Biggest Winners and Losers from 2026 NFL OTAs

The NFL is back! Well, sort of. While teams don't engage in full-contact drills or padded practices during organized team activities (OTAs) and minicamps, they are back on the field, laying the foundation for training camp and the preseason.

For fans, this means an early glimpse at new coaches—and there are lots of them in 2026—incoming rookies, and prized offseason additions. OTAs also tend to bring the early stages of positional battles, though most won't be settled until August.

Naturally, overreactions run rampant when players are running around in shorts and shells. Like every other stage on the NFL calendar, however, there have been winners and losers.

We'll examine the biggest winners and losers here.

Winner: Los Angeles Rams

AP Photo/Jayne Kamin-Oncea

Rams QB Matthew Stafford

On June 1, the Los Angeles Rams pulled off a blockbuster trade for reigning Defensive Player of the Year Myles Garrett.

They already had arguably the league's most complete roster after adding corners Jaylen Watson and Trent McDuffie, but adding Garrett could be the final piece to the Rams' Super Bowl puzzle.

That's just part of the reason why the Rams are big winners coming out of OTAs. Another reason is that 38-year-old quarterback Matthew Stafford has been healthy and actively participating in OTAs.

"My body feels pretty good, Stafford told The Pat McAfee Show late last month.

While the Rams did use a first-round pick on quarterback Ty Simpson, Stafford is the reigning MVP, and L.A. will find it difficult to chase a Lombardi Trophy without him. Having him at 100 percent following a long 2025 campaign—one that began with Stafford missing the majority of training camp with a back injury—is massive.

Add in the fact that Los Angeles' new-look defense is already drawing positive reviews from the practice field, and it's easy to see why the Rams probably feel like the biggest winners in the entire league.

Loser: Cleveland Browns Fans

AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki

Browns QB Deshaun Watson

The Cleveland Browns had one of the league's worst records in 2025, despite having a defense that was well above average. They were also one of the most difficult teams to watch for anyone who wasn't mesmerized by Garrett's chase of the sack record.

Now, fans won't even have Garrett to follow, as Cleveland sent him to L.A. in a full embrace of the rebuild. That rebuild, by the way, could involve tanking for a top draft pick in 2027.

To be fair, it's not all doom and gloom in Cleveland. Incoming rookies such as Spencer Fano, KC Concepcion, and Denzel Boston—along with third-year man Jared Verse, who was acquired in the Garrett trade—provide some hope for the future. The present doesn't look particularly sunny, though.

The Browns just got rid of their best player, and they're undergoing yet another offseason quarterback competition that isn't close to having a clear winner.

"I'm not there yet. That's the reality of it," new head coach Todd Monken said, per ESPN's Daniel Oyefusi.

Simply put, the Browns appear unlikely to have playoff-caliber quarterback play this season, regardless of whether they start Deshaun Watson or Shedeur Sanders in Week 1. And with Garrett gone, fans may wish they could simply fast-forward to the 2027 offseason.

Winner: Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes

AP Photo/Charlie Riedel

Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes

Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes is looking to rebound from the most disappointing season of his career.

After making seven straight appearances in the AFC title game, Kansas City stumbled to a 6-11 record and missed the playoffs entirely.

Mahomes is also working his way back from a torn ACL that he suffered in December.

Naturally, he would love to be ready to start by Week 1.

"That's always going to be the goal," Mahomes told reporters last month.

While Mahomes isn't back to 100 percent just yet, he was present for OTAs, participating in drills, and, reportedly, looking good while doing it.

"Despite the bulky brace on his left leg, he has reportedly looked sharp while going through seven-on-seven drills during voluntary workouts," The Athletic's Mike Jones wrote.

Being back on the field for OTAs is a big early win for Mahomes, who is looking to return to the playoffs and who should be considered the early front-runner for Comeback Player of the Year.

Loser: Cardinals QB Jacoby Brissett

AP Photo/Jessie Alcheh

Cardinals QB Jacoby Brissett

While Mahomes was on the field for his team's OTAs, Arizona Cardinals quarterback Jacoby Brissett wasn't. The 33-year-old decided to skip voluntary workouts while trying to leverage for an improved contract.

"Due to make a base salary of $4.88 million, Brissett wants greater financial assurances to serve as the bridge quarterback for a Cardinals team with a shaky offensive line, rebuilding defense and bleak prospects for success in 2026," Jones wrote.

The problems with Brissett's absence are two-fold.

For one, Brissett has been unable to get the substantial raise he desired. It may eventually come, but he reported to mandatory minicamp without a new deal in place.

Secondly, Brissett's absence gave Arizona a closer look at Gardner Minshew and rookie third-round pick Carson Beck. Arizona probably still plans to make Brissett its bridge quarterback in 2026. However, there's a good chance that it eventually wants to see what it has in Beck, who has reportedly taken advantage of early offseason opportunities.

"With each passing day Brissett holds out, Beck settles his feet just a little more," Yahoo Sports' Donnie Druin wrote last month.

Instead of gaining leverage in contract negotiations by skipping OTAs, Brissett may have actually lost some.

Winner: Las Vegas Raiders Fans

AP Photo/John Locher

Raiders QB Fernando Mendoza

It's a great time to be a Las Vegas Raiders fan.

While the 2025 season was a disaster, it paved the way to land No. 1 overall pick Fernando Mendoza and to add a coach fresh off a Super Bowl victory in Klint Kubiak. After Las Vegas held onto Maxx Crosby and added the likes of Kirk Cousins, Tyler Linderbaum, and Jalen Nailor, things feel as positive for the Raiders as they've been in recent memory.

The Raiders' OTAs have only added to that positivity.

Mendoza may not oust Cousins for the starting job by Week 1, but the fact that he's already showing real, tangible development is promising.

"Mendoza continues to soak up all of the information Kubiak and offensive coordinator Andrew Janocko are throwing at him," Jones wrote.

Kubiak, meanwhile, has been busy changing the culture of a squad that seemed listless under Pete Carroll a year ago.

"He definitely is about his business while we're in the building," running back Ashton Jeanty said, per The Athletic's Sam Warren. "We're definitely just trying to get better each and every single day, and he's just trying to translate that to us."

We're obviously a long way away from the regular season still, but the arrow is pointing up in Las Vegas.

Loser: New York Giants

AP Photo/Seth Wenig

Giants head coach John Harbaugh

Things are looking positive for the New York Giants, too.

They added a Super Bowl-winning coach in John Harbaugh this offseason. They appear to have found their quarterback in Jaxson Dart. They also added a couple of blue-chip draft prospects in linebacker Arvell Reese and offensive lineman  Francis Mauigoa.

In general, New York has plenty of reasons to feel optimistic.

However, that doesn't mean the Giants can be pleased with how their OTAs unfolded. The worst development involved defensive lineman Roy Robertson-Harris, who suffered a season-ending Achilles tear.

Robertson-Harris started all 17 games for New York in 2025, and following the Dexter Lawrence trade, the Giants find themselves without last year's top two frontline defenders.

And while running back Cam Skattebo (ankle) was healthy enough to be a partial participant in OTAs, star receiver Malik Nabers appears to be a long way from returning.

"It's such a hard thing. It's an ACL and whatever else he had in that knee. Not a simple knee, you know. So he's in the slog of it," Harbaugh said of Nabers' recovery, per The Athletic's Dan Duggan.

The Giants could still be in store for a bounce-back season under Harbaugh, but they're certainly not where they'd prefer to be health-wise.

Winner: Patriots QB Drake Maye

AP Photo/Charles Krupa

Patriots QB Drake Maye

We kicked things off by discussing the Myles Garrett trade. It's worth remembering that he wasn't the only standout player who was dealt on June 1. The Philadelphia Eagles sent star receiver A.J. Brown to the New England Patriots, too.

Obviously, that's a huge development for the Patriots and third-year quarterback Drake Maye. Getting the deal done in time to have Brown present for late OTAs was also a win for New England.

However, the addition of Brown isn't the only reason Maye is looking like a winner. The quarterback, who was a rookie Pro Bowl alternate in Year 1 and an MVP candidate in Year 2, has continued to show the Patriots positive growth.

"They're telling people this: 'Look out for the quarterback this year. Like, you thought he was good last year? Wait till you see him now,'" Greg Bedard of the Boston Sports Journal said on his Patriots podcast (h/t Ryan O'Leary of FanSided). "...From what I understand, it's the mentality. It's how much he knows the offense even more. It's how he has the tools that are in this offense."

The Patriots might not be able to get back to the Super Bowl this season, but Maye appears poised to take another leap.

Loser: Vikings QB J.J. McCarthy

AP Photo/Abbie Parr

Vikings QB J.J. McCarthy

There are a few quarterback competitions going on around the league, and few of them are close to being settled. However, the Minnesota Vikings' battle between J.J. McCarthy and Kyler Murray may already be nearing its end.

All signs point to Minnesota's starting job being Murray's to lose.

"You can only have a genuine competition if there is actual uncertainty about who the best quarterback on the roster is," ESPN's Kevin Seifert wrote last month. "With the caveat that this was one day in May, with no pads and some drills performed at half speed, it is only fair to point out that the gap between the two quarterbacks was not close."

Murray is a winner in this situation because it's looking like he'll get a chance to reestablish himself as a starter in Minnesota. However, the early stages of this competition may say more about McCarthy than Murray.

McCarthy has battled injuries and inconsistency as a pro, but he has still spent more than two years with Minnesota's supporting cast and learning Kevin O'Connell's system.

The fact that Murray has so quickly put distance between himself and McCarthy is a huge problem for the third-year QB. So is the fact that Murray is earning praise from teammates for doing the basics.

"He understands the game," wideout Justin Jefferson told KFAN's Paul Allen (h/t Heavy's Trevor Ripley). "He understands the defenses. He understands how to put touch on the ball, just enough to where it gets to where it's gotta go, without making it difficult for us."

Following OTAs, it's difficult to envision McCarthy even seeing the field this season if Murray is healthy.