{"id":670588,"date":"2026-05-28T18:27:10","date_gmt":"2026-05-28T18:27:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/670588\/"},"modified":"2026-05-28T18:27:10","modified_gmt":"2026-05-28T18:27:10","slug":"albert-breers-mailbag-the-nfls-division-most-up-for-grabs-in-2026","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/670588\/","title":{"rendered":"Albert Breer\u2019s Mailbag: The NFL\u2019s Division Most Up for Grabs in 2026"},"content":{"rendered":"

Jump to a topicNFC North<\/a>New England Patriots<\/a>Steve Smith Sr.<\/a>Atlanta Falcons<\/a>Brian Flores lawsuit<\/a>Domestic violence problem<\/a>New Orleans Saints<\/a>Los Angeles Chargers<\/a>Minnesota Vikings<\/a>Kansas City Chiefs<\/a>Denver Broncos<\/a>Arizona Cardinals<\/a><\/p>\n

It\u2019s time for my final NFL mailbag for May. You had questions, and I answered a bunch of them.\u00a0<\/p>\n

NFC North<\/p>\n

From James Jefferson (@J16James): Who wins the NFC North next season?<\/p>\n

James, that division remains perhaps the NFL\u2019s most wide open from year to year and I could see any of the four winning it. The one team that would surprise most, Minnesota, won 14 games in 2024. But if I had to pick now, I might actually go with the Lions<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The first reason is the schedule. They could, maybe should, go into their Week 6 bye at 4\u20131, and don\u2019t have any sort of murderous stretch after that to sink their momentum.<\/p>\n

The second reason is because so many things went wrong last year that I think will correct themselves. With Cade Mays and Blake Miller coming in, and Tate Ratledge in his second year, there\u2019s promise that the line that set the tone for Detroit for its rise to prominence will bounce back<\/a>. New offensive coordinator Drew Petzing will bring back the creativity the team missed last year with Ben Johnson gone. And at some point, the defense has to stay healthy.<\/p>\n

So give me Detroit at this early juncture, while I reserve the right to change my mind.<\/p>\n

New England Patriots<\/p>\n

From 12HillCub (@12hillcub): What do you hear on the Pats possibly still being interested in bringing back Stef Diggs?<\/p>\n

12 Hill, I\u2019d say it\u2019s unlikely that both A.J. Brown and Stefon Diggs will be aboard, and it\u2019s very likely that Brown will be a Patriot this time next week, making it less likely that Diggs will be one again any time soon. That, by the way, isn\u2019t about any sort of hard feelings that the Patriots have\u2014in fact, the folks there, to a man, love Diggs.<\/p>\n

This is about overall fit. Diggs is 32 with plenty of injury history. A.J. Brown turns 29 next month and has a ton of mileage on his legs. Both are accustomed to being the focal point of an offense. The Patriots are also bringing in Romeo Doubs from the Packers, and have Mack Hollins and DeMario Douglas back from last year\u2019s team. So if you become reliant on Diggs and Brown, and one or both go down, that\u2019s not great. And there\u2019s only one ball to go around.<\/p>\n

So, again, this is simply a fit thing. If injuries were to change the Patriots\u2019 situation and Diggs were still available, I\u2019d bet the door would stay open. But I don\u2019t think it\u2019s in the plans now.<\/p>\n

Steve Smith Sr.<\/p>\n

From Shawny Boy 420 PanthersFan (@ShawnHume3): Should Steve Smith Sr. be a Hall of Famer already?<\/p>\n

Great question. I love Steve Smith Sr. I think to be fair in answering this, you have to do two things.<\/p>\n

The first, and this to me should be the standard, is to ask whether he was an elite player at his position for an extended period of time. Smith was All-Pro three times (once as a returner), made five Pro Bowls, and he\u2019s one of five receivers in the Super Bowl era to win the triple crown (leading the league in catches, yards and touchdown catches in a single year), which he did in 2005. So, to me, Smith does satisfy that standard.<\/p>\n

Second, you\u2019d compare him to any contemporaries of his who are in, and I think that\u2019s particularly important at receiver, because statistics at the position are skewed by era. Four receivers who came into the league in the 10 years before Smith did are in the Hall: Isaac Bruce, Marvin Harrison, Randy Moss and Terrell Owens. If you stack those five, Smith would rank third in career catches (ahead of Bruce and Moss), fourth in career yards (ahead of Harrison), and fifth in touchdown catches. So he\u2019s borderline there.<\/p>\n

But if your question is whether there\u2019s a case, yes, there\u2019s a case.<\/p>\n

Atlanta Falcons<\/p>\n

From BigZip330 (@BZip330): What will the Falcons and\/or the NFL do with James Pearce Jr. with mandatory camp coming up in the next few weeks?<\/p>\n

The case of James Pearce Jr. is starting to gain some clarity\u2014and the details of the allegations<\/a>, if you haven\u2019t seen them, aren\u2019t good\u2014in that Pearce has accepted the terms of a deal that places him in a year-long, pretrial intervention program that could lead to the state dropping all charges against him.<\/p>\n

For this part, Kevin Stefanski has maintained to this point that Pearce would stay away from the team\u2019s offseason program, pending further developments in the case. The next step here would be getting more from the league, in how the NFL plans to move forward with discipline via the personal conduct policy (all that\u2019s out there at this point from the league is that the case remains under review).<\/p>\n

I wish I could give you more on this one. But that\u2019s where things stand.<\/p>\n

\"Minnesota<\/p>\n

Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores’s lawsuit has now reached the U.S. Supreme Court. | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images<\/p>\n

Brian Flores lawsuit<\/p>\n

From SkippySkipSkippington (@SSkippington): What will the NFL offer Flores in an effort to buy his silence and avoid discovery? How come leaks don\u2019t happen from the league office when a bad light is shining on them?<\/p>\n

Skip, it\u2019s a fair question, given that the league once struck a deal to effectively make the Colin Kaepernick situation go away. And you\u2019re right to think that the NFL\u2019s worst nightmare here is, as it always is, discovery\u2014the last thing anyone over there wants is a record of all of an owner\u2019s or owners\u2019 actions out there for public consumption.<\/p>\n

But to this point, Brian Flores has been pretty principled in wanting to see the case through<\/a>.<\/p>\n

As for the question of leaks from the league office, that only happens when the league is fighting an owner or team on something. In this case, they\u2019re on the same side (even though I would say the league office itself has made an earnest effort on the diversity hiring front).<\/p>\n

Domestic violence problem<\/p>\n

From Bill Parrish (@BillParrishGGSN): Does the league have a domestic violence problem?<\/p>\n

Bill, I think it\u2019s fair to say that more than one case constitutes a problem, so there\u2019s still an issue in the NFL\u2014and I also think it\u2019s important in cases like Josh Jacobs\u2019s<\/a> to wait for all the facts to present themselves. But I\u2019d add that the great majority of NFL players I\u2019ve encountered in my career are good guys, and there are a lot of excellent husbands and fathers in the group. So I\u2019d say it\u2019d be unfair to project the problem of few on everyone.<\/p>\n

New Orleans Saints<\/p>\n

From Arthur Jaramillo (@ArtC_Jaramillo): How do you think the Saints in Kellen Moore\u2019s second year will fare? It appears they have the quarterback but still have some holes on defense. TIA.<\/p>\n

Arthur, I\u2019d say the Saints are still in a state of transition. The ceiling for the defense is still relatively low given the talent on hand\u2014and it\u2019s going to be on Brandon Staley to try to get the most out of the group. Offensively, I really like where they\u2019re going, and having first-round picks at receiver (Chris Olave, Jordyn Tyson) and tackle (Kelvin Banks Jr., Taliese Fuaga), and high-end backs (Alvin Kamara, Travis Etienne Jr.), should give them a very clear read on Tyler Shough, and whether quarterback will be a need in the 2027 draft.<\/p>\n

Overall, I do like the direction on Kellen Moore, and the NFC South is winnable. But I do think building the way they are, you\u2019re going to have to have a little patience.<\/p>\n

Los Angeles Chargers<\/p>\n

From Crash Bandicoot (@JAY4rmLA): How many points do you think the Chargers can average with Mike McDaniel as OC this season?<\/p>\n

Crash, the Chargers weren\u2019t terrible last year\u2014finishing 20th in scoring, at 21.6 points per game\u2014and that was without their tackles for most of the year. Having Joe Alt and Rashawn Slater back, another year of development from Ladd McConkey and Tre\u2019 Harris, veterans David Njoku and Charlie Kolar coming in at tight end, and Omarion Hampton returning as the lead back alone should lead to some natural improvement. Adding one of the game\u2019s best play designers only adds to that.<\/p>\n

I do believe in McDaniel, and think the union with Jim Harbaugh will be a good one. And I think it\u2019ll lead to Justin Herbert making a run at MVP in his seventh season.<\/p>\n

So I think it\u2019s fair to hope for 25 points per game this year, which would put them on the fringe of the top 10 in scoring, and represent a pretty big uptick in production. And as part of that, I\u2019d bet they have one of the NFL\u2019s most effective and explosive run games.<\/p>\n

Minnesota Vikings<\/p>\n

From Nick Howard: Certified Duke Hater (@BD97): I know the Vikings are reportedly doing finalist for the GM in-person interviews through Thursday (reportedly). Would you expect them to make an announcement before the week\u2019s end?<\/p>\n

Nick, Rams assistant GM John McKay is interviewing Thursday, and I believe that\u2019ll wrap it up. The Vikings haven\u2019t closed the door on bringing others back in, but after going through all this, and the process lasting three weeks, I think the likelihood is they\u2019ll make their hire either on Friday or, if they want to ruminate over it through the weekend, early next week.<\/p>\n

That would give the new GM three weeks with the players (next week\u2019s OTAs, the mandatory minicamp the following week, and a pared-down set of OTAs with younger players the week after that), coaches and scouts before everyone breaks for summer.<\/p>\n

That, at the very least, would give the new guy in charge a better shot to hit the ground running in July as training camp opens, even with the timing still a little wonky.<\/p>\n

\"NFL<\/p>\n

Former Patriots wide receiver Stefon Diggs could be a possibility for the Chiefs. | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images<\/p>\n

Kansas City Chiefs<\/p>\n

From Connor Mulligan (@weekendteeshots): Chiefs can\u2019t go into training camp with the current WR room they have, who are they gonna get? Hill? Brown?<\/p>\n

Connor, they had a shot at A.J. Brown in March and passed on it. Yes, their situation has changed<\/a>, with Rashee Rice now in jail, and the idea of signing him to a new deal murkier. Still, when you have a top-heavy salary cap with a big-time quarterback, you need draft picks to fill the roster out with cost-controlled talent, so I don\u2019t think Kansas City is going to reverse course and try to outbid the Patriots for the Eagles\u2019 star.<\/p>\n

But as you alluded to, the uncertainty around Rice certainly would put the Chiefs in the market for insurance, and from that perspective Stefon Diggs would make a ton of sense. He\u2019s healthy, was productive last year, has played against the Chiefs\u2019 championship teams of the recent past, and could be a crafty plug-and-play piece for Patrick Mahomes & Co.<\/p>\n

Hill, to me, would be a little bit of a long-range idea, just in that you\u2019d want to see him coming out of that catastrophic injury, and know he\u2019s going to be able to at least be in the neighborhood of the kind of player he was. I don\u2019t know one way or the other if he will be.<\/p>\n

Denver Broncos<\/p>\n

From Joe Coccia (@JoeLFGPatsPod): Are the Broncos the team to beat in the AFC? It feels like the Chiefs and Ravens aren\u2019t the big dogs on campus anymore. The Chargers with McDaniels feel scarier with their starting line back and a commitment to the run.<\/p>\n

Joe, I love where the Broncos are. A top-five defense is returning virtually intact, as is one of the NFL\u2019s best offensive lines, and Jaylen Waddle\u2019s presence should help filter Denver\u2019s skill guys down into roles that are a little more suitable for their skill sets (I also think RB Jonah Coleman is a fun fourth-round sleeper). Then, there\u2019s Bo Nix, who should benefit from the above and take another step in his development.<\/p>\n

The wild card is the impact that Davis Webb makes as a first-time OC and play-caller. But on the other side, Vance Joseph returns. A lot of pieces are in place. I\u2019m not ready to declare a favorite. But I\u2019d say that division has three legit Super Bowl contenders in it. I think the Bills and Bengals will be better than they were a year ago. If C.J. Stroud rebounds and Houston\u2019s line acquisitions work, the Texans could be scary. The defending AFC champ, New England, should be tough, and Drake Maye taking another step could ward off natural regression.<\/p>\n

And yeah Denver\u2019s very, very good.<\/p>\n

Arizona Cardinals<\/p>\n

From Kyle (@KyleH10201988): What are the chances Carson Beck is QB1 and starts the season?<\/p>\n

Kyle, I don\u2019t think that\u2019ll happen. I think it\u2019ll be either Jacoby Brissett or Gardner Minshew II to begin the year. But I think we will see Beck make starts, plural, this season, as Mike LaFleur and his Cardinals coaching staff assess the position ahead of what could be a pivotal draft next April.<\/p>\n

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