Bills quarterback Josh Allen will be working with a new head coach in Joe Brady, but the two are familiar since Brady was the offensive coordinator the past two seasons under Sean McDermott.
Bills quarterback Josh Allen will be working with a new head coach in Joe Brady, but the two are familiar since Brady was the offensive coordinator the past two seasons under Sean McDermott.Danielle Parhizkaran/Globe Staff
It’s important to consider all sides to a story — the good and the bad, the optimistic view, and the pessimistic one.
Last week’s column focused on the best signings, trades and coach hirings of the 2026 NFL offseason. This week, we’ll look at the opposite. Not necessarily the “worst” moves of the NFL offseason, because some of them may work out. Let’s call these the most “questionable” moves of the past five months, which come with a raised eyebrow and degree of risk:
▪ The Bills fire Sean McDermott, promote Joe Brady to head coach.
After nine seasons, eight with Josh Allen, McDermott certainly had his chances to reach a Super Bowl. And his coaching likely held the Bills back in several playoff losses over the years. But not in 2025, which was one of McDermott’s better performances with a flawed roster.
Yet McDermott, who led the Bills to seven straight seasons of 10-plus wins, got sacked anyway, ostensibly because the owner got impulsive in the locker room following the playoff loss in Denver. Brady, 36, has loosened the atmosphere in Orchard Park and works well with Allen, but he’s a first-time head coach who was just handed the keys to the Porsche.
▪ The Jets fire all the assistants but keep coach Aaron Glenn.
The Patriots can always count on their division rivals to make goofy moves. The Jets were right to fire all their coordinators and position coaches after last season, a 3-14 debacle in which they were the first team in NFL history to not record an interception. Yet owner Woody Johnson inexplicably kept Glenn, who looked overmatched in his first season after a long career as a player and defensive coordinator.
Does anyone in that locker room actually believe Glenn has job security? Of course not, and chances are the Jets will be looking for another coach in 2027.
▪ The Rams draft quarterback Ty Simpson.
The Rams had a great offseason — they re-signed Matthew Stafford with little drama, loaded up on defense with Myles Garrett and Trent McDuffie (and maybe Aaron Donald), and got Stafford a new tight end and offensive tackle in the draft.
The Rams are smart to prepare for the future, but even with Stafford, 38, going year-to-year, using the 13th pick on Simpson was a head-scratcher. Simpson is hardly a can’t-miss prospect. He started one year in college, and many analysts questioned if he was worth a first-round pick, let alone so high. The comparisons to the Chiefs a decade ago aren’t on point — Alex Smith was a limited quarterback and Patrick Mahomes had elite physical tools, while Stafford is the reigning MVP and Simpson a project.
Coach Sean McVay’s agitated demeanor during his draft-night press conference created the impression that he was not initially on board with the pick. The Rams surely could have used it on a player who will contribute more to this year’s Super Bowl run.
▪ The Colts give Alec Pierce $60 million.
Indianapolis did what teams are supposed to — it drafted Pierce in the second round in 2022, watched the wide receiver steadily improve over four seasons, then rewarded him in free agency with a four-year, $114 million contract (with $60 million guaranteed over the first two seasons). The Colts also cleared the way for Pierce to take a bigger role by trading Michael Pittman to the Steelers.
Still, that’s a big contract (top-10 receiver money for the first two years) for a player whose career highs are 47 catches for 1,003 yards and has never been a high-volume guy. Plus, Pierce might not be ready to practice until mid-to-late August after undergoing ankle surgery in March.
▪ The Bills trade a second-round pick for receiver D.J. Moore.
Buffalo did get Allen a new weapon. But the addition of Moore looks underwhelming compared to the Patriots adding A.J. Brown, the Broncos acquiring Jaylen Waddle, the Steelers trading for Pittman and the 49ers signing Mike Evans.
Brady has a history with Moore, helping him go for 159 catches, 2,350 yards and eight touchdowns in 2020-21 with Carolina. But that was a half-decade ago. In 2026, the Bills gave up a premium draft pick (No. 60 overall in the second round) for a 29-year-old receiver who fell out of favor in Chicago and is coming off his worst season, with career lows in catches (50) and yards (682).
▪ The Dolphins give Malik Willis a starting job and $45 million guaranteed.
Willis has certainly played well in his limited opportunities, completing 30 of 35 passes last year for 422 yards and three touchdowns. New Dolphins coach Jeff Hafley and general manager Jon-Eric Sullivan know Willis well from having spent the last two years with him in Green Bay. And the money isn’t crazy — at $22.5 million per year, Willis ranks 17th among quarterbacks.
Still, the Dolphins committed to a QB with just six starts and 155 pass attempts in four NFL seasons. This after the Dolphins had to eat $53 million this year to release Tua Tagovailoa. If Willis struggles, they’ll be stuck with a $22.5 million bill next year.
The Dolphins instead could have signed Kyler Murray for $1.3 million and taken a no-risk shot on a former No. 1 pick who is still only 29 years old.
▪ The Eagles hire Sean Mannion as offensive coordinator.
The fact that he is only 34 and played in the NFL as recently as 2023 can be a positive. Mannion runs the McVay offense, which could help Jalen Hurts rebound from a tough season. And the Eagles had a tough sales pitch this year — they are coming off a season with extreme dysfunction, anything less than a Super Bowl is disappointing, and last year’s OC, Kevin Patullo, got crushed by media and had his house egged by fans. Mannion may have been the best the Eagles could do.
But Philadelphia sure is putting a lot on a guy with two whole years of coaching experience. Mannion was first an offensive assistant in Green Bay in 2024, promoted to quarterbacks coach there in ′25, and now is the Eagles’ chief architect and playcaller. Nothing like getting thrown to the wolves.
After months of negotiations, Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield remains only under contract for this year.
After months of negotiations, Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield remains only under contract for this year.Matthew J. Lee/Globe Staff
CONTRACT TALK
Mayfield-Buccaneers impasse continues
Baker Mayfield has participated in the Buccaneers’ workouts all spring and hasn’t made a public stink about his contract. But with Mayfield entering the final year of his deal at $27 million, the quarterback and team are at an impasse after months of negotiating.
The Buccaneers adjusted his contract last year, increasing his pay from $30 to $44 million but lowering his 2026 pay by a similar amount. Now Mayfield is one of the lowest-paid starters.
“The contract stuff, not anywhere close to what we were thinking,” Mayfield said recently. “We love the community, we love being here. They’ve embraced us. … Would love to be here long term and as of right now, that’s not exactly the case.”
The 31-year-old has been a terrific fit with Tampa Bay, resurrecting his career and leading the Buccaneers to the playoffs twice in three years. But he’s coming off a tough season in which the team missed the playoffs at 8-9, and his numbers took a significant drop, including completion percentage (71.4 to 63.2), touchdowns (41 to 26), passing yards (4,500 to 3,693) and yards per attempt (7.9 to 6.8).
Mayfield set the start of training camp as the deadline for a new deal, but coach Todd Bowles doesn’t seem concerned.
“Baker’s a true pro,” Bowles said. “He loves it here, we love him here. The contract stuff takes care of itself.”
Deshaun Watson is back in action with the Browns but has not been named the starting QB.
Deshaun Watson is back in action with the Browns but has not been named the starting QB.David Richard/AP Photo/David Richard
ETC.
QB ‘competitions’ heating up
A quick roundup of news from the mandatory minicamps most teams held last week:
▪ The teams holding quarterback “competitions” (I use quotes because rarely are they truly open) declined to name a starter going into training camp.
Browns coach Todd Monken isn’t ready to name Deshaun Watson the starter yet, saying Shedeur Sanders is doing a “better job” and “making quicker decisions.”
Vikings coach Kevin O’Connell wouldn’t name Murray the starter yet over J.J. McCarthy, but Murray said splitting reps, which he is doing for the first time in his career, is making it more difficult to learn the offense.
The Cardinals are still figuring out their options, with Gardner Minshew leading the offense this spring while Jacoby Brissett angles for a raise. Brissett reported to minicamp last week but didn’t participate in team drills.
And Falcons offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt said the competition between Tagovailoa and Michael Penix doesn’t start until Penix returns to practice following a late-season ACL tear. Penix should be back on the field in training camp but Tagovailoa is the clear leader to start Week 1.
▪ The Chiefs had a busy week. Patrick Mahomes got a new contract reportedly worth $64 million per year, which would vault him past Dak Prescott ($60 million) as the NFL’s highest-paid player. They traded right tackle Wanya Morris, who started 11 games in 2024, to the Falcons for a late-round pick swap. Coach Andy Reid announced that receiver Rashee Rice, currently in jail for violating parole, should be ready for training camp after undergoing a knee procedure.
“He gets out [of jail] here somewhere in this next week,” Reid said. “He’ll be back up here and working.”
▪ The Falcons made Drake London the third-highest paid receiver in the NFL at $35.2 million, just ahead of Justin Jefferson ($35 million) but behind Jaxon Smith-Njigba ($42.1 million) and Ja’Marr Chase ($40.25 million).
▪ Christian Gonzalez didn’t participate in Patriots team drills last week, but Seahawks cornerback Devon Witherspoon did. They both are angling to become the NFL’s highest paid corner, and both are represented by agent Reggie Johnson.
▪ The Buccaneers were docked a day of practice by the league for violating rules about contact at offseason practices.
“We’ve got a lot of new guys trying to learn how to practice, but we cleaned that up and kind of took care of it,” Bowles said.
Sports Broadcasting Act
Two aspects appear to be true about the House subcommittee meeting Wednesday that examined whether the NFL is abusing the 1961 Sports Broadcasting Act that gives the league its antitrust protection.
One, the hearing didn’t occur because the Republican-led congress is suddenly concerned about media consolidation. It took place because Fox’s Rupert Murdoch is waging war against the NFL in retaliation for skyrocketing rights fees and in fear of being elbowed out by deep-pocketed streamers like Netflix, YouTube, and Amazon.
“Now we are here to discuss the NFL, not because the majority has introduced any legislation to address the high cost of sports viewership, but because Rupert Murdoch personally lobbied the president at a White House dinner in February, warning that the NFL’s streaming deals would, quote, kill broadcast networks like Fox,” said US Rep. Jerry Nadler (D-N.Y.).
Added US Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.): “The DOJ’s investigation and this hearing appear to be all about helping Mr. Murdoch get a better broadcast deal for Fox. That hardly seems like a principled or methodical way for us to proceed.”
Two, even if the hearing was done as a favor, the NFL better take it seriously. Commissioner Roger Goodell and the league declined to participate in the hearing, but there is clear support on both sides of the aisle to examine the NFL’s embrace of streaming services and whether it violates the ’61 SBA.
“Yes, we should reform the Sports Broadcasting Act,” Nadler said. “Fans are being asked to pay too much across too many platforms just to watch their favorite teams.”
Said US Rep. Scott Fitzgerald (R-WI): “The Sports Broadcasting Act was enacted to expand access to sports broadcasting, not to facilitate exclusive streaming arrangements that force fans to pay more for less. In my view, the NFL seems to have lost sight of the original purpose of the legislation, and in fact, they may even be in violation of the law right now.”
Things are working out for rookie Fernando Mendoza (left) and veteran Kirk Cousins in Las Vegas.
Things are working out for rookie Fernando Mendoza (left) and veteran Kirk Cousins in Las Vegas.Ethan Miller/Getty
Extra points
Kirk Cousins has entered the “don’t call me a mentor” portion of his career that Joe Flacco has mastered. Cousins knows it’s only a matter of time before No. 1 pick Fernando Mendoza takes over as quarterback of the Raiders, but their relationship isn’t strictly mentor-mentee. “More of a narrative than it is the truth,” Cousins said last week. “Nobody’s leading more than someone else. I think we’re all a working force together, helping each other, giving feedback, giving perspective [and] giving another set of eyes.” … The New York Times reported last week that famed surgeon Neal ElAttrache, also the team doctor for the Rams and Dodgers, supported the therapeutic use of performance-enhancing drugs for fighter Connor McGregor. The NFL and Rams declined comment but ElAttrache told the LA Times he spoke with Major League Baseball, “and I am very comfortable with the process that the league and I will complete to assure the public that I have followed every rule and regulation in my medical treatment of athletes without exception. My record is completely clean, including in this case.” ElAttrache performed Tom Brady’s ACL surgery back in 2007 … How badly does Garrett want to win? Though he could command the highest defensive salary in the game, Garrett didn’t really get a pay raise. The Rams bumped the defensive end’s pay from $32 million to $37 million, but his tax liability also increases by $5 million going from the Browns in Ohio (3 percent) to California (13). Garrett is making $33 million per year when the top pass rusher makes $50 million … Alex Freeman, a 21-year-old right back for Team USA’s World Cup entry, is the son of former Packers receiver Antonio Freeman … Among the many bad decisions by Brandon Aiyuk over the past year is his choice to skip the 49ers’ offseason program. Had the wide receiver shown up, the 49ers undoubtedly would have released him rather than risk injury and be on the hook for his salary. Instead, they are squatting on his rights and making it tougher for him to find a job in 2026 … The Patriots probably need to sign a veteran blocking tight end now that Julian Hill has suffered a season-ending injury. Three available names that stick out: Will Dissly, Nick Vannett, and Pharaoh Brown, who played for the Patriots in 2023 … Interesting move by the Broncos to give coach Sean Payton a new five-year contract (which is usually code for a raise) in the same offseason they gave his playcalling duties to offensive coordinator Davis Webb. This was probably done to counteract the impression that Payton was on the hot seat … Former Browns guard Joel Bitonio retired last week, with five All-Pros in 12 seasons. Equally impressive, he was named Browns media’s “Good Guy Award” winner six times. “I was drafted the same year as Johnny Manziel,” Bitonio said. “And we actually roomed together. I learned some things not to do from him.”
Ben Volin can be reached at ben.volin@globe.com.