Jared Goff and the Detroit Lions enter the 2026 NFL offseason watching the NFC’s quarterback market shift fast. Minnesota has emerged as the frontrunner to sign Kyler Murray once he clears waivers, per NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero. That news carries real weight for Detroit, which finished 2025 as one of the conference’s top contenders.

The Lions front office built a complete roster around Goff’s play-action efficiency and sharp red zone reads. But the NFC North arms race is not slowing down. A Murray-led Vikings offense would give coordinator Wes Phillips a dual-threat dimension that Detroit’s defense, under Aaron Glenn, has not faced from Minnesota in recent years.

Murray to Minnesota Changes the Division Math

Minnesota’s pursuit of Murray is the most direct threat to Detroit’s NFC North standing this offseason. Pelissero reported Sunday on The Insiders that the Vikings are the favorite to land Murray once his release is official. His mobility creates a secondary stress that pocket passers simply do not generate — scramble rates force linebackers to widen run-fit gaps, which pops throwing lanes underneath.

For Glenn’s defense, which leaned on gap integrity and zone coverage in 2025, a mobile Murray would demand personnel adjustments before the snap. Blitzing more is one answer. The risk? Murray extends plays well outside the pocket, so a failed blitz leaves Detroit’s corners on islands.

Minnesota finished 2025 without a settled answer at quarterback. Murray, when healthy, is a former NFL MVP who posted well above league-average EPA per dropback during his peak Arizona seasons. His injury record — missed time in 2022, plus knee and shoulder concerns — is a fair counterpoint. No contract terms between Murray and Minnesota have been confirmed.

Goff’s Contract Gives Detroit a Structural Edge

Read more: Myles Garrett Trade Value Rises After

Jared Goff’s extension locked him in as Detroit’s franchise quarterback through the mid-2020s, and his cap number stays manageable relative to the top of the market. That stability lets general manager Brad Holmes chase complementary pieces rather than scrambling to fund a starter’s second deal.

The broader NFL market shows just how fast costs are climbing. Philadelphia extended defensive tackle Jordan Davis on a three-year, $78 million deal with $65 million guaranteed, per Ian Rapoport. Trent McDuffie, acquired from Kansas City via trade, quickly signed a four-year, $124 million extension with his new club. Every position group is escalating. Teams that already have their quarterback locked up — Detroit being one — carry a real structural advantage when building depth.

Holmes has used that room wisely. Detroit’s roster construction prioritizes depth and positional versatility, which shows up in turnover margin and time-of-possession data. Goff’s high completion rate, low interception numbers, and strong passer rating in clean pockets make him a cost-effective anchor for a team built to win now.

Detroit’s Offseason Checklist

The Lions’ priority list runs through the trenches and the secondary. With Goff under contract, Holmes can direct cap dollars toward defensive backfield depth and edge-rusher reinforcement. Los Angeles re-signed Khalil Mack on a one-year, $18 million fully guaranteed deal, per Rapoport — that sets a market floor for pass rushers Detroit may want to add.

Goff performs best when the Lions control the line of scrimmage and build play-action off a lead. That formula holds only if the offensive line stays healthy and the defense limits NFC North opponents to manageable totals. A Vikings squad potentially quarterbacked by Murray would stress that plan twice in 2026.

Detroit’s cover-two and quarters-coverage packages worked well against traditional pocket passers last season. Adjusting those looks for a scrambler like Murray is a different project entirely — more pre-snap disguise, more two-high safety rotations, more willingness to spy with a linebacker. Glenn has the personnel to adapt. Whether the Lions get that work done before Week 1 is the real offseason test.

NFC-Wide Moves Setting the 2026 Baseline

Read more: NFL Trades: Three Wide Receivers Available

San Francisco locked up kicker Eddy Pineiro on a four-year, $17 million contract with $10 million guaranteed. Dallas placed a second-round restricted free agent tender on kicker Brandon Aubrey worth $5.76 million, per Pelissero. Neither move reshapes a division, but both reflect a league-wide push to lock down roster spots before the new league year opens.

Detroit has done the same with its core. The Lions enter 2026 with Goff as their foundation and enough cap flexibility to add around him. In a league where quarterback stability is the scarcest commodity, that is a genuinely strong spot to operate from — and Holmes knows it.

Key Developments Around the NFC This Offseason

• Pelissero reported Sunday on The Insiders that Minnesota is the frontrunner to sign Murray after his official release.
• McDuffie’s four-year, $124 million extension after the Kansas City trade ranks among the largest cornerback deals this cycle.
• Philadelphia’s Jordan Davis extension — three years, $78 million, $65 million guaranteed — locks up a centerpiece of their Super Bowl defensive line.
• Dallas tendered Aubrey at the second-round level for $5.76 million, securing one of the NFL’s most accurate kickers at a controlled cost.
• The Chargers’ Mack deal is fully guaranteed at $18 million, an unusual structure that signals Los Angeles’s confidence in the veteran pass rusher’s health.

Myles Garrett’s trade market just got a whole lot more interesting. The Las Vegas Raiders’ decision to ship pass rusher Maxx Crosby to the Baltimore Ravens has reset the going rate for elite edge talent across the NFL, and Cleveland Browns brass are watching every development closely as the 2026 free agency period opens.

Bleacher Report published a trade-value projection for Garrett in the days following the Crosby deal, framing the Browns’ franchise cornerstone as one of the most coveted defensive players available if Cleveland ever pulled the trigger on a move. The timing matters. With Crosby’s price tag now established as a market anchor, any team shopping for a top-end pass rusher knows exactly what the floor looks like.

Why the Crosby Deal Changes Myles Garrett’s Market

The Maxx Crosby trade to Baltimore set a concrete benchmark for elite edge rusher compensation and return value. Before that deal closed, front offices were operating on projections. Now they have a real transaction to reference when calculating what Myles Garrett — a player who has posted double-digit sacks in multiple seasons and earned Defensive Player of the Year honors — would actually cost in picks and cap space.

Breaking down the advanced metrics, Garrett’s pressure rate and pass rush win rate have consistently ranked among the top three at his position over the past three seasons. The numbers suggest his market value exceeds Crosby’s, not because Crosby isn’t elite, but because Garrett is two years younger and still operating at the peak of his physical tools. That age curve matters enormously to cap-conscious front offices evaluating multi-year roster construction.

Denver Broncos head coach Sean Payton reportedly texted Crosby after the Raiders trade was announced, a detail that reveals just how closely coaches around the league track these moves. When a deal of that magnitude drops, every defensive coordinator with a pass rush need starts recalibrating their offseason board.

Which Teams Could Target the Cleveland Browns’ Star Defender?

Read more: Jared Goff and the Lions Face

Bleacher Report identified several best-fit destinations for Myles Garrett in the event Cleveland makes him available, connecting his skill set to teams with both the cap room and the draft capital to make a serious offer. The Browns have not publicly indicated any willingness to move their franchise player, but the Crosby deal has made the conversation unavoidable around the league.

Several contenders carry the salary cap flexibility to absorb a contract of Garrett’s magnitude. Teams that missed the playoffs in 2025 and carry top-ten picks are the most logical trade partners — they can offer premium draft compensation without gutting a roster that’s already competing. A team surrendering two first-round picks plus a starter-level player would represent the kind of haul that could genuinely accelerate Cleveland’s rebuild, if that’s the direction the front office chooses.

The film shows why demand would be immediate. Garrett’s first-step quickness off the snap, combined with a counter spin move that offensive tackles simply cannot reliably neutralize, makes him a scheme-fit for virtually any 4-3 or 3-4 base defense. Defensive coordinators don’t need to build around him — they just plug him in at the five-technique or stand-up rush end spot and let the production follow.

Trey Hendrickson and the Free Agency Ripple Effect

Trey Hendrickson’s availability in free agency adds another layer of complexity to the Myles Garrett trade conversation. Bleacher Report outlined top landing spots for Hendrickson after the Crosby deal, noting that teams now face a choice between pursuing a proven veteran free agent or going all-in on a blockbuster trade for Garrett. Those are very different risk profiles.

Hendrickson represents a lower-cost, lower-risk option for teams that want pass rush help without surrendering first-round picks. But here’s the honest counterargument: Hendrickson is 30 years old and entering the back half of his career window, while Garrett is 30 as well but has shown no physical decline. For a team with a two-to-three year championship window, the gap between them on the field is real enough to justify the premium. Based on available data from the 2025 season, that gap in pressure generation is measurable and consistent, not a one-year fluke.

Key Developments in the Myles Garrett Trade Speculation

Read more: NFL Trades: Three Wide Receivers Available

• Bleacher Report specifically framed the Crosby-to-Ravens deal as the catalyst for renewed Myles Garrett trade value projections, publishing the analysis within 48 hours of the Raiders transaction closing.
• The Las Vegas Raiders, New England Patriots, Tennessee Titans, and Washington Commanders were all identified as teams active in the pass rusher market during this same offseason window, signaling broad league-wide demand for elite edge talent.
• Indianapolis Colts receiver Alec Pierce’s negotiations were described as going “down to the wire” with multiple suitors, illustrating how this free agency period has been defined by prolonged, multi-team bidding wars rather than quick signings.
• Sean Payton personally reached out to Maxx Crosby via text following the Raiders trade, a detail that underscores how the coaching community views Crosby’s relocation as a seismic shift in the AFC pass rush landscape.
• Wide receivers Mike Evans, Rashid Shaheed, Romeo Doubs, and Wan’Dale Robinson are all in play during the same free agency cycle, meaning team salary cap allocations are being stretched across multiple position groups simultaneously — which directly affects how much draft capital any suitor can realistically offer Cleveland.

What Happens Next for Cleveland’s Franchise Edge Rusher?

Cleveland Browns general manager Andrew Berry has not signaled any openness to trading Garrett, and the organization has consistently treated him as untouchable. That posture makes sense on paper — you don’t move a generational pass rusher unless the return is historically good. The Crosby deal, though, has now defined what “historically good” looks like in real dollars and draft picks, which means the Browns’ front office is fielding calls whether they want to or not.

The most likely outcome, based on available data and the Browns’ stated organizational direction, is that Garrett stays in Cleveland through at least the 2026 season. A new coaching staff, a reshaped roster, and a potential contract extension discussion are all more probable near-term developments than a trade. But the salary cap implications of keeping a player at Garrett’s price point — while also rebuilding the offensive side of the ball — will require careful cap management from Berry’s staff. Defensive scheme breakdown analysis suggests Garrett’s value is maximized in a two-gap front that lets him operate freely, not a scheme that asks him to set the edge against the run on every snap.

Draft strategy analysis for Cleveland in the 2026 NFL Draft will also reflect the Garrett situation. If he stays, the Browns can invest high picks on offensive line and quarterback depth. If a trade materializes, that haul of picks reshapes the entire draft board. Either path is defensible. The front office brass just needs to decide which timeline they’re building for.

Defensive end Rashan Gary posted — then deleted — a social media farewell to the Green Bay Packers on Friday, March 6, 2026, triggering immediate speculation about his future with the franchise. NFL Network insider Tom Pelissero reported that Gary had neither been released nor traded as of Friday, though all options remain on the table.

The cryptic post drew attention across the league because Gary still carries significant contractual weight. He signed a four-year, $96 million extension in 2023 and has two years left on that deal, meaning any separation would carry substantial dead-money implications for the team’s salary cap strategy.

The timing lands squarely in the league’s most volatile window — the days immediately before the new league year opens — when roster decisions accelerate and social media posts carry outsized weight. Gary’s deletion of the message only sharpened the uncertainty, leaving the organization and its fanbase without a clear answer on one of the defense’s most prominent pieces.

Defensive Context and Gary’s Contract Structure

Gary is the central pass-rush figure in Green Bay’s defensive front. He was the 12th overall pick of the 2019 NFL Draft, a pedigree that shaped the franchise’s willingness to commit $96 million to him in 2023. With two years remaining on that extension, the club faces a binary choice: retain a high-cost edge rusher or absorb dead money to move on.

Neither path is cost-free. The salary cap implications of either decision will ripple through the team’s offseason roster construction. General manager Brian Gutekunst has invested heavily in the defensive front over three seasons, and Gary’s contract represents the largest single commitment in that effort. Any trade or release scenario would require another team to absorb the remaining salary, or the Packers to eat the dead cap charge — a figure not publicly confirmed but substantial given the extension’s structure.

What Did Gary’s Deleted Post Actually Say?

Read more: Jared Goff and the Lions Face

Gary’s since-deleted social media message said goodbye to the Packers organization, according to NFL Network’s reporting. The post circulated before being removed, and Gary’s camp has not issued a formal statement explaining the deletion.

Pelissero confirmed that as of Friday, Gary remained on the roster — neither released nor traded — but emphasized that all options are still available to both sides. The post’s removal sharpened rather than resolved the ambiguity around his status. Whether it reflected a genuine farewell, a negotiating signal, or a moment of frustration, the front office must now respond before the calendar forces its hand.

When healthy, Gary generates consistent pressure from the edge with an above-average burst off the line and effective counter moves inside. That production profile is exactly what contending clubs covet in March. His departure would create a real scheme gap for a defense built around his motor and bend.

Key Developments in the Gary Situation

• Gary posted a goodbye message to the organization on social media Friday, then deleted it.
• Pelissero confirmed Gary has not been released or traded as of Friday.
• All options — including trade and release — remain available to the club, per Pelissero.
• Gary signed a four-year, $96 million extension in 2023 and has two years left on the deal.
• Gary was selected 12th overall by the franchise in the 2019 NFL Draft.

Broader NFL Offseason Moves and What Comes Next

Read more: Myles Garrett Trade Value Rises After

The Gary situation does not exist in a vacuum. On the same Friday, the Houston Texans released running back Joe Mixon after Mixon asked to be let go, per NFL Network insiders Ian Rapoport and Pelissero. The Las Vegas Raiders announced they will release quarterback Geno Smith at the start of the new league year on Wednesday after just one season, per Rapoport.

Those moves confirm that franchises across the NFL are aggressively restructuring rosters ahead of free agency. Green Bay faces the same pressure. If Gary departs — through trade or release — the team would need edge-rush depth in free agency or through the draft, a gap that carries real consequence for a club still building around quarterback Jordan Love.

Elsewhere in the pass-rush market, the Texans locked up defensive end Danielle Hunter on a one-year, $40.1 million extension that includes a $30.7 million signing bonus, per Rapoport, Mike Garafolo, and Pelissero. That deal recalibrates the market rate for elite pass rushers and could inform whatever Green Bay ultimately offers Gary — or what a trading partner might pay — if talks resume. Hunter’s per-year value sets a credible ceiling for Gary’s market, though Gary’s age and remaining contract years introduce variables that complicate a direct comparison.

Green Bay’s front office has not commented publicly on Gary’s post or his roster status. The organization’s next move — whether a contract restructure, a trade, or a quiet resolution — will define the shape of the defensive front entering the 2026 season and signal how Gutekunst intends to manage cap space in what is already a complex offseason.