The 2024 NFL season is finally upon us. When the Baltimore Ravens and Kansas City Chiefs face off Thursday night in a rematch of last season’s AFC Championship Game, so begins an action-packed, highly entertaining, high-stakes marathon like none other.
From well-established icons to old faces in new places and fresh-faced franchise saviors, the league is full of impactful figures whose performances will define the season.
We’ve zeroed in on 24 of the most intriguing players to watch during this 2024 NFL regular season.
Once again, the future Hall of Famer will try to rescue the Jets and transform them into Super Bowl contenders. Last year’s quest amounted to just four snaps before Rodgers’ left Achilles tendon ruptured. The Jets have since worked to fortify their offensive line in hopes of keeping their prized quarterback upright. Can he deliver?
The NFL’s best player enters the 2024 season on a historic mission. Mahomes, 28, already belongs to an elite fraternity of quarterbacks with at least three Lombardi Trophies, joining Tom Brady, Joe Montana, Terry Bradshaw and Troy Aikman. Mahomes, Brady, Bradshaw, Aikman, Montana, John Elway, Bob Griese and Bart Starr are the only quarterbacks to win back-to-back Super Bowls. But three straight? No one has pulled off that feat, but nothing feels impossible for Mahomes.
GO DEEPER
Why each of the Top 10 Super Bowl contenders will (or won’t) hoist the Lombardi in February
Few quarterbacks have entered the NFL with the level of hype that surrounds Williams. The former USC star is viewed as a generational talent, NFL-ready from Day 1 for the Bears, who have gone 39 years since their last Super Bowl victory. Nothing seems to faze Williams — not the spotlight, not the money, not the scrutiny. Is Williams indeed a significantly better prospect than fellow rookie quarterbacks Jayden Daniels (Washington) and Drake Maye (New England), taken at Nos. 2 and 3? And can he turn the Bears into a playoff team in Year 1?
Jackson last season became only the 11th player in NFL history to win multiple MVP awards. He garnered the honor after carrying the Ravens to the best record in the AFC (13-4) and to the AFC Championship Game, where they lost 17-10 to Mahomes and the Chiefs. Personal accolades are nice, but Jackson knows his 2-4 playoff record (along with six interceptions and six touchdown passes in those games) is the glaring blemish on his resume. A Super Bowl ring would validate him as one of the best quarterbacks of his generation. Could the offseason addition of perennial 1,000-yard rusher Derrick Henry give Jackson the support he needs to achieve maximum effectiveness and success?
A torn Achilles tendon in Week 8 derailed Cousins and the Vikings’ 2023 playoff hopes, then he hit the free-agent market and earned $180 million over four seasons from the Falcons. Atlanta GM Terry Fontenot and new head coach Raheem Morris believe Cousins can elevate a young, talented roster to NFC South contention and the playoffs. Yet they still made the surprise decision to draft Michael Penix Jr. eighth overall. The plan is to redshirt Penix for a few seasons, but the pressure is already on for Cousins.
C.J. Stroud and the Texans open the season with high expectations after a 10-7 campaign in 2023. (Troy Taormina / USA Today)
Stroud shocked the league as a rookie and delivered Houston a division title, helping the Texans return to the playoffs for the first time since the 2019 season. But with success comes expectations. The Texans went out and got Stroud another top-flight wide receiver in Stefon Diggs and a reliable veteran running back in Joe Mixon. The team and its fans now crave a deep playoff run. Can Stroud avoid the sophomore slump and propel his team further?
The 31-year-old Prescott is coming off the finest statistical season of his career and consistently ranks among the most effective passers in the NFL. Yet team owner Jerry Jones has yet to reward him accordingly. For now, Prescott is set to enter 2024 playing in the final year of his contract. In Dallas, the expectations always center on a Super Bowl hunt, and until Prescott delivers, he’ll be viewed as lacking. Is this the year he finally satisfies his owner and his critics, or is this his Dallas farewell tour?
GO DEEPER
Dak Prescott carries all the leverage in negotiations with Cowboys — and he knows it
He’s the most dominant wide receiver in the game and one of the best players at any position. But Jefferson has a tall task this season. With Cousins now in Atlanta, Jefferson must make journeyman Sam Darnold look like a competent NFL quarterback and position the Vikings for success in an NFC North. That won’t be easy in a division that includes Detroit, which advanced to last season’s NFC title game, and Super Bowl dark-horse candidate Green Bay. Can Jefferson, who has delivered four straight 1,000-yard seasons, put up the same numbers with Darnold (56 interceptions, 38 fumbles and a 78.3 passer rating) throwing to him?
He was the $230-million man on a mission to restore his image and simultaneously transform the Browns into Super Bowl contenders. But here we are with Watson entering Year 3 in Cleveland and still in search of the magic that made him a star in Houston. Suspension limited Watson to six rusty performances in 2022, then shoulder surgery ended Watson’s 2023 season after six games. The Browns have handled Watson with care this preseason, but he’s expected to play in Week 1. Watson must finally put it all together and validate the Browns’ decision to award him that record-setting, fully guaranteed contract.
The Giants have one massive question mark at quarterback, where 2019 first-round pick Daniel Jones has yet to establish himself as a bona fide NFL starter. They passed on the chance to draft a quarterback this spring, and instead used the sixth pick on LSU’s Nabers. The 6-foot, 200-pounder flashed in the preseason and seems capable of fulfilling the Giants’ long-standing need for an elite playmaker. Two years ago, the acquisition of Tyreek Hill helped Tua Tagovailoa settle in and begin ascending as a passer. Could Nabers’ presence have a similar impact on Jones, who lost one security blanket in Saquon Barkley and now enters a make-or-break season?
Committed to seeing 2019 No. 1 pick Kyler Murray live up to his potential as one of the most dynamic quarterbacks in the league, the Cardinals used their top pick on Harrison — one of the most polished wide receiver prospects to enter the NFL in some time. The son of Hall of Famer and Indianapolis Colts great Marvin Harrison will be asked to restore explosiveness to a Cardinals team that mustered only 19.4 points a game last season and has just one winning season in the last eight years.
GO DEEPER
Preseason rookie winners and losers: Which 2024 first-round picks thrived in August?
Everyone expected the Raiders to emerge from the 2024 draft with a franchise quarterback, even if that meant moving up to take one. Instead, they passed on the position entirely. That set the stage for a battle between journeyman Gardner Minshew and second-year pro Aidan O’Connell, who went 5-5 as a starter last season. Minshew won the job and will try to make the Raiders relevant in the AFC West after helping the Colts vie for a playoff berth last season.
Minshew is a gunslinger, but in five NFL seasons he has never been a full-time starter. Last season was also the first time he posted a winning record (7-6). Can Minshew help the Raiders overtake the Broncos and Chargers and land that second division spot behind the Chiefs and a wild-card bid?
Expectations are high for the second-year pro, who has all of the physical gifts necessary to dominate in the NFL. But no one knows exactly how good Richardson (the fourth pick in 2023) can be because he played in only four games before suffering a shoulder injury that required surgery. The Colts fell one win shy of making the playoffs even without Richardson. They view their strong-armed, uber-athletic quarterback as a legit difference maker.
The Panthers last season picked Alabama’s Young first overall ahead of Stroud. Young didn’t come anywhere close to rivaling Stroud in impact on his franchise. Young did, however, find himself amid organizational turmoil — Frank Reich didn’t even last the full season as head coach. So, Young deserves a degree of grace. Panthers owner David Tepper tabbed former Buccaneers offensive coordinator Dave Canales, who helped Geno Smith and Baker Mayfield salvage their careers, as the head coach to turn around the team and develop Young into a franchise quarterback.
In 2022, Hurts was one of the NFL’s brightest breakout stars. He received MVP consideration and carried the Eagles to the Super Bowl, only to narrowly lose a shootout with Mahomes. Last season, after opening the season 10-1, the Eagles collapsed, losing six of their final seven games, including the playoff opener at Tampa Bay. Critics wondered if Hurts had regressed, but the problem likely had more to do with coach Nick Sirianni’s failure to further evolve the offense. This offseason, Sirianni hired Kellen Moore to take over the unit and maximize the talents of Hurts, A.J. Brown, DeVonta Smith, Dallas Goedert and new piece Saquon Barkley. Hurts had an outstanding training camp and appears primed for a rebound.
Saquon Barkley (left) will try to boost the Eagles’ offense on the ground. (Bill Streicher / USA Today)
16. Saquon Barkley, RB, Philadelphia Eagles
Could Barkley be the best back in the league? We’re about to find out, because after six trying years with the Giants, he gets a fresh start with the Eagles. In Philadelphia, he’ll at last have the opportunity to run behind a quality offensive line and line up alongside a talented quarterback in an offense that features dynamic pass catchers. That will make it harder for defenses to load up the box to stop him. Barkley, who signed a three-year, $37.75 million contract this offseason, just might be the missing piece for an Eagles offense that has plenty of talent but has lacked consistency and balance.
17. Jordan Love, QB, Green Bay Packers
He parlayed one season of starting experience into a contract that made him the NFL’s highest-paid player. Now Love must prove last season’s success wasn’t a fluke and that the Packers weren’t foolish to award him such a handsome contract on such a limited body of work. The Packers have a steadily ascending cast of promising wideouts, a talented new running back in Josh Jacobs, a revamped defense and a legitimate chance to really make some noise in the NFC — if Love delivers.
Doubted for much of his first three seasons in the NFL, Tagovailoa led the NFL with 4,624 passing yards in 2023 while helping the Dolphins win 11 games and reach the postseason for a second straight year. Miami rewarded him with a four-year, $212 million contract with $167 million guaranteed. Tagovailoa, coach Mike McDaniel and the Dolphins do have more questions to answer, however. They have struggled against the league’s top teams and failed to advance past the wild-card round in two playoff appearances. Tagovailoa now must prove he can carry his team against the best and also play well in the postseason.
19. Chris Jones, DL, Kansas City Chiefs
With Aaron Donald now retired, the title of most dominant defensive player in the game is up for grabs. Jones has averaged 11 sacks per season since 2018 and is the tone-setter for a Chiefs defense that ranked second in the NFL in yards and points last season. This offseason, the Chiefs made Jones the highest-paid defensive tackle in the league with a five-year, $158.75 million contract. Jones, an All-Pro the past two seasons, badly wants to help lead Kansas City to an unprecedented third-straight Super Bowl title.
Parsons has dominated in his three NFL seasons, lining up all over the Cowboys’ defensive front and averaging 13.5 sacks per year. He’s in the discussion as the most dominant defensive player in the league, yet the three-time Pro Bowl linebacker remains in search of a long-term contract extension. It’s only a matter of time before Jerry Jones has to finally open up the checkbook and make Parsons the highest-paid defensive player in the league. Meanwhile, Parsons will work to ensure the Cowboys don’t miss a beat without former defensive coordinator Dan Quinn (now coach of the Commanders) and help Dallas finally get over the postseason hump and to the Super Bowl.
Josh Allen enters this season under a good deal of pressure, and he and Bills coach Sean McDermott need to get things back on track after a disappointing 2023. Can Coleman fill the shoes left by Diggs, who in four Pro Bowl seasons with the Bills averaged 1,343 yards and nine touchdowns per year? Buffalo has a collection of unremarkable receivers beyond Coleman, so Allen needs big plays from the rookie in the worst way.
Cast off by Sean Payton and the Broncos after two dismal seasons, the former Super Bowl champion starts anew with Mike Tomlin and the Steelers. Wilson is out to prove that, although 35, he has plenty left in the tank and that his struggles in Denver had more to do with poor fit than his skills. If he can turn back the clock, Wilson could help the Steelers contend in the AFC North and potentially return to the postseason. But it’ll be interesting to see what kind of leash Wilson receives from his coaches. Waiting in the wings is Justin Fields, who craves vindication after the Bears gave up on him.
It’s rare for a team to part ways with a top-flight cornerback in this pass-happy league, but the Chiefs decided they lacked the cap space to retain Sneed, who went from a fourth-round pick to outstanding cover guy and two-time Super Bowl champion. The Titans did have the cap space and awarded Sneed a four-year, $76.4 million deal including $51.5 million guaranteed. Sneed has admitted he was bitter about the Chiefs’ decision to trade him, and he enters this season with loads of motivation to prove they got it wrong.
24. T.J. Watt, OLB, Pittsburgh Steelers
J.J. Watt’s little brother has become the gold standard of pass rushers, leading the NFL in sacks three of the past four seasons (15 in 2020, 22.5 in 2021 and 19 in 2023). The only exception was 2022, when injuries limited him to 10 games. Watt also has garnered first-team All-Pro honors in three of the last four seasons. He sat out last season’s playoff game with a knee injury, and the Steelers missed him in the worst way as Josh Allen carved them up in a 31-17 Bills victory. Can Watt stay healthy for a full season and provide the difference-making impact Pittsburgh needs to finally get over the hump?
(Top illustration: Meech Robinson / The Athletic; photos of Marvin Harrison Jr., Lamar Jackson and Micah Parsons: Patrick Smith and Norm Hall / Getty Images and Matthew Pearce / Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
