Welcome to the Thursday edition of the Pick Six newsletter!
After thinking about it for the past three hours, I have decided that my new favorite part of the offseason is any time a team unveils a new uniform, and I'm only mentioning that right now, because we GOT ONE on Thursday.
The Minnesota Vikings unveiled a new alternate uniform, and it's already one of my top-five favorite alternate uniforms in the NFL. We'll be taking a look at their new uniform in today's newsletter, plus we'll be going over some under-the-radar players in the AFC.
As always, here's your daily reminder to tell all your friends to sign up for the newsletter. Actually, you don't even have to tell all of your friends; just tell two of your friends and I'll be happy. To get them signed up, all you have to do is click here.
1. Under-the-radar AFC players who can be stars in 2024
The best way to win in fantasy football is to find a few under-the-radar players who could end up having a big season. Here at CBS Sports, there's no one better than Tyler Sullivan at finding under-the-radar players, which is why we asked him today to come up with a list of one under-the-radar player from each AFC team who could turn into a star in 2024.
Tyler came up with a list of 16 players; here are four who made the cut:
- Jest: WR Malachi Corley. "The Jets offense returns Garrett Wilson and brought in Mike Williams in free agency, but Corley could prove to be a factor within the pass-catching unit. The rookie was Aaron Rodgers' favorite receiver in the 2024 NFL Draft, so it would seem like he's going to have an easy time getting into the quarterback's good graces."
- Texans: TE Cade Stover. "Don't underestimate the Buckeye connection here with Stover. He played with C.J. Stroud for a time at Ohio State, so the two should have somewhat of a rapport as Stover enters his rookie year with the Texans."
- Raiders: RB Zamir White. "White is now atop the Raiders depth chart at the running back position in the wake of Josh Jacobs signing with the Packers in free agency. Now that he's RB1, White is in line for a massive amount of carries, and judging by what we saw in 2023, he's up for the task."
- Bengals: WR Andrei Iosivas. "The departure of Tyler Boyd opens the door for a wide receiver to emerge in Cincinnati. That only increases if something drastic happens with Tee Higgins and his trade request, which puts even more targets up for grabs. Iosivas was a sixth-round pick in 2023 out of Princeton who saw limited action as a rookie (15 catches for 116 yards), but did haul in four touchdowns."
If you want to see the full list of under-the-radar players in the AFC, then be sure to click here.
2. Vikings unveil new alternate uniform
There have been quite a few teams around the NFL that have unveiled a new uniform this offseason, but none of them is as awesome as the one that Minnesota released on Thursday.
Here's what you need to know about the Vikings' new alternate "Winter Warrior" uniform:
- The Vikings are will be wearing a white helmet for the first time in franchise history. The Vikings are known for their purple helmets, but with this new uniform, they'll be going all white. Not only does that include a white jersey and white pants, but it also means that Minnesota will be wearing a white helmet for the first time in franchise history. You can check out the helmet here.
- There's no gold in the uniform. The Vikings' main colors are purple and gold, but the team decided to dump gold to pull off the all-white look. Instead of using gold, the team is utilizing metallic grey, which will be all over the uniform: It's on the helmet stripe, it's on the facemask, it's on the stripe down the pants and it's on the sleeve. It's everywhere.
- Vikings will only go all white for one game in 2024. If fans embrace the new look, there's a good chance we could see the Vikings wear it for multiple games in 2025, but for now, the "Winter Warrior" uniform will only be worn once in 2024 and that will come in Week 15 when the Vikings host the Bears on "Monday Night Football."
You can check out our full story along with some photos of the uniforms here.
3. Ranking the NFL's 12 new coach-QB duos for 2024
If doesn't seem possible, but nearly 40% of the NFL will have a new coach-quarterback combination in 2024.
The turnover has been so crazy this year that there are actually 12 new QB-coach duos in in the NFL. Since we have so many new duos this year, Cody Benjamin decided to rank all 12 of them based on how successful they might be in 2024.
Here's a look at Cody's top five:
1. Chargers: Justin Herbert and Jim Harbaugh. "While big-stage questions remain, Herbert has all the physical tools and early career marks of a perennial Pro Bowl pocket passer. And Harbaugh, despite a nine-year hiatus from the NFL, has led triumphant programs wherever he's gone."
2. Falcons: Kirk Cousins and Raheem Morris. "Atlanta's surprise top-10 pick of Michael Penix Jr. proved the club isn't necessarily as sold on Cousins as we all thought back in March, but even approaching 36, coming off a torn Achilles, the ex-Minnesota Vikings captain brings much-needed stability to the focal point of a growing offense."
3. Seahawks: Geno Smith and Mike Macdonald. "Smith may or may not be the long-term answer in Seattle. But he's had a knack for timely darts since reviving his career with the Seahawks and still boasts solid weapons. Macdonald, meanwhile, should help give Smith and the offense some long-awaited defensive support after overseeing the fast, physical and versatile Ravens."
4. Vikings: Sam Darnold and Kevin O'Connell. "This is far too high for Darnold by himself, and first-round rookie J.J. McCarthy -- a potential play-action savant -- could usurp him sooner rather than later. But O'Connell got Grade-A stuff from Kirk Cousins, and his positive leadership is felt in that building. Minnesota is primed to compete regardless of who's under center."
5. Titans: Will Levis and Brian Callahan. "Not only does he have improved weaponry going into his first full year as 'the guy,' but a new coach in Callahan who had a direct hand in Joe Burrow's confident start with the Bengals."
One thing you might notice is that Russell Wilson didn't crack the top five. If you want to see where the Steelers quarterback ended up along with Cody's full ranking, be sure to click here.
4. One burning question for every team in the AFC North
Over the past few days, we've been going around the NFL to take a look at the biggest question that each team needs to answer before the start of the 2024 season. We've been going through each team by division, and today, we'll be looking at the AFC North.
Here's one burning question that Bryan DeArdo has come up with for each team:
- Bengals: Is this finally Cincinnati's year? "There's been an undeniable pattern for Burrow and the Bengals. They went to a Super Bowl and back-to-back AFC Championship games the two seasons that Burrow's been healthy. Conversely, they missed the playoffs the two times Burrow has suffered season-ending injuries. If Burrow is healthy (he's been a full-go at OTAs after undergoing wrist surgery in November), the Bengals should once again be back in the thick of things."
- Steelers: Is Russell Wilson the answer at QB? "The short answer to this question is, yes, Wilson is good enough to lead the Steelers in 2024. Wisely, the Steelers are building an offense that will complement the things Wilson does well while not asking him to shoulder too much of the burden."
- Ravens: Will Lamar Jackson exorcise his playoff demons? "Jackson recently made headlines for the wrong reasons; he reportedly forfeited nearly $750,000 in workout bonuses as the resulting of skipping most of Baltimore's OTAs. Yes, OTAs are voluntary. But tell that to the division's other starting quarterbacks who have been present at their respective team's OTAs. Jackson's no-show is yet another reason why I'm not high on the 2024 Ravens, who own the NFL's second-toughest strength of schedule."
- Browns: Will Deshaun Watson return to Pro Bowl form? "If healthy, Watson should play well enough to keep the Browns in the playoff conversation, but if Cleveland is going to be more than that, it'll require Watson to play at the level that he did during his time with the Texans."
To read DeArdo's full answer for each question, be sure to click here.
5. C.J. Stroud ranks the top five quarterbacks in the NFL
We love to rank things around here, but apparently, we're not the only ones who love ranking things.
The Texans QB was recently asked to rank the five best quarterbacks in the league and he came up with an interesting answer. According to Stroud, here are the five best quarterbacks in the NFL (via the "Million Dollaz Worth of Game" podcast):
- Patrick Mahomes
- Lamar Jackson
- C.J. Stroud
- Josh Allen
- Dak Prescott
- Jalen Hurts
If you're wondering why there are six names on this list, it's because Josh Allen didn't originally make the cut. At first, Stroud had Prescott and Hurts at fourth and fifth, but he seemed to realize that leaving Allen off was a huge snub, so he jumped on Instagram, where he unveiled a revised list that had Allen at fourth.
Prescott is probably the most polarizing name on the list. He consistently wins games and puts up impressive stats, but he seems to fall apart in the playoffs every year. If you want a closer look at Stroud's list, you can check out our full story here.
Also, you'll notice that Aaron Rodgers isn't on the list, which shouldn't come as a surprise to anyone after what Stroud said about the Jets QB (If you missed it, you can read about it here).
6. Extra points: Chiefs re-sign Super Bowl hero
It's been a busy 24 hours in the NFL, and since it's nearly impossible to keep track of everything that happened, I went ahead and put together a roundup for you.
- Mecole Hardman returning to Kansas City. The Chiefs receiver, who caught the game-winning touchdown in Super Bowl LVIII, will be returning to Kansas City after agreeing to terms on a one-year deal, according to NFL.com.
- NFLPA VP is against 18 games. If the NFL wants to expand the season to 18 games, it's likely to have a battle on its hands. Colts center Ryan Kelly, who is an NFLPA vice president, made it sound like most players are adamantly against it. "Eighteen games sounds great when [Roger Goodell is] saying it on Pat McAfee," Kelly said. "But until you're the one that's going out there and putting the helmet on for 18 of those games, then come talk to me." You can read Kelly's full comments here.
- Cam Sutton is returning to Pittsburgh. After getting cut by the Lions earlier this year due to legal issues, Sutton is now making his way back to Pittsburgh. The cornerback spent the first six seasons of his career with the Steelers before signing with the Lions for the 2023 season, but now, he's once again with the Steelers. You can get the full details on the signing here.
- All-Pro center expected to retire after being released by Chargers. Corey Linsley is expected to retire after being cut by the Chargers on Wednesday. Linsley was drafted by the Packers in 2014 and spent seven seasons in Green Bay before signing with the Chargers in 2021. You can read more about Linsley's career here.
- Kevin Stefanski gets an extension. Browns coach Kevin Stefanski and general manager Andrew Berry both received contract extensions this week, which means they won't be going anywhere anytime soon. Stefanski is headed into his fifth season with the Browns, which is notable, because no coach has made it to his fifth year in Cleveland since Bill Belichick was there from 1991 thru 1995.
