Below, our NFL Insiders predict how the biggest offseason moves will shake out. The questions: What about Adrian Peterson? Where will Tony Romo be playing in 2017? Will the Patriots trade Jimmy Garoppolo? Will Jason Pierre-Paul re-sign with the Giants? Will the Bears keep Alshon Jeffery? And will Dont'a Hightower be back in New England?
Will Adrian Peterson be playing for the Vikings in 2017? If not, who scoops him up?
Bowen: Not under his current deal, which calls for an $18 million cap number next season. If the Vikings can rework Peterson's contract, he could be carrying the ball in Minnesota next season. However, I don't see that happening. Look for Peterson to land elsewhere next season, with the Giants at the top of the list. Paired with Paul Perkins, Peterson could give New York a boost, even in a reduced role.
Graziano: This is a tough one, because there's no way he plays for the Vikings on his current contract. But I will say yes, he stays in Minnesota after he and the team figure out a Larry Fitzgerald-style way to re-do the deal and keep him where he wants to be. I just don't think he's going to get the deal of his dreams on the open market, and the Vikings have incentive to bring him back.
Sando: I'd be surprised if Peterson returned to the Vikings.
Seifert: The general rule is that NFL players are more willing to take pay cuts from new teams rather than their old ones. That could be especially true in this case, where the cut is going to be steep, perhaps 50 percent or more. The Vikings have interest, but with Sam Bradford on their roster, they can't pay Peterson quarterback money anymore. My dream scenario, for the story if nothing else, is that he signs with the Packers to help them make a run at Super Bowl LII -- which will be played in Minneapolis. But a more likely in-division destination is Detroit.
Yates: Despite recent comments from Peterson regarding his fondness for Minnesota -- he's one of the franchise's all-time great players -- I just don't envision a return, given the tricky financials involved. A pay cut is hard to make work from both ends in any situation, much less one where emotions are involved, given what Peterson has meant to the Vikings. The Giants make for a worthy fit. The imbalanced offense from 2015 could use a spike in backfield production.
Where will Tony Romo be suiting up in 2017?
Matt Bowen, NFL writer: Houston makes the most sense, given the lack of productivity from Brock Osweiler in 2016 and the amount of talent/speed the Texans have at the offensive skill positions. Pair that with an upper-tier defense, and I can see the rationale for the Texans going after Romo. However, I still wonder about Romo's value at this point. Is he worth the investment, given his injury history? And how does that impact his overall standing in the marketplace? There might not be many options for Romo in 2017.
Dan Graziano, national NFL insider: Houston, assuming he's released, as I expect he will be. The Texans need another option in addition to Osweiler, and Romo, for however many games he'll be healthy enough to play, would be a strong veteran option for a team that has reason to consider itself "a quarterback away" from title contention. It makes sense for him to go to a team that has a strong defense in place, that feels all right about its offensive line and that likes to run the ball. It makes sense for the Texans if they feel Osweiler isn't going to develop the way they'd hoped. Picking up Romo would allow Houston to patch it together for a year before moving on from Osweiler next offseason, when it's more cap-friendly to do so.
Mike Sando, senior NFL writer: Denver and Houston are the most logical destinations for Romo if he's all about winning, assuming the Broncos upgrade their offensive line. I still think there's a chance Romo will consider retirement after examining the market and his diminished place in it. Smart teams aren't going to guarantee much for a player who can't guarantee he'll make it out of the preseason healthy.
Kevin Seifert, national NFL writer: Any team that pursues Romo must be prepared for him to play less than 16 games. He hasn't played a full season since 2012. As others have suggested, the Texans make the most sense, because they have two quarterbacks on their roster -- Osweiler and Tom Savage -- who have experience and would be decent replacements for an injured starter. Romo's upside is high enough for the Texans to take that risk.
Field Yates, NFL insider: I'll echo others and select the Texans. Despite the steep investment in Osweiler, Houston has no obligation to make him the starter in 2017. The roster is largely ready-made to compete a high level -- the defense was phenomenal, even in the absence of J.J. Watt -- and Romo would immediately elevate a wide receiver group that has a unique blend of traits, with DeAndre Hopkins' skill set paired with a size/speed player (Will Fuller) and an agility/suddenness player (Braxton Miller).
Will the Patriots trade Jimmy Garoppolo? If so, where?
Bowen: Cleveland and Chicago make the most sense here, and I think the Patriots will make the move. The value? A second- and fourth-round pick should get the deal done. And I would bet on the Bears jumping to the top of the list if they move on from Jay Cutler, as expected. John Fox needs to win now. Land Garoppolo via trade, and use the No. 3 overall pick to grab an impact defender.
Graziano: I don't feel great about this, but I'm still saying no, because I don't think they're going to get the price they seek. Unless one of the top three teams in the draft trades them one of those picks, the certainty Garoppolo offers the Patriots as a backup to a 40-year-old Tom Brady carries more value than whatever they could get in return. I don't think they're desperate to trade him, and they'd have to be blown away. So I guess my prediction is that they don't get blown away, and he stays put.
Sando: I'm increasingly thinking New England will trade Garoppolo once quarterback-needy teams study the depressing list of available alternatives at the position. How many general managers can sell their owners and fan bases on Cutler, Colin Kaepernick, Ryan Fitzpatrick, Mike Glennon or the equivalent? Odds are good that at least one team will feel good enough about Garoppolo to make an offer agreeable to New England. The Patriots should feel good about Brady playing well for another two or three seasons. They have a young QB on the roster in Jacoby Brissett and could draft another with a pick they acquire for Garoppolo.
Seifert: My guess is no. There will be franchises willing to give up a premium for him, and for good reason. But it doesn't make enough sense for the Patriots from a team-building perspective. Their starter will be 40 next season. Maybe Brady is a physical freak. But Garoppolo represents insurance if that turns out not to be true. And it's not as if the Patriots have built their dynasty with first-round draft picks, either. They have their own unique player-acquisition program. There's a strong case to be made for hanging on to Garoppolo until they can't afford him.
Yates: I think the Patriots will trade Garoppolo. NFL teams are well into their evaluations of the available quarterbacks via the draft, and while we don't know precisely about how each team feels about each prospect, the general sentiment is that this class lacks a clear top choice. Garoppolo has just one year left on his contract and essentially six meaningful quarters of play under his belt, but NFL teams will see a player whom the league's most successful organization was prepared to entrust for four games in place of Tom Brady to begin this past season. There's a lot to like. I keep thinking a deal with Cleveland involving the 12th overall pick makes the most sense.
Does Jason Pierre-Paul stay with the Giants?
Bowen: Pass-rushers get paid. We know that, and so does Pierre-Paul. I see him hitting the open market this offseason. That doesn't mean the Giants won't get into the mix with Pierre-Paul, but I can't see them paying top dollar after signing Olivier Vernon last offseason. Look for Pierre-Paul to land with a new team in 2017.
Graziano: No. I think Pierre-Paul sees the deal the Giants gave Vernon last year and thinks to himself, "That should have been MY money." I doubt the Giants will want to extend themselves so far for two players at the same position. So I expect Pierre-Paul to sign with the highest bidder, and I predict that won't be the Giants.
Sando: I don't see it happening after the Giants paid Vernon so much last offseason. JPP will have a better shot at maximizing his value in the market, and the franchise tag could be too expensive for the Giants' tastes.
Seifert: A 28-year-old pass-rusher, even one who has been as inconsistent as Pierre-Paul, would get huge money on the open market. He has no incentive to accept less from the Giants, who probably aren't inclined to break the bank, given their long experience with him and the commitments they made in the 2016 offseason. I think he'll sign elsewhere.
Yates: No, but I think they should. There's some roster construction to keep in mind, given how much the Giants have invested in their defensive line (via signings of Vernon and Damon Harrison last year), but this group catalyzed the team's success last season. Ultimately, New York probably will let JPP test the market, in which case he'll see enough big-money offers that he'll probably call somewhere else home in 2017.
What about Alshon Jeffery and the Bears?
Bowen: It's fair to say that the Bears should move on from Jeffery, who has missed 11 games the past two seasons, and let another team overpay for him. And maybe that happens under GM Ryan Pace. But given that former top-10 pick Kevin White has played in only three games during his first two seasons, the Bears could be left without a true No. 1 receiver heading into 2017. I wouldn't be surprised to see the Bears tag Jeffery again.
Graziano: The Bears know Jeffery too well to be the team that wins a bidding war for him. Incredible talent, but too many injuries, and he wasn't drafted by the current regime. As with Pierre-Paul, I expect Jeffery to get offered more on the open market than his current team will be willing to pay him, which is why I expect him to leave.
Sando: Jeffery will probably command more from another team than what the Bears would be willing to pay him. The current Bears regime inherited Jeffery and should be careful in determining which players to reward with long-term contracts. Is Jeffery everything the Bears want in a young player to build around? The reality is, he's a one-dimensional receiver coming off a suspension-shortened 2016 season.
Seifert: Like Pierre-Paul, Jeffery is the kind of player at whom a desperate team will throw huge money in free agency. The Bears, having seen his limitations in recent years, might be inclined to set a lower ceiling for his services. Jeffrey is two years removed from his last 1,000-yard, 16-game season. He and the Bears seem headed in different directions.
Yates: Availability has been a bit of an issue for Jeffery, but when he plays, he performs. If Chicago parts ways with Cutler this offseason, it could signal a movement to a quarterback with little or no NFL experience as the starter next year. I think Chicago is cognizant of that -- and its thin crop of playmakers -- and will use the tag once more on Jeffery.
There's no way the Patriots will let Dont'a Hightower get away, right?
Bowen: No chance. After trading Chandler Jones and Jamie Collins, Hightower is now the core player Bill Belichick will build the defense around. Hightower is the perfect fit for the Patriots' defensive culture -- a versatile, matchup weapon who can align in multiple spots and create impact plays.
Graziano: No, and I think they'll franchise him if that's what it takes to keep him off the market. After jettisoning Jones and Collins over the past year, they need to keep somebody from their front seven, and Hightower has shown his value with monster plays in big moments in two Super Bowls.
Sando: Nope. They traded Jones and Collins because they knew Hightower was the young front-seven player they wanted to re-sign the most. The Patriots looked pretty smart in their assessment when Hightower made the game-turning play against Atlanta in the Super Bowl. He wears the green dot as the quarterback of the defense, and the Patriots will make it a priority to re-sign him.
Seifert: I wouldn't think so. They have plenty of salary-cap space -- nearly $70 million -- and have traded most of the other players who would be candidates for big defensive money. Hightower is the kind of versatile, high-impact player whom Belichick can insert into any game plan. And it's worth noting: One of Belichick's first postgame comments after the Super Bowl was praise for Hightower's fourth-quarter sack/forced fumble of Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan. He is valued.
Yates: I don't believe so. The Patriots aren't often an easy team to forecast; one example that comes to mind is from two years ago, when the team placed the franchise tag on kicker Stephen Gostkowski when many expected it to be on safety Devin McCourty. My guess is that the team views Hightower as one of its top priorities, if not the top, making the franchise tag a logical starting point.