For most, the NFL offseason is just a couple of days away. The teams fortunate enough to make the playoffs won't care about the offseason yet, but the 18 teams that miss out will turn the page to 2026. This means moves could come fast and furious, whether those moves are firing head coaches or fielding interest in a superstar like Maxx Crosby.
The latest NFL rumors cover Crosby's future with the Las Vegas Raiders, as well as a couple of head coaching decisions — one of which is baffling.
Raiders are open to trading Maxx Crosby
For several years now, both Crosby and the Raiders have been adamant that the star pass rusher isn't going anywhere. Well, The Athletic's ($) Dianna Russini made it clear that might change this offseason.
"Many believe Las Vegas will be open to moving its star pass rusher if the relationship remains at an impasse, allowing Crosby, who will turn 29 this summer, an opportunity to compete on a team built to win now," Russini wrote.
The reason for this mindset shift is rather obvious: The relationship between Crosby and the Raiders is strained, to say the least. It has nothing to do with the team's on-field struggles, but seemingly everything to do with the team's decision to shut Crosby down for the season due to an injury that he believes he can play through.
If the Raiders are actually open to moving Crosby, all 31 teams figure to express some level of interest. Not only is the 28-year-old one of the game's best players, but he's locked in long-term on an extension he signed this past March. He can help elevate any team in a big way and help Vegas enter a much-needed rebuild by bringing them an absolute haul in a potential trade.
Even before the relationship fell apart, there was reason to believe the Raiders should trade Crosby this offseason. Now that things have devolved, a deal feels more likely than ever, and that's for the best for everyone involved.
Browns leaning towards firing Kevin Stefanski
At 4-12, the Cleveland Browns are one of the worst teams in the NFL for a second straight season and will miss the playoffs for a fourth time in Kevin Stefanski's six seasons as head coach. The result of that appears to be Stefanski losing his job, according to Russini.
"The Cleveland Browns have done some background work to gather information on potential head-coaching options, and are leaning toward moving on from two-time Coach of the Year Kevin Stefanski," Russini wrote.
This doesn't appear to be a done deal, but Russini couldn't have been clearer: Barring a sudden shift, Stefanski will be coaching his final game with the Browns on Sunday. There are reasons to be both optimistic and pessimistic about this decision from a Browns perspective.
From the optimistic side, Stefanski just wasn't getting it done in Cleveland anymore. The Browns have gone just 7-26 in the last two seasons, and have finished under .500 four times in the Stefanski era. Sure, that isn't all his fault, but how many coaches can survive a stretch like that, especially when his teams have fielded consistently outstanding defenses?
On the other hand, though, Stefanski is a two-time Coach of the Year award — and what, exactly, was he supposed to do this season with the roster he was given? As good as the defense is, the Browns do not have a quarterback, and their skill position group and offensive line are as bad as any in the NFL. There's only so much a head coach can do with a bad roster, and we've seen Stefanski win games with good rosters.
It makes sense to pursue a change after how things have gone the last couple of years, but it wouldn't be shocking to see the next head coach prove that Stefanski was the solution, not the problem, in Cleveland.
Bengals set to make predictable Zac Taylor mistake
While the Browns are likely to make a move signaling that the past couple of years have been unacceptable, the Cincinnati Bengals appear set on keeping their head coach, Zac Taylor, around, at least according to NFL.com's Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero.
"Bengals head coach Zac Taylor is not going anywhere. Since being eliminated from playoff contention, Cincinnati has blown out the Dolphins and Cardinals, reminding everyone how their offense can look like with Joe Burrow and his receivers healthy and available," Rapoport and Pelissero wrote.
Sure, Taylor has had to deal with a lot of Joe Burrow injuries, but even when Burrow is on the field, are we sure Taylor does anything to elevate the Bengals? Their offense would be dynamic regardless of who is coaching them — especially against teams like the Miami Dolphins and Arizona Cardinals — as long as their key pieces like Burrow, Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins are healthy. We've seen how lackluster the offense looks without Burrow.
Injuries have played a role, but Cincinnati has missed the playoffs in each of the last three years. They've made the postseason just twice in seven seasons under Taylor. Much as is the case with Stefanski, how many head coaches survive stretches like this?
It's predictable that the same franchise that let Marvin Lewis stick around for 16 years despite not winning a single playoff game would stick by Taylor, but it really doesn't make sense. He has not shown he can win games without his stars fully healthy, and those stars would thrive under any head coach. Sticking with Taylor figures to only alienate Burrow further, assuming it'll lead to similar results.
It's been time for a new voice in Cincinnati, but for reasons only ownership can explain, it's unlikely that change will occur this offseason.
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