It's Liar's Month: Why You Shouldn't Believe ANYTHING Coming Out of the NFL Combine

Every February, the NFL descends on Indianapolis for the Combine, and every February, the lying begins. GMs praise players they have no intention of drafting. Coaches talk up schemes they'll never run. And reporters breathlessly relay "intel" that was planted specifically to mislead.

Welcome to Liar's Month. And if you're taking anything said at the Combine at face value, you're the mark.

Todd Bowles Is the Perfect Example

Tampa Bay's Todd Bowles showed up to the Combine and promptly threw former offensive coordinator Josh Grizzard under the bus for the Buccaneers' failures. According to Bowles, the offensive struggles had nothing to do with his leadership or defensive philosophy bleeding into the offense — it was all on the coordinator he chose to hire.

This is textbook Combine behavior. Coaches use the media availability to craft narratives that protect their jobs. Bowles isn't explaining what went wrong in Tampa. He's performing damage control for an audience of one — Buccaneers ownership.

The A.J. Brown Smoke Screen

The biggest Combine storyline for Eagles fans is the A.J. Brown trade buzz. Reports suggest Howie Roseman is "assessing the trade market" and "fielding questions." But is this a genuine signal that Brown is available, or is Howie doing what Howie does — gathering information, establishing leverage, and keeping every option open?

The answer is probably both. Roseman is too smart to shut down conversations, even if he has no intention of trading Brown. Knowing what teams would offer tells him Brown's market value, which informs extension conversations. Every GM at the Combine is playing the same game — listening to offers for players they might never move.

How to Filter the Noise

Here's the rule of thumb: if a team WANTS you to know something, it's because it benefits them for you to know it. The Eagles leaking that they want a first AND a second for Brown? That's not a trade signal — that's a price anchor. It tells other teams "don't come at us with a third-rounder and a prayer."

The real moves happen in silence. The trades that actually go down are the ones nobody saw coming because both sides had incentive to keep it quiet. If you're reading about it on Twitter, it's probably theater.

What Actually Matters at the Combine

Ignore the press conferences. Watch the workouts. Today's QB and WR sessions will reveal more about the 2026 draft than anything a coach says into a microphone. Pay attention to which teams are sending position coaches to watch specific prospects — that's where the real intel lives.

The Combine is a week-long poker game where everyone is bluffing. Enjoy the spectacle, but don't bet your emotions on anything you hear until the ink is dry on actual transactions.