What are the 10 biggest questions as we enter the NFL offseason?

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With the 2025 NFL season now officially in the books, it’s time to peek ahead to next season.

No rest for the weary, either. The Scouting Combine begins in Indianapolis in two weeks, free agency is slated to start at the end of the month, and the draft is right around the corner.

Before you know it, teams will be on the field starting their offseason programs.

Seattle Seahawks head coach Mike MacDonald holds the trophy as quarterback Sam Darnold and others look on after the team’s win in Super Bowl LX against the Patriots, Feb. 8, in Santa Clara, Calif. AP

Don’t you just love the year-round NFL news cycle?

It’s never a dull moment.

Here are 10 early storylines to keep an eye on:

1. Can John Harbaugh get the New York Giants turned around?

The Giants did not waste any time reeling in Harbaugh as their new head coach. Days after the longtime Ravens coach was surprisingly fired by Baltimore, the Giants convinced him to come to New York on a deal that will pay him $100 million over five years.

Harbaugh was compelled to join the Big Blue out of respect for the iconic brand and legacy. But he’s also intrigued by young quarterback Jaxson Dart, whom the Giants traded back into the first round of last year’s draft to select out of Mississippi.

Dart was the most impressive rookie quarterback in the NFL, and it looks like he has the chops to be a pretty big deal. Maybe even the next great Giants quarterback.

As a starting point in his new gig, Harbaugh could have done far worse.

With the quarterback seemingly in place, all eyes will be on Harbaugh to see if he can bring his Baltimore competence and winning ways to New York. And sooner rather than later.

Giants head coach John Harbaugh holds a Giants helmet after he was introduced as the new head coach at a press conference at the Giants training facility, Jan. 20. Charles Wenzelberg / New York Post

2. Will 2026 finally be the Buffalo Bills’ year?

Josh Allen and his crew must still be kicking themselves after fumbling the best chance they’ve ever had to punch their ticket to the Super Bowl.

With Patrick Mahomes injured and the Chiefs not even in the playoff picture, and the Ravens unable to get out of first gear, the Bills’ path to the Super Bowl was the clearest it’s ever been.

Only to lose to the Broncos in the divisional round, and be stuck at home watching second-year quarterback Drake Maye and the young Patriots take their place in the big game.

The failure ended up costing Coach Sean McDermott his job.

Joe Brady, the club’s offensive coordinator, now takes over. And with Mahomes and the Chiefs still a question mark, and no real juggernaut in sight in the AFC, it’s time for Allen and the Bills to break through.

But will they?

Buffalo Bills QB Josh Allen responds to questioning after the playoff game against the Broncos, Jan. 17, in Denver. AP

3. Do the Kansas City Chiefs bounce back?

Speaking of the Chiefs, they watched the Super Bowl from home for the first time since 2022. Mostly because they never quite got it together, but also because Mahomes tore the ACL and LCL in his left knee in December.

The injury required reconstructive surgery, leaving his 2026 timeline in doubt.

Mahomes was spotted at a Super Bowl event last week and seemed to be walking without a hitch. But walking and playing NFL football are two distinctly different things. When will Mahomes be cleared to play football, and at what level will he be playing when he does, are two of the biggest questions in the NFL.

And that doesn’t even account for the fact that the Chiefs looked like a shell of themselves even when he was on the field. Their lost year resulted in them securing the ninth pick overall in the 2026 draft. That could help expedite their return, as it may reel in a much-needed wide receiver weapon or potentially a solid offensive lineman.

Still, there is a lot of uncertainty in Kansas City.

Patrick Mahomes of the Chiefs ahead of the game against the Broncos in Denver, Nov. 16. Getty Images

4. Fernando-mania?

The Las Vegas Raiders have their head coach in Klint Kubiak, the Seahawks’ former offensive coordinator who helped turn Sam Darnold into a Super Bowl quarterback and the Seattle offense into one of the best in the NFL.

The deal between the Raiders and Kubiak is expected to be finalized this week.

They may also select their next quarterback, with all signs pointing to them selecting Indiana’s Fernando Mendoza with the top pick in the 2026 draft.

The Mendoza/Kubiak pairing offers all sorts of tantalizing possibilities, with Kubiak’s ability to get Mendoza up and running as quickly as possible one of the NFL’s most intriguing subplots.

If the Raiders hit on Kubiak and Mendoza — and keep in mind they have the best tight end in the league in Brock Bowers and an elite young running back in Ashton Jeanty — a Raiders turnaround might not be too far off.

Fernando Mendoza of the Indiana Hoosiers celebrates after defeating Miami Hurricanes 27–21 in the 2026 College Football Playoff National Championship in Miami Gardens, Florida, Jan. 19. Getty Images

5. The LA Rams Super Bowl-bound?

Save for a couple of inopportune special teams gaffes in the regular season and playoffs, the Rams could have easily been the NFC’s entry into the Super Bowl rather than the Seahawks.

But those are the breaks, right?

Will the pain from their self-inflicted wounds be the fuel that drives them back to the Super Bowl next year?

Quarterback Matthew Stafford has indicated he will play at least one more season next year, and the club has two first-round picks to add to an already loaded roster. They also have a projected $46.7 million under the cap to make key additions in free agency and lock up some of their own talented players on new contracts.

Don’t be surprised if the Rams are the favorites to reach the Super Bowl next year at their home-field Sofi Stadium, no less.

Rams’ Matthew Stafford wins the AP MVP award during the NFL Honors, Feb. 5 in San Francisco. AP

6. What will Daniel Jones get from the Indianapolis Colts?

Daniel Jones was playing like an MVP candidate for most of the year, giving the Colts tremendous value for the $14 million they were paying him on a one-year prove-it deal.

But then he tore his Achilles in December, sending the Colts’ season into a spiral and creating all sorts of confusion on how the club should handle a new contract for him.

Based on how he was playing before the injury, the former “G-Men’s” QB could easily argue for a deal that exceeds $50 million a year.

But then, we all saw what happened to Jones the last time a team gave him a fresh new contract, and that was before he suffered such a debilitating injury.

On the other hand, the Colts’ other quarterbacks are Anthony Richardson and Riley Leonard. And that is a frightful thought.

They may have to give Jones what he wants, past warts and current injury status aside.

Colts QB Daniel Jones leaves the field with an apparent injury at EverBank Stadium Jacksonville, Florida, Dec. 7. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

7. Will Maxx Crosby get traded?

The Raiders’ star pass rusher was the talk of Super Bowl week thanks to his good friend and workout partner Jay Glazer of Fox Sports letting everyone know Crosby isn’t interested in yet another Raiders rebuild, and that his days in Las Vegas could be numbered.

Crosby has since walked some of that back, but where there is smoke, there is usually fire. And it makes a lot of sense that Crosby might want out, given he’s 28 years old, meaning he has just a finite amount of peak years left, and likely wants to make sure he can maximize them.

With all that in mind, he could be looking at the Raiders’ latest rebuild, knowing full well all the others he’s been a part of went nowhere, and thinking, “No way.”

Then turns to the Raiders, asking for a trade.

Multiple league sources told The Post that Crosby could fetch an offer that includes two first-round picks, which the Raiders could use to expedite their rebuild around Indiana’s Mendoza, the favorite to be picked first overall in the 2026 draft by the Raiders.

The Bills, Patriots, Bears, Cowboys and Packers are among the teams that could show interest.

Maxx Crosby of the Raiders runs off the field at Lincoln Financial Field on Dec. 14 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Getty Images

8. What happens with Tua Tagovailoa?

The assumption is Tagovailoa’s days in Miami are done. Not only did he get benched last year after his play deteriorated, but his coach Mike McDaniel got fired.

New coach Jeff Hafley, the former Packers defensive coordinator, has no real ties to Tagovailoa, and no one would blame him if he wanted a fresh start.

Or Tagovailoa, for that matter.

One problem: Tagovailoa’s contract will be hard to trade.

He’s under contract through the 2029 season for $212 million, although it’s structured in a way that the Dolphins can move on from him after next season.

However, they are on the hook for $54 million guaranteed next season, and short of the Dolphins attaching a first-round pick to convince someone to take on Tagovailoa and his salary, it’s not likely they can move him.

Cutting Tagovailoa before June 1 would mean a $99 million dead-cap hit next season. If they do it as a post-June 1 cut, the 2026 dead-cap hit would be split between a $67.4 million hit in 2026 and $31.8 million in 2027.


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9. Another Super Bowl for Las Vegas?

The NFL has Super Bowl sights in place for 2027 in Los Angeles and 2028 in Atlanta.

It’s uncertain beyond that, although that is expected to change at some point this year. Potentially this spring at the NFL’s annual league meetings in Phoenix.

The leader in the clubhouse is Las Vegas, which hosted the big game just two years ago in 2024. However, the region did such a great job, and the reviews were so positive, that the NFL is eager to return.

The league and the city have been in negotiations for months, and an announcement of a deal could happen soon.

Allegiant Stadium in Paradise, Nevada. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

10. Stadium watch

The Browns, Bears and Chiefs all appear to be on the move to new stadiums.

The Browns’ plan to play in a new $2.4 billion domed stadium in suburban Brook Park is a done deal; They are expected to kick off in their new home in 2029.

On the other hand, the Chiefs and Bears face some obstacles in their stadium quests.

The Chiefs have an agreement in place to move from their longtime home at Arrowhead Stadium in Missouri to a new $3 billion domed stadium across the state line in Wyandotte County, Kansas.

There are a few hurdles to clear before the deal is completely finalized, though.

Kansas state leaders are still trying to make sure the project stays under the 70% threshold of STAR Bonds, and that the Chiefs can guarantee that the stadium and facilities are surrounded by acceptable mixed-use developments. In addition, Kansas wants assurances that the club is committed to a community benefit fund and increasing the amount every year.

Those seem like formalities, so expect a final decision sometime this year.

The Bears might also be crossing state lines by moving from Illinois, where they prefer to stay, to northwest Indiana, which is making a major push to convince the Bears to move across the border.

The Bears are running out of time to make it work in Illinois, where no one has been able to put together an acceptable partnership deal. Don’t be surprised if Indiana steals the Bears sometime this year.

Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: nypost.com