After Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady’s about-face in 2022, the NFL world has become a little skeptical of stars announcing their retirements. Yes, you’re done, fans, writers, and sometimes even fellow players wonder, but are you really done?
Defensive end J.J. Watt, 35, appears to be really done.
On Saturday, Watt poured cold water on the idea of a potential return before his annual charity softball game in Sugar Land, Texas.
“I had 12 great years in this league and I’m very thankful to walk away healthy,” Watt told reporters. “I told (Houston Texans coach) DeMeco (Ryans) last year—I said, ‘Don’t call unless you absolutely need it. But if you ever do call I’ll be there.’
“This is the last year I’ll tell him that, because I’m not gonna keep training the way I’ve been training.”
J.J. Watt said he’d only come out of retirement if DeMeco Ryans ‘absolutely’ needed him and asked him to come back for one more year. He sounds very content in retirement as a dad, husband and @NFLonCBS analyst @KPRC2pic.twitter.com/isOXYZWXMj
Watt, by acclamation the greatest player in the Texans’ short history, retired after playing 2021 and ’22 with the Arizona Cardinals. He finished his career with five All-Pro appearances, five Pro Bowls, and three AP Defensive Player of the Year awards.
Ryans and Watt’s playing careers overlapped for one season—2011, when Houston won its first division title.
We're just months away from the start of the NFL season and before we know it, we'll be betting on games and spending our Sundays watching Red Zone.
Despite the season still being a few months away, sportsbooks have already released all of the futures odds you can think of for the 2024 campaign. One of the betting markets that is already available is the odds to win the NFC.
The San Francisco 49ers were the best team in the conference from the opening week all the way until the Super Bowl, but the upstart Detroit Lions almost managed to pull off the upset in the NFC Championship. Will those two teams meet in the NFC Championship next season?
Let's find out what the oddsmakers think and take a look at the odds to win the NFC for all 16 teams.
The San Francisco 49ers are understandably once again the betting favorites to win the NFC. There's no reason to doubt them after what they've done the past two seasons and have only made moves that have improved their roster for 2024. There's a strong they'll be the No. 1 seed in the conference again in 2024.
Despite the two powerhouse teams in the NFC East, the Detroit Lions are second on the odds list to win the NFC and advance to the Super Bowl for the first time in franchise history. Can they finally do it? Did they improve their defense enough to hang with the 49ers?
The Eagles won the NFC two seasons ago but imploded in the second half of the season last year. Eagles fans are anxiously awaiting the start of the season to see which version of Philadelphia will show up in 2024. Oddsmakers seem to still have faith in them.
Not only is the NFC East a toss-up between these two teams, but the Eagles and Dallas Cowboys have the same odds to win the NFC at +700. Of course, the Cowboys have to learn how to win in the playoffs if they want to pull it off.
The youngest team in the NFL got hot in the second half of the 2024 season and went on to upset the Cowboys in the wild card round of the playoffs. Can they take a step forward in this year's campaign?
The Falcons were seemingly a quarterback away from being a playoff team last year. Now that they have Kirk Cousins, they're amongst the top options to win the NFC, albeit still a step below the top dogs in the conference.
No rookie quarterback has ever started in a Super Bowl. The closest was Brock Purdy with the 49ers two years ago, but he was injured in the NFC Championship and the Eagles went on to win. Can Caleb Williams achieve the feat in his first year as the Bears quarterback?
The Los Angeles Rams will once again be a dark horse in the NFC but with the passing attack they have, they can beat anyone on any given Sunday.
Don't expect much from the Seattle Seahawks in their first year in the post-Pete Carroll era.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers won the NFC South last year. Can they run it back with Baker Mayfield as their quarterback once again? Do they have enough talent to compete with the top teams in the conference? Oddsmakers aren't so sure about that.
The Minnesota Vikings won't be NFC contenders in 2024.
While they look decent on paper, the Saints aren't in a position to make a run in the conference in 2024.
If Kyler Murray can play at an MVP level and their defense can step up in a big way, the Arizona Cardinals could be an interesting team to watch this season.
The Jayden Daniels era begins in the nation's capital.
It's a tough year to be a Giants fan. That's all there really is to say.
If Bryce Young can look like a competent quarterback in 2024, that's about as good of a win as the Panthers will get this season.
If you or someone you know has a gambling problem and wants help, call 1-800-GAMBLER.
Odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.
The past two seasons have been painful for the Arizona Cardinals, with the team compiling an 8–26 record. And while there remain clear issues with the roster, there’s reason for legitimate hope.
With Kyler Murray healthy for the start of this season and coach Jonathan Gannon entering his second year, things are improving.
Which starts with Murray and connects to rookie receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. The No. 4 pick in April’s NFL draft, Harrison registered 144 catches for 2,474 yards and 28 touchdowns over his last two seasons with Ohio State.
Although he’s a rookie, Harrison figures to quickly elevate the offense.
If nothing else, Arizona shouldn’t be boring in 2024.
Biggest gamble this offseason: Not making veteran defensive upgrades
While the Cardinals poured draft resources into fixing their 25th-ranked defense of a year ago, they did very little in free agency to help the youngsters come along without pressure.
Up front, general manager Monti Ossenfort brought in Justin Jones to play inside. Jones notched 4.5 sacks with the Chicago Bears in 2023, however he was the only notable veteran addition to a front seven desperately needing more playmaking.
In the secondary, Ossenfort signed Sean Murphy-Bunting to a three-year, $22.5 million deal, hoping to provide a stalwart on one side. Still, Arizona will be painfully thin at corner if second-round pick Max Melton isn’t immediately ready.
Toughest stretch of the season: Weeks 5 to 8
With the NFC having the extra home game this year, there aren’t too many teams with a rough road schedule to navigate.
Unfortunately for the Cardinals, that’s not the case. In October, Arizona will play three of its four games on the road, including a short-week, cross-country trip to take on the Miami Dolphins.
The stretch begins in Week 5 with visits to the San Francisco 49ers and Green Bay Packers, two playoff teams from a year ago. Then, the Cardinals will come home for a Monday night game against Justin Herbert and the Los Angeles Chargers before heading to Miami Gardens.
Breakout player to watch: TE Trey McBride
Through two seasons, McBride is one of the league’s best-kept secrets on a national level.
Last year, he starred for the Cardinals despite horrific quarterback play for much of the year, catching 81 passes for 825 yards and three touchdowns. With Murray now back and Harrison drawing coverage, look for the third-year man out of Colorado State to have a Pro Bowl campaign.
In 2023, only six tight ends had more receiving yardage, and just four eclipsed his reception total. If he can continue his ascension, McBride is on pace to become one of the best young pass catchers in the game.
Best-case scenario: Murray and the offense are ready to take wing
The offense is Arizona’s best hope for making a surprise playoff push. While a young defense gets its legs, Murray & Co. must carry the team in some high scoring wins.
The good news? The Cardinals might have the firepower. They’re loaded with young talent including Harrison, McBride and second-year wideout Michael Wilson. Then there’s Murray, who despite playing five NFL seasons is only 26 years old and loaded with ability.
In 2020 and ’21, Murray threw for 50 touchdowns against only 22 interceptions, making the Pro Bowl each year. He also ran for a combined 1,242 yards and 16 scores. If he’s healthy, the Cardinals could be dangerous on offense.
Worst-case scenario: Murray can’t stay healthy and the defense isn’t ready
If, for the third consecutive year, the Cardinals can’t get a full season out of Murray, that would mean Desmond Ridder to the rescue.
Yet the biggest question mark for Arizona is the defense. The Cardinals finished 29th in yards per play against (5.7), 32nd against the run (143.2 yards per game), 31st in pressure rate (17.1%) and 30th in sacks (33) last year. Otherwise, things were great.
To remedy that unit, Arizona drafted edge rusher Darius Robinson in the first round, corners Elijah Jones and Melton on Day 2, safety Dadrion Taylor-Demerson in the fourth round and linebacker Xavier Thomas in the fifth. If they’re not ready to contribute immediately, it could be another long year for the defense.
No. 28: Jonathan Gannon (28) and Kyler Murray (18)
A year ago, this seemed like a looming disaster. Murray was coming off a torn ACL preceded by a contract including language about studying throughout the week. Then there was Gannon, a hire widely panned at the time. Today, Gannon is promising and Murray is fully healthy, surrounded by McBride, Harrison and a roster bolstered by 12 draft picks.
Sleeper/fantasy pick: Harrison
I love Harrison this season. In fact, I have him ranked ahead of Davante Adams in my re-draft rank list among wideouts. He was the best wide receiver in the 2024 class, and he landed in the perfect spot with a Cardinals offense that will use him as an alpha right out of the gates. With Marquise “Hollywood” Brown and Rondale Moore gone, Harrison will see plenty of targets in Year 1. —Michael Fabiano
Best bet: Marvin Harrison Jr. most rookie receiving yards (+175) at DraftKings
Harrison is the favorite for this bet for good reason. Quite simply, it’s Harrison or bust with Brown gone to the Chiefs. Murray has plenty left in the tank, and I expect a big year for the talented rookie out of Ohio State with pedigree. Even better? This bet offers a nice plus-money payout. —Jennifer Piacenti
Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.
If you or someone you know has a gambling problem and wants help, call 1-800-GAMBLER.
Welcome to the NFL offseason, where receivers get paid lots of money (just ask Justin Jefferson, A.J. Brown, DeVonta Smith, Amon-Ra St. Brown, Jaylen Waddle and Nico Collins), the NFL continues to push for an 18-game season, the league and NFLPA discuss ways to ruin the offseason calendar and teams continue to go through their OTAs and mandatory minicamps.
So we asked our MMQB staff of NFL experts to answer a series of eight questions over the next two weeks. They debated the worst move Wednesday, so today they’re going to weigh in on the most improved teams.
Let’s get to their answers as we get closer to the NFL taking a break before July training camps.
Matt Verderame: Chicago Bears
The Bears not only added Williams, but added a weapon for him by selecting Odunze with the No. 9 pick / Kamil Krzaczynski-USA TODAY Sports
The Bears not only added Williams at the sport’s paramount position, but they also traded for veteran receiver Keenan Allen before nabbing wideout Rome Odunze with the No. 9 pick, giving them a duo of talented pass catchers to go with DJ Moore.
With a defense boasting talent at all three levels including edge rusher Montez Sweat, linebackers Tremaine Edmunds and T.J. Edwards, corner Jaylon Johnson and safety Jaquan Brisker, the Bears have talent in a way they haven’t since the days of Brian Urlacher and Matt Forte.
Should Williams realize his potential, Chicago could challenge for a playoff spot and potentially more in the NFC.
Gilberto Manzano: Washington Commanders
There’s usually one team that goes from last to first most NFL seasons. I’m not saying the Commanders will win the NFC East, but I’m giving them the best odds after finishing 4–13 last season.
Washington has drastically improved in various areas and not just with the roster. There’s optimism in the nation’s capital because Josh Harris replaced Dan Snyder as team owner. And new GM Adam Peters and coach Dan Quinn had a strong first offseason in Washington.
Quinn could quickly build a formidable defense with the many savvy moves Peters made, including the signings of Dorance Armstrong, Frankie Luvu, Bobby Wagner, Jeremy Chinn and many other defenders. And it helps that Quinn already has head coaching experience from his time with the Atlanta Falcons.
I would say the Bears but Matt already jumped on the answer and did a fine job of articulating why. I’ll throw the Giants into the ring for two reasons: Brian Burns changes the calculus of this defense, and I like the combination of Brian Daboll and Drew Lock and am very curious to see if it ends up bearing some Geno Smith-ian fruit for the Giants. While I wasn’t sold on Malik Nabers as the best available wide receiver at that point, I think this team can win between eight to 10 games this year despite not having what one would consider a transformative offseason. The Giants are still low on weapons, but their offensive line will develop (read: has to develop) and this defense is seriously formidable, though I would have liked to have seen a repair in the Wink Martindale–Brian Daboll relationship to the point where Martindale would have gotten to use Burns.
Albert Breer: Arizona Cardinals
The Cardinals selected Harrison with the fourth pick in the draft, giving Arizona a playmaker at a premium position. / Rob Schumacher/The Republic / USA TODAY
I like the Giants and Bears, too, but Arizona has quietly continued to do very logical things to improve its roster, and set up a sustainable future. Moving Paris Johnson Jr. to left tackle, and signing Jonah Williams at a very reasonable price to replace him on the right side made the Cardinals younger, and better at the position. Marvin Harrison Jr. could quickly be among the NFL’s best skill players, and, thus, change the math for the rest of Arizona’s skill group. Top-100 picks Darius Robinson and Max Melton are tough, competitive, program fits at premium positions for the defense.
And, then, there’s Kyler Murray, who really seems to have turned a corner from a leadership standpoint since tearing his ACL two years ago. He’s been in the building and around the team more, while cementing himself as the triggerman for GM Monti Ossenfort and coach Jonathan Gannon’s build.
Now, I’m not saying the Cardinals are going to the playoffs. But I wouldn’t be stunned if they got to .500 or better, which would be a nice Year 2 jump for the group they have in charge.
