With the NCAA Tournament waiting patiently to take over the sports world, the NFL is using this time to remain in the back of everyone’s minds. The calendar has a timeline on the physical NFL season, but Goodell has made his money by making sure the football season is never truly over. Thanks, Roger. It really doesn’t matter what month it is; we still find ourselves (or at least I do) craving content from the league. So, here is what has been happening around the league this week.
Gray Zabel is digging his heels in towards the front end of the draft: Offensive lineman isn’t a sexy position to use with a first-round draft pick on draft night, however, it often is one of the most important positions a team will need to fill when needed. Other than the few “unicorns” that come out every couple of years at the wide-receiver and running back position (Bijan Robinson being taken 8th overall or Keyshawn Johnson being taken 1st overall back in ’96), there’s usually a plethora of talent and speed that teams can choose from in the first round. But elite offensive linemen are a dime-a-dozen. So, when they are there, teams that need one absolutely have to pull the trigger. Gray Zabel is becoming one of those guys that teams are drooling over on the draft boards. In Lance Zierlein’s latest Mock Draft on NFL.com, he has Zabel being taken 32nd overall. This is not the only NFL analyst that has Zabel going on night one of the draft, Dane Brugler has Zabel going 25th overall. As you know, mock drafts are about as reliable as a career politician. But one thing is for certain, Zabel has only elevated his draft stock after his performances at the Senior Bowl followed by the NFL combine. Zabel has drawn great praise for his versatility and footwork, as many NFL teams love a guy they feel can be a “plug-and-play” and also play multiple positions. Great receivers are a commodity, great linemen are a necessity, and Zabel fits that mold perfectly.
The Bears trade for 2X All-Pro OL Joe Thuney from the Chiefs: Bear fans rejoice, you’re working to protect your franchise quarterback! I watched more Bears football than I care to admit last year, because I was so fascinated with the makeup of that team. You had a wealth of talent on offense with veteran Keenan Allen, rookie Rome Odunze and DJ Moore whom you practically stole away from the Panthers in one of the most lopsided trades in NFL history. In the back field, they brought in DeAndre Swift to bring some sort of experience to the RB room, who stood next to Caleb Williams, the teams (hopeful) franchise QB. However, they ran that offense out with one of the worst offensive lines in the league and kind of just hoped it would work. It did not. Not to mention the team was led by Matt Eberflus who had a coaching record of 14-32, Eberflus was subsequently fired and replaced by Lions OC Ben Johnson. Now that Johnson is at the helm and the most glaring deficiency has been addressed, the Bears have shifted their focus to the second biggest problem at offensive line. The Bears sent the Chiefs a fourth-round pick in 2026 for Thuney. For a veteran offensive lineman, that’s a substantial haul (For reference, the Commanders got WR Deebo Samuel for a 5th round pick). I would not be surprised if the Bears made a move in the draft this year to add the guy I just talked about above to this progressing offense.
Travis Kelce is coming back for the 2025-26 season: Was anyone really surprised by this news? Kelce’s season last year was unlike many of his others. For starters, he didn’t win a Super Bowl. But his play on the field was a shell of what it had been in years past. Kelce’s production took a hit, mostly because his playing time declined with it. The Chiefs know his career is on the downturn and he is passed his prime, so they seemingly decided to use him less in the regular season in hopes they could get a fresher, younger version of Kelce in the postseason. That didn’t really pan out, though. Kelce went haywire in their first postseason game against Houston with 7 catches for 117 yards and a TD. But that candle burned out quickly as he only caught two passes for 19 yards against Buffalo in the AFC Championship and then followed that up with four catches in their blowout loss to Philadelphia in the Super Bowl. Could it be that Kelce doesn’t want to go out with two underwhelming performances? Possibly. Could it be that he just started a podcast with his brother and his ratings would certainly take a dip if he was off the field? Maybe. Could it be that the powers at be aren’t ready to hop off the gravy train that is the Swift Kelce relationship? Who knows. What we do know is that Kelce has been at the forefront of these Super Bowl runs with the Chiefs over the last couple seasons, and the way they finished last season was a bit embarrassing to say the least. Kelce will be back, will the Chiefs?
The Raiders are making moves: One of the teams seemingly stuck in neutral over the recent years has been the Raiders. Having a team in Las Vegas pays the bills, but sooner or later the Vegas shine will wear off and the fanbase will want winning football. The Raiders only true cornerstone piece comes on the defensive side on the edge of the line. Maxx Crosby has been the only thing the Raiders can truly tie themselves to and be proud of. They can’t find the right coach after going through the disaster that was Josh McDaniels and then the failed experiment that was Antonio Pierce, but are bringing back the ol’ vet Pete Carroll to try and bring a winning culture back to the Raiders. Their QB situation has been a comedy of moves, jumping back and forth from Gardner Minshew to Aidan O’Connell, back to Minshew, and even trying out Desmond Ritter who has been bad everywhere he’s been. Well, the Raiders addressed that too announcing they plan to move on from gunslinger Minshew and are again in search of their true starting QB. O’Connell was always supposed to be the guy but never could string enough good play together to win the spot outright. O’Connell was playing well last year, almost beating the Chiefs in Arrowhead if it weren’t for the phantom whistle that caused the game-losing fumble but suffered an injury that sidelined him. But what they do know is they will have Crosby on the edge for possibly the rest of his career after signing him to a three-year, $103.6 million extension, making him the highest paid non-quarterback in the NFL (for now). Crosby is the heartbeat of the Raiders organization. He’s been vocal about his love for the team and has stuck by their side even through all the turmoil. If the Raiders have done one thing right, it’s taking care of Crosby. Had they not and he ended up with another team, the Raiders could have lost a considerable chunk of their fanbase.
Cowboys re-work Dak Prescott deal, avoiding major cap-hit: I won’t pretend to act like I understand how the NFL cap works, it makes my brain hurt trying to understand all the intricacies that work throughout a contract and a team’s available money. But it doesn’t take a genius to know the Cowboys are in cap purgatory thanks to Dak Prescott’s obscene contract. The Cowboys converted $45.75 million of Prescott’s base salary to a signing bonus, reducing his cap figure from $89.89 million to $53.29 million. In laymen’s terms, Dallas kicked the can down the road and are just delaying the inevitable. Dak has been an average quarterback at best, making his deal that much more pungent to Cowboy fans. If these numbers were for a guy like Josh Allen or Pat Mahomes, you could say, “Yes it hurts, but the guy is worth the money.” You can’t say that with Dak. He hasn’t brought the success that a QB getting that kind of money should, but the Cowboys literally can’t do anything about it. Dak is a fan-favorite, and he puts butts in seats. Believe it or not, some NFL owners are content with selling out games, whether they win or not. That’s not to say Cowboys owner and GM Jerry Jones doesn’t want to win, but if the Cowboys want to win a Super Bowl, it doesn’t look like it’s going to happen with Prescott taking snaps. When the Cowboys inevitably move on from Dak, they are going to be wildly in the red because of how much they’re pushing off paying out his full contract. The more they re-work, the more expensive it gets. Maybe this is the year for the Cowboys?
DK Metcalf requests trade from Seattle to a “contender”: This one doesn’t surprise me much. The Seahawks brought in Mike Macdonald last year to replace Pete Carroll who spent what seems like an eternity in Seattle. When a new coach comes in, it flips everything on its head. Macdonald, a defensive-minded coach, started to see success late in the season winning their final three games, but it was a little too late to make the playoffs. The Seahawks are still a few years away from being a serious contender, and Metcalf isn’t getting any younger. Metcalf is a pretty unique receiver. He is built like a linebacker but runs like a gazelle. The curse with his size, however, is he takes defenders biggest shots. He doesn’t have the luxury of shying away from contact. Metcalf knows he only has a few good years left, and there are certainly teams that have Super Bowl hopes next year that can use a receiver. I think a trade would actually benefit both sides. There’s someone out there that would pay a pretty penny for Metcalf, and the Seahawks are still pretty much in rebuild mode. So, trading Metcalf now while his stock is high seems like the best option for Seattle.
Joey Bosa released by the Chargers: Now this one catches me by surprise a little bit. Edge rushers that play at the level of Joey Bosa usually stick around and become mainstays within an organization. We just talked about how Maxx Crosby will stay with the Raiders despite other teams drooling to get after him. After nine years, it seems the Chargers believe the juice is not worth the squeeze any longer. This move saves the Chargers north of $25 million in cap space, but this is a team that needs a good defense opposite of Justin Herbert. Here’s what happened, Crosby just set the market for pass rushers and he set it high. I mean, he’s now the highest paid non-quarterback in the league, and when Bosa’s agent sits down at the table with potential prospects, he will immediately bring up that contract. The Chargers don’t want to lose Bosa, but they also don’t want to pay Bosa. Maxx Crosby will remain the highest paid non-QB until Bosa signs with someone and takes that title.
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