NFL Mailbag: Jackson, Young, Broncos, Steelers, OL
This week's edition of the PFR mailbag looks at questions tied to both sides of Sunday's go-or-go-home Ravens-Steelers matchup, Bryce Young's Panthers future, the Broncos' playoff outlook and more.
Mitchell asks:
Do you think the Ravens should explore trading Lamar Jackson? If he really becomes available at 29, what do you think the team could get?
Some of the revelations from this summer’s NFL-NFLPA collusion case included details on the nature of negotiations between Jackson and the Ravens leading up to his extension. That process certainly wasn’t perfect, but the arbitrator’s findings confirmed a departure was never really imminent in that case.
Bills’ Lingering WR Problem Threatens To Undercut Josh Allen Advantage
In maybe the most interesting AFC playoff picture of the century, the Broncos have a clear path to the No. 1 seed. Las Vegas certainly expects the Patriots -- 4-13 in Jerod Mayo's one-and-done season -- to add the No. 2 seed to their bounce-back dossier, while the Jaguars have made a climb nearly as stunning to move the precipice of the No. 3 slot.
Recent playoff bastions Houston and either Baltimore or Pittsburgh will also be present, and Jim Harbaugh will end his second Chargers season 5-for-6 in postseason qualifications as an NFL head coach. The first AFC playoff bracket excluding the Chiefs since 2014 and including a host of favorites with nuclei lacking postseason experience opens the door wide for the Bills, who are now riding the NFL's longest active playoff streak at seven.
While it is arguable the Bills had the better team than the Chiefs in 2021, 2023 and 2024, various issues interfered as Kansas City's AFC dominance persisted. A Chiefs-less playoff field opens the door for the Bills, but they will need to leave their home blues in Buffalo after failing to win the AFC East for the first time since Tom Brady's 2019 Patriots finale. Although the Brady-led Buccaneers advanced to Super Bowl LV in 2020, that journey came with few (or no) fans present at home venues. The last true all-road Super Bowl venture came when the Packers made that trek 15 years ago.
The Bills are also lacking in run defense, with Ed Oliver's injury absence looming large. Injuries, however, are not affecting Buffalo at wide receiver. That personnel issue has persisted since the team traded Stefon Diggs in April 2024. These playoffs promise to be quite interesting for the Bills since they will have a potentially significant edge at quarterback in every AFC game they play, but the wide receiver issue that has nagged the franchise could undercut it to a notable degree.
Pro Football Rumors Front Office Subscriber Chat: 1/2/26
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NFL Mailbag: Lottery, Dak, Lions, Colts
This week's edition of the PFR mailbag looks into a potential NFL draft lottery while also answering questions on a hypothetical Dak Prescott trade, the futures of the Lions and Colts, and more.
Jake asks:
Do you think the NFL should consider implementing a lottery like the other major sports have? This Giants-Raiders matchup features a far greater reward for losing, and it's obviously not the first such game. Wouldn't it be better if the league had a key protection measure for instances like this?
I’m elated to get a question on this topic based on the endorsement it will allow me to make, but we’ll get to that in a moment. My short answer on the idea of a lottery being worth consideration is yes.
I don’t see overt tanking as a problem to the same extent as it is in, say, Major League Baseball. With no minimum budget for rosters in baseball, teams can (and do) decide to remain non-competitive for years on end by simply not spending anywhere near the level of contenders. In the NFL, this isn’t an issue thanks to the rule requiring teams to spend (more or less) to the cap on an annual basis.
Pro Football Rumors Front Office Subscriber Chat: 12/26/25
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Jaguars’ Unorthodox Process Hitting Its Stride Changing Downtrodden Team’s Perception
Sean Payton's classification of the Jaguars as a small-market team certainly should not have ruffled feathers. It has always been the appropriate label. It just rarely comes up like it does in Major League Baseball, when that grouping largely determines team spending. The increasingly outspoken Broncos HC could have gone further (and likely has behind closed doors) about the AFC South franchise.
Calling the Jaguars an unsuccessful organization may be pushing it, as the three conference championship appearances did happen. But dysfunction and futility have largely defined the Shad Khan ownership era. The Jags can thank their small-market status along with the existences of the Browns, Jets and Raiders -- far more recognizable brands -- for being a rather anonymous bottom-tier franchise for the past 15 years.
Khan's Urban Meyer whiff aside, the Jags entered the season with a .302 win percentage in the owner's 13 full seasons at the helm. That ranked last in the NFL among current owners. Khan's start to this past offseason also did not inspire much confidence. Despite low expectations, the Jaguars have zoomed to 11-4. In a year featuring the most random set of AFC contenders -- the Bills could really take a beating if their Super Bowl drought continues this year -- in eons, this one jumps out. The Jaguars have emerged with the eighth-best odds to win Super Bowl LX.
Jacksonville's offseason included a push for Ben Johnson as head coach; other teams shared their infatuation. Johnson interviewed but expressed hesitation with a setup that had unpopular GM Trent Baalke running the coaching search. Khan keeping Baalke after firing Doug Pederson was certainly the wrong plan, as the embattled exec was hurting the search. Had Khan insisted Baalke stay on, the two-time GM would have been more likely to have chosen a coach who would not have forced him out. Liam Coen's about-face on the Jags after Baalke's dismissal highlighted the flawed process. While Coen was coming off a strong season with the Buccaneers, the Jags still seemed wrong to give a coach with Coen's resume so much power.
NFL Mailbag: Tua, Pickens, Sanders, HCs
This week's edition of the PFR mailbag covers questions relating to Tua Tagovailoa's future in Miami, the chances of playoff-bound coaches being fired, George Pickens' contract outlook and the Browns' quarterback setup.
Rick asks:
Is this the end of Tua time in Miami? He padded his stats at the end of [Monday] night's game, but that was bizarre to watch. As Aikman said repeatedly, there was zero urgency even though the team was playing for the postseason. Could something else be going on to lead to such an odd performance on the big stage?
This question came amidst the report Tagovailoa would be benched for Week 16, which has since been confirmed. Head coach Mike McDaniel opened the door to such a move in his postgame remarks.
Pro Football Rumors Front Office Subscriber Chat: 12/18/25
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Unusual Chiefs Season Set To Precede Roster-Building Challenges
The Chiefs moved closer to completing a Super Bowl-era threepeat than any other team. While this space attempted to establish some distance between the 2022-24 Kansas City squads and some of the truly all-time great teams shortly before the Eagles' dominant Super Bowl LIX victory, it remains a tremendous accomplishment for Andy Reid's bunch to reach a third straight Super Bowl.
Kansas City's 2024 season turned out to have fool's-gold elements. DVOA ranked last year's AFC champions eighth, while EPA per play placed the 15-2 team's offense and defense outside the top 10. Even when the Broncos' 38-0 win over Chiefs backups is discounted, Kansas City's plus-97 point differential was the worst for any 14- or 15-win team in the Super Bowl era. Officiating- and injury-generated breaks also boosted last year's Chiefs edition that far, to a degree preventing some issues from bubbling to the surface for most of the campaign.
The 2025 team carries similar numbers to the 2024 squad that pounced on those breaks en route to a fifth Patrick Mahomes-era Super Bowl. This year's team outflanks last year's edition in EPA per play on offense and defense and is significantly better in yards per play (5.5) compared to 2024 (5.1). Kansas City's DVOA figure (14.5) nearly mirrors its 2024 number (14.7).
As you may have heard, the Chiefs have struggled in close-game situations after going a preposterous 12-0 in one-score contests last year. Despite being 6-8, this is far from a broken team. That will make the autopsy more challenging compared to how Brett Veach repaired the offensive line in 2021 or executed the Tyreek Hill trade in 2022. Crucial tweaks are necessary, but challenges stand in the organization's way as it attempts to design another chapter of its dynasty.
Pro Football Rumors Front Office Subscriber Chat: 12/12/25
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