Happy midweek, everyone! John Breech is basking in the summer sun, so you've got me, Cody Benjamin, to deliver all the latest from around the NFL, right here in the Pick Six newsletter.
Be sure to subscribe right here, to ensure you never miss a daily dose of NFL updates. And keep on reading for everything from a look at potential first-time Pro Bowlers to an update on a major NFL award.
1. 20 candidates to become first-time Pro Bowlers
There isn't a more widely recognized accolade for NFL players than a Pro Bowl nod. So which up-and-coming standouts are ripe for their first all-star selection in 2024? We identified 20 candidates ahead of the new season. Here's a sample of the ascending talent to watch:
- Packers QB Jordan Love: Few gunslingers were as dazzling down the stretch in 2023, and now Love has another full offseason of prep under his belt, armed with a young and versatile wide receiver corps. His big arm could be a big-play machine.
- Jets RB Breece Hall: Still just 23, Hall was eased back into the lineup while returning from injury in 2023, but he's been mighty efficient and explosive when afforded a full workload. Aaron Rodgers' return should also help his production.
- Vikings WR Jordan Addison: He was splashy as a rookie, even while dealing with an injury-prompted quarterback carousel, and now he should have a healthier Justin Jefferson back by his side. With T.J. Hockenson also rehabbing, his targets could soar.
Find the full list of 20 Pro Bowl candidates right here.
2. NFL's Comeback Player award gets an update
Months after Joe Flacco claimed the Comeback Player of the Year Award for his improbable success off the bench for the Cleveland Browns, the Associated Press -- which annually votes for the NFL's major award-winners -- has clarified the criteria for the award. Comeback Player honors, the AP stated, are meant to highlight players "overcoming illness, physical injury or other circumstances that led him to miss playing time the previous season." In other words, AP voters no longer desire to prioritize players who simply came back from ... irrelevance.
3. Kansas takes a step to lure Chiefs across state border
The Kansas City Chiefs reside in Missouri, and they have plans to stay in the state for decades to come. That's not stopping Kansas from making a serious play to lure the reigning Super Bowl champions across the border. State lawmakers this week passed STAR (sales tax and revenue) bond legislation that would essentially allow the state to pay for up to 70% of a new stadium project for the Chiefs. This comes months after voters in Jackson County, Missouri, rejected a sales tax measure that would have helped fund major renovations to Arrowhead Stadium, the Chiefs' home since 1972.
4. Ravens giving Jackson more control at the line
Lamar Jackson won his second MVP award working under offensive coordinator Todd Monken in 2023. Now the Baltimore Ravens are giving the star quarterback even more control of his side of the ball. Jackson, Monken and quarterbacks coach Tee Martin confirmed recently that the signal-caller will have more freedom to change calls at the line in 2024, with the audible possibilities taken "to the next level."
5. Ex-Rodgers teammate: Jets 'for sure' playoff bound
Aaron Rodgers enters 2024 having played just four snaps for the New York Jets, going on 41 and coming off a torn Achilles. And yet Gang Green has revived talks of a potential title run this offseason. Now one of Rodgers' top former teammates has joined the cause, with former Green Bay Packers All-Pro tackle David Bakhtiari predicting the Jets will "for sure" make the playoffs in 2024: "I don't think it's very wise for any betting man to say that Aaron Rodgers is not gonna make the playoffs."
6. Falcons adding Blank, Ryan to Ring of Honor
Arthur Blank is the current owner of the Atlanta Falcons, and Matt Ryan just retired from the NFL this offseason. Both big names are officially joining the franchise's Ring of Honor, however, becoming the first two-person induction class for the club in 15 years. Blank, 81, has owned the Falcons since 2002. Ryan, meanwhile, spent 14 of his 15 NFL seasons as Atlanta's quarterback, helping the team advance to the Super Bowl in 2016. Their inductions will officially occur during two Falcons games this year.