At least in San Francisco 49ers I put aside some controversies before the start of the season.
After a long off-season of posturing, trade negotiations and resistance, the 49ers sign wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk And left tackle Trent Williams to overtime. This won’t make life any easier for them in terms of their salary cap, but that’s a problem for another day.
Other teams still have potential issues to deal with as the regular season begins this weekend. Here are 10 simmering controversies we’ll be talking about throughout the season.
There are four positions that are paid at a different level than the others: quarterback, receiver, edge rusher and left tackle. The Dallas Cowboys are facing the possibility of having one of the three highest-paid players at each of these positions.
Receiver CeeDee Lamb The quarterback has already been paid. We’ll get to the quarterback in a moment. And the question is can they also pay edge rusher Micah Parsons? Parsons has been an exceptional player since Dallas selected him in the first round. The hype around his extension hasn’t been that loud, but it’s going to be a problem. If Parsons plays at a Defensive Player of the Year level, the price will continue to rise.
You’ll be sick of this controversy. Maybe you already are. Prescott is oddly divisive among fans, but that seems inevitable for Cowboys quarterbacks. Prescott made a strong push to become the NFL MVP last season, but many feel he doesn’t deserve another big contract extension because the Cowboys didn’t make the Super Bowl. The Cowboys won’t want to start over at quarterback, but Prescott has a lot of leverage. If he hits the open market, there will be a bidding war and his contract will set records. The Las Vegas Raiders In particular, they seem to be waiting with a blank check in hand.
If the Cowboys don’t sign Prescott to a contract extension soon, every game this season will be a referendum on how much Prescott should be paid and by whom. It will be the loudest controversy of the 2024 season. Get ready.
How much will it cost? Brock Purdy to be paid?
Purdy can’t sign a contract extension until after the season. That won’t stop him from being a big deal all season long. The 49ers have already given raises to Brandon Aiyuk and Trent Williams this offseason, and the next step is to find an extension for a quarterback. Other QBs are getting paid more than $50 million per season, and the price will continue to rise. Purdy’s play this season will also determine how much he gets on an extension.
There has been a circular debate about whether Purdy is actually good or just a product of Kyle Shanahan’s system. That debate will shift this season to how much Purdy should be paid, based on every good or bad game he has had this season.
The Jets and their season at full speed
It’s rare that a team takes care of everything and has one season to succeed. For the Jets, it’s like the “Last Dance,” but without the Chicago Bulls’ first five championships. Everything will be under scrutiny this season.
If the Jets don’t win big this season, everything could change. It could start with Aaron Rodgerswhich will not play forever. The Jets still have suspensewhen they are good or bad, and it started with trading for pass rushers Haason Reddick And misinterpreted that Reddick would report without a new contract. Reddick was not with the Jets as they began their Week 1 preparations, a loss for the roster they didn’t need heading into a pressure-filled season.
“Hard Knocks: Offseason with the New York Giants” was a fun movie to watch and there was one scene that really stood out. Giants co-owner John Mara let general manager Joe Schoen know that he wanted Saquon Barkley back and he definitely didn’t want him gone. Philadelphia Eagles.
“I’ll have a hard time sleeping if Saquon goes to Philadelphia, I can tell you that.” Mara said“Like I told you… I’ve been around enough players, but he’s by far the most popular player we have.”
Barkley has signed with the Eagles. As many have pointed out, when a team owner tells you he wants something, it better be done.
We’ll see if Barkley makes the Giants pay. The Eagles play the Giants in Weeks 7 and 18. If Barkley plays well in Philly while Giants fans ignore a losing team, Mara will probably remember this conversation, too.
Falcons QBs coexist
Kirk Cousins could make sure this never becomes a story. If he plays well, Atlanta Falcons beginner Michael Penix Jr. will sit out the entire season. But it’s rare for a quarterback, especially a 36-year-old coming back from a torn Achilles tendon, to have a perfect season.
Already, Penix will not play beyond the first preseason game The Falcons have brought up illogical conspiracy theories that the Falcons simply wanted to get a look at Penix in the regular season and this was the sign. Sure. Really, the Penix chatter will only intensify if Cousins struggles. And depending on the timing of the season, the Falcons’ record and how Cousins has played to this point, the calls for the eighth overall pick in the draft to get a chance could be loud. The Falcons created this potential controversy when they made the unconventional decision to draft Penix right after paying Cousins.
New England Patriots head coach Jerod Mayo has had a difficult moment to explain Why Jacoby Brissett Maye is starting, probably because the Patriots aren’t good enough to support Maye and don’t want to ruin his development. But Mayo was right when he said Maye outplayed Brissett in the preseason, and that only adds to the controversy. Fans will want Maye to play. Players will wonder why the best quarterback isn’t starting. The Patriots are likely to lose a lot of games, and with each loss, it’s going to be harder for New England to resist the urge to play the third overall pick in the draft. It’s a difficult controversy for a rookie coach to handle.
A ESPN’s story this offseason The article highlighted the Philadelphia Eagles’ struggles late last season. It described a rift between quarterback Jalen Hurts and head coach Nick Sirianni. The cause of that rift, a team source told ESPN, was Hurts’ “complete disrespect for Sirianni’s X’s and O’s.”
It’s not good when a quarterback and his coach are at odds. Both men have downplayed the issue, but it’s certain to come up if the Eagles get off to a slow start. Perhaps Sirianni ceding offensive control to new coordinator Kellen Moore will ease the tension. But don’t think the story is forgotten.
Maybe this one won’t be as hot. The Pittsburgh Steelers have two well-known quarterbacks Russell Wilson And Justin FieldsBut everyone knows by now that they both have flaws. The Steelers had to choose between two unattractive options at the end of the preseason. Wilson won the starting job, but it’s been a long time since he’s been an effective quarterback.
If Wilson struggles early, will the Steelers have much patience? Fields has at least shown he can make plays running the ball. This isn’t a quarterback controversy like Steve Young replacing Joe Montana, but a top franchise that could juggle quarterbacks all season long will draw plenty of attention.
David Tepper’s patience with Bryce Young
We know everything about the Carolina Panthers He’s now the owner. He’s responding to the loss by making big changes. And the Panthers have lost a lot under his watch. His impatience has become a big story for the franchise.
In any other situation, a quarterback selected first overall would have a few seasons to develop. But Bryce Young, last year’s first overall pick, is under Tepper’s watch. Young struggled last season. The Panthers used every resource available to improve around him. What if Young doesn’t improve much in his second season? Would Tepper, who has had six different players lead his team in passing yards in his six seasons as owner of the franchise, give Young a third season? Would he push for a midseason change? As far as Tepper is concerned, anything is possible.
Ja’Marr Chase and the Bengals (prime)
We’re going to start an 11th controversy in the making here. It seems inevitable that Chase will sign a big extension with the Cincinnati Bengals soon. But with each day the extension is not signedThis is a potentially explosive issue for the team. So while the most reasonable conclusion is that the Bengals finally pay Chase, this has to be on the list until the impasse is resolved. This could end up being a big problem for the Bengals’ Super Bowl dreams.
