We covered the AFC in Tuesday's Roster Reset edition of The First Read. Now it's time to hit the NFC in Part 2 of this series. The approach is the same as we discussed in the earlier edition: What's the one pressing question for every team now that free agency has wound down and the 2025 NFL Draft is just over a couple of weeks away?
Here's where things stand in the NFC. (Navigate to your team by clicking to their division below, and check out the AFC here.)
NFC EAST
BURNING QUESTION: How much is Micah Parsons going to cost them?
It's a little comical that there's some element of suspense attached to the extension Cowboys owner Jerry Jones will surely eventually give Parsons. Of all the massive deals Jones has paid recently, this one would feature easily the best player on the other side of the negotiating table. Dak Prescott (who inked a four-year, $240 million extension last September) is a really good quarterback, and CeeDee Lamb (who landed a four-year, $136 million extension last August) is a phenomenal receiver. Neither has been as impactful as Parsons, a difference-maker ever since he showed up in Dallas. With that being the case, why would anybody think Jones wasn't going to take care of the player with the fifth-most sacks (52.5) of anyone in the NFL over the past four seasons? If we've learned anything from the Cowboys, it's that the biggest stars will get their due, sooner or later. Parsons will be the highest paid non-quarterback in the league. It's seemingly just a matter of time before he joins the $40 million-per-year club.
BURNING QUESTION: Is the quarterback situation going to end up being a positive?
It feels like Part 1 of the Giants' quarterback plan was the addition of Russell Wilson as the starter on a one-year deal and Jameis Winston as his backup. Part 2 comes in the draft, when we see if they can find a quarterback they want to develop while one or both of those veterans serves as a bridge to the future. It's not a bad idea, given the options available to them. It just seems that adding two big personalities who are past the point of playing their best football to a team that won three games last season is a train wreck waiting to happen. This upcoming Giants campaign won't be defined by whether Wilson can perform at a decent level or if Winston has to take over at some point. It will come down to whether the team can find a real light at the end of this tunnel it has been stuck in at quarterback, which means the brass had better select a player who can excite people. Head coach Brian Daboll and general manager Joe Schoen are heading into Year 4 together. This could be their last chance to move that franchise to a better place.
BURNING QUESTION: Can the Eagles add more difference-makers to that defensive front?
GM Howie Roseman has been masterful at drafting, and the success of last year's defense was a prime example of that. Eight of the key players on that top-ranked unit were operating on rookie deals. Now Roseman needs to add to that group, especially in the trenches. As excited as the Eagles are about their young players -- most notably nose tackle Jordan Davis, defensive end Jalen Carter and outside linebackers Nolan Smith and Jalyx Hunt -- they don't have a ton of depth in their front seven. It's also easy to forget, after watching Philly torment Patrick Mahomes in Super Bowl LIX, that this wasn't a dominant pass-rushing team for most of the 2024 season. Roseman loves stockpiling defensive linemen, and this is the draft in which to do that. There is talent on the interior and on the edge, and it makes perfect sense for a team that lost some key players -- including defensive end Milton Williams and edge rushers Josh Sweat and Brandon Graham -- to focus on those areas in the early rounds.
BURNING QUESTION: What kind of payday is Terry McLaurin looking at?
McLaurin is entering the final year of a three-year deal he signed in 2022, and there are many reasons why he should be looking for a raise in his extension talks with Washington. For one, he's the favorite target of star quarterback Jayden Daniels. McLaurin finished 2024 with 82 receptions, 1,096 yards and a career-high 13 touchdowns, helping Daniels claim Offensive Rookie of the Year honors. He also appears to be a stand-up guy who brings valuable leadership to a team that went from being a bottom-feeder to playing in the NFC Championship Game. Even though McLaurin turns 30 in September, he's still a productive player at a position where top-end talent is paid between $30 million to $40 million annually. The Commanders have cap space, and they've been spending plenty lately. McLaurin shouldn't be paid at the top of the market, given his age, but he certainly deserves a hefty bump from his current annual average salary of $23.2 million.
NFC NORTH
BURNING QUESTION: How does Ben Johnson take Caleb Williams to the next level?
The best thing Johnson can do for Williams is the same thing the Bears' new head coach did for Jared Goff when Johnson was the Lions' offensive coordinator. Johnson built an offense in Detroit that was filled with weapons and answers for his quarterback. Goff didn't have to play over his head there, and the key for Williams is playing within himself in his second year. That doesn't mean improvisation needs to be shelved. It does mean Williams will benefit most from a rebuilt offensive line and Johnson's belief in the run game. It's a safe bet that the Bears will be looking for another back to pair with D'Andre Swift in the same fashion that Johnson utilized David Montgomery and Jahmyr Gibbs behind a mammoth offensive line with the Lions. Williams was guilty of trying to do too much at times in his rookie campaign. He shouldn't feel that urge nearly as much if Johnson sticks with a familiar script that includes ample play-action opportunities.
BURNING QUESTION: How are those new coordinators going to work out?
The Lions lost their offensive and defensive coordinators to head-coaching jobs after finishing with the best record in the NFC last season. John Morton now steps in for Ben Johnson on offense, while Kelvin Sheppard succeeds Aaron Glenn on the other side of the football. This would be a cause for concern for most teams -- the Philadelphia Eagles imploded at the end of the 2023 season after losing their coordinators from a top-seeded Super Bowl team in 2022 -- but we'll give Detroit the benefit of the doubt here. Seeing as Dan Campbell gave both Johnson and Glenn the opportunities that allowed them to thrive, Campbell clearly has an eye for coaching talent, with which the Lions have been flush since Campbell arrived. So it would be hard to believe Morton and Sheppard are destined to be duds. More than anything, Detroit has an abundance of talent and leadership. Morton and Sheppard might not be household names yet, but it's worth betting on them finding success in their new gigs.
BURNING QUESTION: Could the Packers actually draft a receiver in the first round?
The Packers have to figure out how to solve their issues at wide receiver. They have a number of talented players at the position, but that might be the biggest problem: No one has distinguished himself as the go-to guy. Even running back Josh Jacobs told a Milwaukee radio station that the Packers need a proven No. 1 receiver to improve their offense. Green Bay didn't take that advice when it came to free agency (although there were reports of their interest in Cooper Kupp before he signed with Seattle), so now comes the question of how they'll handle the draft. For those who don't know, the Packers aren't big on using first-round picks on wide receivers. They haven't done so since taking Javon Walker 20th overall back in 2002, and that's likely because former Green Bay quarterbacks Brett Favre and Aaron Rodgers could dominate with whomever the team provided. Jordan Love is proving to be a different player at this stage. He's battled his ups and downs, and a top target could make life easier on him, especially considering speedster Christian Watson is currently recovering from a torn ACL suffered in January. The Packers would need some luck for a top player to fall to them at the 23rd overall selection -- somebody like Arizona's Tetairoa McMillan or Texas' Matthew Golden -- but the bigger question is whether they'd break tendency to take a receiver that high.
BURNING QUESTION: Is J.J. McCarthy going to deliver on all that promise?
There have been a lot of questions hovering around McCarthy in recent weeks, all of which revolve around the same issue: Is he ready to be the Vikings' franchise quarterback? First came a report that the Vikings were weighing the idea of signing Aaron Rodgers ... and Rodgers had interest in joining them. Then, the Vikings made it known that McCarthy is their man -- only for the second-year pro to later tell talk show host Kay Adams that he hadn't yet officially been given the QB1 gig, which he was comfortable still having to "to earn." Finally, though, GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah reiterated publicly that the goal always has been for McCarthy to become the starter, adding that McCarthy has met every benchmark the team has set forth since becoming the 10th overall pick in last year's draft. Even though McCarthy missed his rookie season after sustaining a torn meniscus in preseason, he impressed the Vikings with his leadership, athleticism and ability to learn fast. It's also fair to assume he's poised to succeed because he'll blessed with the same variables that helped Sam Darnold thrive last season, including a strong supporting cast and coaches who excel at maximizing the talents of their quarterbacks. The Vikings took McCarthy high for a reason. It would be shocking if he did anything to screw up his chance to prove he was worth the investment.
NFC SOUTH
BURNING QUESTION: What are they going to do with Kirk Cousins?
The Falcons created a mess last offseason when they gave Cousins $100 million in guaranteed money, then drafted Michael Penix Jr. in the first round nearly two months later. Now, with Penix in line to be QB1, they're trying to figure out how to make up for that mistake while Cousins pines for an opportunity to start again. So, what happens next? It's apparent that a trade isn't likely, unless another team becomes desperate enough to want to take on Cousins' contract. The Falcons also have enough cap space -- since Penix is entering Year 2 of his rookie deal -- to wait for a quarterback injury to happen elsewhere in the league and create that kind of motivation. What seems most implausible is the idea that Atlanta would just release Cousins, which is reportedly his wish. He's gone from being a savior to being a bargaining chip in just over a year, and it feels like the drama is just heating up in Atlanta.
BURNING QUESTION: Are the Panthers going to get Bryce Young more weapons?
One of the more enjoyable sights of the second half of last season was the emergence of Young as a promising player. He went from being benched to fighting his way back into the lineup to making plays at the end of the year that revealed why he was the top pick in the 2023 NFL Draft. He deserves ample credit for that, as does head coach Dave Canales, plus the coaches who worked with him. Now comes the next step in the development process: making sure there's enough help around Young to carry that momentum into Year 3. The Panthers have wrung just about every last bit of production they can get out of wide receiver Adam Thielen, who led the team in receiving yards for the second straight season -- though he needed just 615 to do that, and will turn 35 in August. They have a couple of young receivers -- Xavier Legette and Jalen Coker -- who are still figuring things out, and nothing special happening at tight end. That makes taking a pass-catcher in the early rounds of the draft a serious possibility for Carolina, especially if a prospect like Arizona wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan or Penn State tight end Tyler Warren is in play at No. 8 overall. The Panthers need a lot of help. Further supporting their young quarterback is a great place to start.
BURNING QUESTION: Should the Saints draft a quarterback high?
It would be a wise move. The Saints haven’t hidden their interest in the prospects in this year’s class. New Orleans, which possesses the ninth overall selection, has looked into Cam Ward and also reportedly met with Shedeur Sanders and Mississippi’s Jaxson Dart. As much as Saints brass has publicly praised current starter Derek Carr, the 34-year-old is not going to be there forever. New head coach Kellen Moore also is likely looking to find his own signal-caller to build his career around as the Saints figure out how to change their fortunes at that position. That franchise hasn’t been able to find major success at that spot since Drew Brees retired, limiting its usage of draft picks there to the fourth round or later in recent years. It’s time to start thinking about finding a younger option to invest in. And for what it’s worth, when asked about his son possibly landing with the Saints, Deion Sanders didn't hide his affinity for the city.
EDITOR'S UPDATE: NFL Network Insiders Ian Rapoport and Mike Garafolo reported Friday that Carr's availability for the 2025 season is in question, thanks to a shoulder injury, with the veteran QB considering surgery.
BURNING QUESTION: Can the Bucs fill enough needs to fix that defense?
There isn't much mystery about what the Bucs must do in the draft: find help fast for a defense that was especially weak against the pass, ranking 29th in that category. Head coach Todd Bowles made clear at the Annual League Meeting that he would love to add depth in the cornerback room. Zyon McCollum is the most dependable player at that position, and Tykee Smith emerged as the starting nickel in his rookie year, but there are questions after that. Jamel Dean is the most experienced and talented corner but needs to stay healthy, while free-agent signees Bryce Hall and Kindle Vildor have made six starts between them in the last two seasons. There's also a need at inside linebacker; while Lavonte David continues to defy his age (he's now 35), the Bucs must find younger options. As great as the Tampa has been on offense the last few years, you know Bowles wants to return to the days when his defense could impress, as well. This draft should be a big step toward getting there.
NFC WEST
BURNING QUESTION: Can the Cardinals find enough help to make their defensive line dominant?
Head coach Jonathan Gannon made his name as a defensive coordinator in Philadelphia, running a unit that amassed 70 sacks in 2022. He’s obviously looking to create a similarly disruptive front with the team he’s been coaching the last two years. The Cardinals came into the offseason needing help at edge rusher and along the interior of the defensive line. They used free agency to sign former Eagles outside linebacker Josh Sweat, along with defensive linemen Calais Campbell and Dalvin Tomlinson. Expect Arizona to be just as focused on finding playmakers up front in this draft. The team is using three of its top-30 prospect visits on edge rushers -- Tennessee’s James Pearce Jr. and Georgia’s Jalon Walker and Mykel Williams -- which is a major indication of how critically that spot factors into its draft plans. This draft is also deep at interior D-line, so there should be a great opportunity to grab a strong prospect at that position. It’s not hard to see the urgency here, either. The Cardinals won’t be able to compete with all the prolific offenses in the NFC without being able to affect the quarterback consistently.
BURNING QUESTION: What is the team going to do about Kyren Williams?
Rams GM Les Snead told reporters at the Annual League Meeting that there should be no confusion about how the Rams feel about their standout running back. They want Williams, who is entering the final year of his rookie contract, to stick around Los Angeles for a long time.
"Kyren's a great human, we all want this to work out, it's just, can we agree upon a contract where we both feel like (it) is a win-win moving forward," Snead said.
That really is the trick with all running backs who don’t have last names like Barkley, Henry or McCaffrey. Williams is easily the most underrated runner in the league, as he’s rushed for 2,443 yards and 26 touchdowns over the last two seasons. The question both parties need to answer is how that equates to value. Even as we’re seeing a renaissance for running backs, it’s also true that each back’s worth comes down to individual situations. Williams isn’t in the same class as Saquon Barkley, whose new deal equates to an average annual salary of $20.6 million. However, it’s easy to see him having value somewhere between Green Bay’s Josh Jacobs ($12 million annually) and Houston’s Joe Mixon ($9.875 million).
BURNING QUESTION: How are the 49ers going to handle Brock Purdy’s extension?
This is one of the three biggest offseason questions in the entire league, because the view on Purdy is so varied. He was a major surprise as a rookie, leading the 49ers to the NFC Championship Game despite beginning his career as the draft's "Mr. Irrelevant." He matured into an MVP candidate in his second season, as San Francisco reached the Super Bowl. And then came last year, when he delivered a solid effort (3,864 yards, 20 touchdowns and 12 interceptions) for an injury-riddled team that finished last in the NFC West. Two things can be true. One is that Purdy is a very good quarterback in the 49ers system. The other is that giving him a deal that would average over $50 million annually would be a mistake for a team that already has felt the crippling effect of salary-cap bloat this offseason. We’ve seen how this looks in Miami, Jacksonville and Dallas, and future success feels uncertain in those places because of the size of the quarterback’s contract. It’s a tough spot for the 49ers to be in. It’s also hard to see them catching back up with franchises like the Eagles, Lions, Commanders or Rams with a quarterback who won’t look as great when he’s not a bargain.
BURNING QUESTION: What are the next steps in making Sam Darnold the best version of himself?
One important thing the Seahawks surely knew when they signed the best quarterback in free agency: Darnold is not going to walk into Seattle and elevate the offense all by himself. He resurrected his career in Minnesota because he had an exceptional supporting cast and strong coaching. His chances for success in his new home depend plenty on similar variables coming into play. The pairing of Cooper Kupp with Jaxon Smith-Njigba is encouraging, but Kupp is also 31 with a history of injuries. It’s not hard to see Seattle looking for more depth at receiver in the draft for that reason alone. The offensive line is even more concerning at this stage. The Seahawks have battled problems up front for years, and the only free-agent addition to the unit was offensive tackle Josh Jones, who signed a one-year deal. GM John Schneider could seek out difference-makers in an offensive line class that is strongest along the interior. Darnold played his worst football of the season late in the year, when both the Lions and Rams rattled him with relentless pressure. If the Seahawks can’t protect Darnold early, this marriage isn’t going to end well.
