INDIANAPOLIS — The 40-yard dash is still 120 feet. The bench press still weighs 225 pounds. But the VIP section at Lucas Oil Stadium is looking suspiciously thin. As the 2026 NFL Scouting Combine kicks off this week, the biggest story isn’t a sub-4.3 clocking; it’s the growing list of “No-Shows” from the coaching ranks.
The Great Coaching Exodus
The NFL’s annual pilgrimage to Indianapolis used to be mandatory for any coach worth his whistle. Not anymore. NFL insider Adam Schefter recently dropped a bombshell on his podcast, revealing that the league’s elite decision-makers are increasingly ghosting the event. The Los Angeles Rams and San Francisco 49ers are leading the retreat. Sean McVay and Kyle Shanahan—two of the most influential offensive minds in the game—aren’t expected to spend much, if any, time on the ground in Indy.
They aren’t alone. Green Bay’s Matt LaFleur might make a “cameo” appearance for 24 hours, but the days of week-long scouting marathons are over. Even the Jacksonville Jaguars, under new head coach Liam Coen, have signaled that their primary brain trust will remain stationed at home. For these teams, the Combine has transformed from an essential scouting trip into a logistical distraction.
Front offices are realizing that high-speed fiber optics beat high-priced steakhouse meetings. Coaches now prefer the quiet of their own war rooms to the “meat market” atmosphere of Indianapolis. They can watch every drill in 4K from their offices while simultaneously grinding through free-agent tape and installing 2026 playbooks. Every hour spent at a podium in Indy is an hour lost on roster construction.
“Teams feel like their time is better used in the office, going over meetings, implementing their new coaches, their schedules, the off-season activities, assessing the draft from there, analyzing the upcoming free agent market from their offices rather than going to Indy.”
— Adam Schefter, ESPN NFL Insider
Efficiency Over Tradition
This isn’t just about laziness; it’s about a calculated shift in resource management. The Jaguars organization has been vocal about this shift. They believe the “standardized” environment of the Combine can actually create bias, favoring “workout warriors” over actual football players. By staying home, coaching staffs avoid the group-think that often permeates the Indianapolis bars and hotels during Combine week.
What does this mean for the 319 prospects in town? For players like Indiana’s standout QB Fernando Mendoza or Notre Dame’s dynamic Jeremiyah Love, the audience has changed. They aren’t performing for the Head Coach anymore—they are performing for the scouts and the data. The medical checks remain the only truly “invaluable” part of the week. Everything else? It’s just content for the TV cameras.
The NFL Combine isn’t dead yet, but the era of it being the league’s center of gravity is officially over. Indianapolis is becoming a place for scouts to gather data and for team doctors to poke and prod. The real decisions for the 2026 season are happening hundreds of miles away, behind closed doors in Los Angeles, Santa Clara, and Jacksonville.
