Frightful Futures

Summary: Organizations viewed as serious contenders that could be approaching doomsday or, at the very least, darker days. 

San Francisco 49ers:

I get it, I really do. If you want to say the 49ers are just blasted with injuries and people are being impatient, but the outlook is horrendous for this roster moving forward. The whole San Francisco front office saga that ended in paying Aiyuk $120 million over four years this offseason has aged like milk in the sun. Now after destroying his knee on a crossing route back in Week 7, the 49ers are held captive by his $76 million guarantee as Purdy’s looming extension deal awaits negotiation after next season. Through seven weeks Aiyuk looked checked out the whole time with key drops, low effort, and just bad body language in all honesty. It looked like money was all he truly needed in the NFL through his brief 2024 campaign. This was difficult to understand considering how elite he was in 2023. Running crisp routes, making huge catches, and leading a receiving core that helped push the Niners to the Super Bowl. As a fan of pure football I can only hope Aiyuk has a miraculous resurgence, but right now it looks as if the 49ers made the same mistake twice at the wide receiver position. Overpaying guys who hadn’t really justified a massive contract aside from a career season (Aiyuk at least surpassed 1,000 yards in 2022). This directly is alluding to what the team did with Deebo Samuel after his 2021 season that was truly special.

Deebo in 2021 put up an astounding 1,770 all purpose yards with 365 of those yards coming on the ground on 59 carries. This exactly is where the 49ers went wrong with Deebo. You can’t run an athlete who is special at the wide receiver position that many times and expect it not to have consequences. It was puzzling to me at the time and since Samuel has’t eclipsed 1,000 receiving yards with this season being a tumultuous campaign for his stock moving forward. He’s looked slow and just hasn’t filled his usual role of creating game breaking plays with his run after the catch ability. Despite Aiyuk going down and McCaffrey dealing with a multitude of injuries, Deebo had less than 670 yards in 15 games played. In six of his last seven games he didn’t even eclipse 25 yards receiving. As he gets older that sheer advantage he has enjoyed with his athleticism could slowly start to evaporate, especially if he sustains another injury. Although it hasn’t been too much of a problem throughout his career, the way the Niners deploy him during his contract year in 2025 could easily lead to injury. Their championship window might close after next season and I surely would expect Kyle Shannahan to go all in with his play calling on offense using all of Deebo’s gas left in the tank. His running mate, Jauan Jennings, on the other hand was the steady force the team needed to stay alive in the playoff race for a bit this year with 975 receiving yards in his age 27 season. His ability to make spectacular catches in the game’s biggest moments and create consistent separation has led to an offense where Purdy peppers him with targets. Somehow Deebo escapes the scrutiny superstar wide receivers who don’t produce typically receive (Changed this year a bit). The good news with Deebo is that he’s off the books after next season, but the Niners have yet another problem at the wide receiver position with Jauan Jennings in the same offseason.

What do the Niners do with Jauan Jennings? How valuable is he on the free market? His success this regular season and especially last postseason has caused his value to skyrocket. Last year he won the divisional round of the playoffs for the Niners with a crucial grab on third down and long against Green Bay that allowed the team to sneak out of the close contest. He then followed that performance up with a Super Bowl MVP level performance where he had a 21 yard touchdown pass and also caught four passes for 42 yards and another touchdown in a close loss to the Chiefs. A once seventh round draft pick, who was cut by the Niners and re-signed to their practice squad now might receive a decent little payday, but would the Niners be able to afford him if his value continues to rise? It’s an interesting dilemma because his usage has been considerably low throughout his career. Given the opportunity this year his talent has shined unlike before when he was in an offense that was run mostly through the roster’s All Pro talents. It’s a nice story and one can’t help but love watching the guy play ball. His numbers would be nuclear if Purdy didn’t miss the Niners contest in Green Bay and if the Niners primetime matchup with Buffalo wasn’t in a blizzard with the field being an ice rink for all players. Looking beyond the receiving core in the future the biggest problem the Niners have is with CMC. 

When healthy the guy is an absolute menace elite in every single facet of the game at the running back position. The issue is that the injury bug that plagued him his entire tenure in Carolina might have made a permanent return in San Francisco finally. The last few years McCaffrey hasn’t had an injury issue, until Madden put the guy on the cover and along with that honor came an injury that is straight out of a Madden simulation. Bilateral Achilles Tendinitis. I'd never heard of the injury until CMC was going to see a Stem cell specialist in Germany to treat it. The nature of how Kyle Shannahan kept the issue out of the media’s eyes until he wasn’t on the field makes it appear very ominous to the avid football fan who understands how severe injuries are when it comes to a player rapidly declining. Once CMC returned he was still good, but not the same dominant force that broke off home run play time and time again. Against Buffalo the non contact PCL sprain he sustained might put the nail in the coffin for his health moving forward. With age usually comes more injuries for star NFL players who’ve had a storied past with injuries and CMC is definitely no exception. Even if he plays more contests next year I just don’t see any scenario in which he makes it through an entire seventeen game season with a postseason run. The last issue the team has is with their star offensive tackle who has provided elite protection for Purdy the last couple years, Trent Williams. 

Trent Williams is now 36 years old with 14 years amassed as one of the best tackles in the entire NFL. As he continues to get older his play will steadily decline as injuries start to get to him considering he’s battling in the trenches with the opposing team’s best pass rushers all game long. It’s no easy task to be an elite offensive lineman for over a decade. The day Trent Williams leaves the team there will be a gaping hole at their left tackle position. Right now nearly every asset the Niners have has risk associated with them. Whether it be father time, injury, or cap space risk the Niners GM, John Lynch, has to successfully navigate the treacherous waters in front of the organization. There are some silver linings with their defense, when healthy, being a top five unit in the NFL and there are pieces in place to continually contend for a Super Bowl, but the Niners are nearing the brink of collapse. Any mistake in management, a bad contract, or one big injury could lead to a period of being out of the conversation in the NFC West for the foreseeable future. Every team in the NFC West is getting a lot better so the margin of error for Purdy and Kyle Shannahan is razor thin. Can the Niners handle all the pressure that comes with being a squad that fans view as Super Bowl or bust? Many questions will be answered in due time, but Niners fans could be staring at the reincarnation of the Jim Kelly early 90s Buffalo Bills who had everything to get the job done, but couldn’t do it. Four straight Super Bowl appearances with zero rings.

New York Jets: 

In a turn of events that no one saw coming, the Jets are toast for the foreseeable future. When Rodgers came into town there was palpable excitement for the former Super Bowl champ and four time MVP. All the team needed was serviceable QB play to accompany their elite defense that gave up less than 17 points a game prior to his arrival. Zach Wilson’s reign of terror was over for Jets fans and the hope was that Garrett Wilson would take off with an elite level QB who was entering the twilight of his career. The only issue with the fairytales people came up with when he arrived was that Rodgers was already washed even before he tore his Achilles in the first couple plays of his Jets debut. On the Packers in his last season he had fallen off a cliff throwing 26 TDs to 12 INTs, which on paper didn’t look too bad. When you watched him play though it was evident that he didn’t have the magic he once did in the pocket and his deep ball had gotten a whole lot worse than before. With Rodgers going down there was an excuse for the Jets to be bad last season and it didn’t shock anyone when they struggled. Coming into this year Rodgers made the team pickup his old offensive coordinator in Green Bay, Nathaniel Hackett. This was one of the many moves Rodgers has made as the de facto GM in New York. The list includes Billy Turner, Randall Cobb, Allen Lazard, Davante Adams (Trade deadline this year), and most likely the firing of Head Coach Robert Saleh.

Aaron was trying to make a miraculous recovery from an Achilles tear. An injury that very well could have been a career ender. Instead of being an inspiring story of a comeback it became a very public and goofy scenario where Rodgers would go back to his roots of constantly praising himself and acting like he’d still be a top tier QB heading into the year. He’d go on The Pat McAfee Show and detail every stride he had made during his recovery in an attempt to receive praise and revive his image of being an oddball that fans had given him. Then he talked about his darkness retreat, consumption of Ayahuasca, and cracked jokes with Pat that made them best buds. Pat was the only person Rodgers would talk to. He wouldn’t talk to the media and all news around his name over the past few years had come directly through McAfee’s show. Fast forward to the 2024 season where the team would start out 2-3 with what appeared to be two hideous losses to start the season. One to the Sam Darnold Vikings in London where Rodgers would throw a crucial 63 yard pick six to seal their fate and one to the Bo Nix led Broncos at home where the team would put up nine total points, losing 10-9. Despite the losses largely falling on Rodgers, their horrendously bad kicker Greg Zeurlein missing seemingly every big kick, and Nathaniel Hackett drawing up some of the worst play calling sequences ever conceived, Head Coach Robert Saleh was fired. Why was he fired though? That’s a great question considering the defense held their own all season through five games.

Well Saleh didn’t get along with Rodgers too well with him having expectations much lower than what Rodgers had for himself. In camp Saleh would even go on record saying there were flashes of the Aaron Rodgers of old, much to his dismay. This led to awkward sideline interactions where Rodgers wouldn’t embrace his Head Coach. After a 2-3 start to what was supposed to be a season of glory for Arod, changes were on the horizon. Saleh wanted to start by changing the play caller on the Jets, getting rid of Nathaniel Hackett who somehow had a job after being potentially the worst head coach of all time during his Denver tenure. So what happened next? The Jets Owner calls Robert Saleh into his office and fires him with no conversation or explanation and people seemed to believe Saleh was the problem. As we now approach the end of the 2024 football season the Jets finished with a 5-12 record winning a consolation game against the Miami Dolphins with Tyler Huntley. Did Rodgers finally tuck his tail between his legs and accept the idea that father time might force him to hang up the cleats? Does he take any significant blame for the team’s shortcomings? No. He still consistently butts heads with the media and puts himself on a pedestal far above his teammates. What I won’t do is act like Rodgers is a pathetic bum because the guy has an argument for being the most talented QB to ever spin the pigskin, but this moment simply must be addressed.

This moment being how poorly he brands himself to the general public now and how his dream team absolutely folded in an astronomically comical way. He needs to stir the pot as an anti-vaxxer, you are sheep kinda guy, his family won’t even speak to him, and any genuine question he is asked by the media comes off as a vicious attack to Aaron because his ego has reached godlike levels. Just look at when former NFL safety Ryan Clark had something to say about the Jets. He legitimately prefaced the critique with the notion that Rodgers was the most gifted QB he had ever played with. NO DISRESPECT. He then said that Rodgers at this point in his career has been a fraud. What do you call someone who throws everyone under the bus, and won’t accept any critique for wrongdoings? A hero? Just when I thought things couldn’t get any worse Aaron made a documentary about himself titled Enigma on Netflix about his courageous return to the gridiron. Just thinking about how much effort Rodgers put into this goofy doc makes one giggle, but it genuinely couldn’t be a harder watch knowing hindsight and how involved Aaron was with ayahuasca in his offseason. This guy thought full well that he might be in contention for a Super Bowl. Playoffs at least. He wanted a fairytale documentary to accompany the dream season he envisioned after his Achilles tear, but instead he just looks desperate to scrape out one more season from the bottom of his barrel. A farewell tour. Will the Jets afford him the luxury or cut ties with the NFL’s biggest gentleman? The latest development indicates Rodgers will decide prior to free agency in March. Hang up the cleats Aaron.

Atlanta Falcons:

This team now. I mean holy shit how can you root for this team? You give Kirk the biggest overpay ever and then draft Penix in the top 10 picks of the NFL Draft to play the same position. Not only do you pay him a massive deal, it’s also stretched out across four years after Kirk just tore his Achilles last year. Any other use of that money would have benefited the team. Offensive lineman, defensive edge rushers (JONATHAN GREENARD), or any defensive chess pieces would’ve done wonders for this franchise. If there was a blueprint on what an organization should NEVER EVER do it would be the 2024 Falcons offseason. It’s getting to a point where you just want to turn the damn TV off with this team. The offensive line is rough, Penix has been forced into action due to Kirk Cousins’ inability to move in the pocket, and Kyle Pitts has been horrendously bad this year. He has had some of the worst drops I have ever seen from a tight end. Let alone a tight end that was drafted fourth overall. Footballs bouncing off his hands and helmet have just made him look completely inept in this Falcons offense. A true one year wonder. So what do they do moving forward?

The biggest question is how you can unload Kirk Cousins in a way that does the least damage financially this offseason. I just don’t get why this team didn’t sign a player like Sam Darnold (assuming Darnold was a bridge QB like he was prior to this year) or Russell Wilson this past offseason just to bring in a proven vet that could mentor Penix with a very low cost and give you a shot at tanking during the 2024 season. In this case it isn’t even hindsight, it's just common sense. Instead they went all in on an unknown and it came back to bite them big time. Now their mid round picks are continually falling deeper in the draft as they try to best the Buccaneers in the NFC South with one game remaining and I don’t know how much faith Falcons fans can put into the front office with these picks. All of this strife due to their GM being an absolute bozo. This was supposed to be a bridge year. Even if Cousins was healed by a magic potion with his Achilles, what's he gonna do? Squeak out a playoff win. I mean I’m a Kirk guy, grew up a die hard MSU fan, and I couldn’t see him making a splash in the postseason at full health.

The real question should be about how Terry Fontenot, the Falcons GM, still has a job. The guy has failed to address the teams needs in the trenches, overpaid a QB for zero reason that essentially wipes out the rookie bargain for Michael Penix, and yet he’s still employed. Head coaches get fired, players get cut, yet those who pull the strings tend to get a far bigger leash than they deserve. I just don’t understand the Falcons blueprint in its current state and time is ticking for some of their top tier talents. Drake London, Bijan Robinson, Jessie Bates, and maybe even Darnell Mooney are players you just can’t waste while they're on a good deal. There’s no plan in Atlanta. I see no future unless Fontenot smashes a few picks out of the park. Look at any of the top teams and see how vital a stud GM is to success. This team simply doesn’t have anything close to a stud GM and they need one to dig themselves out of the hole. It’s interesting to talk about a team’s fate and paint it as grim, but Atlanta has an acutely unique scenario. The Buccaneers defense returning to full strength, the emergence of Bryce Young, and the once easy path to the playoffs might not be so easy after all. One bad deal could have a decade’s worth of implications. Was Kirk that bad deal?

Dallas Cowboys:

It seems like this team has gotten no media coverage since Dak went down, but once he returns the media better blast the Dallas Cowboys. Specifically their front office. Jerry Jones scoffed at the thought of getting Derrick Henry or any running back just to watch Rico Dowdle be serviceable. Got into a fight with Ceedee Lamb over whether or not he should be paid after he asserted himself as a top 3 WR in the NFL. This happened after no hesitation to give Dak his money who arguably doesn’t even deserve the payday. Not to mention how terribly he mismanaged Micah Parsons from a trade value standpoint not cashing in on a potential trade haul that could turn around an organization. Now he likely will dedicate 60+ percent of his cap space to Dak, Ceedee, and Micah Parsons. Dak has won two Wild Card playoff games in nine NFL seasons. The highest paid QB in the NFL melts down the stretch, can’t win a big game, and looks like he forgot how to play football in some contests.

I’ll never forget the look on Dak’s face last year knowing he needed a payday in 2024 after the Wild Card game at home versus Green Bay. A game where Jordan Love blew the brakes off of Dallas’ defense and Dak Prescott couldn’t muster anything to compete throughout the duration of the contest. He was dripping in sweat, petrified that his play didn’t warrant anywhere near the $60 million he’d receive per year in the offseason. That’s how big of a bozo Jerry Jones is. He pleases players that kiss his ass and does everything in his power to surround himself with those people, even in sports media, to save the organization’s reputation of being ‘America’s Team’. Ceedee earned his contract with one of the best seasons I have seen a wideout put up, yet Jones hesitates to make the deal because he has an issue with Lamb demanding what he is worth. Dak was terrible this season before he went down for the year. His offensive line fell off, his receiver play outside of Lamb was abysmal, and an Elliott/Dowdle combination on the ground didn’t give the team an ounce of balance. I don’t know what Jerry does going forward and neither does he. The team has no DB’s, a linebacker shortage, and a bad interior defensive line to accompany their offensive roster woes.

I may sound like a broken record, but the Cowboys are going to have to restructure their big contracts, have a home run draft, and maybe make some changes with their coordinators and defensive personnel to have a shot in today’s NFC East. The Cowboys. Irrelevant. Now who would have thought that preseason? The Commanders are in a far better situation with a young, talented QB alongside an abundance of cap room and the Eagles are monstrous with Saquon at RB, a stout offensive line, an elite defense, and one of the best wide receiver rooms in the NFL. The NFC East is really about to be the Commanders and Eagles hanging out up top and then the Cowboys and Giants far out of contention. The Cowboys are drawing slimmer than any other historically relevant NFL franchise because of how poorly they have diversified their assets. Just because you hit on a draft pick doesn’t mean their value succeeds anyone on the free market. Jones views Lamb, Dak, and Micah as the Cowboys Mount Rushmore, the foundation of the organization. The team acts like Micah Parsons alone is their defense, but if they would’ve traded him at his peak value it might have been three first rounders or more compensation. Jerry Jones’ ego just refuses to admit the team is nowhere near being a real contender and until that point of realization comes about, (won’t happen), the Cowgirls might be a threat for a yearly wildcard berth, but nothing more than that.