Hypothetical NFL Scenarios That Would Turn 2024 Season on its Head
A domino effect exists in the NFL in which one player getting traded, injured or ascending into the good-to-great category can have a ripple effect and impact the rest of the league.
Aaron Rodgers and the New York Jets last season are a perfect example of this.
The veteran quarterback was traded to New York in the offseason, so the Jets became a potential Super Bowl contender. But Rodgers got injured in the season opener, and it was back to the bottom of the league for Gang Green.
See also, C.J. Stroud helping elevate the Houston Texans from the No. 2 overall pick in the draft to winning the AFC South.
Here, we'll dive into a few hypothetical yet realistic scenarios that would have an impact on which team ends up hoisting the Lombardi Trophy on February 9, 2025.
Davante Adams Gets Traded to New York Jets
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Thanks to new Netflix docuseries Receiver in which Davante Adams voices his displeasure with former Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo and the direction of the team at the midway point of last season, this scenario has been floating around recently.
Adams has routinely played down any trade rumors and said he's happy with the Raiders since the series aired and speculation began. But the wideout has also talked about how he's running out of time to get an elusive Super Bowl ring as he turns 32 on Christmas Eve.
Las Vegas has a quarterback competition between Aidan O'Connell and Gardner Minshew II in training camp that casts doubt on the team's playoff chances. Seeing as neither has a strong track record in the league, it's possible the Silver and Black stumble out of the gate this season.
If that's the case, it's not out of the question for Adams to want out and reunite with Aaron Rodgers via a trade to the New York Jets ahead of the deadline.
The Jets are already a potential Super Bowl LIX contender, and adding one of the best receivers in the game would only increase those odds. Rodgers and Adams were, arguably, the NFL's top duo when they last played together in 2020 and 2021, connecting 238 times for 2,927 yards and 29 touchdowns during that timeframe.
Combine that with a Jets defense that has ranked fourth and third in yards allowed over the last two years, and the Kansas City Chiefs would have a significant threat to their crown.
Additionally, losing the team's best offensive player would likely mean the Raiders end up picking toward the top of the draft in 2025. They would also probably receive a first-round pick in return, giving the front office more ammunition to trade up for Carson Beck, Shedeur Sanders or someone else to be the future of the franchise.
Will Levis Has Carson Wentz-esque 2nd Season
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Not much is expected of the Tennessee Titans this season as DraftKings Sportsbook has the line for the team's win total set at 6.5 and its odds of winning the AFC South at +1000, the worst in the division.
A big reason for that is the uncertainty surrounding Titans quarterback Will Levis.
The 25-year-old showed a few moments of brilliance as a rookie but was inconsistent, tossing just eight touchdowns in nine games and averaging a little more than 200 yards per outing. That's similar to Carson Wentz's debut campaign in 2016, which was up and down as he had 16 touchdowns in 16 games and 236.4 yards per outing.
However, the Philadelphia Eagles QB exploded in year two and likely would have been the NFL MVP had he not suffered a devastating injury in the final month of the season. As it was, he finished third in the voting and earned second-team All-Pro and Pro Bowl honors.
There's reason to believe Levis could be on the same trajectory as both quarterbacks have similar skill sets with big arms and decent athleticism. Also, the Titans have a good receiving corps this year with DeAndre Hopkins, Calvin Ridley and Tyler Boyd to go along with a Bill Callahan-coached offensive line to support the young quarterback.
Mix that in with a defense that features Jeffery Simmons and Harold Landry III in the trenches along with L'Jarius Sneed, Chidobe Awuzie and Roger McCreary at cornerback, and Tennessee could be a sneaky contender in the AFC South with good quarterback play.
If that happens, the Houston Texans will have a tough time defending their crown in the division and the Titans would be in a position to crash the postseason party and pull off a few upsets to ruin everyone's projections for January.
Obviously, Levis would like to have a better career than Wentz, but replicating the latter's second season would be a good starting point for the Kentucky product.
Christian McCaffrey Suffers Significant Injury
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The San Francisco 49ers have routinely been one of the best teams in the NFC for the better part of the last five years, making four conference championship games during that time.
They have several offensive weapons, but Christian McCaffrey is arguably the most significant of the bunch.
The reigning Offensive Player of the Year led the team last season with 2,023 yards from scrimmage, nearly 700 more than Brandon Aiyuk (1,342) who ranked second. McCaffrey also had the most total touchdowns in San Francisco a year ago by a significant margin, 21 to Deebo Samuel's 12.
Replacing that level of production would be difficult for Kyle Shanahan seeing as Elijah Mitchell, the 49ers' backup running back, posted just 3.6 yards per touch in 2023. That figure pales in comparison to McCaffrey's 6.0 and losing him would give opposing defenses one less weapon to worry about, making life tougher for Samuel, Aiyuk and George Kittle.
Don't get it twisted, though, San Francisco has enough firepower to still make the playoffs without its lead back, but the favorite to win the NFC would likely shift toward the Detroit Lions or another division winner. Also, the Los Angeles Rams could easily surpass their rivals as the champs of the NFC West.
While McCaffrey has managed to stay healthy since getting traded to the 49ers two seasons ago, he did battle injuries toward the end of his tenure with the Carolina Panthers and missed 24 games in 2020 and 2021 combined. Additionally, he's the cover athlete for Madden 25, which has a history of being a bad omen for players during the regular season.
Especially given the uncertainty surrounding Aiyuk's future with the club, the 49ers can't afford to have one of their best weapons sidelined in what feels like a Super Bowl-or-bust campaign.
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Kyler Murray and Marvin Harrison Jr. Form Elite Connection
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The Arizona Cardinals aren't being talked about as a potential offensive juggernaut this season likely because they finished 24th in the league with 19.4 points per game last season.
However, that figure includes nine games without Kyler Murray and a crop of wide receivers that was one of the worst in the NFL.
When healthy, the two-time Pro Bowler is a dynamic quarterback who keeps defensive coordinators up at night with his ability to make plays in and out of structure. His ability to scramble forces opponents to play him differently than they would other signal-callers, and his strong arm can lead to explosive plays in the passing game.
Meanwhile, the Cardinals managed to land one of the best wide receiver prospects in the draft since Calvin Johnson Jr. with the selection of Marvin Harrison Jr at No. 4 overall this year.
The Ohio State product has a fairly complete game already and is widely expected to hit the ground running as a rookie. Combining his skill set with an established quarterback could lead to an elite connection this season.
If that happens, don't be surprised if the Cardinals have a significant impact on the NFC playoff picture in 2024. They play in a division with three potential contenders—the San Francisco 49ers, Los Angeles Rams and Seattle Seahawks—and have matchups with the Detroit Lions and Green Bay Packers.
While Arizona's defense will have to step up for the team to be in postseason contention, the pairing of Murray and Harrison could be good enough to at least play spoiler down the stretch of the campaign.
CeeDee Lamb's Holdout Lingers
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Ceedee Lamb is currently holding out of the Dallas Cowboys training camp as he seeks a new contract and, according to NFL Insider Ian Rapoport, this has the makings of an ongoing saga:
"I would say at least they're in a somewhat better place than they were a couple of days ago, a couple of weeks ago. Not there yet. This is not a deal that I would describe as close, but at least there has been some progress. At least some hope that at some point the Cowboys could lock in CeeDee Lamb."
In a similar statement, longtime Cowboys beat reporter Clarence Hill Jr. of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram posted on X that the receiver and the club are "not closing in" on a new deal.
Part of the issue could be that Lamb has quite a bit of leverage in the negotiations.
Last season, the 25-year-old had nearly double the amount of receptions as anyone else on the team—135 to Jake Ferguson's 71—and also had just under 1,000 more yards than Ferguson, the team's second-leading receiver, 1,749 to 761.
Additionally, the three-time Pro Bowler led Dallas in receiving and rushing touchdowns with 14, six more than second-place Brandin Cooks.
That's a ton of production the Cowboys would lose if Lamb opts for an even stronger power move by continuing to sit out the beginning of the regular season. While the threat of racking up daily fines could be a deterrent, the club can waive the balance since he's still on a rookie contract, per Over The Cap.
If Dallas is forced to begin the year without its No. 1 receiver and best offensive player, its postseason chances could take a major hit, especially since it opens the campaign with two playoff teams in the Cleveland Browns and Baltimore Ravens in the first month of the year.
That would open the door for the Philadelphia Eagles to get an early lead in the NFC East and several others in the chase for a conference wild-card spot.
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