Winning isn’t everything, it’s the only thing.

Vince Lombardi said it, but with the moves some teams have made this offseason you would think it came from Machiavelli. A season after giving in to the public firestorm that followed the release of the infamous Ray Rice security tape by putting suspected abusers on the shelf, it seems talent is once again trumping behavior as a top NFL priority.

Defensive end Greg Hardy was suspended for the last 15 games of the 2014 season after being convicted of abusing his girlfriend. He only beat the rap because she did not show up to testify at his appeal of the conviction, and that was good enough for the Cowboys to plop $11.5 million in his lap. The only string attached is that it’s a one-year deal, so he’ll presumably have to be on his best behavior if he wants a long-term contract after this season.

The Bears have taken a similar approach with Ray McDonald.

McDonald, who was released by the 49ers in December after being named as a suspect in a sexual assault investigation, was scooped up by Chicago this offseason. The Bears cited a meeting with McDonald’s parents as part of their due diligence, as if anyone’s parents would actually throw one of their children under the bus in such a scenario.

As with the Cowboys and Hardy, McDonald has a one-year deal with Chicago. Both teams are showing that they’re unwilling to fully commit to players with character questions, but if they fit a need – as Hardy does for the Cowboys pass rush and McDonald will as the Bears transition to a 3-4 defense – they’re not going to use character as a reason to pass on that player.

It’s a stark contrast to the atmosphere that seemed to be permeating the league midseason, at which time people were seriously asking whether a team would risk a first-round pick on Jameis Winston. Not just the top pick – anywhere in the first round. It may have been a bit of exaggerated speculation, but the talk was out there nevertheless.

Such talk from just a few months ago seems like it actually took place eons before that. Though none of the questions regarding his character have truly subsided, Winston is a stone-cold lock for the first overall pick in the draft.

The only player still paying the price for his transgressions is Rice himself. And the only reason he’s paying while the others are not is that his actions were caught on tape. Had that footage never been released, he ends up with a two-game suspension instead of sparking a firestorm that eventually brought down the likes of Hardy and Adrian Peterson.

If your off-field misconduct remains out of sight, NFL teams are still willing to keep it out of mind if it means victory could follow.