NFL Teams That Would Be Better off Rebuilding Ahead of 2024 Season

NFL Teams That Would Be Better off Rebuilding Ahead of 2024 Season0 of 5

Kevin O’Connell, J.J. McCarthyBailey Hillesheim/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

“Sometimes you got to go back to actually move forward.”

While Matthew McConaughey might have been talking about cars when he delivered that iconic line, it can be applied to NFL teams as well.

Head coaches absolutely despise the idea of tanking as the losses follow them around more than anyone else. But sometimes, that’s what’s best for the organization. Getting stuck in the middle of the pack year after year can make it hard to get over the hump as high draft picks can alter a franchise’s trajectory. The Houston Texans are a great example of that.

Here, we’ll dive into five teams that would be better off rebuilding this year and playing for 2025 and beyond. A heavy emphasis will be placed on each club’s quarterback situation as that is the most important position on the field after all. Also considered will be the team’s salary cap projection, draft picks and age of the roster.

New England Patriots1 of 5

Drake MayeMatthew J. Lee/The Boston Globe via Getty Images

This one feels kind of obvious as the perception surrounding the 2024 New England Patriots is that this will be a rebuilding year, and the recent trade of 32-year-old Matthew Judon confirms that to a certain extent.

Offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt reiterated on Thursday that veteran Jacoby Brissett is the team’s starting quarterback right now over rookie Drake Maye (h/t NBC Sports Boston). Granted, that could change after the Patriots’ final preseason game, but it would make a lot of sense to let Maye sit and learn to at least begin the season.

Regardless of who is under center, New England is going to have a tough time competing for a playoff spot in a division with the Buffalo Bills, Miami Dolphins and the Aaron Rodgers-led New York Jets. So, there’s no sense in throwing the first-year quarterback into the fire and risking him losing confidence by taking loss after loss this season.

Part of the reason why the outlook for the Patriots is low heading into the campaign is the roster is young or has question marks at several key spots like the No. 1 wide receiver role and left tackle.

Could rookie Ja’Lynn Polk become Maye’s go-to target out wide? Maybe, but Polk wasn’t even the top wideout at Washington. Is there a chance rookie Cadean Wallace can protect Maye’s blindside for several years? Sure, but Wallace played right tackle at Penn State and was a third-round pick, making him a risk to protect the future of the franchise.

The Patriots simply have more questions than answers at this stage and would be better off swallowing some Ls while Maye sits this fall to be in a position to build the roster around him in the offseason.

Las Vegas Raiders2 of 5

Antonio PierceRic Tapia/Getty Images

Had Aidan O’Connell won the starting quarterback job during training camp, the Las Vegas Raiders might not be included in this piece. However, O’Connell failed to show growth during training camp and in the preseason so Gardner Minshew was named the team’s starter.

Let’s be honest, Minshew is about to play for his fourth team in six years and we know who he is at this stage, a good backup but below-average starter. He isn’t the future of the franchise and the organization knows that or it wouldn’t have signed him to a two-year deal in the offseason and had him compete for the first string job.

While first-year (not counting the half a season with interim tag) head coach Antonio Pierce picked the journeyman as the quarterback because he gives the team its best chance at winning this season, that’s not what’s best for the Raiders’ long term. Minshew can win a few games but expecting him to be more than a stop-gap is unrealistic.

Obviously, Pierce wants to prove himself as a head coach and get off to a good start with a respectable record in year one, but Las Vegas needs a quarterback of the future.

The situation the club doesn’t want to get into is finishing around the seven- to eight-win mark and having a draft pick in the teens where quarterbacks come off the board in front of them. Sound familiar?

The worst-case scenario for the Raiders this season is being on the fringe of the playoffs but failing to make the tournament while not having a clear path toward finding its next QB. Star wide receiver Davante Adams might not be happy with the team continuing to lose, but trading a disgruntled 32-year-old receiver for a high draft pick wouldn’t be a bad move.

At the end of the day, if the Silver and Black want to find a long-term solution under center, undergoing a rebuilding season is the best way to go.

New York Giants3 of 5

Joe SchoenMichael Hickey/Getty Images

It wasn’t much of a secret but HBO’s Hard Knocks: Offseason With the New York Giants confirmed that the organization was interested in this past year’s quarterback prospects. General manager Joe Schoen was seen several times trying to trade up to the No. 3 overall selection and take Drake Maye, only for the New England Patriots to stick and pick Maye.

That made it pretty clear that the Giants and Schoen aren’t sold on current starter Daniel Jones, nor should they be.

Jones has had one good season out of five and is coming off of a season-ending injury. That has the makings for a tough upcoming campaign in New York and it might be time to embrace it.

Overall, the G-men don’t have a bad roster by any means. Andrew Thomas is a franchise left tackle while Jermaine Eluemunor and Jon Runyan can help fix the team’s pass protection woes from a year ago. Plus, Malik Nabers has the makings of a true No. 1 receiver while Jalin Hyatt and Wan’Dale Robinson are quality second and third options.

On the other side of the ball, there aren’t many pass-rush trios better than Dexter Lawrence II, Brian Burns and Kayvon Thibodeaux. Bobby Okereke and Micah McFadden are solid linebackers, and the defense has plenty of young talent in the secondary between Deonte Banks, Dru Phillips and Tyler Nubin.

However, the Giants are lacking at the most important position on the field and the best way to upgrade that spot is to have a high draft pick.

Minnesota Vikings4 of 5

J.J. McCarthyAdam Bettcher/Getty Images

While J.J. McCarthy wasn’t expected to play much this year, his season-ending injury does alter the outlook of the Minnesota Vikings’ campaign.

Before McCarthy’s injury, it felt like the Vikings’ season could have been split into two different seasons.

One where Sam Darnold shows why he’s on his third team in as many years and is destined for backup duties to finish up his career while Minnesota likely takes a lot of losses. Then another where McCarthy takes over and inspires hope for the future, racking up some wins and building momentum heading into 2025.

However, with Darnold under center for the entire year, the first scenario for the Vikings might run from September to January instead of the projected two-month span. To be honest, that wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world for the club.

The team’s offense has a good supporting cast for McCarthy moving forward with wide receivers Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison in addition to offensive tackles Christian Darrisaw and Brian O’Neill. However, the defense has several key players entering contract years.

Harrison Smith, Harrison Phillips, Byron Murphy Jr., Camryn Bynum and Stephon Gilmore are all impending free agents. Of course, a few of them could be retained in free agency, but it’s unlikely that all will be.

Having a high first-round pick is a good way to find at least one new starter, especially since Minnesota currently doesn’t have second-, third- or fourth-rounders. Even if the organization doesn’t stick at its draft slot, having the capital to move back and acquire more selections to build out the defense would be an excellent asset to have.

New Orleans Saints5 of 5

Dennis Allen, Derek CarrWesley Hitt/Getty Images

Over the last several years, the New Orleans Saints have begun the offseason in “cap hell” with a significant amount of negative cap space. While general manager Mickey Loomis has developed a reputation as a cap wizard, consistently digging the club out of the hole, what has that really done for the Saints in the big picture?

The answer is one word: mediocrity.

Over the last three seasons, New Orleans has finished with nine, seven and nine wins, no NFC South Championships and no playoff appearances. So, is continuing to move money around and restructure contracts while the roster gets older and the team doesn’t even make the postseason worth it?

While players like Cameron Jordan, Damrio Davis and Tyrann Mathieu are still quality defenders, they’re also 35, 35 and 32 years old, respectively. On the other side of the ball, the offense led by 33-year-old quarterback Derek Carr and 29-year-old running back Alvin Kamara.

That doesn’t bode well for the Saints’ future and neither does the roughly $96 million cap deficit, per Over The Cap, Loomis is projected to face this spring. A rebuild is likely looming for the club regardless, and accelerating that process will help break the cycle of mediocrity faster.

It’s time for New Orleans to shed some bad contracts and get younger, and that starts with having a high pick in the 2025 NFL draft.