NFL in 2024: Emerging stars, celebrations and politics among highs and lows

As the ball drops on a new year, a glance back at the highs and lows from 2024 in the NFL universe...

Best return to the NFL: Jim Harbaugh. A year ago, Harbaugh was on the runway to a national championship with the University of Michigan. Now he’s headed back to the NFL playoffs, guiding the Chargers to a big rebound from a 5-12 finish in 2023 while showing that wherever he goes, he wins.

Worst stupidity: Rashee Rice. The Kansas City Chiefs receiver had the audacity to engage in a drag race on North Central Expressway in Dallas in March. Fortunately, no one was killed in the ensuing wreck that resulted in multiple felony charges for the man who jeopardized a promising career. That he walked away from the accident scene was a bad look, too.

Best career revival: Sam Darnold. Once kicked to the curb by the New York Jets, who drafted the quarterback third overall in 2018, who knew? Darnold (who also had pit stops in Carolina and San Francisco) has finally lived up to his promise in a big way after landing with the Minnesota Vikings on a one-year contract. We’ll see if this extends into a long-term arrangement, seeing that the Vikings drafted the now-rehabbing J.J. McCarthy in the first round in April. Regardless, in leading the team to a share of the NFL’s best record (14-2), Darnold put himself back on the map as an MVP candidate and a legit QB option in a league always short on legit QBs.

Worst political stunt: Nick Bosa. The 49ers defensive end showed off his bad manners by butting into a live postgame interview on NBC and flashing a MAGA hat. He was ultimately fined $11,255 – not for supporting Donald Trump, but for violating the league’s uniform policy. Bosa saw it as money well-spent, but his reluctance to explain his stance was disturbing on another level – and quite a contrast to the willingness years earlier that another high-profile 49er, Colin Kaepernick, had in explaining why he took a knee during the national anthem.

Best emergency kicker: Matthew Wright. A journeyman who has had stints with eight NFL teams since 2019 – including multiple stints with four teams – Wright made a 31-yard walk-off field goal in December that allowed the Chiefs to clinch a ninth consecutive A-West title. Wright, 28, was on his third tour with the Chiefs and kicked for four teams during the 2024 calendar year. The Chiefs, by the way, became the first team in NFL history to win three games in a season with walk-off field goals ... by three different kickers. And Wright, incidentally, was waived by the Chiefs three days after earning AFC Special Teams Player of the Week honors because Harrison Butker was activated off injured reserve.

Worst return on investment: Kirk Cousins. In March, the Atlanta Falcons signed the veteran quarterback, coming off a torn Achilles, to a four-year, $180 million free-agent contract that guaranteed $100 million. In December, Cousins – with an NFL-high 16 interceptions – was benched and replaced by first-round rookie Michael Penix Jr. Sure, Falcons owner Arthur Blank is rich. But a franchise that hasn’t made the playoffs since 2017 could have used the dollars it sank into Cousins, 34, to acquire other talent. And Cousins' successor with the Vikings, Sam Darnold, proved to be a bargain with a one-year, $10 million deal. The Cousins transaction also cost Atlanta a fifth-round pick in 2025 as the league determined the team violated its anti-tampering policy.

Best improvisation: Josh Allen. It has been a season of big plays for the Buffalo Bills quarterback, the first player in league history to account for 40 touchdowns (passing and rushing) in five consecutive seasons. No play was bigger than Allen’s 26-yard touchdown run against the Chiefs in November, when the quarterback went off-script and decided to bolt from the pocket rather than throw a short pass on fourth-and-two. It sealed the victory that spoiled the Chiefs' bid for a perfect season and snapped a 15-game winning streak.

Worst legendary impact: Aaron Rodgers. This tour with the New York Jets just didn’t work out for the four-time NFL MVP. After his 2023 season was blown up by a torn Achilles tendon, the encore act included the firing of coach Robert Saleh, a 4-12 record (to this point) and the worst season of Rodgers’ career. No, the reunion with Davante Adams wasn’t a game-changer. This all begs for a darkness retreat.

Best emerging legend: Jayden Daniels, whose highlight package includes the 52-yard Hail Mary touchdown pass to Noah Brown in October, is the star quarterback the Washington Commanders prayed for. Drafted second overall, he’s a shoo-in for NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year honors after leading the Commanders to their first winning record since 2016 and first playoff berth since 2020. Along the way, Daniels became the first quarterback in the 105-year history of the NFL to throw a touchdown pass in the final 30 seconds of five different victories. Legendary stuff.

Worst trash-talker: Tyrique Stevenson. The Chicago Bears cornerback taunted fans at Washington as he headed to the end zone to set up for a last-second desperation heave by the Commanders. Then he ate some serious crow. Not only did the Commanders execute the miracle pass, but Stevenson deflected the football after having to hustle to get himself in position to play “Hail Mary” defense. Oops. Moral of the episode: Shut up and play.

Best celebration: Josh Metellus and Camryn Bynum. The Vikings safeties celebrated an interception in mid-December with a flawless rendition of the club scene dance that Shawn and Marlon Wayans performed in the movie “White Chicks.” It’s tough to pick one because nobody celebrates quite like the Vikings, who prepare with ample rehearsals. Other creative efforts include the “secret handshake” from “The Parent Trap” and the choregraphed “We’re All in this Together” dance from “High School Musical.”

Best free-agent pickup: Saquon Barkley. Life as a Philadelphia Eagle is, well, soaring for the star running back who became the ninth player in NFL history to rush for 2,000 yards and heads into the regular-season finale needing just 101 yards to break the single-season rushing record (2,105 yards) that Eric Dickerson set in 1984. That Barkley can achieve the mark against the New York Giants is a reminder of how much his former team erred in failing to lock him up with a long-term extension, opting instead to invest in since-released quarterback Daniel Jones. Then there’s the priceless footage from HBO’s “Hard Knocks,” when Giants co-owner John Mara was recorded while pondering a Barkley move to an NFC East rival. Mara mused, “I’ll have a tough time sleeping.” What a nightmare for Mara.

Worst commencement speech: Harrison Butker. When the Chiefs kicker addressed graduates at Benedictine College, a Catholic liberal arts school in Atchison, Kansas, he ignited backlash that was so intense the NFL issued a statement distancing itself from Butker’s remarks. The kicker took on abortion, homosexuality, Pride Month, COVID-19 vaccinations and urged female grads to embrace becoming homemakers. The Chiefs didn’t follow suit with a newspaper editorial or online petition to cut their star specialist but instead made a statement about the separation of church, state, performance and freedom of speech: They signed Butker to a four-year, $25.6 million extension that makes him the NFL’s highest-paid kicker.

Best pick-six: Leonard Williams. He went 92 yards. Then hit the oxygen. The Seattle Seahawks defensive lineman marked his return to the Big Apple in early December and burned his former team, and Aaron Rodgers, with his long-distance rumble to paydirt – the longest interception-return touchdown ever by a D-lineman and longest by a player weighing at least 300 pounds since the turn of the century. Williams, who played five seasons each with the Giants and Jets, also collected two sacks on his banner day.

Worst Super Bowl hangover. The San Francisco 49ers. It’s been a season of disaster for the defending NFC champions (6-10), who have fallen from first to worst in the NFC West. Where did it go off track? Injuries, most notably to star running back Christian McCaffrey, greatly contributed to their plight. Then again, maybe it would have been different if 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan had opted to kick off to the Chiefs after winning the overtime coin toss.

Follow USA TODAY Sports’ Jarrett Bell on X @JarrettBell 

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: NFL 2024 highs, lows include young stars, dancing and politics