Combine Curtsy
By Peyton Schultze
Carson Wentz will certainly be one of the most popular names in the rumor mill this weekend as the Colts prepare for some major offseason uncertainty (via NJ.com).
While the official 2021-2022 NFL season may have come to an end, league-wide news is just getting started. With the 2022 NFL Combine taking place over the next 7 days, one can expect plenty of rumors and breaking news surrounding top talent in this year’s free agency and the upcoming draft.
With that said, let’s take a look at some of the biggest stories floating around the shorelines of Lucas Oil Stadium as this year’s combine gets ready to take place:
Gold Mining to Keep up with the Champs in the NFC West
Divisional race heats up with plenty of top quarterback drama
It’s rumors galore at the NFL Combine in the NFC West, especially after a Rams’ Super Bowl title has forced the in-division competition to add a whole other layer next season (via Niner Noise).
Arizona Cardinals: Many teams may make a case for being the most talked about squad this week at the combine, but you can guarantee the Arizona Cardinals will walk away with that title when it is all set and done. All thanks to Kyler Murray’s agent, Arizona suddenly finds themselves in the middle of a major contract dispute with their star quarterback as they look to clear up some obvious uncertainty in terms of their relationship before things start to get out of hand.
Things get even more complicated when you realize that the press release from Murray’s agent ultimately revealed absolutely nothing new about the star’s demands or about his potential future with the ballclub. Instead, pressure now lies on the Cardinals’ front office to cater to their young star, who apparently feels like he has not been given enough talent around him to compete for a Super Bowl title (the Cardinals traded for DeAndre Hopkins in 2020; they followed that up by signing JJ Watt in 2021).
But here’s where things get tricky for the Cardinals: they should laugh off these demands and continue with their business as usual with Murray still on his rookie deal. Murray is simply not in the same league as other star quarterbacks looking for a new contract right now such as Aaron Rodgers (a future Hall of Famer) or Lamar Jackson (a former MVP with playoff berths under his belt), and he would be mistaken to think he has leverage right now over the organization. But if the Cardinals do this, they also run the dangerous risk of an eventual holdout that could not only leave them without their signal caller for the short-term future, but also lead to them having to throw out desperate amounts of cash to get Murray back in the building. It is a very dicey situation to watch, and remains a story that may just be getting started.
San Francisco 49ers: The 49ers figure to be back in the thick of things next season, but the elephant in the room regarding their quarterback situation remains. Yet Tuesday also brought some standout news when it was revealed that quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo would undergo shoulder surgery after injuring it in the wild card game against the Cowboys in January. It is surely impressive that Jimmy G continued to play two more games with this injury, but this begs the question: why is this news just coming out now?
Well, with recent rumors surrounding Trey Lance and his readiness for next season, it may become more and more clear that the 49ers may be starting to lean toward bringing back the incumbent starter for next season. San Francisco has not tried to hide their willingness to trade Garoppolo by any means, but a leak of this magnitude comes in wake of reported interest from teams such as Pittsburgh and Washington. This means that A. the news was going to get out somehow, and the 49ers are still trying to beef up an eventual package by showing he still has major value with a recovery timeline or B. Lance is not ready yet and the Niners have made up their mind that they will bring him back for another season unless they receive a mega-deal. It is a fascinating development to watch in the coming weeks, and you can surely bet that rumors will fly even higher in the coming days.
Seattle Seahawks: The Seahawks’ have plenty of issues on both sides of the ball, but you can guarantee that there will not be a bigger story over the next month within the organization than Russell Wilson’s ultimate future in Seattle.
The elite quarterback made headlines last season when reports came out that he was interested in a possible move to Las Vegas, New Orleans, or New York, but following the retirement of Tom Brady and the indecisiveness of Aaron Rodgers, has the dust settled? Seattle may not exactly be in the Super Bowl conversation anymore, but the NFC suddenly looks scarce with only Los Angeles and San Francisco looking like guaranteed contenders next season. Doubt certainly remains on the elite quarterback front around the NFL entering the offseason, and Pete Carroll may continue to say that there is no validity to the hype, but finding out whether Wilson stays or goes in the near future will have major implications across the conference.
There’s Something About Brady
Conflicting reports question Brady's future
Even after retiring, Tom Brady still remains the talk of the town over at the NFL Combine (via Oregon Live).
One month ago, the greatest quarterback of all-time finally called it quits on his professional football career after 84,520 passing yards, 624 passing touchdowns, and 7 Super Bowl titles.
But a month and an entire Super Bowl later, why is he still the talk of the league as a wild two month stretch of the combine, free agency, and the NFL Draft quickly approaches? Whether it’s steaming rumors about a potential move to the San Francisco 49ers or even his first post-career move in Hollywood, Brady continues to put on a media show and dominate the headlines as easily as the Bucs’ march to a NFC South title this season. But is Brady at the center of this noise, or is a lot of this smoke coming from outside sources?
It is easy to understand why Brady’s post-career motives would be in the spotlight, but the chatter around the league in terms of his Bucs’ exit seems to be causing a lot of noise. A lot of this stems from Tampa Bay, where something may be going on behind-the-scenes regarding Brady’s departure. Just take a look at Bruce Arians’ comments from yesterday’s media session:
“Unbelievable ride these last two years. I’ve gotta say, Tom got all the credit. A lot of other guys had a hand in the pile... it wasn’t all just Tom Brady.”
Yet Arians’ also made it very clear that he was not buying any of the hype surrounding an eventual return to the NFL from Brady that would require Tampa to move his rights to another organization, stating, “That ain’t happening. That’s not Tom Brady.” This may be true, especially if any of Brady’s actions from the past 20 years have taught us anything in terms of his professionalism when surrounded by an organization in New England and Tampa. But for as long as this story lingers, one can only continue to ask: “did Brady’s retirement actually end of his own terms?”
It’s a question we may never get a precise answer to, and after he’s accomplished over the course of his legendary career, we do not really have any sort of reason to be begging for an answer at this stage of the quarterback’s own personal life. Yet it is entirely fair to wonder what else is going on in Tampa Bay right now and if they have any sort of plan moving forward at the quarterback position. Some controversial offseason comments from Arians are backed up by a loaded cap situation and the return of many players and coaches from the last two years, which certainly signals that the Bucs were definitely banking on one more season out of the GOAT, which abruptly came to an end on the first day of February.
Whatever the case may be, one thing is clear: this is not the last we’ll hear from Tom Brady. And although it is difficult to buy into any of the 49ers’ rumors, Brady’s resilience on and off-the-field has held a stronghold on NFL fans over the past two decades and shown us that nothing is quite over until the final whistle.
Clown Commanders
Continued nonsense dents chances of landing marquee talent
On and off-the-field, there always seems to be some type of organizational issue in Washington (via Riggo’s Rag).
Washington has often been the subject over humor in the NFL over the past several seasons, but this recent story may take the cake for the most hilarious of them all.
According to a report from ESPN’s John Keim, Washington is about as desperate as they come for a brand new quarterback. This means that the newly-named Commanders have officially put together a formal list of 42 (42!) potential quarterbacks for next season, which includes superstar talent such Aaron Rodgers and Russell Wilson. In addition, they have reportedly reached out to every team in the NFL to inquire about a potential quarterback’s availability and the overall cost that it would take to get a deal done.
This is easily the most ridiculous story of the offseason so far; there is a 0% chance that the Commanders will be bringing in Aaron Rodgers amid their own current ownership mess in court, and while the prospect of Wilson is just a tad bit higher due to his clean reputation that would bring order to the club, that idea seems almost as laughable.
Washington continues to remain an organizational mess for continuing to express reports like this, especially after quarterback Taylor Heinicke played relatively decent considering the team’s offensive circumstances in 2021. Head coach Ron Rivera simply does not deserve to be around the circulating circus operating in the front office, and while Commander fans may be hopeful for a future turnaround in a winnable division for next season, one can almost guarantee that their own Week 1 starter for 2022 will be either the likes of Drew Lock, Mitchell Trubisky, or Marcus Mariota.
AFC Meddling Ground
Three middle-tier squads face all the pressure in the AFC
Few teams in the NFL face more immediate pressure to finally land an elite quarterback than the Denver Broncos (via New York Post).
Denver Broncos: Denver has been the rumored landing spot for Aaron Rodgers for over a year, and now that the time has finally come, will they be able to seal the deal?
It is certainly a mystery surrounding Rodgers’ eventual decision, but if he does decide to move on from Green Bay, Denver is the clear favorite in the race and gives the Packers’ quarterback the best chance to win another Super Bowl. However, if Rodgers stays put or goes elsewhere, the Broncos face some serious organizational question marks with second-year general manager George Paton in charge. Since taking over, Paton has done a great job of building this team up in vital areas of need such as on the defensive line and in the secondary, but quarterback remains the lingering concern. Denver received some decent production out of Teddy Bridgewater this season, but settling for their returning starter, Drew Lock, or another available quarterback such as Jameis Winston or Baker Mayfield would definitely leave some ticked off fans in Broncos Country.
It is this simple for the Broncos: with a top quarterback, they’ll be a borderline Super Bowl contender. Without one? They’ll continue to be the fourth best team in the AFC West and will run new head coach Nathaniel Hackett into the ground in a matter of years. The Broncos have ingredients in place to make themselves a real contender alongside teams like the Bengals, Bills, and Chiefs, but they face a ton of upcoming pressure to finally close it out in the 9th inning by acquiring a top quarterback capable of winning a Super Bowl.
Indianapolis Colts: The Colts’ quarterback situation is fascinating, especially since they came within mere inches of an AFC playoff berth in 2021. Yet that final Week 18 loss to the measly Jaguars looms large over the Indianapolis front office right now, which could be looking to move away from Carson Wentz after just one season with the Colts.
Moving off Wentz would certainly be a bit of a drastic move for Indy, especially considering he played relatively well for stretches last season. Yet concerns over durability and consistency in the clutch has followed Wentz throughout his professional career so far, which is especially troublesome for a roster that thinks they can compete for a Super Bowl right now.
But what other option do the Colts really have right now? Wentz should probably be the favorite to suit up for the Colts in Week 1 of next year, but look for some of the noise surrounding Mitchell Trubisky and and Jimmy Garoppolo to gain some momentum in the coming weeks. Whether either quarterback would actually be an upgrade over Wentz remains up for debate, but owner Jim Irsay and general manager Chris Ballard seem to have some trigger-happy instincts regarding the quarterback position that could force some major changes for the 2022 season.
Pittsburgh Steelers: The Steelers are slightly different from the Broncos and Colts since they will certainly be moving into an entirely new era following the retirement of their future Hall of Fame quarterback, Ben Roethlisberger. This opens the door for a rookie quarterback to eventually take over under center in the Steel City, with the Steelers selecting 20th overall in this year’s draft.
The clear choice through the draft appears to be Pitt quarterback Kenny Pickett, a polished college starter who has shown flashes of NFL potential throughout his collegiate career. Keeping Pickett in the same city he attended college in would not only make the youngster an immediate fan favorite, but Pickett could be entering a very good situation with the Steelers with a solid defense featuring TJ Watt to go alongside an offense with some top talent such as Najee Harris and Diontae Johnson.
This is not a guarantee to say that the Steelers will draft Pickett, especially since the dynamic quarterback could go much earlier in the first round. But without a ton of standout options on the free agent market and with the Aaron Rodgers to Pittsburgh rumors slowly starting to fade away, the Steelers may have their best choice at quarterback right in front of them as they prepare for the first year post-Roethlisberger.