NFL annual meeting buzz: Latest on Rodgers, Lamar, No. 1 pick

The 2023 NFL annual meeting took place in Phoenix this week, an occasion for team owners, executives and coaches to commiserate and both conduct and discuss league business. Among the hottest topics at the Arizona Biltmore resort were star quarterbacks Aaron Rodgers and Lamar Jackson, both of whom remain in limbo regarding their 2023 playing destinations. Meanwhile, the Carolina Panthers' direction with the No. 1 pick in the 2023 NFL draft -- also presumed to be a quarterback -- was another subject on the lips of many in attendance.

ESPN's NFL insiders Dan Graziano and Jeremy Fowler were on the ground in Phoenix for the event and collected what they heard on Rodgers, Jackson, the Panthers and a number of other key storylines as the calendar creeps toward the April 27 draft:

Jump to a big topic:
What's the current state of Aaron Rodgers to the Jets?
How do insiders see the Lamar Jackson situation playing out?
Where are the Panthers on their No. 1 pick decision?
Are the Rams committed to a rebuild?
Quick hits from the NFL annual meeting

What's the current state of Aaron Rodgers to the Jets?

From the Biltmore grounds, brass from the Packers and Jets weighed in on Aaron Rodgers trade watch, and neither side painted a clear picture for when or how this deal will go down. One source with knowledge of the situation told me this: Neither side appears to be in a major rush, because of the lull in real football activity before the draft, but both sides would like to get this done sooner than later (on their own terms).

The source believes that "much of this [deal] remains done" thanks to weeks of legwork. Early on, the Jets wanted to address the financial component (Rodgers' $58.3 million option payment due between now and Week 1), and the belief is that both sides have worked on that part. The feeling around the league is that multiple high picks, but not necessarily a first-rounder, might just be able to get it done. Yahoo Sports' report that 2024 protections -- a conditional pick if Rodgers were to retire after this coming season, for example -- are a hang-up that makes a lot of sense, because execs I spoke to early in the process believed that would be an issue for the Jets. Rodgers himself admitted on "The Pat McAfee Show" that he was leaning toward retirement at one point this offseason, before the famed darkness retreat.

Draft compensation appears more of an issue now than the financial component. But as a few people have pointed out, the Packers are trying to secure proper compensation for a Hall of Fame player while balancing the delicate relationship with that player, which takes time. -- Fowler

I think anything that gets done post-trade between the Jets and Rodgers regarding his contract will be easy to figure out. The issue is the compensation package going Green Bay's way from the Jets. After talking to multiple sources in Phoenix, I do not believe the Packers are insisting on the Jets' first-round pick (No. 13 overall), and I think that the high second-round pick they got from Cleveland in the Elijah Moore trade could be a key to getting this done.

The Jets have expressed to the Packers throughout this process that their major concern was how long they'll have Rodgers, and not wanting to overpay for a player who might only be there for one year. One of my sources acknowledged that the April 27 draft is a key date but also said they don't expect it to take that long. I found literally no one on either side of this who believes it won't happen. I am confident that Rodgers will be the Jets' quarterback in 2023, and I feel strongly that a deal that doesn't involve the Jets' 2023 first-rounder will be finalized before this year's draft. -- Graziano

What about Lamar Jackson?

By now, it's becoming clear that no NFL team is aggressively pursuing Lamar Jackson or preparing an offer sheet at the moment. That can change at any point, but so far, there's simply not much momentum. Jackson is clearly frustrated. Baltimore isn't pressing the issue. The Ravens don't need to do much until another team makes an offer, and I don't get the sense that the Ravens are aggressively negotiating on a deal for Jackson right now. Collusion will remain a trending topic as more QB-needy teams rule themselves out of the Jackson sweepstakes.

After asking some executives why they think the market is dry, the first reason usually given is that Baltimore would simply match any offer sheet, and thus the prospective team would do the legwork for the Ravens. Now, a sign-and-trade scenario would circumvent that process, especially if Baltimore feels like the QB-team relationship has reached a boiling point. But Baltimore's desire to keep Jackson is a common refrain among teams. Then there's the guaranteed money, the multiple first-round picks required to secure a deal and his durability concerns.

It's important to emphasize that it's very early. The draft can serve as an inflection point, especially if teams strike out on securing a long-term quarterback prospect in the early rounds. Maybe that won't matter to teams such as the Patriots and Colts, who are sending messages that the hefty price tag is a non-starter. But the franchise tag deadline to reach a long-term deal is July 17. Plenty of time.

Still, this has a chance to get uglier. Don't expect Jackson to sign the tag any time soon. From everything I've heard, Jackson is principled on this -- it's not just a matter of securing as many millions as possible, but setting the proper market commensurate with his skill set, thus helping future players in his situation. That might not be possible right now due to the circumstances, and Baltimore seems to know it. -- Fowler

I had heard some chatter that Jackson was thinking about dropping in on the meetings, as Odell Beckham Jr. did briefly Tuesday, but he did not show up. Too bad. That would have ratcheted up the excitement on this a good bit! The sense I get is that, while the Ravens believe there is a path to reconciliation and hope to have Jackson as their QB in 2023 (and beyond), they would listen if a team such as the Colts called and wanted to talk about what it would take to get a deal done.

The draft is a big date here as well, since the Ravens would need whatever picks they got back for Jackson to help them find their next quarterback. But again, they hope it doesn't come to that. Some outside observers I've spoken to have suggested that the path to a Ravens/Jackson reunion is a shorter-term deal with heavy guarantees, like the three-year, $150 million one Rodgers signed with the Packers last offseason.

But the issue so far in contract talks, I am told, is that Jackson is insisting on getting more fully guaranteed money than the $230 million Deshaun Watson got in his deal with the Browns. After my conversations in Phoenix, I no longer believe Jackson was insisting that his deal be fully guaranteed -- just that the guaranteed portion of it be larger than Watson's. But I also get the sense from my sources that Jackson is irked by some of the Ravens' negotiating tactics, including some of the specific language in their offers last year, and that he's eager to see what other teams have to offer. It's entirely possible there's a deal out there that he would accept from another team that he wouldn't accept if the Ravens offered it right now.

Of course, Baltimore holds the cards because of the franchise tag and could, in the end, match any offer sheet or refuse to trade him. One thing we can say for sure at this point, after listening to the way other teams talked about Jackson at the meetings, is that the Ravens seem to be the team that wants him the most, for whatever that's worth. -- Graziano

What's the latest on the No. 1 pick front?

The Carolina Panthers would have you believe they moved up from No. 9 to No. 1 in the draft without knowing which quarterback they're taking. As you'd expect, some people don't believe that, and a very unscientific poll of sources to whom I spoke at the meeting tells me most people believe they're taking Ohio State's C.J. Stroud.

But Panthers coach Frank Reich was adamant Tuesday that they're going through their process and considering each of the top four quarterback prospects -- Stroud, Alabama's Bryce Young, Kentucky's Will Levis and Florida's Anthony Richardson

-- equally. Reich was asked what he learned from his experience on the Eagles' coaching staff in 2016 when they moved up to No. 2 and took Carson Wentz.

"Just going through the process and knowing how important it is to be patient," Reich said. "You might see a throw, or you might sit down with a guy and you say, 'I love this guy. This is it.' But just finish the process. Be patient. You've got time. We don't have to make this decision today. Stay true to the process."

Panthers decision-makers hung with Stroud, Young and Levis last week at their respective pro days and were headed to Richardson's this week to put him through the same paces. -- Graziano

Are the Rams truly on board with a rebuild?

Rams coach Sean McVay looks totally comfortable with L.A.'s reset after an aggressive five-year push. The team has parted with multiple key players and has looked at trading others in the wake of financial challenges due to bloated contracts. Rams COO Kevin Demoff wrote an open letter to fans highlighting the Rams' need to absorb "salary cap pain" in 2023 to strengthen their future footing, while remaining competitive now.

"Sometimes the best things you can do are reset the deck, have a healthy perspective and focus on the things you can control," McVay said. "Every year is a new year. ... We have five years of great experiences."

McVay will gladly take two Super Bowl appearances and one championship since 2018 in exchange for some short-term roster pain. But he's at least excited about the Rams' 11 draft picks, their most since 2018.

"We have at least a couple of picks inside the top 100," McVay said. "The past handful of years, we're usually looking at guys from the third round and on. It will be good. We have to make sure we hit those spots. We have to have a vision for the players we are going to onboard. Let's see if they develop into the players we want them to be."

The Rams haven't drafted a quarterback in the McVay era, and Matthew Stafford is the only quarterback on the roster. But McVay acknowledged the team has many needs to address in the draft, which could rule out quarterback, at least early in the draft. -- Fowler

Quick hits

Graziano

• Odell Beckham Jr. has offers on the table from multiple teams, and I am told the Jets are the most likely landing spot but that Beckham could be waiting to make sure the Aaron Rodgers deal gets completed before finalizing his own decision. Baltimore has made a push for Beckham as well.

• There were some other big-name wide receivers whose names were floating around the Biltmore, including Arizona's DeAndre Hopkins. Cardinals coach Jonathan Gannon said he expects Hopkins to be a Cardinal, but from the outside it's tough to see how that can happen without some kind of contract extension or adjustment. Hopkins is set to count just under $30 million against the Cardinals salary cap this year. They'd save about $9 million and carry about $21 million in dead money this year if they traded him (more savings if they waited until after June 1 to trade him), but the acquiring team would still be taking on $19.45 million in cash and cap for a receiver who turns 31 in June.

Hopkins showed last year he has a lot left in the tank, but I couldn't find a team at the meetings that sounded eager to bring him on without the Cardinals eating some of the money. And eating some of the money would seem to defeat the purpose of Arizona trading him. It sounds like the history between Hopkins and new Patriots offensive coordinator Bill O'Brien is an impediment to his landing in New England. The Cowboys already made their trade for Brandin Cooks. There are still teams out there looking for receiver help, such as the Chiefs, Ravens and Giants, but Hopkins' salary is giving people pause for now.

• The Broncos aren't hanging up the phone when teams call them about receivers Jerry Jeudy and Courtland Sutton. Denver needs picks and knows it could get something of value in return for one of those guys. But at this point, with a month left before the draft, the Broncos are still asking a lot in return. We will see if things change as the draft gets closer, but for now Jeudy and Sutton remain Broncos and nothing seems like it's close to happening to change that.

Fowler

• Bucs coach Todd Bowles called "game on" for Baker Mayfield vs. Kyle Trask at quarterback in training camp. When I asked Bowles what Mayfield brings to the table, Bowles said, "some competitive juice to go along with Trask. Baker's won in college, he's been to the playoffs as a pro, and he brings us a lot of leadership. I think this style of offense will fit him really well. I think it will be a good battle between him and Trask to see who will win."

• Beckham made the rounds at the Arizona Biltmore, saying hello to Jets general manager Joe Douglas and head coach Robert Saleh, Rams general manager Les Snead and Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski. As Dan notes above, the feeling here is the Jets remain a viable contender, depending on the price point. A few people I spoke to believe Rodgers is the quarterback with whom Beckham wants to play. The next step could be Beckham taking a physical for the Jets or another team. A team will need to feel good about his recovery from a second ACL tear. As one league source forecasted, perhaps Beckham earns a deal of around $8 million per year that can reach $10-plus million with incentives. With a very sluggish free agency market after the initial wave, that's probably considered a win for Beckham.

• The Ravens have been fairly active in the wide receiver market. As Dan mentioned above, they've looked into Beckham. I've heard the same for DeAndre Hopkins and Courtland Sutton. They seem open to potentially adding a quality outside receiver, whether Jackson is in the lineup or not.

• I'm with Dan on the Denver receivers -- no real traction to a deal right now, and Denver's offense has been too bad to unload talent without viable capital, but the weeks before the draft could intensify talks. The Broncos haven't exactly squashed that they are listening to offers.

• The Cincinnati Bengals have begun discussions with Joe Burrow on a contract extension. Coach Zac Taylor acknowledged to the media that talks have started, and as one team source classified it, "The process is underway." It could take some time because of the complicated nature of these megadeals, but Cincinnati appears committed to securing Burrow's future.

• In other Bengals news, Taylor said signing a running back in free agency is a "possibility" but added he really likes the progress of Trayveon Williams, who re-signed this month. "We have high hopes for him. He understands what it takes to compete in this league." And Chris Evans is entering his third year. So, while Ezekiel Elliott and Kareem Hunt are among the free agent options, the Bengals like who they have as well.

• Don't sleep on Jarrett Stidham's presence in Denver. Yes, Russell Wilson is the unquestioned starter and his contract, at least for one more year, is ironclad. But Sean Payton was very complimentary of Stidham, calling the player evaluation "crystal clear" and Stidham's two-year, $10 million deal "an important signing for us." Payton was impressed with Stidham's two-game stretch for Las Vegas late in the season. "In this case, I think it's a No. 2 where his arrow is moving in a direction where we feel he can become an NFL starter in our league." Something to file away if Wilson struggles again in 2023.

• The Saquon Barkley situation is one that many around the league are watching closely. GM Joe Schoen confirmed the Giants pulled their pre-franchise-tag offer, which some suspect is a result of the sagging running back market in free agency, when no tailback got more than $6.25 million per year. But the Giants would still like to sign him long-term, so drawing too hard a line could risk locker-room morale issues with an elite player.

• Quote of note, from Seahawks coach Pete Carroll on Geno Smith's role as Seattle evaluates quarterbacks atop the draft. "I told Geno what we were doing. We talked beforehand. He knows what's going on. ... He was great about it. He gets it. He's been around the game. ... What he will do is he'll help him. He's already stated that."