Welcome, friends, to the 2024 NFL offseason. The Kansas City Chiefs are your repeat NFL champions after defeating the San Francisco 49ers 25–22 in Super Bowl LVIII. What is there even to discuss when a pending Tom Brady retirement or unretirement is off the table? That’s what we’re here to find out. Last year, we issued one prediction for the coming season for each of the 32 teams. Full transparency: Five of those 32 predictions were correct. So, we’re hitting at about the average rate of a mock draft.
This year? Onward and upward.
This offseason could see some major landscape shifts at the quarterback position. We also have eight new NFL head coaches who could have a dramatic impact on the state of a few woebegone franchises. We’ll talk about that and more as we try our darndest to predict the future.
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AFC NORTHCleveland BrownsThe Browns will be aggressive on the backup quarterback market.
Joe Flacco won the Comeback Player of the Year award because of a heroic and unexpected month of NFL football, spelling the Browns after the team was entirely cleaned out at the position. The Browns may know, or will soon realize, how fortunate they were to get level of performance out of a faux-retired quarterback who had been on the playground with his kids a few weeks before. I had heard a few years back that Flacco desired to play into his 40s. Maybe he is the answer for the Browns. Maybe they lock up a player like Jacoby Brissett. Either way, not backstopping the Deshaun Watson situation is pure lunacy.
Pittsburgh Steelers
Ryan Tannehill starts at least four games for the Steelers.
This isn’t an anti-Kenny Pickett take, but it is an acknowledgement that the Steelers have some pressure to perform, they play in a tough division and were aggressive in pursuing Arthur Smith when Smith was let go by the Atlanta Falcons. Mason Rudolph is a pending free agent, and while he may end up possessing a higher upside than Tannehill, the Steelers could find some Tommy Maddox-style magic in the arm of the former first-round pick.
Cincinnati Bengals
The Bengals will lead the league in total offense en route to a Super Bowl victory.
No Brian Callahan? No problem. Zac Taylor and Dan Pitcher, the team’s new offensive coordinator and a prospective future star, are going to post the best numbers of Burrow’s career in 2024. That means besting 35 touchdowns, and the 4,600 yards Burrow threw for during the Bengals’ Super Bowl season in 2021.
Oh, and the Bengals defeat the Detroit Lions in Super Bowl LIX.
Baltimore Ravens
The Ravens draft another first-round wide receiver.
With some of their positional depth approaching free agency, GM Eric DeCosta takes another swing at the receiver position in the first round. While the back end of the round isn’t always the best spot, DeCosta has a sound sense of positional economics, and possesses a fifth-year option on a potential star corner or wide receiver in this market is extremely valuable. With Rashod Bateman also approaching his walk year, Baltimore needs to stockpile the roster with complements for Zay Flowers.
