The 2024 NFL Offseason has truly been one for the ages, but that hasn't come without a few players getting a bit too much hype. Every single offseason, there are bound to be some players who are simply getting overhyped, and that is indeed the case this year.
And it's not entirely the fault of the players, but that's just how the NFL works sometimes. Before even playing a down for their new teams, these three players are getting extremely overhyped as we head toward the 2024 NFL Season.
3 insanely overhyped players heading into the 2024 NFL Season
Caleb Williams, QB, Chicago Bears
This isn't at all Caleb Williams fault, as he's largely been seen as a generational player for months now. He was the consensus first overall prospect and did go first overall to the Chicago Bears. And to make matters even heftier, he went to the Bears, a hugely dedicated football town that has been starving for a franchise quarterback.
Jay Cutler was fine. Mitchell Trubisky was a bust, and Justin Fields was a bust. It's been a brutal stretch for the Chicago Bears, and given that Williams might be one of the best NFL Draft prospects to ever get drafted to the team, there is a ton of hype.
But let's give the kid some slack, here; he's a rookie and will go through a ton of growing pains, so it's not going to be a seamless transition. And given how popular Justin Fields seemed to be with the Bears, fans may want immediate success from Williams, which may not happen.
Odell Beckham, Jr, WR, Miami Dolphins
I think at this point, no matter how old Odell Beckham Jr is and how many new teams he plays for, there will always be some hype with him. Perhaps one of the more overrated players this century, Beckham had about three prime seasons before injuries derailed his career. He did win a Super Bowl in 2021 with the Los Angeles Rams, but this is a WR3 or WR4 player at this point. However, his name is doing a ton of heavy lifting, so you can expect that the Dolphins and Beckham will get plenty of attention.
The real players to pay attention to in Miami are Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle, not OBJ.
Russell Wilson, QB, Pittsburgh Steelers
Yeah, this was expected. One thing you should know about Pittsburgh Steelers fans is that there might not be a more dedicated fanbase in all of sports. They love their football team through and through, and the marriage between Wilson and the Steelers just feels right. It's two massive brands colliding together for at least one year.
And as you could expect, the hype is there. Russell Wilson may be an upgrade over who the Pittsburgh Steelers had at QB in 2023, but Wilson was quite bad last year with the Denver Broncos, and he had quite a bit in his favor, namely a very strong offensive line and some Hall of Fame coaching.
In Pittsburgh, he'll get what appears to be a bottom-10 offensive line and an offensive coordinator who recently got fired from his first head coaching job. It's not going to be pretty in Pittsburgh, and Steelers fans should end up realizing that soon.