Author: nfltalk

When my editor told me to write a “Way-too-early bold prediction” piece, at first I thought it was going to be a cake walk. After all, ya boy loves thinking outside the box and challenging group think. Easy peasy, I’ll knock this out in like an hour tops….

But then I do what I do and start going down rabbit holes… I start looking at projected cap space… examining pending free agents… postulating team needs, schematic fits, inside/outside run rates, slot/wide alignment, wait, what about potential OC changes??? And what about win totals? Should we really be investing in bad teams… Next thing you know, it’s New Year’s Day and I’ve spent about four hours researching the entire league for no good reason at all.

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It’s a long way of saying, it would’ve been easy to just throw smashed bananas on the wall and come up with bold predictions that don’t make sense and could never happen, but what’s the fun in that? Here are five bold predictions for 2026 based on plausible spending and team needs:

Breece Hall signs with Pittsburgh, explodes for 1,500 yards and 10 TDs

Kenneth Gainwell only signed a one-year deal and while it’s possible the team re-signs him given his productivity, I wonder if they make a splashier move at a position that has been critical for Mike Tomlin-led teams. Interestingly, Jaylen Warren is a potential cut candidate given his contract.

Per Spotrac, Pittsburgh currently has the eighth-most projected cap space and you have to think they will spend some of that at running back.

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A juiced-up version of Gainwell, Breece Hall is a perfect fit for the predominantly outside run scheme Arthur Smith deploys. And while Kenny G was good as a pass catcher too, Breece is down right electric as a receiver out of the backfield.

And let’s not forget, Tomlin is a legit king maker for this position. Le’Veon Bell, Willie Parker, Najee Harris, Rashard Mendenhall, James Conner and Deangelo Williams all posted seasons with…

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FRISCO, Texas — Dallas Cowboys defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus is feeling the heat. His Dallas defense in Year 1 as the team’s defensive coordinator under head coach Brian Schottenheimer is allowing 29.8 points per game, the most in the NFL. 

One of the elephants in the room regarding the Cowboys’ defensive decline is the 2025 season was the first without All-Pro edge rusher Micah Parsons, whom Dallas traded away to the Green Bay Packers a week before the season began. Eberflus noted his impact but also accurately assessed Parsons’ departure “is what it is.” 

“Obviously you have an All-Pro pass rusher that wins really quick [Parsons], that’s certainly going to help any defense if it’s Micah or if it’s Myles [Garrett] or whoever that might be. But that impact player is always going to help to a certain degree in pass downs and other downs,” Eberflus said Thursday. Again, you can’t look back right? It is what it is and then you just focus where you are.”

Wilson’s 2026 NFL mock draft 4.0: Cowboys beef up the trenches as the Steelers look for help at WR

Ryan Wilson

Parsons himself saw that comment on Twitter/X, and he reposted Eberflus’ press conference quote with a number of laughing emojis. He then clarified why he took an apparent shot at Eberflus and the Cowboys an hour after posting the initial reaction. 

“Y’all want me to feel bad? Jerry Jones slandered my name to Cowboys media and national media for months,” Parsons posted on Thursday. “So I do think I can react to comment if I want to!…

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San Francisco tight end George Kittle says he won’t miss Saturday’s season finale against the Seahawks, with the No. 1 seed in the NFC playoffs on the line.

Asked if he expects to play on Saturday, Kittle said, “Absolutely.”

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Kittle missed last week’s game with an ankle injury but said he’s feeling “Fabulous” this week.

“Great position for Saturday night to clinch a one seed. So just with that, I’m doing fantastic,” Kittle said.

The 49ers’ offense played very well in beating the Bears without Kittle, and Kittle said he’s proud to be part of a team that has had players step up all season when other players went out with injuries.

“Any time you’re in position to secure a one seed, that means you’re playing football at a really high level,” Kittle said. “This team just keeps going.”

And Kittle keeps going, confident that he can do what the 49ers have done all season: Shake off an injury and keep going.

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There is no guarantee that Aaron Rodgers will suit up for the 2026 NFL season. His contract with the Pittsburgh Steelers is up at the end of the present campaign, and given his increasing age and that his production has tailed off in the latter stages of his career, retirement may be on the table this offseason. But if Rodgers does desire to play another year, he said he thinks he will have a couple of options.

The path of least resistance would be to re-sign with the Steelers. That would hinge on Pittsburgh being content with fielding a 43-year-old rather than seeking a younger, potential franchise quarterback. It would also be a change of plans of sorts, as Rodgers said last offseason that the reason he and the Steelers agreed to a one-year deal was because he was “pretty sure” this would be his final season in the NFL.

“I’m thinking about this week, but obviously I’m 42-years-old and I’m on a one-year deal, so you know what the situation is,” Rodgers said on Wednesday. “Whenever this season ends, I’ll be a free agent. That would give me a lot of options if I still want to play. Not a lot of options, but options. I would think maybe one or two if I decide I still want to play.”

How many teams would be interested in bringing Rodgers aboard as a starter in 2026 is a grand uncertainty. He could serve as a bridge and a mentor to a younger quarterback, but asking for anything beyond that is putting a lot of faith in the future Hall of Famer returning to his old elite form.

Rodgers is in danger of logging the lowest QBR of his career this season, and the last three years have been his least efficient to date.

Perhaps joining a more refined roster would help Rodgers rekindle some of his old magic, though. He did not exactly have the most prolific supporting casts over his lone full season with the New York Jets and 2025 run with the Steelers.

Rodgers is on pace to record his fewest passing…

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New England Patriots receiver Stefon Diggs has reportedly been charged with felony strangulation or suffocation and misdemeanor assault and battery charges as the result of a a Dec. 2 incident, according to Boston 25 News.

Diggs made a remote court appearance on Tuesday morning with his attorney attempting to have the police report impounded. Attorney Michael DiStefano was arguing that the details of the charges should remain sealed.

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DiStefano also reportedly told the court that Diggs has offered a financial settlement to resolve the issue with the alleged victim.

“As we speak, they’re working to come to an agreement on that,” DiStefano said.

“The New England Patriots are aware of the accusations that have been made regarding Stefon Diggs,” read a statement from the team on Tuesday. “Stefon has informed the organization that he categorically denies the allegations. We support Stefon. We will continue to gather information and will cooperate fully with the appropriate authorities and the NFL as necessary. Out of respect for all parties involved, and given that this is an ongoing legal matter, we will have no further comment at this time.”

There is a Jan. 23 scheduled arraignment for Diggs. Should the Patriots advance in the NFL playoffs, the AFC Championship Game is set for Sunday, Jan. 25.

The judge in the case will reportedly consider a request to extend the arraignment date to March.

The 32-year-old Diggs is in his 11th NFL season and first with the Patriots after signing a three-year, $69 million to join the team in March. Through 16 games this season he has 82 receptions for 970 yards and four touchdowns.

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