Community Tailgate: 2026 NFL Season

During his acceptance speech for the MVP award, Matthew Stafford confirmed he would continue his career for at least one more season. Another new Rams pact followed, and the 38-year-old quarterback is in line to once again lead one of the NFL’s most potent offenses. Los Angeles targeted defensive upgrades during the offseason, and a pair of new cornerbacks (Trent McDuffie and Jaylen Watson) are now in the fold. The former Chiefs will be counted on to stabilize the secondary on their new team.

Of course, the most headline-grabbing moves of the year in the Rams’ case (likely anywhere else in the NFL, for that matter) concerned two future Hall of Famers. Long-running communication with the Browns resulted in a Myles Garrett trade being finalized, with Jared Verse and a strong package of draft picks heading the other way. Thanks to that blockbuster swap, the 2026 Rams will be the first team in league history to roster both the reiginng MVP and Defensive Player of the Year.

Adding Garrett – who broke the single-season sack record in 2025 – was part of the reason Aaron Donald showed interest in unretiring. The 10-time Pro Bowler recently confirmed that he will indeed resume his illustrious career at the age of 35 as Los Angeles goes all-in for the 2026 campaign. Super Bowl expectations were already present prior to the Donald reunion, or even the Garrett acquisition. But especially with those two in place, another Lombardi Trophy is the lone aim for this season.

2023 Draft Class Resets Multiple Markets

It has become increasingly common for NFL teams to pursue big-money extensions with former first-rounders at the earliest possible time. Fifth-year options buy time for extended negotiating periods, but the class of 2023 has done well to finalize multiyear deals shortly after having their short-term futures assured.

One of the common themes early and late in the 2026 offseason has been the wide range of positional markets being reset by ascending players. Of the 10 first-round picks from three years ago who have inked an extension, nine became their position’s top earner at the time of signing. The first to do so was Jaxon Smith-Njigba, who shortly after earning Offensive Player of the Year honors secured a receiver-best $42.15MM in average annual value to remain in place with the Seahawks for the foreseeable future.

From an AAV standpoint, Texans pass rusher Will Anderson Jr. leads the way in terms of new deals for his draft classmates. He moved the EDGE market to $50MM per year. Similarly, Jalen Carter moved to the top of the pecking order for defensive tackles when his Eagles extension ($38MM per season) was finalized. The cornerback position reached new heights on three occasions, with one being Smith-Njigba’s teammate Devon Witherspoon landing a four-year pact. Most recently, though, the Patriots and Christian Gonzalez have hammered a slightly more lucrative deal.

On offense, both Bijan Robinson (Falcons) and Jahmyr Gibbs (Lions) had new contracts worked out within days of each other. To no surprise, they now sit first and second in running back compensation. Elsewhere on that side of the ball, Darnell Wright’s Bears extension moved him to the top of the pecking order for right tackles (and second overall in tackle compensation) while Peter Skoronski is the league’s top guard earner thanks to his new Titans deal.

Sidelines Full Of New Head Coaches

The 2026 hiring cycle did not include much in the way of general manager changes. The sidelines will nevertheless look much different in the case of nearly one third of the NFL this fall.

10 head coaching changes have taken place since the 2025 campaign ended. That is tied for the most HC overhaul in NFL history over one offseason. Rebuilding teams and contenders alike will be counting on new faces to produce success. Of the 10 teams to have made a change, six will be employing a first-time head coach at the NFL level.

Lengthy runs of continuity in the case of the Ravens and Bills ended with John Harbaugh and Sean McDermott being fired. The latter will not coach this year, but the former represented the top veteran staffer on the market. Harbaugh will be tasked with guiding the Giants back to their winning ways on a sustained basis. Kevin Stefanski (Falcons) and Robert Saleh (Titans) are also looking to find success during their second opportunities to lead a franchise.

Baltimore (Jesse Minter) and Buffalo (Joe Brady) will be seeking immediate success from first-year coaches with familiarity in their respective settings. Meanwhile, teams like Dolphins (Jeff Hafley), Raiders (Klint Kubiak) and Cardinals (Mike LaFleur) are aiming to reset in a number of places on the roster with new faces guiding the way. The Browns will look once again to Deshaun Watson at quarterback in 2026, but Todd Monken’s debut season in Cleveland will be also be defined in large part by his work developing younger plays in the fold.

Rodgers To Complete NFL Career With McCarthy Reunion

The other head coaching change was made when Mike Tomlin resigned from the Steelers. Instead of keeping with tradition and seeking out a younger, less experienced staffer to replace him, Mike McCarthy was brought in instead.

As a result, the former Super Bowl winner will spend 2026 alongside Aaron Rodgers. The two had a lengthy spell together in Green Bay, and they will reunite for one final run together. Following another lengthy free agent spell, Rodgers decided to play another season with the Steelers.

The four-time MVP made it clear this summer that his 22nd NFL campaign will be his last. Pittsburgh’s quarterback future beyond 2026 is already a storyline, and that will increasingly be true as next spring draws closer. For now, though, Rodgers will look to lead a veteran-laden Steelers team past the first-round playoff hump.

Postseason runs were difficult to come by during much of Tomlin’s tenure, and Pittsburgh has not won a playoff game since 2016. Rodgers helped lead the team to the wild-card round in 2025, and a relatively high base level of expectations exists once more. McCarthy’s tenure will include the development of the Steelers’ younger passers, but for the time being he will aim to mark his return to the coaching ranks with a strong showing alongside a familiar face.

QB Uncertainty Looms Over 2027

As the current season approaches, it remains to be seen what will happen in a number of notable quarterback cases. The past months have witnessed plenty of extension talks with passers who did not wind up reaching agreement on a new deal.

The top two players from the 2023 draft class – Bryce Young and C.J. Stroud – joined many of their peers in having their fifth-year options exercised. They are under team control for the next two seasons as a result, but it is unclear if either of them will land a $50MM-per-year pact with the Panthers or Texans. Carolina in particular has opted for a patient approach with Young as he seeks a true breakout showing. Houston, meanwhile, is prepared to make a lucrative commitment to Stroud but in-season talks are not expected.

In terms of veteran QBs, the Ravens entered the spring hoping to extend Lamar Jackson and smooth out his cap charges for the coming years. A restructure wound up being necessary, however, with no deal in place. Team and player have continued to express optimism about a third contract being in place at some point, but an untenable 2027 setup (in terms of cap figures) is currently in store barring success at the negotiating table.

In Tampa Bay, it long seemed inevitable that the mutual extension interest with Baker Mayfield would result in a deal. Instead, his self-declared training camp deadline came and went with no pact in place. The Bucs did not meet Mayfield’s terms on a lengthy extension, leading to well-documented frustration. The franchise tag could be in play next year unless another round of talks can produce a different result.

With all of the above in mind, how do you think the 2026 campaign will unfold? Will one of the preseason favorites emerge as the Super Bowl champions, or is a surprise in store? Which storylines are you most intrigued by heading into the year? Have your say in the comments section below.