Three bold predictions for NFL combine, plus QB landing spots in free agency and a Jets-Titans trade

Welcome to the Thursday edition of the Pick Six newsletter!

It feels like the NFL Scouting Combine has been going on for at least a week now, but the event HASN’T EVEN TECHNICALLY STARTED YET, at least when it comes to the on-field stuff. However, that will be changing today with the on-field activities finally kicking off. The on-field workouts will run from Feb. 26 through March 1 (You can see the full schedule here). 

With the combine kicking into high gear, we’ll be taking a look at the players who have the most to prove in Indy this week, plus, we have some bold predictions for the combine. Speaking of the combine, if you want to follow along and get the latest information on all the workouts, including who has the fastest 40, we’ll be tracking everything here. 

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1. Bold predictions for the NFL combine

The NFL combine is here and we’re going to start things off by making some bold predictions for the weekend. The on-field workouts are starting today and they’ll be going through Sunday and during that four-day span, we could see several combine records go down. 

Mike Renner made several bold predictions for this year’s combine, so let’s check them out. 

1. Multiple prospects will run the 40-yard dash in the 4.2s. There have been eight wide receivers to break 4.30 seconds in the 40-yard dash since the NFL officially began collecting records on the event in the mid-2000s. There have never been two guys in the same class, though. I’m betting that changes with this year’s group. Mississippi State’s Brenen Thompson and LSU’s Chris Hilton Jr. would be my two picks. Tennessee’s Chris Brazzell II, Oklahoma’s Deion Burks, and LSU’s Barion Brown could all be in the ballpark as well. (Note: The fastest 40 on record at the combine came from Xavier Worthy, who ran a 4.21 in 2024).  

2. Someone breaks the record for best vertical jump. Despite everyone seemingly getting bigger, faster and stronger in the NFL, Donald Washington’s 45-inch vertical jump record has never been bested since he set it in 2009 (although Chris Conley tied it in 2015). That’s the longest-standing record of all the on-field combine tests. There’s a wide receiver in this year’s class, though, who has been jumping higher than that in training. Cincinnati’s Jeff Caldwell is an explosive marvel. The 6-foot-5 wideout can really go up and get it.

3. The fastest and smallest cornerback will be the same. Indiana’s D’Angelo Ponds is going to give NFL teams a lot to think about in the pre-draft process. That’s because the College Football Playoff National Championship winner not only has some of the best tape in the class, but is also arguably the best athlete as well. There’s one small problem — he’s listed at 5-foot-9 and 173 pounds. There hasn’t been a cornerback who was 5-feet-9 and weighed under 180 pounds in the top 100 since Scott Starks in 2005 (pick 87).

We’ve got Renner’s full list of bold predictions and you can check them out here. 

2. Players with the most to prove at the NFL combine

With the on-field workouts kicking off today at the NFL combine, we thought now would be a good time to take a look at the players who have the most to prove in Indianapolis this week. Brad Crawford came up with 10 players who we should be keeping our eye on and we’re going to check out three players from his list.

• LSU QB Garrett Nussmeier. Nussmeier has first-round ability when he’s playing at his best. However, the level of inconsistency is the issue. Last season’s regression from potential No. 1 overall quarterback billing to a probable Day 2 selection means he’s going to need to convince evaluators he’s worth moving into the first round with a stellar performance.
• Texas A&M WR KC Concepcion. Primarily starring from the slot, Concepcion is one of those versatile playmakers offensive coordinators covet. Get creative, put the football in his hands and let Concepcion do his thing on the boundary. … Carnell Tate, Jordyn Tyson, Omar Cooper Jr. and others have gotten more pre-draft buzz at wideout, but Conception may lock in first-round love over the next week and change.
• Oregon TE Kenyon Sadiq. When Oregon quarterback Dante Moore needed a big play last season on third down or in the red zone, Sadiq’s number was called as the Ducks’ most dependable threat. … Sadiq is cut like an edge rusher and moves as well as any tight end in this class. A run in the low 4.5s should put Sadiq in guaranteed TE1 territory.

Crawford’s full list has seven more players, including two more quarterbacks, and you’ll definitely want to check it out here. 

3. Three big names who could be traded this offseason

There aren’t of huge names hitting free agency this year, but things could still get crazy and that’s because we could see several blockbuster trades go down. Tyler Sullivan came up with a list of SEVEN players who could get dealt over the next few weeks and he included some big games. 

Let’s check out three of the players on his list: 

• Maxx Crosby. Maxx Crosby may be the biggest name to move this offseason after his relationship with the Raiders fractured at the tail end of the 2025 season. To his chagrin, the franchise shut the star pass rusher down despite his desire to play out the string. That decision may prove to be the catalyst that sends him out of Las Vegas.
• A.J. Brown. A.J. Brown is no stranger to having his name in trade rumors. His souring relationship with the Philadelphia Eagles over the last couple of seasons has only poured fuel onto these flames, which could come to a head this offseason.
• Kyler Murray. Kyler Murray’s tenure with the Cardinals has run dry. The franchise is undergoing a reset after firing Jonathan Gannon and hiring Mike LaFleur, and a split from Murray could be next on the offseason to-do list. … Murray is due $42.5 million in 2026, and Arizona will likely be required to take on some of that money in order to facilitate a deal. Entering his age-29 season, Murray does have some trade value given the lack of talent at the position at the 2026 NFL Draft.

Sullivan has a total of seven guys on his list of players who could be traded this offseason and you’re going to check out his full list here.

4. Best team fits for free agent quarterbacks

If there’s one thing that almost everyone can agree on this year, it’s the fact that we don’t have a great class of free agent quarterbacks. However, there are still some big names in it, so Garrett Podell decided to take a look at those names and take a stab at where they might end up. 

Here’s a look a a few names on the list: 

1. Daniel Jones
Logical fits: Colts, Steelers, Jets
Garrett’s Take: Jones was playing like an early-season NFL MVP candidate for the Indianapolis Colts before a fibula injury transformed into a torn Achilles injury in Week 14. Jones produced career-highs in completion percentage (68%), passing yards per game (238.5) and yards per pass attempt (8.1) in his lone season starting for the Colts. … If Jones can stay healthy, he showed enough to indicate that he can be Indianapolis’ long-term starter under head coach Shane Steichen. 

2. Malik Willis
Logical fits: Dolphins, Jets, Cardinals, Steelers
Garrett’s Take: Malik Willis is the mystery box of the 2026 free agent quarterback class. He only threw 89 passes for the Green Bay Packers when starter Jordan Love was injured, but he was incredibly efficient on those throws, especially when going deep. Willis hit on 13 of his 16 throws of 20-plus air yards across the last two seasons for 456 yards and a perfect 158.3 passer rating. … After flaming out as a 2022 third-round pick of the Tennessee Titans and then rising again while learning from Matt LaFleur and Love in Green Bay, Willis is ready for another chance at being an NFL starting quarterback. 

3. Aaron Rodgers
Best fits: Steelers, Vikings
Garrett’s Take: If Aaron Rodgers decides to play football in 2025, the NFL’s all-time passer rating leader (102.2) will likely have two options he’ll legitimately consider: return to the Pittsburgh Steelers to reunite with his former Green Bay Packers head coach Mike McCarthy, or serve as a one-year, stop gap starter ahead of J.J. McCarthy with the Minnesota Vikings.

If you want to check out Garrett’s full story on free agent quarterbacks, then be sure to click here.  

5. 2026 NFL schedule: Jaguars and Commanders headed to London as international slate starts to fill up

The NFL will be holding a total of nine international games in 2026 and the league got busy this week by announcing the host team in FOUR of those games. 

• Jaguars set to make NFL history. For the fourth straight year, the NFL will also be scheduling one team to play back-to-back international games and this year, that team will be Jacksonville. The Jaguars will play at both Wembley Stadium and Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in 2026. The Jags’ had to play back-to-back games in London in both 2023 and 2024 and they went 3-1 in those games. The difference this year is that the Jags will be making NFL history by becoming the first team ever to play two straight “home” games in London. Jacksonville’s home schedule consists of the Texans, Colts, Titans, Browns, Steelers, Patriots, Commanders, Eagles, so two of those teams will heading to England to face the Jags. 
• Commanders heading abroad for the second straight year. The Commanders will be the home team for a game at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Going into the 2025 season, the Commanders had only played one international game ever, but they got sent to Spain last year, and now, they’re headed to London. Since the Commanders are the home team, that means they’ll play either: The Cowboys, Eagles, Giants, Rams, Seahawks, Falcons, Texans, Colts or Bengals (The Cowboys and Rams are both set to play an international game this year, so it likely won’t be them). 
• Lions headed to Germany. The Lions haven’t played an international game since 2015, which is the second-longest drought in the NFL, but that drought will be ending with Detroit being sent to Munich. The NFL hasn’t announced whether the Lions are the home team or the visiting team, so there are quite a few options on the table when it comes to who they could play. 

Here’s a look at everything we know about the international schedule so far:

• Melbourne (Rams vs. 49ers)
• Rio de Janeiro (Cowboys vs. TBA)
• Paris (Saints vs. TBA)
• Mexico City (49ers vs. TBA)
• Wembley (Jaguars vs. TBA)
• London (Jaguars vs. TBA)
• London (Commanders vs. TBA)
• Munich (Lions vs. TBA)
• Madrid (TBA vs. TBA)

The Falcons will also be headed to Europe. The team announced in December that they would be playing an international game this year and that they would be serving as the home team in that game, so it looks like they’ll either be the host team in Madrid or serve as the home team against the Lions in Munich. 

The rest of the international schedule will likely be released when the NFL unveils its full regular-season schedule in May. 

6. Extra points: Titans make trade for former first-round pick

It’s been a busy past few days in the NFL, and since it’s nearly impossible to keep track of everything, I put together a quick roundup for you.

• Titans make trade with Jets. We have a rare player-for-player deal. The Titans are sending nose tackle T’Vondre Swat to the Jets in exchange for Jermaine Johnson, according to NFL Media. Johnson was the 26th overall pick in the 2022 NFL Draft and he’ll be reuniting with the head coach who drafted him in Robert Saleh. The two spent three seasons together in New York (2022-2024) before Saleh was fired. As for Sweat, the Jets will get a run-clogging nose tackle who will come cheap since he still has two years left on his rookie deal. We’ve got the full details on the trade here. 
• Raiders want two first-round picks for Maxx Crosby. During an interview at the combine this week, Raiders general manager John Spytek said he expects Maxx Crosby to be sticking with Las Vegas this season despite rumors that he might be traded. One reason Crosby likely won’t get dealt is because the Raiders have a steep asking price. According to PFT, the team wants at least two first-round picks for Crosby. If someone wants the Raiders star, they’re going to have to pay a hefty price. 
• Eagles get some more good news on the offensive line. The Eagles got some good news last week when Lane Johnson announced that he would be returning for another season, and now, they just got some more good news. Three-time Pro Bowl guard Landon Dickerson has indicated that he’s going to be returning for the upcoming season. With Dickerson and Johnson both returning, that’s two less holes on the roster that the Eagles have to worry about filling this offseason. 
• Tony Dungy likely out at NBC. The Hall of Fame coach, who’s been with the network for 17 seasons, is likely on his way out. According to The Athletic, NBC is planning to revamp “Football Night in America” and Dungy is expected to be one of the cuts. 
• Bears likely to trade or release former first-round pick. After three seasons in Chicago, it appears that Tremaine Edmunds is on his way out. According to ESPN, Edmunds has been granted permission to seek a trade, but if the Bears can’t find a trading partner, then he’ll likely end up getting released in a move that would create $15 million in salary cap space. Edmunds, who was taken by the Bills with the 16th overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft, led the Bears in tackles last season with 112.