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The NFL, the greatest reality show, is always interesting. But this offseason, some teams are more interesting than others. Big decisions loom between now and the start of the new league year at noon ET Wednesday, March 12.
Here are the five most interesting teams on paper now that Super Bowl LIX is over.
Wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase is entering the final year of his contract and will be seeking to become the highest-paid wide receiver in NFL history, in a deal that could average close to $40 million per season. Wideout Tee Higgins is set to be a free agent, and neither Chase nor quarterback Joe Burrow wants to lose him. Meanwhile, Trey Hendrickson, the NFL’s reigning sack leader, is entering the final year of a deal scheduled to pay him $16 million, and he has been seeking a new contract since last offseason.
The Bengals have approximately $46 million of salary cap space. How they allocate it will help define this and future seasons for the franchise. If they sign Chase to his record deal, it could include a large signing bonus and a low 2025 base salary, giving him a team-friendly cap number for this coming season that would help with Higgins. Cincinnati could work to re-sign Higgins before he becomes a free agent or put a $26 million franchise tag on him — lower than what he probably would receive on the open market. The team also could opt to tag and trade Higgins, but that would require carrying the cap space past the new league year. Hendrickson requested a trade last April and is not happy with his current deal.
Cincinnati’s offseason decisions loom as some of the most interesting and noteworthy in the league.
Cleveland was already interesting because of its unsettled quarterback situation, but Myles Garrett’s trade request has turned it into one of this offseason’s most closely tracked teams. Deshaun Watson could sit out the 2025 season after rupturing his Achilles tendon, and the Browns will have to strongly consider using the No. 2 pick on a quarterback. As if there weren’t enough issues, the team now has a significant one at defensive end.
The Browns thought they would be able to placate Garrett with a new contract, but that doesn’t seem as if it will work at this time. General manager Andrew Berry has made it clear that the franchise won’t trade Garrett and that the 2023 Defensive Player of the Year would have a direct ticket from Cleveland to Canton. But Garrett’s goal isn’t to get to Canton but to compete for a Super Bowl. How the Browns handle their quarterback situation and defensive end’s trade request will define whether this team has any hope of winning.
New Orleans has agreed to hire Eagles offensive coordinator Kellen Moore as its new coach, sources told ESPN. Moore will inherit a team that has limited salary cap flexibility this offseason.
The Saints enter the offseason roughly $60 million over the cap, and they can’t get much relief from quarterback Derek Carr, who has $10 million guaranteed for 2025 with another $30 million scheduled to kick in March 15. Moving on from Carr would save them only a couple of million dollars, meaning he probably will be the team’s QB1 entering 2025. But the team will have to find cap space and roster improvements elsewhere. Until it finalizes a coaching staff, no meaningful decisions can be made. The NFL world revolved around New Orleans during Super Bowl week, and there will be plenty of interest in the city this offseason.
Making the Patriots’ coaching job even more appealing to Mike Vrabel was the fact the team has a league-high $110 million in salary cap space this offseason. New England will have the financial liberty to upgrade its roster however it sees fit, whether it’s having the chance to pay Tee Higgins $30 million a year or upgrading an offensive line that will be addressed.
Beyond an established coach and more than $100 million in cap space, the Patriots also have other advantages. They have a young quarterback in Drake Maye who personnel people across the league agree has the chance to develop into a bona fide standout. They also have the No. 4 pick, where they will be in position to help Maye. New England is positioned to set up its franchise for years to come. The decisions the Patriots make this offseason will help determine how successful they will be.
There’s already a new coach, Aaron Glenn, and general manager, Darren Mougey, and the Jets have been meeting to address the key decisions in front of them. The first is at quarterback, where 41-year-old Aaron Rodgers is unlikely to remain with the team in 2025. He has one year left on his contract, and the Jets could designate him a post-June 1 cut to spread out the $49 million in dead money they owe. That move could influence whether wide receiver Davante Adams returns.
Aside from Rodgers and Adams, other key moves await. Wide receiver Garrett Wilson, running back Breece Hall, cornerback Sauce Gardner and edge Jermaine Johnson are now eligible for contract extensions. New York enters the offseason with roughly $21 million in salary cap space, but a shake-up is coming, as it does when a new coach and general manager take over a new roster. It’s just a matter of how extensive it will be.
