3 NFL players who have everything to lose in the 2024 season
The 2024 NFL Season could be the beginning of the end for certain players. Let's dive into three who have everything to lose. There are actually a lot of players who could have a good bit to lose heading into the new league year. In many instances, age catches up to these players, as they hit a decline and end up fizzling out of the league.
There could be some other reasons why certain players may have everything to close. Let's talk about the three most notable players in the NFL for 2024 who have everything to lose.
3 NFL players who have everything to lose in the 2024 season
Russell Wilson, QB, Pittsburgh Steelers
This has to be it for Russell Wilson, right? He's now on his third team in four seasons, and two future Hall of Fame head coaches in Pete Carroll and Sean Payton did not want him on their teams anymore. To me, that is as damning as it gets for the QB, who is entering his age-36 season and is clearly in a decline.
He's looked awful in preseason thus far for the Pittsburgh Steelers, and it's not even clear at this point if he'll start over Justin Fields, who is among the worst quarterbacks in the NFL heading into the 2024 season. If Russell Wilson cannot play well enough in 2024, I am not sure how his NFL career would even continue after this season.
Stefon Diggs, WR, Houston Texans
What does it say about the player when he's among the very best at his position but has been traded twice? Stefon Diggs and his reputation not always being a great teammate is well-documented, and his former QB, Josh Allen, even said when asked that he doesn't really miss his former teammate.
Diggs still may be an elite player, so why wouldn't Josh Allen miss him? Now on the Houston Texans, Diggs may have one last chance to prove his worth on a new team. He is set to be a free agent following the 2024 NFL Season, and if it's another rocky relationship on this new AFC team, I would find it hard to believe that Stefon Diggs could land much more than a cheap, one-year deal.
It's a puzzling situation for the player, who has never been seen as a locker-room, teammate-first player. Why has he struggled with that?
Saquon Barkley, RB, Philadelphia Eagles
Saquon Barkley turns 28 years old in February of 2025, and 28 is typically when a running back could begin declining. The Philadelphia Eagles somehow decided that they'd rather have Barkley over D'Andre Swift, and the former New York Giant landed a three-year deal.
Barkley has been an extremely overrated player during his time in the NFL. He's averaged less than four yards per carry in three of his six seasons, rushing for just 3.9 yards per tote in 2023 for the Giants. He's played just one full season in his career and has just not lived up to being taken second overall in the 2018 NFL Draft.
The Philadelphia Eagles figure to have one of the better offensive lines in the NFL for 2024. If Barkley again is unable to produce, especially with this big contract, there may not be a more urgent GM in the NFL to find a better solution. Eagles GM Howie Roseman is a wizard at times and is not scared to make major moves to improve his roster.
If Barkley is again in and out of the lineup and is not a huge threat running the football, do not be surprised if the Eagles bring in another running back who could cut into Barkley's carries. The contract he signed does keep him on the team for a couple of seasons, but being that Saquon Barkley has never been a consistent player in the NFL, it's not exactly a slam-dunk that he lights it up with the Eagles in 2024.