The NFL Scouting Combine is always one of the most fun weeks in the NFL calendar year. Everyone, and I mean everyone, in the NFL gathers in Indianapolis in the middle of winter with, outside of the meetings and drills, not that much to do other than talk. Talk and talk and drink and talk. The networking is out of control there, agents hold parties, the bars (you have to know the ones to go to) stay open way late and everyone exchanges information.
And, at least for me, there’s always at least one nutty story. The craziest one happened my first Combine and I can now finally tell it.
I’ve written before that my first year going to the Combine, I didn’t really know a ton of people or what to actually do and there weren’t a lot of people at ESPN that were willing to “take me under their wing” as it were.
But two guys that were willing to be nice and helpful were Dan Graziano, who is still with ESPN and often on “Get Up” and Jason Reid, who now is at Andscape and is the author of the great book Rise of the Black Quarterback.
Okay, so that first year Dan, J. Reid and I have dinner and then we go out, where they both tell me where to go but also who to talk to, explaining who you can get real information from and who you can ignore. They also introduce me around to any number of their contacts (which are an insane amount. They are so plugged in you have no idea).
So, we have a great night of bonding, bar hopping, and rumor gathering but now it’s time to head back to the hotel. And it is COLD. The hotel is a very far walk in the cold, especially since at least one of us was dumb enough to not bring a coat (raises hand). There are no cabs in site. And both ride sharing apps say there’s at least a 20-minute wait for a car. Sigh.
So as Dan and I resign ourselves to a long cold walk back and start heading across the street, J. Reid notices the Cowboys' bus parked outside the restaurant. You know the one. Jerry’s bus. Big, beautiful, and iconic.
JERRY’S BUS.
Well, one thing to know about J. Reid is that among the reasons he’s such a good journalist is that he’s fearless. And as Dan and I look, J. Reid is making his way to the Cowboys' bus. “What are you doing?” Dan says. J. Reid doesn’t break stride as he yells back “We need a ride, don’t we?”
Dan and I look at each other as we nervously follow him to the bus, where, as we walk, J. Reid is knocking on the door. And knocking again. Eventually, the door swings open.
“Yeah?” The Bus Driver looks at us.
J. Reid, pointing at me, says “You ever watch ESPN? You ever see SportsCenter? You recognize this guy?
The driver looks me up and down and nods. “Yeah, I’ve seen him.”
“Well, he needs a ride to the JW Marriott. What do you say?”
Driver: I can’t man.
J. Reid: Come on, it’s just a five-minute ride.
Driver: I know, but I have to wait for Mr. Jones.
J. Reid: We were just in there. We saw him. He’s surrounded and holding court. He’s not coming out for a hour.
The driver looks out his window, into the window of the restaurant and sure enough, it’s a scene we’ve all seen many times before. Jerry Jones is surrounded, and folks are hanging on his every word.
The driver looks back at us, standing outside his bus, shivering to death. He looks back at Jerry, who, it is clear, is enjoying himself and has no intention of leaving anytime soon.
The driver turns back to us and there is a looong pause.
Eventually, he just shrugs with a “eff it” look. “Get in.”
And I’ll be damned if we didn’t pull up to the JW Marriott in the legendary Cowboys bus. Hilarious. The bus itself, by the way, is as gorgeous as you might imagine. Filled with incredible Cowboys memorabilia and pictures of Cowboys legends, including Jerry himself and his family, it is luxurious and no detail that has been missed.
So, the JW Marriott is one of the big hotels in Indy where everyone hangs out in the lobby bar and the sports bar across the way. So, there’s like tons of team coaches, execs and media sitting at the bar when they see the Cowboys' bus roll up. Obviously, it causes a scene wherever it goes. And as people stare out the window as the door opens who do they all see, walking out of the legendary Jerry Bus, but dumb me, Dan and J. Reid. Now THAT’s an entrance!
We spent the rest of the night telling everyone the story I just told you. And the coda to this story is that, recently, Dan Graziano was in Dallas doing a story on the Cowboys and he’s talking with Stephen Jones, COO/Co-owner of the Cowboys and Jerry’s son. As they are walking around, they come upon the bus. To which Stephen says to Dan, “You ever been on the bus?”
Dan: Funny story about that...
Stephen laughed and thought it was hilarious, and it was many years ago so I feel like I can now tell it publicly.
At any rate, the Combine is many things but never boring and this year was another example. For the third straight year, Fantasy Football Happy Hour was the only fantasy/betting specific show to broadcast from the Combine floor, something I’m incredibly proud of. We did three full episodes plus Connor Rogers and Lawrence Jackson both had a ton of full interviews with prospects all of which can be watched on the NFL on NBC YouTube channel. The shows are also available on Peacock and wherever you get your podcasts.
In addition to the shows and attending a lot of Coach and General Manager press conferences, perhaps the most important thing I did happened in hallways, in back corners, at restaurants, and bars at night. A simple question to my friends, contacts, and team sources in and around the league.
“What have you heard?”
And as they pause, my response is always the same. “Hey, I’m not a journalist, this isn’t on the record, I’m not gonna report any of this as news. This is just unsubstantiated rumors that I’m gonna write up as just stuff I heard, nothing concrete.”
SO.
What you are about to read is ALL gossip, rumors and reasonably informed speculation.
Maybe it turns out true, maybe it doesn’t. I will say, however, over the years, this column has a pretty good track record. It was the first column to suggest Tom Brady would leave New England for Tampa Bay in 2020, which is definitely my greatest hit. That year, everyone was split on whether Brady would even leave New England, but the Buccaneers as a destination wasn’t on the radar AT ALL.
In fact, some of the stuff I learned at the NFL Combine this year has already come true, including Deebo Samuel to the Commanders and Matthew Stafford returning to the Rams.
And last year, this column (which was over a year ago) correctly predicted that Stefon Diggs would leave the Bills, a much bigger role was in store for Khalil Shakir, Saquon Barkley would not start Week 1 for the Giants but Daniel Jones would (hey, he started Week 1), that Austin Ekeler would not be on the Chargers but the Bolts would still be a run heavy team, that Baker Mayfield would return to the Bucs and that there would ultimately be no Packers WR you wanted to start on a weekly basis. Plus, the Cardinals would absolutely take Marvin Harrison Jr. at No. 4 and that Tank Bigsby would have a bigger role in Jacksonville. We said A.J. Brown would be back with Philly and the Hurts/Browns stuff was overblown. We also wrote that Tee Higgins wasn’t getting traded as rumored and to expect a much bigger year out of Chuba Hubbard than expected.
Of course, this column also predicted Tony Pollard would be back with the Cowboys, expressed concern over Jameson Williams becoming a starter, that Tyjae Spears would get a full-time RB role, and that Travis Kelce would continue to play less and less snaps. (Kelce wasn’t super fantasy productive in 2024 compared to normal levels, but his snap rate was at least 80% in all but give games, and he was never lower than 76% in any.)
So, yeah.
Hits and misses.
Nothing you will read below is anything more than rumors, gossip, and highly educated guesses. To be clear, I haven’t gotten a second source or confirmed ANY OF THE BELOW.
This is a column entirely about me asking some pointed questions with a distinct fantasy football point of view and in some cases, reading the tea leaves in folks’ answers.
So that’s what this column is. NOT NEWS. It is unsubstantiated nuggets and tidbits I picked up, mixed in with my interpretation of what some of the coaches and general managers said from the podium during their public press conferences.
Enough caveats for you? Good. Last thing I’ll say here is I want to give a shout out to my buddies Alex Dunlap and Cody Carpentier of RosterWatch. Many times during the Combine multiple coaches and general managers speak at the same time, making it impossible to catch everyone. So, in point 25 below, when I refer to something said from a podium by a coach or GM I am relying in some cases on their always excellent coverage. Check them out when you get a chance and follow them on Twitter/X.
Here we go:
The Top 25 Rumors I heard at the NFL Combine
1. The biggest topic of the Combine (other than that Starbucks confrontation!) was what was going on with Matthew Stafford. As we now know, he is returning to the Rams, but I can give a little more context here. The Giants were very much in the mix and one source told me the plan for the Giants was to BOTH trade for Stafford AND trade up to get a QB. Yes, as has been reported a lot of other places, the Raiders were also in the mix. A lot of this stemmed from the Staffords’ feelings he was underpaid (he was) and also the relationship had, well, just fractured between them and the Rams' organization.
Yes, I said Staffords. Multiple sources told me that among the strained relationships one was between the franchise and Stafford’s wife, Kelly Stafford. According to one source, Kelly was supposedly the one who wanted Matthew to play elsewhere. Then another told me Kelly was the one who wanted to stay in LA. They have four young kids and didn’t want to uproot them. So, who knows on this part of it. Shrug emoji. However, I don’t think it matters who wanted to leave and who wanted to stay. Obviously, any husband is going to talk with his wife about everything, especially if it involves changing jobs. So, that’s not a big deal and ultimately, it all got done and the Staffords are back where they belong. But I’ll just say this: I was very surprised how often her name came up during the Combine and not just as it relates to Matthew. Multiple people I trust told me Kelly Stafford has significant influence around the Rams' organization.
2. The plan, which has been reported elsewhere, was that Matthew Stafford (and Cooper Kupp?) were going to go to the New York Giants and then Aaron Rodgers would go to the Rams. Now that that is off the table, the game of musical chairs for QBs continues and no name is bigger than Aaron Rodgers. I’ve been told that Rodgers is now looking at three options, ranked here in order of likeliness as it was told to me: First, go to the New York Giants. Second, go to the Tennessee Titans. Third, stay in shape and wait for an injury/opening on a winning team with playoff chances.
I know going to the Giants doesn’t make much sense on the face of it. Why would Rodgers want to go play for a team that has talent issues, especially on offense and, barring something unexpected, is most likely finishing fourth in its division next year? And why would the Giants, who need a reset at QB, want an aging veteran rather than developing a young QB of the future?
Well, it makes more sense when you start looking deeper. Rodgers wants to play this year, full stop. And, well, there are only so many available chairs, as it were. The Giants and Titans are two of them. (As are the Raiders but more on that in a bit).
On the Giants side of things, GM Joe Schoen and head coach Brian Daboll are on the hot seat. They need to win now, and a veteran QB gives them the best chance to win this year. Or so the thinking goes. Regardless, they know Rodgers would be a stop gap and that they also need to find their young QB of the future. So, that’s why the idea of them both getting Rodgers AND trading up to get a QB is very much in play.
3. As long as we are talking New York QBs, I know there have been rumors of the Jets also trading up in the draft. But for what it's worth, the plan that I heard was that Tyrod Taylor would be the Jets' opening day starter and the Jets would draft a developmental QB to learn from Tyrod. This is just me. I didn’t hear this from anyone, but drafting Jalen Milroe makes a ton of sense here.
4. Speaking with multiple teams that interviewed Jalen Milroe, they all came away very impressed. Milroe is aware that he is not a finished product and needs a lot of work. But, as is typical of a lot of kids coached by Nick Saban, he is focused, serious, and dedicated. Given his physical ability, if he gets into the right system, has the right mentor, and can sit for a year or two… watch out. Gonna be a fantasy superstar. That’s why I think him on the Jets, leaning from a new staff and watching Tyrod (a QB with some similar attributes) could be a home run. The Jets could even trade down to do so. Again – this is 100% PURE speculation on my part. The only part of what I just wrote about the Jets is that I actually heard from a source that starting Tyrod is the plan at QB right now. That’s it. But I’m telling you. The team that can be patient on Milroe is gonna be very rewarded.
5. I'm hearing that the Steelers are going to keep one of their QBs, and that it’s going to be Justin Fields. He's younger, of course, but he is also ultimately a better fit for what they want to be offensively, and the coaching staff definitely likes Fields more than Wilson.
6. Which means Russell Wilson is on the move, and I heard that there’s something to the Pete Carroll – Russell Wilson reunion in Las Vegas rumors. I heard there have even been conversations and the thought process is, some version of: "Hey, we both got fired in Seattle, we were better together than apart, let’s figure out a way past our differences and run it back," or some such. It makes a lot of sense on a lot of levels.
7. The Sam Darnold stuff is… odd. As one source said to me… something weird is going on. The Darnold stuff is all over the place, and I heard a bunch of different things, so let me try and piece it together. Here’s what I heard from a variety of sources in different conversations:
The Vikings want J.J. McCarthy to start next year. So, they don’t want to try and sign Darnold to an industry standard starting QB contract, which for a QB coming off the year he had starts at at the very minimum $40 million a year and goes up from there. So, they don’t want to do that. They have not made a contract offer to Darnold. Like, not even a low ball one. Nothing. They also don’t want to franchise tag him UNLESS they know for a fact, they can then trade him. And so far, there’s not much of a market for him. The Titans have some interest, but not enough to trade for him at the moment, especially since they may just draft Cam Ward or potentially get Aaron Rodgers. So, Darnold is stuck in this weird no man’s land at the moment. Seems crazy to think this, but if dominoes fall a specific way, there’s 100% a scenario where Sam Darnold doesn’t have a starting job next year.
Also, while the Vikings are nervous about McCarthy’s health to start the year, they would more likely sign Daniel Jones and have him back up McCarthy rather than pay up to bring back Darnold.
8. People love Cam Ward. I spoke with multiple teams that interviewed him and all said the same thing. When you watch the tape on Ward, along with his meetings, he came across as really impressive and the clear No. 1 QB in the class. A few folks said to me it was a much closer discussion about Shedeur Sanders vs. Jaxson Dart than Sanders vs. Ward. I would be beyond shocked if Ward is not the first QB drafted.
9. I got the exact opposite read on Shedeur Sanders. I want to be careful here. But I spoke with two people on two different teams that met with Sanders. And completely independently of each other, they had the exact same things to say. They both said it was a bad meeting and that he came off as unprofessional and disinterested. Both also said that after the meeting they had a lesser opinion of him than prior. These same people both met with Cam Ward as well, and both said they loved Ward, and it was a great meeting.
Now, I’m not trying to kill the kid. So, I want to give a bunch of caveats. These were just two people. Maybe other people in the meeting had a different read. And maybe these were teams that Sanders doesn’t want to go to, so maybe he purposely tanked the meeting. Maybe he just had a bad day. Lord knows I haven’t nailed every interview I ever had. You know how many times I met with ESPN before they eventually bought my website? But, yeah. When talking about the projected top two QB picks this year, every team I spoke to loves Ward. And I didn’t hear a ton of positive about Sanders.
10. The one team I heard that DID like Sanders was Cleveland. They like Ward as well, but they would be good with ether. So, despite the Browns being the current DraftKings betting favorite to draft Travis Hunter, everything I heard was that Cleveland is going QB. And they are good with either guy.
11. Tampa Bay desperately wants Chris Godwin back. After suffering a serious injury last year leaving his availability at the start of the season in question, I was expecting a one year “prove it” deal for Godwin. But I’m told there is a competitive market for his services and he’ll get a multi-year deal with some guaranteed money. And he’s likely to get it from Tampa, which really wants him back. They love Godwin and so does Baker.
12. With Tee Higgins (just franchised tagged a second time) and Chris Godwin very likely returning to their teams, it makes sense why the Niners were able to trade Deebo Samuel, despite his contract and down year production wise. The expectation was that San Francisco would release Samuel, but they got trade interest from multiple sources and, as I mentioned on last Friday’s #FFHappyHour, Deebo Samuel would be traded in the next few days, and likely to the Commanders, as they were most interested. Turned out it happened Saturday evening and Samuel did, in fact, go to Washington.
13. It’s also why Stefon Diggs may NOT return to the Texans. They like him and want him back, but talking with a team source, despite Diggs being over 30 and coming off a serious injury, there’s a real market for Diggs out there. As a result, the team may not be able to bring him back. My source tells me it’s 50/50 if Diggs is back in Houston. But the point is… there IS a market for Diggs. Teams are WR desperate and there are not a lot out there in free agency. Plus, this year's draft class doesn't have the same caliber of superstars like last year with Malik Nabers, Brian Thomas Jr., Marvin Harrison Jr. and (at least at the time it was thought) Rome Odunze. This is why you shouldn’t be shocked when Darius Slayton signs for what will seem like a ridiculous amount given his career production to date. Same for Dyami Brown.
14. To that point about a shallow WR market; I’ve heard the Patriots WILL do whatever they can to get a real “WR1” for Drake Maye and the new coaching staff. I heard they are knocking on all doors, seeing what they can possibly trade for, and one person told me they heard the Patriots called Philly asking if A.J. Brown was available. Shrug emoji on if that’s true, or what Philly’s answer was, but this much seems certain: New England will aggressively try to upgrade its wide receiver room this offseason.
15. Speaking of Dyami Brown, expect Washington to bring back Zach Ertz but likely let Dyami Brown walk if the price gets too high, which it likely will be.
16. One wide receiver who WILL generate a lot of interest is Davante Adams, who, because of his contract, is very likely to be released. But I’m told Adams and Aaron Rodgers really want to play together, so my guess is Adams likely won’t have a new team until Rodgers does. Hmm. Rodgers on the Giants, throwing to Malik Nabers and Davante Adams with a decent defense behind him… I’ve heard worse ideas.
17. I personally asked Cardinals head coach Jonathan Gannon during his press conference about expectations for Trey Benson in year two and he said how he hopes Benson can light it up in year two and that the Cards would have “two number one backs.” And that quote got a lot of run. And make no mistake, the Cards really like Benson and have high expectations for him. But talking privately with other Arizona sources, that quote may be overblown. James Conner is still the bell cow, still who they trust the most in close, and the kind of running back that NEEDS a lot of touches especially when you get to the fourth quarter. They love James Conner in Arizona. LOVE. I suspect James Conner will once again be very undervalued in fantasy drafts.
18. While we are talking about teams that LOVE their running backs, I’m gonna tell my daughters that when they grow up they need to find someone that looks at them the way Tampa Bay looks at Bucky Irving. Bucs cannot stop raving about the kid. He is going to be a true alpha RB1 next year.
19. But perhaps the most interesting part of the Tampa Bay running back discussion was about Sean Tucker. “He has the talent to be a No. 1 RB in this league,” said a team source. The issue is just that he’s stuck behind Bucky Irving. Reading between the lines of the conversation, I came away thinking they love Irving, they love Tucker and aren’t as enthusiastic about Rachaad White. I bet Tucker overtakes White for the RB 2 role sooner than later.
20. I asked about Christian McCaffrey’s health. San Francisco has no concerns and fully expects him to be healthy and ready for training camp. “With Jordan Mason as his backup, I asked?” Not necessarily, I was told. There’s actually been a lot of trade inquiries about Mason. Don’t be surprised if Jordan Mason, who proved he could be a legit starting RB in the NFL last season, gets dealt. This is just me talking, but I feel like it’s not a NFL draft until Kyle Shanahan has taken a late round RB.
21. Last thing on the Niners. They are working towards getting a deal done with Brock Purdy, but there’s no guarantee a long-term deal gets done this offseason. I hear the sides are still fairly far apart. A story to watch for sure.
22. I talked with a Bills source who told me Dalton Kincaid’s lack of production last year was because he was a lot more injured than folks realized. “He’s gonna be a sleeper next year, trust me,” I was told. What about Amari Cooper, I asked? A shrug. “He might be done.” The implication to me being that Cooper’s days as an elite WR1 might be over, not that he would be leaving Buffalo. I still expect that if anyone would be the focal point of the Bills' passing offense, it would have to be Khalil Shakir.
23. I asked a Houston source what happened to C.J. Stroud last year? “Simple. The offensive line was bad and then he got the yips.”
24. Not really a fantasy nugget, but I thought this was interesting. Perhaps the biggest celebrity at the Combine? Dom DiSandro, better known as “Big Dom,” Chief security officer and senior advisor to the General Manager of the Philadelphia Eagles. He was swarmed by fans and admirers all week. I spoke to him for a while. He's super nice and as he told me all the things he handles for the organization, I came away even more impressed. It's easy to see why he’s so beloved in the city of Philly and within the Eagles organization.
25. Finally, some quick hitters from all the open press conferences. In other words, this is not “sources” but rather my interpretation for what coaches and GMs said on the record, in front of the press: What’s the old saying? If you have a lot of running backs, you don’t have any. Listening to Sean Payton, it doesn’t sound like he really likes any of his guys. I don’t think Ashton Jeanty lasts until their pick, but would not be shocked to see them take Omarion Hampton or another elite RB early… When Ravens GM Eric DeCosta was asked about Mark Andrews, it sure sounded like he’s played his last down in Baltimore: “Blessed to have had three really good tight ends under contract this year. Mark will go down as one of our great players, will be in the Ring of Honor someday.” Eyes emoji from me. And honestly, given how the last game played out, a fresh start might be the best thing for both Mark and Baltimore… Thought it was interesting that when Zac Taylor was asked about his WR room beyond Chase and Higgins he made a point of praising Andrei Iosivas and Charlie Jones and didn’t even mention Jermaine Burton. Does he even make the team this year?… Also sounds like Zack Moss won’t be healthy for the start of the year, so expect Cincy to add to the RB room and look for someone that can spell Chase Brown on third downs. Given the depth of RB in this draft class, I’d expect Cincy to draft a good one… Liam Coen said the passing game will go through Brian Thomas Jr. Me now, but BTJ is already on the short list for potential “Ride or Die” candidacy… Also, don’t be surprised to see the Jags move off both Christian Kirk and Evan Engram. Brenton Strange might be a thing this year... One of the weirdest moments came when Colts GM Chris Ballard discussed wanting to add a veteran QB to the Colts, and that the starting QB job in Indy was “an open competition.” He was asked multiple times, and he was VERY clear. Anthony Richardson is not guaranteed to start for the Colts this year. Open competition. I guess this is about “lighting a fire” or some such, but man. You already benched the kid. He’s played less than 30 games in the pros and college combined. You knew he was gonna be a project. How much can you kill this kid’s ego? Now, it’s a story all offseason. I don’t get it man. Wherever you are, A-Rich, I’m rooting for you.
