Normally around this time I would have started the NFL Off-Season Thread, which features Free Agency, the NFL Draft, and even the Schedule Release. Not so much the Combine or Training Camp; respectively I don't get things going that early, and by the summer, I've already started the section that discusses the upcoming season.
I figured that it would make sense to have everything in a single thread this year, as all the talking points would be related to the upcoming Season (which gets going on September 5 at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri; concluding 4 months later on January 5, 2025, which is 5 weeks before Super Bowl LIX).
Before getting into the Free Agent action, which isn't super official until Wednesday, a couple of people calling it quits include Eagles Jason Kelce & Fletcher Cox, Patriots' Matthew Slater, & Ryan Jensen who spent the latter half of his career in Tampa. That's about six titles (the most prestigious one) being represented there. No rings for Teddy Bridgewater, but he made it into a sport most people don't get to or last long at.
So far the top stories include, but are not limited to:
Baker Mayfield getting paid in Tampa Bay
Chris Jones really getting paid in Kansas City
Russell Wilson getting paid by Denver while playing for Pittsburgh
Saquon Barkley staying in the NFC East (with Philadelphia)
Pete Carroll staying with Seattle, while someone else coaches the team
Kirk Cousins heading to Atlanta
Bill Belichick calling it quits not coaching anywhere
Nothing’s super official until March 13; there is a legal tampering period ahead of that (which began earlier during the day of this post). The NFL Draft is scheduled for April 25 and will last until April 27. May 9 could be the schedule release. Other than that, really everything stays the same in terms of the date NFL events occur; just subtract two from the previous year’s date, or add 29 or 30. I think I got the math right!
I guess I should mention that there are no NFL games on Christmas this year. Probably the last time the holiday is professional football free until the end of the decade.
