Happy midweek, everyone! John Breech is busy anticipating Joe Burrow’s showcase at the Pro Bowl Games, so today’s Pick Six newsletter — the last Wednesday edition until it’s officially Super Bowl Week — is brought to you by Cody Benjamin, with tidbits on all the latest from around the NFL.
Be sure to subscribe right here, to ensure you never miss a daily dose of NFL updates. And keep on reading for everything from the latest coaching buzz to big-name quarterback predictions:
1. Chiefs tickets soar; Eagles fans traveling well?
Super Bowl LIX ticket demand is already through the roof, with StubHub revealing this week that sales for the big game are “the highest we’ve seen for a Kansas City Chiefs Super Bowl” when compared to the same time frame in past years. But it’s Philadelphia Eagles fans who might be making up the bulk of the sales so far, with Pennsylvania residents accounting for 12% of StubHub’s ticket sales to date. The average price per seat on this particular resale market: a cool $8,076.
2. Season in review: 24 things we’ll remember
The 2024 season obviously isn’t quite complete, with Super Bowl LIX around the corner. But with everything but the big game in the books, why not take stock of the biggest storylines that brought us to this point? We identified 24 things to remember from the 2024 campaign, including everything from splashy in-season trades to dramatic coaching flameouts. Here’s a sampling:
- Saquon Barkley leaves the New York Giants and runs wild: The star running back got big bucks to join the rival Eagles, then proceeded to rip off one of the best seasons of all time, eclipsing 2,000 rushing yards while helping propel the Birds to a Super Bowl appearance.
- The New York Jets fire everyone: First went coach Robert Saleh after a 2-3 start. General manager Joe Douglas got his own pink slip about a month later, after the team sunk to 3-8. The last man standing: quarterback Aaron Rodgers, whose age finally showed in another year of disappointment.
- The Washington Commanders turn over a new leaf: Under new owner Josh Harris, they completed their leadership overhaul by adding Adam Peters at general manager, Dan Quinn at head coach and, best of all, the unrattled Jayden Daniels at quarterback, riding his flair all the way to the NFC title game.
3. QB matchmaker: Sam Darnold back to the Jets?
Before long, the big-name movement of the 2025 offseason will get underway. And quarterbacks will undoubtedly be a part of the shuffle. So where could some of the top veteran signal-callers end up? We played matchmaker for everyone from Russell Wilson to Jameis Winston, pairing free agents and trade candidates with teams across the NFL. Among the proposed moves are Sam Darnold reuniting with a familiar club, and Kirk Cousins finding a new home in the AFC:
- Sam Darnold to the Jets: New coach Aaron Glenn saw firsthand in Detroit that a first-round castoff can revive his career with the right support. And Darnold, despite a rough first go with New York, could get a decent check here if Gang Green is unable to leap up from No. 7 overall in the draft for an even younger Aaron Rodgers replacement.
- Kirk Cousins to the Browns: Coach Kevin Stefanski spent two years working with Cousins during their time with the Minnesota Vikings, and odds are the quarterback won’t be able to command a ton of money after fizzling out with the Atlanta Falcons. That could make him the perfect one-year rental in place of the injured Deshaun Watson.
- Jimmy Garoppolo to the Vikings: At 33, Garoppolo is older and less explosive than Sam Darnold, the Vikings’ 2024 starter. He’s also likely to come much cheaper, and he played on some big stages under general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah with the San Francisco 49ers. He could be another placeholder until young J.J. McCarthy is ready.
4. Mike McCarthy to wait until 2026 hiring cycle
When the Dallas Cowboys mutually parted ways with McCarthy after the 2024 season, many expected the former Super Bowl champion to land another top job. Despite interviews with the Chicago Bears and New Orleans Saints, the latter of which still has an opening, McCarthy is now prepared to sit out the 2025 season in hopes of scoring another head coaching gig in 2026, per NFL Media. He previously sat out a full season in between jobs with the Cowboys and Green Bay Packers.
5. Eagles’ Kellen Moore set to be Saints’ coach?
The Cowboys recently passed over Kellen Moore, their former offensive coordinator, for their head-coaching job. But the current Eagles play-caller could still land a top job in 2025. Fresh off a second interview with the Saints, Moore is in the “driver’s seat” to fill the NFL’s last remaining head-coaching vacancy, as CBS Sports reported. He cannot, however, officially resume talks, or finalize a contract, with the Saints until after the Eagles finish Super Bowl LIX … in New Orleans.
6. Extra points: OL of the Year, 2025 mock draft
Need a few more headlines? We’ve got you covered:
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Author: Cody Benjamin
January 29, 2025 | 2:10 pm
