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EspañolI was supposed to be there Monday night.
But did that happen?
No, it did not.
Then I was supposed to be there on Tuesday.
But did that happen?
No, it did not.
Then I was supposed to be there by Wednesday morning.
And did that, at least, happen?
No, friends, it most certainly did not.
As anyone that lives on the upper East Coast or just watched the news is aware, we had ourselves a BLIZZARD.
Travel was just wrecked all over the place, flights canceled, roads shut down, the whole thing was a disaster and with NBC Sports headquartered in Connecticut, it meant that my travel to Indianapolis for the annual NFL Combine was delayed, delayed, and delayed again.
I finally got there on Wednesday (after a three-hour delay, sigh) and the reason I bring this all up isn’t just to complain, but rather explain that, for the first time in the decade I’ve been going to the Combine, I missed all the press conferences.
Many of the head coaches and general mangers in the NFL meet the press for 15 minutes at a clip and I always attend them, listening to what they say, reading between the lines, and trying to sneak in a NFL question or two that’s really just a disguised fantasy question.
So, upon realizing that I was going to miss all the press conferences and we weren’t going to be able to do episodes of Fantasy Football Happy Hour from the Combine, I still decided to trudge through it all and get there. Why?
Because I would still be able to do the best thing about the NFL Combine: talk to folks. In bars and restaurants. In back corners, over coffee or drinks, late at night or just walking between hotel lobbies.
After we said hello to each other and caught on up families, kids and jobs, I asked the exact same question to my friends, contacts, league, and team sources and honestly, people I just met.
“What have you heard?”
There’s a quick pause and I always say the same thing.
“Look, every year I write a column from the Combine where I say ‘Hey, I’m not a journalist. I am not reporting this as news. I haven’t double-checked my sources or done extensive research here. These are just unsubstantiated rumors that I heard while drinking at bars late at night. So what have you heard?”
And then they tell me.
SO.
In case it wasn’t clear, let me put a fine point on this. Everything you are about to read is ENTIRELY gossip, rumors, and reasonably-informed speculation. I haven’t double-sourced or confirmed ANY of this.
Maybe it turns out true, maybe it doesn’t. I won’t be surprised either way.
For what it’s worth, I will say over the years this column DOES have a pretty good track record. In 2020, it was the first column to suggest Tom Brady would, in fact, leave New England and that the place he would go was a 7-9 Tampa Bay team, of all places. At the time, people were split on whether Brady would even LEAVE New England and if he did, NO ONE thought Tampa Bay was a possibility.
That was by far my greatest hit, but every year I hit on some good, off-the-radar ones. Last year, this column correctly predicted that teams were not as enamored with Shedeur Sanders as many in the media thought (telegraphing his draft day fall) and that the one team that DID like him was Cleveland. We predicted Sam Darnold would not be back with the Vikings, Russell Wilson would move on from the Steelers, Stefon Diggs would not be back with Houston and that New England would get a No. 1 WR for Drake Maye (that turned out to be Diggs). We had that the Buccaneers would bring back the very injured Chris Godwin with a big multi-year contract with guaranteed money and Deebo Samuel would go to the Commanders. We also predicted the Niners were so confident in Christian McCaffrey’s health (remember a year ago he had missed most of the previous season) that backup Jordan Mason would be traded, that A.J. Brown would NOT be traded, that Christian Kirk and Evan Engram would be moving on, making Brenton Strange a thing that year, that Amari Cooper, in the eyes of the NFL, “was done” and finally that Anthony Richardson was NOT guaranteed to start for the Colts this year. (Unthinkable a year ago this time).
So yeah, strong stuff. Of course I also had in that column that Justin Fields would return to the Steelers, that Tyrod Taylor would go into the season as the Jets starting QB, that Aaron Rodgers would wind up playing for the Giants or the Titans, that Sean Tucker would have a bigger role this year for the Bucs, and by far my biggest miss – I wrote that, with Minnesota not wanting Sam Darnold back, it’s hard to find a spot for him and that if things break a certain way, there’s a chance Darnold doesn’t have a starting job in 2025.” Oofa. Seattle was NOT on my radar at this time last year as I had no idea the Seahawks would move on from Geno Smith.
So yeah. Hits and misses.
So, to reiterate one last time, this column is NOT NEWS. Nothing you read below is anything more than rumors, gossip or an educated guess. It’s a column about me asking some pointed questions with a distinct fantasy football point of view and in some cases, reading between the lines in folks’ answers. These are unsubstantiated nuggets and tidbits, full stop.
Enough caveats for you? Good. Let’s get to it.
Here are the35 Most Interesting Rumors I Heard at the 2026 NFL Combine:
1. Not surprisingly, the majority of conversations at the Combine revolved around quarterbacks. And the most interesting one I heard involved Derek Carr. Yes, the retired 34-year-old Derek Carr. From what I heard, the Saints expect him to un-retire and play in 2026. The Saints are very happy with Tyler Shough, so New Orleans expects Carr to un-retire and then they will trade him.
To the New York Jets.
For what it’s worth, Vincent Bonsignore, a beat reporter for the Raiders, says he heard the Vikings for Carr.
Now, I did NOT hear that at all.
I did heard a BUNCH of names for the Vikings (more on that below), but Derek Carr was not one of them. What I heard was that the Saints think Carr will un-retire and they will be able to trade him to the Jets. Shrug emoji.
2. Speaking of the Jets, I heard two other rumors about them for QB. One was Kyler Murray. (More on Kyler coming up as well). And the other? Fernando Mendoza.
The Mendoza stuff is very much me squinting and trying to read something that probably isn’t there. So, this is even more of a stretch, but here’s the thinking and this is me piecing together a bunch of very small comments here and there.
But the feeling I heard is that consensus on Mendoza is that he’s good, not great. That his projected No. 1 overall draft selection is more about a very weak QB class than the idea he’s a can’t-miss franchise maker. To put it another way, I spoke to a few scouts who said if Mendoza came out two years ago, he’d have been drafted after Caleb Williams, Jayden Daniels, Drake Maye, and maybe Bo Nix. And that if he’d come out last year, he’d had been drafted after Cam Ward. Those are just to give you a comparison level and explain that in most years, Mendoza wouldn’t be the No. 1 overall pick.
Mendoza was awesome last year, of course, but also played behind an incredible offensive line. So, now you have the Raiders, who, ahem, do not have an incredible offensive line. The Raiders have many things, including a bunch of needs all over the roster, a competent current QB in Geno Smith, a division with the Broncos, Chiefs, Chargers so it’ll be a while before they can compete and, oh yeah, a minority owner who is sure to have strong opinions on the QB position.
If the Jets offer a haul (and they have the picks to do so) I think there is a non-zero chance the Raiders take it. Let Geno (or another veteran) start this year as they take a QB a little later and try to develop him, or maybe they just wait until next year for a better QB class.
3. So, back to Kyler Murray. I don’t know what team he is playing for next year. I just know what team he isn’t and that’s the Arizona Cardinals. A trade seems unlikely, but they’ll try. If not, expect Murray to be released. And I will say anyone who says they know for sure where Kyler will wind up is lying because I don’t think anyone – including Kyler and his team – have any idea. That much was clear throughout the Combine. He’s playing somewhere other than Arizona next year but it’s anyone’s guess at this point.
The Jets were definitely one team I heard he could possibly play for next year. I also heard Atlanta could be in play. And I know there are a lot of press reports out there about Minnesota.
So where Kyler lands will be a big story this offseason. And I don’t think he’s guaranteed a starting job. My guess is it will be similar to Daniel Jones last year where (if Kyler’s a free agent) he will go to the team where he has the best chance to start and maybe do a one-year prove-it deal.
4. Speaking of Arizona, I heard they want Malik Willis. Said one source to me “Malik Willis to Arizona for $30M – mark it.” We will see if that number ends up being right – I know ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler specifically wrote that he sees Willis more in the Justin Fields last year $20M/yr range. So we will see on the money. But I do think Arizona should be the betting favorite to land Willis. I don’t think Minnesota is in play for him (more on that below) nor do I think Miami is a destination for Willis. The Dolphins are just too cash-strapped and won’t be able to afford Willis in what should be a robust market for the Green Bay backup.
The other issue at play here is Cardinals General Manager Monti Ossenfort. With a 15-36 record since taking over in Arizona, the thought here is that Ossenfort doesn’t have a long leash. So he’s better off overpaying to get the best available free agent QB this year to try and win rather than draft a QB in a weak class and/or take the time to develop one.
5. Okay, let’s talk the Minnesota Vikings. So first, this is not breaking news, but they are NOT sold on J.J. McCarthy. They will keep him on the roster and try and coach him up but they want a veteran that has had success in the NFL that will “shock J.J.” In other words, someone who will be in camp and let J.J. know that the starting job next year is NOT guaranteed. In fact, if I had to bet today on “Starting QB for the Vikings in Week 1 of 2026” I would take “the field” over McCarthy.
6. Part of the reason for the Vikings wanting to bring in viable competition is that supposedly by mid-season they had to scale back the playbook as McCarthy was struggling to pick up the entirety of the offense.
7. I heard that LAST YEAR coach Kevin O’Connell wanted Aaron Rodgers (and Rodgers was interested in Minnesota) but that the overall Vikings organization was not on board so obviously, Rodgers went to Pittsburgh and the Vikings went with McCarthy. With organizational changes to the Vikings front office, Rodgers is once again on the Vikings radar but again, this will be a full team decision if they decide to pursue him.
8 Speaking of Aaron Rodgers, I was told he is leaning towards coming back but, that while you never know with Rodgers, the current expectation is that if he comes back it would be to return to Pittsburgh.
9. Back to Minnesota. They are casting a wide net looking for a veteran arm that is NOT just depth but rather could potentially start for them and certainly bring real competition to McCarthy. They’ll take a look at potentially trying to get Malik Willis, trade for Mac Jones or sign Daniel Jones but the thought is that it’ll cost so much to get one of them that they would HAVE to make them the starter and be done with McCarthy, so they’ll probably go a little cheaper. They would look at Kyler Murray or Geno Smith if he becomes available. They like Geno a lot. If that doesn’t work out, they’ll look to an older veteran. Yes, a reunion with Kirk Cousins makes a lot of sense. I could also see them make a run at Joe Flacco or the aforementioned Rodgers. However I’m told that, despite what some press reports say out there, they do NOT have interest in Tua Tagovailoa.
10. As long as we are talking Miami, while the Dolphins are expected to move on from Tua, they will not trade De’Von Achane or Jaylen Waddle as they are considered cornerstones to build around.
11. In a nutty rumor season, I think there actually may be more of a market for Joe Flacco than Tua. Yeah. I haven’t heard of a lot of interest in Tua but I’m told that “Joe Flacco’s tape from last year is actually great.” And that while Flacco is also on Minnesota’s list, the prevailing thought is that a Flacco reunion with Kevin Stefanski in Atlanta makes a lot of sense for both sides, especially given the uncertainty of Michael Penix’s health.
12. Final QB nugget is that the Colts are expected to move on from Anthony Richardson this offseason and a potential landing spot for him is Cleveland, where Todd Monken, who spent the last few years coaching Lamar Jackson, could try to develop Richardson’s considerable athletic gifts.
13. I put out a bunch of social videos from the NFL Combine last week and one of them focused on running backs. And perhaps the most surprising RB rumor I heard was Ken Walker… to the Giants. Doesn’t mean he is definitely going there but the Giants are very interested in him.
14. Speaking of Walker, I was told Seattle is expecting to lose him. They love him but given other team needs they aren’t willing to pay top dollar for him. As it was told to me, the Seahawks attitude is, basically, “Hey, Ken, go out there and test the market. If someone is willing to pay $12 or $13 million, good for you. Get paid. But if your market is around $10 million then come back and talk to us.”
15. Meanwhile, lots of speculation around Breece Hall but expectation is that the Jets will tag him. Potentially a franchise tag but more likely a transition tag. Either way, the expectation is Hall remains a Jet next year.
16. Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love has been mocked to a lot of places in early expert mocks and worth noting that FantasyLife.com’s Matthew Freedman, the most accurate NFL draft ranker of the last five years, has Love mocked to the Saints at No 8. But I heard a very surprising team for Love at the Combine:
The Titans.
Now, sometimes teams picking early will just put stuff out there to drive interest in trading up or as a smoke screen, so who knows but as it was explained to me, Tennessee has Love as the best player in this draft, regardless of position and given how many holes the team has they just might take best player available when it gets to them each round. Love would be a star for the Titans on a team that doesn’t have many and with a new stadium expected to open for 2027, star power will be needed. And given a new head coach in Robert Saleh who, during his time in San Fran, has seen first-hand what an elite RB can do for a team, maybe Love to the Titans isn’t as odd as you’d think at first blush.
17. Arizona is expected to release James Conner. And unless they re-sign Conner for a cheaper deal, they will likely go into the season with Trey Benson and a “lower end” free agent RB to pair with him and have them be a RBBC. Think someone like Rachaad White or Tyler Allgeier.
18. While he had some great games with the Panthers this year, expect Rico Dowdle to move on this offseason. Carolina is very happy with Chuba Hubbard and I hear Jonathan Brooks' rehab is actually going great.
19. Among the places I heard for Travis Etienne to land include New Orleans and Kansas City.
20. I’m told the Washington Commanders “want a thumper” and by that I mean a true early-down star running back. They felt like once Austin Ekeler went down last year, the run game struggled. They think Chris Rodriguez is a nice back but don’t like him in the passing game, and they clearly found something in Jacory Croskey-Merritt aka BILL but think of him more as a “2 or a 3” than a true lead back. My guess is the running back who leads Washington in touches next year isn’t currently on their roster.
21. More Commanders: Asking a team source about new offensive coordinator David Blough, I was told to expect the offense to look like “a Ben Johnson offense.” Lotta motion, play action, strong run game and some trick plays.
22. Also, as long as we are talking Washington, I don’t expect Deebo Samuel to return to the team. The team will look to add to the wide receiver room with an emphasis on speed and don’t be surprised if 2026 is Terry McLaurin’s last year with the team. To that end, one source told me that while almost everyone expects Washington to go defense in the first round this year, “If the top three edge guys are all gone by No. 7, don’t be surprised if the Commanders take Carnell Tate.”
23. One team that definitely needs a wide receiver is Buffalo. Issue is their cap space. So depends on cost, but two names I heard for them were either Rashid Shaheed or Mike Evans.
24. Speaking of Mike Evans, I truly believe he’ll be in a new uniform next year. The Buccaneers love him, but given the commitment they made to Chris Godwin last year and a deep young WR room, Tampa Bay is okay letting him go elsewhere. I heard Buffalo as a potential landing spot for Evans and possibly Philly if the Eagles decide to move A.J. Brown.
25. Regarding A.J. Brown, the Eagles are undecided on keeping him or not. They are definitely listening and are open to moving him as has been widely reported. But one thought around Brown possibly leaving that I hadn’t heard before was that the Eagles LOVE DeVonta Smith. They think, as good as he’s been in the NFL, he still hasn’t reached his full potential and has “another gear” he can get to. That, if Smith were given the same kind of target share as Jaxon Smith-Njigba, he could have that kind of year. They believe in his talent that much and that’s among the many reasons they would be okay moving Brown.
26. Count the Titans among the teams looking for an impact wide receiver in free agency. Wan'Dale Robinson or Alec Pierce were two names floated to me as players they are interested in. Given former Giants head coach Brian Daboll is the Titans new offensive coordinator, Robinson makes a ton of sense.
27. As for Alec Pierce, I know Indy wants to keep him. But they also want to keep Daniel Jones and while they could franchise tag one of them, some think that even with that they might not be able to keep both.
28. I’m told Pittsburgh spent a lot of time talking to wide receivers at the Combine, and I’d expect that to be a big focus for them this off-season.
29. And this should have been in the QB section, but that was already too long so since we are talking the Steelers, I thought this was interesting. I was told they want Aaron Rodgers to return and be their starter this year, but if for some reason that doesn’t happen, Pittsburgh loves Will Howard. They would more likely start Howard for the year rather than paying one of the Kyler/Geno batch of guys.
30. While many of the Eagles headlines these days are about whether A.J. Brown will stay or go, one player I’m told that will definitely be moving on from Philly this offseason is Dallas Goedert.
31. And it seems...sorry in advance...that it’s LIKELY Isaiah Likely will be moving on. The league seems mixed on him after an up-and-down year. Some people love him, but Baltimore seems content to let him leave and as one league source said to me, “someone is gonna be stupid and pay Isaiah Likely a ton of money.”
For what it’s worth, I’m a Likely fan and believer, but I definitely got mixed reviews on him from the league.
32. One of the nuggets I had was that the Dallas Cowboys were going to franchise tag George Pickens. But one of the issues with getting news last week and then publishing a piece on Monday is that some nuggets are old by the time publishing happens. Such is the case with Pickens, but part of that same conversation was Brandon Aubrey. When told Dallas was going to franchise Pickens, I joked back to a team source “Pickens for sure? Not Brandon Aubrey?” They politely laughed and assured me, no, Pickens was getting the franchise tag. But that the Aubrey deal will get done. There’s a lot of posturing by both sides right now but expect Aubrey to be wearing a Dallas uniform as the NFL’s highest-paid kicker come kickoff 2026.
33. This is usually a fantasy football column, but couple of defensive player rumors I just found interesting, starting with the Bengals having zero interest in keeping Trey Hendrickson. They may make some noises about keeping him for PR purposes but there is no love lost between the two sides, and he’ll be playing elsewhere next year. Also, don’t be surprised if Minnesota moves on from Jonathan Allen, and I was told Denver’s John Franklin-Myers would be heading to Tennessee.
34. Expect the Las Vegas Raiders to make a very strong run at the Ravens star center Tyler Linderbaum, who is going to set records with his eventual payday. He’ll have many suitors, but I’m told the Raiders, who have a ton of cap space, very much like the idea of a stud like Linderbaum lining up in front of the No. 1 overall pick if Las Vegas does, in fact, draft Fernando Mendoza.
35. Last note that one agent said to me. “Gonna be a really interesting free agency. 10 new head coaches, 20 new coordinators, so much turnover this year that staffs haven’t had enough time to do film work/research/scheme fit for everyone available.” I asked him if he thought that meant there would be some delayed signings or more mistakes than normal as teams just rush in and worry about “missing out” even if they haven’t done a proper amount of research? He said “I don’t know. I just know it’s gonna be wild and weird.”