Top turkeys of the 2024 NFL season

Unfazed, New York wore them again against Washington in Week 9, falling to the Commanders 27-22 in what turned out to be quarterback Daniel Jones’ next-to-last game with New York. Giants fans weren’t too fond of the team’s retro-look and given the team’s 2-9 record, shouldn’t expect to see those uniforms any time soon.

Jerry Jones | Owner | Dallas Cowboys

Jones vowed the Cowboys would be “all-in” for 2024. He proceeded to flat-out ignore a running game that’s now the league’s second-worst, engaged in protracted contract drama with Dak Prescott and CeeDee Lamb and overall produced an underwhelming offseason. Later, he took issue with being questioned about the team’s roster and threatened to fire a pair of radio hosts after a 47-9 home loss to the Lions. Finally, with the running game still in shambles and the team quickly falling out of playoff contention, Jones dealt a fourth-round pick to Carolina for Jonathan Mingo, a wide receiver with no career touchdowns and one catch for eight yards since joining the team. 

Jones has always been a loose cannon, but he’s been more caricature than character lately.

Aaron Rodgers | QB | New York Jets

Jets fans couldn’t wait to get Rodgers back on the field after he tore his Achilles four snaps into the 2023 season, but now most can’t wait to get him off the field. 

Rodgers’ current 88.9 quarterback rating is his worst mark as a starter, tied with Broncos rookie Bo Nix and below well-traveled veterans like Minnesota’s Sam Darnold (101.7) and Tampa Bay’s Baker Mayfield (104.1).

Thanks to a series of nagging injuries, Rodgers looks nothing like the player that won four MVP awards as a Packer. According to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, New York knows little about his injuries because he refuses to get treated. 

No wonder owner Woody Johnson lobbied for Rodgers’ benching before cutting ties with head coach Robert Saleh and general manager Joe Douglas, something that could still happen before next week’s game against the Seahawks.

George Pickens | WR | Pittsburgh Steelers

Per ESPN’s Kevin Seifert, Hail Mary passes have been successful in just over 8% of plays since 2009. Those odds aren’t good and they get even worse when the wide receiver doesn’t look for the ball and attempts to throw the defender to the ground by his facemask.

That’s exactly what Pittsburgh’s George Pickens did to Cleveland’s Greg Newsome II on the final play of “Thursday Night Football” last week, a game the Browns won 24-19. Pickens appeared to be in good position to make a catch had he not engaged with Newsome.

Despite the loss, Pittsburgh remains in first place in the AFC North. But had Pickens made the catch, the Steelers (8-3) would have a game in hand over the (8-4) Ravens. He’ll need to do better on the road against a desperate Bengals team in Week 13.