2024 NFL season

• 1. Introduction

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  The 2024 NFL season had not seen anything like its own draft class in forty-one years. Six quarterbacks were selected in the first round on April 25-27, tying a record last set in 1983. The draft took place around Campus Martius Park and Hart Plaza in Detroit, Michigan. Chicago, having obtained the top overall pick via trade from Carolina, selected Caleb Williams out of USC. Williams was joined in the first round by Jayden Daniels, Drake Maye, Michael Penix Jr., J. J. McCarthy, and Bo Nix. They entered a league operating under a salary cap of $255.4 million per team. That figure represented a jump from the previous high of $224.8 million in 2023.

  The regular season opened on the 5th of September, with reigning champion Kansas City hosting Baltimore in the Kickoff Game. The central question for much of the year was whether the Chiefs could win an unprecedented third consecutive Super Bowl. No team in league history had ever accomplished that. The answer came on the 9th of February, 2025, at Caesars Superdome in New Orleans.

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• 2. A Record-Breaking Rookie Class

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  Jayden Daniels completed 91.3 percent of his passes in a single Week 3 game. That set the record for highest completion percentage by a rookie with at least 20 attempts, surpassing Dak Prescott's previous mark of 88.9 percent. Washington's quarterback finished the regular season with 891 rushing yards, the most by a rookie quarterback in league history. Robert Griffin III had held the previous record with 815. Daniels collected ten Rookie of the Week awards, one more than Ben Roethlisberger's previous record of nine. He also set the record for most passing yards by a rookie in the postseason, throwing for 577 yards. Russell Wilson's previous mark stood at 572. Daniels won the Offensive Rookie of the Year award.

  Brock Bowers, the Las Vegas Raiders' first-year tight end, caught 13 passes in a single Week 11 game. That broke the record for most receptions in a game by a rookie tight end, previously held by Mark Bavaro with 12. Bowers finished the regular season with 108 receptions, the most in any season by a rookie in league history. Puka Nacua had held the previous record with 105. His 1,194 receiving yards also set the all-time record for a rookie tight end, besting Mike Ditka's mark of 1,076. Bowers became only the third rookie tight end to reach 1,000 receiving yards in a season, joining Ditka and Kyle Pitts. He earned a first-team All-Pro selection.

  Malik Nabers became the youngest wide receiver in league history to score multiple touchdowns in a game. He was 21 years and 56 days old at the time, besting Mike Evans' previous record of 21 years and 73 days. Nabers was also the first player ever to record at least 20 receptions, 250 receiving yards, and three touchdowns through his first three career games. Braelon Allen of the New York Jets tied the record for youngest player to score a touchdown from scrimmage. Allen was 20 years and 239 days old, a mark he shares with Arnie Herber. Nabers and his Giants teammate Tyrone Tracy each finished the season with 1,000 yards from scrimmage. They became only the second pair of rookie teammates in league history to achieve that, joining Reggie Bush and Marques Colston.

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• 3. Milestones Across the League

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  Saquon Barkley carried the ball for 2,005 yards in the 2024 regular season. He became the ninth player in league history to rush for at least 2,000 yards in a single season. Barkley won the Offensive Player of the Year award and earned a first-team All-Pro selection at running back.

  Lamar Jackson set the record for most career rushing yards by a quarterback, finishing the year with 6,110. Michael Vick had held the previous mark of 6,109. Jackson also reached four career games with a perfect passer rating with at least ten attempts, setting the record for most such performances by any quarterback. His regular-season passer rating of 119.6 led the entire league, and he was named first-team All-Pro at quarterback.

  Patrick Mahomes became the fastest player to reach 30,000 career passing yards, doing so in 103 games. Matthew Stafford had held the previous record at 109 games. Ja'Marr Chase led the league with 127 receptions and 1,708 receiving yards. In two games against Baltimore, Chase accumulated 457 yards, setting the record for most receiving yards against a single opponent in a season. Art Powell had held the previous mark with 428.

  Justin Jefferson became the first player in league history to reach 7,000 receiving yards in his first five seasons. Mike Evans tied Jerry Rice's record of eleven consecutive seasons with at least 1,000 receiving yards. Evans also extended his own record for the most such seasons to begin a career. T. J. Watt recorded his 100th career sack during Week 5, joining his brother J. J. Watt. They became the first pair of brothers in league history to each reach 100 career sacks.

  Aaron Rodgers became the fifth player in NFL history to throw 500 career passing touchdowns, reaching the milestone in Week 18. He also set the record for most sacks absorbed by a quarterback in a career. His 568th career sack surpassed Tom Brady's previous record of 565. Josh Allen set the record for most games with at least 250 passing yards and 50 rushing yards, finishing with 14 such performances. He was named the league's Most Valuable Player. The Green Bay Packers became the first franchise in league history to win 800 games, reaching that total in Week 2.

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• 4. Rethinking the Rules

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  At the NFL Owners' Meeting on March 25-26, league owners approved a ban on the hip-drop tackle. That technique involves a defender grabbing a ball carrier and swiveling to drop weight onto the runner's legs at or below the knee. The play was classified as a personal foul, carrying a 15-yard penalty and an automatic first down when committed by the defense.

  Under a new kickoff format approved on a trial basis for the season, all kicking team players except the kicker had to line up at the receiving team's 40-yard line. No player on either side could move until the ball touched the ground or a receiving team player. The receiving team had to place at least nine players in a designated set-up zone between its own 30- and 35-yard lines. The kick had to land in a zone between the 20-yard line and the end zone. A touchback sailing into the end zone placed the ball at the receiving team's 30-yard line. A kick that bounced into the end zone for a touchback was placed at the 20. Fair catches were no longer permitted.

  Among the other changes approved at the March meeting, coaches now received a third challenge if either of their first two challenges were upheld. Previously, coaches needed both of their first two challenges to succeed to earn a third. The trade deadline was also moved from the Tuesday after Week 8 to the Tuesday after Week 9. In April 2024, the NFL modified its uniform rules to allow teams a third helmet option for the first time. Denver unveiled entirely new primary uniforms that month, the team's first complete redesign since 1997. The team also introduced a throwback alternate based on its 1977 'Orange Crush' design.

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• 5. Farewells and Losses

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  Aaron Donald retired after a ten-year career with the St. Louis and Los Angeles Rams. He was a ten-time Pro Bowler and eight-time first-team All-Pro. He won the Defensive Player of the Year award three times, in 2017, 2018, and 2020. He also took home the 2014 Defensive Rookie of the Year award and a Super Bowl LVI championship.

  Jason Kelce ended a thirteen-year career spent entirely in Philadelphia. He had made seven Pro Bowls and earned six first-team All-Pro selections. Matt Ryan retired after fifteen seasons with Atlanta and Indianapolis. He had won the 2016 NFL MVP and Offensive Player of the Year awards, as well as the 2008 Offensive Rookie of the Year award. Fletcher Cox, a six-time Pro Bowler and Super Bowl LII champion, stepped away after a twelve-year career also spent entirely in Philadelphia.

  The season brought the deaths of six Pro Football Hall of Famers. O. J. Simpson died on the 10th of April at age 76. He had been the first player in league history to rush for 2,000 yards in a single season and was the 1973 NFL MVP. Jim Otto, who played fifteen seasons as center for the Oakland Raiders, died on the 19th of May at age 86. Jimmy E. Johnson, a cornerback who spent sixteen seasons with the San Francisco 49ers, died on the 9th of May at age 86. Larry Allen died on the 2nd of June at age 52. He had played fourteen seasons as an offensive guard with Dallas and San Francisco, earning eleven Pro Bowl appearances and a Super Bowl XXX ring. Joe Schmidt, a ten-time Pro Bowler who won NFL championships with the Detroit Lions in 1953 and 1957, died on the 11th of September at age 92. Billy Shaw, a two-time AFL champion with the Buffalo Bills in 1964 and 1965, died on the 4th of October at age 85.

  Two active members of the NFL community died during the season. Khyree Jackson, a rookie cornerback for Minnesota, was killed in a car accident on the 6th of July at age 24. Joe D'Alessandris, who had served as Baltimore's offensive line coach since 2017, died on the 24th of August at age 70.

  Bill Belichick and the New England Patriots mutually agreed to part ways on the 11th of January, ending twenty-four seasons together. During that tenure, the Patriots won seventeen AFC East division titles and captured six Super Bowl championships: XXXVI, XXXVIII, XXXIX, XLIX, LI, and LIII. Pete Carroll was reassigned from his role as Seattle's head coach on the 10th of January after fourteen seasons. That tenure had included a Super Bowl XLVIII championship. Tom Brady began his broadcasting career as Fox's lead color commentator, working alongside play-by-play voice Kevin Burkhardt.

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• 6. Philadelphia's Championship Run

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  The playoffs opened with the Wild Card round on January 11-13. Ladd McConkey of the Los Angeles Chargers set the record for most receiving yards in a postseason game by a rookie. His 197 receiving yards surpassed Puka Nacua's previous mark of 181.

  In the Divisional Round, the Washington Commanders and Detroit Lions set the record for most combined points in a single quarter of any postseason game. The two teams combined for 42 points in the second quarter.

  The Philadelphia Eagles scored 55 points in the NFC Championship game, setting the record for the most points in a conference championship. The 1990 Buffalo Bills had held the previous mark with 51. Philadelphia also tied the record for most rushing touchdowns in a postseason game with seven, sharing the mark with the 1940 Chicago Bears. Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts set the record for most postseason rushing touchdowns by a quarterback, reaching nine career playoff rushing scores. He tied his own record for most rushing touchdowns by a quarterback in a single postseason game, with three. Hurts and Saquon Barkley became the first pair of teammates to each score at least three rushing touchdowns in a single postseason game.

  Philadelphia defeated Kansas City in the Super Bowl, ending the Chiefs' bid for a third consecutive championship. Hurts became the first player to record at least 200 passing yards and 50 rushing yards in more than one Super Bowl. He also broke his own record for most rushing yards by a quarterback in a Super Bowl, gaining 72 yards. His previous mark stood at 70. Hurts was named Super Bowl MVP. Kansas City's Travis Kelce set the record for most career receptions in Super Bowl history, with 35. Jerry Rice had held the previous mark with 33.

  The 14th NFL Honors were held on the 6th of February at the Saenger Theater in New Orleans. Arik Armstead of Jacksonville was named the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year.

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