INDIANAPOLIS — On Tuesday morning, media members and NFL personnel staggered into the Indiana Convention Center, eyes still red from a lack of sleep.
At 10 a.m. ET, the first wave of general managers took their respective podiums and took rapid-fire questioning, a rhythm that will continue throughout the afternoon at the NFL combine.
While much of what is said ranges between posturing and bluffing to flat-out avoidance, there is occasional news and kernels of truth worth discussing. To that point, here are some of the most interesting nuggets of information to digest.
Pittsburgh, Aaron Rodgers continue to dance
The Steelers should accept their position as an aging, mediocre team. But should and will don’t equate.
Instead of tearing down the roster by trading some veterans such as Cam Heyward, Patrick Queen and others, Pittsburgh is hoping to make another run with its core, including quarterback Aaron Rodgers.
Rodgers, 42, hasn’t committed to playing a 22nd year, but the Steelers are hoping he will return to join forces with coach Mike McCarthy, with the two having spent 13 years together in Green Bay.
“He knows how we feel,” Steelers general manager Omar Khan said. “We know how he feels about us. It was a good experience for both sides. Unfortunately, we didn’t reach our goals of winning the game we wanted to win at the end, but there’s a mutual respect there.”
Last season, Pittsburgh won 10 games and the AFC North while Rodgers threw for 3,322 yards and 24 touchdowns, albeit on 6.7 yards per attempt.
If Rodgers returns, he’s clearly a year-to-year option. If he does retire, the Steelers can turn to longtime backup Mason Rudolph or pursue Malik Willis, who is the top quarterback in free agency. If Khan goes that route, he has $45 million at his disposal, making Pittsburgh a legitimate player in those sweepstakes.
Texans have no desire to move off C.J. Stroud
C.J. Stroud was a mess in the playoffs. Don’t expect that fact to change Houston’s long-term plans.
General manager Nick Caserio made clear the team has no plans to trade Stroud this offseason, with the decision on his fifth-year option looming. Stroud, 24, threw for 3,041 yards and 19 touchdowns with eight interceptions in the regular season before suffering seven turnovers in a win over the Steelers and a loss to the Patriots in the postseason.
After lighting the league up with 4,108 yards and 23 touchdowns as a rookie in 2023, helping the Texans go from a four-win team to a division champion, Stroud hasn’t found the same success. While Houston has reached the divisional round each of his three years, the Texans have struggled to find the right offensive mix.
In 2024, Houston’s offensive line allowed 54 sacks while receivers Stefon Diggs and Tank Dell sustained season-ending knee injuries. Last year, the line improved to permit only 31 sacks behind rookie first-round left tackle Aireontae Ersery, but the weapons were Nico Collins and no other proven commodity.
This spring, Stroud will likely have his fifth-year option picked up. If he continues to backslide, the Texans will have to decide whether to engage in trade talks, offer an extension or ride out the 2027 season.
For now, though, Caserio is taking the safest, smartest road.
Don’t expect a game of tag from the Chargers
General manager Joe Hortiz is working with larger piles of money than most. The Chargers enter the week with approximately $81.8 million in cap space, only slightly less than the Titans and Raiders.
To that point, Hortiz could have afforded to spend a bit aggressively on a franchise tag for free-agent edge rusher Odafe Oweh, but he said there are no plans to use the tag before the March 3 deadline.
Oweh, 27, came over in an October trade for safety Alohi Gilman and starred opposite Tuli Tuipulotu, racking up 7.5 sacks in 12 games. Now slated to hit the open market in a few weeks, Oweh is one of the top pass rushers available alongside Trey Hendrickson, Jaelan Phillips and Boye Mafe.
Playing 50% of the snaps in Los Angeles, Oweh figures to be a top priority for the Chargers, considering they don’t have many other impact free agents. Despite that reality, paired with gobs of money available to him, Hortiz isn’t expected to tag Oweh or another player in the coming days.
Tyler Linderbaum, Baltimore are negotiating, but unable to reach a deal
The Ravens surprised many around the league last spring when they declined the fifth-year option on Pro Bowl center Tyler Linderbaum. If they end up losing him in free agency, the shock would be complete.
Still, that remains a growing possibility, as Baltimore and Linderbaum haven’t been able to reach a new deal despite the Ravens’ significant efforts over the past two months.
“We’ve had conversations,” Ravens general manager Eric DeCosta said. “We’ve been having conversations since the end of the season, and at this point, we’ve made him a market-setting deal proposal. Hopefully, we can get something done between now and the start of the new league year.”
While a market-setting deal is open to interpretation, as total value, annual value and guaranteed money could all factor into that description, Linderbaum is apparently looking at a large contract. Chiefs’ All-Pro center Creed Humphrey is the standard after signing a four-year, $72 million contract extension last summer, which included $35 million guaranteed. All of those figures are the standard at center.
Without making any moves, Baltimore has approximately $22 million in cap space. If the Ravens give Linderbaum a contract similar to Humphrey’s, it would likely eat up a good chunk of that cushion. For context, Humphrey’s deal had a first-year cap hit of $10.7 million. Additionally, DeCosta also noted he doesn’t expect to release veteran corner Marlon Humphrey, who, if cut, would save $7.3 million in space.
Lamar Jackson, Ravens are trying to negotiate an extension
Keep an eye on Lamar Jackson and his contract.
Jackson, 29, is signed through the 2027 season, but has cap hits of $74.5 million in each of the next two seasons. While the two sides are keeping talks internal, DeCosta acknowledged that they are talking with the hope of executing a new deal. He also said he’s not concerned about whether he sees Jackson before mandatory minicamp, a source of ire for Ravens fans in past years.
“Those are voluntary,” DeCosta said of OTA sessions. “Lamar is a two-time MVP, so he knows what it takes to get ready for the grind of the NFL season. He’s proven he can do it at a very, very high level. I have no preference.”
Should the Ravens be able to extend Jackson before free agency on March 11, it would give them far more flexibility to both retain their own free agents and add a few from the open market. Baltimore has a litany of important players potentially leaving, including Linderbaum, tight end Isaiah Likely, safety Alohi Gilman, edge rusher Kyle Van Noy and others.
The last time Jackson and DeCosta tried to get a contract done, it devolved to the point where Jackson was given the franchise tag before he ultimately signed a five-year, $260 million deal, with $185 million guaranteed in May 2023.
Of course, things get trickier with age. Jackson is no longer coming off a rookie deal; he is now 29 years old, and three of his past five seasons have been cut short by lower-body injuries. Over that span, Jackson has missed 15 games while Baltimore has reached the postseason just twice.
For DeCosta, what’s the right balance between guaranteed money while also maintaining an out if Jackson doesn’t physically hold up?
Falcons moving on from Kirk Cousins, not talking about James Pearce Jr.
The Falcons figure to be an active team this offseason. So far, they haven’t disappointed.
On Tuesday, first-year general manager Ian Cunningham made waves by announcing the team will move on from veteran quarterback Kirk Cousins. Cousins, 37, was thought by some to be an option in Atlanta should Michael Penix Jr. not be ready for the start of the season after sustaining his third torn ACL.
“We will release him on the first day of the league year out of respect for Kirk [and agent Mike McCartney]. What he’s done in his career, I owe that to him, and we owe that to him to allow him some clarity going into free agency.”
Cousins will have a market. The Dolphins, Jets, Cardinals and Browns all need starting quarterback help. However, perhaps no team is more enticing than the Vikings, where Cousins played from 2018 to ’23 while making three Pro Bowl appearances. Minnesota currently has third-year man J.J. McCarthy penciled in to start. Still, he’s played only 10 of a possible 34 games with various injuries, including a torn meniscus, concussion, high ankle sprain and a fractured right hand.
Cunningham also headed off any questions about edge rusher James Pearce Jr., who in February was charged with five felonies, including two counts of aggravated battery with a deadly weapon. He was also charged with striking a police officer’s knee with his vehicle in an attempt to evade law enforcement.
Cunningham stated he wouldn’t discuss an open legal investigation, but did concede that the team has had internal discussions on the matter. Frankly, with the bevy of charges Pearce is facing, there’s a real question about whether he plays again. And, without a first-round pick (it belongs to the Rams), Cunningham must get creative in buttressing a pass rush that ranked second in the NFL with 57 sacks.
Finally, Cunningham also spoke about the team’s intention to place the franchise tag on tight end Kyle Pitts, keeping the 25-year-old and 2021 first-round pick from hitting free agency as the two sides work toward a long-term deal.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Texans, Steelers, Falcons Reveal QB Plans at NFL Combine.
