10 Burning Questions That Will Define the NFL Offseason

After about 40 minutes of Super Bowl LX, it was fair to begin thinking about the NFL offseason. The Seattle Seahawks had total control of the game, beating the New England Patriots 29-13 in Santa Clara on Sunday. It wasn’t competitive, not even when Drake Maye racked up garbage-time yards in the fourth quarter. As much of a slog as the Super Bowl was, the offseason should be exciting. So let’s start thinking about what comes next. We may have to wait until September for another game, but the NFL never sleeps. Here are 10 burning questions that will define the 2026 offseason. 1. Given they’re both almost definitely going to land with the Raiders, how will Fernando Mendoza click with Klint Kubiak? Let’s not stray too far from the Super Bowl to start. Kubiak, Seattle’s offensive coordinator, is leaving to become head coach of the Las Vegas Raiders, he confirmed on the field postgame. And it’s awfully likely that Mendoza, the Indiana quarterback and Heisman Trophy winner, is as well, as the No. 1 pick in the draft. Mendoza is a pro-style pocket passer whose upside might be Joe Burrow or Jared Goff, depending upon whom you ask. And that’s fine. Mobility isn’t a necessity for Kubiak’s system. The question is how Kubiak will handle Mendoza’s development. As we noticed with Vikings coach Kevin O’Connell, there’s a difference between maximizing a veteran QB (like Sam Darnold) and developing a young QB (like J.J. McCarthy). Throughout his career, Kubiak’s developmental QB projects included Paxton Lynch (2016-17), Brock Purdy (2023) and Spencer Rattler (2024). 2. Where can a needy team find a quality QB? For the teams desperately looking for a signal-caller, it’s a bad offseason. Mendoza will be a good solution for the Raiders, even if he’s not the elite prospect we’re accustomed to seeing at No. 1. But it gets bleak after him in the draft. In free agency, there’s Daniel Jones, who is coming off an Achilles injury and a broken fibula. There’s also Malik Willis, who looked great for a two-game span with the Packers — but so did Matt Flynn. (And if you can’t remember him, that’s the point.) There’s Mac Jones, who could cost a second-round pick to pry him from the 49ers. And maybe the Falcons will finally trade Kirk Cousins — maybe. That’s about it. 3. Will the Patriots stock up on pass-catchers? The Patriots should have their entire core returning on offense, which is great for continuity. But it should not stop them from finding a truly dominant force in the passing game for Maye. George Pickens would be pricey (in trade assets and dollars), but he’d be perfect for Maye, who excels throwing the deep ball. I totally understand this could be fool’s gold given his uneven pro performance, but Falcons tight end Kyle Pitts would be a compelling player in McDaniels’ system. “The show goes on. We gotta get back to work,” Patriots coach Mike Vrabel told reporters after the Super Bowl. 4. Can the Seahawks put themselves into position to repeat? Leading into the Super Bowl, Seattle was the odds-on favorite to win the title next season. But like any good team, opponents will come for their talent. Kubiak’s departure will hurt. The Seahawks have pending free agents: CB Tariq Woolen, RB Kenneth Walker, safety Coby Bryant, WR Rashid Shaheed and DE Boye Mafe, among others. But they also have an impressive $75 million in cap space. GM John Schneider will have his work cut out for him, because as we saw, this team will have to make up for Darnold. 5. Can Patrick Mahomes get healthy from his ACL tear by Week 1? The Chiefs QB wants to be on the field for the season-opener, but it’s hard to imagine he’ll be 100 percent. And he’ll have to be, if he and OC Eric Bieniemy want to have a more competent passing attack in 2026. 6. How different will the Eagles’ offense look? The Eagles won a Super Bowl a year ago, and I’m here wondering just how much they’ll blow up their offensive core. What a difference a year makes, huh? It feels just about inevitable that the Eagles will trade receiver A.J. Brown, who spoke openly about his discontent with his offensive usage. That would leave them with a gaping hole at receiver, which I’m not sure DeVonta Smith can fill alone. But receiver might not be GM Howie Roseman’s top priority, given how much the offensive line regressed this season. Can Roseman fix that, too? Just to add to the uncertainty, the Eagles hired OC Sean Mannion, who has just two years of coaching experience (and was a backup QB as recently as 2023). So, yeah, it’s a little chaotic in Philly right now. 7. What will Jerry Jones do next? Among other considerations, the Cowboys owner/GM will have to figure out 1) how to re-sign Pickens, the consensus top free agent who the team reportedly plans to franchise tag and 2) what to do with the draft haul that Dallas got from the Micah Parsons trade. Dallas picks at Nos. 12 and 20 in Round 1. If talks with Pickens don’t come together and he lands elsewhere, there’s a very strong draft class of wide receivers. 8. Who will rule the NFC North? The Bears famously promised to never give the division back. But the Green Bay Packers should only get better around maturing quarterback Jordan Love. The Detroit Lions did what they could to fight regression, bringing in new offensive coordinator Drew Petzing. The Vikings are likely to bring in a veteran QB who will probably be able to steer Kevin O’Connell’s system in a competent way. The division will be extremely competitive in 2026. Look out, Chicago. 9. What’s next for QB Jayden Daniels? No team disappointed quite like the Washington Commanders this season. They missed the playoffs after making the NFC Championship Game last season. That’s in large part due to Daniels’ injuries. With a new offensive coordinator in David Blough, it would be a delight to see Daniels get right — and not go the way of Robert Griffin III. 10. Which team will surprise like the Patriots and Seahawks? These two Super Bowl teams have three things in common: 1) A new and talented coach, 2) A new and talented quarterback and 3) An organization with a history of success. So who’s next? How about: the New York Giants.