Gone are the days that we have to pretend to like the fourth quarters of preseason games. As of Thursday night when the Kansas City Chiefs play host to the Baltimore Ravens in the 2024 regular-season opener, we have meaningful football on deck until February when we reach Super Bowl LIX.
The start of every season brings with it a wide array of optimism and curiosity as to what the year may bring. I mean, who guessed that C.J. Stroud was going to have arguably the best rookie season by a quarterback ever or that Puka Nacua would shatter the record book for rookie receivers? Or what about the Eagles enduring a late-season collapse after reaching the Super Bowl? The point is that just when you think you have the NFL pegged, it throws us a curveball.
In that spirit, we're going to roll out a handful of bold predictions that the 2024 campaign could throw at us. Remember, these are bold predictions and are not exactly things we expect to happen, but that there's a universe where it could happen. And with that, let's get to it!
1. Aaron Rodgers faces Packers in Super Bowl LIX
We're starting with a BANG! Not only does Aaron Rodgers return to form after missing his entire first season with the New York Jets in 2023, but he brings the downtrodden franchise to New Orleans for Super Bowl LIX. And which team does he find waiting for him on Bourbon Street? The Green Bay Packers.
This matchup would set the NFL on fire considering Rodgers spent the first 18 years of his career with the Packers, won a Super Bowl with the franchise along with four MVP awards. He had a rather unceremonious departure from the organization in 2023, which paved the way for his trade to the Jets. So, to have the future Hall of Famer square off against his former team and the quarterback who spent years sitting behind him in Jordan Love on the NFL's biggest stage, it would almost be too much to handle. If this matchup doesn't have enough spice for you, then you should probably try and be the latest guest on Hot Ones.
Oh, for what it's worth, this is also my official Super Bowl pick and I have the Packers getting the better of Rodgers and hoisting the Lombardi Trophy.
2. Marvin Harrison Jr. bests Puka Nacua's rookie season
Puka Nacua's record-setting rookie season was so historic that it's borderline insulting to suggest that someone could top it just a year later. However, it's not every day that a talent like Marvin Harrison Jr. enters the NFL. The Cardinals selected Harrison Jr. with the No. 4 overall pick at the 2024 NFL Draft and it's not hyperbole to suggest that he's the most hyped rookie receiver entering the league in recent memory. Harrison was a star at Ohio State and landed in a perfect situation in Arizona that will have them rewriting the record books before the ink is even dry for Nacua.
In 2023, Nacua set the single-season rookie records in receptions (105) and receiving yards (1,486). With a healthy Kyler Murray, Harrison Jr. should get the target share to surpass those numbers. From 2019 to 2022, Murray has the third-highest completion percentage among quarterbacks when targeting wide receivers (67%). When paired with DeAndre Hopkins for 16 games in 2020, that duo connected on 115 catches for 1,407 yards receiving. That simply shows that Murray is capable of producing at a high level when he has a top-flight receiver, which he's since regained in Harrison Jr. heading into 2024.
Look for Harrison Jr. to enter the NFL as advertised.
3. Raiders trade Davante Adams
There was plenty of smoke surrounding the Las Vegas Raiders possibly trading Davante Adams this offseason, but it never came to fruition. However, that doesn't mean that the book is closed on a blockbuster that sends the star wide receiver out of Sin City. In fact, I predict that the Raiders stumble this season to the point that when they get to the trading deadline they elect to move on from Adams (possibly at his request) and recoup assets to further a rebuild.
Adams is signed through the 2026 season, but his contract isn't too cumbersome where it would deter teams from trading for him. His base salary for the two seasons after 2024 is at $35.64 million, which could easily be restructured with whatever team decides to pull the trigger on a deal. There will be plenty of suitor for Adams (Commanders and Jets to name a couple) and while we won't predict where he'll land, we will say that he will not finish the 2024 season as a Raider.
4. Deshaun Watson deal officially becomes worst trade ever
Lost in the shuffle of Cleveland's run to the playoffs last season under Joe Flacco was that it was, well under Joe Flacco. The fact that a 38-year-old veteran was able to squeeze more out of the Browns offense than Watson, who is currently playing under a fully guaranteed $230 million contract, is a scary thought if you're the brass in Cleveland. While his contract doesn't allow for much wiggle room to get out of given its fully guaranteed nature, we predict that the 2024 season proves to be the year that we can officially dub the Watson tenure a failure and the worst trade in NFL history.
As a refresher, the Browns traded first-round picks in 2022, 2023 and 2024 in exchange for Watson along with a third-rounder in 2023 and fourth-round picks in 2022 and 2024. And they gave him that massive contract.
For that major investment, Watson has missed 11 games in each of the last two seasons (a suspension in 2022 and an injury in 2023). In the last two years, Watson has gone 8-4 as a starter in his 12 games played for the organization and the offense has averaged 19.7 points per game. When any other quarterback has played over that same stretch, the team is 10-12, but the offense is averaging 21.5 points per game and more yards per play. There will be more of the same of that in 2024 thus giving us an answer of who Watson is at this stage of his career.
5. Spencer Rattler unseats Derek Carr in New Orleans
Derek Carr sneakily played well down the stretch last season, leading New Orleans to a 4-1 record over his final five starts. In that stretch, he threw for 14 touchdowns and just two interceptions. While impressive on the surface, the opponents over that final run weren't exactly the 2007 New England Patriots. The Carolina Panthers, New York Giants, and Atlanta Falcons were among those wins and each of those opponents was in the top 10 of the NFL Draft this past spring.
So, it's possible -- if not likely -- that the Derek Carr we saw over the first 12 games is more of what the Saints are set to get in 2024. In those dozen games, Carr was 5-7 and completed 66.2% of his throws while tossing 11 touchdowns and six interceptions. Not terrible, but not a playoff-caliber ceiling. If that continues and the Saints feel like they've gotten the most they can out of Carr, they now have a young quarterback they can begin building around in fifth-round pick Spencer Rattler.
New Orleans can get out of Carr's contract after this season and if they fall out of the playoff race in the NFC South, it'd be wise for them to see what they have in Rattler before possibly jumping back into the quarterback market next offseason.
The Saints have a Week 12 bye this season, which would be an ideal time to get a full picture of Carr and possibly make the swap to Rattler, who impressed this preseason, to close out the year.
