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2026 NFL Offseason Outlook Series

By | at February 28, 2026 11:00 pm

Pro Football Rumors is breaking down how all 32 teams’ offseason blueprints are shaping up. Going forward, the Offseason Outlook series is exclusive to Trade Rumors Front Office subscribers, and that link provides details on how to sign up for an annual membership.

This post will be updated as more Outlooks are published.

AFC East

AFC North

AFC South

AFC West

NFC East

NFC North

NFC South

NFC West

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Texans, QBs Coach Jerrod Johnson To Part Ways

By | at February 26, 2026 10:55 am

C.J. Stroud will remain in place with the Texans for 2026. He will have a new position coach for the first time in his career next season, though.

[RELATED: Texans Confirm No Stroud Trade Forthcoming]

A parting of ways between Houston and quarterbacks coach Jerrod Johnson is set to take place, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports. Johnson had been on hand with the Texans since 2023, Stroud’s rookie campaign and the first with head coach DeMeco Ryans on the sidelines. Senior offensive assistant Jerry Schlupinski will take on a more direct role working with Stroud and the quarterbacks, per Aaron Wilson of KPRC2.

Schlupinski and offensive coordinator Nick Caley will work together to serve as an internal Johnson replacement, Wilson notes. He adds this decision was mutual, noting Johnson had already departed the Texans’ staff one week before the start of the ongoing NFL Combine. According to Wilson, Johnson – who worked with the Colts and Vikings prior to his Houston arrival – has a number of opportunities to consider as he explores his next coaching gig.

Stroud earned Offensive Rookie of the Year honors and helped lead the Texans to the divisional round of the playoffs in 2023. The team has reached that point of the playoffs each of the past two years, but Stroud’s level of play has drawn criticism over that span. Improved play at the receiver position and along the offensive line will be a goal for 2026. Upgrades on those fronts would be welcomed, but Stroud’s level of play in 2026 will be worth watching closely.

The former No. 2 pick is set to have his fifth-year option exercised this spring, although a long-term extension does not appear to be imminent. How Stroud manages to perform next season will thus be critical in informing how the team proceeds in his case. A pivotal 2026 campaign will take place with a new QBs coach in the fold.

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Texans Will Not Trade C.J. Stroud; Joe Mixon Undergoes Surgery

By | at February 24, 2026 12:50 pm

C.J. Stroud has not built on his 2023 Offensive Rookie of the Year performance, and a miserable playoff showing restricted a dominant Texans defense. The quarterback is now extension-eligible, but a recent report pressed pause on that topic.

The Texans do not look to be planning a Stroud extension for 2026, but the team will exercise the former No. 2 overall pick’s fifth-year option. That will extend Stroud’s contract through 2027, buying the organization some time. While Year 5 QB extensions are not commonplace, that may be where this settles.

GM Nick Caserio said Tuesday no trade is coming, confirming (via ESPN.com’s DJ Bien-Aime) the fourth-year passer is “not going anywhere.” Stroud, 24, is on track to make $1.15MM in base salary on his fully guaranteed $36.28MM rookie contract.

Considering the Ohio State product’s rookie-year performance and the flashes shown over the ensuing two seasons, it would be surprising if the Texans truly considered moving on this year. The fifth-year option will create an opportunity for Stroud to boost his stock this season, which would allow him to set a price point closer to the top of the market in 2027.

Most successful QBs who go off the board in Round 1 are extended after their third seasons, but Lamar Jackson and Tua Tagovailoa have been outliers in recent years. Jackson played out his option season and was extended after being franchise-tagged in 2023. The Dolphins let Tagovailoa play out his fourth season and paid him before Year 5. That turned out to be the wrong move, and Miami is on track to eat record-smashing dead money. That example would point to Houston caution with Stroud, but given the mess the organization was in after the Deshaun Watson scandal, giving a promising but unspectacular passer another shot certainly makes sense.

The Texans paired Stroud and Joe Mixon in 2024 but needed to adjust at running back last season, when Mixon missed 17 games because of an unspecified injury. Mixon, 29, landed on the reserve/NFI list because of a “complicated” foot and ankle injury. The 2024 trade acquisition has undergone surgery, Caserio said (via KPRC2’s Aaron Wilson).

The former Bengals regular may not play again. If/when the Texans release Mixon from his two-year, $19.75MM extension, it would free up $8MM in cap space. Nick Chubb played out his one-year Houston contract, but Woody Marks (703 rookie-year rushing yards) has three years left on his rookie deal. The Texans will likely add another RB to complement Marks or push him for the starting job soon.

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Texans Not Eyeing Offseason C.J. Stroud Extension?

By | at February 22, 2026 10:10 pm

It is a foregone conclusion that the Texans will exercise quarterback C.J. Stroud’s fifth-year option, thereby assuring him of a $26.53MM salary for 2027. It is less certain that Houston will discuss a long-term contract with Stroud’s camp this offseason, and Aaron Wilson of KPRC2 unequivocally asserts those talks will not commence until next year.

In a lengthy video report addressing recent speculation that Houston could consider trading Stroud – whose middling 2025 regular season culminated in two turnover-riddled playoff contests and another divisional-round exit – Wilson says contract talks are not in the team’s immediate plans. Instead, he believes the club and Stroud will reach an understanding in which the Texans tell the former No. 2 overall pick they will be happy to pay him like a franchise passer a year from now, after a strong 2026 performance.

Although he does not explicitly say so, one of the reports Wilson appears to be referencing is one recently published by Albert Breer of SI.com. Per Breer, it may be difficult to get Stroud to accept anything less than the $60MM-per-year payout that Cowboys’ QB Dak Prescott presently enjoys, which Breer suggests will soon become the new benchmark for high-end quarterback contracts.

Of course, given that Stroud followed up his Offensive Rookie of the Year showing in 2023 with two less inspiring seasons, and given that his two most recent playoff games featured a combined five fumbles (two lost) and five interceptions, it is fair to wonder if his track record and upside merit a top-shelf deal. While not as adamant as Wilson, Breer indicates the Texans could delay contract talks until the 2027 offseason.

If Houston does elect to negotiate, its perception of Stroud’s value may be starkly different than the player’s self-evaluation, which could cause the talks to get “sticky.” Breer echoes prior reports that the Texans may be aggressive in seeking an extension for edge rusher Will Anderson, and if they authorize a top-of-the-market pact for the defensive star but not for their QB1, the relationship between Stroud and the club may become strained.

Either development – contentious negotiations or an outright postponement of negotiations – could pique the interest of QB-needy teams, which could then try to pry Stroud away from Houston. Breer does not say the Texans have received calls on Stroud, nor does he indicate they would even entertain such calls if they came in, but it makes sense that other clubs would be monitoring the situation just in case.

But even if they do not believe he is presently deserving of a $60MM/year contract, the Texans have no intention of trading Stroud, per Wilson (who says it would cost at least two first-round picks for an interested team to acquire him). Wilson goes on to say Houston’s plan is to bolster the O-line, upgrade the tight end room, and add another starting-caliber running back. Those moves, in conjunction with a second year under offensive coordinator Nick Caley, are expected to allow Stroud to thrive in 2026 and improve his earning power in 2027.

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NFL Coaching Updates: Bengals, Raiders, Chiefs, Vikings, Texans

By | at February 22, 2026 10:06 pm

The only team in the AFC North that didn’t see major coaching regime changes, the Bengals will not be left out of the offseason staff conversations after all. According to ESPN’s Ben Baby, tight ends coach James Casey has earned a promotion. The team has added the position of run game coordinator to his title.

Also, following up on the hiring of Davis Koetter as assistant wide receivers coach three weeks ago, Baby reports that last year’s assistant wide receivers coach, Jordan Salkin, has been retained on staff. Salkin has been moved to assistant quarterbacks coach for the 2026 NFL season.

Here are a few other coaching staff updates from around the National Football League:

  • The Raiders, too, named their offensive run game coordinator, announcing today that Mario Jeberaeel has been named to the position. Starting his coaching career at the high school level in 2009, Jeberaeel, a Las Vegas-native, worked his way through the collegiate ranks with stops at Arkansas-Monticello, Kansas, and Abilene Christian before debuting in the NFL with the Falcons in 2021. Starting in Atlanta as a diversity coaching intern working with the offensive line, he was promoted to assistant offensive line coach in 2022 and special projects (defense) coach in 2023. He accepted a role with the Jaguars two years ago as assistant outside linebackers coach but saw his role change to defensive assistant for Jacksonville last year. He’ll be tasked with improving a unit that finished dead last in rushing yards and touchdowns in 2025.
  • After losing outside linebackers coach Rod Wilson to the Cardinals, the Chiefs have moved to fill the position with Matt House, per Tom Pelissero of NFL Network. After a couple collegiate stops to start his coaching career, House dipped his toes in the NFL waters in 2008 as assistant special teams coach with the Panthers before spending the next three years as defensive quality control coach for the Rams. He returned to the collegiate ranks, where he earned defensive coordinator opportunities at Pittsburgh and Kentucky, before first joining the Chiefs as a linebackers coach in 2019. He left Kansas City to serve as defensive coordinator at LSU, and when Brian Kelly fired him after two years, he landed as the Jaguars linebackers coach in 2024. Last year, he returned to Kansas City as a senior defensive assistant. Per Pelissero, the Chiefs blocked multiple requests to interview House over the hiring cycle. The team intended for him to remain as a key part of their staff, and he will do so in 2026 as outside linebackers coach.
  • Per Kevin Seifert of ESPN, the Vikings have added Kyle Caskey to their staff as an offensive assistant. Caskey is an older name, returning to the NFL after four seasons away from the league. Caskey first came to the NFL in 2010. In nine years with the Bengals, Caskey spent four as offensive quality control/assistant offensive line coach and the next five as running backs coach. He spent two years after that as running backs coach in Detroit and a final season as offensive quality control of the Jaguars in 2021 before disappearing from the NFL. Caskey resurfaced in 2024 as running backs coach/special teams coordinator of the UFL’s St. Louis Battlehawks and was slated to work as the Orlando Storm’s offensive coordinator before accepting this new role in Minnesota. According to Seifert, Caskey’s opportunities in the alternate professional football league were all the result of UFL head coach Anthony Becht, who Seifert claims is spearheading efforts to create opportunities for coaches to go to the NFL. Another one of Becht’s success stories is Bruce Gradkowski, who was hired as an offensive assistant with the Lions last year after his two-year tenure as the Battlehawks offensive coordinator.
  • Lastly, according to Matt Zenitz of CBS Sports, the Texans are hiring Jay Simpson to join the team as a defensive assistant. After working his way through smaller collegiate roles at South Alabama, UAB, and Arkansas State, Simpson worked last year as the cornerbacks coach at Memphis. He’ll be making his NFL coaching debut with Houston in 2026.
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Minor NFL Transactions: 2/21/26

By | at February 21, 2026 6:37 pm

Saturday brought about one minor move in the NFL:

Houston Texans

Kingston was on track to be one of Houston’s exclusive rights restricted free agents this spring. Instead, a new Texans deal has been worked out. Aaron Wilson of KPRC2 reports this is a one-year, $1.1MM pact with a $15K signing bonus representing the only guaranteed money. A $10K workout bonus is also present in the deal, and Kingston can earn it during the offseason program. The 26-year-old made a pair of appearances with Houston in 2025.

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Robert Woods Announces Retirement

By | at February 17, 2026 4:41 pm

Veteran wide receiver Robert Woods announced his retirement on Instagram on Tuesday (via Adam Schefter of ESPN). The 33-year-old signed a one-day contract to retire as a member of the Rams.

A former USC Trojan, Woods entered the NFL as Buffalo’s second-round pick in 2013. He ended up spending four years as a member of the Bills, with whom he caught 203 passes for 2,451 yards and 12 touchdowns.

The California native parlayed his solid production as a Bill into a five-year, $39MM deal with the Rams in 2017. The move worked out beautifully for both parties.

Joining the Rams in Sean McVay‘s first season as their head coach, Woods racked up 56 catches for 781 yards (then a career high) and five touchdowns. Woods went on to post his three best seasons after that. He finished with between 86 to 90 receptions in each year and surpassed the 1,100-yard mark twice, including a personal-high 1,219 in 2018.

Woods’ career began going downhill when he suffered an ACL tear in practice in November 2021. The injury limited Woods to nine games and held him out for the Rams’ Super Bowl-winning playoff run.

In March 2022, several weeks after the Rams hoisted the Lombardi Trophy, they traded Woods to the Titans for a sixth-round pick. Woods played his lone 17-game season that year, but after he put up 53 catches, 527 yards and two TDs, the Titans released him.

In the wake of his Titans breakup, Woods landed a two-year deal with the AFC South rival Texans. He saw the pact through and played in 29 games, though Woods only combined for 60 catches, 629 yards and one score.

Woods stayed in the AFC when he inked a one-year, $2MM contract with the Steelers last offseason, but he didn’t crack their roster. The Steelers released Woods in late August, and he didn’t sign elsewhere all season. He’ll now wrap up an impressive 12-year career that included 683 catches, 8,233 yards and 38 TDs over 171 games.

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Browns Close To Hiring D-Coordinator

By | at February 15, 2026 6:28 pm

6:28pm: Mary Kay Cabot of cleveland.com named three finalists for the defensive coordinator job in Cleveland today. Per Cabot, the two external candidates are both still in consideration, but of the two internal options, Banda will not be considered moving forward. In the next day or two, the Browns will be choosing between Undlin, Tarver, and Rutenberg for their defensive coordinator position.

11:52am: Nine days since Jim Schwartz resigned as their defensive coordinator, the Browns are getting closer to naming his replacement. Head coach Todd Monken‘s decision could come “within the next day or two,” Mary Kay Cabot of cleveland.com reports.

Monken has spent this weekend conducting in-person interviews with candidates, according to Cabot. Two finalists, Texans defensive pass-game coordinator Cory Undlin and Falcons PGC Mike Rutenberg, have met with Monken.

Browns linebackers coach Jason Tarver and safeties coach Ephraim Banda are also still in contention. Thanks in part to his defensive coordinator experience with the Raiders from 2012-14, Tarver is the “stronger internal candidate” than Banda, Cabot writes.

Banda was the co-defensive coordinator at Miami from 2019-20 and the DC at Utah State between 2021-22, but he has spent all three of his NFL seasons coaching safeties. If professional coordinator experience is preferred, Banda and Rutenberg may fall behind Undlin (the Lions’ DC in 2020) and Tarver in the pecking order.

Rutenberg has combined for 15 years in the league with Washington, Jacksonville, San Francisco, the Jets and Atlanta, but the longtime Robert Saleh colleague has never run a defense. He has also never been on the same staff as Schwartz. Considering Monken intends to keep Schwartz’s system in place, that may be important.

With Schwartz then the Eagles’ DC, Undlin spent four years under him (2016-19) as their defensive backs coach. They won a Super Bowl together in 2017. In addition to his experience with Schwartz, Undlin has also worked with Monken. The two overlapped as Jaguars assistants from 2009-10.

Tarver and Banda helped Schwartz’s defense finish 2025 fourth in scoring and 14th in yards. With a record 23 sacks, Myles Garrett steamrolled his way to Defensive Player of the Year honors. Linebacker Carson Schwesinger, Tarver’s pupil, was a tackling machine (156) who chipped in 2.5 sacks and two interceptions. That was enough for the second-rounder from UCLA to collect the Defensive Rookie of the Year Award.

The Browns have a lot of problems to fix on the offensive side of the ball, but Garrett and Schwesinger help make their DC job an attractive one. With the Browns in the final stages of their search, here’s a refresher on the other names they’ve considered:

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Browns Request DC Interview With Cory Undlin

By | at February 12, 2026 12:11 pm

Cory Undlin has long been seen as a top defensive coordinator candidate for the Browns. He has already been in contact with the team, and an interview will soon take place.

A request has been submitted, Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com reports. Undlin is currently in place with the Texans as their defensive pass-game coordinator. He has not yet been connected to any other DC vacancies, but interest from Cleveland is understandable. The 54-year-old worked with the Browns from 2005-08. He held a number of titles over the course of that span, working on defense and special teams along the way.

Since his Cleveland departure, Undlin has seen time with the Jaguars, Broncos, Eagles, Lions, 49ers and Texans. He served as Detroit’s defensive coordinator in 2020, although the team ranked last in scoring and total defense that season. Undlin nevertheless has plenty of experience working with defensive backs at the NFL level, and he is a familiar option to pair with new head coach Todd Monken.

The two did not overlap during their respective stints in Cleveland. However, Monken and Undlin worked together in Jacksonville for two seasons. Undlin also has experience working under ex-Browns DC Jim Schwartz, having won a Super Bowl with him in Philadelphia. If the Browns intend to essentially duplicate Schwartz’s scheme in 2026, bringing in Undlin would be a reasonable approach.

Cabot also notes a defensive coordinator interview took place with Mike Rutenberg yesterday. The Falcons’ defensive pass-game coordinator is one of several staffers connected to the opening in Cleveland with Schwartz opting to resign upon not landing the head coaching gig. Here is an updated look at where things stand:

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Browns Request DC Interview With Falcons’ Mike Rutenberg

By | at February 9, 2026 5:34 pm

Another name has joined the growing list of candidates for the Browns defensive coordinator job. According to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, the Browns have requested an interview with Falcons defensive pass-game coordinator Mike Rutenberg.

Rutenberg had a long stint in Jacksonville to begin his NFL coaching career. Following seven seasons with the organization, he caught on with the 49ers as their passing game specialist. That move reunited him with Robert Saleh after the two worked alongside each other during their time with the Jaguars.

When Saleh got the Jets head coaching job in 2021, Rutenberg followed him to New York as the team’s new linebackers coach. He spent four years with the organization, three of which saw the Jets finish in the top-five in total defense. As the Jets revamped their coaching staff ahead of the 2025 campaign, Rutenberg left for the Falcons, where he was named the defensive pass game coordinator. Atlanta’s pass defense was generally middle-of-the-road this past season, although they did rank sixth in interceptions.

The 44-year-old’s stock has recently been climbing. He was a candidate for the Titans DC job that eventually went to Gus Bradley, and Fowler notes that Rutenberg was actually the runner-up in that process. Now, he’ll get another crack at a coordinator gig in Cleveland.

Another name that’s definitively connected to the Browns job is Texans passing-game coordinator Cory Undlin, who was previously mentioned as a potential candidate for the gig. According to Albert Breer of SI.com, Undlin met with the Browns this past weekend. This would be a bit of a homecoming for the veteran coach, who had a four-year stint in Cleveland early in his coaching career.

Since then, he’s coached defensive backs in stops with the Jaguars, Broncos, Eagles, and 49ers. He also had a one-year stint as the Lions defensive coordinator under Matt Patricia, although Detroit ranked as the worst defense in the NFL that year. He’s spent the past three seasons serving in his current role on DeMeco Ryans‘s staff in Houston.

With Jim Schwartz resigning from his post in Cleveland, the Browns list of DC candidates continues to grow. The team’s other options include:

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