Category: 2024 season

Cowboys have 19 pending free agents in 2024 as cap rumored around $242.5M

A look at the Cowboys pending free agency class and what the expected 2024 salary cap may look like. | From @KDDrummondNFL

The Dallas Cowboys are in the midst of their third-straight double-digit win campaign. It’s the first time since the 1994 through 1996 seasons they’ve been able to claim that feat. Being that this is the most consistent the franchise has been since their Super Bowl days, it stands to reason the front office will look to do what it can to keep the roster in tact.

Of course, if the club doesn’t advance past the divisional round, the perception changes in a heartbeat. But if Dallas does make it to the championship rounds, they’ll want to do as much as they can to run it back. That includes looking at their 19 pending free agents.

The owners Winter meetings are taking place in Dallas this week, and among the myriad of topics discussed annually at this time of the year is the salary cap for next year. Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer is reporting that no announcement will be made, but several tuned-in entities are predicting the 2024 number to come in between $240 million and $245 million.

That would be a jump of at least $15 million over the 2023 cap, but Dallas has concerns even with that total. Right now, Dallas is projected to be around $16 million over the median of those two numbers based on the salaries already on the roster.

There are restructure triggers galore in their current deals and extensions which could also reduce some of the larger cap hits like Dak Prescott’s $59.5 million or Zack Martin’s $28.5 million. And it will be needed to create space to bring in outside help or re-sign these names.

South America’s Team? NFL to play in Brazil in 2024; will Cowboys make the trip?

From @ToddBrock24f7: The league will play on the South American continent for the first time next year, but don’t pencil in the Cowboys quite yet.

The NFL is coming to the South American continent in 2024. A regular-season game will be played in São Paulo, Brazil next season, according to an announcement made Wednesday at the owners’ meetings in Dallas.

While the teams who will participate have not been revealed, Cowboys fans have already begun wondering if it’s time for their team to update their passports.

The game will be staged at Corinthians Arena, the home stadium of Brazilian soccer club SC Corinthians. The venue has been used in FIFA World Cup play as well as the Olympic Games in recent years. The arena normally has a capacity of just over 49,000, although temporary seating was added in 2014 to accommodate up to 65,000.

“There’s a lot of interest in the NFL,” league executive vice president Peter O’Reilly said during a September interview on The Adam Schefter Podcast. “I mean, we saw it. We did a Super Bowl viewing party last year down in Brazil, and it was packed, and the energy is there.”

The expansion to Brazil is part of an initiative to increase the slate of internationally-played games from four to eight per season in 2025. The NFL’s International Series currently has a regular presence in England, Mexico, and Germany.

Spain was also reportedly a finalist for the 2024 schedule. The city of Madrid, home to iconic soccer club Real Madrid, will continue to be considered as a likely site for future expansion.

But São Paulo mayor Ricardo Nunes claims that Brazil has the third-most NFL fans of any country in the world, behind Mexico and the United States. And the league was almost certainly eager to plant its flag on a new continent before setting up shop in yet another European city.

The Cowboys have not played on foreign soil since their 2014 trip to London to face the Jaguars. (Only the Steelers have gone longer without an international game.) To that end and to fill eight global games each season, owners passed a resolution Wednesday that requires every team to play an international game at least every four years.

Thanks to having an extra home date in 2024, the NFC will be designated as the “home” team for the first-ever Brazilian contest. Given that and their long absence from international play, some might naturally assume that Dallas’s number is up. But team owner Jerry Jones may not be so quick to let his Cowboys become gauchos, even if only for one Sunday, as a home date at AT&T Stadium is seen as too lucrative to just let go without a very compelling reason.

“You’re required to give up a home game, but we’re so committed to Mexico,” Jones explained Tuesday, per the Dallas Morning News. “When we talk about playing away and not having a home game, that would be my first thought. I don’t want to not remember where our design is. If we give up a game, it would be a desire to make it a Mexican game.”

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The Cowboys already have commercial rights in Mexico under the NFL’s global markets program, but the league will not return there in 2024 due to planned renovations to Estadio Azteca in Mexico City.

Theoretically, Dallas could still end up playing in Brazil- or another of the international locations- as the visiting team once 2024’s international matchups are announced.

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NFL targeting Brazil for a 2024 International Series game

The NFL is targeting Brazil for a 2024 International Series game. Which stadium could play host? Would you want the Saints to make the trip?

Now this is interesting. Multiple reports from NFL ownership meetings in Dallas say the league’s decision-makers will be voting on a potential 2024 regular season game to be played in Brazil, with a verdict coming as soon as Wednesday afternoon.

NFL commissioner Roger Goodell has made the league’s International Series a point of emphasis on his annual agenda — we may never see a Super Bowl played overseas or have an NFL team headquartered outside America, but Goodell clearly sees room for expansion in international markets. After kicking off games in the United Kingdom, Germany, and Mexico, he’s looking to Brazil as the next hotspot in 2024 (plus Spain in 2025, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports).

So where could that game be played? Venues used for recent international NFL games include London’s Tottenham Hotspur Stadium (seating over 60,000) and Wembley Stadium (seating more than 85,000), Mexico City’s Estadio Azteca (capacity for 78,000 seats) as well as Germany’s stadiums in Munich (the 69,000-seat Allianz Arena) and Frankfurt (Deutsche Bank Park, seating about 51,000).

That’s an average capacity of about 68,600 seats. If that’s in the ballpark of what the NFL is looking for in a venue, São Paulo has one clear option: the Estadio do Morumbi (which opened in 1960, easily seating 66,000). The city is also home to the Arena Corinthians (opened in 2014, seating 49,000) and Estádio Prudentão (built in 1982, seating 45,000) as alternative sites.

Now, what you’re really here for: could the Saints be involved? The answer to that is a soft “maybe.” New Orleans will not lose another home game to an international game in 2024 after doing so in 2022’s matchup with the Minnesota Vikings in London. NFL ownership previously agreed that every team would play a “home” game overseas once every eight years, but they’re voting soon on whether to shorten that to a four-year gap, so the Saints could make the trip as visitors.

An NFC team is expected to host the game in Brazil (if approved by league ownership), per Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer, and the Saints have away games scheduled in 2024 with the following opponents in their conference:

  • Atlanta Falcons
  • Carolina Panthers
  • Tampa Bay Buccaneers
  • Dallas Cowboys
  • New York Giants
  • Same-place NFC North team (right now, the Green Bay Packers)

We can rule out the Packers, Falcons, and Buccaneers because they have “hosted” international games in recent years, leaving the Panthers, Cowboys, and Giants as options to host. We should acknowledge the Detroit Lions, Minnesota Vikings, and Chicago Bears are eligible to host the game in Brazil if the Saints end up playing a difference NFC North team in 2024, depending on how the final divisional standings shake out.

But there’s another factor to consider: the NFL’s international marketing rights for Brazil have been awarded to just one team, the Miami Dolphins. It’s likely they would want the Dolphins to be involved because of that (or at least, the Dolphins would want to be involved), even if they’re playing as visitors. Miami has made a number of overseas appearances including a game in Frankfurt this year. They’re a likelier fit than the Saints.

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Where the Bears are projected to pick in 2024 NFL draft after Week 14

Here’s where the Bears are slated to pick with both first round selections in the 2024 NFL draft after Week 14 action.

The Chicago Bears pulled off an impressive 28-13 upset win against the Detroit Lions, which marked the first time the team has won back-to-back games under head coach Matt Eberflus. And it certainly looks like the Bears are starting to turn a corner.

So how did their win impact Chicago’s current draft positioning?

Following Sunday’s action, the Bears currently hold two of the top five picks in the 2024 NFL draft, according to Tankathon.

The Carolina Panthers’ first-round pick, which belongs to Chicago, remains No. 1 overall after the team lost their 12th game of the season — and the New England Patriots got a surprising win over the Pittsburgh Steelers. Meanwhile, the Bears’ selection is still fifth overall after their win and subsequent results around the league.

  1. Bears (via Panthers, 1-12)
  2. Patriots (3-10)
  3. Cardinals (3-10)
  4. Commanders (4-9)
  5. Bears (5-8)

There are plenty of questions surrounding the Bears with the final four games on deck, including the future of quarterback Justin Fields. If Chicago manages to snag the top selection in the draft, general manager Ryan Poles will need to determine whether any quarterback in the 2024 class blows him away or if the Bears will stick with Fields, who’s entering the final year of his rookie deal (and the fifth-year option is still in play). Trading back from a top draft spot isn’t out of the question either.

The Panthers remain the lone one-win team left in the NFL, where the New England Patriots and Arizona Cardinals each have three wins, which means Carolina needs to lose just two more games this season for Chicago to secure the top pick for a second consecutive season.

Where the Saints are projected to pick in 2024 NFL draft after Week 12

Where the New Orleans Saints are projected to pick in 2024 NFL draft after Week 12:

If there’s a sliver lining to the New Orleans Saints falling out of first place in the NFC South, it’s that they’re lined up for a lucrative first-round pick in the 2024 NFL draft. And they need all the help they can get with an aging roster in need of reinforcements on both sides of the ball, to say nothing of an uncertain future at quarterback.

The experts at Tankathon currently project the Saints to pick at No. 12 overall after Week 12’s games. But we shouldn’t reduce their 2024 draft class down to just one selection. The Saints have a couple of picks coming back from other teams and they’re expected to receive some compensatory draft picks as well.

With that in mind, here are the updated Saints 2024 draft pick projections after Week 12:

  • Round 1, Pick 12
  • Round 2, Pick 49 (via Denver)
  • Round 5, Pick 147
  • Round 5, Pick 168 (compensatory)
  • Round 5, Pick 171 (compensatory)
  • Round 5, Pick 174 (compensatory)
  • Round 6, Pick 192
  • Round 6, Pick 209 (via Philadelphia)
  • Round 7, Pick 237 (via Denver)

The Broncos keep winning games, which means that second rounder coming back from Denver is getting less valuable by the week. And the Saints are shorthanded in the early rounds after trading their picks in rounds two (to the Philadelphia Eagles to get Trevor Penning), three (to the Denver Broncos with Sean Payton), and four (to the Jacksonville Jaguars to move up for for Jake Haener).

Knowing Mickey Loomis, expect many of those late-round picks to be packaged in more trades moving up earlier in the draft, assuming all of the compensatory picks are awarded as expected. Those will be confirmed in March along with the finalized draft order for all teams.

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This two-round 2024 mock draft has the Saints prioritizing the line of scrimmage

This two-round 2024 mock draft has the Saints prioritizing the line of scrimmage, starting with finding Bryan Bresee’s new tag-team partner:

Mock drafts are all the rage, and the bye week presents a good opportunity for New Orleans Saints fans to take a look at which prospects are impressing ahead of the 2024 NFL draft. We’ve got a two-round projection from Curt Popejoy over at Draft Wire, who has the Saints investing their first-round pick on Miami Hurricanes defensive tackle Leonard Taylor III.

Taylor is a perfect fit at a listed 6-foot-3 and 305 pounds, and he’s disruptive with 22.5 tackles for loss in his 28-game career thus far. Bryan Bresee looks like the real deal and pairing him with someone like Taylor could set the Saints up at defensive tackle for years to come. They could lose Malcolm Roach in free agency in the spring which opens a slot in the rotation. Nathan Shepherd has played the most snaps at defensive tackle this season but he’s going to turn 31 next year in the second year of his three-year contract. Adding Taylor could help the Saints get younger and faster up front.

But the Saints’ pick in the second round of this mock draft would be a good get, too. Popejoy has them taking Washington offensive lineman Troy Fautanu at the No. 45 pick coming back from the Denver Broncos. Fautanu is someone we highlighted in our own recent five-round projection as someone who could help the Saints out at either left tackle or left guard, where things are very uncertain moving forwards.

Andrus Peat has looked like their best player at left tackle after taking over for Trevor Penning after he was benched, but he’s a free agent in the spring, and James Hurst hasn’t been that impressive at either spot. Maybe Fautanu can help the Saints figure out a long-term plan at one of those positions. Either way, the Saints are not winning at the line of scrimmage often enough on either side of the ball this season, and it’s clear that they should continue to invest in their offensive and defensive lines to get better up front.

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Saints’ 2024 to-do list looking very manageable after Cesar Ruiz, Carl Granderson extensions

The Saints’ 2024 to-do list is looking very manageable after extensions with Cesar Ruiz and Carl Granderson. But it all hinges on Derek Carr:

The New Orleans Saints’ 2024 to-do list is looking very manageable after extensions with Cesar Ruiz and Carl Granderson took two of their most important free agents off the board. With those two young players signed for the foreseeable future (along with team captain Cameron Jordan), team decision-makers will be able to focus on upgrading the roster rather than retaining talent.

But it all hinges on Derek Carr. The veteran quarterback has shown some good things (and some vulnerabilities) through his first couple of starts. Everything about the plan general manager Mickey Loomis and his top assistants Khai Harley and Jeff Ireland have drawn up relies on Carr fielding a playoffs-ready offense. If the Saints can reach the postseason with Carr putting points on the board, the plan ahead is crystal-clear.

So what does the future hold for the Saints? Here are the hurdles in front of them in 2024:

NFL to expand practice squads in 2024 with emphasis on international players

The NFL announced plans to expand practice squads in 2024 with an emphasis on international players, something the Saints have taken advantage of before:

We’re continuing to see an emphasis on the NFL’s overseas outreach with the league announcing a plan to expand practice squads in 2024 — opening a 17th spot on every team’s practice squad for an international player. Expect the New Orleans Saints to embrace this opportunity.

The Saints have participated in the NFL International Pathway program before, having developed British defensive end Alex Jenkins on their practice squad for a few years; he last played for the New York Giants in 2019 but was waived with an injury settlement, and he has been out of football since. He didn’t start out on the practice squad, but Nigerian defensive tackle David Onyemata was one of the Saints’ best players in recent years after the team found him while scouting Canadian college football prospects.

Still, other players have traveled from abroad to find success in the NFL. Former Carolina Panthers defensive end Efe Obada was another player who benefited from the NFL International Pathway opportunity, developing into a playmaker with 15 career sacks and a couple of takeaways to his credit; the program was piloted with NFC South teams back in 2017.

Expect more efforts from the NFL to expand their international brand in the years ahead. The league is playing more games in other countries and looking to cultivate stronger followings abroad, and it feels like only a matter of time until the Saints kick off a game in France as the country’s exclusive NFL marketing presence.

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Report: Saints plan to hold 2024 training camp away from Metairie headquarters

Report: Saints plan to hold 2024 training camp away from Metairie headquarters

Here’s a big scoop from Nola.com’s Jeff Duncan, who reports that the New Orleans Saints plan to relocate their 2024 training camp away from the team’s headquarters in Metairie.

Specifically, Duncan reports that construction and renovations on the cafeteria at the Ochsner Sports Performance Center “will force the Saints to hold their 2024 training camp elsewhere.” Whether or not that is a result of players criticizing the cafeteria’s offerings in a recent NFLPA survey may be up for interpretation.

The Saints held training camp in West Virginia (at the Greenbrier golf resort) for several years under former head coach Sean Payton, who also moved them to Mississippi (Millsaps College in Jackson) in his first year on the job. But for the most part they’ve worked in the heat of the New Orleans summer. Rising temperatures have forced them to adjust practice schedules, though, and this is an opportunity for the team’s decision-makers to take the show on the road.

It’s also an opportunity to give fans outside New Orleans a rare opportunity to see their team in person. Moving to a less-challenging climate could reduce the number of injuries that have troubled players at training camp, too. Many other teams hold training camp away from their headquarters — including the Buffalo Bills and Dallas Cowboys — so this could be a smart move. We’ll see what the Saints ultimately choose to do.

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Salary cap expert says these 5 Saints veterans are in dangerous territory

It’s a day that ends in “Y” so an NFL salary cap expert is anxiously studying the Saints’ outlook. They say these five veterans are entering dangerous territory:

It’s a day that ends in “Y” so an NFL salary cap expert is anxiously studying the New Orleans Saints’ outlook. But this time they’re making predictions about it. Over The Cap’s Nick Korte writes that these five Saints veterans are entering dangerous territory, and that they’re in jeopardy of losing their roster spots in 2024.

Using a concept termed “contract fate” created by studying how teams treat veteran players after signing contracts, Korte found five outcomes were possible after players put pens to paper — negative “fates” like termination and pay cuts, along with positive “fates” in extensions and pay raises, along with a “fate” that’s fair for both the player and team in which the contract expires as written.

Korte then studied a sample size of more than 2,000 NFL contracts to find how often each “fate” occurred. And 50.7% of players are terminated before their contracts run out, while another 11.6% take pay cuts; a combined 62.3% of contracts ended with a negative outcome for the player. After breaking it down further into position groups, Korte took a look around the league and put together a list of players with “odds of negative contract fate” in 2023.

In other words, Korte suggests, these players might be fighting for their jobs in 2024. Despite having signed multi-year deals with the Saints, they’ll need to play at a high level in 2023 to return the following season. New Orleans is in the red by more than $63 million next year, though they can reach cap compliance again through another round of their usual restructures. Still, departures are possible.

Let’s break down each case and see whether we agree or disagree with Korte’s assessment: