Welcome to the Friday edition of the Pick Six newsletter!
If you’re wondering what every player in the NFL is doing right now, they’re probably on a flight to Louisville so that they can attend the Kentucky Derby. For some reason, it seems to be the one event that NFL players love to attend. Last year, Travis Kelce, Aaron Rodgers, Davante Adams, Jameis Winston and Amon-Ra St. Brown were among the players in attendance and it won’t be surprising if we see another large contingent of NFL players at Churchill Downs this year. Maybe Rodgers will show up and then immediately announce that he’s signing with the Steelers … or maybe he’ll announce that he’s buying a horse and retiring.
By the way, if you want to know who’s favored to win the 151st Run for the Roses, we’ve got the details here. My sister is actually going to the Derby and she has promised to let everyone know if she runs into Aaron Rodgers.
Alright, that’s enough horse talk, let’s get to the football stuff.
As always, here’s your daily reminder to tell all your friends to sign up for the newsletter. To get them signed up, all you have to do is click here.
1. Predicting who the starter will be on the teams with the worst QB situations
When you look around the NFL, there are currently at least FOUR teams who have no idea who their starting quarterback is going to be in 2025. The Steelers are hoping Aaron Rodgers will sign (but they don’t have him yet), the Browns have four quarterbacks battling for one spot, the Saints have a QB (Derek Carr) who might miss a chunk of the 2025 season and the Colts are still trying to find someone to replace Andrew Luck.
Not only did Garrett Podell decide to rank the 10 worst QB rooms in the NFL for today, but he also took things a step further by trying to predict who’s going to win the starting QB job in those rooms. Let’s take a look at his predicted starter for three teams:
Browns: Joe Flacco, Kenny Pickett, Shedeur Sanders, Dillon Gabriel, Deshaun Watson.
Who will start in Week 1? Joe Flacco. “Head coach Kevin Stefanski will go with the steady Flacco to begin the season, and Pickett will likely be cut or ask for a release when he doesn’t win the starting job. Then, Gabriel and Sanders will compete to be the backup quarterback and the next man up when Flacco falters like he did with the Indianapolis Colts in 2024.”
Colts: Anthony Richardson, Daniel Jones, Riley Leonard, Jason Bean
Who will start in Week 1? Anthony Richardson. “It’s in general manager Chris Ballard’s and head coach Shane Steichen’s best interest for Richardson to win the starting job, and he will thanks to being the most talented and tenured guy in the room.”
Giants: Russell Wilson, Jameis Winston, Jaxson Dart, Tommy DeVito.
Who will start in Week 1? Russell Wilson. “Wilson was signed to a one-year, $10.5 million deal with $10 million guaranteed this offseason, and he was told he would be the starter upon signing with the Giants.”
Garrett has a few more QB predictions and you can check those out here.
2. Ranking every AFC team post-draft: Chiefs knocked out of the top spot
During the offseason, there is nothing we love to do more than to rank things, so we’re going to rank all 16 teams in the AFC. Jordan Dajani tallied up every free agent signing, every trade and every draft pick that each AFC team has made over the past two months and then he immediately proceeded to rank each team based on where it stands right now.
Let’s check out the top five teams in Jordan’s rankings:
1. Ravens. “The Ravens’ draft is actually a reason why I have them No. 1 over the Chiefs and Bills in these post-draft power rankings. Baltimore found a way to keep left tackle Ronnie Stanley and then signed DeAndre Hopkins in free agency, but also drafted the best safety in this class with Malaki Starks at No. 27 overall, then found a first-round talent in Mike Green at No. 59 overall — who led the FBS with 17 sacks last season.”
2. Chiefs. “The Chiefs are a perennial AFC contender but I really liked this team’s draft. Josh Simmons at No. 32 overall would have gone much higher without the knee injury.”
3. Bills. “Buffalo clearly had defense in mind during the draft, as the front office used its first five picks on that side of the ball. Cornerback Maxwell Hairston should start immediately, then T.J. Sanders, Landon Jackson and the 6-foot-7 Deone Walker are welcomed additions in the trenches since Michael Hoecht and Larry Ogunjobi are going to miss time due to suspension.”
4. Broncos. “I’m high on the Broncos entering this season. Bo Nix had a fantastic rookie year, and now he has RJ Harvey and Evan Engram to work with. Could Denver have done more offensively? Sure, but this defense may be incredible. Talanoa Hufanga, Dre Greenlaw and Jahdae Barron were great pickups.”
5. Bengals. “This defense that kept Joe Burrow out of the playoffs. Has it been improved? No. 17 overall pick Shemar Stewart is an athletic player, but recorded just 4.5 sacks over three seasons. Then second-round pick Demetrius Knight Jr. is a former quarterback who hits ball-carriers like he hates their families. Those are two players Cincinnati hopes can make immediate impacts but was enough done?”
We’ve got Jordan’s full AFC rankings and you can check that out here (Spoiler alert: The Titans are ranked dead last).
3. NFL Draft reaction: Most questionable pick made by each team
In Thursday’s newsletter, we went over the best picks in the NFL Draft, so now, it only makes sense to go over the picks that weren’t so good. CBS Sports NFL Draft guru Josh Edwards combed through all 257 picks in the draft to come up with one questionable pick for each team and let’s just say that some teams are much better at drafting than other teams.
Here’s a look at four of the most questionable picks in the draft:
- Browns: Shedeur Sanders (Round 5, Pick 144). “Sanders was great value in the fifth round, but the vision does not make sense. Cleveland traded out of the opportunity to select Colorado two-way star Travis Hunter in exchange for a future first-round pick. The thought is that the organization will be looking to draft its quarterback of the future next year. The team ideally would have conviction on both rookie quarterbacks, including Dillon Gabriel, before potentially bringing in another young quarterback next April. It would be a weird situation to bring a first-round pick into. Plus, how would training camp repetitions be divvied up?”
- Lions: WR Isaac TeSlaa (Round 3, Pick 70). “The Lions not only took the player higher than expected but they also traded away valuable draft resources to take him at that spot.”
- 49ers: LB Nick Martin (Round 3, Pick 75). “San Francisco, for the most part, had a good draft. There were a few that did not stand out, but Martin was the biggest reach in my opinion. He is an undersized linebacker who missed a lot of time last season due to injury.”
- Giants: Cam Skatteboo (Round 4, Pick 175). “Skattebo is good in short-yardage situations because his determination will carry him across the threshold but there are questions about his top-end speed. … Given that there were some really talented running backs still on the board, I would have gone in another direction.”
Josh came up with one questionable pick for each team and you can check out his full list here.
4. Fifth-year option deadline: 2022 draft hit a rough spot in the middle
One of the most forgotten dates on the NFL calendar is the deadline for fifth-year options. This year, that deadline was yesterday (May 1), which means teams had until then to decide if they wanted to pick up the fifth-year option on the rookie contract of any player they drafted in the first round back in 2022. (Only first-rounders are eligible for a fifth-year option; all other drafted players are given a four-year deal.)
Under the new CBA, the salary amount in the fifth-year option is now FULLY GUARANTEED, which means if a player’s option got exercised, the team is on the hook for the entire salary.
With that in mind, here’s a look at the players who had their option picked up, along with what their salary will be in 2026 when the fifth-year option kicks in (all salary numbers are via Over the Cap). The only way the salary number can change is if the player agrees to an extension between now and the start of the fifth-year option season in 2026.
1. Jaguars EDGE Travon Walker: Picked up ($14.75 million)
2. Lions EDGE Aidan Hutchinson: Picked up ($20.86 million)
3. Texans CB Derek Stingley Jr.: Signed 3-year extension
4. Jets CB Sauce Gardner: Picked up ($20.19 million)
5. Giants EDGE Kayvon Thibodeaux: Picked up ($14.75 million)
6. Panthers OT Ikem Ekonu: Picked up ($17.56 million)
7. Giants OT Evan Neal: Declined
8. Falcons WR Drake London: Picked up ($16.81 million)
9. Seahawks OT Charles Cross: Picked up ($17.56 million)
10. Jets WR Garrett Wilson: Picked up ($16.81 million)
11. Saints WR Chris Olave: Picked up ($15.49 million)
12. Lions WR Jameson Williams: Picked up ($15.49 million)
13. Eagles DT Jordan Davis: Picked up ($12.93 million)
14. Ravens S Kyle Hamilton: Picked up ($18.60 million)
15. Eagles OL Kenyon Green: Declined (Drafted by Texans, traded March 2025)
16. Eagles WR Jahan Dotson: Declined (Drafted by Commanders, traded August 2024)
17. Chargers OL Zion Johnson: Declined
18. Titans WR Treylon Burks: Declined
19. Saints OL Trevor Penning: Declined
20. Browns QB Kenny Pickett: Declined (Drafted by Steelers, traded to Eagles, then traded to Browns)
21. Chiefs CB Trent McDuffie: Picked up ($13.63 million)
22. Packers LB Quay Walker: Declined
23. Cowboys CB Kaiir Elam: Declined (Drafted by Bills, traded March 2025)
24. Cowboys OL Tyler Smith: Picked up ($21.27 million)
25. Ravens OL Tyler Linderbaum: Declined
26. Jets EDGE Jermaine Johnson II: Picked up ($13.41 million)
27. Jaguars LB Devin Lloyd: Declined
28. Packers DL Devonte Wyatt: Picked up ($12.93 million)
29. Patriots OG Cole Strange: Declined
30. Chiefs EDGE George Karlaftis: Picked up ($15.20 million)
31. Bengals DB Dax Hill: Picked up ($12.68 million)
32. Eagles DB Lewis Cine: Declined (Ineligible for option, because his rookie contract was terminated after he was released by the Vikings, the team that drafted him)
As you can see, the middle of the draft got pretty ugly with eight of the nine players taken between pick 15 and pick 23 getting their option declined. You see our full tracker here.
5. NFL offseason grades: Cowboys get worst mark in NFC East
We’re going to be spending the next few days grading every NFL team based on how they’ve done this offseason. These grades will encompass how each team did not only in the draft, but also in free agency. We started our trip around the NFL on Thursday with the AFC East, and now, we’ll be continuing our grades tour today with the NFC East.
- Eagles: A. “The Eagles did a strong job of retaining a solid number of its talent from their Super Bowl LIX championship team. Barkley (two years, $41.2 million — wasn’t set to hit free agency) and right tackle Lane Johnson (one year, $25 million) signed extensions. All-Pro linebacker Zack Baun was retained on a three-year, $51 million deal with $34 million guaranteed. … Philadelphia also pulled another rabbit out of the hat in the first round of the draft by somehow securing the top inside linebacker prospect in the class in Alabama’s Jihaad Campbell. General manager Howie Roseman, take a bow.”
- Commanders: B. “They made a couple of big swings via trade this offseason, trading for Pro Bowl left tackle Laremy Tunsil from the Houston Texans — after sending Houston four picks (a 2025 third, a 2025 seventh, a 2026 second and a 2026 fourth) — and Pro Bowl wide receiver Deebo Samuel — after sending the San Francisco 49ers a 2025 fifth-round pick. They were also able to retain a good chunk of the vets around him like red zone security blanket tight end Zach Ertz and linebacker Bobby Wagner, most notably.”
- Giants: B. “Both New York’s free agency and draft runs were solid, but the reason the Giants’ overall offseason grade isn’t higher is that their quarterback position still remains uncertain. Russell Wilson, who is 36, faded hard down the stretch of the 2024 season: The Steelers lost his final five starts and he averaged under 200 yards pass per game (193.6) in that span. Jaxson Dart is a raw rookie, and Jameis Winston can be a rollercoaster.”
- Cowboys: B-. “The Cowboys had one of the better drafts in the NFL, routinely sticking with the best player available and getting starting-caliber players with each of their first three picks. That’s improvement over the reaches for need they’ve made in each of their prior two draft classes. However, their lack of quality finds in free agency plus not taking care of Parsons weighs their grade down like an anchor.”
If you want the full explanation for each team’s grade, you can check out Garrett Podell’s story here.
6. Extra points: Browns GM explains the team’s bizarre draft strategy
It’s a busy time in the NFL, and since it’s nearly impossible to keep track of everything that’s happening, I went ahead and put together a roundup for you.
- Browns weren’t planning to take two quarterbacks. The Browns became the first team in 13 years to select two quarterbacks in the first five rounds of the NFL Draft, but that definitely wasn’t the plan going into the draft, according to general manager Andrew Berry. “We talk often about quarterback being the most important position in the sport,” Berry said, via PFT. “We felt like it wasn’t necessarily the plan going into the weekend to select two quarterbacks, but we do believe in best player available, we do believe in positional value, and we didn’t necessarily expect [Shedeur] to be available in the fifth round.” The Browns now have five quarterbacks on their roster and it will be interesting to see how they handle that going forward. You can check out Berry’s full comments here.
- Rams want Matthew Stafford to stick around. For the second straight offseason, the Rams had some contract drama with Matthew Stafford, so there’s been some speculation that the team might be looking to move on from him in the near future. However, Sean McVay insists that’s not the case. The Rams coach recently told SiriusXM’s Mad Dog radio that he’d like to see Stafford stick around for at least a “couple more years.” That might explain why the Rams didn’t end up taking a QB in the draft this year.
- Steve Smith being sued for alleged affair. Smith is being accused of having an affair and because of that, he’s now facing a lawsuit in North Carolina. From our story, “Smith is being sued by Antonio Martinez under North Carolina’s “alienation of affection” law — also known as the ‘homewrecker law’ — which allows a spouse to sue a third party for destroying a marriage.” If you want the details on this sordid affair, we have them here.
- Grey Zabel to wear No. 76 in Seattle. The Seahawks first-round pick has been granted permission to wear No. 76. Although it’s not retired, it was worn by Steve Hutchinson, who spent five seasons in Seattle and is now in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Zabel is now the second rookie over the past week to get permission to wear the number he was hoping to get (Cam Ward got permission from Warren Moon to wear No. 1). On the other hand, Lawrence Taylor shot down Abdul Carter’s request to wear No. 56.