With the 2024 NFL regular season behind us, it’s the ideal time to reflect on which NFL teams, players, and coaches fell flat on their faces and failed to live up to expectations.
So, without further ado, let’s dive into the NFL’s 10 biggest disappointments of 2024.
What are the biggest chagrins of the 2024 NFL season?
San Francisco 49ers
The 49ers were once again a popular pick to win the Super Bowl heading into the 2024 NFL season, having fallen just one play short of taking down the Kansas City Chiefs in the big game a year ago.
But absolutely nothing went right for Kyle Shanahan’s group, who brought back the same star-studded core from last year, plus big-named additions like Leonard Floyd and promising rookie Ricky Pearsall.
Even before injuries piled up on the reigning NFC champions, the 49ers never clicked or resembled a contender. Incredibly, they were only above .500 twice all season — after Week 1 and following a Week 10 victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
You can blame the injury bug all you want. Christian McCaffrey missed all but four games, but Jordan Mason did a phenomenal job as Run CMC’s understudy before getting hurt as well.
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Fresh off a $120 million contract extension, Brandon Aiyuk was averaging 30 fewer yards per game compared to 2023 before suffering a season-ending ACL tear. Deebo Samuel regressed big-time despite Pearsall, Aiyuk, and McCaffrey all missing time, and feels like a safe bet to be cut or traded.
And despite strong years from Nick Bosa, Leonard Floyd, and Fred Warner, the 49ers’ defense regressed across the board and never once looked like a top-10 group like we’re used to seeing. Maybe they shouldn’t have fired Steve Wilks after the Super Bowl loss to KC?
Injuries, erratic play from the offense and special teams, and inexcusable late-game meltdowns added up to a last-place finish in the NFC West. Shanahan and GM John Lynch will return in 2025, but there’s a lot of roster restructuring to do after this wasted year on the West Coast.
Everything About Aaron Rodgers & The New York Jets
It’s not a stretch to call the 2024 Jets the most overhyped and disappointing team in NFL history. As difficult as it is to recall, this dysfunctional circus show organization once entered the year with championship aspirations.
It all made sense, too. The Jets went 7-and-10 with horrible quarterback play in 2022 and 2023. With the four-time MVP returning from a season-ending Achilles tear, how could the Jets NOT improve and at least be a playoff team?
Because it’s the Jets, that’s why.
Beloved head coach Robert Saleh was fired after a close Week 5 loss to the Minnesota Vikings in London. A desperate trade for Davante Adams in October did nothing to jolt the offense, and GM Joe Douglas was fired six weeks after Saleh was shown the door.
And then more embarrassing details regarding ownership: Woody Johnson reportedly vetoed an offseason trade for star wideout Jerry Jeudy because his Madden rating wasn’t high enough…Johnson had his sons get involved in the club’s decision-making…Johnson telling the Jets to bench Rodgers…WOOF. Did we miss anything else?
We know it’s the Jets, but how did they suck this bad with a roster consisting of Rodgers, Adams, Garrett Wilson, Breece Hall, CJ Mosley, Quinnen Williams, AND Sauce Gardner? Someone make it make sense!
Kirk Cousins
Cousins was on pace for a career year with the Minnesota Vikings in 2023 before unfortunately suffering a season-ending Achilles tear. Minny decided to make a change at QB, making the four-time Pro Bowler the most sought-after signal-caller in free agency.
The Atlanta Falcons won the Cousins sweepstakes, signing him to a four-year deal worth $180 million that included $100 million in guarantees. Having gone 7-and-10 the year before with lackluster quarterback play, it felt like the arrival of Cousins would finally push a young and talented Atlanta team into contention.
But Cousins never once looked at home in the Atlanta offense despite a top-tier offensive line and the talents of Bijan Robinson, Drake London, Kyle Pitts, and Darnell Mooney. He went 7-and-7 as a starting QB and tossed 18 touchdowns against a league-leading 16 interceptions before getting benched.
Head coach Raheem Morris decided to give unproven rookie Michael Penix Jr. the starting duties for the final three weeks, unable to trust Cousins any further.
The 16 picks were a career-worst for Cousins. And the 18 touchdowns in 2024 were the fewest for Cousins in an NFL season in which he played at least 14 games. For context, he threw 18 touchdowns in eight games with Minnesota a year earlier.
Atlanta’s defense gave its team a chance to win most weeks. The skilled position guys and the o-line did their jobs. But Cousins single-handedly ruined this team’s chances of contending with his uncharacteristically erratic play, and now the Falcons have to prepare to trade or cut the man and take on some hefty dead money fines.
Maybe it’s a good thing they used that No. 8 pick on Penix Jr. after all…
First-Year Head Coaches MINUS Dan Quinn & Jim Harbaugh
There were eight new NFL head coaches heading into the 2018 season: Raheem Morris in Atlanta, Dave Canales in Carolina, Antonio Pierce in Vegas, Jim Harbaugh with the Chargers, Jerod Mayo in New England, Mike Macdonald in Seattle, Brian Callahan in Tennessee and Dan Quinn in Washington.
With the exceptions of Quinn and Harbaugh — who guided their teams to surprise playoff appearances in 2024 —- the 2024 NFL season head coach hiring cycle looks like a big-time disaster.
-Raheem Morris was brought in to elevate the Falcons into playoff contenders, and the signing of Kirk Cousins left him with no excuses. Morris’ tenure in Atlanta already looks like it’ll be as lackluster as his first head coaching stint with the Bucs.
-Dave Canales’ Panthers hardly look any better than they did a year ago. Bryce Young has looked better since regaining his starting job from an injured Andy Dalton, but finishing near the bottom of the standings wasn’t the goal. Not after Canales revived Baker Mayfield’s career in Tampa.
-Antonio Pierce went 5-4 in Vegas as the interim HC last year, thanks to a top-10 defense. The Raiders couldn’t stop a nosebleed all year, and they finished with their worst record since 2018 – the year Jon Gruden was basically tanking.
-Jerod Mayo isn’t exactly Bill Belichick. At least Drake Maye has shown some promise, but all those “Fire Mayo” chants in Gillette Stadium don’t paint a pretty picture for this once-proud franchise.
-Mike Macdonald was brought in to improve Seattle’s defense and get them back into the playoffs after a disappointing 9-and-8 season with Pete Carroll. The defense was a mess for nine weeks and only showed signs of life after their Week 10 bye — thanks to a soft second-half schedule. Oh, and Seattle missed the playoffs in consecutive years for the first time since 2008 and ‘09.
-Brian Callahan was supposed to save Will Levis and get the most out of a rebuilt Tennessee offense. The Titans finished last in the AFC South with their worst record since 2015.
For the sake of a good quality football product, let’s hope the 2025 NFL head coaching hiring cycle goes much better.
Also Read: Who Are The 5 Fastest Players In The 2024 NFL Season?
Miami Dolphins Offense
The Dolphins rode the league’s second-best offense of 2023 to a second-straight playoff appearance. Mike McDaniel’s group averaged 29.2 points per game, with Tyreek Hill’s 1,799 receiving yards and 13 touchdowns leading the league.
Raheem Mostert had a career-high 1,012 rushing yards and a league-leading 18 rushing scores. Jaylen Waddle crossed 1,000 yards receiving for the third straight year, and De’Von Achane had 997 yards of offense and 11 total touchdowns despite missing six games.
The career year from Tua Tagovailoa led to a four-year extension worth $212.4 million, a clear-cut indicator that it was time for Miami to start winning playoff games.
But even if you take away the games Tagovailoa missed with a concussion, this Miami offense never looked like the well-oiled machine that took the league by storm last year.
Hill’s yards per game total dropped by close to 50 percent. Mostert became a total afterthought in the offense. Achane didn’t take that monster step forward that we expected, and Waddle also endured a disappointing 2024 NFL season for his standards and failed to hit 1K receiving for the first time in his career.
Hard to fully analyze and critique Tagovaiola’s play since he missed close to half the season. But we will say that his 2024 campaign would have been better if Miami’s “Big Four” skill position guys played up to their usual standards …
Not saying Miami should have been a playoff team, but you can’t go from the No. 2 offense to, essentially, a bottom-10 unit in just one year.
Cleveland Browns
The Browns rode a stingy defense and a Comeback Player of the Year award-winning season from Joe Flacco to the playoffs last year. Having finished 11-6 to lock down just their second postseason appearance since 2003, expectations were high for Kevin Stefanski’s group in 2024.
At the very least, the Browns should have stuck around in the playoff race and pushed for double-digit wins, even in the unforgiving AFC North. Or so we thought…
Deshaun Watson somehow played even worse than the unwatchable 2023 version of himself before suffering a season-ending Achilles rupture. Cleveland’s usually-stout offensive line suddenly forgot how to block, leading to a significant drop in production from the usually dangerous ground game.
Jameis Winston and Dorian Thompson-Robinson did nothing to improve the offense following Watson’s injury. And Jim Schwartz’s defense was out of sync all year long and would have been much worse without another stellar year from Myles Garrett.
Other than that and a last-place finish in the AFC North, 2024 wasn’t so bad for the Browns?
Trevor Lawrence & Jacksonville Jaguars Offense
Not saying the Jaguars were a Super Bowl contender heading into 2024, but they were supposed to at least compete for a postseason berth. As bad as last season’s collapse was, they still went 9-and-8 and nearly boasted a top-10 offense.
Despite the sour end to 2024, the Jaguars got overly excited and gave Trevor Lawrence a massive five-year contract extension worth $275 million — including $200 million guaranteed.
So Lawrence at least had to continue playing like a top-15 QB to justify that new deal. And how could he mess up with Travis Etienne Jr., Evan Engram, Christian Kirk, Brian Thomas Jr., and Gabe Davis as his weapons?
Lo and behold, the Jaguars have been unwatchable this year. Before suffering a concussion that ended his 2024 NFL season, T-Law threw for just 2,045 yards, 11 touchdowns, and seven interceptions. Incredibly, he actually averaged less passing yards per game than his nightmare rookie season under Urban Meyer.
But aside from Thomas Jr. and the surprising Tank Bigsby, the rest of the Jags’ offense was a mess. Kirk, Davis, Engram, and Etienne were practically invisible all season long.
Did we mention this team was coming off two straight winning seasons? Or has T-Law’s $275 million extension not kicked in yet? YIKES.
Pricey Free Agents Swapping Teams
We touched base on how disappointing Kirk Cousins has been in Atlanta, but he’s not the only pricy free agent who has flopped with his new team.
After a career year with Miami in 2023, Christian Wilkins got a four-year deal worth $110 million with Vegas. He hardly made an impact in the limited action he saw before suffering a foot injury that kept him out most of the year.
Carolina handed $153 million combined to Damien Lewis and Robert Hunt to provide only minimal upgrades on their o-line. Calvin Ridley was paid superstar money by Tennessee — $92 million over four years — only to produce like a No. 2 receiver.
The Eagles also oughta feel buyer’s remorse for giving Bryce Huff $51.1 million over three years to get average production. Lloyd Cushenberry, Arik Armstead, and Patrick Queen have been mostly disappointments with their respective teams, too.
Second-Year Quarterbacks
You could argue that Indianapolis Colts QB Anthony Richardson was deserving of his own entry here…but his fellow sophomore signal-callers were disappointing enough to qualify for a combined entry here.
Has 2023 first-overall pick Bryce Young improved from his awful rookie year? I mean, yeah, sure, especially in the second half. But we still aren’t talking about eye-popping numbers, folks, and he’s running out of time here to prove himself as the franchise QB.
Former second-overall pick CJ Stroud played like an MVP in 2023. But his play has regressed big time in 2024, and Houston wouldn’t have returned to the playoffs if they didn’t play in football’s worst division.
Richardson has been a disaster for the Colts this year. Seriously, he might have been the worst starting QB with double-digit starts. Last year’s fourth-overall pick is facing a make-or-break year in 2025. Last chance, kiddo.
Will Levis had Calvin Ridley, Tyler Boyd, Tony Pollard, and briefly DeAndre Hopkins at his disposal under new head coach Brian Callahan. He got benched and was outplayed by veteran backup Mason Rudolph, so Levis too, is on his way out.
And do you want to go into the later rounds? Dorian Thompson-Robinson in Cleveland, Jake Haener in New Orleans, and Aidan O’Connell in Las Vegas haven’t done anything to show they’ll be starters in this league. Between that bunch, AOC is the best, and he’s looking at a career as a backup.
Dallas Cowboys
We know Cowboys haters are getting a kick out of their 2024 failures. But did you really think they’d be disappointed this much?
With three straight 12-win seasons under their belts, Dallas was expected to at least be a wild-card team in the 2024 NFL season. But this team never really found its form, with the Week 1 blowout win over Cleveland proving to be a mirage.
Dak Prescott lost five of eight starts before his season-ending hamstring injury. He had just 11 touchdowns against eight picks, with the 86.0 passer rating marking his career-worst. Brandin Cooks and Jake Ferguson were total non-factors on offense, too.
After fielding a top-10 defense in three straight years under DC Dan Quinn, the Cowboys’ unit slipped near the bottom in every major category. If not for Micah Parsons, the stats would be a LOT worse.
And remember when Dallas went undefeated at home for nearly two straight seasons? They didn’t get their first win at Jerry World until Thanksgiving against the hapless New York Giants.
All of this after Jerry Jones said his team would be “all-in” during the offseason. The joke just writes itself.
Also Read: 10 Nastiest Injuries Of The 2024 NFL Season That Made You Want To Gag
