Has the anxiety already set in because the NFL season ended four long days ago? Hold tight because the offseason is going to be a thrill-ride that satisfies pangs because it could include possible trades involving Matthew Stafford, Myles Garrett, Tyreek Hill, Cooper Kupp, and Deebo Samual among others.

And if that’s not enough, we can wait for the release of Kirk Cousins and probably Aaron Rodgers.

And we’ll be interested to see where Russell Wilson, Sam Darnold and maybe Germaine Pratt end up.

So you’re not going to be bored for long. Because one of the wildest NFL offseasons in memory is coming at us.

Rams Tell Kupp They’re Moving On

Let’s begin with what we pretty much know: The Los Angeles Rams are in flux. Receiver Cooper Kupp announced on social media 10 days ago that the Rams are going to work on trading him.

And while that in of itself is news, it doesn’t compare to what can happen when the other shoe drops.

Matthew Stafford is the other shoe.

Stafford, the club’s 37-year-old quarterback, played great from about Nov. 17 on. He threw 15 TD passes his final nine games of the regular season and helped rally the team to an NFC West title.

But things have gotten weird since the impending Kupp trade leaked, and now Stafford and his family are themselves pondering the possibility of being traded. Or asking for a trade.

This comes from no less a source than Kelly Stafford, the quarterback’s wife.

Stafford Status With Rams Uncertain

Kelly Stafford recently shared her family’s view of the situation in an Instagram photo that showed both her and Stafford out of focus in a photo.

“The future might be blurry,” Kelly wrote, “but the present is always clear with you.”

The future is obviously blurry because the Staffords don’t know where they’ll be when the 2025 season begins – in L.A. or elsewhere.

They’re not alone.

Last week, Cleveland Browns pass rusher Myles Garrett asked to be traded. And then he spent the entire week on Radio Row at the Super Bowl telling everyone his handlers could muster that he wants out of Cleveland because he wants to win – like, now.

The Browns aren’t ready to win now. Quarterback Deshaun Watson is recovering from a second surgery to repair a second ruptured Achilles, and he may or may not play during the 2025 season.

Myles Garrett To The Eagles?

So the Browns may or may not draft a quarterback with their No. 2 overall pick. And whatever their answer, they ain’t winning the Super Bowl with Watson on one leg or a quarterback in his first season.

So trading Myles – probably for a couple of first-round picks over the next couple of years – is going to be a serious conversation. And because Berry worked under Philadelphia Eagles vice president Howie Roseman one year and has a great connection to him, there are already whispers around the league that Berry could trade Garrett to the Eagles for those multiple first-rounders.

The Browns, of course, deny any trade will happen. And that could be true.

Or that could be posturing to drive up the price. 

Atlanta Falcons quarterback Kirk Cousins. Photo: Brett Davis-Imagn Images

Kirk Cousins Will Be Released

Speaking of the price, we know and expect the Atlanta Falcons to release Cousins because the Falcons are moving on, and no team is going to trade for Cousins and take on his contract. 

So the Falcons will find themselves having to release him – much the same way the Denver Broncos had to release Russell Wilson last season. And Cousins will sign with a team for the veteran minimum – as Wilson did with the Steelers — while the Falcons pay the remaining portion of his $27.5 million base salary.

About the only thing we don’t know is what team Cousins will pick. And what team will pick him.

The expectation is he still wants to start.

That puts him in line to go to … the Raiders, Browns, Jets, possibly Indianapolis, or the Steelers. There’s no telling where this carousel will stop. But Cousins will definitely be on it.

So let’s see, so far we’re talking about Stafford, Cousins, Kupp and Garrett possibly changing teams this offseason.

Aaron Rodgers. Photo: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

Aaron Rodgers A Fit With The Raiders

The names are so recognizable that when Bengals defensive captain Germaine Pratt reportedly requested a trade on Wednesday, per NFL Media, the news barely made a ripple in the national media pool.

Reaction around the league was, like, OK.

Speaking of bigger names, my friend Brian Costello, who covers the Jets at the New York Post, told me during Super Bowl week and wrote on Wednesday that “as long as Rodgers was in the building, Glenn was never going to be the dominant figure inside the organization.”

And that’s one reason the Jets will reportedly be moving on from Rodgers.

Maybe. And all that tells me is the Jets are replacing an egomaniac quarterback with an egomaniac coach – one that cannot coexist with another big personality as the face of the franchise.

Rodgers finished the 2024 season on a high note. He believed himself feeling and playing better toward the end of the season. It’s the reason he initially welcomed the idea of returning to the Jets.

That doesn’t seem to be in the cards now, but if Rodgers still has an itch to play he wants to scratch, he really looks like a fit with Pete Carroll and the Raiders. That’s assuming Pete Carroll and the Raiders don’t prefer Russell Wilson in something of a reunion. Or perhaps Stafford.

Sam Darnold of the Minnesota Vikings. (Photo by Brace Hemmelgarn/Getty Images)

Darnold Could Stay In Minnesota

There are other attention-grabbing names that seem less likely to be moving this offseason but the decision-making process on each could be interesting.

Darnold is expected to be a free agent. Multiple league executives believe the Vikings won’t let him walk, but instead will place the transition tag on the quarterback to prevent anyone else from signing him without giving them a chance to match.

And then there’s the wide receivers: 

The 49ers are preparing to move on from Samuel because his production hasn’t matched his salary. He would have to take a pay cut to stay and that could be the first course of action, because it’s hard to see any team taking on the cap burden of such a trade while also giving something of value in return.

Miami Dolphins wide receiver Tyreek Hill. Photo: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

Dolphins May Listen To Offers On Hill

Then there is Hill. He talked about being traded after the final game of the season. Then his agent and the team went into crisis management mode and Hill spent all of last week walking back his attention-seeking comments.

Well, the Dolphins have final say on the matter. 

And they might listen to offers for Hill, multiple NFL executives believe, so as to weigh adding multiple high-round draft picks in what is effectively the player’s final contract season before his salary cap number skyrockets in 2026.

It would make some sense for the Dolphins to shop Hill, knowing he’s already voiced what was at some point obviously in his heart. 

It could be among the biggest moves in an offseason filled with big-name moves.