15 moments that defined the craziest NFL offseason in memory: 10-6
15-11 | 10-6 | 5-1
10. Griffin signs with Browns, is in line to start
Robert Griffin III couldn't even convince his coaches to make him active on Sundays last season, so it must be considered a major upset that he not only found a team willing to sign him in free agency, but appears to be that team's likely Week 1 starter. The Cleveland Browns are taking a big risk here.
9. Olivier Vernon's megadeal fools ESPN
The craziest part of Olivier Vernon's five-year, $85-million contract with the Giants isn't the money (which is record-setting) nor the fact the Dolphins lost a transition-tagged player for a second straight year; it's that the deal was misreported by ESPN's Adam Schefter, who fell for a Twitter prankster's phony report linking Vernon to the Jaguars. The incident pulled back the curtain on how much NFL insiders rely on unverified tidbits of information when reporting major league news.
8. Jets' standoff with Fitzpatrick
Fresh off their best season since 2010, the Jets seemed to be heading in the right direction. But resistance to meet Ryan Fitzpatrick's contract demands left the team without a starting quarterback. The hole remains unfilled. Is the Jets' defense good enough to carry this team with Geno Smith under center? Management appears to be banking on it.
7. Broncos' awkward Kaepernick trade flirtation
The Broncos and Colin Kaepernick's on-again, off-again flirtation teased the NFL world with the idea of the Super Bowl champs being led by the flawed but dynamic quarterback. However, it was never meant to be. The Broncos were firm in what they expected from Kaepernick in terms of a pay cut, and when he continuously refused, they ultimately passed, adding Paxton Lynch in the draft. Watching Kaepernick finally team up with Chip Kelly, however, is a decent consolation prize.
6. NFL chief of security admits link between CTE, football
The NFL's battle with long-term health concerns, especially head trauma and the brain disease chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), will likely dominate the next decade of the sport. The league had previously been unwilling to formally acknowledge the link between football and CTE. However, that changed in mid-March when chief of security Jeff Miller became the first executive to concede a link does exist between football and neurodegenerative diseases. The seriousness of this admission may not be truly understood for years to come, and we'll likely point to it as a turning point when the NFL is inevitably, and irreversibly, changed by fears over CTE.