1 Big Regret Every NFL Team Should Have from the 2021 Offseason

The former quarterback of the future for the New York Jets has loads of physical upside, which was why he was the No. 3 pick in 2018.Carolina didn't give up a ton to get Darnold, either, surrendering a 2021 sixth-round pick and second- and fourth-round picks in 2022.Still, Carolina may regret the decision to bet so heavily on a quarterback who has struggled as a pro.The Panthers traded Teddy Bridgewater after making the Darnold deal. Carolina also passed on rookie quarterback prospects Justin Fields and Mac Jones, essentially going all-in on a player with a 45-to-39 touchdown-to-interception ratio and a career passer rating of just 78.6.Though he was hampered by a poor supporting cast with New York, Darnold has posted a 13-25 record as a starter.It was a big gamble, and it could be exacerbated by the fact that the 2022 draft is expected to be light on quarterback talent.It's been a mixed offseason for the Chicago Bears. Trufant has only played 15 games over the past two seasons and allowed an opposing quarterback rating above 100.0 in each.In a vacuum, there's nothing wrong with the Cincinnati Bengals' decision to draft wideout Ja'Marr Chase fifth overall. He is an elite receiver prospect—one who had 1,780 receiving yards and 20 touchdowns in 2019—and a former teammate of Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow.However, the team may soon regret passing on top tackle prospect Penei Sewell, who many viewed as a can't-miss prospect."If I could pick one player in this draft who's got the best chance to go to the Hall of Fame, it's Penei Sewell," one coach told Peter King of NBC Sports. It's likely to be one of the NFL's more underwhelming battles, as neither signal-caller was particularly good last year.In 13 starts last season, Lock threw for 2,933 yards with 16 touchdowns, 15 interceptions and a passer rating of 75.4. The Detroit Lions landed the standout tackle two spots later, and they should feel good about getting one of the draft's few can't-miss prospects.At the same time, however, Detroit may come to regret passing on a quarterback with the pick—or not drafting a signal-caller at all.The Lions got Jared Goff as part of the Matthew Stafford trade, and the Cal product does have five years of starting experience. Until the criminal and league investigations and civil lawsuits are resolved, he is likely to remain so—though Houston insists that a decision is coming soon."As we get more information, as we get closer to training camp, we'll try to make the best decision for the Houston Texans, whatever that entails," general manager Nick Caserio told Sports Radio 610 (h/t Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk).While waiting on a trade made sense at the time, Houston probably already regrets not pulling the trigger on a deal when it had the chance. The Colts have an underwhelming group themselves, and they did little to upgrade it during the offseason.Indianapolis re-signed longtime starter T.Y. Hilton, but he's 31 years old and coming off back-to-back seasons of 756 receiving yards or fewer. Michael Pittman Jr. showed promise as a rookie last year but barely topped the 500-yard mark—no Colts receiver topped 800 yards in 2020—while Parris Campbell has played just nine games in two seasons.The Colts didn't sign a proven free-agent receiver, and they didn't draft a wideout until taking Mike Strachan in the seventh round.Yes, Indianapolis utilizes a run-heavy offense, but not having the reliable receiver depth needed for Wentz to regain his confidence could still be a problem.Ultimately, the Tim Tebow experiment may not matter for the Jacksonville Jaguars. He is a top-tier cover man when healthy and was the NFL's Defensive Player of the Year just two seasons ago.However, the Patriots may still regret not trading Gilmore ahead of the draft when his value might have been at its highest. He is in the final year of his contract, wants a new deal and has avoided New England's offseason program."Gilmore won't attend this week's mandatory minicamp to express his displeasure with his contract, according to a source," Jeff Howe of The Athletic wrote.While Gilmore may not hold out through training camp or the regular season, the situation still presents a problem for New England. If the competition plays out quickly, perhaps this won't be a major issue.Still, the Saints could regret not making a decision early in the offseason, largely because head coach Sean Payton plans on tailoring his offense to his signal-caller."We'll build it a little bit around that player accordingly," Payton said, per ESPN's Mike Triplett.This could leave New Orleans rushing to install advanced concepts late in camp—Winston and Hill have wildly different skill sets—which could hurt both preparation and talent evaluation.Naming Winston the starter early would have made sense. New York passed on a more archetypal receiver in Rashod Bateman to take Toney as well as potential early starters in cornerback Caleb Farley and offensive tackle Christian Darrisaw.The New York Jets landed their latest quarterback of the future when they drafted BYU's Zach Wilson second overall. The Jets blew an opportunity by passing on Mullens, and they are quickly running out of options.There was a clear disconnect between Eagles coach Doug Pederson and quarterback Carson Wentz last season."We have Carson and Doug not talking for weeks on end during the season, where the head coach and quarterback are not talking for eight, nine, 10 weeks," ESPN's Adam Schefter told 97.5 The Fanatic (h/t Bleacher Report's Tim Daniels).Philadelphia's handling of the situation in the offseason may be something it comes to regret.First, the Eagles replaced Pederson with Nick Sirianni—who is well-versed in Frank Reich's offense, in which Wentz excelled. Keeping Big Ben healthy and on the field will be critical, as in-house alternatives Dwayne Haskins and Mason Rudolph aren't particularly enticing.But Roethlisberger will be protected by a new-look offensive line in 2021, and the reshuffling could lead to early struggles.While Pittsburgh likely couldn't have avoided the offseason retirement of center Maurkice Pouncey, the Steelers may regret losing longtime left tackle Alejandro Villanueva.Villanueva, a two-time Pro Bowler, hadn't missed a start in the last five seasons. However, Garoppolo has a significant injury history—23 missed games in the last three seasons—and isn't likely to stick around beyond the 2021 season.San Francisco can save $25.6 million next year by dumping Garoppolo.Mullens has started 16 games for the 49ers and has performed better than Rosen as a pro. We're never going to fault a player for cashing in, and Dupree is a fine complementary pass-rusher, but Tennessee isn't likely to get a return on its investment.Last season, right tackle Morgan Moses started all 16 games for the Washington Football Team while playing 98 percent of offensive snaps.