playJeremy FowlerCloseJeremy Fowlersenior NFL national reporterJeremy Fowler is a senior national NFL writer for ESPN, covering the entire league including breaking news. Jeremy also contributes to SportsCenter both as a studio analyst and a sideline reporter covering for NFL games. He is an Orlando, Florida native who joined ESPN in 2014 after covering college football for CBSSports.com.\u00a0and\u00a0Dan GrazianoCloseDan Grazianosenior NFL national reporterDan Graziano is a senior NFL national reporter for ESPN, covering the entire league and breaking news. Dan also contributes to Get Up, NFL Live, SportsCenter, ESPN Radio, Sunday NFL Countdown and Fantasy Football Now.<\/p>\n
He is a New Jersey native who joined ESPN in 2011, and he is also the author of two published novels.Multiple AuthorsOct 21, 2026, 06:30 AM ETOpen Extended ReactionsWeek 7 of the 2026 NFL season has arrived. Insiders Jeremy Fowler and Dan Graziano have been making calls to sources around the league for the latest news and notable buzz.What does the future hold for Bo Nix, Jalen Hurts, C.J. Stroud and other quarterbacks with looming contract situations? Who are some players that might be flying under the radar as trade candidates ahead of the Nov. 10 deadline?<\/p>\n
Will the Colts — who just fired general manager Chris Ballard on Monday — keep making changes as they try to right the ship? And which of the NFC East teams in flux are most likely to shake things up in the coming weeks?It’s all here, as Jeremy and Dan answer big questions, hand out useful fantasy football nuggets and empty their reporting notebooks heading into Week 7.Jump to: QB situations | Colts’ next moves Sneaky trade candidates NFC East shake-ups | Fantasy adviceWhat is the most intriguing quarterback contract situation for the offseason?Graziano: I recognize that there are far more important real-life situations going on around this player right now, but for me, it’s the Eagles’ Jalen Hurts. He is signed through 2028, but the only guaranteed money left on his contract after this year will be $22 million of his $51.5 million salary in 2027. Regardless of how this season was to play out for Hurts and the Eagles, there was always going to be an offseason discussion about whether to extend him again — and if so, at what level — or look into other options.The Eagles have some young stars coming up for extensions pretty soon, including cornerbacks Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean, and carrying a huge quarterback salary beyond this year is going to get more difficult.<\/p>\n
It’s fair to wonder what impact Hurts being out for the rest of the season will have on the Eagles’ decision-making.Fowler: Hurts belongs high on the list, as it’s worth wondering whether he has played his last down as an Eagle. He is 59-28 as a starter for the franchise, but Philadelphia, which is often proactive with contracts of core players, did not extend Hurts last offseason. So, it’s difficult to pinpoint where things will stand three to four months from now.But my pick is the Broncos’ Bo Nix. Denver is good enough to keep winning despite Nix showing a limited ceiling.<\/p>\n
He is a quality starter but is not poised to enter the upper echelon. Confidence appears to be an issue this season, raising questions about what this player-team marriage looks like long term.To be sure, the conditions around Nix aren’t perfect. Denver is struggling to run the ball and effectively create explosive plays off play-action. He has had two playcallers this season.<\/p>\n
Nix got skewered for last week’s performance versus Seattle. But Denver didn’t have as big of a problem with it because it had to play conservatively in a tight game between two great defenses, as whichever team won the turnover battle was probably going to win the game. Broncos coach Sean Payton knew that and most certainly relayed it to Nix, whose struggles against the 49ers in Week 4 were considered more problematic. That said, Nix doesn’t appear to be the runner he once was.<\/p>\n
His viability with Denver might hinge on how he plays over the next 11 or so games.play0:40Peter Schrager: Bo Nix looks like a shell of himselfGraziano: I did have someone last week tell me the big difference with Nix was that he’s not getting himself out of bad spots with his legs the way he did last season but that he doesn’t look much different otherwise. But that lack of running is a big deal, and if it doesn’t improve, we could be left watching his flaws the rest of the way.I’m a bit curious about Sam Darnold’s situation, as he’ll have one year left on his contact after this season. He is scheduled to make $35.5 million in 2027, but none of that money is guaranteed. There is a $10 million roster bonus that vests on the fifth day of the league year (March 16), so the Seahawks will want to decide by then whether they want him on next year’s team.<\/p>\n
But if they do, they’d also look to extend him beyond that.What’s interesting to me is that this is a different setup than Darnold had last offseason, when $17.5 million of his 2026 compensation became guaranteed on the fifth day after the Super Bowl. That was a no-brainer, of course, since Seattle won the Super Bowl with him five days earlier. But if this season doesn’t go as well (the Seahawks are 3-3, and only Justin Herbert has thrown more interceptions than Darnold’s seven), Seattle has four more weeks to make the decision on Darnold than it did a year ago.Fowler: It’s not helping that Drew Lock has been impressive for the Seahawks, both behind the scenes and in relief of Darnold. Darnold has earned a lot of street cred with Seattle, but he must limit the turnovers, especially with the team’s dominant defense.Houston’s C.J.<\/p>\n
Stroud is fueling the offseason intrigue with his excellent play. He is putting up MVP-type numbers, pacing for nearly 4,900 passing yards over a 17-game slate while registering only one interception on 219 passing attempts. Betting on himself in Year 4 should literally pay off. The Texans were willing to extend Stroud on a deal worth well above $50 million per year.<\/p>\n
But Stroud saw a bigger picture: a growing quarterback market and his place in it. Stroud and Carolina’s Bryce Young both appear well-positioned for offseason negotiations. And Houston’s trade for Marvin Harrison Jr. — Stroud’s teammate while at Ohio State — amplifies the Texans’ feelings on Stroud.What’s next for the Colts? Could more moves be coming?Fowler: It feels as if everything is on the table in Indianapolis, from an eventual head coaching change to a quarterback demotion, barring an uptick in performance.<\/p>\n
Daniel Jones’ play — 30th in QBR (38.2) with 1.5 turnovers per game — is unsustainable over a 17-game season. This situation mirrors that of the 2025 Dolphins, who fired general manager Chris Grier in October but evaluated coach Mike McDaniel over the remainder of the season, only to fire him four days after Week 18. Miami also benched a quarterback with a high-priced contract in Tua Tagovailoa late in the campaign.The sentiment as of now is that Colts coach Shane Steichen will get more chances to state his case for the job moving forward. But typically, franchises like to synchronize their brain trust on similar timelines, often with a newly appointed general manager spearheading a search for the new coach.<\/p>\n
That might not bode well for Steichen, whose acumen never has been questioned. He’d be in the mix for head coaching jobs or primo playcaller positions in the 2027 cycle. I’m curious about your take, Dan, but I believe team owner Carlie Irsay-Gordon plans to place her stamp on the franchise in a big way over the coming months.Graziano: I would agree that while Steichen is well-regarded and well-liked in the building, this is definitely a situation worth monitoring for potential change at the end of the season, if not sooner. Firing a GM in mid-October indicates disappointment from ownership, obviously, but it also signals the possibility of major change on the roster, maybe even in the n<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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