We asked NFL executives to make bold predictions about this offseason and next season. Could we see two superstar trades?
Jeremy Fowler is a senior national NFL writer for ESPN, covering the entire league including breaking news. Jeremy also contributes to SportsCenter both as a studio analyst and a sideline reporter covering for NFL games.
He is an Orlando, Florida native who joined ESPN in 2014 after covering college football for CBSSports.com. Making bold predictions on an upcoming NFL season is a tough business. It's like the draft -- hitting on 40-50% of first-round picks is very hard to do. We here at ESPN like the challenge so much that each January we ask industry sources around the league to forecast the season. The possibilities are limitless: free agency signings, retirements, contenders and pretenders, trades and MVP favorites.reminds us just how fast of a moving target the NFL news cycle really is. Even when the concept is right --, did. This is a league that's impossible to pin down, that thrives off hold-my-beer theatrics. And the ripple effects of the offseason are just beginning. Just look at the coaching carousel, which was supposed to be somewhat tame -- until 10 jobs opened, including those of highly decorated coaches such as Mike Tomlin , John Harbaugh and Sean McDermott. We're still weeks away from a robust trade market and quarterbacks changing teams. Even if futile, here are a handful of bold predictions from league executives, coaches and scouts., and multiple people I spoke with who track such things used their one bold prediction in this exercise to designate Jackson a Raider. To take Ravens owner Steve Bisciotti at his word is to assume Jackson will remain in Baltimore. Bisciotti was clear"It just seems like there's been some consternation there with Lamar and the Ravens, and this would be the ultimate Mark Davis move," an NFL personnel evaluator said."I'm not even convinced everybody with Vegas would be on board with it but it would instantly solve their quarterback problems." From chemistry issues with the previous coaching staff to concerns about his availability, Jackson's relationship with the Ravens does not seem to be in the best spot. Baltimore probably realizes life with a two-time MVP is better than life without, which would mean a big contract offer is coming. But this is a situation to monitor, and how Jackson hits it off with the new head coach feels significant. Brown's happy-to-be-here quotient in Philly is miserably low. He's a great player and great players are hard to replace. But the Eagles have never been scared to make a move due to the salary cap implications. The Eagles actually can save $7 million on the cap by trading Brown after June 1., who is a nice player but he's not a top guy," an NFL personnel evaluator said."Brown is an immediate upgrade and he's still young . And the Eagles can build the passing game aroundThe sense for a while has been that Cousins' time in Atlanta was short -- especially when both sides restructured his contract that includes $67.9 million in 2027 salary, vesting March 13. The Falcons will want nothing to do with that number. But contracts can be amended -- or players can be cut and re-signed -- and the arrival of coach Kevin Stefanski could make keeping Cousins at least mildly tempting as a bridge option. Stefanski was Cousins' offensive coordinator in Minnesota in 2019, when Cousins completed nearly 70% of his passes for 3,603 yards, 26 touchdowns and 6 interceptions. Cousins knows Stefanski's wide-zone scheme well. " bet on Michael Penix not getting hurt, and he got hurt," said an NFC executive. Penix had the ACL in his left knee repaired in November, his fifth major surgery dating back to college. "They are going to need somebody early in the season due to the injury, and Cousins played OK for them late last year. It seems Cousins has always respected Kevin. Both sides have a decent option in their back pockets." The flip side: Cousins might want out after two years of uncertainty in Atlanta, and he has a mechanism to make that happen with the contract revision. Perhaps he wants to make himself available to Minnesota or others.] as their top option," an NFC personnel man said."And getting the right quarterback in the draft isn't a guarantee based on where they pick."No regime will know Willis' strengths better than Miami, which just hired a brain trust of GM Jon-Eric Sullivan and head coach Jeff Hafley from Green Bay. The Packers valued Willis' development and Miami could bear the fruits of that labor.NFL parity makes the Colts' 11-year drought without a divisional title truly befuddling when considering the talent on the roster and four winning seasons during that span. The Colts appeared poised for a breakthrough with the 8-2 start to 2025 before injuries derailed the season and prompted Indy to call 44-year-old"But they showed a proof of concept with what they had through 10 games," an AFC executive said."They had Daniel Jones playing well. The roster has talent. They are closer than people might think.""The number is reasonable and is a good basis for a long-term deal for him," an AFC executive said."Not sure what they do withThe Cowboys are expected to franchise-tag Pickens, which would pay him around $28 million next season. But Pickens will want a long-term deal above that number, and if Dallas doesn't give him that, some around the league wonder whether he stays away from the team for a large portion of the offseason or even training camp. "I just don't see him, coming off the season he had, welcoming the tag with open arms," a veteran AFC coach said. If tagged, both sides would have until July 15 to reach a deal. Pickens can choose not to sign the tag as a leverage method.to receive push notifications for the latest updates first. Opt in by tapping the alerts bell in the top right corner. For more information, This notion isn't exactly bold -- all three quarterbacks appear to not be in the long-term plans of their current franchises. But they are each former Pro Bowlers and several teams have a glaring need at the position each year. "Do the Jets get one of those three -- that's really the question I have," an AFC executive said."They could go young and load up for the 2027 draft of quarterbacks, but the head coach probably needs to win, so he might need more of a reliable option." Miami and Arizona are saddled with large guarantees on deals with Tagovailoa and Murray, respectively. Murray would make more sense to New York, given Tagovailoa's ties to the AFC East, but not everyone is convinced Arizona owner Michael Bidwill would pay a significant portion of Murray's $37 million in guarantees for him to not play in Arizona. Smith's contract is more manageable, with $18.5 million already guaranteed for 2026 . The 35-year-old spent his first four seasons with the Jets, throwing 28 touchdowns and 36 interceptions before moving on.
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