The short summer vacation is over for NFL players. It’s time to begin the journey to Super Bowl LIX.
Coming off a disappointing finish in the AFC championship game, the Baltimore Ravens became the first team to open training camp for the 2024 season when they welcomed rookies on Saturday. This week, 19 more teams will get to work, and all 32 clubs will be back together by July 24.
Everyone is 0-0, but expectations aren’t the same. Some teams are legitimate contenders. A few are rebuilding.
The Kansas City Chiefs are aiming to become the league’s first team to win three straight titles since the Green Bay Packers won three consecutive from the 1965 season to the 1967 season.
Eight teams have new head coaches. Several star quarterbacks changed teams.
Most veterans don’t report until next week, with the early days of camp restricted to rookies. Only the Chiefs, Ravens, Chicago Bears and Houston Texans will have their full teams in camp this week. The Houston Texans, the reigning AFC South Division champions, will be the first to add veterans on Wednesday.
The Bears and Texans will kick off the exhibition season in the Hall of Fame game on Aug. 1 in Canton, Ohio.
The Chiefs, who beat the San Francisco 49ers 25-22 in overtime to repeat as Super Bowl champions in February, will host the Ravens in a rematch of the AFC title game to start the regular season on Thursday, Sept. 5.
New head coaches
Jim Harbaugh is back in the NFL with the Los Angeles Chargers after leading Michigan, his alma mater, to the College Football Playoff national championship in January.
Dan Quinn took over for the Washington Commanders, getting his second head coach opportunity; he was the defensive coordinator for the Dallas Cowboys after a six-year run leading the Atlanta Falcons that included a Super Bowl appearance.
Raheem Morris also is a second-time head coach, taking the job with the Falcons; he was their interim coach for the final 11 games of the 2020 season after Quinn’s firing.
Dave Canales (Carolina Panthers), Mike Macdonald (Seattle Seahawks) and Brian Callahan (Tennessee Titans) are first-timers after successful stints as coordinators.
Antonio Pierce was promoted from interim coach in Las Vegas after leading the Raiders to a 5-4 record in the second half of last season.
Jerod Mayo has the biggest shoes to fill, replacing six-time Super Bowl champion Bill Belichick with the New England Patriots.
Teams with new QBs
Kirk Cousins joined the Falcons in one of the early surprises in free agency. Atlanta then pulled off a bigger shocker, selecting another quarterback — Michael Penix Jr., who helped Washington to the CFP final against Michigan — with the No. 8 pick in the draft after giving Cousins $100 million guaranteed.
Russell Wilson, who led the Seattle Seahawks to back-to-back Super Bowl appearances (and one title) a decade ago but flopped with the Denver Broncos over the past two seasons, is trying to revive his career with the Pittsburgh Steelers. The 35-year-old Wilson enters camp as the starter, but the Steelers also acquired Justin Fields just in case.
The Bears, having moved on from Fields, drafted 2022 Heisman Trophy winner Caleb Williams of Southern California at No. 1 overall, while the Washington Commanders took 2023 Heisman Trophy winner Jayden Daniels of LSU with the second pick. Both are likely to start in the opening week.
The Patriots selected North Carolina’s Drake Maye third, but he could begin the season backing up veteran Jacoby Brissett.
Sam Darnold replaces Cousins with the Minnesota Vikings, likely only to keep the seat warm for rookie J.J. McCarthy.
Gardner Minshew, a league veteran, will compete with second-year pro Aidan O’Connell for the Raiders’ starting job.
Bo Nix, a rookie, will battle Jarrett Stidham, a sixth-year pro, to take the snaps for the Broncos, who also added Zach Wilson.
Waiting to get paid
Keep an eye on potential holdouts in the preseason.
All-Pro wide receiver CeeDee Lamb missed the Cowboys’ mandatory minicamp and may not report to regular training camp because he wants a new contract. Several of Lamb’s peers got paid this offseason, and he’s next.
Justin Jefferson set the market for elite receivers, getting a four-year, $140 million contract extension from the Minnesota Vikings that included $110 million in guaranteed money. A.J. Brown (Philadelphia Eagles), Amon-Ra St. Brown (Detroit Lions), Jaylen Waddle (Miami Dolphins) and DeVonta Smith (Eagles) also received new deals.
The Cowboys could have salary cap trouble. Dallas quarterback Dak Prescott enters the final season of a four-year, $160 million contract, and star edge rusher Micah Parsons is due for a new deal soon.
Lamb isn’t the only receiver looking for more money. Brandon Aiyuk of the 49ers and Ja’Marr Chase of the Cincinnati Bengals are potential holdouts or hold-ins — players who show up to avoid fines but don’t practice.
Edge rusher Haason Reddick was traded by the Eagles to the New York Jets because he wants a new contract. Reddick didn’t get one from the Jets, either, so he didn’t report for offseason workouts.
The Dolphins and quarterback Tua Tagovailoa are talking about a new contract as he enters the season on the final year of his rookie deal. It will be interesting to see how Tagovailoa handles the preseason if negotiations stall.
Tyreek Hill, one of his teammates, has already stated he wants a revamped deal after losing his status as the league’s highest-paid receiver.
Other storylines
Aaron Rodgers is returning to the Jets after the former Packers quarterback’s first season with the team lasted just four plays because of a torn Achilles’ tendon.
Rodgers, 40, who skipped mandatory minicamp but attended organized team activities, has been throwing since the end of last season. The four-time NFL MVP should be ready to go.
Cousins is also returning from a torn Achilles’ tendon. He participated in Atlanta’s offseason sessions and will navigate an odd situation with his future successor already on the team.
The NFL dramatically overhauled the kickoff rules, and the preseason will be the first opportunity to see how teams will handle all the changes.
California, here they come
The Golden State will host six teams for training camp. The league’s three California-based teams — the 49ers, Chargers and Los Angeles Rams — will be joined by the Cowboys, Raiders and New Orleans Saints.
Roster cuts
Teams can carry a maximum of 90 players throughout training camp and for all of their preseason games. Rosters must be trimmed to 53 by 4 p.m. Eastern on Aug. 27.