Tag: Mac Jones

NFL schedule release: When will 2024 slate of games be revealed for all 32 teams?

The 2024 NFL schedule is currently slated to be released at 8pm ET on May 15, per memo to teams this afternoon via Ben Fischer

After months of waiting, there’s only one week until all 32 NFL teams, fans and league experts will find out the official 2024 regular season schedule.

Ben Fischer of Sports Business Journal reports that NFL teams were informed on Tuesday that the regular-season schedule is expected to be released next Wednesday, May 15th.

The Bengals, Ravens, and Rams highlight the Eagles’ 2024 opponents list, and we already know that Philadelphia will open up in Brazil against the Green Bay Packers.

Philadelphia previously had one of the more difficult schedules over the past two years, but 2024 will see the Eagles among the top ten easiest schedules based on win-loss percentages from last year.

WATCH: NFL teases upcoming schedule release with video hyping looming matchups

NFL teases upcoming 2024 schedule release with a hype video

We’re about 7-14 days away from the 2024 NFL schedule reveal, and the league is helping build the hype by releasing a video teasing the looming matchups.

The Bengals, Ravens, and Rams highlight the Eagles’ 2024 opponents list, and we already know that Philadelphia will open up in Brazil against the Green Bay Packers.

There’s a cycle of inter-conference faceoffs; each NFC division rotates through each AFC division every four seasons and the other NFC divisions every three seasons.

In addition, where a team finishes within their division dictates a same-finish matchup with one team from the opposite conference and whichever divisions aren’t in the rotation for that season.

Philadelphia previously had one of the more difficult schedules over the past two years, but 2024 will see the Eagles among the top ten easiest schedules based on win-loss percentages from last year.

Report: Jaguars declining QB Mac Jones’ fifth-year option

Report: Jaguars declining QB Mac Jones’ fifth-year option

With a May 2 deadline to activate each one, the Jaguars have exercised the fifth-year contract options for quarterback Trevor Lawrence and running back Travis Etienne and will decline the same option for recently-acquired quarterback Mac Jones, the latter decision reported by Michael DiRocco of ESPN on Tuesday.

Expected to back up Lawrence during the 2024 campaign, Jones’ 2025 option — equivalent in value to Lawrence’s, $25,664,000 fully guaranteed, per Over the Cap — was not expected to be picked up.

Each player was selected in the first round of the 2021 NFL draft, making them eligible for fifth-year options as outlined in the NFL’s Collective Bargaining Agreement.

The Jaguars traded for Jones in March, exchanging their No. 193 overall pick in the sixth round of the 2024 NFL draft for the Jacksonville-native passer and 2021 first-round selection by the Patriots.

New England chose Tennessee quarterback prospect Joe Milton with that pick on Saturday, following their selection of North Carolina quarterback Drake Maye at No. 3 in the first round Thursday.

Jones, who attended Alabama following a successful career at local Bolles High School, started in each of his 42 regular season appearances with New England over three seasons. However, injuries and underwhelming performance limited him to 25 games over the past two years.

In that stretch, Jones completed 864-of-1,308 (66.1%) passing attempts for 8,918 yards with 46 touchdowns and 36 interceptions. He also rushed for 327 yards and a touchdown.

Jacksonville, owning the No. 1 pick in 2021, took Lawrence from Clemson 14 picks before New England selected Jones.

Lawrence has completed 1,116-of-1,750 (63.8%) passes for 11,770 yards with 58 touchdowns and 39 interceptions over 50 regular season starts with the Jaguars, adding 964 yards and 11 touchdowns rushing.

Both quarterbacks clinched playoff berths with their drafted teams.

Jones, then a rookie, and the Patriots were eliminated in the 2021-22 AFC Wild Card round by AFC East rival Buffalo, 47-17. Lawrence and the Jaguars were defeated by Kansas City in the 2022-23 AFC Divisional Round, 27-20, after beating the Los Angeles Chargers on Wild Card weekend, 31-30.

There’s one thing Drake Maye and Mac Jones will have in common

Drake Maye will be wearing a familiar jersey number in New England

New England Patriots rookie quarterback Drake Maye confirmed on Friday that he will be wearing the No. 10 jersey number in the NFL. This was the same number he wore in high school and at North Carolina.

The No. 10 jersey was previously held by former Patriots quarterback Mac Jones. Jimmy Garoppolo also wore the number during his time in New England from 2014-2016. Damiere Byrd, Austin Collie and Josh Gordon were also notable names to wear that number.

Jones was shipped off in a trade to the Jacksonville Jaguars in free agency for a sixth-round draft pick. So Maye is being brought in to lead the way into the future as the new franchise quarterback for the rebuilding Patriots.

Time will tell how Maye does in New England. At the very least, the team put nearly all of its efforts into adding offensive pieces in the draft. The objective is clearly making things way more accommodating for this No. 10 than it was for the previous one.

Adam Schefter continues to predict LSU QB Jayden Daniels to Commanders

Adam Schefter is convinced Jayden Daniels is coming to Washington.

For several weeks now, ESPN NFL insider Adam Schefter has remained confident that LSU quarterback Jayden Daniels will go No. 2 overall in Thursday’s 2024 NFL draft to the Washington Commanders.

To be fair to Schefter, he hasn’t reported Daniels is going to the Commanders. However, from gathering intel from his sources around the NFL, his best guess is Daniels to the Commanders.

On Monday, Schefter doubled down on Daniels to Washington in an appearance on the “Pat McAfee Show.”

“The Commanders have not finalized that decision, could they change their mind, sure,” Schefter. “The most likely scenario is that the Commanders stay at two and take Jayden Daniels in my mind.”

Earlier on Monday, Schefter also wrote a column at ESPN in which he discussed what he was hearing ahead of the draft, including some tidbits on the Commanders.

The Commanders have been highly impressed with Daniels’ abilities, and they are not alone. One NFL head coach whose team is not in the quarterback market said he would take Daniels over Caleb Williams (USC), who is expected to be drafted No. 1 by the Bears. “It’s a no-brainer to me,” the coach said. “Jayden looks like the best guy in this draft.”

Another head coach compared Daniels to Baltimore quarterback Lamar Jackson: “If you pick Daniels, you’re getting Lamar 2.0, but he’s further along as a passer than Lamar was when he came out,” the coach said.

Washington still is going through its process, but Daniels is the favorite to be its pick.

Schefter is the top newsbreaker in sports, and he’s rarely ever wrong. Again, he’s guessing on this pick, but it is an educated guess. It’s also important to note he has been wrong before. In 2021, Schefter said the 49ers would select Alabama quarterback Mac Jones at No. 3 overall — they chose Trey Lance.

Current Washington general manager Adam Peters was San Francisco’s assistant GM in 2021.

Adam Schefter says signs still point to Jayden Daniels going to the Commanders

Schefter is not always right. Remember 2021?

Last week, Adam Schefter of ESPN said he believed LSU quarterback Jayden Daniels would be the No. 2 overall pick in the 2024 NFL draft to the Washington Commanders. The preeminent NFL insider didn’t report Daniels was going to Washington, but his wording was interesting.

Schefter said he and others were discouraged from spoiling the picks ahead of time, but signs pointed to Daniels heading to Washington. Again, it was not a report, just a hunch.

Schefter doesn’t often put his name on something that doesn’t end up being true. Remember in January when everyone else assumed Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson would be Washington’s next head coach? But it was Schefter who threw cold water on that notion.

Sure enough, Schefter was right.

On the latest episode of “The Adam Schefter Podcast,” Schefter doubled down on Daniels and the Commanders.

“I will stand behind that,” Schefter said. “The signs continue to point to Jayden Daniels going number 2 to Washington.” 

Schefter said nothing had changed his mind regarding Daniels to the Commanders.

While we should often take what Schefter says to the bank, he’s not always right. Remember in 2021 when the San Francisco 49ers moved up to No. 3 in the draft to select a quarterback? Everyone thought it would be Mac Jones —including Schefter.

It ended up being Trey Lance.

What do these two situations have in common? Current Washington GM Adam Peters was San Francisco’s assistant GM in 2021.

Saints suggested as a good fit for Jets draft bust Zach Wilson

The New Orleans Saints were suggested as a good fit for New York Jets draft bust Zach Wilson. But they shouldn’t trade anything for him:

Where will Zach Wilson play football in 2024? The New York Jets draft bust has been given permission to look for a trade partner, but there haven’t been many takers. With other former first-round quarterbacks changing teams it feels like only a matter of time until Wilson ejects.

It just might be difficult for him to find a parachute first. Throwing 25 interceptions in 33 starts will do a lot to turn off suitors. Despite that, CBS Sports’ Cody Benjamin argues that the New Orleans Saints could be interested in Wilson’s services, writing:

There isn’t exactly a strong market for a former top-three pick whose erratic quarterbacking resulted in multiple demotions, but at just 24 with dual-threat traits, Wilson could be a low-risk reclamation project for a contender. The return would almost certainly not exceed that which the Bears or Patriots got for Justin Fields and Mac Jones, respectively. But one thing’s for sure: The Jets have had their fill, with the aging but superior Aaron Rodgers once again back in the saddle.

There are some coaches on staff Wilson knows well like John Benton, the former Jets offensive line coach, and Wilson wouldn’t face as much pressure competing with Jake Haener to back up Derek Carr. He’d be more competitive in that role than Nathan Peterman will be.

But is it worth trading anything for him? Probably not. If the vision is for Haener to knock down whatever punching bag the Saints set in front of him, it makes more sense to sign a player like Peterman on a non-guaranteed minimum salary than to invest draft capital in Wilson (even if it’s nothing more than a late-round pick). And there’s the possibility of Wilson being released outright. If that comes to pass, then it’s worth seeing if Wilson is willing to match Peterman’s modest salary.

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Who will be the next Baker Mayfield?

A handful of quarterbacks from the first round of the 2021 NFL draft could be primed for a Baker Mayfield bounce-back in 2024

Baker Mayfield’s football journey has been well documented, from college walk-on to Heisman Trophy winner and No. 1 overall pick in the NFL draft, to being released and bouncing between three teams in two years.

The most recent chapter in that story was a return to greatness, as Mayfield enjoyed the best season of his NFL career last year after signing a cheap one-year deal with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

There are multiple quarterbacks from the 2021 NFL draft class who could be primed for a similar bounce-back after experienced the same kind of rocky start to their respective NFL careers, and Rich Eisen recently discussed which of them could make that kind of comeback with a new team:

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2024 projected win totals for each NFC East team

We’re looking at a ranking of all four NFC East teams including the Philadelphia Eagles by 2024 win total predictions

We’re about 40 days from the 2024 NFL schedule reveal, but the world and Eagles fans already know who their opponents will be.

The league uses multiple factors to determine the year’s game schedule.

There’s a cycle of inter-conference faceoffs; each NFC division rotates through each AFC division every four seasons and the other NFC divisions every three seasons.

In addition, where a team finishes within their division dictates a same-finish matchup with one team from the opposite conference and whichever divisions aren’t in the rotation for that season.

Philadelphia previously had one of the more difficult schedules over the past two years, but 2024 will see the Eagles among the top ten easiest schedules based on win-loss percentages from last year.

Offering an early glimpse into where the Eagles could finish this season, DraftKings revealed a 2024 win total prediction for all 32 teams, and Philadelphia landed at No. 6 on the list.

Here’s where all four NFC East teams are projected to land.

Ranking all 32 teams by 2024 projected win totals

We’re looking at a ranking of all teams including the Philadelphia Eagles by 2024 win total predictions

We’re about 45 days from the 2024 NFL schedule reveal, but the world and Eagles fans already know who their opponents will be.

The league uses multiple factors to determine the year’s game schedule.

There’s a cycle of inter-conference faceoffs; each NFC division rotates through each AFC division every four seasons and the other NFC divisions every three seasons.

In addition, where a team finishes within their division dictates a same-finish matchup with one team from the opposite conference and whichever divisions aren’t in the rotation for that season.

Philadelphia previously had one of the more difficult schedules over the past two years, but 2024 will see the Eagles among the top ten easiest schedules based on win-loss percentages from last year.

Offering an early glimpse into where the Eagles could finish this season, DraftKings revealed a 2024 win total prediction for all 32 teams, and Philadelphia landed at No. 6 on the list.