One bold prediction for each NFL team heading into the 2024 season
NFC South
Atlanta Falcons - Falcons win 10 games and the NFC South
I have maintained for a while that the Atlanta Falcons have a lower ceiling with Kirk Cousins at QB, but that they can still win a ton of games and win the division. With the NFC South still being the weakest division in the NFL, Cousins is by far the best QB, and the Falcons do have the best roster.
They’ll have an easier time winning the division in 2024, and they’ll also win double-digit games, 10 to be exact. This would earn the team a top-4 seed in the NFC playoffs and at least one home playoff game.
Carolina Panthers - Bryce Young's status long-term comes into question
Listen, Bryce Young’s rookie season was a mess, and about 96% of it was not his fault. In 2024, Young will already be on his second coaching staff, and he’s got a ton of new teammates on offense. Right now, on paper, the Carolina Panthers are much better than they were in 2023, but even last year the team had a nice foundation set.
However, Bryce Young’s long-term status as a franchise QB is going to come into question in year two, and head coach Dave Canales and GM Dan Morgan may begin the search for a different quarterback.
New Orleans Saints - Saints begin to blow it up at the NFL trade deadline
The New Orleans Saints desperately need long-term cap space and an infusion of long talent. The team should have begun to blow it up the second Sean Payton left, but GM Mickey Loomis doubled-down and signed Derek Carr in free agency last year.
The Saints are going nowhere with Carr at QB and Dennis Allen as the head coach. It’s just not a winning combination. At the NFL trade deadline this coming season, the Saints are going to begin to blow it up, so some of their veteran players would very much be on the trade block.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers - Mike Evans again notches another 1,000-yard season
Mike Evans has played 10 years in the NFL, and he has had at least 1,000 yards in each of those seasons. He is getting older, but man, I am still a believer. Evans is somehow still underrated and is quite easily a first-ballot Hall of Famer one day. With QB Baker Mayfield back on a modest contract extension, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers could build on what they accomplished in 2023.
This might be the most interesting team in the NFL in 2024, and I truly have no idea how good they will be, but the veteran Evans will again have a 1,000-yard receiving season.