Evan Power’s NFL Offseason Tracker

Just over one month ago, the NFL put the cherry on top of a season of the ages, one that brought a variety of obstacles, barriers and most importantly, excitement.

Since the Tampa Bay Buccaneers raised the Lombardi Trophy on their own home field at Raymond James Stadium, NFL executives and teams across the league have wasted no time in retooling and revamping their organizational priorities.

Although it is rare to see a ton of activity take place immediately after the conclusion of a season, teams and players around the league have become increasingly more aggressive and public about what their future desires are.

The Deshaun Saga –

Of course, we can begin with the dramatic case of Houston Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson who has made it loud and clear that he is done with playing for the team and is hoping they are able to move him sooner rather than later.

https://twitter.com/PFF/status/1367510157777920011?s=20

The Texans on the other hand have not even been yielding calls in regards to Watson’s availability and have expressed zero interest in any transactions involving one of the NFL’s top young players.

This leads us to ask the question; Where will Deshaun Watson be playing in the fall? Only time will tell at this point. One thing that is obvious is that the situation could get ugly in a hurry, and Watson could be forced to forfeit his years’ worth of salary by holding out of team activities with Houston.

Russ on the move? –

A situation that may be closely monitored around town these days, and one that many fans of the Seattle Seahawks never thought would be a story.

The hall-of-fame QB of the Seahawks has been a hot topic over the past few weeks after rumours came out of Seattle claiming that Russell Wilson is currently not happy with how little the team seems to accommodate his needs, consider his opinions regarding team personnel and just overall don’t seem to improve the roster.

https://twitter.com/theScore/status/1367989899199135748?s=20

It is one thing when a starting quarterback of a team insists that he wants out of a city due to the constant losing and incompetency of the franchise, like Deshaun Watson.

It is another thing when your star player, the quarterback and leader that you groomed and developed with nothing but a fourth-round selection the draft, a top-three signal-caller in the game today, is expressing these type of ill feelings towards the team he adores so much.

To be clear, this isn’t a trade request from Russ and there is just as good of a chance he is still in Seattle come training camp as there is he is dealt. Yet the relationship that seemed to be thriving for a decade between Wilson and Hawks head coach Pete Carroll seems to be fractured.

Keeping tabs on what happens in Seattle will truly dictate so much as what transpires around the rest of the league over the next few months. Once a Super Bowl champion, nearly a two-time champion, is Russell Wilson were to be on the move, the deal would be record-shattering.

JJ Watt finds his new home –

All we heard was “Buffalo, Pittsburgh, Green Bay or Cleveland” in regards to the potential landing spots of All-Pro defensive end JJ Watt just a few weeks back.

For good reason as all of those destinations made so much sense for the player and teams. All ready to win now, and with Watt would immediately improve the outlook of their defence before even reaching free agency or the draft.

Yet it was a dark-horse team that emerged victorious in this set of sweepstakes for a dominating force on the defensive side of the ball. The Arizona Cardinals and Watt’s former teammate DeAndre Hopkins were able to persuade the five-time pro bowler to go to the Grand Canyon state.

Definitely not the ideal destination for winning Super Bowls as of right now, but a short-term contract for a whole lot of money to live in a beautiful place like Arizona was eventually enough to gain the prized commodity that is, JJ Watt.

Watt is joining the likes of Chandler Jones, Budda Baker and Isaiah Simmons on a fastly improving Cardinals defence, as well as being reunited with former defensive coordinator Vance Joseph, the NFC West appears to be the division of death in the National Football League in 2021.

Tom Brady x Odell Beckham JR? –

As if the newly crowned world champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers didn’t already have a surplus of offensive weapons, there are strongly sourced rumours that have come out this week that claim Tom Brady is intensely pushing his front office to go after dynamic wide receiver Odell Beckham JR. of the Browns.

The Bucs biggest strength is at the pass-catching positions, having franchise-tagged wideout Chris Godwin for next season, and most likely returning in the fall with every pass-catcher they won the Super Bowl with.

Beckham is coming off yet another season ended early due to injury, this time a torn ACL saw him miss 9 regular-season games as well as Cleveland’s 2 playoff matches. A player that is set to be owed a boatload of cash next year, it is a realistic possibility the Browns look to move OBJ to make room for other positions of need, mainly on defence.

https://twitter.com/SportsCenter/status/1369836903713955842?s=20

If Odell were able to remain healthy next year, he is still one of the leagues premier receivers. In the pass-heavy offense of the Buccaneers and his ability to get open when attention is on the other stars around him, Beckham could be looking at the comeback season he has talked about over the last few offseasons in the sunshine state.

Over the next few months, there are sure to be a ton of crazy developments out of the NFL and I will be here to guide you through it all.

From players switching teams to the NFL Draft next month, buckle your seatbelts and strap up your helmets because if you like football drama, you’re in the right place.

Evan Power, Evolution 107.9

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