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Stephen Holder
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Brooke Pryor
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Brooke Pryor
ESPN Staff Writer
- Previously covered the Kansas City Chiefs for the Kansas City Star and Oklahoma University for the Oklahoman.
Most of the NFL’s 32 training camps will commence Tuesday, as a roughly 6½-month journey — culminating with Super Bowl LIX at Caesars Superdome in New Orleans on Feb. 9 — kicks into gear. The days, weeks and months since the Kansas City Chiefs broke the hearts of the San Francisco 49ers in 25-22 overtime fashion in Super Bowl LVIII on Feb. 11 in Las Vegas have been mighty eventful. If the league exited your radar at the moment Travis Kelce was heard “singing” atop the Super Bowl champions’ podium, here’s everything you might have missed:
Jump to:
Who changed teams | Rodgers saga | Coaching moves
Historic draft | Rules changes | Big contracts
Schedule expansion? | Other news
Who changed addresses?
Editor’s Picks
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Three members of the dismal 2022 quarterback draft class — Desmond Ridder, Sam Howell and Kenny Pickett — were traded this offseason, with Ridder heading to the Cardinals, Howell to Seattle and Pickett to the Eagles. All three started games in 2023, and all three are widely expected to be backups with their new teams.
The wide receiver market was also active as the Bills traded Stefon Diggs to the Texans, the Bears landed Keenan Allen from the Chargers, and the Broncos swapped Jerry Jeudy for a pair of the Browns’ late-round picks.
There was also plenty of shuffling among running backs in the offseason. Not only did longtime Giant Saquon Barkley sign with the Eagles, but former Titan Derrick Henry signed with the Ravens and one-time rushing champ Josh Jacobs went to the Packers, while former Packer Aaron Jones went to the Vikings.
And let’s not forget the slew of blockbuster defensive moves across the league. The Panthers traded DE Brian Burns to the Giants, while the reigning Super Bowl champs shipped cornerback L’Jarius Sneed to the Titans. New York’s other NFL team landed DE Haason Reddick in a trade with the Eagles.
Miami fan favorite DT Christian Wilkins also has a new home, signing a free agent deal with the Raiders, and Danielle Hunter signed with the Texans.
Got all that? There won’t be a quiz, but there will be fantasy football drafts, and y’all might want to study up.
1:47
RG III: ‘Great year for Jets fans’ if Aaron Rodgers plays to his standard
Robert Griffin III joins “Get Up” and details how Aaron Rodgers’ health is a key priority for the New York Jets in quest to land a spot in the Super Bowl.
Aaron Rodgers and offseason drama (rinse, repeat)
Who has a new coach?
A draft unlike any we’ve seen
What to know from the 2024 NFL draft
• See all 257 picks | Pick analysis
• Kiper’s draft grades | Best, worst picks
• Ranking best 100 picks | Overreactions
• Big takeaways | Yates’ favorite picks
• Every trade | Read more on the draft
No. 2 pick Jayden Daniels takes over in Washington; Drake Maye went No. 3 to New England; Michael Penix Jr. stunningly was selected by Atlanta at No. 8 (despite the spring signing of Kirk Cousins); J.J. McCarthy was chosen 10th by the Vikings; and Bo Nix gets a chance to replace Russell Wilson in Denver after becoming the 12th pick.
Even the most ambitious predictions didn’t project such a long parade of quarterbacks being chosen so quickly. But the difficulty of landing a franchise quarterback for teams that lack one has compelled teams to be more audacious than ever in drafting the position. Meanwhile, wide receivers were also popular in Round 1, with a record-tying seven selected in the first 32 picks. Marvin Harrison Jr. (fourth overall, Arizona), Malik Nabers (sixth overall, Giants) and Rome Odunze (ninth overall, Bears) all went in the top 10 and could be among the most intriguing rookies on the field this season. Pass rusher Laiatu Latu went to the Indianapolis Colts at 15th overall, the first defensive player off the board.
2:03
McAfee breaks down strategy for new NFL kickoff rule
Pat McAfee discusses the new kickoff rule for the NFL and how that will affect strategy.
Know your rules
What to know for the 2024 NFL offseason
• Early buzz on all 32 first-round picks
• Preseason FPI projections and analysis
• Barnwell: Offseason outlook (ESPN+): AFC | NFC
• Post-draft Power Rankings: 1-32 poll
• NFL schedule: Predictions, takeaways
• Draft: See all 257 picks | Pick analysis
The league also expanded the use of replay, now permitting reviews of plays where the quarterback was ruled down by contact or out of bounds before throwing a pass. There can also be replay when there is “clear and obvious visual evidence” that the game clock expired before the snap.
Teams can also earn a third challenge after winning their first. Previously, a team had to win both challenges to get a third.
Other rule changes include the trade deadline getting pushed back to after the Week 9 games, emergency quarterbacks being able to be on the practice squad rather than the 53-man roster, and allowing an unlimited number of players to be designated to return to a team in the postseason.
2:11
Pat McAfee applauds Trevor Lawrence’s contract extension with the Jaguars
Pat McAfee breaks down Trevor Lawrence’s journey to his new extension with the Jaguars and the implications moving forward.
Who got paid?
Best of NFL Nation
• How Packers’ ownership works
• Reviewing a wild NFL offseason
• How to watch the Hall of Fame Game
• How Lance has trained for future
• Mahomes excited about Worthy
Chiefs defensive tackle Chris Jones, coming off a sensational performance in the Super Bowl, also cashed in. He signed a massive $158.75 million contract that included $95 million in total guarantees.
But not everyone who was seeking big money got it.
San Francisco 49ers receiver Brandon Aiyuk‘s standoff with the team continued as he requested a trade last week. Aiyuk has been seeking a contract extension from the club, but the sides have been unable to reach a deal. Aiyuk has one season remaining on his rookie deal.
Relatedly, the Prescott situation in Dallas is compounded by the lack of a deal between Cowboys receiver CeeDee Lamb and the team. Lamb stayed away from the team all offseason — including mandatory practices — as he awaits a contract extension entering the final season of his rookie deal.
Meanwhile, Cincinnati Bengals receiver Tee Higgins will have to settle for playing on the franchise tag this season as the team decided against a multiyear extension. Higgins remains the only player to receive the franchise tag this year but not ultimately sign a multiyear contract.
2:34
How are the players reacting to a potential 18-game NFL regular season?
Brooke Pryor shares reaction from around the NFL to a potential 18-game regular season and explains what needs to happen to make it a reality.
Schedule expansion dreams … and a costly verdict
Other news
Holder: That sound you heard back in March was quarterbacks around the NFL rejoicing after hearing the news that Aaron Donald had retired. One of the best defensive linemen of all time, Donald walked away after 10 seasons, accumulating eight first-team All-Pro selections, 111 sacks and 24 forced fumbles…
Colts quarterback Anthony Richardson appears healthy again after missing 13 games as a rookie last year with a season-ending injury to his right (throwing) shoulder. Richardson experienced some soreness after a heavy workload and missed the final day of offseason practices in June. But the word from the team is the 2023 No. 4 overall draft pick will be ready to begin training camp as the undisputed starter…
Chiefs receiver Rashee Rice faces one count of aggravated assault, one count of collision involving serious bodily injury and six counts of collision involving injury after his involvement in a chain-reaction auto accident in Texas in April. What remains to be seen is if and when the still-unresolved legal matter results in an NFL suspension. An unrelated matter involving Rice, an altercation at a Dallas nightclub, did not result in charges…
The NFL is taking a major step forward in its internationalization of the sport, with a matchup featuring the Philadelphia Eagles and Green Bay Packers slated to kick off the season Sept. 6 in Sao Paulo — the first regular-season game to be played in Brazil. The NFL is also returning to London this season for three games, with another to be played in Munich. The league announced further plans to expand its international footprint in 2025 with a regular-season game scheduled for Madrid…
Pittsburgh Steelers cornerback Cameron Sutton was suspended eight games without pay under the league’s personal conduct policy following his arrest in April in a domestic violence case. Sutton, while still a member of the Detroit Lions, was charged with misdemeanor battery after turning himself in to authorities in Florida in March. He subsequently entered a pretrial diversion program. Sutton was released by the Lions and later signed a one-year contract with the Steelers.
