2024-2025 NFL Thread

[xskarma]

Welcome everyone to the 2024-2025 NFL Thread

Where we discuss the 2024-2025 NFL season from the legal tampering days in March, all the way to the Superbowl of this season on February 9, 2025, at Caesars Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana with all the news and all the games that go on in between.



Thread Rules:

There aren't many specific rules in this thread other than the normal forum rules that apply everywhere. We expect people to follow the spirit of the thread and the forum, mostly by respecting that every one has a favorite team and is entitled to cheer for them. Some banter is fine, insulting and trolling is not.

We also ask to keep the discussion largely centered around the current season and to leave in depth discussions about which team or player from yesteryear was better than which other team/player to threads made to discuss such a topic.




Let's start off with some things from last year's thread:

Links to previous seasons threads:

• 2010-2013 thread: link
• 2013-2014 thread: link
• 2014-2015 thread: link
• 2015-2016 thread: link
• 2016-2017 thread: link
• 2017-2018 thread: link
• 2018-2019 thread: link
• 2019-2020 thread: link
• 2020-2021 thread: link
• 2021-2022 thread: link
• 2022-2023 thread: link
• 2023-2024 thread: link

Calendar 2024:

March

March 11-13 During the period beginning at 12:00 noon, New York time, on March 11 and ending at 3:59:59 p.m., New York time, on March 13, clubs are permitted to contact, and enter into contract negotiations with the certified agents of players who will become unrestricted free agents upon the expiration of their 2023 player contracts at 4:00 p.m., New York time, on March 13.

During the above two-day negotiating period, a prospective UFA who is not represented by an NFLPA Certified Contract Advisor (“Unrepresented Player”) is permitted to communicate directly with a new club’s front office officials (excluding the head coach and other members of the club’s coaching staff) regarding contract negotiations. The club is responsible for confirming the player’s status as an Unrepresented Player.
No prospective unrestricted free agent is permitted to execute a contract with a new club until 4:00 p.m., New York time, on March 13.

March 13 The 2024 League Year and Free Agency signing period begin at 4:00 p.m., New York time.
Trading period for 2024 begins at 4:00 p.m., New York time, after expiration of all 2023 contracts.

The first day of the 2024 League Year will end at 11:59:59 p.m., New York time, on March 13. Clubs will receive a Personnel Notice that will include all transactions submitted to the League office during the period between 4:00 p.m., New York time, and 11:59:59 p.m., New York time, on March 13.

March 24-27 Annual League Meeting, Orlando, FL

April & May

April 25-27 NFL Draft, Detroit

May 2 Deadline for Clubs to exercise Fifth-Year Option for players selected in the first round of the 2021 Draft.

May 20-22 Spring League Meeting/Coach Accelerator, Nashville, TN


July

Mid July Training Camp

August

All August Training Camp and Pre-Season games

September

September ?? Start of the Season with the ??? at the Kansas City Chiefs to open the season on a Thursday and the rest of the league on Sunday and Monday after.




Continued Discussion:

DT Chris Jones staying with the Chiefs. 95M basically guaranteed in the first 3 years. Fat deal, which somehow seems dumb by the Chiefs considering they could have just done this last year if they are going to keep him anyway.

Anyway, this was all prety much expected after the Chiefs used their franchise tag on Sneed. You knew they must be convinced they could get a Jones deal done at that point.

Mac Jones dumped off to the Jags

Fletcher Cox retired

Malcolm Butler retired

Still nothing on Kirk Cousins yet, Vikings would be dumb to let him walk though.

Kirk ain't leaving. What's he gonna do, go to the rebuilding Broncos?

Falcons is the most logical option other than the Vikings. If he leaves, it will probably be because the Vikings want to draft someone and don't want to pay Cousins again.

The Broncos are most likely starting Stidham or whatever QB is available in the 3rd round.

Trying to mentally prepare for the Patriots inevitable overpays for guys that are flawed and need specific roles that they might not even get on the Patriots.

I worry about 60M with 30M guaranteed for the likes of Calvin Ridley and similar bad deals. Not going great.

Lastly:


We hope everyone that likes football will join us as we go on the journey to learn who will eventually follow last year's winners the Kansas City Chiefs as the 2024-2025 NFL Superbowl LVIII winners.

Have at it, ladies and gentlemen!

Signed, the mods.

[Pendulous]

Eagles losing players to retirement. Can Dallas break the trend of NFC East teams not repeating? No faith in the Giants. Washington has a better chance than them.

[xskarma]

Bobby Wagner and Kirk Cousins both now reported to test Free Agency.

[Jodmos]

Lastly:


We hope everyone that likes football will join us as we go on the journey to learn who will eventually follow last year's winners the Kansas City Chiefs as the 2024-2025 NFL Superbowl LVIII winners.

Have at it, ladies and gentlemen!

Signed, the mods.

You mean, the Chiefs again.

[draynay]

Baker staying with Tampa

[Crissi]

Eagles losing players to retirement. Can Dallas break the trend of NFC East teams not repeating? No faith in the Giants. Washington has a better chance than them.

The curse is simply too strong. Philly prob gets it again.

[Slowpoke is a Gamer]

The NFL has wanted it for years, this is the year they finally get it.

Super Bowl 1 rematch. Chiefs-Packers. Jordan Love cements himself as one of the NFL's best by stopping the three-peat.

[xskarma]

Patriots keep one of their own. Kendrick Bourne re-signs with the team after being SUPER hot to start the year last year and then suffering an ACL. Gets $19.5M with potential up to $33M over 3 years. Fair deal for both sides.

Between Bourne and Hunter Henry being back and Rhamondre Stevenson still in the backfield, we have at least some barebones competency at the skill positions. We need to build on this though. Competency at the level we have resigned so far got us absolutely nowhere last season.

What we need is a true difference maker at WR. Someone that teams have to game plan against that allows these complimentary pieces to do their job.

I don't think there's any receivers like that in Free Agency so this will need to come from the draft.

Patriots have been heavily linked to Calvin Ridley, but he's not an X reciever which is what we need. He'd just compete with Kendrick Bourne for the Z snaps, or be ill used just like he was in Jacksonville last season.

Honestly, the more I think about it, the more I hate the fit for Ridley on the Patriots, especially with Bourne back under contract.



EDIT: One of the beat writers in NL that I trust mentions that NE might go for more condensed looks with the receivers closer to the formation, reducing the need for a true X receiver and that NE might also just use Bourne and Ridley interchangeably and move both around a lot to create the look they want.

NE Beat writers doing what they can to keep my spirits up. <3

[eschatological]

If the Bills can't get back to the Super Bowl with Josh Allen, I might just jump off the Peace Bridge, so I'll pick Bills-49ers for the Chris Berman special. Mostly for my own sanity.

[Kyanion]

Sure as fuck not picking the Saints to win much anything

[Vetali]

Lots of Seahawks twitter quote tweeting multiple reports that Arik Armstead gonna test free agency.

Bobby Wagner isn't surprising. Thats a position that Macdonald likely wants to get much faster at. Wagner can still play so I expect somewhere to pay him.

[Slowpoke is a Gamer]

Russ to the Steelers. So they're cooked for this year.

[xskarma]

Russ to the Steelers. So they're cooked for this year.

That's the absolute last team I expected Russ to end up on. We will see if Tomlin can get more out of him than other coaches have done lately.


As to my predictions:

The Patriots had a horrendous season last season.

They have a whole new coaching staff.

They are starting a rookie QB or a bridge QB.

They are stuck in a division with Josh Allen and the Bills.

So predicting anything beyond "hopefully not as bad as last year" is probably hopium.




but...

Last season, we felt that the defense was super good and if only Mac Jones got back to his rookie season form and the offense in general stopped being horrendous, then the team could really go places.

And that ended with the defense being really good, but being on the field too much due to short drives and a gross amount of turnovers.

But, I can't help but think that this year is honestly not much different than last year.

So maybe feeling depressed about our chances this season might be just as wrong as expecting sneaky post season success was last year.

The defense is still good, we just need to offense to not be a burning tire fire. IF the offense can just stay on the field and score a league average amount of points, we'd already be super frisky.

So is that too much to ask from a rookie QB and a new coaching staff? Maybe? probably! But I can't help but feel that as much as last season was a let down, that this season will be better than expected.

[Vetali]

Wish the best to them. Sounds like its a vet min too.

[draynay]

Sure as fuck not picking the Saints to win much anything

In such a mediocre division building off a good draft will be enough to win it, so yea, the Saints are doomed, horrible draft incoming.

[Slowpoke is a Gamer]

Wish the best to them. Sounds like its a vet min too.

Broncos cover anything the Steelers won't pay him so why not sign for vet minimum and maybe they can put a good team around him?

Now I guess question is where does Pickett end up because I doubt he's going to sit behind Wilson for a year.

[Kyanion]

Russ to the Steelers. So they're cooked for this year.

If he is going to the Steelers to compete for the starting job he really did have no good options. Kinda funny.

- - - Updated - - -

In such a mediocre division building off a good draft will be enough to win it, so yea, the Saints are doomed, horrible draft incoming.

I feel like with Carr you're just doomed to be average, which is the worst spot to be.

- - - Updated - - -

In sadder news it seems like the Saints are going to release Michael Thomas to save some cap money. Apparently some drama on that front so probably for the best to end it. Would have loved to see what happened with his career if he didn't miss so many games due to injury.

[draynay]

In sadder news it seems like the Saints are going to release Michael Thomas to save some cap money. Apparently some drama on that front so probably for the best to end it. Would have loved to see what happened with his career if he didn't miss so many games due to injury.

I'm guessing with Maye that will be both June designations, so those won't even count for the cap until then.

The big news I'm waiting on is a Peat extension before his contract voids. It would be nice to have somebody with Ramczyk being so uncertain, and to avoid a huge dead money hit.

[xskarma]

Wasn't the Michael Thomas thing a prearranged situation where they knew they would release him, but they had a handshake deal that he would then sign back when the new season started? Cap bullshittery as usual.

I still follow Nick Underhill on twitter and he is THE guy for Saints coverage on a local level, and that's what I understood from some tweets he sent about stuff he had written about the situation.

[draynay]

Wasn't the Michael Thomas thing a prearranged situation where they knew they would release him, but they had a handshake deal that he would then sign back when the new season started? Cap bullshittery as usual.

I still follow Nick Underhill on twitter and he is THE guy for Saints coverage on a local level, and that's what I understood from some tweets he sent about stuff he had written about the situation.

He's been burning every bridge in sight.

And as far as cap structure, cutting him and re-signing him would only hurt the team by accelerating dead money for no reason. Last year's restructure made his release inevitable and his lack of tact on social media shows it.

- - - Updated - - -

I can't find consistent data on it, but I think the Saints also have some outlandish bonuses that would trigger for guys like Thomas and Winston that force them to be released.