As the ball rolls on a new year, we look back at the highs and lows of 2024 in the NFL universe…
Best comeback in the NFL:Jim Harbaugh. A year ago, Harbaugh was on the path to a national championship with the University of Michigan. Now he returns to the NFL playoffs, guiding the Chargers to a big rebound from a 5-12 record in 2023 while showing that wherever he goes, he wins.
The worst stupidity:Rashee Rice. The Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver had the audacity to engage in a drag race on the North Central Expressway in Dallas in March. Fortunately, no one was killed in the ensuing wreck, which led to multiple criminal charges against the man who put a promising career in jeopardy. The fact that he left the scene of the accident was also a bad impression.
Best career recovery:Sam Darnold. Once discarded by the New York Jets, who drafted the quarterback third overall in 2018, who knew? Darnold (who also made pit stops in Carolina and San Francisco) ultimately fulfilled his promise after landing with the Minnesota Vikings on a one-year deal. We’ll see if that extends into a long-term deal, considering the Vikings drafted JJ McCarthy, now rehabbing, in the first round in April. Regardless, by leading the team to share the NFL’s best record (14-2), Darnold put himself back on the map as an MVP candidate and legitimate QB option in a league still short of Legitimate QBs.
The worst political blow:Nick Bosa. The 49ers defensive end showed off his bad manners by launching into a postgame interview live on NBC and showing off a MAGA hat. He was ultimately fined $11,255 — not for supporting Donald Trump, but for violating the league’s uniform policy. Bosa saw it as money well spent, but his reluctance to explain his position was troubling on another level — and in stark contrast to the willingness, years earlier, of another high-profile 49er, Colin Kaepernick, to to explain why he knelt during the attack. the national anthem.
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Best emergency kicker:Matthew Wright. A journeyman who has worked with eight NFL teams since 2019 – including several with four teams – Wright kicked a 31-yard field goal in December that lifted the Chiefs to a ninth consecutive A-West title. Wright, 28, was in his third tour with the Chiefs and played for four teams in the 2024 calendar year. The Chiefs, incidentally, became the first team in NFL history to win three games in one season with field goals…by three different kickers. And Wright, incidentally, was waived by the Chiefs three days after earning AFC Special Teams Player of the Week honors because Harrison Butker was activated off injured reserve.
Worst return on investment:Kirk Cousins. In March, the Atlanta Falcons signed the veteran quarterback, coming off a torn Achilles, to a four-year, $180 million free agent contract that guaranteed $100 million. In December, Cousins — with an NFL-high 16 interceptions — was benched and replaced by first-round rookie Michael Penix Jr. Of course, Falcons owner Arthur Blank is rich. But a franchise that hasn’t made the playoffs since 2017 could have used the dollars invested in Cousins, 34, to acquire other talent. And Cousins’ successor with the Vikings, Sam Darnold, turned out to be a steal with a one-year, $10 million deal. The Cousins trade also cost Atlanta a 2025 fifth-round pick as the league determined the team violated its anti-tampering policy.
Best improvisation: Josh Allen. It was a season of big plays for the Buffalo Bills quarterback, the first player in league history to throw for 40 touchdowns (passing and rushing) in five consecutive seasons. No play was bigger than Allen’s 26-yard touchdown run against the Chiefs in November, when the quarterback went off script and decided to come out of the pocket rather than throw a short pass on fourth-and-1. second. That sealed the victory that spoiled the Chiefs’ attempt at a perfect season and ended a 15-game winning streak.
Worst legendary impact:Aaron Rodgers. That tour with the New York Jets just didn’t work out for the four-time NFL MVP. After his 2023 season was marred by a torn Achilles tendon, the curtain call included the firing of coach Robert Saleh, a 4-12 record (to this point), and the worst season of Rodgers’ career. No, the reunion with Davante Adams did not change the situation. All this calls for a retreat into darkness.
Best Emerging Legend:Jayden Daniels, whose highlight package includes the 52-yard Hail Mary touchdown pass to Noah Brown in October, is the star quarterback Washington’s commanders have been praying for. Drafted second overall, he is a candidate for NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year honors after leading the Commanders to their first winning record since 2016 and their first playoff berth since 2020. Currently road, Daniels became the first quarterback in its 105-year history. of the NFL to throw a touchdown pass in the final 30 seconds of five different victories. Legendary stuff.
The worst talker: Tyrique Stevenson. The Chicago Bears cornerback taunted Washington fans as he headed toward the end zone to prepare for a last-second desperate heave by the Commanders. Then he ate a hell of a crow. Not only did Commanders execute the miracle pass, but Stevenson deflected the ball after having to scramble to get into position to play the “Hail Mary” defense. Oops. Moral of the episode: Shut up and play.
Best celebration:Josh Metellus and Camryn Bynum. Vikings safeties celebrated an interception in mid-December with a flawless rendition of the club scene dance that Shawn and Marlon Wayans performed in the movie “White Chicks.” It’s hard to pick one, because no one parties like the Vikings, who prepare with lots of rehearsals. Other creative efforts include the “secret handshake” from “The Parent Trap” and the choreographed “We’re All in this Together” dance from “High School Musical.”
Best free agent pickup:Saquon Barkley. Life as a Philadelphia Eagle is booming for the star running back who became the ninth player in NFL history to pass for 2,000 yards rushing and is headed to the regular season finale with just 101 yards short of breaking the single-season rushing record (2,105 rushing yards). yards) that Eric Dickerson takes place in 1984. The fact that Barkley could reach the mark against the New York Giants is a reminder of how badly his former team made a mistake in failing to lock him up with a long-term extension, choosing instead to invest in the quarterback Daniel Jones, since released. Then there’s the priceless footage from HBO’s “Hard Knocks,” when Giants co-owner John Mara was recorded mulling a trade for Barkley to an NFC East rival. Mara thought, “I’m going to have trouble sleeping.” What a nightmare for Mara.
Worst opening speech: Harrison Butker. When the Chiefs kick addressing graduates of Benedictine College, at a Catholic liberal arts school in Atchison, Kansas, it sparked a backlash so intense that the NFL issued a statement distancing itself from Butker’s remarks. The kicker addressed abortion, homosexuality, Pride Month, COVID-19 vaccinations and urged college-educated women to become housewives. The Chiefs did not follow suit with a newspaper editorial or online petition to remove their star specialist, but instead made a statement about the separation of church, state, performance and freedom of speech: They signed Butker to a four-year, $25.6 million extension. this makes him the highest paid kicker in the NFL.
Top pick six:Leonard Williams. He ran 92 yards. Then hit the oxygen. The Seattle Seahawks defensive lineman marked his return to the Big Apple in early December and burned his former team, as well as Aaron Rodgers, with his long-distance rumble to pay dirt – the longest return touchdown in interception ever made by a D-lineman and the longest by a Seattle Seahawks defensive lineman. player weighing at least 300 pounds since the turn of the century. Williams, who played five seasons each with the Giants and Jets, also had two sacks on his banner day.
The Worst Super Bowl Hangover. The San Francisco 49ers. It was a disastrous season for the defending NFC champions (6-10), who fell from first to worst in the NFC West. Where did he go off the rails? Injuries, notably those to running back Christian McCaffrey, greatly contributed to their fate. Then again, it might have been different if 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan had opted to kick off to the Chiefs after winning the coin toss in overtime.
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