# NFL 2026 Offseason Thread **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Tags:** football-nfl\ **Created:** [February 13, 2026, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-2026-offseason-thread/1027644 "2026-02-13T18:22:52Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 12
**Author:** ![Great\_Antibob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e47c2d/32.png) [@Great\_Antibob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Great_Antibob)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2026, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-2026-offseason-thread/1027644/221 "2026-04-16T16:15:01Z")
I think somebody usually does. No hard and fast rules, though. Feel free to do one if you want to discuss a mock ---
**Author:** ![TroutMan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/troutman/32/6721_2.png) [@TroutMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TroutMan)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2026, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-2026-offseason-thread/1027644/222 "2026-04-16T17:25:53Z")
> [@ShadowFacts](#): > > Vrabel hasn’t commented further and the Patriots are keeping mum, presumably hoping it will all go away, but there’s blood in the water and the media sharks are definitely circling. It will be interesting to see if there is any blowback to Vrabel. There will be zero blowback. He’s a coach who did well last season, and he’s male. Consequences are for the women. ---
**Author:** ![Great\_Antibob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e47c2d/32.png) [@Great\_Antibob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Great_Antibob)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2026, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-2026-offseason-thread/1027644/223 "2026-04-16T17:39:51Z")
On Vrabel’s side, I’m not even sure what blowback there should be. While there’s the moral judgment around potential marital infidelity, that’s weak sauce for any consequences except in the court of public opinion. On Russini’s side, I could see the potential bind. If the staff guidelines for the Athletic include maintaining impartiality in reporting or perhaps even the appearance of it, that’s actually job related. That said, if these particular photos were of two men in a hot tub, one who happened to be a reporter covering the NFL and the other a coach, I doubt it would have gotten much coverage at all and probably no consequences for anybody unless they were photographed being physically intimate. And those types of double standards are stupid. ---
**Author:** ![fedman1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e495f1/32.png) [@fedman1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fedman1)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2026, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-2026-offseason-thread/1027644/224 "2026-04-16T17:57:20Z")
and now Niners are looking at the Syracuse punter–please, please, don’t draft him! ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2026, 6:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-2026-offseason-thread/1027644/225 "2026-04-16T18:06:50Z")
> [@Great\_Antibob](#): > > On Russini’s side, I could see the potential bind. If the staff guidelines for the Athletic include maintaining impartiality in reporting or perhaps even the appearance of it, that’s actually job related The sum total of my research on this is what I heard on sports radio so of course it’s 100% correct. From a professional point of view it’s much worse for Russini. She reported on the possibility of AJ Brown going to the Patriots. AJ has denied what was in the report. If Vrabel gave her information true or not that helped his team that’s just gamesmanship. If she reported compromised information just because of her romantic relationship that’s very damaging to her journalistic integrity and to whoever published it. ---
**Author:** ![EllisDee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ellisdee/32/4531_2.png) [@EllisDee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EllisDee)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2026, 6:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-2026-offseason-thread/1027644/226 "2026-04-17T06:36:05Z")
> [@ShadowFacts](#): > > lounging in a hot tub and holding hands > [@Great\_Antibob](#): > > if these particular photos were of two men in a hot tub, one who happened to be a reporter covering the NFL and the other a coach, I doubt it would have gotten much coverage at all If it were the same particular photos but the reporter was a dude, given that Vrabel is married to a woman, it very well may have been a story. (Bad voice translations usually irritate me, but for some reason I kind of liked seeing it mistranslate Vrabel as “variable.” You know what? Good effort!) ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2026, 5:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-2026-offseason-thread/1027644/227 "2026-04-19T05:23:47Z")
After being unable to reach terms with DT Dexter Lawrence on a contract extension, the Giants have traded him to the Bengals, in exchange for Cincinnati’s first-round pick (#10 overall) in next weekend’s draft. Lawrence is a two-time second-team All-Pro (2022 and 2023), and a three-time Pro Bowler; he’ll turn 29 this season. The Giants now have the #5 and #10 picks in the first round. > **[Sources: Giants trade DT Lawrence to Bengals for No. 10 pick](https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/48526634/sources-giants-trade-dt-lawrence-bengals-no-10-pick)** > > The Giants are trading DT Dexter Lawrence to the Bengals in a deal for the No. 10 pick in next week's NFL draft, sources told ESPN. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2026, 3:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-2026-offseason-thread/1027644/228 "2026-04-19T15:53:39Z")
> [@kenobi\_65](#): > > After being unable to reach terms with DT Dexter Lawrence on a contract extension, the Giants have traded him to the Bengals, in exchange for Cincinnati’s first-round pick (#10 overall) in next weekend’s draft. > > Lawrence is a two-time second-team All-Pro (2022 and 2023), and a three-time Pro Bowler; he’ll turn 29 this season. The Giants now have the #5 and #10 picks in the first round. > > [Sources: Giants trade DT Lawrence to Bengals for No. 10 pick - ESPN](https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/48526634/sources-giants-trade-dt-lawrence-bengals-no-10-pick) As a Giants fan I’m ok with this. Getting another 1st rounder gives them a lot of flexibility. Dexter made it clear that he was going to be a problem next season if he wasn’t traded. If he had a good year asking for a big extension would make sense. Instead he was fat and mediocre all season. It didn’t make sense for the team and for the cap. ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2026, 9:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-2026-offseason-thread/1027644/229 "2026-04-19T21:15:50Z")
> [@Loach](#): > > As a Giants fan I’m ok with this. Getting another 1st rounder gives them a lot of flexibility. Dexter made it clear that he was going to be a problem next season if he wasn’t traded. I’m going to call it a win for the Giants, and maybe also a win for the Bengals if being traded gives Lawrence the motivation to get back into form. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2026, 10:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-2026-offseason-thread/1027644/230 "2026-04-19T22:03:43Z")
> [@Atamasama](#): > > > [@Loach](#): > > > > As a Giants fan I’m ok with this. Getting another 1st rounder gives them a lot of flexibility. Dexter made it clear that he was going to be a problem next season if he wasn’t traded. > > I’m going to call it a win for the Giants, and maybe also a win for the Bengals if being traded gives Lawrence the motivation to get back into form. I think they will wind up taking an offensive skills player with one of those picks. Maybe Love at 5 if he’s still there. There’s grumblings about the return of Malik Nabors. Who knows if he’ll ever be back 100%. ---
**Author:** ![fedman1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e495f1/32.png) [@fedman1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fedman1)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2026, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-2026-offseason-thread/1027644/231 "2026-04-20T17:38:08Z")
so the Niners finally agreed with TW on 2 year deal, 2 yrs, $50M. But after reading this deal by Cowboys, looks like kickers are now a premium position: The [Dallas Cowboyscowboys) have made [Brandon Aubrey] the highest-paid kicker in NFL history. Aubrey agreed to a four-year extension that makes him the first kicker to earn $7 million per year and includes $20 million guaranteed, ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2026, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-2026-offseason-thread/1027644/232 "2026-04-20T18:09:34Z")
> [@fedman1](#): > > Aubrey agreed to a four-year extension that makes him the first kicker to earn $7 million per year and includes $20 million guaranteed, Well bless their hearts. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2026, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-2026-offseason-thread/1027644/233 "2026-04-20T18:20:28Z")
Aubrey is a very good kicker: in his three years in the league, he’s been named to the Pro Bowl every year, and first- or second-team All Pro every year. But, and I say this as a longtime student of the kicking game, and someone who aspired to be a kicker when I was younger: that’s a lot of money (and a lot of guaranteed money) for a position that has a high degree of variability, and at which a player can very quickly lose their mojo. In a given season, there are 3 to 5 great kickers, and 25 or so adequate-to-good kickers. You definitely don’t want to be one of the teams which winds up with a bad one (which can cost you games, and leads to churn and uncertainty once you start trying out new guys), but the difference between a good one and a great one is probably not so great that it’s worth a large salary premium. ---
**Author:** ![Great\_Antibob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e47c2d/32.png) [@Great\_Antibob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Great_Antibob)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2026, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-2026-offseason-thread/1027644/234 "2026-04-20T18:31:25Z")
It’s not a terrible number. It’s definitely big money by kicker standards but not huge in the grand scheme of things. It’s going to average about 2% of their cap over the next few years. Maybe less. With the cap exceeding $300 million and solidly growing every year, it’s perhaps a slight overpayment as long as he’s a reliable kicker. More than the money, I’m thinking the length of the contract is more of a gamble, but they were probably going to have to accept a 3-4 year deal or risk playing the game of kicker of the week ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2026, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-2026-offseason-thread/1027644/235 "2026-04-20T19:06:20Z")
Also, I had not realized how old Brandon Aubrey was: despite only having played in the NFL for three years, he’s 31 years old. He played professional soccer for two years (2017 and 2018), then was working as a software engineer. He spent several years (2019-2022) working with a special-teams coach to learn how to kick a football, then played 2 seasons (2022-2023) with Birmingham of the USFL, before signing with the Cowboys. The fact that he’s already over 30, and will be 35 when that contract expires, probably puts a bit more risk to it. ---
**Author:** ![Great\_Antibob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e47c2d/32.png) [@Great\_Antibob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Great_Antibob)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2026, 7:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-2026-offseason-thread/1027644/236 "2026-04-20T19:17:34Z")
A little bit more risk but kickers can have longer careers into their 40s. That is, as long as their accuracy stays up. At the very least, a slight overpayment for a kicker would not be the worst decision they’ve ever made. At least they didn’t pull an Al Davis and waste a first round pick on a kicker or punter. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2026, 7:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-2026-offseason-thread/1027644/237 "2026-04-20T19:22:05Z")
> [@Great\_Antibob](#): > > A little bit more risk but kickers can easily have longer careers. That is, as long as their accuracy stays up. And that’s the trick, of course. There absolutely have been kickers who have been effective well into their late 30s and 40s (Morten Anderson, Adam Vinatieri, Jan Steneurd, etc.). OTOH, there are guys like Justin Tucker, who was great until age 34, when he suddenly got the yips. Aubrey could be All-Pro for the next decade; he could go into the tank next year. Kicking is, frankly, a little weird and a little inexplicable. ---
**Author:** ![Moriarty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/moriarty/32/49_2.png) [@Moriarty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moriarty)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2026, 5:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-2026-offseason-thread/1027644/238 "2026-04-21T17:12:57Z")
> [@ShadowFacts](#): > > Vrabel’s comment on it was: “These photos show a completely innocent interaction and any suggestion otherwise is laughable. This doesn’t deserve any further response.” Vrabel cheated on his wife. > [@](#): > > I’ve had some difficult conversations with people that I care about, with my family, the organization, the coaches, the players. Those have been positive and productive And so now he has to grovel. > [@](#): > > We believe that in order to be successful on and off the field you have to make good decisions. That includes me, that starts with me. We never want our actions to negatively affect the team. We never want to be the cause of a distraction. And that takes care of that! > [@](#): > > …I care deeply about this football team and I’m excited to coach them. > > I also know that I’m going to attack each day with humility and focus. And what I can promise you is that my family, this organization, the team, the staff, the coaches, everybody, our fans most importantly will get the best version of me going forward. And that’s what I know. I’m excited to do that, but I wanted to just address this and thank you for dealing with a private and personal matter. > **[Mike Vrabel issues statement on photos with reporter Dianna Russini: "I've...](https://www.cbsnews.com/boston/news/mike-vrabel-statement-dianna-russini-photos-patriots/)** > > Mike Vrabel issued a brief statement Tuesday on the controversial photos taken of him and former Athletic reporter Dianna Russini at an Arizona resort last month. The draft starts Thursday! NFL! NFl! ---
**Author:** ![ShadowFacts](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shadowfacts/32/2934_2.png) [@ShadowFacts](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ShadowFacts)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2026, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-2026-offseason-thread/1027644/239 "2026-04-21T17:51:24Z")
> [@Moriarty](#): > > Vrabel cheated on his wife. Oh man, that statement is a masterclass in “how to say I had an affair without saying I had an affair.” 🤣 (I’m sorry for his wife and family - sucks that their family drama has to be public.) ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2026, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-2026-offseason-thread/1027644/240 "2026-04-21T19:01:40Z")
> [@ShadowFacts](#): > > (I’m sorry for his wife and family - sucks that their family drama has to be public.) I still suspect this was a private investigator hired by the wife or the wife’s lawyer. What I’ve heard is the pictures were being shopped around as “Mike Vrabel and some woman.” The photographer didn’t know who she was. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-2026-offseason-thread/1027644.md?page=11) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-2026-offseason-thread/1027644.md?page=13)