Breaking: QB sideshow has been Indy main event

You don’t come to Indianapolis in February for the chill. You come for the heat.

The NFL Scouting Combine is a networking event as much as a showcase of prospects. Front offices and media descend on Downtown Indy and treat it like a college campus for a few days, trading intel and building bridges. This rumor mill is always a big deal, but some years, it takes a backseat to herculean feats on the field. Someone sets a 40-yard dash record, or a punter does 25 bench reps.

This year’s combine didn’t have a break-the-internet workout, though South Carolina safety Nick Emmanwori had an all-time showing. There was no can’t-miss quarterback workout. The top two players on Dane Brugler’s big board sat out drills (Travis Hunter is waiting for his pro day, and Abdul Carter has a foot fracture but will avoid surgery for now).

Instead, this combine was about the QB carousel. 

• The Rams opened the door to trading Matthew Stafford, but didn’t. The parties resolved a contract dispute that had kickstarted a week of trade exploration. Our reporters have that backstory.
• Sam Darnold’s free agency was also a big story, but one that leaves Indy without a resolution. And the QB market likely won’t settle until the Vikings and/or Darnold make a move.
• The Giants have kicked the tires on Aaron Rodgers. Best of luck to both of them! New York had been poking around on Stafford, and 41-year-old Rodgers is a potential consolation pick.
• The Steelers are deciding between Justin Fields and Russell Wilson. It is clear the team will give a rose to just one of its QBs. Less clear is which one.

All of that aside, has the combine (which wraps up today) been a bit sleepy this year, or has it just looked that way from afar? I asked Jacob Robinson, on the ground in Indy for our Scoop City newsletter:

💬 The stadium is still filled with intriguing prospects sprinting for 40 yards. But when the spotlights are off, the combine gets quiet, quickly. Which is why many attendees park at local haunts like Starbucks, hoping to witness a potential media showdown, or the Prime 47 steakhouse, where Stafford rumors abounded.

Steakhouses are to the combine what afterparties will be to tonight’s Oscars. Elsewhere: