Billy Cullen
Staff Writer
After another throttling football season, the NFL will look to continue to grow the game throughout the entire globe.
Ireland and Spain will be hosting NFL games for the first time ever. Last year, Brazil hosted the country’s first NFL game, and the game was a smashing success. Not only was the game entertaining, but the fans showed out on a beautiful Friday night. The NFL will be hosting another game this year in Brazil, where the Los Angeles Chargers will be the home team in that contest. In 2025, the NFL plans to have seven international games, which is the most ever. Also, in 2026, the NFL will be hosting its first game in Australia, where the Los Angeles Rams will face the defending Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles.
Speaking of the Super Bowl, what seemed to be such an exciting game turned into one of the biggest one-sided beatdowns in Super Bowl history as the NFC Champion, Philadelphia Eagles, won their second Super Bowl in franchise history. Meanwhile, the back-to-back reigning Super Bowl Champion, the Kansas City Chiefs, who were going for the first three-peat, came up short, losing 40-22.
Kansas City has many questions that need to be solved going into next season. Many key players are free agents next year, and the Chiefs do not have much money to spend. General manager Brett Veach has his hands full for the next several months. Meanwhile, Philadelphia will have 18 of 22 starters still under contract for next season and still have money in the bank. It is safe to say the current Champs will have an early head start going into next season.
Moving into free agency, some of the big names are Trey Smith, Chris Godwin, Milton Williams, and Josh Sweat, all looking for big contracts later this month. Some long-tenured veterans like Aaron Rodgers, Khalil Mack, Amari Cooper, and Stefon Diggs might be looking for a new team next fall.
But no one will get a contract like journeyman quarterback Sam Darnold. The former third overall pick back in 2018 is looking for a place to call home for a long-term stay, as it looks like he will be on his fourth team in just four seasons. Though last year was a breakout year as he led the Minnesota Vikings to a fourteen-win season, the Vikings will move on to their first-round pick a year ago, JJ McCarthy, to be the long-term solution. With today’s market, Darnold should be expecting top dollar within the next couple of weeks.
With a new season comes new faces, and the NFL draft can not come soon enough. Not only do we have star players everywhere, but we have similar names. Shedeur Sanders, Hall of Fame cornerback Deion Sanders’ son, will be entering the draft as a quarterback out of Colorado. Not only did Shedeur have a lot of success with his father as the head coach, but he should take his talent and his leadership skills off the screen.
Alongside Sanders, his teammate Travis Hunter might be the best individual talent the NFL might ever see. Hunter is the first player in decades to play both offense and defense. He plays most, if not all, the snaps on both sides and never seems to get tired. He may not play both ways in the NFL, but whoever gets him will come away with an outstanding athlete and individual.
The NFL has so much to look forward to next season, and you would not want to miss a single snap. Instead of watching Netflix or whatever you do on a Sunday, you should sit back, relax, and enjoy some incredible football this coming fall.
