Buck Rogers The 2024 season is coming to an end, so what’s next? Several teams have important free agency and draft decisions to make. What will the 2025 off-season look like? Well, it depends on how well some teams qualify for the playoffs.
The 2024 NFL Playoffs could have a Super Bowl winner making history. The Bills, Vikings, Lions, Chargers, and the Texans have not won a Super Bowl, but these five teams have the chance to change that. The Chiefs could three-peat or win three Super Bowls in a row for the first time in NFL history. Some other teams, like the Ravens and Eagles, could lift the Lombardi Trophy. The Vikings have a tough decision to make after going 14-3 just to lose in the Wild Card Round. Sam Darnold had a rough game against the Rams as he took nine sacks and had two turnovers (including one of them being returned for a Rams touchdown). I’d have to think that they would roll with J.J. McCarthy moving forward and possibly let Sam Darnold sign elsewhere. I think the Vikings should keep Darnold and McCarthy with their original plan for the 2024 season before McCarthy got a season-ending injury in the preseason. The Vikings still need to develop J.J. McCarthy, and they have a decent quarterback in Sam Darnold. I don’t think the Vikings should sign Sam Darnold long-term, as J.J. McCarthy should be the long-term answer. The Steelers have Russell Wilson and Justin Fields set to become free agents. Russell Wilson is starting for the Steelers right now, but that could change as the Steelers lost their sixth consecutive playoff and fifth consecutive games. Russell Wilson and Justin Fields are both set to become free agents. The Steelers went 4-2 with Justin Fields before they changed their starter to Russell Wilson for the rest of the year. Russell Wilson started off his Steelers career at 6-1, but he is now 6-6 as a Steeler. I would think that the Steelers would keep both Russell Wilson and Justin Fields, but the Steelers could sign another quarterback and only keep one of those two. The Steelers could start from scratch again and get rid of both Wilson and Fields, although I doubt they would do that.
Embed from Getty ImagesFor the teams that didn’t make the playoffs, they could change that with a good decision or two. The Bengals are in a tough situation this off-season. They have yet to extend either of their star receivers in, Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins. The Bengals also need some defense and offensive line help, as those units struggled during the 2024 season. The 49ers went 6-11 and got to last place in the NFC West a year after they almost won the Super Bowl. I would argue that the 49ers were significantly injured and should return to the playoffs next year, while others may think it is a long-term issue as Brock Purdy struggled with turnovers. The Seahawks have a tough decision to make with Geno Smith. On one hand, Geno Smith had 4,320 passing yards in 2024, the fourth-highest amount in the NFL. He had more passing yards than MVP candidates like Lamar Jackson and Josh Allen. On the other hand, Geno Smith struggled with turnovers as he threw 15 interceptions, which was the third most in the NFL and only one behind the most (which was tied between Baker Mayfield and Kirk Cousins). I think that the Seahawks should try to get a new quarterback, as they have yet to win a playoff game with Geno Smith under center.
Some teams lost many games in 2024. The Tennessee Titans were one of those teams, and they hold the number 1 pick coming off of a 3-14 season. Some may say it was most likely because of their Quarterback play, which leads me to believe they will draft Cam Ward or Shedeur Sanders with the top pick. The Deshaun Watson experiment has been disappointing, which leads me to think that the Browns(with the number 2 overall pick) will draft whoever is still available between Sanders and Ward. Travis Hunter is another top prospect out of Colorado. I think that he’ll be drafted by the New England Patriots, who likely have a franchise quarterback and need a wide receiver and a cornerback. Travis Hunter can fill both gaps for the Patriots, but he could also go to the Jaguars, which need a cornerback. Ashton Jeanty, the Heisman runner-up, declared for the NFL draft. I think he’ll go to the Cowboys, who struggled in the run game in 2024.
Embed from Getty ImagesSome teams fired their coaches after underperforming. Doug Pederson got fired by the Jaguars, so they need a new head coach, and I think they will hire Brian Flores, who coordinated a phenomenal Vikings defense. The Jaguars’ defense was their biggest weakness in 2024, and I believe Brian Flores could improve it. The Raiders fired Antonio Pierce and are looking to hire Bill Bellichick, although that’s unlikely to happen since Bill Bellichick went to UNC. The Patriots fired Jerod Mayo after one season and hired another former Patriots linebacker as head coach in Mike Vrabel. Mike Vrabel is a former Titans head coach who was surprisingly fired after the 2023 season. The Titans went 54-45 under him in the regular season and got to the AFC Championship game in 2019, so Vrabel has had some success coaching in the NFL. The Bears need a new head coach after firing Eberflus. They could keep their interim coach, Thomas Brown (The Bears had a 1-4 record when he was hired), but I think that they will hire Ben Johnson to help Caleb Williams develop. The Jets have many options, but Rex Ryan, a former Jets and Bills coach, is talking about returning to coach the Jets. The Saints will most likely hire the Lions defensive coordinator, Aaron Glenn, although that is yet to be determined. The Cowboys parted ways with Mike McCarthy, so they are now looking for a new head coach. I’m not sure who Jerry Jones will hire, but it will be interesting to see. Deion Sanders said he wouldn’t coach an NFL team unless his sons were on the same team. Despite that, there are rumors that Deion Sanders could potentially coach the Cowboys. Deion Sanders was a former Cowboy, and the Cowboys are already known as America’s team. I could only imagine how crazy the media and Cowboys fans would react to Deion Sanders becoming the Cowboys coach.
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Buck Rogers is a sophomore member of the Multimedia Journalism class.
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