Hello friends, and welcome to the Monday edition of the Pick Six newsletter!
If you plan on going on vacation over the next month, don't be surprised if you run into an NFL player, and that's because it's officially vacation season in the NFL. All 32 teams are done practicing, and they won't be back on the field again until training camp kicks off in late July, which means this is the one time of year where NFL players are free to go on vacation. On the other hand, this newsletter never goes on vacation.
We've got important things to cover over the next few weeks, like the countdown to the wedding between Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce. We've also got football to talk about today, so let's get to it.
As always, here's your reminder to tell your friends to sign up for the newsletter.
1. Ranking the top 10 offseasons: Three surprise teams at the top
The next time we see any NFL players on the field will be at training camp, which means the NFL offseason is officially over. With the offseason now behind us, it's time to figure out which NFL teams did the best to help themselves over the past few months.
Josh Edwards is here to answer that question, and he did that by ranking the 10 teams that had the best offseason this year. We're going to check out the top three on his list, and you're probably going to be surprised by all three:
1. Browns. It may come as a surprise to see the Browns on this list considering the name brand value of players they have lost this offseason: Joel Bitonio, Wyatt Teller and Myles Garrett to name a few. General manager Andrew Berry entirely rebuilt the offensive line this offseason by trading for Tytus Howard, signing Zion Johnson and Elgton Jenkins and drafting Spencer Fano, Parker Brailsford and Austin Barber. They concluded the 2026 NFL Draft with four of the top 25 prospects in my personal rankings: wide receivers KC Concepcion and Denzel Boston, safety Emmanuel McNeil-Warren and Fano. The trade of Garrett brought back one of the game's best young pass rushers, Jared Verse, as well as draft resources that could be used to address the team's pursuit of the ever-evasive franchise quarterback.
2. Raiders. The Raiders added the best quarterback prospect available this offseason: Indiana's Fernando Mendoza. And the organization has made multiple strategic decisions to support him: From hiring offensive-minded head coach Klint Kubiak to paying free agent center Tyler Linderbaum a top-of-the-market contract to signing veteran quarterback Kirk Cousins, the rookie will have the opportunity to hit the ground running with running back Ashton Jeanty and tight end Brock Bowers. The team also raised the floor of its defense by signing cornerback Eric Stokes, edge rusher Kwity Paye and linebackers Quay Walker and Nakobe Dean.
3. Jets. The team traded for defensive tackle T'Vondre Sweat and safety Minkah Fitzpatrick in conjunction with signing veterans David Onyemata, Demario Davis, Joseph Ossai and Kingsley Enagbare in free agency. Defensive moves continued to be made throughout the draft, including top 50 overall selections on edge rusher David Bailey and cornerback D'Angelo Ponds. It remains to be seen if the team will be more competitive than it had been down the stretch of the 2025 season, but there is no question that the roster is more talented than it had been this time last year.
Edwards did NOT rank the Bengals, who might have just had their best offseason in franchise history, but he did rank seven other teams along with the three above. If you want to see his full list, you can do that here.
2. Stefon Diggs landing spots: Where WR could sign
Last week, Stefon Diggs found out he won't face NFL punishment over his recent legal situation. With that now behind him, his phone is likely going to start ringing with interested teams looking to sign him.
So where will he end up? Glad you asked. Jordan Dajani came up with five possible landing spots.
Let's check out the top three names on his list:
- Commanders. The Commanders could use another wide receiver. Adam Peters drafted Clemson slot weapon Antonio Williams, but it's fair to wonder if Jayden Daniels has enough talent at wideout to support another NFC Championship run. Terry McLaurin put together the worst season of his career with 582 yards receiving in 10 games played, as he struggled to stay healthy. If Washington's WR1 has another season like that, this Commanders passing attack is doomed. Diggs is also a DMV man and played his high school ball 13 miles north of Washington D.C. before starring at the University of Maryland.
- Ravens. We can keep with the Maryland theme here and talk about the Baltimore Ravens, who have been a favorite landing spot for several notable veteran wideouts such as DeAndre Hopkins, Odell Beckham Jr. and DeSean Jackson. Teaming up with Lamar Jackson and this new-look offense led by Declan Doyle could be intriguing.
- Rams. The Rams are a team that's all-in for a Super Bowl in 2026. Not only did they bolster the secondary with Trent McDuffie and Jaylen Watson, but they also traded for superstar pass rusher Myles Garrett -- who just recorded an NFL-record 23 sacks last season. The Rams had the No. 1 offense in the league last year with MVP quarterback Matthew Stafford and star wideouts Puka Nacua and Davante Adams. Despite that talented room, the Rams showed interest in A.J. Brown earlier this offseason, so they could still be in the market for a new weapon.
The other two landing spots on the list are both teams that made the playoffs last year, and if you want to know who they are, you'll have to read Dajani's full story here.
3. Ranking the best backup QB situations in the NFL
If there's one thing the NFL taught us last year, it's that you better have a good backup plan at quarterback or your season could go down the drain quickly. There were multiple prominent starters who missed several games due to injury, including Joe Burrow (Bengals), Patrick Mahomes (Chiefs) and Jayden Daniels (Commanders). Those three teams went a combined 4-18 without their starter on the field.
A quality backup gives you a chance to keep your season alive if your starter goes down. With that in mind, Zach Pereles ranked NFL teams by who has the best backup situation.
1. 49ers: Mac Jones. The proof is in the pudding with Mac Jones, another player whose situation plays a major role in this ranking. He kept things afloat last season for eight games while Brock Purdy was out with an injury. Jones went 5-3, threw for 13 touchdowns and six interceptions -- the best ratio of his career -- and averaged a career-best 7.4 yards per attempt in his first year with the 49ers.
2. Raiders: Fernando Mendoza. Mendoza enters the season as Kirk Cousins' backup. How long he remains there is TBD. The best version of Mendoza might be the best version of Cousins, but with even better arm strength and athleticism. That would make him a top-10 quarterback in the NFL. He won't be anywhere close in Year 1, though.
3. Bengals: Joe Flacco. It's crucial to separate Joe Flacco's time with the Browns, which was never going to work well, from his time with the Bengals. From Weeks 6-12 as Cincinnati's starter, Flacco ranked eighth out of 33 qualified quarterbacks in expected points added per play. Flacco, especially at this point in his career, is a great example of fit. In Cincinnati, his strong arm, solid accuracy and smarts works well in a Bengals offense loaded with talent.
If you're dying to know who else made the list, Zach has a full top 10 here.
4. Non-Round 1 NFC rookies who could play key roles this year
If you're a first round pick in the NFL Draft, you're basically expected to be a starter or at least a key contributor during your rookie year (unless your name is Ty Simpson). For players taken after the first round, the expectations aren't quite as high, but there are plenty of players taken after Day 1 who can still play a key role during their rookie season.
We decided to take a look at several non-first-round rookies in the NFC who could end up contributing this year. Here are three players who made the cut:
- Saints TE Oscar Delp. (Round 3, Pick 73). New Orleans has a few veterans at the tight end position -- Juwan Johnson and Noah Fant -- but Delp has a well-rounded skill set and can grow on the same timeline as quarterback Tyler Shough.
- Giants WR Malachi Fields (Round 3, Pick 74). There are a few factors working in his favor to see the field early. First, Malik Nabers is expected to be ready for Week 1, but is returning from a serious injury, and Wan'Dale Robinson is no longer on this roster. Second, Fields' strengths complement the roster and offensive system. He is a bigger body that can win at the catch point down the field, but is also willing to engage and seal as a blocker in space; a vital assignment in a physical Harbaugh system.
- Packers DL Chris McClellan (Round 3, Pick 77). The Packers needed help along the defensive line after watching T.J. Slaton depart in free agency a year ago and trading Kenny Clark to the Cowboys. McClellan is a classic Packers space-eating interior player.
Josh Edwards came up with a list that includes nine players, and you're definitely going to want to check it out here.
5. Everyone had Sauce Gardner's age wrong
There's a reason people tell you not to believe everything you read on the internet, and that's because you shouldn't believe everything you read on the internet. Just ask Sauce Gardner about that.
Going into last week, if you looked up Gardner's age on the internet, you would have been told that he's 25, but that information would have been incorrect.
In one of the most bizarre stories of the year, Gardner had to correct everyone about his age last week: He's actually 24.
- How the age discrepancy happened. If you went to ESPN.com, Pro Football Reference or Wikipedia to get Gardner's age at any point over the past few years, his birthday was listed as Aug. 31, 2000, which would make him 25 years old. However, if you went to NFL.com or the Colts official website, Gardner's birthday was listed as Aug. 31, 2001, which would make him 24.
- Gardner finally cleared things up. In what might be an NFL first, the Colts star cornerback actually had to clarify his age during Indy's final day of mandatory minicamp last week. "I'm 24, by the way," Gardner told reporters. "Yeah, I'm 24." Gardner told The Athletic that his passport and driver's license both have his birthday as Aug. 31, 2001, so although most of the internet has it wrong, the government has it right. (The Athletic was the first publication to notice that half the internet was getting Gardner's age wrong.)
- How the discrepancy happened. I went down an internet rabbit hole on Friday to figure how this discrepancy might have happened, and I think I found the answer. During his rookie year, his birthday was listed incorrectly in the 2022 NFL Record and Fact book, and it was also incorrectly listed in the three editions that have come out since then. If any websites were pulling Gardner's birthday from there, that would explain why they were off by a year.
If you want to read my full deep dive into the situation, you can do that here.
6. Extra points: Titans hand out record-setting contract
It's been a busy few days in the NFL, and since it's nearly impossible to keep track of everything, I put together a quick roundup for you.
- Jeffery Simmons lands record-setting deal from Titans. Simmons signed a three-year, $105.8 million extension over the weekend that makes him the highest paid defensive tackle in NFL history. Although the Titans have struggled over the past few years, Simmons has been one of the few bright spots. Last season, he was voted an All-Pro after a year where he also led all interior defensive linemen in solo tackles (39), tackles for loss (17) and sacks (11). You can read more about Simmons' record-breaking deal here.
- Son of Super Bowl winner comes up big for USMNT. The United States Mens National Team pulled off a big 2-0 win Australia on Friday. With the victory, USMNT clinched first place in Group D and a spot in the knockout round of the World Cup. One of the goals against the Aussies came from Alex Freeman, who just happens to be the son of former Packers receiver Antonio Freeman. The elder Freeman won Super Bowl XXXI with the Packers, and now, Alex is trying to win a title of his own at age 21. You can check out Alex's goal here. USMNT has a match on Thursday, but that won't impact the team's standing in Group D. The team's next meaningful match will come July 1 at 8 p.m. ET at the Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara -- the opponent is TBD -- and you can bet Antonio will be in attendance to watch his son.
- Supplemental draft deadline is here. Today is the final day that college players are allowed to apply for the supplemental draft. Brendan Sorsby is obviously the most notable who has already applied, and after today, we'll find out if anyone else decided to apply. Once the application process is closed, that's when the NFL will move on to the next two steps, which should both happen in the very near future. First, the league will reveal who's been approved for the draft, and then the NFL will set an official date for the draft.
