NFL offseason priorities for 2024: Key dates, storylines

The 2023 NFL season has produced, in some ways, the identical offseason transition because the 2022 marketing campaign.

The Kansas Metropolis Chiefs are celebrating one other Tremendous Bowl championship, the Chicago Bears as soon as once more personal the draft’s No. 1 general decide and the league’s offseason agenda will characteristic some acquainted points: officiating, the kickoff, the hip-drop deal with and the potential for vital motion from veteran quarterbacks.

The Bears traded the highest decide final 12 months and now should resolve whether or not to remain put and draft a quarterback — presumably USC’s Caleb Williams — or commerce out once more and recommit to incumbent Justin Fields. In the meantime, very similar to Aaron Rodgers in 2022, the Minnesota Vikings’ Kirk Cousins holds the keys to a domino impact of quarterback choices.

The league’s competitors committee is already at work in search of options that eluded their 2022 efforts. Can they discover a strategy to ban the hip-drop deal with? Is there a greater strategy to keep away from concussions on kickoffs than merely restrict the chance for returns? And are there any substantive methods to enhance the league’s officiating within the quick and lengthy phrases?

There is not a lot time for a post-Tremendous Bowl breath. The NFL mix begins in two weeks. Let’s take a better look, beginning with a evaluate of the NFL’s key dates over the following six months.

• Feb. 20: First day to designate franchise and transition tags

• Feb. 27-March 4: Scouting mix in Indianapolis

• March 5 (4 p.m. ET): Franchise/transition tag deadline

• March 11-13: Negotiating interval for pending unrestricted free brokers

• March 14 (4 p.m. ET): Free agent offers could be signed, trades could be formally consummated, June 1 cuts could be designated and the deadline for qualifying provides to restricted free brokers.

• March 24-27: Annual league assembly in Orlando, Florida

• April 1: Groups with new head coaches can start offseason conditioning applications

• April 15: Remaining groups can start offseason conditioning applications

• April 19: Deadline for restricted free brokers to signal provide sheets

• April 25-27: NFL draft in Detroit

• Might 2: Deadline for groups to select up fifth-year choices for 2021 draft class

• Might 3-6 or Might 10-13: Groups can stage rookie minicamps

• Might/June: Groups can stage OTAs and necessary minicamp

• Late July: Coaching camps open

Consider officiating management and know-how

One of many first questions commissioner Roger Goodell fielded at his annual Tremendous Bowl information convention was on officiating, because it sometimes is. He supplied his normal plaudits, saying NFL officers are “superior,” however he additionally mentioned, “we’ve got to proceed to attempt to get higher.” And that effort might begin on the prime.

Since 2020, the NFL officiating division has been led by former referee Walt Anderson, who assumed management after initially being employed in a coaching and improvement function. He’ll flip 72 in September, and the league has been doing background work for 2 seasons within the occasion he retires. However except the NFL makes some structural and monetary adjustments to the division, it might wind up in the identical spot that led to Anderson’s authentic ascension: With an absence of certified candidates who need the job.

The league quietly employed two new officiating vice presidents — George Stewart (coaching/improvement) and Jon Berger (replay) — previously 12 months. However whether or not Anderson will give strategy to a brand new rent for his job stays unsure.

In the meantime, Goodell supplied one other clue a couple of potential path ahead, saying: “Now we have to work to make use of know-how the place we will to attempt to enhance their efficiency. Allow them to use know-how to verify they get the best reply.”

In different phrases, the NFL will think about extra methods to both improve its video help program — which permits on-site replay officers to seek the advice of on a selected menu of performs for fast reversals or confirmations — or maybe to make extra performs eligible for official evaluate. House owners want that strategy over a proper “sky decide,” who would sit within the press field and have the identical authority as an on-field official to throw flags or advocate they be picked up. House owners want to restrict choices that have an effect on video games to on-field officers as a lot as potential.

Revamp the kickoff

A number of NFL officers, together with Goodell, are promising to revamp the kickoff to make sure it’s not misplaced without end. That can require a major overhaul of the present guidelines after making use of a Band-Help in 2023 that ensured a pointy drop within the variety of returns.

Solely 21.8% of kickoffs have been returned and, due to a one-year rule that noticed honest catches on the 25-yard line, practically three-fourths of kickoffs went for touchbacks. There have been 92 honest catches. These numbers have been unprecedented in league historical past, however the NFL did achieve reducing concussions on kickoffs to eight from 20 in 2022. League officers pressured that the drop was solely because of the discount in returns and that the speed of concussions per return didn’t change.

Goodell mentioned in a information convention forward of Tremendous Bowl LVIII that “we have to innovate” the kickoff and steered it will be one of many league’s prime priorities this spring. The league has studied the XFL’s strategy, utilized in 2020 and 2023, and will undertake it as early because the 2024 season.

In that model of the kickoff, everybody however the kicker and returner are lined up throughout from one another on the receiving group’s 35- and 30-yard strains, and may’t transfer till the returner secures the ball or after three seconds go when it hits the bottom.

That design all however eliminates high-impact collisions and has led to return charges of greater than 90% over two seasons. There are a number of obstacles to the NFL incorporating it, most notably the historic reticence of homeowners to undertake vital aesthetic adjustments to the sport. It is also price noting that the United Soccer League — a merged league of XFL and USFL groups — is anticipated to make use of a kickoff that extra intently resembles the NFL’s rule, with the notable exception of kicking off from the 20-yard line to primarily remove touchbacks.

Plan worldwide build-out

NFL homeowners voted in December to extend the utmost quantity of worldwide video games it performs per season from 4 to eight for the 2025 season. That plan coincides with an growth into new international locations for these video games. The NFL has already introduced a 2024 recreation in Brazil, to be hosted by the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 1, and one other recreation in Spain throughout the 2025 season.

The upshot is that the NFL is on the verge of sending half its groups to play a global recreation every season, a giant shift from an occasional season interruption to 1 that’s embedded within the cloth of yearly. It is also the logical stepping stone to finally having a global recreation each week of the season, a construction that appears extra lifelike than relocating (or increasing) a single franchise abroad.

Cousins is arguably the most important single domino in figuring out the path of the 2024 free agent market. His contract with the Minnesota Vikings is scheduled to void on March 13, making him ineligible for the franchise tag. At the same time as he approaches his thirty sixth birthday and is rehabilitating a torn proper Achilles tendon, Cousins could be the highest passer out there available on the market.

He has mentioned he hopes to complete his profession in Minnesota, and the group’s decision-makers have mentioned they are going to attempt to re-sign him. He will not be low-cost, nevertheless, and the negotiations will seemingly come all the way down to what number of totally assured years the Vikings are prepared to offer him. If he hits the market, a number of groups might wind up bidding for his companies.

ESPN’s Matt Bowen ranked Cousins because the NFL’s No. 3 free agent. Different doubtlessly out there quarterbacks embrace Baker Mayfield, Ryan Tannehill and Russell Wilson, if he and the Denver Broncos half methods as anticipated.

Free company might additionally characteristic a bunch of high-end defensive gamers: defensive tackles Chris Jones, Justin Madubuike and Christian Wilkins; together with edge rushers Josh Allen, Brian Burns and Danielle Hunter.

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Outline (and possibly ban) hip-drop tackles

The NFL has been learning an increase in a selected tackling model that arose from restrictions to hitting gamers within the head and neck space. Briefly, defenders seize ball carriers and use their physique weight to tug down the opponent, generally by leaving their toes. The ball service’s legs can twist awkwardly from the power, inflicting accidents from excessive ankle sprains to damaged bones.

The speed of accidents on such tackles over the previous few seasons is 25 occasions the speed of a typical deal with, in response to the league. “It’s an unforgiving habits and one which we have to attempt to outline and get out of the sport,” mentioned Jeff Miller, the NFL’s government vp of communications, public affairs and coverage.

Defining the play in a manner that may be officiated, and thus penalized, might show tough. But it surely’s price noting the NFL has different well being and security guidelines on the books which can be largely unenforced throughout video games, most notably the “helmet rule” established in 2018 to ban gamers from reducing their heads whereas contacting opponents. That rule isn’t penalized, and when it’s, NFL officers don’t specify it, however ends in a whole bunch of postgame warning letters and fines per season.

One other potential rule change the NFL will think about: Eliminating the necessary touchback after a fumble into (and out of) the tip zone, one thing the XFL and the USFL each experimenting with.

Await the Bears’ determination atop the 2024 draft

The Chicago Bears have the No. 1 general decide within the draft for the second consecutive 12 months. The prolonged NFL world is ready to see if they are going to apply it to a franchise quarterback — and thus transfer on from Justin Fields — or repeat their 2023 determination and commerce down.

Their determination presumably will dictate the long run dwelling of USC quarterback Caleb Williams, and finally the 2 different prime passers within the draft: North Carolina’s Drake Maye and LSU’s Jayden Daniels. It might additionally impression the place Ohio State receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. lands.

Fields has made incremental enchancment over three seasons with the Bears, however over that interval he nonetheless ranks No. 28 in QBR amongst certified passers. He is now eligible for a contract extension, and the Bears’ days of getting him locked into the low salaries of a rookie contract are numbered. Buying and selling him, drafting Williams and locking into one other rookie contract would lengthen one of the crucial useful roster benefits within the NFL.

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Speed up position-specific helmets

As a part of the NFL’s program to encourage private-industry innovation, three place teams had the choice to make use of helmets in 2023 that have been designed to guard towards the kind of injurious contact they sometimes encounter. They’ve existed for offensive and defensive linemen since 2021, offering further assist for the helmet-to-helmet contact they obtain simply after the snap. A quarterback mannequin was launched final season, centered on including safety to the again of the pinnacle when it hits the bottom.

There are anticipated to be as many as eight totally different helmet fashions for different positions in 2024, NFL officers mentioned. Future research will give attention to receivers, cornerbacks and safeties.

Place-specific helmets are usually not game-changers within the violent sport, however together with the usage of Guardian Cap helmet coverings and different mitigation instruments, they assist chip away on the bigger downside of mind accidents within the NFL.

Examine the drop in scoring

The NFL intently screens its offensive numbers, and in current a long time, homeowners have not hesitated to tweak guidelines in ways in which lock in a sure stage of scoring. So it is price noting that factors and yards per recreation have dropped in every of the previous three seasons, a time interval that’s longer than a blip and one that can immediate a response in some unspecified time in the future if the numbers do not stage off organically.

To be honest, the league’s historic highs got here throughout the COVID-affected 2020 season, partially as a result of the league’s on-field officers executed a pointy drop in penalties. However the drop since then has been precipitous and hasn’t merely returned to pre-2020 numbers.

The common recreation in 2023 had a mixed 43.5 factors and 663.2 yards, down 12% and seven.8% since 2020, respectively. Factors per recreation have been at their second-lowest since 2009, whereas yards per recreation have been at a 15-year low. And even with groups rising their price of fourth-down makes an attempt, punts per recreation have elevated in every of the previous three seasons.

It is not but clear whether or not the NFL will likely be sufficiently motivated to take motion this offseason, however the trendlines are clear.