1. Deshaun Watson's Potential Suspension. This is a no brainer. Watson may have just settled 20 of the 24 civil suits against him, but it's inconceivable that he isn't suspended for at least half a season. My guess is the Browns don't have him in the starting lineup until at least Thanksgiving and by then 2022 will have gotten away from them.
2. Lamar Jackson's Contract Situation. Lamar Jackson is one of the most dynamic players that the NFL has ever seen. He's going to get paid at some point by someone. The question I keep hearing and asking is, why hasn't Baltimore already done it? The truth is, Lamar is also one of the players that is most susceptible to injury. We've all seen what can happen to a running quarterback on any given play. I have a feeling Lamar will start the season without a new deal and could very well be hit with the franchise tag next year. #icouldbewrong though..
3. Baker Mayfield and Jimmy Garoppolo. It's no secret that both of these quarterbacks are likely to be on a different roster by week 1. The question is, will any teams proactively seek out either one of these guys? There have been rumblings that the Carolina Panthers are poised to make a move for Mayfield, but nothing has happened as of yet. Garoppolo is still recovering from off-season surgery, so he's an unknown commodity at this time. The problem for both the 49ers and Browns respectively is this, every day that their 2021 starter is on the roster is another day that their 2022 roster has to answer questions about it. Every day the 2021 starter is on the roster is another day that those teams can't financially lock up other key contributors to their team. #icouldbewrong, but I think that one, if not both, of these guys will be flat out released with no compensation in return.
4. Sophomore Quarterbacks. In case you've forgotten, there were 5 quarterbacks taken in the first half of the first round in last year's draft. I'll be very interested to see which of them can take the "year 2 leap". The good news is that all of them survived their first year and they all started at least 2 games. The biggest unknown in the group is Trey Lance of course. There have been mixed opinions of his progress during OTAs and minicamp. As a 49er fan, I hope he is able to provide a couple new threats to the 49ers offense that Jimmy G just isn't able to deliver. Number one is obviously his versatility as a runner. More importantly, is his arm strength and his ability to throw the deep ball. I'm looking forward to seeing what Lance and the rest of the 2021 class can do in year 2.
5. Tampa Bay Buccaneers. #icouldbewrong, but in the words of the kids these days, something seems "sus". There's something suspicious about the whole Brady retirement unretirement. There something suspicious about Bruce Arains' abrupt retirement. There's something suspicious about Tom Brady being so public about not being sure that he wants to put in the work anymore. There's something suspicious about Gronk not wanting to come back for one last ride with his friend. I have a feeling that this season will not go according to plan for the GOAT and he will finally hang up his cleats for real after the 2022-23 season. However, as I've stated on many occasions, if you have Tom and time then you have a chance. So we'll just have to watch and see if TB12's hourglass has finally run out of sand or not.
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