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NFL

Combine workouts are no joke, especially for a 39-year-old Giants reporter

MANALAPAN, N.J. — With the 2017 NFL season officially over, our attention shifted last week to other things, including the draft. Except with the New York Giants’ season a train wreck and long over, I did that weeks ago.

I’m not alone. NFL combine prep has been going on for weeks, months even. College players are scattered at facilities across the country, training for the draft. This year, I decided to join them.

It is more than football. With the process comes the calisthenics and track-and-field portion of the proceedings. Yes, they train and run drills they likely will never have to do again after this is over.

ESPN reporter Jordan Raanan gets a first-hand look at an NFL draft preparation program at Parabolic Performance & Rehabilitation in New Jersey. Kris Enslen/Parabolic Performance & Rehabilitation

The people at Parabolic Performance & Rehabilitation were nice enough to let me join their group of NFL prospects in New Jersey. Whenever possible for several months — remember, I still have a job as the Giants reporter that involves, you know, work — they’re allowing me to train alongside players from schools that range from Pittsburgh and Syracuse to Monmouth and Youngstown State to Wyoming, Wagner and Southern Connecticut on a regular basis. Performance coaches Justin Moore and Kris Enslen have welcomed me into the group with open arms, even if my body has sometimes rejected the invitation.

It’s carte blanche access. I’m experiencing everything as one of the players, whether it’s on-field or weight room training, classroom work, nutrition and even yoga. When all is said and done, we’re going to see just how beneficial these combine/pro day preparatory programs (which traditionally last six weeks or more depending on the individual) can be, even for a middle-aged graybeard.

Baseline testing has already been done. (Hint: Not good.) We’re in the process of setting up my own personal combine/pro day some time next month.

The drills being tested are the 40-yard dash, vertical jump, three-cone drill (or L drill) and shuttle (5-10-5). The goal is to see how much improvement can be made by a near-40-year-old average Joe, non-professional athlete partaking in the intense program.

A recap of the first three weeks:

    • Baseline testing: Let’s just say I’m slower and fatter and don’t jump nearly as high as my ego or brain anticipated. Heading into the initial testing, the thinking was about 5.80 seconds in the 40-yard dash and 30 inches in the vertical. The logic was that once upon a time there was a relatively decent athlete inside this 5-foot-11, 190-pound frame who was somewhat normal-human fast (remember, these guys you see on TV are mutants, the 1 percenters of society) and capable of hanging from the basketball rim. Well, the 5.80 seconds was close. My baseline 40 time was 5.84. The 30-inch vertical was me in la-la land. More like 20 inches. I jumped 19.5. Overall, not completely embarrassing. My expectations were low entering this experiment, and I ate the heck out of everything (even bought Snowballs one day at the convenience store) the previous month or so knowing this would help get me back in reasonable shape. Better to set the bar low was the thinking.

  • Initial shock: First, let me explain that it is somewhat humiliating to see a 350-pound lineman such as Pitt’s Alex Officer run faster and move better than you. But it’s reality. You realize these guys, even the linemen, are athletes. They’re all more athletic than me at my current age (39 on Thursday). My body after the first few workouts felt like death. No, really, my limbs would barely bend. This is unlike anything that constitutes a typical average Joe workout. This is sprinting, starting and stopping, and jumping — all explosive movements that you don’t do at a normal day at the gym. Let’s just say my body is better suited for the treadmill. After the first few workouts, I couldn’t stand, walk, get out of bed or eat a cookie without pain. It took me at least two weeks before my 6-year-old daughter could jump on my back without it feeling as though Giants defensive tackle Damon Harrison was punching that body part.

  • Position drills: OK, this was a complete debacle trying to run position drills, particularly when my body felt awful and didn’t want to sync with the brain. When was the last time I ran any sort of football drill? Twenty-plus years ago? It is much harder than it looks. Current Giant Devon Kennard runs the linebackers through field drills some days. He saw firsthand the stiffness in my hips (man, were they killing me), or my whole body, to be more precise. I felt especially awful after that day of work.

  • Physical toll: The work these prospective NFL players are putting in every day is no joke. The training they are getting is staggering. Most are there six days a week from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., working on everything from the track-and-field drills that are commonplace at the combine and pro days to specific positional drills to weight training to nutrition. It’s quite a commitment. It’s also quite a physical grind. They still manage to make it look relatively easy. Even their recovery days by most standards wouldn’t be considered light workouts. I’m trying to hang. Key word: trying. And there has been progress. In a few weeks, the program allowed me to cut off more than one-tenth of a second off my first 10 yards. I’m confident after experiencing it firsthand for almost a month that the program will allow me to improve my times and jumps significantly. Now if only my hamstrings (note: plural) hold up. Good thing there are physical therapists such as Dr. Jeremy Paster there to get me through the program. At least the hope is for me to make it out alive and greatly improved.

NFL

Jags to get new look after postseason success

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The Jacksonville Jaguars will have a new look on and off the field this season.

The team announced Monday that it is removing tarps that cover four sections of EverBank Field to meet an increased demand for tickets in the wake of the team’s surprising run to the AFC Championship game.

The Jaguars will remove the tarps covering four sections of EverBank Field to add more than 3,000 seats. Logan Bowles-USA TODAY Sports

In addition, the team confirmed that it will have new uniforms, which will be unveiled sometime in the spring. That means the team is finally ditching its black and gold two-tone helmets.

The average season-ticket price will increase by an average of 10.9 percent, the team said, though the specific increase varies based on seat location. This is the first time in 10 seasons that a majority of the seats will have a cost increase, the team said.

However, the team also said it is lowering concession prices on certain items. Fans can purchase hot dogs, popcorn, bottled soda, and various other items for $5 each.

“Getting rid of the tarps has been our goal since Shad Khan purchased the team in 2012,” Jaguars president Mark Lamping said. “Our fans created a real home-field advantage for our final 2017 regular season games and home playoff appearance. We want to make sure that same home-field advantage is a reality every time the Jaguars take the field this fall by giving fans access to even more affordable tickets.”

The Jaguars received permission to remove the four tarps for their playoff game against Buffalo, which was the team’s first home playoff game since Jan. 23, 2000. Those tarps cover 3,501 seats and the team said those seats will be sold for $45 per game.

Tarps have long been a part of the Jaguars’ history. When the stadium was renovated in 1993-94 in preparation for the Jaguars’ inaugural season in 1995, the capacity was 76,766 with room to add temporary seating to accommodate 82,000. The stadium needed to be that big because of the annual Florida-Georgia football game.

The Jaguars advanced to the AFC Championship game in their second season and again in 1999 and attendance wasn’t a problem until the team started losing. The Jaguars had half of their 32 home games blacked out on local television from 2001-04 and installed 11 tarps that covered nearly 10,000 seats in the upper decks of the stadium. The Jaguars did not have any blackouts in 2005 or 2006, but had three games blacked out in 2007 and seven games blacked out in 2009 (none in 2008).

The Jaguars didn’t have a game blacked out from 2010-14 and the NFL suspended the television blackout rule after the 2014 season.

Additional renovations to EverBank Field over the past several seasons — including the installation of the world’s largest video boards, pools, the installation of premium seating throughout the stadium, and the removal of approximately 2,400 club seats — decreased the official capacity to 64,431. With the removal of the tarps the number is now 67,932.

Season ticket sales have been significantly higher than this time a year ago. The team said they’ve taken more than 5,000 deposits from fans purchasing new season tickets. That number was roughly 700 at this time last year, the team said.

It was not a secret that the team was going to be ditching its current uniforms. NFL rules mandate that teams must wait five years to make any uniform changes. The main issue with the Jaguars’ current uniform is the two-tone helmet, which Paul Lukas of Uni Watch called the worst in the league.

NFL

The lives Steve McNair left behind

For more, watch E:60’s story, “Heir McNair,” on Sunday at 9 a.m. on ESPN, or stream it on WatchESPN.

Her husband would have done things differently. He probably wouldn’t have spent most of the summer dreading this moment, standing in front of a college dorm, trying not to cry.

He’d handled everything — the bills, the taxes, the boys’ baseball swings — until it was just her. And them. But this moment in front of the school is a good one. Nine years after Mechelle McNair’s world caved in, her oldest son, Tyler, is going to NYU on an academic scholarship. He didn’t just turn out all right. He’s going to kick the world’s ass.

They are best friends. Maybe they would have been anyway, had Steve McNair not been killed. Tyler tells her everything, even the stuff that can get him grounded. In happy times, they belted out SWV songs in Mechelle’s little, red, two-seater Mercedes, his tiny head bobbing to the music. She once took him on a girlfriends-only trip to the Bahamas, and if anyone took issue with it, well, tough. Tyler was her road dog.

In the worst times, she kept both of her little boys beside her in bed, where she could keep them close and safe.

Mechelle is 45 now, and she does not look old enough to be dropping a son off at college. She was slow to trust after her husband’s death and never remarried. She already had two men in her in life: Tyler, 19, and Trent, who just turned 14.

They carry pieces of Steve, from Tyler’s mannerisms to the way Trent calls people “Buddy.” But now one of them is leaving, and Mechelle is just trying not to lose it. The boxes are unpacked, the dorm room is clean, and there is nothing else to do but say goodbye. They hug, and Tyler wants to tell her something before she goes back home to Tennessee. He says she needs to go out more, to have fun sometimes. It surprises her and forces her to ask the inevitable question: Who am I when my kids are grown and gone?

“I look at Tyler,” she says, “and he knows exactly what his passion is.

“What’s my purpose? What’s my passion?”

video

Heir McNair

E:60 sits down with former Titans QB Steve McNair’s wife and son Tyler, who describe their feelings when they discovered Steve had been killed.Paul Spinelli/AP Photo

On the morning of July 4, 2009, Mechelle McNair woke up with a crushing headache. She stood up, the pain radiated from the right side of her skull, and she had to lie back down. She noticed her husband wasn’t home and made a number of phone calls trying to find him. Nobody knew where he was.

She got on the elliptical machine, hoping some exercise would get rid of the headache. It would not go away. She would wonder, later, about signs.

Her mother, Melzena Cartwright, saw the news on TV. Years ago, after Cartwright lost her own husband, Steve had told her to pack her bags and come live with them. When news of his death flashed on the TV screen, Cartwright rushed through the house to Mechelle’s room. Mechelle had just found out. “Mama,” Mechelle asked, “do you think it’s true?”

Steve McNair was born on Valentine’s Day, and he died on the Fourth of July. The enormity of his death cannot be overstated. Here was an NFL quarterback one season into retirement, a former co-MVP and a Super Bowl participant, murdered.

Twitter wasn’t a factor yet, but there were plenty of media outlets to feed off of the stunning story of a Tennessee football hero killed by 20-year-old Sahel Kazemi, a woman with whom he’d been having an affair.

The Metropolitan Nashville Police Department ruled it a murder-suicide, concluding that Kazemi shot McNair four times — twice in the head — in the early morning hours of July 4, most likely while he was sleeping on the couch of his rented condo. Kazemi then lay down beside him and fired a bullet into her head. The tabloids fed off the story and ran photos of McNair vacationing with the young waitress and texts they sent to each other in their final hours.

Everyone wanted to know what Mechelle was feeling. How do you think she was feeling?

“I didn’t know about her at all,” Mechelle says. “You’re going to have people who say, ‘Oh, she knew.’ Did I know about some other people and some other things? Yes. But did I know about her? No, I did not.”

Initially, she did not believe her husband was dead. The man who had taken epidurals and basically crawled around in pain six days a week but somehow played football on Sundays couldn’t be gone. She wanted to see him so she could help him.

When it hit her, she fell to the floor, screaming. Her children had never seen her like that.

Tyler, who was 10, started crying. He ran to the kitchen and got a knife. He said he couldn’t live without his daddy and wanted to kill himself. Mechelle grabbed him and told him to stop. She said she couldn’t bear to lose both of them.

How was she feeling?

Just 24 hours earlier, McNair had taken his sons fishing. It was a good day for two little boys who saw their dad as a superhero. He cleaned the fish when they got home that night, washed his truck and began to doze off on the couch.

But his phone kept ringing. He told Mechelle that the alarm was going off at his restaurant, but she knows now that Kazemi was probably the one who called.

He said he had to go, and kissed the boys goodbye.

“Don’t go,” Tyler and Trent told him.

McNair said he loved them. He kissed Mechelle and told her he loved her, too.

“I’ll be back in a little while,” he said.

Nearly 5,000 people mourned McNair at Reed Green Coliseum on the campus of Southern Miss. At the time, it was considered one of the biggest funerals in the state. Trent, pictured right, was 5. He leaned on his mother, Mechelle, and Tyler, at left. George Clark/Hattiesburg American POOL/Getty Images

The vision of a 10-year-old boy holding a knife was like a cold bucket of water in the face. From that moment on, she could not let her children see her break down. She would go to her room, door closed, and sob. She would lean on her friends, who dropped everything to be with her in Nashville, or cry to her aunts and uncles. But her sons were terrified and confused. She would not lose it in front of them.

Steve McNair was buried on a Saturday in his home state of Mississippi. Brett Favre and Ray Lewis and Jay Cutler showed up for the funeral. Trent, who was 5, rested his head on his mother’s lap during the service.

She tried to explain to the boys what had happened, the best she could, but Trent wanted to read about his father in the paper. He ran his finger through the print and sounded out the words he knew. He asked how somebody could do this to his daddy.

Mechelle told him she didn’t know. She is a spiritual woman who thanks God every morning for waking up and for allowing the rest of her family to wake up, too. God got her through this, she says. God and her friends and family who cooked and took the kids swimming and handled everything. She is thankful for that last day McNair had with the boys and for that night when they argued and made up.

“At the end of the day, that’s my husband,” she says. “I loved him. I still love him. He was human. He made a mistake. Nothing’s going to change how I feel about my husband. He took care of us. He loved us. I do know that. Regardless of how he left here, I know he loved us.

“I can’t say that I didn’t have my bitter moments. And that I still don’t sometimes. But I’m not going to hell blaming somebody or having the hate and animosity in my heart. I’m not going to do it.”

They met at Alcorn State, a historically black college in rural Claiborne County, Mississippi. The closest town, if you want to call it that, is Lorman, a community with one known claim to fame, the Old Country Store, which serves fried chicken that people drive hours for. Mechelle didn’t particularly want to go to such a tiny school. She had hoped to go to Southern Miss. But she put off doing the paperwork, and Alcorn was the school that offered her a scholarship.

Freshman year, she had a human anatomy class with McNair, and he spent most of it staring at her. She made faces at him to try to get him to stop. He was quiet until you knew him, and he waited a while to talk to her. The fact that he was the quarterback everyone on campus was talking about held no currency with Mechelle. She wasn’t into sports, and she already had a boyfriend.

But McNair was persistent. He sat behind her in class and constantly flirted. He did annoying things, peeking at her test answers, sticking his giant feet on her book bag. Eventually, he grew on her. To Mechelle, he was sort of a gentle giant, romantic enough to hide an engagement ring in a piece of strawberry cake, country enough to skin a deer and cook it up for his teammates.

Before she met McNair, Mechelle never thought she would get married. She had plans. She wanted to be a doctor and wanted one child, but she didn’t think much about a partner. She never imagined she’d leave Mississippi after college to move to Houston with a man who had just been selected at No. 3 in the NFL draft. But plans change. They got married in Vicksburg, Mississippi, in 1997, and a year later, Tyler came along.

Although she didn’t grow up playing sports, Mechelle quickly acclimated herself to the life of a football wife. Ex-linemen tell stories about how she used to sit in the stands and yell at them to protect her husband. She had plenty to cheer about by the time the franchise moved to Tennessee in 1997. McNair threw for 3,228 yards and 15 touchdowns in ’98, and he led the Titans to the Super Bowl a year later.

He was known as one of the toughest men in football, playing through myriad injuries.

“He would just come home and be, like, dead,” Tyler says. “He didn’t want to do anything. He didn’t want to watch TV, didn’t want to eat anything. He’d say, ‘I just need some rest.'”

There were good times, too. Times when the family would pair up in teams and wrestle, Mechelle and Tyler on one side; Trent and Steve on the other. Times when McNair would take the boys out on his motorcycle and they didn’t even need to talk.

“Steve was a good person,” Mechelle’s mother says. “He was a good dad. There wasn’t anything those children wanted that he didn’t get for them.”

Though McNair was an NFL quarterback, he never wanted to force football or sports on his children. He told them to find something they loved and to do it well. Courtesy Mechelle McNair

He was 36 when he died, and he had just opened Gridiron9, a catfish-and-burger joint in north Nashville. In his last days, McNair seemed overwhelmed at times, almost as if he was at a crossroads, Mechelle says. He was still trying to figure out his world outside of football.

He split time between his home in Nashville and his farm in Collins, Mississippi. He felt comfortable in the country, near his siblings and his mother, Lucille. (McNair also has two older sons from previous relationships.) The transition from football player to businessman was not smooth. The last full conversation he had with Mechelle centered on the restaurant’s nightly receipts constantly being off and her desire to help. She was so happy at the end of their talk, when he said she could attend the next employee meeting. McNair had dreams of his restaurant becoming a chain. A few months after his death, the restaurant was sold.

He did not have a will, creating a painful mess that dragged on for years. In 2011, a legal spat between Mechelle and Lucille over property in Mississippi played out in the local news media. Mechelle had always considered herself a private person. But after Steve’s death, the most intimate details of her life were fodder for public consumption. Conspiracy theorists flooded the internet and airwaves. A “True Crimes with Aphrodite Jones” episode filmed in 2013 even pointed suspicion at her. (She was never a suspect). That same show aired as a rerun last week, on the night of the Super Bowl.

Aside from kid functions and dinners out, she lived the life of a homebody. She had one job: to raise their sons.

NFL

Bold offseason predictions for all 32 teams

How many quarterbacks will surpass Jimmy Garoppolo as the NFL’s highest-paid player? Will the Eagles shop Nick Foles? Which teams will fail in the bidding war for Kirk Cousins?

NFL Nation reporters make predictions for the offseason.

AFC East | AFC North| AFC South | AFC West
NFC East | NFC North | NFC South | NFC West

AFC East

The Bills will trade up to select a quarterback in the first round of the draft

This might not be bold in the sense that it would be unexpected, but it would be a bold move for second-year general manager Brandon Beane and would likely define his tenure as GM. In public comments since taking over for Doug Whaley last year, Beane has been lukewarm on the future of Tyrod Taylor and has noted how the NFL is a “quarterback league” where the best at their position often lead teams to titles. In three seasons, Taylor has yet to show he can do that, so the Bills could bundle some of their draft picks — they own extra first-, second- and fifth-round selections — to take a quarterback high in the draft with the hope of finding a gem. — Mike Rodak

The Dolphins will fail to re-sign free-agent wide receiver Jarvis Landry

Landry has a record 400 receptions through his first four seasons in the league. The two parties have swapped offers and are far apart in negotiations toward a new deal. Landry will test the open market, which will drive up the price and lead to the Dolphins letting him walk. — ESPN.com staff

1 Related

The Patriots will draft a quarterback in the first two rounds

They’ll take a QB early hoping to develop “the next Jimmy Garoppolo.” They have good draft capital with three picks in the first two rounds. Tom Brady will be 41 years old next season, and developing his potential replacement is a high priority. — Mike Reiss

The Jets will re-sign Josh McCown as a bridge quarterback to …

After failing to acquire Kirk Cousins, the Jets will re-sign McCown, then draft Mason Rudolph in the second round. General manager Mike Maccagnan refuses to pay the exorbitant cost to trade up to take one of the top three QBs, so he’ll pick the best player with the sixth overall pick and settle for Rudolph on Day 2. — Rich Cimini

AFC North

The Ravens will sign tight end Jimmy Graham in free agency

Baltimore desperately needs playmakers for quarterback Joe Flacco, and Graham can be a difference-maker in the red zone. Graham scored 10 touchdowns last season, which led all tight ends and doubled the production of all of the Ravens’ tight ends combined (five touchdowns). Flacco has always loved throwing to tight ends, and the Ravens relied heavily on 37-year-old Ben Watson because Nick Boyle and Maxx Williams were primarily blocking tight ends. Graham isn’t the same game-changer as he was when he played for New Orleans four years ago, but he would fill a big void on the NFL’s No. 29 passing offense and shouldn’t require Baltimore to break the bank to sign him. –– Jamison Hensley

AJ McCarron will lose his grievance, but won’t be on the Bengals’ roster in 2018

McCarron will find out Feb. 15 whether he is a restricted or unrestricted free agent. He has said repeatedly that he would like to get his chance somewhere, and that almost happened in a failed trade with the Browns. If McCarron loses his grievance, the Bengals will place a tender on him, and some quarterback-needy team such as the Browns will likely make a play for him, giving him his shot to be a starter outside Cincinnati. — Katherine Terrell

The experienced quarterback the Browns will add will not be Kirk Cousins

The Browns will reach out to try to sign Cousins, but his desire to go to a team without drama will eliminate Cleveland as an option. Cousins will seek and find a situation more to his liking in Denver or Minnesota. A player like AJ McCarron from Cincinnati seems like a far more realistic possibility. — Pat McManamon

When: April 26-28
Where: Arlington, Texas
NFL draft home page » | Draft order »

•InsiderTodd McShay’s Mock Draft 2.0 »
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• Which NFL teams could draft a QB? »
• Kiper’s Big Board » | McShay’s Top 32 »
• 2018 draft QB class primer »
• Underclassmen who have declared »

The Steelers find a way to re-up Le’Veon Bell and Ben Roethlisberger

The hang-up with Bell has been guarantees, which the Steelers usually don’t earmark beyond the first year. But Bell remains encouraged that both sides can strike a sweet spot. Roethlisberger is underpaid for 2018 with $17 million in total money, and though he has two years left on his deal, his private commitment to three more seasons opens the door for one last contract. The Steelers don’t have major cap space but can create more by cutting ties with several aging veterans. — Jeremy Fowler

AFC South

The Texans will make Jadeveon Clowney the highest-paid non-quarterback in the NFL

Clowney still has one year remaining on his rookie contract and is scheduled to make $13.846 million in 2018. Although Clowney spent nearly half of his first two NFL seasons dealing with injuries, the 2014 No. 1 overall pick has become a dominant pass-rusher, spending time at outside linebacker and defensive end. If Clowney signs a deal making more than $114.5 million, he would pass Von Miller and Ndamukong Suh for the two biggest non-quarterback contracts. — Sarah Barshop

The Colts will use their first-round pick on NC State’s Bradley Chubb

Chubb will be the Colts’ most feared pass-rusher since linebacker Robert Mathis had 19.5 sacks in 2013. Chubb would remain in his comfort zone of playing defensive end instead of outside linebacker in new defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus’ 4-3 scheme. — Mike Wells

The Jaguars will select a quarterback in the first or second round of the draft

The team appears ready to stick with Blake Bortles for 2018 — though there has been nothing definitive — and will work on adding better playmakers at receiver and tight end. But Bortles will have to improve on what he did in 2017 — with a 60.2 completion percentage and 21 touchdowns to 13 interceptions — for the team to consider him the long-term answer. They’ll draft a QB in the first or second round — Lamar Jackson seems to be the name that comes up the most in mock drafts — and let him compete with Bortles throughout the offseason. — Mike DiRocco

The Titans will release DeMarco Murray, but Derrick Henry won’t become the unquestioned workhorse running back

Murray will soon be 30 years old, coming off an injury-plagued and disappointing 2017 season. Mike Mularkey had a special affinity for Murray, but new coach Mike Vrabel will go in a different direction. Murray has two years left on his deal, but there is no penalty to release him, and he’s no longer worth the $6.25 million salary he is due. Everyone assumes the 6-foot-3, 245-pound Henry would then become Tennessee’s 25-touch-a-game back, but the Titans will bring in a more versatile back via free agency, trade or the draft. That back will own passing downs, become a favorite target for Marcus Mariota and force Henry into a time-share for the third consecutive season. — Cameron Wolfe

AFC West

The Broncos will release multiple high-profile veteran players

Most of whom have made at least one Pro Bowl in their time with the team. When Denver’s 5-11 season was finally over, cornerback Aqib Talib, wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders and running back C.J. Anderson were among the players who were uncertain about their futures. Talib, especially, with Bradley Roby in place to be a starter, is on particularly shaky ground. The Broncos would save $11 million against the salary cap if he were released. — Jeff Legwold

The Chiefs will move on from linebackers Derrick Johnson and Tamba Hali

Johnson and Hali, the Chiefs’ first-round draft picks in 2005 and 2006, are franchise icons and among Kansas City’s most popular players. But the team appears to have found Johnson’s eventual replacement last year in Reggie Ragland, while Hali looked like a player at the end of his career last season. — Adam Teicher

The Chargers will trade for a defensive playmaker

General manager Tom Telesco has made only six trades in his five-year tenure as the team’s top personnel man. Defensive coordinator Gus Bradley developed the Bolts into one of the top defensive units in the league last season, but he could still use another veteran playmaker to join Melvin Ingram, Joey Bosa and Casey Hayward. Bradley has experience working with Seahawks safety Earl Thomas, who could be headed for greener pastures and appears interested in moving on from the Legion of Boom. — Eric D. Williams

Jon Gruden will part ways with not one, but five big names

And those big names will be: running back Marshawn Lynch, wide receiver Michael Crabtree, linebacker Bruce Irvin and cornerbacks Sean Smith and David Amerson. Gruden will then zero in on Dolphins wide receiver Jarvis Landry and give Khalil Mack his contract extension. Crazy talk? Perhaps, but cutting those five players would give the Raiders an additional $36.3 million in salary-cap space, and Gruden — with general manager Reggie McKenzie’s help and owner Mark Davis’ blessing, of course — could forge ahead with his vision. That vision could include the likes of Landry, who vibed with Derek Carr at the Pro Bowl, another pass-rusher to free up Mack, and a backup quarterback such as (gasp) Colin Kaepernick. Hey, you wanted bold. — Paul Gutierrez

NFC East

Dez Bryant will not be with the Cowboys in 2018

The Cowboys will release the franchise’s all-time leader in touchdown catches and gain $8.5 million in salary-cap space. Stephen Jones’ recent comments about Bryant’s sideline antics being a distraction and needing to look at the contract seem to be setting the stage for the parting. It is possible the Cowboys could offer Bryant a pay cut, but that’s not something they did with DeMarcus Ware — the franchise leader in sacks — after the 2013 season. They did not have a replacement for Ware when they made the move then, and they don’t have a replacement for Bryant now, but they can use free agency and/or the draft to add a receiver to do what Bryant has done the past three seasons. — Todd Archer

The Giants will sign All-Pro guard Andrew Norwell

It will be costly, but he has the connection to general manager Dave Gettleman, and the team’s top priority this offseason is improving the line. The Giants also will re-sign Justin Pugh to play tackle. That’s a lot of money to allocate to the line and two of the top linemen in free agency. — Jordan Raanan

The Eagles will reject trade offers for Nick Foles

There’s sure to be at least some level of interest for the Super Bowl MVP, but the Eagles are in the business of collecting talent at quarterback, not giving it away. With one year left on his deal, it seems unlikely a team would pony up what it would take for the Eagles to part ways with Foles. — Tim McManus

Kirk Cousins. Jimmy Garoppolo. Le’Veon Bell. This class could get wild. Here’s everything to know heading into free agency, which begins March 12.

• Ranking top 50 potential free agents »
• Looming FA decisions for all 32 teams »
• Destination Cousins: Landing spots »

The Redskins will not trade Kirk Cousins, but will have to let him hit unrestricted free agency

Even if the Redskins do place the franchise tag on Cousins, as they are considering, they’ll see that it will ultimately be too risky to do this maneuver and possibly get stuck with that cap figure at the start of free agency, thereby hurting their chances of signing players. So they’d be forced to rescind the tag before free agency begins. Cousins will then find a new team on his own terms. — John Keim

NFC North

For the first time since 2010-11, the Bears could draft a quarterback in consecutive years

Last spring’s second overall pick, Mitchell Trubisky, is Chicago’s unquestioned starter heading into 2018, but the rest of the depth chart is fluid. There’s almost no chance that Mike Glennon returns for a second season. Not only is Glennon scheduled to make way too much money ($12.5 million), but he doesn’t fit the style of offense new head coach Matt Nagy is expected to run. Third-string quarterback Mark Sanchez, who dutifully served as Trubisky’s mentor, is a free agent. The odds of Sanchez coming back are exponentially higher than Glennon’s chances of sticking around. Regardless, the Bears are definitely in the market for another backup. — Jeff Dickerson

The Lions take a defensive lineman in the first round of the draft

No, this isn’t extremely bold considering it is Detroit’s biggest need and general manager Bob Quinn has said he knows he needs to add some defensive pieces. Add in that new coach Matt Patricia is a defense-minded coach, and barring something unexpected, a defensive lineman should be the pick at No. 20. Who that is? That’s way too early to tell, although if a player such as Washington’s Vita Vea, Stanford’s Harrison Phillips, Michigan’s Maurice Hurst or UTSA’s Marcus Davenport are available, those could be the early players to look at for the spot. — Michael Rothstein

General manager Brian Gutekunst will try to trade up into the top 10 of the draft

The bold moves might already have occurred with the removal of Ted Thompson as general manager, plus new coordinators on both sides of the ball (Joe Philbin on offense and Mike Pettine on defense). The new GM will be more active in unrestricted free agency than Thompson, but that’s not saying much considering how little Thompson did. Look for Gutekunst to make his biggest splashes in the draft, considering his history as a college scout. Last year, Thompson traded out of the first round. Expect the opposite this year. Look for Gutekunst to try to trade up from No. 14 overall and get the Packers into the top 10 for the first time since 2009. — Rob Demovsky

The Vikings will re-sign Case Keenum and Teddy Bridgewater in 2018

The move will force a quarterback competition in camp to see who will be the Week 1 starter. Keenum will be a hot commodity in free agency, but I doubt teams are going to go all-in on a quarterback who has had only one stellar season as a starter. Minnesota has the cap space to pay Keenum upward of $15 million to $20 million for a short-term deal and give Bridgewater a contract for $8 million to $10 million. That’s a substantial price tag for a backup, but who knows whether the dynamic will stay that way come training camp. Keenum got the Vikings to the NFC Championship Game this year, but Minnesota has invested too much in Bridgewater’s recovery to part ways with him now. Given how they planned out their cap space for 2018, bringing back both seems like the easiest option. — Courtney Cronin

NFC South

Matt Ryan will give the Falcons a hometown discount

Ryan, the 2016 MVP, has every right to command a contract that would make him the league’s highest-paid player, especially after the 49ers rewarded virtually unproven quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo with a five-year, $137.5 million deal with $90 million guaranteed over the first three years. And there is a chance Kirk Cousins could even top that if he reaches free agency. But Ryan won’t get caught in the numbers, especially if taking less means solidifying the roster more for Super Bowl runs next season and beyond. Yes, Ryan has an agent in Tom Condon who won’t settle for peanuts, but Ryan is an unselfish player and will do whatever is best for the team. — Vaughn McClure

Defensive end Julius Peppers will return for one more season

Then the 38-year-old will retire. The Panthers also will draft a young defensive end in the first round to develop as a future replacement. Peppers, with 11 sacks, showed this past season that, when managed right, he still can be productive. He had surgery on his right shoulder Thursday and is not under contract for 2018, but retaining a veteran leader at a low salary-cap figure will enable the staff to make other moves needed to make a run at the Super Bowl, which Peppers still has on his bucket list. — David Newton

Drew Brees will sign a short-term extension with $30 million or less in guarantees

The Saints have made it clear in recent years that they want to take things one year at a time with Brees’ contract, and the 39-year-old has been willing to play ball. So even though we just saw Jimmy Garoppolo raise the bar for franchise QBs with a reported five-year deal worth $27.5 million per year and Alex Smith “set the floor” for this year’s QB market with a reported four-year, $94 million deal that includes $71 million in guarantees, I expect Brees’ deal to be much smaller in scope. I also expect it to get done before he gets the chance to flirt with other teams on the open market in March. — Mike Triplett

The Bucs will move on from running back Doug Martin

The two-time Pro Bowler was given a second chance after a four-game suspension and a stint in a drug rehab program in 2016, but he has averaged just 2.9 yards per carry the past two seasons, which doesn’t warrant a $6.75 million salary for next year. The Bucs no longer owe him any guaranteed money and can move on with three years remaining on his contract without any penalty. — Jenna Laine

NFC West

The Cardinals will make a major move to acquire the quarterback they need

It could come through free agency, a trade or the draft, but the Cardinals will do something to figure out a solution to their most pressing need at the moment. If it’s in free agency, it could be taking a chance on a high-priced option. If it’s through a trade, they could move a piece of their vaunted defense. If it’s through the draft, they could move up from 15th overall, so when the run of quarterbacks begins early in the first round, they’ll be prepared to take one. — Josh Weinfuss

Aaron Donald will become the game’s highest-paid defensive player

The Rams seemed ready to do that last offseason, but Donald’s side appeared to lean toward waiting — unless, perhaps, he was offered quarterback-level compensation. It’s different now, with Donald coming up on the final season of his rookie contract. Chances are Donald’s representatives would still prefer to let Raiders defensive end Khalil Mack set the market first. But Donald should nonetheless command more money, as a three-time first-team All-Pro who just won AP Defensive Player of the Year and is far and away the game’s best interior lineman. Donald is suddenly very pleased with the Rams’ direction under Sean McVay. It might not lead to a discount, but it should lead to him putting pen to paper at some point before training camp. — Alden Gonzalez

At least three quarterbacks will exceed Jimmy Garoppolo’s contract before next season begins

The Niners and Garoppolo agreed to a five-year, $137.5 million contract Thursday, making Garoppolo the highest-paid player in the league with an annual salary averaging $27.5 million. But Garoppolo’s status as the top dog isn’t going to last long. Kirk Cousins is about to hit the open market, which means Cousins will likely be the focal point of a serious bidding war. On top of that, the Packers and Falcons have said they intend to sign quarterbacks Aaron Rodgers and Matt Ryan, respectively, to new deals this offseason. Don’t be surprised if Garoppolo is “only” the fourth-highest paid quarterback in the league by the time training camp opens. Life is tough. — Nick Wagoner

The Seahawks will shop Earl Thomas in trade talks

And they’ll pull the trigger if the price is right. Thomas, who’s entering the final year of his four-year, $40 million extension, already has drawn a line in the sand by saying that he won’t play without a new deal. Will he be satisfied with anything less than topping Eric Berry as the NFL’s highest-paid safety at $13 million per season? Thomas is coming off another excellent season, and his importance to Seattle’s defense is obvious. But he’s also turning 29 in May and has missed seven games because of three injuries over the past two seasons. The Seahawks need to get younger on defense and might be wary of making another huge financial commitment to an aging player after getting burned on big-money extensions for Kam Chancellor and Michael Bennett. So it’s not at all hard to envision a stalemate. The Seahawks openly shopped Richard Sherman last year only to hang on to him when no team was willing to meet their asking price, which was reported to be a first-round pick plus another selection. If extension talks for Thomas reach an impasse and another team is willing to give up just a first-round pick for him, the guess here is that the Seahawks would take it and move on from one of the best players in franchise history. — Brady Henderson

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