barkley lost at times in 2022, yet New York will pay $10 million or more for its MVP. The Giants have plenty of space, but they have other pressing issues to contend with.
Barclay doesn’t have to be the first domino to fall, but he will be in high demand.
8. How much will the quarterback class of 2020 earn with stretches?
Joe Burrow, Justin Herbert, and Galen Hurts are all set to have lucrative stretches this season, especially with Burrow and Herbert exercising fifth-year options this year. Hurts didn’t have a fifth-year option because he was a second-round pick, which means his extension from the Eagles could come sooner rather than later.
Aaron Rodgers earns the highest average annual salary for a quarterback at $50,271,667, which is sure to break after Russell Wilson received $49 million and Killer Murray $46.1 million the previous season.
Burrow and Herbert are set to reset the market and Hurts won’t be far behind them. Tua Tagovailoa will also be in the mix for an extension, with an option for a fifth year.
The quarterback market will reset with this talented class.
9. Will teams push any of these liners into the deep free agent class?
There are a lot of talented racers set to hit the open market, but how valuable are these players? Saquon Barkley, Josh Jacobs, Miles Sanders, Tony Pollard, Kareem Hunt, Rashad Benny, Jamal Williams, Raheem Mostert, Donta Furman, Devin Singletary, Samaji Perrin and Jerick McKinnon are the notable names who will be free agents.
There are a lot of good players available for the teams, but will these franchises get into a bidding war for some of those players? Are teams going to cut some of these linebackers and let the market play until the draft — or after the draft?
Teams will seek the running back they want, but the running back proves to be better value in a rookie deal than shelling out big money for a player on his second contract.
Will the same be true this off-season? There are a lot of good players out there.