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Now that Olympics are over, here's what you missed in the NFL

Charles McDonald
Staff writer
·4-min read

The 2024 Paris Olympics are over, which means it’s time to turn our heads toward the NFL season. There was a ton going on over the past two weeks as the Olympics captured the world's attention, so if you weren’t quite tuned in on what was happening in the NFL over the past few weeks, here’s a quick recap.

Not a single one of the Cowboys’ “big three” contract situations has been resolved. It sounds wild, everyone agrees, but not one of Dak Prescott, CeeDee Lamb nor Micah Parsons has struck a new deal with the Cowboys. Team owner Jerry Jones went as far to say that there's no urgency to get Lamb’s contract done right now; he later clarified his remarks.

Interesting.

There’s still a few weeks before the regular season kicks off, so maybe the Cowboys can resolve just one of these situations before the season. Lamb hasn’t been in camp yet, so that’s probably priority No. 1.

On the same front! There has been no meaningful update on the Brandon Aiyuk saga — and quite honestly, watching fencing at 3 a.m. ET was probably a better use of time and mental energy.

Over the past three weeks, Aiyuk has gone from requesting a trade, being reportedly interested in going to the Steelers, turning down a monstrous contract from the Patriots, spurning the Browns and now — is in contract talks again with the 49ers on a long-term deal. As of now, it seems like Aiyuk will remain a 49er, but at this point there needs to be a conclusion.

There hasn’t been a game played yet and the Eagles are already dealing with unnecessary drama. ESPN reported that there has been some distance over the past season between head coach Nick Sirianni and quarterback Jalen Hurts. Apparently Hurts wasn’t happy with the direction of the offense last year and is now working much closer with Kellen Moore, the new offensive coordinator in Philly. Once again, Sirianni finds himself on the hot seat.

The Haason Reddick drama has reached a new level, where he’s trying to now get traded from the Jets after being acquired by them in April. He hasn’t shown up to anything (OTAs, training camp, etc.) while trying to get a new contract, and has racked up millions of dollars in no-show fines. This will probably be the last time in NFL history a team makes a trade for an expiring contract without getting a deal done. For what it’s worth, the Jets have already said they have no intention of trading him. This is a mess.

The rookie quarterbacks are getting their respective fan bases excited about the future. Caleb Williams looked like the next big thing, Jayden Daniels showed off some playmaking, Michael Penix Jr. flashed his big-time arm talent and Bo Nix was efficient. Drake Maye didn’t play much, but he will play more as the Patriots decide how early to put him in the starting lineup. Of course, there's the caveat that not all six of these guys will be good in the NFL, but for now, every fan base feels like they got it right after just one preseason game.

The new kickoff rules, adapted from recent pro football spring leagues have made their preseason debut. Some teams have slipped up. Rams head coach Sean McVay thinks kickoffs now look "weird." Time will tell if people like it, but it sure is different than what’s been going on.

The Raiders trolled Patrick Mahomes with a Kermit doll after he got two wide receiver upgrades. That happened on the first day of the Olympics and the fire that eventually hits the Raiders' defense will be used to light the next torch.

For those keeping scoring at home: Pro Bowl safety Justin Simmons still does not have a home, but he will soon.