Sam’s Hot Seats for the Upcoming NFL Season: Player Edition
Justin Herbert has been a player I’ve waited to take off in the last 3 seasons, and he just can’t seem to drag his team over the playoff hump. Is this misfortune entirely on Herbert? No, but he is in the driver’s seat behind a broken offensive line. He has consistently gotten his team to the playoffs despite a lack of depth at the receiver position, but can’t seem to eclipse the hump of winning a single playoff game. Are there worse QB situations in the league? Absolutely. Is he going anywhere? Most likely not, since his contract runs until 2029. Is Herbert another version of Philip Rivers? Only time will tell. Contract or no, Herbert is in the hot seat.
CJ Stroud has no excuse to fail this season with the talented offense he’s got around him. Tank Dell is now back after surgery, David Montgomery is in the backfield, and Nico Collins is coming off a very productive year. Stroud fumbled his postseason appearance last season with a total of 7 turnovers and sent the Houston Texans home early. Stroud has proven that he can make big plays, but his consistency is the biggest question mark. If Stroud can’t lead his team to playoff success, expect him to be living on the hot seat, especially with a strong QB draft class coming and teams potentially looking to deal their starters next season.
Bryce Young has consistently shown improvement over the last two seasons in Carolina. He will need to do more than just clinch the division to get an extension this year. The upcoming draft class holds several QB options that would be very affordable for teams and that could prove to be a problem for Young if his efficiency backpedals in any way. Young seems like he’s finally having fun with the game, so I hope he can push through this season and get a payday. Young may not be the roughest and toughest of the 32 teams in the NFL, but he’s not given up yet. The seat is hot on Bryce Young, but the Crimson Tide alum is no stranger to pressure.
Baker Mayfield showed the world how tough he really was on the Netflix “Quarterback” documentary. There’s no doubt the guy is tough as nails and loves the game, but Baker coming out and being critical of Tampa Bay’s contract negotiations is where I draw the line for him. Mayfield is better than half of the quarterbacks that are currently in the NFL, but time is against him at the end of the day. I understand him wanting to get a 4–5 year deal to lock down what remains of the productive side of his career, but it’s just not good business. His handling of the contract dispute in Tampa Bay instantly makes him unlikable to me and seems much more immature. I want him to get paid, but he needs to be realistic about the time he has in front of him. Tampa also seems to be falling apart right now, so I wouldn’t be shocked if they let him walk and opted for future moves focused on long-term growth.
Honorable Mentions:
- Jaxson Dart — Dart isn’t going anywhere, but he has got to remain healthy this season. Stop taking hits and get out of bounds to stay out of the blue tent.
- D’Andre Swift — Swift had a productive season last year, but the Bears rookie, Kyle Monangai seemed to perform well last season in Ben Johnson’s offense. Swift will still be a solid receiving back, but I wonder if he sticks around in Chicago.
- Jayden Daniels — Daniels came off a wildly productive Rookie season only to be sidelined by an injury in his second year as a starter. Daniels is not anywhere near a Hot Seat designation, but the key for year 3 is to stay healthy. Keep Daniels healthy and build up that team. Washington isn’t done yet.
- Joe Burrow — Joe Burrow has got to stay healthy this season. He went from the Super Bowl to barely staying on the field for half of his games in a matter of three seasons. Is Burrow washed? No. Is Burrow insanely overrated? Yes. The Bengals have done a poor job of protecting their QB1, but Burrow can’t miss the same amount of time he has in the last two years. I’m admittedly not a fan of Burrow in any way, but eventually even Bengals fans are going to want him off the roster if he can’t stay healthy.
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