Brooke Pryor
Stephen Holder
Stephen Holder
ESPN
Stephen joined ESPN in 2022, covering the Indianapolis Colts and NFL at large. Stephen finished first place in column writing in the 2015 Indiana Associated Press Media Editors competition, and he is a previous top-10 winner in explanatory journalism in the Associated Press Sports Editors national contest. He has chronicled the NFL since 2005, covering the Tampa Bay Buccaneers from 2005-2013 and the Colts since 2013. He has previously worked for the Miami Herald, Tampa Bay Times, Indianapolis Star and The Athletic.
Though it’s technically the offseason, there has been plenty of action around the league in the five months since confetti rained down on the Philadelphia Eagles in New Orleans.
It was a stretch marked by new coaches, new quarterbacks and old rules. And, of course, it’s not an offseason without a little Aaron Rodgers drama.
NFL Nation reporters Brooke Pryor and Stephen Holder help you catch up on everything you might’ve missed — or forgotten about — as the league’s 32 teams report to training camp and officially kick off the preseason.
New addresses
There’s going to be a lot of mail rerouted to and from Pittsburgh after this offseason. Typically a quiet team in free agency and the trade market, the Steelers bucked tradition as general manager Omar Khan spent the last couple of months wheeling and dealing. Hours before free agency’s legal tampering period began, Khan got a head start on the Steelers’ roster overhaul by trading for Seattle Seahawks wide receiver DK Metcalf.
Since then, the Steelers have been a revolving door of roster transactions. They signed cornerback Darius Slay and Rodgers (more on him later), traded for cornerback Jalen Ramsey and tight end Jonnu Smith, and shipped off safety Minkah Fitzpatrick to the Miami Dolphins and wide receiver George Pickens to the Dallas Cowboys.
Believe it or not, teams other than Pittsburgh also made significant moves during the offseason. Quarterback Geno Smith was the first domino to fall when he was acquired by the Las Vegas Raiders from Seattle on March 7. From there, the Seahawks signed Sam Darnold to a three-year, $100.5 million contract, while former New York Giants first-round pick Daniel Jones signed with the Indianapolis Colts to compete with Anthony Richardson Sr. for the starting job. Former Steelers quarterbacks Justin Fields and Russell Wilson both headed to New York, though Fields went to the Jets and Wilson signed with the Giants.
Wide receivers were on the move, too, including Stefon Diggs signing with the New England Patriots, Deebo Samuel Sr. getting traded to the Washington Commanders, Cooper Kupp signing with the Seahawks and Davante Adams landing with the Los Angeles Rams. — Pryor
New coaches galore
Nearly a fourth of NFL teams swapped coaches this year, with seven franchises making changes in 2025.
Among the biggest was the long-awaited move by former Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson, who was in demand last year but opted to hold out for the right opportunity. That brought him to Chicago, where this season he’ll lead the Bears and quarterback Caleb Williams in hopes the team can fulfill its high expectations. It’ll be no small feat if Johnson, who coordinated a prolific offense in Detroit, can unlock Williams’ potential and get the Bears on track. Chicago has still never had a 4,000-yard passer, but Johnson will try to make Williams its first.
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The return to the game of two accomplished former coaches — Mike Vrabel with the New England Patriots and Pete Carroll with the Raiders — will be a couple storylines worth monitoring. The pair had unceremonious exits from their former teams — the Tennessee Titans and Seahawks, respectively — and now they’re being tasked with turning around two teams that each won four games last season. Are they up for the challenge?
One of the most-watched situations in 2025 will be in Dallas, where the Cowboys promoted former offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer to head coach. Can he achieve better postseason results than his predecessors for a team that has managed just two postseason victories in the past 10 seasons?
Other new coaches include Liam Coen with the Jacksonville Jaguars — after his controversial exit from Tampa Bay — Aaron Glenn with the New York Jets and Kellen Moore with the New Orleans Saints. — Holder
The tush push lives!
Rarely has the NFL’s sausage-making become as public and as intriguing as it did during the spring debate over the future of the so-called tush push.
Ultimately, the highly successful short-yardage play perfected by the Philadelphia Eagles survived in the face of those who wished to ban it. A rule proposal that would have specifically outlawed the play failed to pass at the league’s annual meeting in March. Then, a revamped proposal that was seen as more palatable — it was designed to prohibit pushing ball carriers from behind in all scenarios — also failed at the league’s May meeting. That measure fell short by two votes.
The whole situation produced substantial debate among owners and executives, with ESPN reporting in May that Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie delivered a passionate, hourlong speech during a closed-door meeting defending the play. Then, he enlisted former Eagles center Jason Kelce to add additional context and to address injury concerns that helped fuel the effort to outlaw the play.
Lurie reportedly criticized commissioner Roger Goodell during his speech for advocating for the ban. It all became somewhat personal because another team, the Green Bay Packers, was proposing a rule change that largely targeted a single team, the Eagles. That put the Eagles on the defensive.
“I don’t think it’s a great football play,” Packers coach Matt LeFleur said. “It’s more of a rugby play.”
But, for now, quarterback Jalen Hurts and the Eagles may push to their hearts’ content. Philadelphia has run the play 124 times since 2022 and has a conversion rate of 85.5%.
Elsewhere, the kickoff remained fluid this offseason. After last year’s significant change to the “dynamic kickoff” approach, owners approved a small change they hope will have a major impact. For 2025, kickoffs that result in touchbacks will give the offense possession at the 35-yard line as opposed to the 30. The change, NFL owners hope, will increase the rate of kickoff returns from the 32.8% of kicks that were returned last season — a disappointing number that fell well short of what NFL officials had envisioned. Teams may be less inclined to kick the ball into the end zone knowing a touchback will start at the 35.
Overtime procedures were also tweaked for 2025, with the NFL now adopting in the regular season its postseason approach of guaranteeing both teams the opportunity to possess the ball in the extra period. Previously, regular-season games ended if a team scored a touchdown on the opening possession of overtime.
Finally, replay assist will be expanded this season, providing greater latitude by replay officials to address specific calls without a coach’s challenge when “clear and obvious” video evidence is available. — Holder
Another Rodgers saga
“As Aaron Rodgers’ Mind Turns” was the soap opera of the offseason. Again. Released by the Jets after a tumultuous two-year tenure, Rodgers hit free agency for the first time in his career in March.
Though he was quickly linked to the Steelers, Rodgers maximized his time as an unattached player by taking more than three months to officially decide against retirement and sign with the team. He inked a one-year, $13.65 million contract just prior to the team’s minicamp in early June, and he promised his new teammates that he was “all-in.”
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“I don’t need it for my ego,” the four-time MVP said at minicamp. “I don’t need it to keep playing. A lot of decisions that I’ve made over my career and life from strictly the ego, even if they turn out well, are always unfulfilling. But the decisions made from the soul are usually pretty fulfilling.
“This was a decision that was best for my soul, and I felt like being here with coach [Mike Tomlin] and the guys that got here and the opportunity here was the best for me, and I’m excited to be here.”
Though Rodgers showed his commitment to playing football this season, he admitted it will likely be his last in an appearance on “The Pat McAfee Show.”
“Yeah, I’m pretty sure this is it,” Rodgers said. “That’s why we just did a one-year deal. Steelers didn’t need to put any extra years on that or anything, so this was really about finishing with a lot of love and fun and peace for the career that I’ve had.”
While Rodgers has one more year to chase another Super Bowl, he already added one ring this year: a wedding ring. The 41-year-old quarterback confirmed he’s been wearing a wedding ring on his left hand after getting married earlier in the offseason. — Pryor
NFLPA chaos
Instead of fighting the NFL on behalf of its players, the NFL Players Association in recent months found itself consumed by internal strife.
Following a series of revelations, executive director Lloyd Howell resigned after two years on the job last week. Lloyd, in a statement, said his “leadership has become a distraction to the important work the NFLPA advances.”
The growing number of problems facing the union under Howell became too much to ignore. In May, ESPN reported that the FBI was investigating the financial dealings of the NFLPA and the Major League Baseball Players Association with a group-licensing firm, OneTeam Partners. That prompted the NFLPA to hire an outside law firm to review Howell’s activities. The FBI investigation is ongoing, sources told ESPN.
Word later emerged that Howell was working as a part-time consultant for the Carlyle Group, a private-equity firm that is seeking ownership stakes in NFL teams. That raised questions about a possible conflict of interest. Howell also faced scrutiny over a confidentiality agreement with the NFL earlier this year that hid from players the details of an arbitration decision that found that NFL executives urged team owners to reduce guaranteed money in player contracts.
Additionally, ESPN reported recently that Howell was sued for sexual discrimination and retaliation in 2011 while he served as an executive at consulting firm Booz Allen. There remains ambiguity about whether players who voted for him during the 2023 election for executive director knew about the lawsuit.
On Friday, ESPN reported that an outside investigator reviewing Howell’s activities found improper expenses charged to the organization, including car service trips to a strip club.
And over the weekend, NFLPA chief strategy officer JC Tretter announced he is resigning from his position and has withdrawn himself from consideration for the NFLPA’s interim executive director position.
A story to watch going forward is the NFLPA’s appeal of the collusion case related to conversations around reducing salary guarantees. The arbitrator ruled against the NFLPA but did find that “concerted action was contemplated and invited” by league executives. — Holder
Other headlines
Back up the Brink’s truck: It was a good offseason to be a pass rusher up for an extension. Maxx Crosby, Myles Garrett and T.J. Watt all took turns being the highest-paid non-quarterback in the league as they agreed to lucrative extensions. As the last one of the three to finalize his deal, Watt currently owns the highest-paid title with an average annual salary of $41 million.
And pass rusher wasn’t the only position to get a raise this offseason. Fresh off his first MVP season, Bills quarterback Josh Allen was rewarded with a brand new six-year contract that will pay him $330 million with $250 million guaranteed.
Super Bowl-winning running back Saquon Barkley was also paid for his accomplishments with a two-year, $41.2 million contract. The Jets also worked out lucrative extensions for wide receiver Garrett Wilson and cornerback Sauce Gardner, and the Lions made Kerby Joseph the highest-paid safety in the league with a four-year, $86 million deal. And while the Bengals secured their explosive wide receiver duo in Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins, they’re still at a stalemate with 2024 sack leader Trey Hendrickson. — Pryor
The Shedeur slide: Once considered a first-round pick candidate, Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders had an unprecedented draft slide to Day 3 before he was selected by the Cleveland Browns in the fifth round.
Sanders was the second quarterback drafted by the Browns after they picked Oregon’s Dillon Gabriel in the third round. The Browns also have veterans Kenny Pickett and Joe Flacco competing for the starting job.
Travis Hunter, however, didn’t have the same problem as his former Colorado teammate. The two-way Heisman winner went to Jacksonville after the Jaguars traded up with the Browns to snag him at No. 2 overall, and he’s expected to play both ways in the NFL. — Pryor
Happy trails: Former Saints and Raiders quarterback Derek Carr, 34, announced his retirement in May following pain in his throwing shoulder during his first extensive throwing session of the offseason. Imaging showed Carr had a torn right labrum and “significant degenerative changes to his rotator cuff.”
Wide receiver Mike Williams, defensive end Brandon Graham and tackle Tyron Smith also all announced retirements. — Pryor
Law and order: Vikings receiver Jordan Addison resolved a 2024 DUI case by pleading no contest to a lesser charge, according to his attorney. The adjudication resulted in a sentence of 12 months of probation that could be reduced to six months if Addison fulfills other obligations.
Elsewhere, Chiefs receiver Rashee Rice was sentenced to 30 days in jail and five years probation for a 2024 chain-reaction, high-speed crash that resulted in injuries on a Dallas expressway. Rice, who pleaded guilty to two third-degree felonies, will be allowed to serve the jail time at any point during the probationary period. Police said Rice was traveling at 119 mph just before the crash occurred.
Both players are subject to NFL suspensions now that their cases are resolved. — Holder
