Matthew Stafford Retirement and Decisions That Will Shape the 2026 NFL Offseason

The 2026 NFL offseason will largely be shaped by major decisions made by star players and league personnel.

There have already been several landmark announcements to open the offseason—such as Pittsburgh head coach Mike Tomlin's resignation—and many more will soon follow.

With some of the NFL's biggest names weighing retirement, front offices mulling changes at the quarterback position, and other key decisions in the pipeline, it won't be long before the league's landscape shifts drastically.

With that in mind, let's highlight some of the high-impact choices looming on the horizon set to drastically transform the NFL ahead of the 2026 season.

Will the Eagles Trade A.J. Brown?

AP Photo/Terrance Williams

The Philadelphia Eagles crashed out in the opening round of the NFL playoffs for the second time in three years. They now must pick up the pieces and figure out what went wrong before the 2026 season kicks off.

While the Eagles have already begun making major changes to an offensive system that sputtered out in 2025—notably relieving offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo of his duties and replacing him with Sean Mannion—some significant personnel changes may also be on the horizon.

A.J. Brown might be one of the stars on their way out of the City of Brotherly Love. The wideout has largely been a boon to Philadelphia's offense since he arrived via trade ahead of the 2022 campaign, but things took a turn for the worse in 2025.

Although he finished with 1,000-plus receiving yards for the fourth consecutive year, Brown struggled to consistently produce at a high level. His yards per reception (12.9) and yards per game (66.9) were both the lowest of his tenure in Philly and he was held to 50 or fewer yards in eight of his 15 appearances.

Brown made his frustrations with Patullo's system abundantly clear, at one point appearing on a Twitch stream and telling his fantasy managers to drop him. His social media posts and sideline behavior became an unwelcome distraction to the defending champions.

While Philadelphia's brass ultimately decided against shipping Brown off at the trade deadline, it wouldn't be a shock to see the organization move on from the unhappy wideout this offseason.

Brown's contract runs through the 2029 season after inking a three-year, $96 million extension in April 2024, but the draft capital the team could receive in return for the 28-year-old may outweigh his diminishing on-field contributions and growing off-field distractions.

Will the Cardinals Move on from Kyler Murray?

AP Photo/Rick Scuteri

It wasn't that long ago that Kyler Murray was considered the future of the Arizona Cardinals franchise, signing a blockbuster extension in the 2022 offseason following his second consecutive Pro Bowl nod and first playoff appearance. Things haven't gone as planned in the years since, with Arizona winning just 16 of Murray's last 41 starts and playing the majority of the past three seasons without the QB in the lineup.

Things hit a new low for Murray and the Cards in 2025. After opening the year with back-to-back victories, the team lost three consecutive games. Murray was eventually sidelined with a foot injury and wouldn't return, leading to speculation that the IR stint served as a form of a soft benching to keep the underperforming signal-caller out of the lineup.

The Cardinals now must decide if they want to keep Murray—whose deal runs through the 2027 campaign—around under new head coach Mike LaFleur or move on from the disappointing passer.

While cap space currently isn't a major issue for Arizona (the club has nearly $35 million in available finances to open the offseason), Murray's five-year, $230.5 million extension is a massive albatross that may be difficult to get out from under this offseason if a trade market doesn't materialize.

A dead cap hit of $57.8 million would be incurred if Arizona releases Murray at the start of the offseason, making a trade far and away the most palatable way for the Cardinals to wash their hands of the situation. Moving Murray to another team with a post-June 1 designation would result in a much more manageable dead cap charge of $10.7 million in 2026 and $7.2 million in 2027 with immediate cap savings of $42.5 million.

While the Cardinals don't have an heir to Murray lined up, they do have a reliable veteran in Brissett—who started 12 games for the organization in 2025—under contract for next season. Brissett could work as a bridge option, affording the Cardinals time to find and develop a potential franchise passer in the draft or bring one in via trade or free agency.

Will Mike Evans Continue His Career with the Buccaneers?

AP Photo/Lynne Sladky

Mike Evans has been a foundational piece of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers offense ever since he was taken in the first round of the 2014 draft.

In the 12 seasons since, the superstar wideout has racked up over 13,000 receiving yards and scored 108 touchdowns while consistently rating as one of the NFL's best at his position.

While Evans was one of the league's most consistent players for his first 11 seasons, the prolific pass-catcher hit his first major snag in 2025. Although he's battled through a myriad of injuries throughout his career, he had managed to play in at least 13 games every season until a series of ailments—including a hamstring injury, concussion and broken clavicle—limited him to just eight appearances this year.

The 32-year-old failed to reach the 1,000-yard receiving mark for the first time in his career, finishing 2025 with a pedestrian 30/368/3 stat line. He now enters an offseason of uncertainty, one that could see him choose several different paths that include retirement, re-upping with the Bucs or even the once-unfathomable option of suiting up for a different NFL franchise.

Per Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times, Evans said while he's not going to stick around for 20 years, he will "try to play as long as I can while I'm at the top of my game". He admitted that the year-round practice and preparations "take a toll as you get older" but that "the games are the fun part" at this point in his career.

Baker Mayfield believes Evans will be back in 2026. During an appearance on The Ronde Barber Show, the Bucs QB said, "Mike's too much of a competitor and cares too much about Tampa to end his career without 1,000 yards, without a division championship, without a playoff run."

Evans may have to accept a significant pay cut if he wants to remain in Tampa. The wideout just finished out a two-year, $41 million extension but now has a market value of $13.3 million per year (per Spotrac). The Bucs aren't flush with cap room either, with an estimated $14.5 million in available space to open the offseason.

Tampa would be wise to find a way to bring Evans back, even if that's on a budget one-year deal. If he can stay healthy in 2026, the wideout is a strong bet to get back to playing at a Pro Bowl level and could be a valuable contributor to a Bucs squad with aspirations of making a deep playoff run for the first time in the Mayfield era.

Will the Dolphins Make a Permanent Quarterback Change?

AP Photo/Doug Murray

The Miami Dolphins are at a crossroads. After benching Tua Tagovailoa at the end of last season and giving seventh-round rookie Quinn Ewers a chance to prove himself, the team must decide if it's worth trotting the polarizing veteran back out in 2026.

Although Tagovailoa didn't have any major injury issues after missing a career-high six games to them in 2024, he was only able to tally 2,660 passing yards and 20 touchdowns while throwing a career-high 15 interceptions and taking a career-most 30 sacks in his 14 starts. The Dolphins went 6-8 in those contests.

While Miami didn't thrive under Ewers—the team finished 1-2 in his three starts—the 22-year-old did display some promise by completing 66.3 percent of his throws for 622 yards and three touchdowns.

Whether Ewers is the team's preferred option going forward remains to be seen, but the Dolphins could also consider both free agency (where several prolific backups in Mac Jones and Malik Willis will be up for grabs) and the draft to address the quarterback position if Tagovailoa is no longer in their long-term plans.

Complicating matters is a regime change, with Jeff Hafley taking over Miami's head coaching job after Mike McDaniel—the coach who benched Tagovailoa—was relieved of his duties. The Dolphins also have 29 pending free agents and are projected to be more than $23 million over the cap going into the new league year, a financial minefield that makes major personnel decisions tricky.

For his part, Tagovailoa is open to a change of scenery. The quarterback claimed that it "would be dope" to get a fresh start on a different team in 2026, although he declined to say if he would push for a trade to make that happen.

It's a difficult situation to untangle, especially for a first-time head coach taking over a team that has underwhelmed in back-to-back seasons after making a playoff appearance in 2023.

Will Aaron Rodgers Return to the Steelers?

AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar

Aaron Rodgers added another intriguing chapter to his Hall of Fame career this past season when he guided the Pittsburgh Steelers to a playoff appearance in his first year with the club.

The AFC North champions were promptly eliminated in the Wild Card Round for the second consecutive season and fifth time in the last six years, however, which led to a major shakeup in the form of longtime head coach Mike Tomlin's resignation.

With Mike McCarthy taking over the vacated position, it remains to be seen if Rodgers is going to return for another season and if the Steelers truly even want him back.

When McCarthy was asked during his introductory press conference if his "best-case scenario" involved Rodgers' return, the new head coach responded by saying "Definitely, I mean, I don't see why you wouldn't."

Despite this, McCarthy was likely hired due to a vision of developing Will Howard—a sixth-round rookie who didn't see the field in 2025—into a serviceable NFL starter.

Steelers owner Art Rooney II believes Tomlin's departure may have sealed Rodgers' fate with the organization, noting that the star signal-caller "came here to play for Mike" and thinks the coach's exit will have a tangible impact on his decision to run it back.

For his part, Rodgers has remained silent on his future. When asked about it in the wake of the team's disappointing playoff defeat to the Houston Texans, the 42-year-old said he wouldn't rush into "making any emotional decisions" and plans to take some time away before choosing his next step.

A recent indication that Rodgers may not be returning to Pittsburgh is the news that Scott Tolzien—a former member of the Green Bay Packers' quarterback room alongside Rodgers under McCarthy—will remain on Kellen Moore's New Orleans Saints staff following interviews for the Steelers' offensive coordinator position. Rodgers and Tolzien are reportedly close friends after the latter backed up the former for three seasons.

While that announcement doesn't solidify Rodgers' future plans, it's at least one small piece of a larger puzzle. Given how long he dragged out his decision to sign with the Steelers—waiting until early June last year following months of speculation—it's unlikely that his next move will be clarified anytime soon.

Will Matthew Stafford Retire?

AP Photo/Stephen Brashear

After coming up painfully short in the playoffs for a second consecutive season, Matthew Stafford has a tough decision to consider.

The Los Angeles Rams signal-caller mulled retirement following last season's divisional-round exit against the eventual Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles and could again weigh that option in the wake of L.A.'s defeat to the Seattle Seahawks in the 2026 NFC Championship Game.

While those losses sting, Stafford is still at the peak of his powers and would have a real opportunity to bookend his incredible tenure in Los Angeles with Super Bowl victories if he opts to return for another run.

Rams head coach Sean McVay is hopeful Stafford gives it another go in 2026. After signing an extension that will keep him and general manager Les Snead in L.A. for several more years, McVay went on to rave about how his quarterback is "still playing at an incredible level" and wants to have him back with the team next season.

McVay isn't wrong about Stafford's form. The QB is the odds-on favorite to take home his first NFL MVP award after racking up 4,707 passing yards and 46 touchdowns while guiding the Rams to a solid 12-5 record during an age-37 season.

If Stafford foregoes retirement, the Rams will remain one of the Super Bowl favorites for 2026. If the soon-to-be 38-year-old calls it a career, L.A. will enter a state of transition with no clear heir to Stafford currently on the roster.

Stetson Bennett IV, a 28-year-old backup who has yet to appear in an NFL game since his selection on Day 3 of the 2023 draft, is the only other Rams QB under contract for next season.

Whether Bennett would get an opportunity or the team would look to the draft or free agency to find a replacement remains to be seen, but McVay is keeping his "fingers crossed" that the Rams don't have to go down that road for at least one more year.