Super Bowl LVIII was great, and we'll look back on the Chiefs' win as fun and historic. It's good to look back.
But it's also important to look forward. The 2024 NFL offseason has already begun. Contract decisions are being made, and draft evaluations are flowing. Preparation for the 2024 season is underway, and there is a lot that has to happen before the Chiefs and whomever they're playing in their annual Thursday night season opener kick off in September.
So here's a look at 80 of the most interesting people, places and things that will shape the next 12 months in the NFL. Whether it's a free agent quarterback, rookie head coach, new owner or GM candidate, everyone on this list should occupy at least a portion of NFL fans' attention over the coming year, especially this offseason. Who knows? Maybe one or more of them will help decide who wins next season's Super Bowl. Or at least who loses to the Chiefs in it ...
Jump to:
QBs | Free agents | Uncertain futures
Extension candidates | Other top players
Coaches and coordinators | Owners | Execs
Other places and things to watch
QUARTERBACKS
Kirk Cousins, Minnesota Vikings
Cousins' contract voids March 12, which is after the deadline for teams to franchise players -- meaning the Vikings can't franchise him and he will be a free agent. The last time Cousins was a free agent (six years ago), he set out to get a fully guaranteed contract, and the Vikings gave him one. Will he have the same goal this time around? How much, if at all, will the fact that he turns 36 in August and is coming off a torn Achilles impact his value on the free agent market?
Cousins was playing as well as any quarterback in the NFL before he got hurt, and quality starting QBs don't hit free agency very often. It sounds as if Minnesota would like to bring him back, but if he's set on maxing out his market, it might not be able to get it done. And at some point, the Vikings know they need to think about a long-term solution at the position. There are some in the league who believe Minnesota could try to make a big trade up for a top-three pick in the draft. That would likely mean someone like LSU's Jayden Daniels starts for them in 2024 and Cousins goes elsewhere. Atlanta, Las Vegas, Pittsburgh and other QB-needy teams are keeping a close eye on this situation.
Baker Mayfield, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The marriage between Mayfield and the Bucs was a productive one, and Tampa Bay will likely try to bring him back -- even if that means a franchise tag. New Bucs offensive coordinator Liam Coen overlapped with Mayfield toward the tail end of the 2022 season when both were with the Rams. (Remember Baker with the Rams? I know, right?)
The question is, what's the right deal for Mayfield? He signed a one-year deal worth up to $8.5 million last March and then threw 28 touchdown passes for the NFC South champs. Should he now make Daniel Jones money? Should he make more? How big of a bet will the Buccaneers want to place on the idea that Mayfield's 2023 was a true renaissance rather than the latest peak in a peaks-and-valleys career?
Justin Fields, Chicago Bears
The Bears seem unlikely to trade away the No. 1 pick for a second year in a row, and if that ends up being the case, Fields likely will be on a new team for 2024. He has shown enough as an NFL starter that the Bears should be able to get something of value -- maybe a second-round pick? -- but he's also far from a finished product. He was 23rd in Total QBR (46.1) and 29th in completion percentage (61.4%) in 2023.
Which offensive coordinator can get the most out of Fields, and can he be a productive long-term starter for another team? Chicago's looming decision will be a big offseason domino.
Caleb Williams, USC
The presumptive top pick in the 2024 NFL draft is the first superstar prospect of the NIL era. He's the quarterback the Bears would likely draft to replace Fields if they do move on. But some are wondering whether Williams will use his unique financial leverage to help determine which team selects him. Will he be Chicago's QB of the future? What about the Commanders, who just hired former USC assistant Kliff Kingsbury as their new offensive coordinator? Would he even consider sitting out -- or at least threatening to sit out -- a year to get what he wanted?
Aaron Rodgers, New York Jets
Now 40 years old and coming off a torn Achilles, Rodgers is running low on time to make the Jets look good for trading for him. Everything this organization does is built around Rodgers now. He has to bounce back from his lost first Jets season and deliver at his former MVP levels.
Russell Wilson, Denver Broncos
He was good enough in his first 10 years in the NFL that he'll surely get another chance to prove he can start for a team, once the Broncos release him from his contract despite owing him a guaranteed $39 million. Wilson was benched late in the 2023 season and now appears headed toward free agency -- just two years after Denver traded a package of picks and players for him and then signed him to a five-year extension that hasn't even begun yet. If Wilson has a second act coming, he's running out of time to show it.
Geno Smith, Seattle Seahawks
Smith, who took over as Seattle's starter after Wilson went to Denver, ranks 11th in Total QBR (61.3), fourth in completion percentage (67.4%) and sixth in touchdown passes (50) over the past two seasons. He's signed for a remarkably reasonable $22.3 million for 2024, but as of right now, none of that money is guaranteed.
What's interesting about Smith's deal is that his $12.7 million base salary becomes fully guaranteed on the fifth day after the Super Bowl -- as in, this Friday. The rest of his 2024 money is in a $9.6 million roster bonus that's due on the fifth day of the new league year. So if the Seahawks did decide to go a different route at quarterback, they could theoretically move on, either this week or before March 18.
Given the way Smith has performed since becoming the starter two years ago, that doesn't seem likely. But he is 33 and likely not the long-term answer there. Seattle is in a transition period post-Pete Carroll and knows it needs to get younger at QB at some point soon. Smith would be an intriguing addition to the offseason quarterback market. If the Seahawks were to cut him before the $12.7 million guarantee kicks in, he'd be free to sign with any team he wanted and would not have to wait for the start of free agency.
Dak Prescott, Dallas Cowboys
Prescott's 2024 cap number is $59.455 million. For perspective, the highest cap number in the NFL this past season was Patrick Mahomes' $37.1 million. Dallas could knock down Prescott's number with an extension, but it was far from easy to get him to agree to an extension the last time around, when the two sides negotiated in 2021. And this time, he has even more leverage. With one year left on his current deal, a no-trade clause, and a clause that prohibits the Cowboys from using the franchise or transition tags on him, Prescott can demand whatever he wants.
The Cowboys can save around $18 million in cap space by simply converting the eligible portion of Prescott's 2024 salary to a signing bonus. But to save any more, they'd have to add years to the deal, and that would require his cooperation. Stay tuned on this one, and don't assume it's as easy as "They need to pay Dak." There's a lot more to it than that.
Tua Tagovailoa, Miami Dolphins
Tagovailoa will make $23.171 million this season on his fifth-year option. The question is whether the Dolphins want to extend him beyond that, and if so, how would -- and should -- that deal look. Tagovailoa had multiple stints in the concussion protocol in 2022, but he stayed healthy in 2023 and completed nearly 70% of his passes for the prolific Miami offense.
Jared Goff, Detroit Lions
With one year and $27.3 million left on his contract, Goff is surely in line for an extension. He's not even 30 yet and has established himself as the Lions' franchise QB, bringing Detroit to the NFC Championship Game. But can he get a top-of-market deal in the Joe Burrow/Justin Herbert/Lamar Jackson/Jalen Hurts range, or will his deal establish a new upper-middle class of QB contracts?
Trevor Lawrence, Jacksonville Jaguars
Lawrence, the 2021 first overall pick, is eligible for an extension this offseason for the first time. Will he follow the trend of young QBs breaking the bank and resetting the market after their third season? With the way the Jaguars' season ended -- a massive collapse after starting 8-3 -- he might be better off waiting until next offseason to sign his new deal. The Jaguars can pick up his fifth-year option for 2025 to keep him under contract for at least two more seasons.
Jordan Love, Green Bay Packers
Love is also in line for an extension, and the Packers should reward him after he did them a massive favor with the terrible one-year extension he accepted last offseason. He's now established as the starter in Green Bay, but he is extension eligible with only one year as a starter under his belt (as opposed to Lawrence's three), so his deal should be interesting to watch.
Daniel Jones, New York Giants
The extension the Giants did with Jones last March -- when they were desperate to avoid having to franchise-tag him and lose running back Saquon Barkley as a result -- includes $35.5 million in fully guaranteed money for 2024. But Jones struggled early in the season, throwing two touchdown passes and six interceptions over six games before tearing his right ACL. The Giants can get out of the deal this time next year if they want, but Jones should get one more shot to prove he can be the same quarterback who landed that deal after a strong (and healthy) 2022.
Kenny Pickett, Pittsburgh Steelers
The Steelers' 2022 first-round pick finished 2023 as a healthy backup to Mason Rudolph during Pittsburgh's surprise run to the playoffs. That doesn't bode super well for his chances of being the Steelers' franchise quarterback. What becomes of Pickett if the Steelers bring in someone like Russell Wilson or Justin Fields?
Adam Schefter details the NFL's plan to play a game in Brazil for the first time in 2024.
Bryce Young, Carolina Panthers
His flop of a rookie season -- combined with C.J. Stroud's dazzling rookie success -- means Young now has to chase the guy who was picked right behind him in last year's draft. He will be working with a new coaching staff to try to prove Carolina didn't blow the No. 1 pick. Young was 29th in Total QBR this past season (33.4), and he threw 11 touchdown passes to 10 interceptions over 16 games for the league's worst team.
Brock Purdy, San Francisco 49ers
Four years ago, when the 49ers lost Super Bowl LIV to the Chiefs, the Niners had questions about whether Jimmy Garoppolo was the quarterback to get them where they needed to go. The Niners do not seem to have those questions about Purdy, who will be a monumental steal for them on a $985,000 salary next season. They aren't even allowed, under collective bargaining agreement rules, to extend or alter his contract until after the 2024 season.
Joe Burrow, Cincinnati Bengals
Burrow will be coming back from a season-ending injury to the thumb on his throwing hand, and he'll have a new offensive coordinator for the first time in his career after Brian Callahan left to be the Titans' head coach. Plus, we don't know whether the Bengals will be able to keep his stellar receiver group together much longer.
Deshaun Watson, Cleveland Browns
Three years and $138 million in fully guaranteed salary remain on his contract, so Watson is not going anywhere. But he'll have to show he's worth it after the offense functioned better in five regular-season games with Joe Flacco as his replacement after Watson had a season-ending shoulder injury.
Anthony Richardson, Indianapolis Colts
Remember this guy? The rookie looked like he was going to be a lot of fun in the Colts' offense before his own season-ending shoulder injury. Unfortunately, the Colts' young starter lost a year of development they were hoping he'd get with some on-the-job training. How far behind is he now, and can he have a Stroud-like impact coming off the injury?
Patrick Mahomes, Kansas City Chiefs
At this point, how much more is there to say about Mahomes? He's a three-time Super Bowl MVP at 28 years old! The story of Mahomes is more about the next 12 years. How many more titles can he win? Where will he rank among the all-time greats?
As for the next 12 months, though, a Chiefs fan has to be over the moon hearing Mahomes talk at his postgame Super Bowl news conference about the work he's planning to do this offseason to make his young wide receivers better.
Lamar Jackson, Baltimore Ravens
The two-time MVP still has that massive postseason hurdle to clear. Will he elevate even further in his second year in Todd Monken's offense? Or will he and the Ravens look back on this season's missed opportunity as their best chance to win it all?
C.J. Stroud, Houston Texans
The expectation in Houston is that what happened this season was real and that Stroud and coach DeMeco Ryans will keep the Texans in playoff contention. What will the Offensive Rookie of the Year do for an encore in 2024?
Mac Jones, New England Patriots
It seems like there's a better chance of the Patriots using me at quarterback next season than them picking up Jones' 2025 fifth-year option. Will the Pats use the No. 3 pick to find his replacement? And if so, can he go somewhere else and resurrect his career before it's too late? Jones ranked 28th in QBR (36.7) and was benched multiple times for Bailey Zappe in 2023.
INTERESTING FREE AGENTS
Chris Jones, DT, Kansas City Chiefs
It would cost the Chiefs more than $32 million to franchise-tag Jones this year, which would significantly hurt their ability to do basically anything else this offseason. They need to bring in offensive tackles, and they have other players on defense to sign. They should probably spend to sign a wide receiver one of these days, too.
Jones and the Chiefs couldn't reach an extension agreement last offseason, ultimately settling for a one-year deal. And with that $32 million franchise tag number as a starting point, the two sides probably aren't going to see eye to eye this time around, either. Jones would have a massive free agent market.
Tee Higgins, WR, Cincinnati Bengals
Higgins is a free agent, but with teammate Ja'Marr Chase extension eligible for the first time, the Bengals have some decisions to make over the next few months. We can't rule out a franchise tag for Higgins, who could command No. 1 WR money from another team if he hits the market. Higgins caught 42 passes for 656 yards and five touchdowns in 2023.
Josh Allen, OLB, Jacksonville Jaguars
There were a couple of cases of edge rushers not getting extensions last offseason that surprised people around the league, but Allen's might be the most surprising. He's known as a great locker room guy, a player who represents the team in the community in an exemplary way and obviously a high-impact player who just posted a career-high 17.5 sacks this past season. You would think the Jaguars would prioritize keeping their 26-year-old star on a long-term deal. But you would have thought that a year ago, too, so this is worth keeping an eye on.
Derrick Henry, RB, Tennessee Titans
The final two years of Henry's contract void 23 days before the start of the next league year (which is Monday), making him a free agent. The Titans will carry just under $5 million in dead money on next year's cap from Henry's last contract. And while it's possible they could try to bring him back, his final game in Nashville this season was treated by him, the fans and the team as a farewell.
Henry's free agency case will be interesting. He just turned 30, and teams don't want to pay running backs who are even in their late 20s. But Henry is also a different sort of player, and his unique powerful style could make him more attractive on the market than your standard running back.
Saquon Barkley, RB, New York Giants
Speaking of running backs who could be free agents, Barkley is up again this year. And although the Giants could easily franchise-tag him for the second year in a row for about $12 million, it's also possible the two sides could go their separate ways if they once again can't agree on the parameters of a long-term extension. Barkley ran for 962 yards and six scores in 2023.
Austin Ekeler, RB, Los Angeles Chargers
Ekeler didn't have the same kind of year Henry or even Barkley had. He turns 29 in May, and although he has been an outspoken advocate for running back contracts, he doesn't seem like the guy who's most likely to get a good one this offseason.
RECEIVERS WITH UNCERTAIN FUTURES
Davante Adams, WR, Las Vegas Raiders
Will the Jets make a push to reunite Adams with Rodgers? Will Antonio Pierce's promotion to permanent head coach make Adams more interested in staying in Vegas? It's fair to say Adams' Raiders stint hasn't gone the way he expected, but he has 203 catches for 2,660 yards and 22 TDs over his two seasons there. He'd be a fascinating addition to the star-studded offseason wide receiver market if the Raiders decide to trade him.
Stefon Diggs, WR, Buffalo Bills
Is he happy in Buffalo? Is he unhappy in Buffalo? The answer never seems clear these days. So Diggs is yet another star veteran wideout who could potentially be on the move. After a hot start to 2023, he failed to break 100 receiving yards in any of his final 14 games, including the playoffs.
EXTENSION CANDIDATES TO WATCH
CeeDee Lamb, WR, Dallas Cowboys
The wide receiver market took something of a year off in 2023, and Lamb was among those who were extension eligible but didn't get a new deal. The Cowboys could save a lot of cap space with an extension that would knock down his 2024 cap number from where it is now: $17.991 million. Even though they have extensions for Prescott and defensive superstar Micah Parsons to address, expect them to get something done with their star wideout. Lamb is coming off a huge season that included 1,749 yards and 12 TD catches.
Brandon Aiyuk, WR, San Francisco 49ers
After posting a career-high 1,342 receiving yards in 2023, Aiyuk is scheduled to earn $14.124 million on his fifth-year option in 2024. He'll surely be looking for an extension, but the Niners have a lot of salary cap work to do. How long can they keep the gang together?
OTHER PLAYERS TO KEEP AN EYE ON
Travis Kelce, TE, Kansas City Chiefs
Kelce will stay in the limelight -- perhaps as much as any other player in the league -- this offseason because of his newfound crossover stardom as boyfriend to the most famous woman in the world. He has two years and about $30 million left on his contract, so it doesn't seem he's going anywhere any time soon.
Nick Chubb, RB, Cleveland Browns
He's 28, coming off a major season-ending knee injury and scheduled to earn $12 million in non-guaranteed money in the final year of his contract. Yes, he's an extension candidate, but he's also a potential cap casualty. Either way, Chubb could be the latest bellwether of the frustrating running back market.
Puka Nacua, WR, Los Angeles Rams
An out-of-nowhere dazzler of a season from this fifth-round rookie (1,486 yards) helped the Rams make the playoffs in what should have been their rebuilding season. With nearly $80 million in dead money off their books for 2024, the Rams should be able to add more help this offseason. But Nacua and his fellow 2023 draft classmates are the key to determining whether the Rams can make a seamless transition into their next competitive era and make life difficult on the defending conference champion 49ers in their division.
Aaron Donald, DT, Los Angeles Rams
Donald turns 33 in May and is heading into the final year of his contract. He was as disruptive as ever in 2023, but with all he has accomplished, it's fair to wonder how much longer he'll want to play.
Tyreek Hill, WR, Miami Dolphins
Before some late-season injuries cost him time, Hill was a legitimate candidate to break the single-season receiving yards record and maybe even win league MVP. So he obviously shows no signs of slowing down. But with his 30th birthday coming up March 1 and his cap number scheduled to jump from about $13 million to about $30 million, you wonder what might happen once he does start showing those signs. The Dolphins seem like a team in a tight win-now window with the way their contracts look.
COACHES AND COORDINATORS
Bill Belichick
Belichick's presence will loom over every hot-seat coaching situation all season, as he's just 14 wins behind Don Shula for the most in NFL history (sitting at 333, including playoffs). But he'll also be 73 years old when the 2025 season starts, and only one team expressed serious interest in him this offseason after the Patriots let him go. Could Belichick's coaching days be done?
Andy Reid
He put the retirement rumors to bed after the Super Bowl, but Reid will be looking for a new contract and a raise that brings his salary in line with that of the other top coaches in the league. How can anyone argue the Chiefs coach hasn't earned it?
Jim Harbaugh
A lot is being made of the roster and cap work the Chargers need to do, as well as how much their roster will change between now and next season. But you don't hire Harbaugh -- fresh off a national championship at Michigan -- to wait around and rebuild. Don't be surprised if he has them contending for the postseason right away, even if it is fair to expect them to be better in 2025 than 2024.
Mike McCarthy
He didn't get fired, but he didn't get an extension, either. So McCarthy goes into the final year of his contract with all the pressure that comes with being the Cowboys coach and then some. Every loss is going to make somebody whisper something about Belichick.
Nick Sirianni
Siriani didn't get fired, either, and it would have been weird to fire the Philadelphia coach a year after he coached in the Super Bowl. But after the Eagles stumbled down the stretch and lost in the wild-card round, they overhauled the coaching staff around him, and they'll have new coordinators for the second year in a row. If 2024 goes badly, it's tough to see Sirianni still being there in 2025.
Sean McDermott
I never got the sense that McDermott was actually on as "hot" a seat as some on the outside seemed to think. McDermott is part of the organizational fabric in Buffalo, and ownership loves the culture he has built there. But the Bills do have a project ahead of them. They need to get younger on defense. They need to get better at wide receiver. And one of these years, McDermott and quarterback Josh Allen are going to have to show they can get over the hump and into the Super Bowl.
Matt Eberflus
The Bears saving Eberflus' job with a strong finish was a surprise story of the season's second half. Can they build on it? And who will be playing quarterback while they try?
DeMeco Ryans
What will the Houston coach do for an encore? The Texans were one of the coolest stories of 2023, and they have cap space and a star QB on a rookie deal. Will they build around Stroud the way the Bengals did around Burrow in his second year? Can Ryans manage the higher expectations that are sure to accompany Houston's 2024 campaign?
Sean Payton
With his first year in Denver (and apparently Russell Wilson) behind him, the pressure will be on Payton to find a quarterback solution and return the Broncos to the playoffs this coming season. The team traded a first-round pick to the Saints for him last January but finished below .500 at 8-9.
Mike Tomlin
Having somehow, once again, avoided his first losing season as an NFL head coach, Tomlin is still feeling the heat from the Steelers' recent lack of postseason success. Like a lot of teams, Pittsburgh needs to figure out the quarterback position, which will go a long way toward deciding whether it can move up from good to great.
Kyle Shanahan
Shanahan is back to work to try to finally break through and win the 49ers' first Super Bowl title in nearly 30 years. Getting as close as he got Sunday has to be painful, but Shanahan is only 44, and his San Francisco teams have been consistent contenders when healthy. Keep the faith.
Jerod Mayo
Nobody has a tougher act to follow than Mayo, who will be the first Patriots head coach other than Belichick this century. The team's linebackers coach since 2019, Mayo has been groomed for the opportunity, but there's a lot of work to do to return this roster to contention.
Mike Macdonald
The Seahawks moved on from Carroll, who was the oldest coach in the league, to Macdonald, who at 36 will be the youngest. Macdonald was seen as a budding star for his work as the Ravens' defensive coordinator, and he will be tasked with getting Seattle back on track.
Dan Quinn
Quinn begins a second head-coaching stint, this time in Washington, where new ownership is hoping he can help rejuvenate a once-proud franchise that fell into disrepair under the previous owner. But the Commanders need a quarterback first and foremost.
Ben Johnson
For two years, Johnson has been supposedly the hottest name on the coaching circuit. And for two years, the Lions' offensive coordinator hasn't gotten one of the open jobs. There's no reason to think the Lions won't stay in contention and keep his name on teams' lists. But sometimes these windows close more quickly than you'd think. You have to wonder whether Johnson could end up regretting the way things went for him this January.
Todd Monken
Monken's first year as the Ravens' offensive coordinator was a smashing success, as Baltimore finished fourth in points per game (28.4). But the Ravens will need to retool at wide receiver and running back in advance of next season. (They have a couple of starting offensive linemen who are free agents, too.)
All eyes will be on the personnel moves Baltimore makes on offense and what Monken and Jackson can do next year to elevate the offense even further.
Joe Brady
After the midseason firing of offensive coordinator Ken Dorsey, Brady took over and things stabilized on offense in Buffalo. The question isn't whether Brady can keep it going now that he has the permanent job. It's whether the Bills' offense can get back to its old, explosive self. They played it pretty safe down the stretch in 2023. Some fresh personnel at wide receiver could help, especially with Gabe Davis entering free agency.
Arthur Smith
He was a very successful offensive coordinator in Tennessee before his three-year head-coaching stint in Atlanta. Now he's back in the coordinator role in Pittsburgh, where a decision looms on quarterback. Can he help make this offense more efficient?
Bobby Slowik
Slowik got head-coaching interviews after just one season as the offensive coordinator in Houston. That's how well things went there in Stroud's rookie year -- and how highly regarded this former Shanahan assistant is around the NFL. Expect Slowik to be among the top head-coaching candidates in next year's cycle.
Brian Flores
Not even a stellar season as the Vikings' defensive coordinator could unlock head-coaching interviews for Flores, whose still-pending lawsuit against the NFL over its minority hiring practices would seem to be an impediment. It's worth noting, however, that this year represented a step forward for the NFL in terms of hiring minority head coaches, and that was one of Flores' stated goals when he sued.
Steve Wilks
The former Cardinals and Panthers head coach had an up-and-down year as the 49ers' defensive coordinator. The defense played well in the Super Bowl before Mahomes wore it down. If Wilks can stabilize San Francisco's defense in his second season, he could be back in the mix for head-coaching jobs before long.
Kliff Kingsbury
Whether the Commanders can reunite Kingsbury -- who was a USC assistant last season -- with Caleb Williams remains to be seen. Regardless, Kingsbury has a lot to prove as a coordinator in the NFL and will be under great pressure to establish and run Quinn's offense in Washington after being hired as the Commanders' offensive coordinator.
Shane Waldron
Will he be coaching up Justin Fields? Caleb Williams? Someone else? The Bears' new offensive coordinator is likely to have a blank slate and a No. 1 pick at quarterback to work with as he tries to improve this unit. A big season in Chicago could jump Waldron into the head-coaching interview cycle next winter.
Anthony Weaver
One of the Ravens' defensive coaches (along with Macdonald) who have left for other jobs, Weaver becomes the Dolphins' new defensive coordinator -- a job that hasn't gone well for the past couple of coaches who've held it. Weaver is well regarded, and he brings experience to the job as a former Texans defensive coordinator. Can he turn the Dolphins' defense into a championship-caliber unit to keep up with the team's offense?
Jeff Hafley
Matt LaFleur's Packers tenure has been impressive, and the Green Bay coach might have done his best job yet in Love's first season as the starting quarterback. But the Packers haven't been able to count on consistent defense since LaFleur got there, so he has moved on from Joe Barry to former Boston College coach Hafley. Is this the coach to finally get it right?
Aaron Glenn
Glenn got some love on the interview circuit and was named the top coordinator in the league in a player survey conducted by the NFLPA. But the Lions now need to help Glenn with a strong offseason in which they rebuild the secondary and add to the pass rush.
OWNERS
Josh Harris
The Commanders' new owner has a stadium situation to address, but in the short term, all eyes will be on how involved he makes himself in the day-to-day football decisions. It's doubtful Adam Peters would have left San Francisco for a GM job if he thought the owner would meddle, but you really never know about these things until you experience them firsthand. When George Steinbrenner bought the Yankees, he promised he'd "stick to building ships."
Jerry Jones
The Cowboys' offseason always draws attention, but this one will be especially fascinating. With the help of son Stephen and his trusted front office advisers, Jones has in recent years resisted some impulses and taken a longer-range view of the team. Right or wrong, there's an external perception that Jones is desperate to win another Super Bowl sooner rather than later. Will we see that desperation reflected in a hyper-aggressive Dallas offseason? Or is it just one more thing about the Cowboys that seems truer to people on the outside than it does inside the building?
Jody Allen
When Paul Allen died in 2018 and his sister took over the Seahawks, there was a great deal of belief that the team would be sold. It has not been yet -- but it could be soon.
There is a stipulation in the agreement the team reached to secure funding for its current stadium that states that selling the team before May 2, 2024, would result in Paul Allen or his estate having to give 10% of the sale price to the state of Washington. As of May 2, the Seahawks can be sold with the Allen estate pocketing 100% of the sale price as opposed to 90%. The Commanders recently sold for $6.05 billion. Ten percent of that is $605 million, and that kind of money seems likely to make it worth waiting a few years to sell.
But with the May date approaching, don't be surprised if the Seahawks get sold sometime in the coming year or two.
Mark Davis
Davis gave Pierce the head-coaching job in part because the players seemed to demand it, and he hired Tom Telesco as GM to balance out Pierce's inexperience. Davis' last coach/GM hires didn't work out, and he has to get this right now. It's worth keeping an eye on his effort to sell a piece of his team to Tom Brady -- an effort several other team owners have pushed back on. Which leads me to this next figure ...
Tom Brady
It sounds as if Brady is planning to actually go through with becoming a broadcaster. Will he also succeed in buying a piece of the Raiders from Davis? And if so, wouldn't it be weird for him to broadcast a Raiders game? Brady remains a fascinating NFL figure even in retirement.
TEAM AND LEAGUE EXECUTIVES
Lloyd Howell
The new executive director of the NFL Players Association, Howell took over for DeMaurice Smith eight months ago. He has kept a low profile, opting to learn what he needs to know as an outsider coming into football from the corporate world. But in his tour of the league and his meetings at team facilities, Howell estimates that he met with about 20 team owners.
His background, coupled with the fact that the current CBA isn't up for six more years, makes it likely that Howell was hired to focus on expanding financial opportunities for players and the NFLPA's war chest. He's watching the Brady/Raiders situation very closely, listening to owners' reasons for opposing it and wondering what it could mean for the ability of players to obtain equity in the league and/or its teams moving forward. Howell is a fascinating person to watch in the NFL in the coming years.
Dawn Aponte
A high-ranking official in the NFL league office as the chief football administrative officer, Aponte interviewed for the Chargers GM job that ultimately went to Joe Hortiz. She has a front office background, having worked for the Browns and the Dolphins before her time in the league office.
Along with Browns assistant GM Catherine Raiche, who interviewed two years ago for the Vikings GM job that went to Kwesi Adofo-Mensah, Aponte represents the vanguard of candidates to -- at some point in the near future -- become the league's first woman GM since Susan Tose Spencer held that title for the Eagles in the early 1980s.
Eliot Wolf
A former Packers and Browns executive, Wolf has worked in a quiet but significant role in New England the past few years and seems to have ascended to the top spot in the Patriots' personnel department in the wake of them moving on from Belichick. It's likely to be a more collaborative effort than it was when Belichick had final say on everything, but it looks as if Wolf will function as the de facto GM even if he doesn't get the title.
What does the next era of Patriots football look like? And can it have even one-sixth of the success the previous one did?
Nick Caserio
The Texans project to have about $57 million in salary cap space this year after making the playoffs in 2023 with a rookie coach and rookie quarterback. What will GM Caserio do to maximize the early, cheap years of Stroud's career? At the outset of Burrow's time in Cincinnati, the historically thrifty Bengals hit free agency hard and quickly built up a team that reached the Super Bowl in Burrow's second season. Will Houston follow that example? Does the Texans' roster even need that much help?
Ran Carthon
It appears the Titans moved on from coach Mike Vrabel to give GM Carthon a greater degree of control. With Brian Callahan on board as coach and a rebuild on tap, can Carthon build Tennessee back into a winner?
Ryan Poles
Poles has the first pick in the draft for the second year in a row. Last year, he traded it and stuck with Fields. What he does with it this year could help shape the entire NFL offseason. The Bears are the league's most fascinating team as the offseason opens, and Poles has a lot of eyes on him.
PLACES AND THINGS TO WATCH
The kickoff
Ironically, in the week in which legendary returner Devin Hester was elected to the Hall of Fame, Sunday's Super Bowl was the first in which not one of the kickoffs was returned. A new rule this season that placed the ball at the 25-yard line if the player made a fair catch anywhere between the 25 and the end zone has resulted in a dramatic drop in kick returns.
The NFL says its research still shows the kick return to be the highest injury-rate play, and league officials have said they will continue to work to find ways to make the play safer this offseason, with the goal of still keeping it in the game and making it exciting. But at some point you wonder whether those goals are reconcilable and whether we're headed to an ending where the kickoff goes away entirely and is replaced with something else.
Brazil
The NFL has announced it will hold its first game in Brazil in Week 1 of the 2024 season. As the league looks to expand its international presence beyond London, Germany and Mexico, all eyes will be on how things go here. Don't for one second imagine Brazil will be the last new country the league tries in its ongoing efforts at international audience expansion.
Las Vegas
Once unimaginable as a place to house an NFL team or host the league's biggest event, Vegas just pulled off a smooth and successful Super Bowl week. And there's a strong chance it will remain in the rotation. In the meantime, can Pierce revive the team that plays its home games there and help build a winner in the league's newest market?
Jacksonville, Florida
This looms as a big year for negotiations between the city and the Jaguars on a potential new stadium. There are plans, renderings and the skeleton of an agreement, but to this point nothing is done. When and if it does get done, it'll be a big relief to the local fans of a team that's already playing two games a season in London and whose owner has long been believed to want to own an NFL team across the pond.
New Orleans
Next year's Super Bowl returns to the Big Easy for the first time since 2013, which you might remember as the one in which the lights went out in the third quarter. That was a shame, because no city does the Super Bowl better than New Orleans, and stadium concerns were part of the reason it fell out of the rotation for a little while. Here's hoping it's not another 12 years until it's back there again.