2026 NFL Combine News And Notes From GMs & HCs

2026 NFL Combine week is underway, and the front-facing portion of the annual event kicked off on Tuesday morning with NFL head coach and general manager availability. Topics ranged from draft-specific to free agency, trade chatter, philosophy, and much more.

The following is a collection of news and notes from NFL head coach and general manager podium sessions at the 2026 NFL Combine on Tuesday. It features a mix of general NFL news and 2026 NFL Draft content. Enjoy.

2026 NFL Combine News & Notes

2026 NFL Draft

• The 2026 NFL Draft class thinned out quite a bit at the draft declaration deadline earlier this year. In fact, Kansas City Chiefs general manager Brett Veach said he had to erase about one-third of his top 75 due to draft-eligible players going back to school.
• While players opting out of combine drills—like Fernando Mendoza and Jordyn Tyson, albeit for very different reasons—draw the ire of football fans on social media, NFL personnel aren't as pressed. Houston Texans general manager Nick Caserio said that "whatever they do here is fine" and that it "doesn't matter to me." He says the rationale of why a player does or doesn't participate is more important, noting that players sometimes get bad advice. Caserio said teams want concrete testing numbers and measurables on players before the draft, but they don't have to come from the NFL Combine.
• I wonder if more teams will follow the Los Angeles Rams and Jacksonville Jaguars' path of skipping the NFL Combine. Several general managers and head coaches noted that this week was more about free agency and trade prep than draft prep—the former was aided by just having so many decision-makers in the same location, though. While I don't think a mass exodus is coming, I wonder if more NFL teams will keep their high-level employees at home, especially since they can go on the Pro Day circuit right after the first wave of free agency.
• New Baltimore Ravens head coach Jesse Minter cited college production as a key factor in evaluating EDGE draft prospects. He also noted that standard size/speed/length requirements matter as well, unless a player has a particular standout trait that supercedes the norm.
• Las Vegas Raiders general manager John Spytek said that Tom Brady will be involved with whoever the starting quarterback is for the team next year. We all expect that to be Fernando Mendoza.
• New Tennessee Titans head coach Robert Saleh raved about Miami EDGE Rueben Bain Jr. He called Bain an "unbelievable football player" with football IQ that's off the charts. Tennessee has the No. 4 overall pick, and Bain is clearly in the conversation.
• The transfer portal and NIL were a hot topic all day long, but NFL general managers and coaches basically had the same takeaway: it's just another datapoint. Some positives were noted, such as more mature bodies, the ability to adapt to playing in a new city, more money management experience, etc. The only negatives would come from finding out that something inappropriate caused a player to transfer or that money was more important to the player than the game of football. Otherwise, there wasn't much concern about negative effects. In fact, Green Bay Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst noted that he's given out more high grades in the trenches recently because players are staying in college longer.

NFL Free Agency/Roster

• New York Giants general manager Joe Schoen made it clear at his press conference that he's still the GM and his role has not changed—essentially refuting reports that he had been effectively downgraded in importance this offseason. He spoke glowingly of new head coach John Harbaugh and made a point to discuss how excited he was not to be in the quarterback draft mix this year.
• New England Patriots executive vice president of player personnel Eliot Wolf is not basking in the glory of a recent AFC Championship. He said he's made it clear to his players that they need a few more pieces to get back to the Super Bowl and plans to create as much competition at key positions as possible.
• Miami Dolphins general manager Jon-Eric Sullivan openly acknowledged the possibility of a Tua Tagovailoa trade and the unlikelihood of the team cutting him due to the massive dead cap number ($99.2 million). How the Dolphins navigate the Tagovailoa situation will be fascinating, as it seems that all parties expect a different starting quarterback in Miami next season.
• Baltimore Ravens head coach Jesse Minter and general manager Eric DeCosta both stressed their desire to keep pending free-agent center Tyler Linderbaum. DeCosta noted that he has a market-resetting deal on the table, presumably north of $18 million AAV. Linderbaum, if he gets to free agency, will be one of the most sought-after players on the market.
• Chicago Bears head coach Ben Johnson didn't shy away from the Tyson Bagent trade talk. He noted that he would love to see Bagent get a chance to be a starter somewhere—saying Bagent is a top-32 quarterback in the NFL—but also noted the importance of having a solid QB2. It feels like the Bears are preparing to trade Bagent, but don't want to tip their hand just yet.
• Las Vegas Raiders general manager John Spytek played both sides of the coin when it came to discussing the future of superstar edge rusher Maxx Crosby. He called Crosby "elite" and said it's hard to build a team without elite players. He noted that he's talked to Crosby and feels good about the conversations they've had. However, he ended his presser by saying that he's always listening (to offers).
• Detroit Lions head coach Dan Campbell said he knew after only 20 minutes that Drew Petzing was the guy to lead the Lions' offense. Former Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson also spoke highly of Petzing and said the players will love him. Speaking of the Lions, don't rule out Tate Ratledge as a possible option at center for Detroit this season.
• The New York Jets will not let running back Breece Hall hit free agency. If they cannot come to terms on a deal before the franchise tag deadline, Hall will be tagged.
• Indianapolis Colts quarterback Anthony Richardson has been cleared to return to football activities, but he'll still not fully recovered from his eye injury from this past season.
• Denver Broncos head coach Sean Payton is giving up offensive playcalling to new offensive coordinator Davis Webb. Payton says Webb "has a gift" and that he started pondering this change in the middle of last season.
• Buffalo Bills general manager Brandon Beane spoke glowingly of Jacksonville Jaguars offensive coordinator Grant Udinski. Udinski was a hot name in the latest head coach cycle, but wound up going back to Jacksonville. Beane used the word "bright" several times when describing Udinski, who seems likely to get a head coaching gig in 2027.