MOBILE, Ala. — NFL coaches, general managers, scouts and prospects descended on Mobile, Alabama, to watch 2025 NFL Draft prospects compete in drills and live play against similar-caliber competition.
The interviews and on-field assessments of prospects brought teams one step closer to determining their draft boards. But in gathering so many decision makers in the same place, whispers across practice fields and hotel lobbies also touched on pending big-name free agents, the NFL coaching carousel and league trends.
What did coaches, general managers, agents and more think about trending NFL topics? Here are three things Yahoo Sports learned:
1. Will Aaron Rodgers go … anywhere?
Sure, Aaron Rodgers and the New York Jets have moving parts before finalizing a decision. But I was curious what decision makers have navigated similar crossroads anticipate as the most likely outcome as the Jets shift to a new regime with head coach Aaron Glenn and general manager Darren Mougey. One high-ranking AFC executive told me he believes the quarterback’s most likely destination this year is retirement in light of a potential declining interest in his services.
Will the Cleveland Browns, Las Vegas Raiders, New York Giants, Jets, Pittsburgh Steelers or Tennessee Titans want Rodgers quarterbacking their team? The executive questioned his fit among teams in need of a 2025 passer.
Another high-ranking AFC executive told me he expects Rodgers to play but not for the Jets. The executive’s reasoning: If he were building a team, his primary goal for a new regime would be installing and building upon a system that will support sustained success. The exec would want to build and teach players an offense that best caters to their long-term quarterback’s success rather than run a Rodgers-tailored offense in Year 1 then require players recalibrate their expectations for a makeover in Year 2.
It’s too soon to tell whether Glenn and Dougey will reach the same conclusion about a quarterback coming off a 3,897-yard year with 28 touchdowns to 11 interceptions. The Jets won just five games in the 2024 season, and Rodgers’ 90.5 passer rating ranked 21st in the league. Rodgers’ potential counterargument: He played all 17 contests at 40 years old coming off a torn Achilles tendon and arguably played his best football down the stretch, including a four-touchdown season finale.
Glenn mentioned Rodgers in introductory remarks Monday, anticipating questions.
“Here’s what I do know: Aaron Rodgers will be talked about,” Glenn said from Jets headquarters. “We’ve already texted and had communication with Aaron Rodgers. And as we continue to look at the roster, we’ll make decisions accordingly. And that’s with a number of people on the team. I look forward to this.”
2. Where did this Kellen Moore fan come from?
For weeks, executives who interviewed Philadelphia Eagles offensive coordinator Kellen Moore in recent head coach and offensive coordinator cycles have told me how he impressed them. Moore struck one AFC executive as a bright schematic mind with emotional intelligence, while another general manager credited his leadership as more established than his low-key demeanor might suggest.
But when I caught up with another AFC general manager who had not interviewed Moore for an opening, I was surprised by his effusiveness. I asked what impression the general manager got from competing against Moore, who has called plays for the past six years across stints with the Dallas Cowboys, Los Angeles Chargers and now Eagles.
The general manager told me Moore is “exceptional in pretty much every regard.”
I did a double-take — he felt that strongly from competing alone?
Turns out the general manager had interviewed Moore at the 2012 scouting combine after Moore posted an impressive 50-3 record as Boise State’s starting quarterback. The team began queueing up clips to prompt interview questions, and not only was Moore able to recall each play from the still shot before the video rolled, but also he was able to anticipate what trend or question compelled the team to choose that clip, the GM said.
The general manager believed Moore would command respect as a head coach even if didn’t demand it. After the Super Bowl, we should have confirmation whether the New Orleans Saints agree.
The Saints interviewed Moore again this week in Philadelphia and will host the Saints at their facility leading up to the Super Bowl next week. Don’t be surprised if next week is just the beginning of Moore calling plays in New Orleans.
3. A benefit to Shedeuer Sanders
Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders wasn’t at the Senior Bowl. But many of the scouts and executives in Mobile flew here from Dallas, where they interviewed prospects at the Shrine Bowl. Sanders impressed them, including one decision maker believing the son of Deion Sanders was more self-aware than expected. Another key metric teams will be factoring in: experience.
Sanders played 50 total college games, between 26 at Jackson State and then 24 at Colorado. Yes, his final season featured an impressive 74% completion rate with 4,134 passing yards, 37 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. But the aggregate numbers, not just the crescendo to which they built, matter.
Miami’s Cam Ward, who did not participate in All-Star games this week, similarly started 57 games across three colleges en route to high draft stock.
Teams are hyperaware of how experienced players like Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels, the Denver Broncos’ Bo Nix and the San Francisco 49ers’ Brock Purdy have proven ready to play as soon as they got to the league. While starts and NFL success don’t always correlate, contrasting those three quarterbacks to recent top-five picks in Indianapolis Colts quarterback Anthony Richardson and San Francisco selection Trey Lance remind talent evaluators that this league is increasingly impatient.
If a staff doesn’t have the buy-in of management to let a drafted quarterback sit, the best thing they can do is increase the chance the quarterback is ready to succeed rapidly in a pro sport without a developmental or minor league.
Bonus: For those of you who love the depths of the draft, one national scout told me their team scouted more draftable prospects this year than they ever had. The transfer portal and COVID-19 extension is deepening the draft class for at least another year, and teams with additional picks in late rounds could benefit. This scout believed the seventh round will offer more pro-caliber talent this year than we’ve seen.
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