With the 2023-24 National Football League (NFL) season on the horizon, it is shaping up to be another exciting year. With many of the veteran quarterbacks retired by this point, it is essentially a young quarterback’s game now.
To be honest, this article could take up the entire Sports Section this week. I will try to keep it short with only focusing on what I feel are the most exciting highlights going into the season.
Firstly, Aaron Rodgers, the 39-year-old quarterback who spent nearly his entire NFL career with the Green Bay Packers has been signed to the New York Jets on a massive deal. The Jets have never been a huge threat on the field. Coming from a Patriots fan, we basically never fail to beat them. Aaron is not the only new addition to the Jets. He joined the Jets alongside wide-receiver Randall Cobb for their 13th consecutive season playing together. Other than these two stars, the Jets have created a powerful roster that will be quite exciting to watch this season.
For my fellow New England Patriots fans, the team will have a home opener filled with much pomp and circumstance as former quarterback Tom Brady will be honored. The game against the Philadelphia Eagles on September 10 will feature a special halftime ceremony to honor Brady and his accomplishments as a Patriot. The 2023-24 NFL season will be the first in 21 years that Tom Brady does not have a starting quarterback position, or any position at all. I eagerly await the day he starts commentating!
On the topic of the Patriots, it will also be quite exciting to see who comes out on top as the starting quarterback come regular season games. Mac Jones is the first string quarterback who came from the University of Alabama three years ago now. He has the talent but in his first years with the Patriots has not had ample outlets to pass the ball too. The game that professional football is has evolved to be a quarterback’s game. Throwing the ball is now more valuable than running the ball. The Patriots need more protection in the pocket; David Andrews cannot stop five linemen at once. The second string quarterback, Bailey Zappe also showed promise last season when he played for the period that Jones had an injured ankle. The third string quarterback has proven to not be too shabby either. Young quarterback Malik Cunningham, the rookie quarterback out of Louisville has played in the first few preseason games for the Patriots. The New England Patriots organization has been pleased with his exceptional performance as such a new player. As long as we can properly use our outlets, that’s you, wide receivers, I believe that the Patriots will have a strong season after a few years of building back. Not to mention the signing of running back Ezikiel Elliott. I’m just a little excited.
Star teams like the defending Super Bowl Champion Kansas City Chiefs will certainly impress us all with their football prowess. Chasing Kansas City will be the Philadelphia Eagles, Buffalo Bills, Cincinnati Bengals and San Francisco 49ers. Each of these teams possess strong rosters all around, meaning that they have the best of the best players in every position. As long as their key players stay healthy, this season will be very competitive.
With the pre-season games having started, the regular season games are right around the corner. The first regular season game this year will be on Thursday, Sept. 7 in Kansas City where the Chiefs will face the Detroit Lions to kickoff the 2023-24 NFL season.
