2025 NFL combine: One thing we learned about every AFC team in Indianapolis

The 2025 NFL Scouting Combine took place this past week, and it’s a much more important event than just the future NFL stars of tomorrow running around in their underwear. General managers and head coaches from around the league hold press conferences to discuss their looming free agents, the possibility of utilizing the franchise tag, different draft prospects and offseason game plans at large. This past week, we saw both extensions and permission being given to players to seek trades, plus the first big quarterback domino of the offseason fell out in the NFC West. 

With the work in Indy now mostly in the books, what can we take away from the combine? Below, we will break down one thing we learned about each AFC team during combine week. We saw a legendary player announce his intention to play again in 2025, one team was very up-front about their plan at quarterback and we have a stand-off that is about to get ugly. Let’s jump in. 

Ravens optimistic about re-signing Ronnie Stanley

The Ravens have a couple of important free agents on the offensive line with Ronnie Stanley and Patrick Mekari. At the combine, general manager Eric DeCosta revealed he was optimistic he can find a way to keep Lamar Jackson’s left tackle in Baltimore. 

“You never want to say 100%, but I feel good that we’ll have a good, healthy debate, a good process,” DeCosta said, via the Ravens’ official website. “We’re going to meet with Kim in Indy this week and I’m optimistic that we’ll be able to get a deal done.”

Head Coach John Harbaugh also believes Stanley will be back in 2025. 

“I think that we’ll probably keep Ronnie,” Harbaugh said. “I’m hopeful that we will.”

They would ‘love’ to keep James Cook in Buffalo

The Bills’ leading receiver from 2024, Khalil Shakir, received a four-year extension this week, but another one of their important weapons is entering the final year of his rookie contract. Bills general manager Brandon Beane said he wants to keep his star running back in Buffalo for years to come. 

“James is a good player for us. He has the ability to be a mismatch player. He can play all three downs,” Beane said, via the Bills’ official website. “He helped our offense do a lot of great things and we would love to keep James here long term.”

As you may remember, Cook previously hinted during an Instagram Live session that he’s looking for $15 million per year — which would make him the No. 2 highest-paid running back in the NFL. Naturally, Beane wishes that information was not out there, but it didn’t affect how he feels about the player. 

“I love James. James speaks from the heart, he means well. I want James here, hopefully, like a lot of guys. The business is the business. Would I prefer we don’t take the business outside? Yes, I think that’s always the best way to handle it. But James is a grown man, and he’ll handle it the way he does. It doesn’t change my view of him. And just because we’re not on the same page today doesn’t mean we wouldn’t be tomorrow, two weeks, two months, two years,” Beane said.

Cincinnati Bengals

Tee Higgins has beef with someone

Bengals de facto general manager Duke Tobin and head coach Zac Taylor both reiterated their desire to keep Ja’Marr Chase, Tee Higgins and Trey Hendrickson under contract for the future. Specifically when it comes to Higgins, Tobin said they want to get a long-term deal done with him — and always have. 

“I think Tee Higgins is a fantastic football player, and I want him on my team,” Tobin said. “Whenever I’m in charge of a football team, I want Tee Higgins, so I’m going to do what I can to get Tee Higgins. Our preference with Tee Higgins is do a long-term agreement. Always has been, and it continues to be. We’ll work hard to get that done.

“We want to re-sign these guys, reward them for their ability level and add to the football team. It’s a tall task, we think we’re up to it and [executive vice president] Katie [Blackburn] has us in position to attack it well.”

Later that day, Higgins posted an emoji of a “cap” on social media, indicating he believes a lie has been told. The Bengals have until March 4 to franchise tag Higgins. Could it happen again?

The Myles Garrett standoff will get ugly

Were the Browns going to posture differently concerning Myles Garrett’s trade request after his very public Super Bowl radio row tour? No. 

“Myles, as you guys have all heard me say, he’s a huge part of our organization,” Browns general manager Andrew Berry said on Tuesday. “Really good person. He’s an awesome player. Understand the trade request and everything, but our stance really has not changed. We can’t imagine a situation where not having Myles as a part of the organization is best for the Browns. […] We’re not interested in moving him.”

ESPN even asked Berry if Garrett was “unmovable,” which Berry confirmed. 

“I understand the frustration. We’ve had plenty of dialogue, but ultimately my responsibility is to make the decisions that are best for the Browns and having Myles as a part of the organization is a huge piece of that,” Berry said. “We’ve had plenty of dialogue throughout the season and after the season ended, certainly with both him and his camp, both before and after the trade request. And again, our interest is in keeping Myles in Cleveland.”

What will happen and which side will fold first? Stay tuned. 

‘Joker’ is like Loch Ness Monster, but Broncos will keep looking

Denver will focus on upgrading Bo Nix’s weaponry this offseason, and that includes securing Sean Payton’s “Joker” — a versatile chess piece, typically a tight end or running back, that is a perennial mismatch.  

“It’s kind of like [searching for] the Loch Ness Monster, trying to find a ‘Joker,'” Broncos general manager George Paton said, via the Broncos’ official website. “I’ve played Sean’s teams that have had them, and they’re hell.”

Payton said that they may not find this player at No. 20 overall, but they’re “always searching.”

“They’re just mismatch guys,” Paton said. “They’re hard to find, whether it’s a receiver, whether it’s a tight end, runner or guys that can just stress the defense in so many different ways, and you can’t single-cover them. So there’s just not many of those guys in the league. Really, there aren’t. You can count them on one hand with how many there are. So, it’s unique. We’re always searching, and we’ll find one certainly at some point.”

Trenches will be a point of emphasis

After C.J. Stroud was sacked a whopping 52 times in 2024, Houston will be focused on adding to the offensive line. According to head coach DeMeco Ryans, protecting Stroud is the secret when it comes to making plays.

“Getting better protection for C.J. is definitely a main point of emphasis for us,” Ryans said, via the Texans’ official website. “We know when C.J. is protected, he has a clean pocket, he’s a pretty good quarterback. I constantly show guys clips in our meeting after a game of plays when we protect well and we should we have a good pocket, I’ll show guys explosives, show outstanding throws that C.J. is able to make in the middle of the field, along the sideline. He’s capable of making any throw on the football field, but it’s just a matter of protecting him and giving him that comfort when he’s in the pocket. When we do that, we can move the ball, we can make plays.”

They will have a QB competition

There was plenty of optimism surrounding Anthony Richardson entering last season, but he hasn’t made the kinds of strides the front office was hoping for. Richardson was benched in the middle of the regular season, then brought back to the starting lineup while the Colts went 8-9 and missed the playoffs for the fourth-straight season. Richardson’s 47.4% completion percentage was the worst in a single NFL season since fellow Florida Gator Tim Tebow in 2011. 

This offseason, the Colts are going to add another quarterback via free agency or the draft, and he will compete with Richardson.

“I know we all want a finished product right now. I do, you do, fans do. We all do,” Ballard said, via NBC Sports. “But I think as he [Richardson] continues to progress in his young career, us adding competition, I think, will help up everybody’s game.”

James Gladstone doesn’t believe this is a talent-deficient roster

The new Jaguars decision-makers are still learning each other’s names, but general manager James Gladstone believes the Jags were better than a four-win team last year. 

“The talent that exists on this team is better than that record,” Gladstone said, via the Jaguars’ official website.

Still, there’s work to be done — and a word Gladstone loves to use when it comes to roster construction is “intangibles.”

“We’re going to elevate the floor of the roster immediately,” Gladstone said. “We look forward to injecting this ecosystem with some intangible elements that Liam and I both covet.

“That’s rooted in things like mental and physical toughness, just elevating the floor of the roster and at the same time leaning into the guys that we have and knowing that we can put them in some good spots to really showcase their capacity and their attributes.”

Travis Kelce is back

Earlier this month, it looked like legendary tight end Travis Kelce was leaning towards retirement. Then, came the combine bombshell that flipped that narrative on its head. In speaking to reporters on Tuesday, Chiefs general manager Brett Veach said he expects Kelce to return for the 2025 season. Veach relayed that he believes Kelce is “fired up” about playing in 2025.

“We left it as. He’d be back and we’re excited to get him back and get him going,” Veach said, via Front Office Sports.

A couple days later, Kelce sent a text message to Pat McAfee confirming he was coming back. 

“My dog!!! I’m coming back for sure. Gonna try and get into the best shape I’ve been this offseason and get back to the mountaintop. Got a real bad taste in my mouth with how I played in that last game and how I got the guys ready for battle. I can’t go out like that!!!!”

Pete Carroll not looking for any grace period

The Raiders are facing a rebuild, but 73-year-old Pete Carroll isn’t waiting around to compete. He spoke with urgency when addressing reporters this past week. 

“Some really important aspects of the team have to come together, but they’re going to have to compete their butt off to make this thing move forward,” Carroll said, via the Raiders’ official website. “It didn’t work out quite right last year, I could give a rat’s ass about what happened last year. I don’t care about that one bit. What happened [in] those games, those matchups – they mean nothing. It’s what [we] are going to do with the next step we take.”

“I’m trying to take this far as we can as soon as I possibly can,” he added. “Why would we do anything but that? I’m not looking for a grace period or something cushy [like], ‘Give me a few years to get things going.’ I don’t think that way at all.”

After missing out on Matthew Stafford, it will be interesting to see what the Raiders do at quarterback. 

Zion Johnson could move to center

With Bradley Bozeman slated to hit free agency, the Chargers could be in the market for a new center. That may be offensive guard Zion Johnson, who general manager Joe Hortiz floated out as a potential replacement in the middle of his offensive line. 

“I think he can do it. I really do,” Hortiz said, via the Chargers’ official website. “I know he’s working at it right now. And so I think Zion can do it and we got other guys you don’t really know yet. They were younger, not as much opportunity, that have been working at it as well.”

Ultimately, Hortiz said they will start their best five offensive lineman. 

Jevon Holland may be gone

“Jevon has earned the right to go out and test his market,” Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel said when asked about his star safety that’s set to hit free agecy, via the Sun Sentinel.

What’s worrisome about this is that general manager Chris Grier said virtually the same thing when Christian Wilkins and Connor Williams hit free agency last year, per SI.com. 

Expect Patriots to throw money around in free agency

The Patriots have the most available funds for free agency with $127,771,728 in cap space, and new head coach Mike Vrabel confirmed that his team will be aggressive in acquiring new talent. 

“We want to be aggressive,” Vrabel said, via 98.5 The Sports Hub. “We want to target players that we feel like are going to help us. They’re going to be outstanding players, they’re going to be outstanding additions to the locker room and the community, and if that all fits, and the compensation fits. But I’m confident that we’ll be aggressive.”

They’re here to win now

The Jets are beginning anew with a new general manager, new head coach and new quarterback. Many view New York as a team that is rebuilding, but first-year head coach Aaron Glenn does not view it that way. He said in his opening statement in Indy that he’s “excited” for this opportunity, and that they are, “here to win now, and we’re looking forward to it.” 

What’s interesting is that former Miami quarterback and No. 1-pick hopeful Cam Ward said something similar.

“I think the Jets are not too far off. Maybe a couple of pieces, you know I just hope that I can be one of them,” Ward said. 

They are running it back with either Russell Wilson or Justin Fields

Steelers general manager Omar Khan told reporters this week his goal is to get a deal done with either Russell Wilson or Justin Fields before the start of free agency. Khan said that the Steelers have spoken with both quarterbacks, and that he believes both have interest in returning as well. 

It’s fair to expect either Wilson or Fields will be quarterbacking for Pittsburgh, but both players could receive interest from other teams if we get to free agency.

Trading the No. 1 overall pick just got easier

The first offseason quarterback domino fell on Friday, as Matthew Stafford agreed on a restructured contract to remain with the Los Angeles Rams. That’s bad news for the teams that were pursuing him, such as the Raiders and New York Giants, and good news for the Titans.

If I had to speculate, the Titans would love to receive an offer attractive enough to move out of the No. 1 overall pick. That became more possible with Stafford remaining in L.A. We’ll see if the Raiders or Giants fell in love with Cam Ward over the last week. If it’s Mike Borgonzi who fell in love with Ward, then the Titans will select the quarterback out of Miami. However, keep in mind the first-year general manager also values draft capital, and Tennessee enters this rebuild with just two picks in the top 100.