# 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:** 20
**Author:** ![Calder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e99b99/32.png) [@Calder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Calder)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2026, 10:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-2026-offseason-thread/1027644/381 "2026-06-26T22:07:01Z")
I haven’t seen much talk about Brandon Aiyuk, and his situation really is unusual. Diva wide receivers have a long history of blowing up at their own teams, but what’s happening here is different. I honestly can’t think of another star player who was still under contract, refused to show up to the facility at all, and ended up having his guarantees voided because of it. The closest comparison I can come up with is Deshaun Watson’s standoff with Houston — but even he showed up, “held in,” and worked with the team to get a trade lined up. Aiyuk isn’t even doing that. He doesn’t want to be traded, he wants the team to drop him. As a 49ers fan, I’m probably too close to the situation, so I’m curious how it looks from the outside. ---
**Author:** ![AlsoNamedBort](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alsonamedbort/32/3213_2.png) [@AlsoNamedBort](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AlsoNamedBort)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2026, 10:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-2026-offseason-thread/1027644/382 "2026-06-26T22:21:33Z")
> [@kenobi\_65](#): > > Though Brendan Sorsby has apparently not publicly mentioned any interest in playing in the CFL, the Canadian league has pre-emptively said that he isn’t welcome. I’m waiting to hear if he can play for my son’s peewee football league. ---
**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:** [June 26, 2026, 11:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-2026-offseason-thread/1027644/383 "2026-06-26T23:39:52Z")
> [@Calder](#): > > Diva wide receivers have a long history of blowing up at their own teams, but what’s happening here is different. I honestly can’t think of another star player who was still under contract, refused to show up to the facility at all, and ended up having his guarantees voided because of it. Le’Veon Bell held out an entire season. Now, he was on a franchise tag, but he turned down $14.5 million to try to get a better deal (which did happen with the Jets, but he sacrificed his career in the process). > **[Here's why Le'Veon Bell's holdout could have a lasting impact on the NFL](https://sports.yahoo.com/heres-leveon-bells-holdout-lasting-impact-nfl-022819114.html)** > > A loophole in the league's CBA could allow the Steelers running back to hold out all season and still potentially become a free agent. > For the strategy to work, a player has to be willing to give up one year of a franchise tag salary. That’s a steep price. > > Bell appears to be on the verge of that, turning down this season’s $14.5 million and putting the Steelers in a position where they’ll have to consider the cost of tagging him again in 2019 and paying him more than $25 million next year. As it stands now, Pittsburgh does not appear inclined to do that, so Bell will likely hit free agency in 2019, just as he desired. He sat out all year but later regretted it. > **[Le'Veon Bell regrets holding out, leaving Steelers: 'I should never have left'](https://sports.yahoo.com/leveon-bell-regrets-holding-out-leaving-steelers-i-should-never-have-left-200521933.html)** > > Bell's 2018 holdout and subsequent departure form the Steelers feels prescient in 2023. That still might be different though. The Steelers wanted to put him on a second straight franchise tag and he refused to do that. That might be different from accepting a contract but then not showing up. ---
**Author:** ![Hamlet](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hamlet/32/2818_2.png) [@Hamlet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hamlet)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2026, 3:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-2026-offseason-thread/1027644/384 "2026-06-27T15:53:54Z")
The Aiyuk situation seems like a talented football player with some mental health issues attempting to hold a team hostage for no good reason. And now it appears he’s willing to tank his own career in spectacular fashion because his prior bad decisions have consequences, and because he’s not getting his way. It’s an ugly situation, and I hope he gets some help. ---
**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:** [June 27, 2026, 4:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-2026-offseason-thread/1027644/385 "2026-06-27T16:00:34Z")
I didn’t realize (or had forgotten) that Aiyuk hasn’t played in nearly two years, since suffering a bad knee injury early in the '24 season. I don’t know if it’s mental health, just anger at Niners management, or what, but it sounds like there’s been bad blood for a while now. ---
**Author:** ![fedman1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e495f1/32.png) [@fedman1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fedman1)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2026, 6:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-2026-offseason-thread/1027644/386 "2026-06-27T18:27:15Z")
SF had just given him an extension; when he went on IL, he didn’t follow their medical advice, and most importantly, refused to show up at facilities, which was/is a requirement, hence the team voiding his contract ---
**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:** [June 27, 2026, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-2026-offseason-thread/1027644/387 "2026-06-27T19:12:36Z")
The Aiyuk plot thickens: > [@](#): > > [Brandon Aiyuk](https://www.espn.com/nfl/player/_/id/4360438/brandon-aiyuk) continued his online campaign against the [San Francisco 49ers](https://www.espn.com/nfl/team/_/name/sf/san-francisco-49ers) on Saturday, [posting a video on YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tuHF73RLWv4) in which he claims his former agent has influenced the ongoing situation and that general manager John Lynch recently showed up at his house. > > In the 3½-minute video, Aiyuk insisted that his relationship with the 49ers will never be repaired and that he has no plans to return to the team facilities – barring one exception. > > “We is not cool,” Aiyuk said. “We won’t be cool, and I will never be stepping in that building” outside of Oct. 19, a reference to when the 49ers host the [Washington Commanders](https://www.espn.com/nfl/team/_/name/wsh/washington-commanders) on “Monday Night Football.” > > Aiyuk has been trying to navigate his way to join the Commanders and play with quarterback and former [Arizona State](https://www.espn.com/college-football/team/_/id/9/arizona-state-sun-devils) teammate [Jayden Daniels](https://www.espn.com/nfl/player/_/id/4426348/jayden-daniels). He said in an Instagram video Wednesday that he would sign with the Commanders “tomorrow” if the 49ers would release him. > [@](#): > > Aiyuk pointed to Ryan Williams, his former agent who is friends with and has a business relationship with Lynch, as a source of the problems between himself and the 49ers. Aiyuk said in an Instagram story Friday that he had fired Williams in November, adding that “there’s nobody that will be speaking for me.” Williams is still listed as Aiyuk’s agent on the NFLPA agent directory. > > In the YouTube video, Aiyuk also claimed that Lynch recently came to his house, in part to allegedly apologize for the actions of 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan. Aiyuk, who offered no evidence that Lynch was at his home, said the situation wasn’t safe for him or his wife. > **[Brandon Aiyuk blames ex-agent as push to leaves 49ers continues](https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/49199010/brandon-aiyuk-blames-ex-agent-push-leaves-49ers-continues)** > > Brandon Aiyuk said in a YouTube video that his former agent has influenced the ongoing situation between him and 49ers and that general manager John Lynch recently showed up at his house. ---
**Author:** ![fedman1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e495f1/32.png) [@fedman1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fedman1)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2026, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-2026-offseason-thread/1027644/388 "2026-06-27T21:02:55Z")
so now paranoia! He should know by now that the SF fans would pack his bags and personally escort him out of town, not harass him like he claims. Of course, with Wiliams in business with Lynch, I can see collision idea ---
**Author:** ![Hamlet](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hamlet/32/2818_2.png) [@Hamlet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hamlet)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2026, 11:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-2026-offseason-thread/1027644/389 "2026-06-27T23:02:28Z")
Aiyuk is definitely trying his damndest to piss off the Niners so they’ll cut him. That’s his entire plan now because he’s made himself all but untradeable in the NFL. So the Niners will have to decide if it is worth it to get rid of him or maybe get a middling draft pick from the Commanders. Or (and this is the one I’m rooting for) if they say “Fuck It” and keep him on the roster just to fuck him over. ---
**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:** [June 28, 2026, 3:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-2026-offseason-thread/1027644/390 "2026-06-28T03:37:54Z")
That would be kind of satisfying, but they might worry about that making them a less desirable place for future free agents. ---
**Author:** ![garygnu](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/garygnu/32/2924_2.png) [@garygnu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/garygnu)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2026, 5:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-2026-offseason-thread/1027644/391 "2026-06-28T05:21:30Z")
While Aiyuk is on the “reserve/ left squad” list°, he doesn’t count as on the 90 man roster, and the 49ers don’t have to pay him a penny. Even when his $20+ million roster bonus comes due, because he’s not in the roster. In fact, not cutting him allows them to reduce or spread out the salary cap impact of the money they couldn’t void. He can virtually guarantee getting cut by filing for reinstatement and showing up at the team facility. I doubt he’d pass a physical, but they might cut him before that. But in any case he has a very simple and straightforward path to getting cut and he has so far refused. Being weird in social media videos ain’t gonna do it. Brandon has not been answering or returning calls from the 49ers. If John Lynch actually did go to his house (no evidence), it was an attempt at communication. And possibly an informal wellness check, because Aiyuk seems to be in the middle of a downward mental health spiral. (For me it went from annoying, to briefly funny, too truly concerning.) I think he needs legitimate psychological care. Besides acting crazy to annoy the team into releasing him, he has also taunted law enforcement over his whereabouts regarding his outstanding arrest warrant. I’m done with him as a player, but I don’t want this to end in tragedy. ---
**Author:** ![steatopygia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steatopygia/32/3132_2.png) [@steatopygia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/steatopygia)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2026, 7:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-2026-offseason-thread/1027644/392 "2026-06-28T07:33:48Z")
If Dan Snyder still owned the Commanders, he would have already sent two first round picks to SanFran. ---
**Author:** ![fedman1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e495f1/32.png) [@fedman1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fedman1)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2026, 2:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-2026-offseason-thread/1027644/393 "2026-06-28T14:20:41Z")
they haven’t had any problems so far–who wouldn’t want to join a perennial playoff team? ---
**Author:** ![garygnu](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/garygnu/32/2924_2.png) [@garygnu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/garygnu)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2026, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-2026-offseason-thread/1027644/394 "2026-06-28T20:23:22Z")
They won’t pay players who abandon the team and ghost management? Those monsters! ---
**Author:** ![Munch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/munch/32/5281_2.png) [@Munch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Munch)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2026, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-2026-offseason-thread/1027644/395 "2026-06-29T16:53:35Z")
Oh man - former Titan and Cardinals RB Chris Johnson reveals he’s been fighting an ALS diagnosis. He’s already in the “using a voice assistance computer controlled by his eyes” stage of the disease. Absolutely tragic - he was an absolute marvel on field. I wish him and his family the best. Fuck ALS. > **[Former NFL RB Chris Johnson discusses ALS diagnosis](https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/49214999/former-nfl-rb-chris-johnson-discusses-als-diagnosis)** > > Former Titans and Cardinals running back Chris Johnson told "Good Morning America" that he was diagnosed with ALS in 2025. ---
**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:** [June 29, 2026, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-2026-offseason-thread/1027644/396 "2026-06-29T17:02:53Z")
Horrible news, for sure. A study from a few years ago showed that pro football players are 4 times more likely than men in the general population to die from ALS, and that the longer they played in the NFL, the more likely developing ALS became (as well as an increased likelihood of CTE and Lewy body disorder). It’s hypothesized that head trauma is a contributing factor to all of these. As a lifelong fan of football, the revelations about the effect of playing the game on the players’ brains has made it increasingly harder for me to enjoy the sport the way I once did. > **[New Study Finds Pro Football Athletes Have Four Times Higher Mortality from ALS](https://spauldingrehab.org/about/news/pro-football-athletes-have-four-times-higher-mortality-from-als)** > > Professional football players may be four times more likely to die from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease) compared to the general population, according to the findings of a new study led by researchers from the... ---
**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:** [June 30, 2026, 12:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-2026-offseason-thread/1027644/397 "2026-06-30T00:37:27Z")
The Lions released cornerback Terrion Arnold today, after he was arrested and charged with armed robbery and kidnapping. > [@](#): > > Arnold, 23, has been in custody since Wednesday night, when he turned himself in. Authorities accuse him of orchestrating the abduction and beating of three men whom prosecutors believe he wrongly suspected of having stolen luxury goods and $100,000 in cash from him. > > According to prosecutors, the victims were abducted three days after cash and luxury items, including Rolex watches and Louis Vuitton bags, were reported stolen from Arnold at an Airbnb rental in the Tampa area. Prosecutors say that six of Arnold’s associates carried out the crimes by holding, beating and pistol-whipping the victims and that Arnold wasn’t there at the time. > > None of Arnold’s co-defendants had bond set for them. Two female co-defendants have pleaded guilty and are cooperating with authorities. Their statements tie Arnold to the crimes even though he was not at the apartment, according to prosecutors. > > Prosecutors argue that Arnold is as responsible for the crimes as his co-defendants because he told his associates that he thought he knew who had stolen from him and said that he wanted to confront them, setting events in motion. In a hearing earlier today (before being cut by the Lions), a judge set his bond at $1 million, and placed him on house arrest; prosecutors’ request to place Arnold on electronic monitoring were denied by the judge, as the defense argued that he would be unable to practice or play while wearing an ankle monitor. Arnold had been an All-American at Alabama, was the Lions’ first-round draft choice in 2024, and was a starter, before missing the second half of last season with a shoulder injury. > **[Lions release Terrion Arnold after CB's bond set at $1M](https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/49218761/lions-release-terrion-arnold-cb-bond-set-1m)** > > The Lions have released Terrion Arnold after he was arrested last week on felony charges of armed robbery and kidnapping, the team announced Monday. ---
**Author:** ![Zakalwe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zakalwe/32/270_2.png) [@Zakalwe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zakalwe)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2026, 12:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-2026-offseason-thread/1027644/398 "2026-06-30T00:47:25Z")
Who the fuck takes multiple Rolexes, Louis Vuitton’s, and $100,000 in fucking cash on VACATION? ---
**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:** [June 30, 2026, 1:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-2026-offseason-thread/1027644/399 "2026-06-30T01:09:40Z")
> [@kenobi\_65](#): > > The Lions released cornerback Terrion Arnold today, after he was arrested and charged with armed robbery and kidnapping. As I reported 4 days ago, he is potentially facing life in prison. That’s got to make it difficult to play football. ---
**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:** [June 30, 2026, 10:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-2026-offseason-thread/1027644/400 "2026-06-30T22:29:01Z")
For now, the Brendan Sorsby saga is quieting down. On the heels of being ruled ineligible for the 2026 season by the NCAA due to sports gambling, and the NFL announcing that they will not hold a supplemental draft this year for him, Sorsby and the NFLPA are now backing off on any possible legal action against the league, in return for: - Sorsby will be a “draft-eligible player” for the 2027 NFL draft. - The league will not punish Sorsby for any “currently-known” prior gambling activities, but reserves the right to investigate his actions further, as well as to take his prior activities into account if he ever faces discipline for breaking league rules in the future. In a contrite public statement, Sorsby indicated that he is now focusing on preparing for next year’s draft. > **[Brendan Sorsby won't sue NFL, will now prepare for 2027 draft](https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/49229498/brendan-sorsby-sue-nfl-now-prepare-2027-draft)** > > The NFL Players Association and Brendan Sorsby will not be pursuing litigation after the NFL's decision not to hold a supplemental draft this year, according to a memo sent to all 32 teams. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-2026-offseason-thread/1027644.md?page=19) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-2026-offseason-thread/1027644.md?page=21)