Not the Super Bowl champs? Well, the Rams were already loaded. Then they traded for Myles Garrett, too. They should be a freight train.

2. Seattle Seahawks

Mike MacDonald’s team will have a ring ceremony at some point and they might not even be the favorites in their own division. Welcome to the NFC West!

3. Denver Broncos

A lofty position for Sean Payton’s team, but they’ve got continuity, they added Jaylen Waddle and Bo Nix is heading into a critical Year 3.

4. Buffalo Bills

Could this, at long last, finally be Josh Allen’s year? He was foiled at Empower Field back in January, but he’ll have a squad again this fall.

5. New England Patriots

Drake Maye and Co. took full advantage of a strange year and played in a Super Bowl … well, technically. A complete team in Year 2 under coach Mike Vrabel.

6. Baltimore Ravens

The bet here is that former Payton acolyte Declan Doyle will be good for Lamar Jackson, and that Jesse Minter will be an instant success as a head coach. They’ll be fun.

7. Philadelphia Eagles

Starting in 2022, the Eagles have won 14, 11, 14, and 11 games. You know what that means. Fourteen big ones inbound for Nick Sirianni’s team.

8. San Francisco 49ers

The 49ers went from afterthought to nearly capturing the No. 1 seed in the NFC last year. If they can stay healthy, they’ll be a force. Been a big if recently.

9. Los Angeles Chargers

The Mike McDonald and Justin Herbert pairing is one of the NFL’s most fascinating. If Herbert gets comfy, it can be a scary offense.

10. Jacksonville Jaguars

The Jags got hot last year and won the division. Imagine how much fun they’d have been with a healthy Travis Hunter. Hopefully 2026 is the year.

11. Chicago Bears

Caleb Williams started to look like a star in the making under coach Ben Johnson. The Bears are really back… and apparently moving to Indiana as well. The only explanation: Duh Bears!

12. Detroit Lions

The Lions went from Johnson to John Morton at OC. It… didn’t work. Drew Petzing should be a good fit for Jared Goff and Co., but Detroit����ap got to play defense, too, in a tough division.

13. Houston Texans

The Texans have perhaps the scariest defense in the NFL. They are an absolute hurricane under DeMeco Ryans. If C.J. Stroud finds his form, this will be an under-ranking.

14. Green Bay Packers

The Packers flamed out again, then extended everybody. At times, Matt LaFleur and Jordan Love look like a Super Bowl waiting to happen. Sometimes.

15. Dallas Cowboys

We know the Cowboys will score with Dak Prescott and those receivers. If former Denver assistant Christian Parker gets the defense straightened out, look out.

16. Kansas City Chiefs

This is destined to be a hilarious under-ranking if Patrick Mahomes quickly returns to form. He probably will. But, for now, questions abound around the all-timer under center.

17. Cincinnati Bengals

Every season Joe Burrow has played 16 or more regular season games, he’s thrown for at least 4,475 yards and 34 touchdowns. Let����ap do that again.

18. Washington Commanders

This team went to the NFC Championship Game in 2024, then Jayden Daniels’ follow-up season was scuttled by injuries. Here’s hoping for a healthy Year 3.

19. Tampa Bay Buccaneers

The Bucs will get great play from Baker Mayfield, have weeks where they look like one of the best offenses on the planet and somehow end up 7-8 but in the hunt for the NFC South.

20. Carolina Panthers

Basically the same as above, but just not quite as good at quarterback. Bryce Young, though, has a division title under his belt and a chance to repeat.

21. Indianapolis Colts

Daniel Jones is supposedly going to be healthy at the start or early in the season. That����ap good. Probably. This team was so fun for the first half of 2025.

22. Pittsburgh Steelers

If nothing else, the Mike McCarthy and Aaron Rodgers reunion will be tremendous theater. What if they actually make one more run together?

23. Minnesota Vikings

What a calamity for Minnesota to let Sam Darnold go after a terrific 2024. Now they’ve got a Kyler Murray/J.J. McCarthy situation that feels like a Kevin O’Connell cry for help.

24. New Orleans Saints

The Saints can win the NFC South. That����ap in part because it����ap a bad division but also because Tyler Shough has juice and New Orleans was cooking down the stretch last year.

25. New York Giants

John Harbaugh should bring some instant calm and respectability to the Giants. If he can get Jaxson Dart to take another step, the G-Men will have a bright future.

26. Atlanta Falcons

Kevin Stefanski and Matt Ryan are the new braintrust in Atlanta, but the Falcons have questions at QB and around the roster. They’re quite a way away.

27. Tennessee Titans

Titans Cam Ward did some good things as a rookie and clearly has some moxy to his game. Now, can Robert Saleh help build the rest of it around the young QB?

28. Las Vegas Raiders

No. 1 pick Fernando Mendoza (eventually) has fun weapons in Brock Bowers and Ashton Jeanty. Klint Kubiak is a talented offensive coach. It����ap going to take longer than a year.

29. New York Jets

Former Broncos asst. GM Darren Mougey has been wheeling and dealing. They’ve got troves of premium picks the next couple years. It’ll be fun. But those picks can’t play in 2026.

30. Cleveland Browns

Deshaun Watson said recently he’d be open to an extension in Cleveland. That����ap nice. Here’s betting the Browns think $230 million for nine wins (so far) will have been plenty.

31. Arizona Cardinals

The Cardinals all the way through the coaching carousel this winter felt a bit like they had nowhere to turn. Eventually it was to Dial-A-McVay Assistant. Or, er, Mike LaFleur.

32. Miami Dolphins

Give the Dolphins credit for going all in on the teardown. But they’re paying $112 million to players on the team and charging $179 million in cap space to players who aren’t.

Here are the 20 best games to watch this season.

Week 1

New England at Seattle
6:20 p.m., Wednesday, Sept. 9, KUSA-9

Drake Maye likely had offseason nightmares from the pounding he took from Seattle’s defense in the Super Bowl. Will the Patriots be able to exact some revenge on a night when Seattle raises its second championship banner? Insider tip: Mike Vrabel can’t wait to get back to playing actual games after an offseason full of tabloid headlines.

San Francisco at Los Angeles Rams in Melbourne, Australia
6:35 p.m., Thursday, Sept. 10, Netflix

The NFL’s first game Down Under should be saltier than Vegemite. Kyle Shanahan loves nothing more than beating his old friend Sean McVay at SoFi Stadium with 49ers fans taking over the joint, which is likely why McVay worked the NFL’s scheduling levers to play a neutral site game — after a 16-hour flight. Makes sense, since the Niners have won three of their last four in Los Angeles.

Denver at Kansas City
6:15 p.m., Monday, Sept. 14, ESPN

“Are you ready for some football?” Yeah, you can say that again for two fan bases ready to put 2025 in the rearview. Will Patrick Mahomes be rusty coming off knee surgery? Are the Broncos a legit Super Bowl contender? Does Sean Payton love rivalry games in which his team isn’t favored? You know the answer to that last one. We’ll find out the rest under the lights in Kansas City.

Week 2

Dallas at Washington
2:25 p.m., Sunday, Sept. 20, KDVR-31

Will the Eagles have any serious competition for their third straight NFC East crown in 2026? This early-season tilt between the Cowboys and Commanders should provide some clues.

Week 3

Baltimore at Dallas in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
2:25 p.m., Sunday, Sept. 27, KUNC-4

Jerry Jones loves spectacle, so it makes sense that America’s Team would play in the legendary Maracanã Stadium in the NFL’s first regular season game in Rio. Dak Prescott and the Cowboys receivers against Lamar Jackson and the Ravens should provide some offensive fireworks for the fans in Brazil.

Week 4

Los Angeles Rams at Philadelphia
11 a.m., Sunday, Oct. 4, KDVR-31

The odds-on Super Bowl favorites face a brutal opening stretch against the rival Niners (in Australia), Giants, Broncos, Eagles and Bills — which includes back-to-back road games in Denver and Philadelphia. The Eagles have also won the last four matchups in this series. Could this be an NFC Championship preview?

Week 5

Buffalo at Los Angeles Rams
6:15 p.m., Monday, Oct. 12, ESPN

In a quarterback league, it doesn’t get much better than old gunslinger Matthew Stafford firing away against Josh Allen at home. Outside of the Broncos, Allen won’t face a more ferocious pass rush this season, especially if Aaron Donald comes out of retirement.

Week 6

Dallas at Green Bay
6:20 p.m., Sunday, Oct. 28, KUSA-9

Does the winner of this game break the 40-40 tie from last season? The Packers have won eight of the last 10 in this series, including a 48-32 thrashing in the NFC wild card at Jerry World after the 2024 season that still has Cowboys fans sore.

Week 7

Kansas City at Seattle
6:20 p.m., Sunday, Oct. 25, KUSA-9

It����ap the Kenneth Walker III Bowl and a possible Super Bowl preview when last year’s title-game MVP faces his former team in Seattle. Yards won’t come easy for Walker against Mike MacDonald’s swarming unit, especially with the 12s in full throat. Old AFC West fans and Hall of Famer Warren Moon will love Seattle rocking its crisp royal blue throwbacks against the Chiefs for a national audience.

Week 9

Houston at Los Angeles Chargers
2:05 p.m., Sunday, Nov. 8, KCNC-4

The Texans have won the last two against the Bolts, including a playoff win after the 2024 season. Will the addition of QB whisperer Mike McDaniel tip the scales for Justin Herbert and Los Angeles against DeMeco Ryan’s top-ranked defense from last season?

Week 12

Kansas City at Buffalo
6:20 p.m., Thursday, Nov. 26, KUSA-9

The only thing better than an extra slice of pumpkin pie on Thanksgiving? A renewal of the NFL’s best QB duel. Josh Allen is sick of the narrative that he can only beat Patrick Mahomes during the regular season, but so far that����ap true. These two rivals have split their last 10 meetings, but Mahomes is 4-0 in playoff games. This will be the first time the two rivals square off at Buffalo’s new Highmark Stadium.

Denver at Pittsburgh
1 p.m., Friday, No. 27, Prime Video

Skip the lines at the mall and feast on leftovers and Broncos-Steelers on Black Friday. It����ap the last time (presumably) that the Broncos will face Aaron Rodgers, who is 2-2 against Denver entering his 22nd NFL season.

New York Jets at Miami
11 a.m., Sunday, Nov. 29, KUNC-4

Geno Smith vs. Malik Willis looks like one of the worst games of the regular season, but there could be a big prize at stake: The right to draft Archibald Charles Manning at No. 1. The Dolphins, carrying an NFL record $179.2 million in dead cap space, are projected to win only 4.5 games, while the Jets are projected to win just 5.5. The Cardinals, of course, might be worse than both. Embrace the suck.

Week 13

Buffalo at New England
2:25 p.m., Sunday, Dec. 6, KCNC-4

These two division rivals would’ve faced off for the right to go to the Super Bowl last January if not for Ja’Quan McMillian’s season-saving pick in an AFC wild-card thriller in Denver. (Yeah, don’t bring it up with Bills fans, who are still convinced it was a Brandin Cooks catch.) The Bills are looking to recapture the AFC East crown after the Patriots’ magical run in 2025.

Week 15

Baltimore at Pittsburgh
11 a.m., Sunday, Dec. 20, KUNC-4

John Harbaugh is coaching the Giants. Mike Tomlin is analyzing games in the NBC studio. Doesn’t matter — the antipathy between these two franchises is still as strong as ever, especially after last year’s rock fight to close the NFL regular season. The Ravens, a trendy Super Bowl favorite, would certainly love to get payback after a missed FG cost them the playoffs and cost Harbaugh his job. Mike McCarthy and Jesse Minter, you’ve got next.

Week 16

Green Bay at Chicago
11 a.m., Friday, Dec. 25, Netflix

Da Bears and the Packers at frigid Soldier Field, renewing the NFL’s oldest rivalry, is the perfect gift to open after you get done with the presents under the tree. Expect the Packers to be like your nephew who didn’t get “Grand Theft Auto VI” for Christmas, too, after blowing both tilts in the Second City last season. That includes a brutal playoff loss in which the Bears, trailing 21-3 at halftime, went off for 25 points in the fourth quarter and won on Caleb Williams’ TD dime to DJ Moore. Micah Parsons, nearly a year removed from his ACL surgery, will try to make sure that doesn’t happen again.

Buffalo at Denver
2:30 p.m., Friday, Dec. 25, Netflix

You know who doesn’t love the NFL’s Christmas Day schedule? The NBA. This rematch of last year’s instant-classic AFC wild-card matchup is the stuffing between Bears-Packers and Rams-Seahawks. It should be pivotal for playoff position in the race for the AFC’s top seed.

Los Angeles Rams at Seattle
6:15 p.m., Friday, Dec. 25, KDVR-31

All football fans want for Christmas is another NFC West title fight after three epic clashes last season. That included Week 16’s overtime classic in which the Seahawks scored their third 2-point conversion of the game to secure the win. Playoff seeding and home-field advantage should be on the line again when the odds-on Super Bowl favorites head to Lumen Field to tussle with the defending champs.

Week 17

Denver at New England
TBD Jan. 3 or 4, TBD

Woulda. Coulda. Shoulda. The Broncos are motivated by the Super Bowl opportunity that disappeared in a whiteout during last year’s AFC Championship. What if Bo Nix hadn’t broken his ankle? What if Sean Payton kicked the field goal on fourth-and-1 from the 14? No doubt Nix will be up for this one against Drake Maye, who went nine picks ahead of him in the 2024 draft.

Baltimore at Cincinnati
6:15 p.m., Thursday, Dec. 31, Prime Video

Skip the pricey prix-fixe on New Year’s Eve and stay in for this one, which could decide the AFC North title. This division rivalry only got juicier after Trey Hendrickson switched sides on a four-year, $112 million deal after the Ravens nixed the Maxx Crosby blockbuster. Hendrickson returning to the Jungle for the first time as a Raven should bring out the boo birds from Who Dey Nation. Crank the Guns N’ Roses.

Baltimore Ravens

BetMGM says: Win Super Bowl: 11-1; Over-under win total: 11.5

Strengths: Lamar Jackson is a two-time MVP and one of the best quarterbacks in the league. Derrick Henry scoffs at your aging curves and historical data while continuing to run through defenses. Zay Flowers has developed into a No. 1 receiver. Kyle Hamilton and Marlon Humphrey anchor one of the best secondaries. The , but Trey Hendrickson was a pretty nice backup plan. The Ravens have won double-digit games in six of the past eight years.

Weaknesses: The John Harbaugh era is over. Baltimore has a first-time NFL head coach (Jesse Minter) and two new coordinators. The offensive line lost center Tyler Linderbaum to free agency and rookie Olaivavega Ioane will likely start at one of the guard spots. The longstanding great defense has slid from first in 2023 to ninth and then 17th in points allowed over the past two seasons.

Cincinnati Bengals

BetMGM says: Win Super Bowl: 22-1; Over-under win total: 9.5

Strengths: Joe Burrow, when healthy, remains an elite NFL quarterback. Ja’Marr Chase is in the conversation for best wide receiver. He and Tee Higgins together might be the best 1-2 punch. Chase Brown topped 1,000 yards rushing for the first time and added 69 receptions. Dexter Lawrence and Jonathan Allen could be one of the best duos on the interior of the defensive line.

Weaknesses: Burrow’s health issues and the offensive line’s struggles are not a coincidence. While the two new guys inside are exciting, Hendrickson, with his 61 sacks over the past five seasons, is now in Baltimore with a division rival. The defense allowed the third-most points in the league last year. It should be better, but it needs to be a lot better if the Bengals are going to be more than just a potential playoff team.

Pittsburgh Steelers

BetMGM says: Win Super Bowl: 80-1; Over-under win total: 8.5

Strengths: T.J. Watt and Cameron Heyward still anchor the defense up front, and the supporting cast, with the likes of Derrick Harmon and Alex Highsmith, is stout. The secondary could also be a plus if the top guys stay healthy. Adding Michael Pittman to play next to D.K. Metcalf outside, along with Pat Freiermuth and Darnell Washington inside, should be the best collection of pass catchers in Pittsburgh in several years.

Weaknesses: Aaron Rodgers was better than the other post-Ben Roethlisberger options the Steelers have tried. Maybe he can find one more vintage season with his old coach Mike McCarthy, now the new guy in charge of the Steelers. The offensive line is a question mark, with Broderick Jones’ health the biggest uncertainty. Mike Tomlin and the Steelers won 10 games and lost the first playoff game by double digits for three straight seasons. They haven’t won a postseason contest since 2016. This group feels … about the same, unless the new coaching staff can squeeze a little more of it.

Cleveland Browns

BetMGM says: Win Super Bowl: 250-1; Over-under win total: 5.5

Strengths: The Browns were 14th in the league in points allowed, which was actually tops in the division. Jared Verse is not Myles Garrett, but he can still be the top pass rusher on a good defense in his third season. Denzel Ward is one of the league’s best cornerbacks. Harold Fannin, Jr., could be one of the top tight ends in short order.

Weaknesses: Is it going to be former Colorado star Shedeur Sanders or Deshaun Watson at quarterback? This offense was a mess last season, and it’s up to new coach Todd Monken to fix it. Maybe the offensive line will be better with some new additions highlighted by No. 9 pick Spencer Fano? Former Broncos wideout Jerry Jeudy is the No. 1 wideout. He caught 50 of 106 targets last year. Garrett had an NFL-record 23 sacks last year, but he’s in Los Angeles now.

Philadelphia Eagles

BetMGM says: Win Super Bowl: 18-1; Over-under win total: 10.5

Strengths: Quarterback Jalen Hurts and running back Saquon Barkley will always be dangerous, especially operating behind an impenetrable offensive line that features Lane Johnson and Jordan Mailata at the tackle spots. New offensive coordinator Sean Mannion is bringing fresh ideas to a Philadelphia roster that remains pretty loaded. Even after their Super Bowl title defense ended disappointingly without a playoff win last year, the Eagles have the firepower to maintain their monopoly on this division.

Weaknesses: Safety is easily the weakest position group following the loss of Reed Blankenship to Houston in free agency. Philadelphia’s by-committee approach might include nickel Cooper DeJean getting more safety reps. Linebacker Nakobe Dean and receiver AJ Brown were also key departures this offseason, though trading Brown to New England could turn out to be addition by subtraction after his social media antics developed into a major distraction last year.

Dallas Cowboys

BetMGM says: Win Super Bowl: 25-1; Over-under win total: 9.5

Strengths: George Pickens proved to be one of the best acquisitions of the 2025 offseason. He amassed 1,429 receiving yards and nine touchdowns in a breakout year, pairing with CeeDee Lamb to provide Dak Prescott with one of the most impressive receiver corps in the league. This could be Pickens’ last season in Dallas with a potentially lucrative payday waiting for him next year. In the meantime, the Cowboys have a golden opportunity to lead the NFL in passing yards twice in a row.

Weaknesses: One of the league’s worst defenses is desperate for a philosophical overhaul. Can new DC Christian Parker deliver? The secondary was particularly pitiful last season, rarely generating interceptions and consistently making opposing quarterbacks look good. Returning cornerback DaRon Bland and rookie safety Caleb Downs — Dallas traded up to draft him with the 11th pick — are the best hopes to facilitate a turnaround.

Washington Commanders

BetMGM says: Win Super Bowl: 66-1; Over-under win total: 7.5

Strengths: Quarterback, as long as you choose to believe the real Jayden Daniels was the one who appeared on MVP ballots and led an NFC title game run during his historic rookie season, and not the one whose completion rate dropped 9% during an injury-plagued sophomore year in which he missed 10 games.

Weaknesses: The Commanders signed 11 defensive players in free agency, so that unit will look completely different after an atrocious 2025. Offensively, they need the 30-year-old Terry McLaurin to stay healthy, or they’ll be thin on quality pass-catching options for Daniels to target. McLaurin also missed seven games last season.

New York Giants

BetMGM says: Win Super Bowl: 66-1; Over-under win total: 7.5

Strengths: John Harbaugh was the flashiest hire of the coaching carousel this offseason. Can he spark an immediate turnaround in his first year away from Baltimore since 2007? At the very least, he has one of the best edge rusher rooms in the league at his disposal, equipped with edge rushers Abdul Carter, Kayvon Thibodeaux and Brian Burns (the NFC leader in sacks last year).

Weaknesses: Jaxson Dart and Cam Skattebo turned heads last year, but can the young QB-RB tandem elevate to a playoff level under a new coaching regime? Star receiver Malik Nabers also remains an unknown variable coming off a torn ACL. And as good as those edge rushers are, New York’s interior defensive line is nowhere near as complete.

Here are two QB1 stat lines, four years apart:

• Signal-caller A: 29 passing TDs, 12 interceptions, 93.3 passer rating and a 10-7 record as a first-year starter

• Signal-caller B: 22 passing TDs, 13 picks, 92.5 passer rating and a 10-7 record as a first-year starter.

QB “A?” Nix as a rookie in 2025. QB “B?” Mac Jones’ debut NFL campaign in ’21 under Belichick.

So before you get all misty-eyed about the notion of Sean Payton subletting the Broncos’ head-coaching job for a few years so that The Hoodie could pad his career stats, take a deep breath. Then ask Jones about what playing QB in the 2020s under Belichick, a 70-something Belichick coaching on fumes, felt like for a young quarterback trying to find his feet.

“So, at first, Bill was going to call the (offensive) plays,” when asked about 2022, Mac’s second season under Belichick. “Which, I was like, ‘All right, this is kind of fun. Let’s see how this goes.'”

It went south. Our old pal Josh McDaniels had been Jones’ personal QB whisperer during the latter’s rookie season in 2021. Only when McDaniels parlayed that into a head-coaching gig with the Raiders before the ’22 season, the wheels came off. Belichick divided offensive coordinator duties between longtime assistant Matt Particia, who’d primarily been a defensive coach, and Joe Judge, who was working with New England’s special teams.

The Pats slipped from sixth in the league in points scored in 2021 to 17th in ’22. Jones shattered, the way this league can crush a QB if the fates are unkind. Mac still hasn’t quite put everything back together again, even after a rookie season that was eerily close to Nix’s numbers in 2024.

“I think that really affected me,” Jones continued. “I felt like, if I could have just built on the year before, it would’ve really helped me and everybody on the team …

“We didn’t know who we were going to hire. And I was a little worried about that … you could kind of see it trending, and I was just a second-year player, so I didn’t really say much, or do much. But Brian Hoyer was the backup, and he was kind of like, looking at me, trying to keep me in it. But we were kind of like, ‘This is not going to be good.'”

It wasn’t. It wouldn’t have been any good in Denver, either.

We mention this because the other big Belichick news of the past week had a distinctly Denver flair. ESPN.com scribe onto the interwebs a few days back. Only there were massive swaths of the tome that left you saying to yourself, ‘What the expletive was Payton thinking?’

Sunshine Sean is a living, breathing NFL savant. Wickersham’s dive was a cinematic stroll through a beautiful, if sometimes twisted, football mind. But this little passage was just …weird:

“Payton and (Bill) Belichick go back decades, forged by mutual respect — and mutual trauma from working under (Bill) Parcells. When Belichick and the Patriots divorced in 2024, Payton considered presenting Broncos owner Greg Penner a proposal for the ages: Hire Belichick as head coach until he reached 15 wins, enough to break Don Shula’s career record of 347. Payton would temporarily step down to assistant head coach and run the offense, then move back after Belichick became the all-time leader. In the end, it was too complicated — and maybe too fanciful.”

That’s not genius.

It’s madness.

Payton’s affection for the Hoodie isn’t just real — it goes back decades. When Sunshine Sean was hired in New Orleans, he dug into what made Belichick’s Patriots so dominant.

“We spent a great deal of time looking at New England,” Payton told NOLA.com in 2021.

“(Belichick has) always been someone who’s been a bit of a mentor, someone that I feel I have a good relationship with. That started, really, with the respect factor and what he’s been able to accomplish … to have the staying power that he’s had is obviously remarkable.”

Fine. Whatever. Still loco. Too many alphas. Too small a space. Even if Payton’s turtoring/shielding his QBs as some sort of “deputy coach/offense,” when the buck stops at Wild Bill’s desk, nobody is ever truly safe. Also, the screens. So, so, so, soooooo many screens.

Payton began 2026 as the No. 3-highest-paid coach in U.S. sports, with a reported average salary of $18 million per year — only the Chiefs’ Andy Reid and the Giants’ John Harbaugh bettered him, at $20 million apiece. (When Sportico ranked the top-50 coach salaries in the country, CU’s Deion Sanders ($10.8 million) checked in at No. 34, while Belichick’s $10 million from North Carolina landed him at No. 37.)

It wouldn’t be fair to the Penners, who invested in Payton for him to reset the culture and make it his own.

It wouldn’t be fair to the players, who signed up for one Super Bowl winner, only to get baited-and-switched for another.

It wouldn’t be fair to the league’s record book. Or to the legacy of Don Shula.

It wouldn’t be fair to ����apountry, who grew to detest Belichick and his Pats as a cheating rival for decades — a feeling that bubbled into hate after he foisted his chum McDaniels upon our fair populace.

And it wouldn’t be fair to Nix, who became the quarterback, after almost a decade of false hope and false starts, to lead a proud franchise out of the wilderness.

“(Bill) took (the offense) over, and we kind of didn’t know where we were going,” the former Pats QB told the ‘Bussin” crew. “There (were) three people in the meeting — who stands up to talk to the offense? They didn’t really know.”

Some scenes are best left on the cutting room floor, some things better left unsaid. the Broncos don’t have to worry about keeping up with the Joneses anymore. Mac or otherwise.

John Harbaugh

Not only did the newly minted New York Giants head coach have two picks in the top 10 after trading Dexter Lawrence to Cincinnati recently, but then the draft started and perhaps the single most talented player in the 2026 class fell right into his lap. That, of course, is Ohio State’s Arvell Reese. He may well play on the edge, but the Giants also have Kayvon Thibodeaux, Abdul Carter and Brian Burnes. So the Giants can trade Thibodeaux and collect more premium draft capital or they can play Reese as a chess piece off the ball early in his career. Then Harbaugh landed Miami right tackle Francis Mauigoa at No. 10, bolstering the offensive line and providing a long-term bookend with left tackle Andrew Thomas. If you want to turn a team around quickly, you’ve got to be good up front. Harbaugh, no surprise, leaned into that on both sides of the ball in the first round.

NFL draft 2026 tracker: Picks, instant reaction and more live coverage

Whichever 2027 QB the Jets draft next spring

Former Broncos GM Darren Mougey had a busy night, selecting Texas Tech OLB David Bailey at No. 2 overall, Oregon TE Kenyon Sadiq at No. 16 and then trading back into the first round to also get WR Omar Cooper Jr. at No. 30. That is one heck of a haul. It����ap good news in the present day, but it����ap really good news for whichever quarterback the Jets take next spring. That����ap when it looks like this rebuild project really, actually starts to get evaluated. Sure, Geno Smith will probably throw the ball to Sadiq a lot this fall, but those are the kind of players who make life easier on a young quarterback. That guy is coming, probably very early in the 2027 first round.

Former Broncos secondary coach Christian Parker

Parker got the job as Dallas’ defensive coordinator, knowing that the unit needed a world of help. It started in free agency and the trade market and now the Cowboys have also doubled up in the first round of the draft. They traded a pair of fifth-round picks to slide up one spot and nab Ohio State safety Caleb Downs — on the shortest of lists as the best player in the class — at No. 11 overall, then took outside linebacker Malachi Lawrence out of UCF at No. 23 overall. Downs is ready-made. Lawrence … we’ll see, but he’s got a ton of talent, he’s long and he’s fast. He’ll have a chance to see early time opposite Rashan Gary. Parker’s depth chart looks considerably different after just one day of the draft.

Losers

Matthew Stafford

When the Los Angeles Rams came onto the clock at No. 13 overall, Stafford could have looked at the board and seen players like Sadiq and WR Makai Lemon and thought, yeah, those guys would really help. Same with any number of tackles. Instead, the Rams took who they hope someday will be his successor. That����ap quarterback Ty Simpson out of Alabama. Teams can say as many times as they want that they’re happy to have their veteran — particularly when that veteran is the reigning MVP — but at some point, you want to see what the young guy has. Maybe that’ll be three years from now. But maybe it won’t be.

A.J. Brown’s Philadelphia landlord

Just kidding, Brown probably owns a house. But his days in the City of Brotherly Love are almost certainly numbered. Somebody somewhere might already be pumping out Patriots jerseys with his name on the back. As if there wasn’t enough smoke around the possibility that Brown gets dealt to New England -- it won’t happen until after June 1 for reasons related to Brown’s contract — the Eagles picked Lemon at No. 20 in the first round. That after they also traded for receiver Dontayvian Wicks just before the draft and also signed Hollywood Brown. The other Brown can probably start looking for real estate in Massachusetts.

Patrick Mahomes

The Chiefs star quarterback is working back from a torn ACL. When he returns, he will certainly be happy to have CB Mansoor Delane and DL Peter Woods on the other side of the line of scrimmage. But to not get any help in the first round on the offensive side of the ball? That����ap got to be at least a little disappointing somewhere in there. The Chiefs hardly ever pick in the top 10 and they pressed that positioning even more by trading up three spots to grab Delane. There were receivers aplenty -- Cooper and Denzel Boston among them — and RB Jadarian Price available late in the first round, but Brent Veach and company went with Woods instead. No qualms with either pick. Just, no help for Mahomes, either.

Hey Parker, so I’m quite, um, whelmed by the Broncos’ moves on Day 1 of free agency. We need to get Bo Nix more weapons. George Pickens would be amazing, but I feel like that’s a pipe dream. Are we looking at Romeo Doubs, Calvin Austin III or Jauan Jennings? Dallas Goedert? How about Deebo Samuel? He seems like he’d fit that joker position for Sean Payton.

— Mike, Denver

Hey Mike, you’re certainly not the only one. It didn’t figure to be a spending bonanza for the Broncos, but even given what Sean Payton, George Paton and Greg Penner said earlier in the offseason, it����ap been a slow start.

Now, that doesn’t necessarily mean ineffective. They’ve retained a bunch of their own guys, which means they think their roster is in a good spot. It����ap good to have a group of players that you want back.

Still, this was the first time since George Paton became the general manager in 2021 that Denver didn’t sign at least one external free agent on Day 1. It����ap perfectly fair to say it����ap been slower than many expected.

The Broncos came out of the 2025 season recognizing they needed more offensive playmaking. They’ve retained tight ends Adam Trautman and Nate Adkins (along with Evan Engram) and, of course, have a two-year deal in place with running back J.K. Dobbins.

But if you thought you needed more playmaking and you retain the group you had, then conventional wisdom would be that you still need more playmaking.

Of course, if the Broncos get a full, healthy season from Dobbins, that issue is partially resolved. Dobbins ardently believes that����ap going to happen. He’s also never played a full season.

I agree with your assessment of weapons and the idea of adding a dangerous pass-catcher, whether a receiver or a tight end.

The issue: Where are you going to find one? Working through your list, George Pickens would indeed be massive, but now that he’s been franchise tagged, that would require trading Dallas a premium pick and then signing him to a massive extension. Romeo Doubs agreed to sign with New England on Tuesday. Denver had interest in him, but never felt like the favorites. Calvin Austin and Jauan Jennings are still available as of this writing. So, too, are Deebo Samuel and Dallas Goedert, though age is a factor with both of those guys.

Several of the other tight ends still available fit the Engram profile as a receiver-first move player, so doubling up there doesn’t quite square. I was intrigued by Cade Otton and Charlie Kolar for their all-around abilities — certainly some projection involved there, especially with Kolar — but Otton went back to Tampa Bay and Kolar got a strong deal at $8 million per year with the Los Angeles Chargers. There, he’ll play for Jim Harbaugh after playing for John Harbaugh in Baltimore.

Denver could see if Goedert, 31, has another productive year or two left in the tank. Maybe there’s a receiver still out there on the free agent market that they like.

At this point, it����ap also worth looking forward to the draft and considering the trade market.

At receiver, there have been persistent rumors about the availability of Philadelphia’s A.J. Brown, Jacksonville’s Brian Thomas Jr., Miami’s Jaylen Waddle and others. Thomas makes the most sense from a money perspective, but I’ve heard they’re not actually interested in trading him and Tuesday afternoon, they seem to be reiterating that to national reporters. There had been back-and-forth reporting on that in recent days. Miami, similarly, has repeatedly said Waddle is a player to build around.

The combined acquisition cost and $29 million guaranteed for 2026 with Brown is a steep hill to climb for anybody and Payton and Paton have rarely carried two expensive receivers on their rosters.

On the draft front, it����ap a deeper receiver class than running back or tight end, but there are interesting players at all three positions. The search continues.

I’ve seen lots of WR draft and free-agent recommendations for the Broncos, but not much analysis of the type of WR they need. Is there a WR style you think the Broncos lack today and who would fit that need? For example, Courtland Sutton and Pat Bryant are big receivers capable of winning contested catches. Marvin Mims Jr. and Troy Franklin are speedsters who seem to lack shiftiness. To me, they lack shifty route runners. Who do you think could fill that need? Thanks!

— Chad, Austin

Hey Chad, thanks for writing and good question. Payton likes receivers that can play in multiple spots, but he also has specific roles that he wants filled.

Denver, the past couple of seasons, has waited until the later waves of free agency and then looked for bigger guys who can run and block. Payton often points back to Devery Henderson and Robert Meachem from his years in New Orleans as sort of the archetypes. The Broncos haven’t found that guy so far in Payton’s time in Denver.

Two years ago, they tried with Josh Reynolds. Last year, it was Trent Sherfield. Neither stuck a whole season. They could be in the market for a similar body type this year.

I agree with you that a pure route-runner would be a value add, too. Payton, though, doesn’t normally look for those smaller, shiftier players to operate in the slot. He likes big, power slots.

In my mind, then any search for a receiver is in one of two buckets: That big, physical player or a guy who elevates the room across the board. The former is maybe still out there in free agency. It����ap hard to see the latter being a free agent at this point, so a trade or the draft are more realistic routes.

It����ap worth continuing to point out that Denver likes its receivers and has either spent a Day 2 pick, traded up or both in each of the past three drafts to select Marvin Mims Jr., Troy Franklin and Pat Bryant.

It wouldn’t be a surprise at this point if they followed a similar path this spring, though let����ap not count them out at No. 30 overall in the draft, either.

Hi Parker, I’m amazed at all the new metrics and stats that are now available. I recently saw one that measured tight ends and missed blocks rates. It showed that some of the TEs I’ve seen linked to the Broncos, like Cade Otten was rated poorly. How does the Broncos staff use these advanced stats? Sean Payton seems like an old-school guy and might rely on feel or the eye test. Thanks.

— Gene Ryan, Green Valley, Ariz. (by way of Aurora)

Hey Gene, thanks for writing and great question. The amount of information out there these days is staggering. The stuff that����ap publicly available or accessible via subscription has changed a ton in the past few seasons. Now imagine what kinds of systems NFL teams are building.

This is one of the areas where artificial intelligence is booming in football, just like it is across any number of other industries. I was talking with a front office executive of another team at the combine last month about the ways in which they’re building models and tools in-house that can be used across football operations. It could be draft prep, pro scouting, salary cap management, film study or any number of other things.

The Broncos are working on all those kinds of things, too, like every team in football is.

Payton last year marveled at some of the stuff Denver’s technology could do. That will only continue to ramp up into the future and, I’d imagine, when the Broncos move into a new, state-of-the-art building this summer.

Having all of that at your fingertips might help you sniff out something you want to know about a player who has been playing in a different system. Can he move the way you want, even if he’s not moving the way you’d teach? Is he getting to where he needs to go and not finishing a block? Or can he not get there? Is he good only at certain things, or is he used only in certain ways? So on and so forth.

That����ap all good stuff, but the Broncos and other teams around the league also have to see it with their own eyes. Extra data is good, but teams aren’t going to commit to somebody based on analytics alone.

Hi Parker. Longtime subscriber and appreciator of the Post’s Broncos coverage. You guys do a fantastic job.

Thinking about the Broncos’ enviable secondary depth, I was wondering: if Denver extends Ja’Quan McMillian (they should) and also keeps Riley Moss, could Jahdae Barron be converted full-time to safety? Does he have the skillset to play there, for if/when Brandon Jones is let go after his contract expires?

— George, Seattle (Not a “12”)

Hey George, thanks for the nice note and for subscribing. We really appreciate it. Interesting question, too.

In the exact situation you outline, yeah, it����ap a possibility. The Broncos believe Jadhae Barron can play inside, outside or safety and do so at a high level.

From right here and right now, that doesn’t feel like the most likely scenario, but you never know.

There are several machinations in play when it comes to the Broncos’ secondary over the next year and they essentially count as good problems to have because Denver has quality depth that a lot of teams don’t.

The first step is McMillian. He’s on the tender now, so they can either extend him now or during the season or risk him hitting the free agent market next spring.

It����ap a little early to say categorically that the Broncos have to choose between paying McMillian and Moss, but the way the roster is currently constructed and with a potential Bo Nix extension looming out there as early as the summer of 2027, it����ap reasonable to wonder if they can play with both corners, the nickel and at least one safety on big contracts long-term.

Nothing has to happen right away. They can keep everybody right where they are through this season if they want. But each move made in the secondary is going to have a ripple effect over the next few months.

A fascinating group to watch.

Payton paid no mind to the Broncos putting together a 14-3 regular season and playing for the AFC Championship at home when he fired three coaches to start the offseason, including offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi

Then he lost Pete Carmichael Jr. to Buffalo and could well lose secondary coach Jim Leonhard to the Bills. Or perhaps Baltimore.

All eyes have been on Denver quarterbacks coach Davis Webb, who looks to be in line for promotion to offensive coordinator and perhaps even to be the first assistant coach to work for Payton and also call plays for him.

All the while, nobody’s talking about Vance Joseph.

The Broncos defensive coordinator two months ago looked like as sure a bet as any to get a head coaching job this cycle. If Payton or virtually anybody else in the Broncos’ building had been told at the start of December that 10 head coaching jobs would come open, Joseph would have seemed like an automatic.

Indeed, nearly a third of the league’s head coaching jobs became available when what began as a potentially mild coaching carousel turned nutty.

Now eight are filled and only Arizona and Las Vegas — two jobs Joseph was tied to early in the process — remain open, though the Broncos defensive coordinator doesn’t look to be in contention for either.

It����ap a shame.

Joseph orchestrated back-to-back top-flight defenses and is regarded widely as a terrific leader. He says — and certainly he’s communicated to teams in the interview process — he’s learned from the things he failed at when he was Denver’s head coach from 2017-18. He’s got glowing public endorsement from Payton, particularly this year.

“It����ap not a matter of if, it����ap when and who,” Payton said Jan. 9. “I think it����ap going to happen and I know when that time comes, there’ll be 110 people on the other side of those doors super excited for him.”

The coaching hires this time around featured an interesting mix. There are bounce-backs with extensive track records in John Harbaugh (New York Giants) and Kevin Stefanski (Atlanta), defensive first-timers like Jeff Hafley (Miami) and Jesse Minter (Baltimore). A homecoming in Pittsburgh with Mike McCarthy and offensive minds young and old — Joe Brady in Buffalo, the former, Todd Monken in Cleveland, the latter. Despite that mix of professional backgrounds, there’s been a striking lack of diversity. Tennessee’s Robert Saleh, a Lebanese American who became the first Muslim head coach in NFL history when he got the New York Jets job in 2021, is the lone minority hire so far.

Reporting from around the league suggests the final two openings could go to young offensive minds with Seattle OC Klint Kubiak tied to the Raiders job — Broncos assistant Davis Webb withdrew from consideration Thursday — and Los Angeles Rams OC Mike LaFleur tied to Arizona.

Joseph’s chances may have been impacted by the Broncos playing as long as they can. Payton lamented the hiring cycle timeline on Tuesday while saying he thought his coaches did a good job navigating interest from around the league.

“It’s still difficult because preparing for one of those interviews requires time — like, quite a bit of time,” Payton said. “Then, preparing for an opponent in the playoffs requires every waking minute. I don’t know that I have the solution, but I think it’s a challenge that we battle as a league.”

There is at least one silver lining for Joseph and for the Broncos.

For Joseph, a couple of these jobs look like dead ends anyway. Payton talks often about not just landing a head coaching job but finding the right one. Joseph, 53, in all likelihood, has a maximum of one more chance to be a head coach. Inheriting the roster and quarterback situations in, say, Cleveland or Arizona sounds like bad business.

For the Broncos, of course, it will be disappointing to see the league pass Joseph over and terrific to have him back for a fourth year. His players will be thrilled. Payton should be, too.

Denver will see some turnover on defense but has the core of the group returning and now steeped in his system.

“We were the best defense in the league this year,” said inside linebacker Alex Singleton, an impending free agent who has made it clear he ideally wants to play for Joseph, wherever the coach lands, going forward. “We held a team under 200 yards in the AFC Championship Game. That����ap what we expect every week. I think we can do that every game next year.”

Other teams’ decision-making is shaping up to benefit the Broncos. The NFL’s a cold world and the word “deserve” means about as much as “almost.” It counts for essentially nothing.

This one’s a head-scratcher all the same.

At 31 years old, the Broncos pass game coordinator and quarterbacks coach has become a top head coaching candidate. He is viewed as the new Sean McVay, a wonder kid capable of running an offense and a franchise.

As the Broncos prepare to host the Patriots in the AFC Championship Game, it is time to acknowledge two truths: Payton had onions to hire a coach in his 20s, and Webb has never been more important than this week.

Webb stopped playing in 2022 and joined Payton’s staff in 2023. Everything about his hiring hinted that he was a meteor in the business. After the interview, Payton was looking over his notes and wondering why he even let Webb leave the building. He phoned him on his way to DIA and just like that the former top college prospect had a headset.

Webb has been on the fast track ever since. During the past preseason, Payton allowed him to call plays. It went well to no one’s surprise. That Bo Nix posted 53 passing touchdowns and 25 wins in his first two seasons is a credit to Payton’s play calling, but Webb deserves a tip of the cap.

He is a buffer. He is brilliant. And this game plan demands his best work, steeling Jarrett Stidham for the biggest challenge of his career, or any career for that matter. Webb is only two years older than Stidham. But his football knowledge belies his age. He has been keeping notebooks of plays for decades.

It is why he ran the Buffalo Bills’ quarterback room in his final season as a backup, becoming good friends with Josh Allen. So of course he is a candidate there. And with the Las Vegas Raiders.

He has the ability to digest loads of information and make it practical and useful for his pupils. That is critical for Stidham. He is cramming for the test. And while his confidence is real, Webb is a person he can confide in, letting him know what plays he likes, what makes him comfortable.

The Broncos are attempting to reach their ninth Super Bowl. If Payton pulls it off with a backup quarterback, it becomes his magnum opus.

And it will have happened only because he had the guts to hire a backup quarterback a few weeks after he signed Stidham as a free agent.

Pasties, anyone: New England passes the eye test as a good team. But let’s not pretend they navigated Pikes Peak to reach the NFL’s Final Four. They faced the easiest strength of schedule since the 1999 Rams. It is why winning on the road at Denver — something they have never done in the playoffs — remains daunting, even without Bo Nix starting.

Center of attention: The pushback for Andruw Jones’ election to the Hall of Fame was surprising. I voted for him. Yes, his .254 batting average is unsightly. But Jones deserved the honor for this reason: He is one of three center fielders with 400-plus home runs and 10 Gold Gloves. The other two? Ken Griffey Jr. and Willie Mays. There are no qualifiers needed when explaining Jones’ entrance to Cooperstown.

Avs issues: The Avs have finally had their first hiccup with four losses in their past five games. This was always going to happen. And as much as it is annoying, it is necessary. Adversity helps focus expectations, providing a reminder that nothing has come easily for the Avs since winning the Stanley Cup. They will be fine. Now, if injuries surface, especially during the Olympics, it is time for fingernails to disappear.

Big Blue: Count me among the minority. I don’t see John Harbaugh as the perfect fit with the New York Giants. A blue blood name with a blue blood franchise. An adult in the room. The dots connect. Perhaps too easily. The Giants dissolved last year because they could not hold a lead. No one has been worse at protecting leads over the last few years than Harbaugh. And he had Lamar Jackson. Harbaugh can work. But let me see how his offensive coordinator does with Jaxson Dart before this is celebrated as the second coming of Bill Parcells or Tom Coughlin.

The Pro Football Writers of America on Thursday announced Broncos defensive coordinator Vance Joseph as the 2025 Assistant Coach of the Year, voted on by members of the PFWA. It’s a nod to Joseph’s three-year build of the Denver defense into one of the best units in the NFL. The Broncos finished second in the NFL in yardage per game this season and third in total points allowed.

Joseph was also named a finalist for the AP Assistant Coach of the Year award on Thursday, as his trophy case grows in anticipation of a potential head-coaching job.

“Man, I’m super excited when I saw that news,” head coach Sean Payton said Thursday. Broncos OLB Nik Bonitto was also named a finalist for the AP Defensive Player of the Year voting.

“Vance has been outstanding,” Payton continued, “and a big reason we’re here.”

Under Joseph, the 2025 Broncos tied the 1985 New York Giants for the fifth-most sacks in NFL history (68), with a dominant pass-rush and exotic blitzes that often put corners like Ja’Quan McMillian (four sacks) and ILB Justin Strnad (4.5 sacks) in position to finish off quarterbacks. Three Bronco defenders — Bonitto, defensive tackle Zach Allen and cornerback Pat Surtain II — were named 2025 Pro Bowlers.

Joseph interviewed with five teams two weeks ago during Denver’s bye week: the Cardinals, Ravens, Raiders, Titans and Giants, and the Falcons also requested an interview. The defensive coordinator is unable to interview with any teams as long as Denver remains active in the playoffs, though, and Tennessee (Robert Saleh), Atlanta (Kevin Stefanski) and New York (John Harbaugh) have already resolved their vacancies.

The Miami Dolphins, Cleveland Browns, Buffalo Bills and Pittsburgh Steelers also have current HC vacancies.