May 18, 2015 5 min read

SAN FRANCISCO – What offseason?

There hasn’t been a week – make that a day – since the Super Bowl that the NFL hasn’t made news. As the owners gather this week at their spring meetings, their plate couldn’t be much fuller.

While recent headlines have centered on Tom Brady, the Patriots and deflated footballs, there is plenty else the owners will discuss. For sure, Brady’s suspension, the Patriots’ punishment and the repercussions will be a topic, in many ways an awkward one.

Patriots owner Robert Kraft is among the most influential men in the sport, something of a mentor to Commissioner Roger Goodell through the years. Now, that relationship has hit a significant hurdle.

That the so-called “Deflategate” crisis has come in the wake of so many personal conduct matters means the owners have lots more to think about and talk about than finances, future Super Bowl sites, and extra points.

“The NFL is in an unusual situation at this time and it relates back to the last few years of activities,” said Marc Ganis, president of Chicago-based consulting firm SportsCorp and confidant of many owners. “It’s part of the double-edged sword of having great success. With great success comes great attention.

“I believe there is now investigation fatigue by everyone: by the fans, by the players, the league office, the owners, the teams.”

Still, the deflated football matter won’t go away anytime soon, and it won’t be ignored in San Francisco.

With Goodell on hand, he won’t be hearing Brady’s appeal of his four-game suspension until Thursday at the earliest. Goodell can only hope that “Deflategate” doesn’t get in the way of other key business.

Such as:

• Whether the NFL will change how extra points are attempted. Three proposals have been made. The Patriots want PAT kicks to come from the 15-yard line and 2-point conversions from the 2. The Eagles want the same distance on the kick, but the 2-point conversion to come from the 1, and if the defensive teams causes a turnover and take it to the other end zone, it gets the two points.

The powerful competition committee proposes the 15-yard line for the kick, the 2 for the 2-point conversion, and the defensive team being allowed to score on a turnover.

• Cities seeking to host Super Bowls beyond the 2018 game in Minneapolis will have their bids revealed. The next series of title games were opened for bidding on May 1.

With the success of the New York outdoor game in February 2014, other cold-weather cities without domes are expected to be considered. Conjecture has included Washington, Philadelphia, Kansas City and Denver, but really no city with the proper infrastructure should be discounted.

Also certain to be interested are Indianapolis, which hosted a super Super Bowl week in 2012, and Atlanta, where a new stadium will be ready long before the next available game is bid upon.

• Television. The Thursday night package on CBS has only this year to run, and there are other potential machinations that could lead to more programming being put up for bidding. Perhaps more playoff qualifiers and games, too.

Which means more billions of dollars for the 32 teams.

• Los Angeles. Ah, yes, LA, which has not hosted an NFL franchise in two decades. Now, three teams are dickering to relocate there – all of them having already called Hollywood home. The Rams and Raiders both left after the 1994 season, while the Chargers played the first season of the AFL in LA before heading to San Diego.

At long last, it seems a solid stadium project has surfaced. Maybe even two.

St. Louis Rams owner Stan Kroenke is behind a project in Inglewood, California, while the Raiders and Chargers are backing one in Carson. Last month, Goodell said both plans looked “viable.”

Ryan Tannehill signed a $77.7 million, four-year extension with the Miami Dolphins that keeps him under contract through 2020, the team said Monday.

He’s the first quarterback to receive an extension from the 2012 draft class that also included the Colts’ Andrew Luck, the Redskins’ Robert Griffin III and the Seahawks’ Russell Wilson.

“We are thrilled that we were able to sign Ryan to an extension,” said Mike Tannenbaum, executive vice president of football operations. “He is an ascending talent, a team leader and checks all of the boxes you are looking for at the position.”

Last month the Dolphins exercised their fifth-year, $16.2 million option for 2016 on Tannehill’s rookie contract.

The eighth overall pick of the 2012 draft, Tannehill has started every game in his first three seasons and improved each year, although he has yet to lead Miami to a playoff berth.

Last season he threw for 4,045 yards with 27 touchdowns, and his passer rating was 92.8. All of those figures were career highs.

“Signing Ryan to this deal is important to our franchise,” general manager Dennis Hickey said. “He is a proven quarterback in this league that combines a talented skillset with work ethic, passion, toughness and a team-first mentality. We are committed and believe in Ryan as our quarterback for the long term, and we are excited to be able to sign him to this extension.”

The 2016 salary will be a big increase for Tannehill after making a total of $12.7 million in the first four years of his contract.