There were frustrating non-answers about some major topics: Goodell rushed past<\/a> a question on Tuesday about New York Giants former co-owner and current chairman of the board Steve Tisch and his connections to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein; no member of the Tisch family was present at the meetings despite Steve Tisch\u2019s continued role with the team. Also, the NFL sent a lengthy memo to teams as the meetings began, warning them not to discuss the ongoing negotiations between the league and the referees\u2019 union.<\/p>\n But there are many evolving items that the owners, executives, coaches and league personnel did talk about publicly or casually during the meetings \u2014 or immediately after. From quarterbacks to a lingering general manager opening to contract trends to under-the-radar coaches, here\u2019s some of what I am finding most interesting this offseason:<\/p>\n Kyler Murray and Kevin O\u2019Connell<\/p>\n Minnesota Vikings coach Kevin O\u2019Connell erred on the side of diplomacy in any public comments about his quarterbacks room, which now includes 2019 No. 1 pick Kyler Murray and backup Carson Wentz, along with 2024 first-rounder J.J. McCarthy and backup Max Brosmer. But curiosity is building around the league<\/a> about what Murray will do in O\u2019Connell\u2019s creative, quarterback-friendly system.<\/p>\n O\u2019Connell, offensive coordinator Wes Phillips and quarterbacks coach Josh McCown may develop more experimental looks out of both pistol and shotgun formations as organized team activities begin, and they\u2019ll get to troubleshoot how those concepts affect a veteran defense and defensive coordinator in Brian Flores.<\/p>\n O\u2019Connell\u2019s offense (and especially his run game) currently flows out from a quarterback most frequently aligned under center, and it\u2019s important that play action is first established from there. Yet when used judiciously, the pistol and shotgun can really open up a playbook.<\/p>\n Teams that predominantly use shotgun lose a lot of their play action passing game but do have the advantage of seeing more of the defense or using formations like \u201cempty\u201d that force a defense to declare its pressure; teams that predominantly run pistol without the threat of a running quarterback might initially keep a play action game but can\u2019t hold any run\/pass disguise against a defense for long. But with a quarterback who has Murray\u2019s mobility, the pistol especially can be incredibly effective. The quarterback can see the defense as if he\u2019s in shotgun, with a full menu of motions at his disposal, while he is able to disguise the run direction and whether he or the running back will keep the ball. He can also keep the play action passing game as if from under center; the offensive line will have to block out of initial contact a little longer in this case (the running back is aligned further away from the line of scrimmage).<\/p>\n Pistol may be a nice compromise between the shotgun that Murray has predominantly played from (84.8 percent of his snaps since 2020 were in shotgun, per TruMedia) and the under-center playbook O\u2019Connell has used. The Vikings had the eighth-highest under-center rate last season, but with a quarterback who presents a real run\/pass conflict, the shotgun and pistol frequency should increase.<\/p>\n O\u2019Connell was a key voice in installing a new offense with Rams coach Sean McVay in 2021 for quarterback Matthew Stafford. It featured significantly more shotgun plays than McVay had ever previously utilized. I\u2019d expect O\u2019Connell to revisit that playbook, among others.<\/p>\n The last GM opening<\/p>\n Rob Brzezinski, the Vikings\u2019 interim general manager, will lead their draft before the team is expected to formally open its search. Brzezinski was at the annual meetings but didn\u2019t take a spot in the GM photo. My impression is that Brzezinski, who has worked for the team since 1999, has no small amount of internal support for the full-time job. Candidates around the league have an eye on the opening because they\u2019d like to work with O\u2019Connell and for an organization that has state-of-the-art facilities and support staff. The search will be thorough and undoubtedly interesting, especially because it\u2019s happening so late in the offseason.<\/p>\n Puka Nacua\u2019s upcoming contract and offseason<\/p>\n Puka Nacua\u2019s off-field controversies emerged near the end of last season when he did an antisemitic dance on a livestream<\/a> that is known for amplifying people with those views, as well as white nationalists, while also saying on the stream that NFL referees invent calls to get on TV<\/a> and implying that concussions aren\u2019t real. Nacua, who had tried to invite those streamers into the Rams\u2019 practice facility during a game week, later apologized<\/a> for the dance and said he did not know it was antisemitic.<\/p>\n Early in the offseason, clips of Nacua appearing to be intoxicated in public circulated on social media; in March, a lawsuit was filed against Nacua<\/a> that claims he bit two women at a dinner while intoxicated and made an antisemitic statement (per these allegations, this incident happened less than three weeks after the incident with the streamers and Nacua\u2019s apology). Nacua\u2019s lawyer denied that the receiver made such a statement.<\/p>\n Last week, news broke that Nacua had checked himself into a private care facility<\/a>. His lawyer said (and a team source confirmed) that Nacua has been in the facility since March \u2014 before the lawsuit was filed.<\/p>\n Perhaps taking cues from McVay, the Rams did not seem to have many long-term concerns about Nacua\u2019s behavior immediately after the in-season incidents (Nacua was neither suspended nor punished by the team, and McVay, in fact, praised his on-field production in the first game after the livestream, although he added he hoped Nacua would learn from his mistakes<\/a>).<\/p>\n But it\u2019s my understanding that their concerns significantly increased \u2014 especially about Nacua\u2019s well-being \u2014 as the offseason continued. While Nacua checked into the facility of his own volition, a source with knowledge of his decision said, the team is certainly glad he did.<\/p>\n In the background of all of this has also been the question of Nacua\u2019s upcoming contract extension<\/a>, especially after the Seattle Seahawks in late March signed star receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba to a four-year, $168.6 million deal (Smith-Njigba, like Nacua, was entering the final season of his rookie deal, although the Seahawks had already picked up his fifth-year option). The Rams made it clear publicly and even more firmly behind the scenes in recent weeks that Nacua will have to correct his off-field behavior to earn the type of contract his league-leading play would typically merit.<\/p>\n McVay has publicly referred to Nacua as a \u201ckid\u201d whose \u201cheart he trusts.\u201d But Nacua is an adult \u2014 a 24-year-old man with an infant \u2014 who has the autonomy and resources to seek help, and has done so. Next, he\u2019ll need to show McVay and other members of the organization who have had their sincere belief in him tested that he can stay out of trouble.<\/p>\n And, I\u2019d just add this: Let\u2019s not pretend that any Rams player outside of future Hall of Famer Aaron Donald has ever been completely untouchable. Since 2021, McVay has pivoted from a former franchise quarterback (Jared Goff) and a fan-favorite franchise receiver (Cooper Kupp), and the Rams even engaged briefly in trade talks<\/a> about a receiver who McVay intensely pursued in free agency just one year ago (Davante Adams).<\/p>\n I don\u2019t believe that an early extension is now a guarantee, even if the Rams have been clear they\u2019d like Nacua to be with them for the long term. But the organization has a natural cushion during which to monitor Nacua, as they don\u2019t typically do early extensions until training camp. If they still aren\u2019t totally sure or need more time, they could even use the franchise tag on Nacua next spring \u2014 a move they\u2019ve typically avoided.<\/p>\n Flag football reality check (for some)<\/p>\n Two teams composed of NFL players and YouTube personalities got shellacked by Team USA<\/a> in the Fanatics Flag Football Classic in March \u2014 a beating so thorough that event host (and quarterback for one of the NFL-led teams) Tom Brady opined about changing the rules<\/a> of the now-Olympic sport. That\u2019s some real Andy Bernard energy<\/a>.<\/p>\n Coaches at the league meetings were frank about the lopsided games, though. Denver Broncos head coach Sean Payton coached one of the NFL-led teams and told reporters at the AFC breakfast that the experience was \u201chumbling,\u201d adding, \u201cyou remember the \u2018Home Alone\u2019 series, and Macaulay Culkin was inside (the house). Macaulay Culkin was (Team USA) and I felt like (we) were the two guys outside getting hit in the head with the iron and tripping over the garden hose. It\u2019s an entirely different game.\u201d<\/p>\n \n Isaiah Calhoun and Team USA scored decisive wins over teams of NFL players at the Fanatics Flag Football Classic. (Jevone Moore \/ Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)<\/p>\n Kyle Shanahan, the other NFL-led team\u2019s head coach, said he knew his players were screwed the second he started watching actual flag football tape. Team USA outscored the other teams 106-44 in three games. Payton said he\u2019d be surprised if even one current NFL player made the upcoming Olympic roster, with respect to the differences between the sports and the time required to acclimate.<\/p>\n Payton\u2019s comments juxtaposed with Goodell\u2019s comments to close the meetings. Goodell said he thinks \u201cwe\u2019ll see NFL players in the Olympics.\u201d<\/p>\n It\u2019s clear at this point to anyone who plays or coaches either sport that for an NFL player to actually land on the Team USA roster ahead of the 2028 L.A. Summer Games, that player would have to put serious time and energy into specific training. As any Olympic sport would require.<\/p>\n Coaches and other key decision-makers in flag football are adamant they will only field the best flag football players on their Olympic teams. Yet Goodell seems determined to get some piece of the NFL on the men\u2019s roster. Someone will have to blink first, and it probably shouldn\u2019t be the favorites for the gold medal in the sport\u2019s first Olympic season in their home country.<\/p>\n Officiating unrest<\/p>\n A story that wasn\u2019t publicly discussed much due to the NFL\u2019s warning memo, but isn\u2019t going away: The league\u2019s labor dispute with the NFL Referees Association and subsequent authorization to start the process of hiring replacement refs. The NFLRA\u2019s current collective bargaining agreement will expire at the end of May. The Athletic reported last week<\/a> that the two sides are still far apart in negotiations, citing people familiar with those plans, and members of NFL leadership have begun identifying and recruiting potential replacement game officials. Among the identified candidates are referees in the college football ranks.<\/p>\n If those replacement refs are hired before the May 31 CBA expiration, the league would likely see little reason to urgently progress talks with the NFLRA. A lockout and another go-round with replacement refs could be coming, the results of which were catastrophic when it last happened in 2012. That season, the \u201cFail Mary\u201d caused national anger among fans and across the 32 teams and was a catalyst for the two sides to finally agree to terms.<\/p>\n \u201cThe negotiations haven\u2019t progressed the way we had hoped from a timing standpoint,\u201d Goodell said in his Tuesday remarks. \u201cWe obviously have obligations to our fans, to everybody at the National Football League to play. And we will be prepared to play.\u201d<\/p>\n Three-year deals<\/p>\n A quiet trend that has continued for a few years drew additional interest this offseason: three-year deals for players. The Athletic\u2019s Daniel Popper noted a slight uptick in three-year deals among his top-150 free agents<\/a> (46 this season versus 38 last season). Over the Cap also told me that the total number of three-year deals done per year has held fairly steady since 2022, so it\u2019s not a new trend. But between 2021 and \u201926, OTC found, three-year deals represent the highest number of deals done in which the average compensation per year is over $10 million.<\/p>\n Last year around this time, I spoke with an NFC executive who believed this trend was here to stay, and said his team had seen an increase in agents and players wanting a shorter-termed contract \u2014 particularly if it were a second contract (so, the next one after the initial four-year rookie deal).<\/p>\n That executive said players feel such deals are friendlier to them. They can potentially sign a higher number of deals over the length of their careers if they are termed for fewer years. Plus, teams seem to prefer using void years for any cap flexibility instead of formally adding fourth and fifth years; players don\u2019t often see the last year or years either, because they have a new deal, they move teams or otherwise.<\/p>\n But the trend from an organizational perspective may lend well to quicker builds or rebuilds, too. Sprint-rebuilds are popular right now, especially among teams that are OK with eating a large sum of dead money all in one year, overhauling and then limiting financial investment into at least one side of the ball (they need to nail their draft picks there to do it right). Quicker rebuilds mean quicker roster turnover, which make shorter-termed contracts friendly to the organization as well.<\/p>\n Going for a quicker rebuild is sometimes also a result of impatient owners who are faster to fire coaches and GMs. Contracts or extensions for those personnel are often for three years these days. And a new head coach may be very active in his first year of free agency to bring in veteran players whom he\u2019s familiar with to establish his scheme and culture \u2014 all the while knowing he may not get more than the three-year window to do it.<\/p>\n The Raiders\u2019 quarterback plan \n The Raiders have spent the offseason preparing for the inevitable arrival of quarterback Fernando Mendoza. (Jeremy Hogan \/ SOPA Images\/ LightRocket via Getty Images)<\/p>\n While many NFL people wondered where veteran quarterback Kirk Cousins would eventually sign, he answered that question on Thursday by agreeing to a deal with Las Vegas<\/a> that pays him $20 million guaranteed \u2014 only about $11.3 million of it from the Raiders themselves over the next two league accounting years.<\/p>\n I like to look at this move and another the Raiders made that could have felt superfluous (to some) in the same investment bucket: the Quarterback Development Plan. It\u2019s not a huge secret that the Raiders will likely draft Indiana star and Heisman winner Fernando Mendoza with the first pick later this month. Bringing in Cousins, a veteran who can help a young player understand how to be the type of pro who attracts interested teams seemingly every free agency period \u2014 and also help the team avoid rushing that younger quarterback onto the field too quickly \u2014 was a smart move.<\/p>\n![\"Team](\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/GettyImages-2267644591-scaled.jpg\")
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