2026 NFL Discussion.

[nate82]

21 minutes ago, JosephC said:

Vikings get a 5th round pick for JJ McCarthy.  Normally I would laugh at them, since a top 10 pick (that they traded up for) turns into a 5th round pick.  But in this case, the Vikings just got a 5th round pick for what might be one of the worst players in the NFL.  Teams WANT to play their high draft picks, and this guy gets shuffled down to 3rd string and the Giants still see 5th round value in him?

 

A 5th round pick isn’t worth all that much.  The Giants also need another QB as their starter is now out for the season I believe.  Their backup is absolutely awful and has no upside.

With McCarthy you could still say there is some upside with him even if that upside is extremely limited.  The better question is was there a better QB available that would have cost around a 5th round pick.  In FA there isn’t much to choose from.  I’m not sure Jimmy Garoppolo would have been a better choice.

 

[CheezWizHed]

31 minutes ago, nate82 said:

A 5th round pick isn’t worth all that much.  The Giants also need another QB as their starter is now out for the season I believe.  Their backup is absolutely awful and has no upside.

With McCarthy you could still say there is some upside with him even if that upside is extremely limited.  The better question is was there a better QB available that would have cost around a 5th round pick.  In FA there isn’t much to choose from.  I’m not sure Jimmy Garoppolo would have been a better choice.

 

Yes, Dart is out for the season.  Winston is... still Winston.  I'm sure Coach John Harbaugh talked to his brother about JJ and feels he can provide more than he did with the Vikings.  

 

[GAME05]

Seems fair. It's two years of him, too. Plus what other choice did the Giants even have? They're a playoff team if they get even marginal play from him, I would think. 

And if Sam Darnold taught us anything, maybe it's worth the lottery ticket that it was just the coaching.

[Recovering Chicagoan]

Bears scored only three points against the Vikings with Williams playing some of the game. Bears scored 27 against the Eagles with their third-string QB and held the Eagles to only seven points. 

The NFL can be ... funny.

 

[CheezWizHed]

19 hours ago, GAME05 said:

Seems fair. It's two years of him, too. Plus what other choice did the Giants even have? They're a playoff team if they get even marginal play from him, I would think. 

And if Sam Darnold taught us anything, maybe it's worth the lottery ticket that it was just the coaching.

MN fans around me seem to have mixed reactions. 

JJ was certainly holding back the Vikings last year (whereas the Jets stunk at a team around Darnold). And the term "immature" is thrown around a lot amongst the reports... making me think he had some locker room issues. 

But then people reference Darnold in saying that JJ will go win a SB now that the Vikings gave up on him. 

I get why the Giants took the flyer (why not with Dart out all year), but I really don't think there is anything there. I wasn't impressed by him in college either. 

[nate82]

Cowboys get Porter Jr for a 2027 6th and 2028 2nd round pick.

I know it is his walk year and he has been injured.  But a 2nd and 6th round pick seems rather light.  

https://www.nfl.com/news/steelers-trading-cb-joey-porter-jr-to-cowboys-in-exchange-for-second-sixth-round-picks

[HarryDoyle]

Let's check in to see how things are going in Pittsburgh between Rodgers and McCarthy.

 

[Jopal78]

3 hours ago, HarryDoyle said:

Let's check in to see how things are going in Pittsburgh between Rodgers and McCarthy.

 

43 year old Aaron Rodgers, retread Coach in McCarthy who the Packers fired years ago for lack of innovation, and trading one of their best defensive players for draft picks.  A bigger mess than in Green Bay and hurtling towards a lengthy rebuild. 

[OldSchoolSnapper]

Kinda feels like much ado about nothing? They're both half smiling. I think those two know each other well enough to have that exchange. 

Rodgers seems OK for Pittsburgh to me. He's decent enough still, they have no answers at QB, and aren't ready to compete for titles, so he seems like a decent option to keep them contending for a division. JPJ was holding out, so it's not like they just traded a happy cornerstone. Buys them some time to find a long term solution and competitive enough for interest in the team. The blueprint for Pittsburgh is really a defensive team getting just enough from the offense. Rodgers is doing his part there, really. Their defense isn't doing what it was supposed to do.

[Jopal78]

1 hour ago, OldSchoolSnapper said:

Kinda feels like much ado about nothing? They're both half smiling. I think those two know each other well enough to have that exchange. 

Rodgers seems OK for Pittsburgh to me. He's decent enough still, they have no answers at QB, and aren't ready to compete for titles, so he seems like a decent option to keep them contending for a division. JPJ was holding out, so it's not like they just traded a happy cornerstone. Buys them some time to find a long term solution and competitive enough for interest in the team. The blueprint for Pittsburgh is really a defensive team getting just enough from the offense. Rodgers is doing his part there, really. Their defense isn't doing what it was supposed to do.

It’s the old NFL adage, you’re either getting better or you’re getting worse.

They don’t have the talent to seriously compete in the conference, but they have a 43 year old QB who likely has enough juice left to keep them in the hunt for a low playoff seed, ensuring they won’t have top picks to make the inevitable rebuild easier.
 

They have a 63 year old coach, not the guy to shepherd the team through a rebuild but also awkward for a team like the Steelers who are one of the models of stability to fire after a year or two. 
 

Can’t blame them for Porter when there’s no daylight between the money he wants and what they’re willing to pay, but with a team built to win now it sure doesn’t help. 
 

Like the Packers the Steelers are one of the models of stability and success in the NFL, and it’s strange to seem them suddenly adrift with no real direction (rebuilding vs competing)

[JosephC]

I like Pittsburgh's roster and feel they've underachieved so far.  The defense looks like one of the most complete units in the league.  Young offensive line that could really gel and become a top unit next year.  I would trade all 10 of the Packers offensive linemen for C-Zach Frazier in an instant. 

I don't know if McCarthy is the problem, if Rodgers just isn't consistent enough anymore, or if it's just the players getting used to the new coaches and schemes...but this looks like a good roster.  One thing I will say is that McCarthy's choice for a defensive coordinator, Patrick Graham, wasn't a very inspiring pick.

[OldSchoolSnapper]

31 minutes ago, Jopal78 said:

It’s the old NFL adage, you’re either getting better or you’re getting worse.

They don’t have the talent to seriously compete in the conference, but they have a 43 year old QB who likely has enough juice left to keep them in the hunt for a low playoff seed, ensuring they won’t have top picks to make the inevitable rebuild easier.
 

They have a 63 year old coach, not the guy to shepherd the team through a rebuild but also awkward for a team like the Steelers who are one of the models of stability to fire after a year or two. 
 

Can’t blame them for Porter when there’s no daylight between the money he wants and what they’re willing to pay, but with a team built to win now it sure doesn’t help. 
 

Like the Packers the Steelers are one of the models of stability and success in the NFL, and it’s strange to seem them suddenly adrift with no real direction (rebuilding vs competing)

I'm just a fan, but I'd rather watch 9-8 than 5-12. I don't ask for anything other than something to watch to break up monotony and this Packers team isn't even worth tuning in to see. I accept others have higher aspirations for their teams. But Pittsburgh should compete in that division and I'd be ok with that as a fan. I don't really buy the argument that Rodgers is preventing them from getting better. They can get better everywhere and still find their next QB with him doing what he's doing.

[homer]

41 minutes ago, JosephC said:

I like Pittsburgh's roster and feel they've underachieved so far.  The defense looks like one of the most complete units in the league.  Young offensive line that could really gel and become a top unit next year.  I would trade all 10 of the Packers offensive linemen for C-Zach Frazier in an instant. 

I don't know if McCarthy is the problem, if Rodgers just isn't consistent enough anymore, or if it's just the players getting used to the new coaches and schemes...but this looks like a good roster.  One thing I will say is that McCarthy's choice for a defensive coordinator, Patrick Graham, wasn't a very inspiring pick.

The Steelers have had a "good" roster for 15 years. 

[CheezWizHed]

7 hours ago, HarryDoyle said:

Let's check in to see how things are going in Pittsburgh between Rodgers and McCarthy.

 

I saw this and my first thought was... must be AI.  Second thought was two people that know each other well enough to get away with it... Stress, yes.  Real contention, doubtful.