Looking ahead to the 2024 NFL Season

The NFL season came to an exciting climax on February 12 when the Kansas City Chiefs and the Philadelphia Eagles faced off at Super Bowl LVII. It was the Chiefs who would come out on top by just three points in a thrilling shootout, finishing 38-35. This was the third highest scoring Super Bowl of all time and was a fitting way to end another exciting season.

Although they fell agonisingly short at the final hurdle, the Eagles had an incredible year and were the standout team throughout the regular season. They went eight games unbeaten upon the start of the season on their way to the Super Bowl with QB Jalen Hurts finishing second in season MVP voting, with the final decision likely coming down to whichever QB was to lift the Super Bowl.

Eventual winner Patrick Mahomes had yet another incredible season as is now expected of him as did teammate Travis Kelce, who broke his own record for most catches by a tight end in a playoff game. Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Justin Jefferson won offensive player of the year and essentially carried the Vikings all season, finishing with 106.4 receiving yards per game. 

Looking ahead to 2024, there are a number of teams who will be expecting to build upon a promising season and some to go better than a disappointing one. There are also trade rumors and the draft to look forward to in the offseason. Lets take a look ahead to 2024.

Buffalo Bills miss out

Whilst the Bills didn’t technically have a disappointing year and were in fact one of the best performing teams in the regular season, they will be dissatisfied with not reaching the Super Bowl. They were the favourites to lift the Vince Lombardi trophy for much of the season with star Josh Allen being argued as being the best quarterback in the league. They would however lose the divisional playoffs to the Cincinnati Bengals, putting off the championship hopes for at least another season. They are no doubt a sleeping giant though and early NFL odds for next season have them as one of the heaviest favourites to win the Super Bowl once again.

Las Vegas Raiders reassess

The Raiders looked set for a strong season after an impressive off season. With Josh McDaniels as head coach they brought in All-Pro wideout Davante Adams to add some excellent firepower to their air game. Chandler Jones was also entered onto their roster and after winning all of their preseason games, it looked like the playoffs were on at least on the cards in Vegas. That was quickly put to an end. They went on a derisory run, going 2-7 in their first nine regular season fixtures. They would pick it up a bit in their remaining fixtures but the damage was already done. Derek Carr was released upon the completion of the season and with Jimmy Garropolo and Aaron Rodgers being floated around as trade rumors, they will certainly be looking to make up for a terrible year in 2024.

Bryce Young vs CJ Stroud/Texans vs Bears

Analysts, fans, pundits and everyone in-between are going back and forth on which QB will be the first to be picked in the draft this season with CJ Stroud and Bryce Young getting top billing. However, which team will get first say over that is up in the air somewhat. The Bears still seem to be undecided on whether to stick with Justin Fields or trade him and though they seem to be swaying to the former, the Texan’s are nervy. For that reason, they may be hunting for the Bear’s number one pick indicating a trade between the two. The odds right now have Young as number one but with Stroud throwing at the combine and Young opting not to, Texan’s scouts could have their heads turned still.

Where will Ramsey and Jackson be?

Two of the biggest trade stories right now are the respective futures of Lamar Jackson at the Baltimore Ravens and Jalen Ramsey at the LA Rams. 

As of writing Jackson is engaged in contract talks with the Ravens but the situation seems volatile, and Baltimore have until March 7 to place the franchise tag on him if they don’t plan on trading him. However, the pull of a Jackson trade for draft capital may be too tough to resist. There are plenty of teams looking for a QB in the league right now, but it seems that the Jets and the Falcons are favorites to land his signature.

Six-time pro bowler Jalen Ramsey may be a casualty of the Rams’ need to clear cap space. They are currently more than $14 million above that cap and Ramsey’s $17 million salary for the upcoming season means he is first on the list to go. The Lions and the Raiders have both been linked with the talented cornerback and more should be known in the coming weeks.