As July gives way to training camp, the NFL calendar shifts from speculation to competition as the biggest storylines begin to unfold. Months of free agency, blockbuster trades, draft picks and offseason workouts have fueled countless debates, but now those conversations are about to be settled on the practice field.<\/p>\n
From unresolved trade rumors to quarterback battles and players returning from injury, these are the biggest storylines to watch as training camps get underway.<\/p>\n
As one of the biggest storylines off the NFL offseason, maybe no mystery is greater than that of Brandon Aiyuk<\/a>. Speculation around a trade for Aiyuk has been swirling around the star wide receiver for the better part of a calendar year now, with the Commanders regularly appearing to be an interested party due to his history with current Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels<\/a>.<\/p>\n But there is another enticing option potentially waiting for teams in veteran Stefon Diggs<\/a>. Where Aiyuk is younger and has more upside, he could cost both assets in terms of draft picks and a massive new contract. Diggs, by contrast, would simply need a contract signed, forcing Washington to make some interesting decisions if they decide to add yet another weapon prior to the season.<\/p>\n Baker Mayfield revitalized his career with Tampa Bay and has emerged as the Bucs\u2019 franchise quarterback, but his future in Tampa is uncertain<\/a>. The veteran quarterback only has one year left on his current deal and admitted recently that negotiations on a contract extension are \u201cnot anywhere close.\u201d Mayfield plans to stop negotiations entirely once training camp gets underway, according to a report.<\/p>\n If a new deal cannot be struck by then, Tampa Bay could enter the upcoming season with a massive question mark looming over the most important position in the sport.<\/p>\n The resolution of Mayfield\u2019s contract saga could prove to be one of the biggest storylines in the league leading up to training camp.<\/p>\n A quarterback returning from a major knee injury would be the biggest storyline of the offseason. However, this is just another episode in the career of Patrick Mahomes<\/a>, where lofty expectations are a normal event. Coming off a torn ACL and LCL that prematurely ended his 2025 season and arguably became one of the biggest storylines heading into the NFL offseason, the Kansas City quarterback has made solid strides in his recovery, and should be ready for training camp.<\/p>\n The uncertainty is not whether Mahomes will be out on the field, but whether he will instantly be able to return to the dominant form he has displayed throughout his career. If he is able to do so, the Chiefs could be another Super Bowl contender in 2026.<\/p>\n There are not many quarterback position battles heading into training camp that are more exciting than what could happen in Las Vegas. The Raiders can hope Fernando Mendoza proves ready<\/a> to win a starting job right away but it is not an obvious lock with Kirk Cousins on the roster<\/a>.<\/p>\n Whether Mendoza proves he is ready to start immediately or spends time developing behind a veteran could shape not only the Raiders’ 2026 season, but the future of the franchise. Every practice and preseason snap will be closely watched as the competition unfolds. Regardless of what happens, the Mendoza and Cousins quarterback battle will be one of the biggest storylines come preseason.<\/p>\n That is what makes training camp so captivating. Every team begins with hope, every roster spot is earned, and every storyline has the potential to shape the season. Before the games count, anything still feels possible. The biggest storylines of the year will begin to unfold and all of our questions will be answered come Week 1.<\/p>\n Main Photo Courtesy of Jay Biggerstaff – Imagn Images<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" As July gives way to training camp, the NFL calendar shifts from speculation to competition as the biggest storylines begin to unfold. Months of free agency, blockbuster trades, draft picks and offseason workouts have fueled countless debates, but now those conversations are about to be settled on the practice field. From unresolved trade rumors to […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5774,"featured_media":291001,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[36,16,17,29,8896],"tags":[3418,6254,7811,33710,246],"class_list":["post-290981","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-nfl-news","category-chiefs","category-raiders","category-buccaneers","category-washington-commanders","tag-baker-mayfield","tag-brandon-aiyuk","tag-chiefs-featured","tag-fernando-mendoza","tag-nfl-news"],"modified_by":"Drew VonScio","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/290981","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5774"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=290981"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/290981\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":291002,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/290981\/revisions\/291002"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/291001"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=290981"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=290981"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=290981"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}Can the Buccaneers and Baker Mayfield Reach Common Ground?<\/h3>\n
Can Patrick Mahomes Return to MVP Form?<\/h3>\n
Who Will Be the Raiders’ Starting Quarterback?<\/h3>\n
NFL Offseason Drama At its Best<\/h2>\n