The NFL kicked off its 105th season on Sep. 5, and changes to the game have already been tackled. A rule modification, a record breaking contract extension, and major injury comebacks and setbacks have already occurred in just the first two weeks of professional football.
The NFL approved and implemented a new kickoff adjustment for the 2024 season. As of this year, the players on the kicking team are not allowed to move until the ball falls in the landing zone, the area on the field between the receiving team’s endzone and 20 yard line, or if a player on the receiving team catches it.
This kickoff adjustment is a major step towards reducing the rate of touchbacks and season ending injuries that occur on a kickoff return. League executives made this move hoping to keep viewers tuned in to more continuous action, removing the often dead-plays that resulted from the original kickoff rules.
On the field–and on the paystub–the starting quarterback for the Dallas Cowboys, Dak Prescott, signed a four-year contract extension with the team, making him the highest-paid player in NFL history. Prescott is already guaranteed $231 million of his $240 million contract, as well as a $80 million signing bonus, which effectively resets the quarterback market.
“I hope after today we’re done talking about [the contract] and can just move forward and focus on this team and the success that we plan to have,” Prescott said in a press conference after the Dallas Cowboys’ game against the Cleveland Browns on Sep. 8. “I don’t play for the money.”
Prescott’s contract will keep him with the Cowboys until the end of the 2028 season.
Another popular quarterback, Aaron Rodgers, the starting quarterback for the New York Jets made his first official appearance on the field after tearing his left achilles on Sep. 11, 2023.
“It’s been a while,” Rodgers said in a press conference after playing against the San Francisco 49ers on Sep 9. “It felt great. A lot of gratitude just to be back in the pads.”
Rodgers was expected to be out for four-to-six months post surgery, but with a new procedure called the “speedbridge,” Rodgers was able to come back after only 77 days. The procedure allows surgeons to place an internal brace into a player’s leg to speed up the healing process.
“I’m really thankful for my surgeon and my PTs, and my loved ones, my friends, the staff here, [and] the training staff to help me get back was really cool,” Rodgers said.
In regards to quarterback health, Tua Tagovailoa, the starting quarterback for the Miami Dolphins, suffered a concussion on Sep. 12 against the Buffalo Bills. After running head first into Buffalo Bills’ safety Demar Hamlin’s chest, Tagovalioa was knocked unconscious and had clenched fists, a common sign of a brain injury. This is his third concussion in two years, and fans are questioning not only his return this season, but his return to the sport.
“I just wish that people would for a second hear what I’m saying that bringing up [Tua Tagovailoa’s] future is not in the best interest of him,” Mike McDaniel, the head coach of the Miami Dolphins, said in a press conference, “So I’m going to plead with everybody that does genuinely care, that that should be the last thing on your mind,”
Tagovalioa is on injury reserve and will not return until week 8 at the earliest. The next game he will be available to play in is on Oct. 27 against the Arizona Cardinals.
As week three approaches, tune in to local sports networks to see how the rest of the season will continue to rewrite the history of the sport.
