The lingering offseason drama in the NFL has surrounded quarterbacks, almost exclusively.
Who knows where Baker Mayfield will land, and when he will land there, and how much of his salary the Browns will eat to facilitate the move. If Jimmy Garoppolo can in fact ramp up a throwing program in July after his shoulder surgery, then where will he go? How many games will DeShaun Watson miss due to suspension, and when will we learn of that discipline?
There is still much to unfold, and just because things seem a little quiet right now in the lull between the draft and mandatory mini camps, that doesn't mean that all is well. There are most definitely some key players around this league mulling whether or not they will take part in "voluntary" or mandatory offseason work, whether or not they will execute a "hold-in" (i.e. show up but basically withhold football services) or whether they might go public with a trade demand.
Don't conflate the relative lack of outward strife with the concept that things are honkey dory. In many cases, it's not. There are most definitely some players who I will be monitoring very closely in the coming months – for what they say and what they do; or what they scrub from their social media – and there are no shortage of situations that will require a delicate touch whether in regards to a new contract, capitulating to a request to leave town, dealing with a holdout … or all of the above.
These are some of the instances where things could very well get worse before they get better, if they do in fact get better at all:
Kyler Murray
His desire for a top-of-market new contract after three up-and-down seasons since being selected first overall are well known by now. This has been the most overt of the conflicts, with Murray expunging all references to the team from his social media and his representation publishing a manifesto about the need for the Cardinals to pay him. It's calmed down some since then, and landing his former college teammate Hollywood Brown was a nice touch, but paying Murray upwards of $45M a year is a very risky proposition. Durability and productivity are in question.
Likely outcome: Ownership gave embattled head coach Kliff Kingsbury a new deal, and I suspect Murray ends up getting paid, too, though the full guarantees and payout structure will be fascinating.
At this point all parties seem resigned to the fact that a new deal is highly unlikely. Owner Steve Bisciotti doesn't seem up to stroke a check for $200M, and short of guaranteeing around $250M I don't see Jackson engaging in much contract talk. Baltimore's offer before the start of last season got them nowhere and was worth around just $35M a year, as I have been reporting since February, and the QB market has exploded again since then.