▪ New York Jets: Did you read that story about the Jets’ dysfunction? No, and that’s the point. Their first offseason post-Aaron Rodgers, and their first season under new coach Aaron Glenn, was completed with as little media attention and fanfare as possible. Justin Fields quietly ran the offense and bonded with his teammates. And neither of their star players, Garrett Wilson and Ahmad Gardner, made a stink about their contracts. “I feel pretty good about how the talks have been going,” Gardner said. “I just wanted to show my teammates, show my coaches how much I’m bought into this now.” A normal offseason is a big win for Gang Green.

▪ San Francisco 49ers: Another team that has enjoyed a quiet offseason for a change. Last year was filled with contract drama and holdouts with Trent Williams and Brandon Aiyuk. This year the 49ers got new deals for Brock Purdy, George Kittle and Fred Warner taken care of by May. Christian McCaffrey is healthy and feeling great, and practices have been so good that coach Kyle Shanahan joked that he wanted to cancel the entire last week as a reward.

▪ Atlanta Falcons: They haven’t been able to trade Kirk Cousins, and they might have overplayed their hand. But they have done an admirable job of limiting the awkwardness of the situation. Cousins stayed away from the voluntary portion of the offseason, allowing Michael Penix to establish himself as the new quarterback. And Cousins didn’t make a stink last week at mandatory minicamp, arriving on time and saying of Penix, “I’m just here to support him as he needs it.”

Falcons quarterback Kirk Cousins (right) was (too) gracious as the backup to Michael Penix.Mike Stewart/Associated Press

▪ J.J. McCarthy: He had a brutal rookie season, suffering a season-ending knee injury in August, then watched Sam Darnold lead the Vikings to a 14-3 record. But the Vikings kept their faith in McCarthy, letting Darnold leave for Seattle and opting against Rodgers, who wanted Minnesota. McCarthy’s spring performance hasn’t been perfect, but he has established himself as the offensive leader and the Vikings don’t seem to have any reservations. “There’s been a lot of growth this spring,” offensive coordinator Wes Phillips said.

▪ Daniel Jones: The Colts signed him to a one-year deal worth at least $13 million guaranteed, and as the only healthy quarterback during minicamp, Jones started to establish himself as the Colts’ new starter. “He’s been doing a hell of a job,” coach Shane Steichen said Thursday. “Really smart football player. Learned the offense very quickly, making really good decisions out there through OTAs. Obviously, want to carry that over to training camp, but he’s done a really good job. Great command in the huddle. Ultimate pro.”

The Vikings put their faith in J.J. McCarthy, who suffered a season-ending knee injury in August.Abbie Parr/Associated Press

OFFSEASON LOSERS

▪ Pittsburgh Steelers: Getting Aaron Rodgers is probably a win, as he’ll be an upgrade from Russell Wilson. But the Steelers didn’t bring him in until the final three practices of the offseason, depriving the receivers about 12 practices of working with Rodgers, and rendering the last month mostly meaningless with backups Mason Rudolph and Skylar Thompson. Also, star pass rusher T.J. Watt skipped mandatory minicamp and subjected himself to automatic fines as he enters the final year of his contract.

▪ Cincinnati Bengals: They shocked the NFL in March by signing receivers Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins to large deals, but the good vibes quickly subsided. The Bengals once again lead the NFL in contract drama, with star pass rusher Trey Hendrickson holding out and engaged in a messy, public negotiation, and first-round pick Shemar Stewart, a defensive end, holding out as he battles the team over contract language that only the Bengals are demanding.

▪ Baltimore Ravens: They did what they could at practice with new backup QB Cooper Rush. And skipping practices in May and June didn’t seem to slow down Lamar Jackson last fall. But it’s still a strange look for the Ravens’ leader and annual MVP candidate to be the only starting QB to no-show the offseason.

▪ Cleveland Browns: What’s up with the AFC North? The Browns finally got out of one dysfunctional QB situation with Deshaun Watson, only to create another one by drafting Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders, on top of acquiring Joe Flacco and Kenny Pickett. The Browns are calling it an open competition, but no one seems to know what’s going on. “I don’t know what the plan is exactly,” Flacco said. “I trust Kevin [Stefanski] and that he has a plan for all this, and, you know, that’s really all I can do.”

▪ Buffalo Bills: Two of their new free agents will start the season with six-game PED suspensions. The big acquisition, Joey Bosa, injured his calf muscle and had to sit out the final three weeks of the offseason program. And the first-round pick, cornerback Maxwell Hairston, suffered an injury in Wednesday’s practice and gingerly walked off the field.

The Bills' big offseason acquisition, Joey Bosa, injured his calf muscle and had to sit out the final three weeks of the offseason program.Jeffrey T. Barnes/Associated Press

▪ Kirk Cousins: He’s getting paid $27.5 million no matter what this season, so perhaps “loser” isn’t the correct term. But Cousins is still stuck as the backup as the Falcons struggle to find a trade partner to pick up his contract. And Cousins only has himself and his polite demeanor to blame. Had Cousins made himself a nuisance for the Falcons, they would have cut him months ago to get rid of the distraction, and Cousins would be free to pick a new team.

▪ Anthony Richardson: The Colts keep saying it’s an open competition between Richardson and Daniel Jones. But when Jones makes nearly three times as much money, and Richardson is already hurt with a shoulder injury, and the coach is raving about Jones’s performance, the competition might not last long.

Typical Bengals

The 2011 collective bargaining agreement established a rookie wage scale that was supposed to end rookie holdouts. But the Bengals can always be counted on to make a mess of an easy situation.

Defensive end Shemar Stewart, the 17th pick this year, has refused to practice all spring as he and the Bengals squabble over contract language. Stewart raised the stakes Thursday by leaving early on the final day of mandatory minicamp.

While Stewart’s compensation is pre-determined by his draft slot and is not in dispute — $18.97 million fully guaranteed over four years — the Bengals want Stewart to agree to language that would void all future guarantees if he defaults on his contract in any given year. In most contracts, a default voids the guarantees only for the current year.

Stewart said the Bengals’ demands are unprecedented and refuses to concede.

“In my case, I’m 100 percent right, so it should be a no-brainer,” Stewart told reporters Tuesday. “I’m not asking for nothing that’s never been done before. But in [the team’s] case, y’all just want to win an argument instead of winning more games, in my opinion.”

The Bengals’ front office under Mike Brown and Katie Blackburn certainly has its own way of doing business. They once had a messy divorce with former franchise QB Carson Palmer. They created animosity with star receivers Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins last year that led to holdouts. They said star pass rusher Trey Hendrickson, who has been angling for a new contract this spring, should zip his mouth and be grateful for what he has. And now they’re playing hardball with Stewart over a silly language dispute.

If the Bengals really tick off Stewart, he can refuse to sign his rookie contract, sit out the 2025 season, and re-enter the draft in 2026. It’s not likely or ideal for Stewart, but if any team can nuke a relationship beyond repair, it’s the Bengals.

“I can’t say what I really want to say, but it’s their contract. They can do what they want with it,” Stewart said.

Stewart isn’t missing too much on the field since spring practices are non-padded. But for a talented Bengals team that envisions competing for an AFC championship, the spats with Stewart and Henderson create a sour mood in the locker room.

“It’s not the best-case scenario of how the spring could have gone for our first-round pick,” said Bengals guard Ted Karras, a vice president with the NFL Players Association. “I really hope both camps can figure this out because we have a really good team. We’ve had a super-productive spring. You just don’t want this to carry over into summer.”

Rookie defensive end Shemar Stewart (center) has refused to practice all spring as he and the Bengals squabble over contract language.Carolyn Kaster/Associated Press

On the headset

Carlie Irsay-Gordon assumed the title of owner and CEO of the Colts last week following the recent death of her father, Jim Irsay. Irsay-Gordon, 44, has represented the team at NFL owners meetings since 2004, became a vice president in 2008, and has been heavily involved in the Colts’ day-to-day operations since her father was suspended in 2014 for violating the personal conduct policy.

Irsay-Gordon isn’t an empty suit in the owner’s box. She has been doing her best to learn the entire football operation, including wearing the coaches’ headsets during games.

“One of the things that I learned in going through, even as back as when we hired Chuck Pagano [in 2012], is that sort of accelerated my, ‘I need to learn more about this,’ ” Irsay-Gordon said this past week. “I need to be able to say, ‘Is this person full of BS? Do they even know what they’re talking about?’ ”

“I would suggest it for anyone else that has to pay coaches and GMs millions and millions of dollars. It helps you make a less expensive mistake, potentially.”

While it could be construed as overbearing and micromanaging, it’s hard to argue with Irsay-Gordon’s logic. She wants to have as much information as necessary to help run the team. For coaches, that’s a much better situation than an owner who just jets in on Sundays and treats the team like a fantasy football plaything.

“It’s been really cool. She’s been in a ton of different meetings [and] practices,” offensive coordinator Jim Bob Cooter said. “She’s asking questions, trying to learn a ton about different things, and then also sort of teaching us things about different aspects of the game. She’s been great to work with, great to be around.”

Skipping OTAs

The spring practices known as Organized Team Activities are voluntary, and players have every right to miss them without being shamed. But of all the players who skipped them this year, one name stands out.

Really, Haason Reddick?

The Bucs’ pass rusher, 30, made a mess of his 2024 season. He refused to report to the Jets after being acquired in a trade in March, held out of training camp and the first seven weeks of the season, and racked up over $5 million in fines. Reddick finally reported to the Jets in Week 8, and finished the season with just one sack in 10 games.

Reddick signed a one-year, $14 million deal in March with $12 million fully guaranteed, a surprisingly strong deal for a player coming off a dysfunctional season. But even that wasn’t enough to get Reddick to attend OTAs, though he was present for mandatory minicamp this past week.

“I’ll address it before y’all do: I know everybody was concerned about me not showing up,” Reddick said. “I definitely made sure to stay in shape. I don’t think it should’ve been a question, but just had some things to button up on as I get ready to make this transition down here so that way, once I get here, I don’t have to worry about [anything] back there at home.”

Two-way star

Jaguars rookie Travis Hunter is training primarily as a wide receiver, but also has been attending defensive meetings and spent one practice on defense. The Jaguars took it to the next step at Thursday’s minicamp practice, playing Hunter both ways for the first time.

“It’s not as if it’s something where he can’t handle. He wants to go and do that more,” Jaguars coach Liam Coen said.

Hunter isn’t the only ironman player this spring. Packers backup receiver Bo Melton did his best Julian Edelman impression last week, taking reps at cornerback in practice.

“I want to give it a shot,” Melton said. “What I will say is I like to run for days. Back in high school, college, I’m very versatile. It’s just something they want to look at.”

Jaguars rookie Travis Hunter took reps with the offense and defense at one practice.John Raoux/Associated Press

The NFL must be thrilled that Aaron Rodgers signed with Pittsburgh, because the Steelers’ schedule is made for TV. Rodgers faces Joe Burrow twice, Lamar Jackson twice, Josh Allen, Justin Herbert, Jared Goff, and Jordan Love. Rodgers also will play both of his former teams — at the Jets in Week 1, and vs. the Packers in Week 8. “I’m sure he’ll be telling everybody all our signals, so we’ll probably have to be playing that mind game with him a little bit,” Packers coach Matt LaFleur said … The Steelers lost their final five games of 2024 and haven’t won a playoff game since 2017, and coach Mike Tomlin thinks the solution is moving training camp practices back to the afternoon. “Wasn’t hot enough last year,” Tomlin said Thursday. “We go to camp to get better, and if it’s a little bit more miserable late in the day, man, that’s what we want.” … The Panthers got testy in minicamp, most notably with quarterback Bryce Young jawing at cornerback Jaycee Horn. “Guys are finally sick of being the same old Carolina Panthers,” veteran receiver Adam Thielen said … Noteworthy players still unsigned: Keenan Allen, Amari Cooper, Von Miller, Stephon Gilmore, Jaire Alexander, Matthew Judon, Jadeveon Clowney, Brandon Scherff, and Justin Simmons … Interesting to see that NFL chief media and business officer Brian Rolapp left to become the new CEO of the PGA Tour. Rolapp had been floated as a potential successor to commissioner Roger Goodell for years. His departure is likely a reflection that NFL Media is nearing an acquisition by ESPN, and that Goodell, 66 and signed through 2027, wants to remain commissioner for a long time … Now in my 18th year covering the NFL, I’m not a big proponent of the media reporting detailed passing stats in OTAs and training camp, for myriad reasons. 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan hates the way it messes with his players. “No offense to you guys, but [media] used to not report people’s stats every day and say who’s ahead, who’s back, who’s whatever. You could just practice,” he said. “And when guys play to practice that way, they don’t get better at anything … If you don’t let it rip and go through all that in practice, you’re not going to get any better in the games.”

Ben Volin can be reached at ben.volin@globe.com.