Seven days after the Super Bowl used to be known as “the first Sunday without football.”
That’s not really true anymore.
Sure, there is no game to watch today, but that doesn’t mean there is nothing to discuss. The NFL is 24/7/365.
Here are 10 storylines to prepare you for the offseason, which only is gaining steam with the start dates of the NFL Combine (Feb. 25), free agency (March 10) and the NFL Draft (April 24) ahead:
Garrett says he is ready to do “whatever it takes” to force a trade from the Browns, who are dug in against dealing him. Even for the lofty price of two first-round draft picks.
The first round of the draft will serve as a soft deadline: If the Browns are going to cave, why not get 2025 picks that can help a regime under some pressure for a quick turnaround?
If the stand-off goes past then, the 29-year-old pass-rusher might have to prove that he is willing to miss training camp.
Receivers Deebo Samuel and Cooper Kupp already are on the trade block, too.
Will “Coach Prime” do as he has threatened and try to block certain teams that he deems dysfunctional from drafting his son Shedeur Sanders as their next quarterback?
If so, could those teams include either the Titans (No. 1 pick) or Browns (No. 2)?
Whichever team drafts Shedeur, their head coach will inherit the large shadow of Deion as a potential high-profile vocal critic — Shedeur was coached by his father in high school and college — and a candidate to take over if things go sideways.
One year after a record six quarterbacks were top-12 picks, the consensus is that the 2025 draft class is no better than average. It’s a two-man race between Cam Ward and Sanders to see who gets drafted first and whether both are top-five picks.
After that duo, does either Jalen Milroe or Jaxson Dart boost his stock enough to sneak into the first round?
Three years ago, three quarterbacks entered the NFL Combine with first-round buzz and only (Kenny Pickett) proved to be a top-73 pick.
Welcome to another offseason edition of “Will Aaron Rodgers retire?”
Rodgers went into a cave leaning toward retirement in 2023 and came out convinced that he could win with the Jets. Where will the 41-year-old quarterback’s ayahuasca-enhanced visions lead him this time?
Concerned that his career could end with a whimper, Rodgers pleaded for another year or two with the Jets, a source told The Post, but the team wasn’t interested. The market for quarterbacks on the wrong side of 39 is never particularly strong.
The Rams, Steelers and Raiders feel like the most likely possibilities — unless Rodgers’ overtures to the entertainment sphere receive responses that tell him to retire.
Whether Rodgers plays or not, there should be plenty of movement.
Sam Darnold is the top free agent because of his youth (27) and the Pro Bowl revitalization he experienced with the Vikings. Will he be franchise-tagged, or are the Vikings ready to move on to the J.J. McCarthy Era (maybe with Daniel Jones as an insurance policy)?
How much will Darnold’s back-to-back stinkers at the end of the season bring down what was going to be a contract worth at least $40 million per season?
Russell Wilson and Justin Fields are free agents.
Kirk Cousins can dictate where he lands next because his no-trade clause puts the Falcons in a bind. Derek Carr might be on the move.
And Matthew Stafford’s contract dispute leaves him vulnerable to being traded or cut by the Rams. Stafford appears to have the most left in the tank of all the veterans, however, so it’s curious why the Rams would be willing to part with their 2021 Super Bowl winner.
The last time Kansas City lost a Super Bowl led to a dramatic offseason overhaul of the offensive line in free agency and the first of two straight franchise-fortifying draft classes.
How will the Chiefs respond to another Super Bowl loss where they were dominated in the trenches?
Actually, the first order of business in shaping (or reshaping) the roster needs to be getting a definitive answer from the future Hall of Famer Kelce on whether he is playing in 2025 or retiring to begin a new life alongside girlfriend Taylor Swift.
The weight of committing to another season-long grind sounds like it is weighing on Kelce.
There’s never been a draft prospect like Travis Hunter, who could be the top receiver and the top cornerback in the draft. He is headed to the NFL Combine as a cornerback.
Do some teams prefer him as a receiver?
Will the team that drafts him really use him full-time at both positions, as Colorado did, or will he just be sprinkled in on one side of the ball?
Is his versatility enough to make him go ahead of pass-rusher Abdul Carter as the first non-quarterback selected?
The Bengals were ranked as the least-valuable team in the NFL by CNBC before the season and typically do not operate as big spenders.
But quarterback Joe Burrow — armed with a five-year, $275 million contract — is campaigning for the Bengals to extend three of the NFL’s best players.
Receiver Ja’Marr Chase and pass-rusher Trey Hendrickson are unhappy with the money in the final year of their respective deals, and receiver Tee Higgins is a free agent. To re-sign all three likely would cost more than $90 million per year.
The Bengals must decide if they are a Super Bowl contender. Burrow won’t want to hear otherwise. It seems unlikely Higgins and Chase both are retained.
Saquon Barkley, Derrick Henry and Josh Jacobs all rushed for at least 1,300 yards in their first season after changing teams in free agency. What bargains.
Will that be enough to push forward a market that has stagnated over the last decade in comparison with the contract growth at other positions? Or will running backs still be devalued?
Aaron Jones, Nick Chubb and Najee Harris are headed to free agency.
The Bills’ James Cook isn’t a free agent but has voiced that he wants $15 million per year on an extension after tying for the league lead with 16 rushing touchdowns.
Last offseason birthed the new Dynamic Kickoff Rule.
With more scrutiny than ever on officials in 2024, will rules be amended to penalize flops? Or at least to scale back the weaponization of the quarterback slide?
There is talk that replay review could be expanded to include facemask penalties. And using laser technology to measure first downs could be around the corner.
