25 bold predictions for the 2023 NFL offseason

There's reason to believe the relationship between Jackson and the Ravens is finally to the point of no return after the handling of Jackson's knee injury late in the 2022 season. The two sides have continued to struggle in coming to an agreement on a long-term deal, so a trade might finally be imminent. Arthur Smith installed mobile quarterbacks Marcus Mariota and Desmond Ridder last season, so it wouldn't take much for him to adjust to Jackson's strengths. More importantly, the Falcons have plenty of cap space to get a deal done.

Brissett impressed in 11 starts with Cleveland while Deshaun Watson served his suspension, and his play should earn him an opportunity to start in free agency. Carolina appears to be a strong fit as they rebuild under new head coach Frank Reich, with Brissett having experience playing under Reich in Indy.

While D'Onta Freeman did an excellent job for the Panthers after Christian McCaffrey was traded, he's a free agent without a proven track record as a starter. Jacobs is coming off a Pro Bowl season in Vegas and has proven he can handle the workload. Frank Reich will likely want to establish a strong running game, as he had for most of his tenure in Indianapolis, to take pressure off a young offensive line.

Now that the Bengals have to pay Joe Burrow, they face some tough decisions. Higgins is arguably the best No. 2 wideout in the league, with back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons, but the team will likely prefer to pay Ja'Marr Chase among their top wideout duo. With a thin wide receiver market in free agency and the draft, now is a great time for Cincinnati to maximize Higgins' value via trade.

Hargrave is one of the top players available on the open market, with a combined 18.5 sacks over the last two seasons in Philly. Bears GM Ryan Poles has a wealth of cap space, and fixing the team's defensive line is among the long list of to-dos in Chicago.

GM Ryan Poles came from Kansas City, so he's quite familiar with Hardman. The Bears acquired Chase Claypool at last year's trade deadline, but a major knee injury for Darnell Mooney creates a need for another dep option. The speedy Hardman can be that player in the short term for Justin Fields.

Since Andrew Luck's retirement, the Colts have continued to reset with veteran quarterbacks. It's time they try a different formula and get their next long-term signal caller. The No. 1 overall draft choice is in play, as Chicago already has Justin Fields. Indy could trade up for No. 4 to get Young, who was a dynamic player at Alabama and has drawn comparisons to Patrick Mahomes.

During Sean Payton's tenure in New Orleans, his love for Hill seemed to know no bounds. The team's long-term deal with Hill shocked much of the football world, but Hill has become an important Swiss Army Knife for the Saints' offense. New Orleans is now in salary cap hell, so Hill could be made available. Denver doesn't have much in the way of draft capital, but this move could be a salary dump to spark Payton's new offense.

Denver has been shedding pass rushers, with Von Miller and Bradley Chubb gone over the last two seasons. They need to find a new top pass rusher as they try to halt Patrick Mahomes and Justin Herbert in the division. Davenport is a great fit as a former draft pick of Sean Payton in New Orleans if the Broncos have enough cap space to accommodate.

Carr is set to be traded or released by the Raiders after an unceremonious ending to 2022. An established roster would do well to add the veteran, and Washington stands as one of the best situations for him. The Commanders have the need after Carson Wentz's disappointing year, and they also have established weapons like Terry McLaurin, Curtis Samuel, Jahan Dotson, and Brian Robinson.

Rodgers' future is up in the air for another offseason. He could remain in Green Bay, but after a down year, Rodgers could opt for a change of scenery. The Jets have often been connected in media reports with a strong defense and young wideouts. Rodgers is already familiar with the limelight and could follow in the footsteps of former teammate Brett Favre by departing Green Bay for the Jets.

The Rams' spending over the last several years finally came back to bite them last season, and they have a major need to clear cap space. Ramsey is a prominent candidate to be moved, with the Rams desperately needing to address other areas on the roster. Detroit needs to address their secondary after working to fix the defensive line last year.

Engram did extremely well for himself on a one-year contract with the Jaguars, and he could have bigger and better things ahead. KC has multiple free-agent wideouts, and one alternative to spending big money at wide receiver would be to spend slightly less on a tight end who could lineup in the slot. Engram also knows the offense already after playing under former Chiefs assistant Doug Pederson in Jacksonville. The prospect of Travis Kelce and Engram on the same team seems unfair to opposing defenses.

Apparently, Beckham's recovery from ACL made him unable to contribute in 2022, but he's expected to return next season. He was already connected to the Giants in his free-agent tour this Fall, and the team remains in desperate need of receiver help. With a new front office and coaching staff, Beckham would likely welcome reuniting with his former team. 

Brock Purdy's elbow injury likely hands the starting quarterback job back to Lance, but the 49ers would be smart to give the inexperienced youngster some competition. Coming off a major leg injury, Lance has still thrown only 102 passes in two NFL seasons. Taylor Heinicke and Marcus Mariota are among the cheap free-agent quarterbacks who could push Lance.

Tua Tagovailoa suffered at least two concussions during the 2022 season, and his health history wasn't exactly clean before last season. Miami has elite weapons with Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle, and it would be a shame to let their current opportunity fall through because of lacking quarterback availability. The Dolphins need to prioritize adding another veteran quarterback, and Garoppolo would be an excellent fit after playing under Mike McDaniel in San Francisco.

Bates is the top safety in free agency after another strong season in Cincinnati. It remains to be seen if the Bengals will want to use their now more limited funds on a safety, while Minnesota desperately needs to rebuild its secondary. A move north to Minnesota would be a good fit for both sides.

No team has a greater need for wideout help than the Ravens. They finished the year with Demarcus Robinson as their top wide receiver, an inexcusable situation for the team's quarterbacks. Hopkins would certainly be a massive upgrade and will be a prominent trade name with Arizona looking at a rebuild situation. The team teams already have practice negotiating after last year's Marquise Brown deal.

Geno Smith surprised the football world with a Pro Bowl campaign while replacing Russell Wilson, and the Seahawks have a big decision to make with his pending free agency. One possibility is franchising the veteran will groom his replacement, and the Seahawks are in great position to find their long-term quarterback with the No. 5 overall pick in the draft.

The Raiders could go a million different ways this offseason, with Josh McDaniels clearly wanting to make a mark. After figuring out quarterback, wide receiver could still be in play despite the addition of Davante Adams last year. Meyers is set to earn big money in free agency and established himself playing under McDaniels in New England. There is a potential match here to create a truly elite receiving corps in Vegas.

Josh McDaniels shocked the football world when he drafted Tim Tebow in the first round of the 2010 draft out of Florida. He could draft another raw Florida quarterback in Richardson. Richardson is the most athletic quarterback prospect in the field, but his passing is very much a work in progress. The high ceiling could be too much for McDaniels to pass up, however.

Kellen Moore did well with two backs featuring different styles in Ezekiel Elliott and Tony Pollard while in Dallas. The Chargers already have versatile back Austin Ekeler, but an established power back could be a great complement. Williams led the NFL in touchdowns last season and would seem to be a great fit if the price is right in free agency.

The new Titans front office has some critical decisions, with the roster at a crossroads. Tennessee's poor recent drafts and salary cap handling have finally come back to bite them, and the team likely reached its ceiling in the 2019 AFC Championship with Tannehill under center. The team could look to start a new era under center after Tannehill played only 12 games last year due to an ankle injury.

Tannehill's potential release probably wouldn't be the end of his days as an NFL starter after going 36-19 in four seasons with the Titans. Several squads would love a plug-and-play veteran, and the Bucs are among them. Tampa Bay has the weapons in place, including Mike Evans and Chris Godwin, and Tannehill is capable of pushing the team back to the playoffs in the weak NFC South.

Bill Belichick is all about finding value in the offseason, and Thomas presents an opportunity to buy low. He's played a total of 10 games over the last three seasons due to injuries, but Thomas is still only 30 and had a historic first four NFL seasons. New England desperately needs wideout help and could find a great upside with Thomas.