We’re on to 2025. And to kick it off, and to honor our guy Peter King after his first Super Bowl in retirement, we’re going to give you 10 things I think I think about the NFL offseason …

• I think if there’s a copycat effect to the Philadelphia Eagles’ second title in eight seasons, it will be an emphasis on building through the lines. Of course, as we detailed Monday, there are a lot of reasons for Philly’s sustained success. But if there’s one that’s replicable for other teams, it’s how the Eagles, over the past two-plus decades, have continued to feed their lines with investments in draft capital, cap space and real dollars, building strength on strength.

I’ll never forget Chip Kelly delivering this line to me after selecting Lane Johnson with the fourth pick, and his first pick as Eagles coach, in the 2013 draft: “Big people beat up little people.”

Kelly’s long gone, but Johnson’s still there, and so too is that ethos, which existed in Philly long before he arrived and will continue to be there long after Johnson’s gone.

And the idea isn’t just to get good players up front. Everyone wants to do that. It’s to leave nothing to chance in that pursuit, and to keep the pipeline steady, even when it may not seem to need any more juice.

That’s how the Eagles were ready with not one (Cam Jurgens), but two (Landon Dickerson) players capable of replacing Jason Kelce when he retired. It’s how, similarly, they had Jalen Carter, Jordan Davis and Milton Williams lined up when Fletcher Cox walked away. It’s why they committed to keeping Jordan Mailata on the roster as he learned to play football, and how they were so ready when Jason Peters’s anointed successor, Andre Dillard, didn’t wind up being what they envisioned him to be at left tackle.

It’s also how they could strike out on an edge rusher in free agency—missing on Bryce Huff—and still have that spot wind up being a game-altering factor in the Super Bowl, with Josh Sweat, Jalyx Hunt, Nolan Smith and Brandon Graham manning the position.

So will this impact the way the NFL does business? Let’s just say the timing of this Super Bowl win, and what it underscores, should be pretty good for NFL players and incoming draft prospects such as Jedrick Wills Jr., Ronnie Stanley, Will Campbell, Kelvin Banks Jr., Josh Conerly Jr., Josh Simmons, Haason Reddick, Abdul Carter, Mason Graham, Jalon Walker and … you get the idea. (It’ll obviously be good for the Eagles’ own guys—Sweat, Williams and Mekhi Becton—as well.)

• I think the Cincinnati Bengals have as critical an offseason as anyone in football looming. Joe Burrow was very vocal the past couple of weeks, telling anyone who’ll listen what he wants the Bengals to do with teammates such as Ja’Marr Chase, Tee Higgins, Trey Hendrickson and Mike Gesicki.

In short, he wants them rewarded, and to be part of the equation going forward. To accomplish that, a lot of guaranteed money will be going out the door.

The underlying thing here? Burrow’s priority is chasing championships. As long as the Bengals show they’ll provide the resources to put him in that position consistently, everything will be fine. So they should do that, rather than find out what happens if they don’t.

• I think Matthew Stafford is the big domino in this year’s quarterback market. That, to be clear, doesn’t mean he’s going to be available in March. It does mean that teams are keeping an eye on what happens with Stafford and the Los Angeles Rams, in mapping out their plans.

After the Rams moved $5 million from the final two years of his deal into 2024, guaranteed all of ’24, and removed all future guarantees in his contract last summer, there was an agreement struck to revisit his status after the season. That time has come. Two things, I think, will determine how this goes. The first will be how much he wants. The second will be whether he’s willing to commit to playing for just another year.

The Rams have built a nice young core. As that core starts to come of age, what the team would like to avoid is landing in some sort of desperate situation at the most important position on the field. So if Stafford wants a big contract adjustment, and someone is offering a first-round pick, and he’s not sure if he can commit to 2026 … that’s where I could see this getting interesting.

• I think the top of the draft class’s relative weakness at quarterback could make this the offseason of the bridge QB. Be it Aaron Rodgers, Russell Wilson or Kirk Cousins, there are options out there for teams that might be looking for alternatives to taking a quarterback in the first round. The key is that you have to make those decisions around six weeks before the draft—while you’re still going through the process of evaluating the draft class.

So for the Tennessee Titans, Cleveland Browns, New York Giants and Las Vegas Raiders, getting an early read on Colorado’s Shedeur Sanders and Miami’s Cam Ward will be important. And seeing where they stack up against someone such as Ole Miss’s Jaxson Dart, who’s built some momentum with teams as a potential early Day 2 option, could be key, too.

My guess would be at least a few teams in need will make the conscious decision to punt on the draft quarterbacks altogether and go with a veteran option. And maybe one will weigh the idea of landing 27-year-old Sam Darnold against drafting one of these guys—and end up taking the plunge (for what it’s worth, the 2018 version of Darnold would almost certainly be a first pick in this draft), presuming the Vikings don’t tag Darnold.

• I think the Pittsburgh Steelers are shaping up to be interesting quarterback suitors. They have a team that’s ready to win now, with T.J. Watt and Minkah Fitzpatrick in their primes as leaders of a staunch defense, a fast-improving offensive line group, and a solid crew of skill players. They also don’t have forever to win with the core that’s in place.

So, this should be the time for GM Omar Khan to act with some urgency. There are a lot of folks in Pittsburgh ready to move on from Wilson. Justin Fields, on the other hand, is someone they’d love to keep working with—but he may not have done quite enough to be awarded the starting job without qualifications. And options in the draft are, again, sparse.

I think the Steelers are going to take a look at a lot of different ideas in the coming weeks, which could lead to someone like Stafford or Rodgers heading to Pittsburgh.

• I think Travis Hunter might be the most interesting prospect I’ve seen enter the league in my 20 years covering it. He’s that different—a true two-way college player who might be a top-10 pick at both receiver and corner, were he only playing one of those spots.

I do believe most NFL teams will evaluate him as a corner who will moonlight at receiver, given that it’s tougher to find a great corner, and that it’d be easier to toggle between full-time defense and part-time offense than the other way around. And after they do that, I have a hard time seeing Hunter slip out of the top five.

But how we get to that point over the next couple of months should be fascinating.

• I think the San Francisco 49ers will re-sign Brock Purdy, but the team around him will look pretty different. San Francisco wants to go forward with its quarterback and build around him, but the Niners have been disciplined in how they handle contract negotiations—with Nick Bosa, Deebo Samuel and Brandon Aiyuk having had to conduct wildcat strikes to get what they felt they were worth.

I doubt it comes to that with Purdy, but this won’t be an easy negotiation.

Part of getting it done will be both sides accepting the reality that the roster will look different around him. Samuel’s on the block. George Kittle’s going into a contract year. Javon Hargrave’s contract puts him in some level of peril. Charvarius Ward and Dre Greenlaw are free agents that’ll probably be too pricey for San Francisco to keep.

• I think if there’s a real strength in this year’s draft class, it’s at tight end. I say this as a Big Ten alum: I think Penn State’s Tyler Warren is a freak. They don’t make many like him. Michigan’s Colston Loveland isn’t the physical marvel Warren is (Loveland needs to put on a little weight), but he’s really good. Bowling Green’s Harold Fannin Jr. is a dynamic move-type at the position.

So, if you’re looking for a queen on the chess board—or a “joker,” as Sean Payton would call it—there are plenty of options at tight end this year. This is notable because great tight end classes don’t come along all that often.

• I think the Raiders are going to be spenders. Tom Brady promised coaching candidates they’d have the resources to compete. Then, the legendary quarterback hired a 73-year-old coach. This would indicate that they aren’t going to waste time dipping into the money pit that new limited owners Egon Durban, Mike Meldman and Tom Wagner have promised to provide, with over $100 million in cap space waiting for Pete Carroll and new GM John Spytek.

And the spending, I’d think, would be across the board. Maxx Crosby, Brock Bowers and Kolton Miller are really nice building blocks. Outside of that, there are a lot of holes to fill. Carroll’s going to be very specific on what he needs. I bet the Raiders owners will oblige him with their checkbooks.

• I think the Detroit Lions have a big swing in them. This isn’t a guarantee that they will go out and trade for Myles Garrett. Or anyone. I just think they’ll be open for business.

They have more than $50 million in cap space, some of which, no doubt, could be used on extensions for guys such as Aidan Hutchinson, Jameson Williams and Kerby Joseph. But they have enough flexibility to get something done, and the time might be now—after winning 29 games in two years and coming up short in the playoffs—following years of responsible, patient building. Remember, GM Brad Holmes was part of the go-for-broke Rams’ build.

The Buffalo Bills are another team I could see having a big swing in them if the right opportunity comes along. And where would such a swing come from? It’s hard to tell this early on, but that’s the beauty of the NFL in this day and age—things can change completely overnight.

So stay tuned.