INDIANAPOLIS — The primary purpose of the NFL Scouting Combine is for teams to gather intel on the top prospects in the upcoming draft and scout them in simulated drills. However, the week in Indianapolis also gave us several tea leaves on what to expect in the NFL this offseason.
Will Raiders edge rusher Maxx Crosby get traded? What does George Pickens’ franchise tag mean for the Cowboys? Will the Patriots pursue Eagles wide receiver A.J. Brown?
Those questions were asked this week, and while they weren’t answered, we got comments that gave us plenty to read into. So, here are the seven most telling comments we heard at the combine, and how we interpreted them:
Raiders GM John Spytek on a potential Maxx Crosby trade: ‘We’re always listening’
Henry McKenna: This situation feels a whole lot like an organization that is committing to their QB1 — “right now.” When a team says something like that, they’re almost inevitably going to replace their QB. So when John Spytek said this about Crosby …
“We’re always listening,” said Spytek, when asked if Crosby was untradeable.
It meant that they were almost inevitably going to trade him.
Of course, let’s make sure to honor everything Spytek said. Because he’d clearly like to keep the edge player.
Maxx Crosby discusses where he stands with the Raiders
“Maxx [Crosby] is an elite participant,” he informed reporters on the mix on Tuesday. “I have been very upfront from the beginning once I obtained right here that we’re within the enterprise of getting actually good gamers on the crew, and we’d like much more of them. And it is laborious to construct an incredible crew with out elite gamers.”
It’s comprehensible that the Raiders don’t need to commerce Crosby. It’s additionally beginning to really feel unrealistic. He doesn’t need to be there, and when a participant of Crosby’s caliber decides like that, it forces the crew’s hand. So in some unspecified time in the future earlier than the draft, there’ll probably be a blockbuster commerce that sends Crosby to a brand new house.
Brian Schottenheimer says he hopes the Cowboys can lock up George Pickens on a long-term deal
McKenna: If George Pickens had made it to free company with out the franchise tag, he would’ve been essentially the most sought-after participant. Bar none. In truth, he was ranked No. 1 in our personal Greg Auman’s high 100 free brokers listing for this offseason. However as is usually the case with pending free brokers, the Cowboys are usually not letting Pickens onto the free market. They positioned the non-exclusive franchise tag on him, which — for now — units his 2026 earnings at virtually $27.3 million.
Previous to information of Pickens’ franchise tag, Cowboys head coach Brian Schottenheimer addressed whether or not the crew deliberate to lock up the receiver to a long-term deal.
“I hope,” he mentioned. “All the pieces I have been round George from the time he obtained right here, and I say this respectfully, I kicked his ass in taking pictures free throws in my workplace. He may not bear in mind it that approach. I knew this man’s a competitor and he loves soccer, so I hope so.”
George Pickens acquired the franchise tag from the Cowboys on Friday.. (Photograph by Greg Fiume/Getty Pictures)
With Jerry Jones operating the operation, there’s virtually no margin for error in contract negotiations. However Pickens proved he could be among the many league’s most harmful threats. It’s a no brainer. Lock him up and revel in having two elite gamers at one place that everybody else covets.
Mike Vrabel fueled commerce rumors by explaining that he and A.J. Brown have a powerful bond — years after working collectively
McKenna: Mike Vrabel and A.J. Brown like one another. They’ve each made that abundantly clear.
Earlier this offseason, Brown spoke on how a lot he appreciates Vrabel — even when the extensive receiver didn’t initially love enjoying for the coach.
However there’s an actual likelihood Brown might play for the coach once more. The Patriots are going to be in on Brown’s commerce market, per MassLive.com. And Vrabel has overtly spoken about his relationship with Brown.
“I’ve watched him develop. I’ve watched him mature. I’m happy with him, happy with the daddy that he’s. I’m happy with the husband that he’s,” Vrabel mentioned. “That has nothing to do with the place he performs or the place he performed. These are the issues which are necessary.
“We attain out and textual content one another in the course of the good issues that occur to one another. Generally issues don’t go so effectively for the individuals that you just’re shut with, and also you textual content for these as effectively. It’s a two-way road of assist and reminders of what obtained us to the place we’re right here right this moment.”
Mike Vrabel and A.J. Brown spent three seasons along with the Titans. (Photograph by Wesley Hitt/Getty Pictures)
The query is whether or not buying and selling for Brown might get the Patriots again into the playoffs for a second straight yr. And if the reply is sure, then maybe we’ll see them pull the set off.
Steelers GM Omar Khan: anticipating solutions ‘before later’ on Aaron Rodgers
Ben Arthur: The Steelers could also be in a wait-and-see mode with Aaron Rodgers once more, nevertheless it seems like they’re positioned in one of the best ways doable given the difficult circumstances of a down quarterback market this offseason between the draft and free company.
First, the door is open for the 42-year-old Rodgers in a approach that doesn’t look like it will cripple their timetable to go after one other viable veteran starter ought to he retire.
“I don’t foresee this going prefer it did final yr,” basic supervisor Omar Khan informed CBS Sports activities. “I’m fairly sure we’ll have a solution before later.”
And even when Rodgers returns, they will draft their potential quarterback of the longer term (Alabama’s Ty Simpson is an choice with the twenty first total choose) to sit down for a yr. The franchise has gushed about rising second-year quarterback Will Howard, too, and he seems to be firmly sooner or later plans.
Can the Steelers Afford to Hold Ready on Aaron Rodgers?
So it may very well be Rodgers (or one other veteran QB), a quarterback drafted this yr, Howard and Mason Rudolph (who nonetheless has one yr on his contract) within the QB combine. It’s not a nice state of affairs, however it will give Pittsburgh some stability at crucial place in 2026 and one thing to sit up for in 2027. There are quarterback-needy groups throughout the league which have a lot worse outlooks.
Nick Caserio known as the C.J. Stroud commerce hypothesis ‘moronic’
Arthur: Clearly, Texans basic supervisor Nick Caserio isn’t a fan of the C.J. Stroud commerce rumors.
“Moronic,” he mentioned, partly.
And actually, he’s proper.
It’s clear to all league observers that C.J. Stroud hasn’t been the identical participant since his historic rookie season, and that his present trajectory is regarding. That should change. However his play shouldn’t warrant panic.
Simply because he’s now eligible for an extension doesn’t imply Houston has to provide him one this offseason. Regardless of the narrative surrounding Stroud popping out of a disastrous playoff run, essentially the most wise transfer with him has lengthy been to choose up the fifth-year choice in his rookie contract by the Might 1 deadline, which might give him $25.904 million assured for 2027. That’s bottom-tier cash for non-rookie contract beginning quarterbacks, which is acceptable for his manufacturing during the last two years.
“He’s our quarterback,” Caserio mentioned. “He isn’t going wherever.”
Houston can push again talks about Stroud’s future to subsequent offseason.
One crew informed Fernando Mendoza to ‘get arrested’ so he’d slide to them
Mendoza appears just like the runaway favourite to go first total.
The Indiana quarterback mentioned he had a “improbable” interview with the Raiders. In the event that they really feel the identical approach, there’s actually no motive why they wouldn’t choose him first total. And that’s why, when he met with one other crew, they informed him that he’d must “get arrested” to land of their draft spot, the Indiana quarterback mentioned in an interview with CBS Sports activities.
Joel Klatt on Mendoza not throwing at mix, 1.0 Mock Draft
So yeah, it will be beautiful to see him slip previous No. 1 at this level.
It’s Mendoza mania from now till April 23, when the Raiders will flip within the first choose of the 2026 NFL Draft.
John Harbaugh desires to … construct a crew like Mike Macdonald. And never the opposite approach round
Arthur: We’ve talked a lot about what John Harbaugh means for the Giants.
What if the Giants are making a profound affect on him as effectively, when it comes to how he sees the sport?
Harbaugh this week acknowledged that he’s studying from Seahawks coach Mike MacDonald, his defensive coordinator in Baltimore from the 2022 and 2023 seasons, who simply received a Tremendous Bowl.
John Harbaugh is hoping to mildew the Giants right into a crew just like Mike Macdonald’s Seahawks. (Photograph by Lauren Leigh Bacho/Getty Pictures)
“Mike’s superb, and to see that occur for them, the kind of crew they constructed — I suppose most likely greater than something — is basically type of learning the type of crew that they constructed,” Harbaugh mentioned this week. “He and [assistant head coach] Leslie Frazier, as companions in that course of, Jay Harbaugh, part of that too. Seeing the crew that they’ve constructed is reflective, I might say, for positive of the crew that we need to construct in New York.”
So usually we see older coaches caught of their approach and unwilling to vary, particularly in the event that they’ve had success doing it their approach. And Harbaugh received loads with the Ravens, who he led to a Tremendous Bowl victory and 6 division titles in his 18 seasons as head coach. However his remarks present a willingness to study.
Possibly it is the Giants and the recent begin they’ve afforded him that can heat him to recent, trendy concepts in his new chapter.
