Updated on September 7th, 2020, 8:25 pm
The National Football League starts its new season on September 11th. The favorite sport of the Americans promises to be an absolute spectacle again this year. Here are ten facts to prepare you for the new season.
1. Mahomes signs gigantic contract
Ten years – that’s how long the Kansas City Chiefs are tied to their quarterback Patrick Mahomes. An absolute rarity in the volatile football business. But his success speaks for itself. Only in his second season as a starting quarterback in the NFL Mahomes won the Super Bowl. Experts see him as arguably the best quarterback in the entire league – better than Tom Brady, better than child prodigy Lamar Jackson and better than quarterback phenomenon Drew Brees.
The team from Kansas City is also spending a lot of money on this talent. Mahomes will make a total of $ 45 million a year through 2031. With bonus payments, the deal can even grow to a total of $ 503 million. This makes the 24-year-old’s new contract the most valuable contract in sports history. A total of 140 million of the contract are even guaranteed. Should Mahomes not play a single game for Kansas City due to an injury, the team still owes him the full $ 140 million.
However, Mahomes will still play under his rookie contract until 2021. This season he is earning “only” a comparatively manageable $ 2.8 million. He’ll be able to take it. Especially since the Kansas City Chiefs are again this year Super Bowl are allowed to play along. Last season’s winners have strengthened themselves in the draft and will be difficult to beat.
2. The NFL plans with viewers – despite Corona
All over the world, sport is suffering from the effects of the corona pandemic. The NBA lets its playoff games play without spectators and European football also had to do without its fans in the stadium.
The NFL, on the other hand, continues to plan with spectators in the stands. One would like to leave the decision to the teams themselves how many fans are allowed in the stadium – there is no general limit on the number of spectators.
Instead, the teams should be guided by the regulations that differ from state to state. Accordingly, some teams could play their home games in front of full ranks, others in front of only a few spectators.
3. Several Germans have made the leap into the NFL
In 2020 fans will again be able to cheer on some German players in the NFL. With Jakob Johnson (New England Patriots), Equanimeous St. Brown (Green Bay Packers) and Mark Nzeocha (San Francisco 49ers) three Germans have survived the downsizing of their teams.
Dominik Eberle (Las Vegas Raiders) and David Bada (Washington Football Team) did not succeed – but they are still in the practice squad of their respective NFL teams and can train with the professionals.
4. Quarterback legend Tom Brady moves to Florida
Six-time Super Bowl winner, nine AFC championships and four-time Super Bowl MVP – these are the statistics of the quarterback legend Tom Brady. No other player in NFL history has been as successful as the 43-year-old. With the New England Patriots The former six-round pick built the greatest football dynasty of the Super Bowl era and played his way into the hearts of Patriots fans forever.
After internal tensions with his long-time head coach Bill Belichick and a disappointing 2019 season Brady left the New England Patriots for Florida. With the Tampa Bay Buccaneers he would like to finally put the crown on his career. With the Buccaneers he can expect a powerful offensive, a solid defensive and his ehemaliger Patriots-Tight-End Rob Gronkowski. The Buccaneers can definitely target the Vince Lombardi Trophy.
5. Cincinnati Bengals draft new quarterback hope
The first pick in an NFL draft is always special. Whoever is chosen here automatically becomes the number 1 hope for an entire team – yes, an entire city. This is also the case with this year’s “first overall pick”, quarterback Joe Burrow. Last college football season, he won the National Championship with the LSU Tigers, breaking the record for the most touchdowns in a season (60), and with a quarterback rating of 202, he broke the NCAA (National Collegiate Athletic Association) record ).
Now the 23-year-old should become the new starting quarterback for the Cincinnati Bengals and form the team into a playoff contender within a very short time. Whether he can do that remains to be seen. With wide receiver AJ Green and running back Joe Mixon, however, he already has the necessary talent to terrorize opposing defenses.
6. New format means more playoff games
The playoff format has also been revised for the new NFL season. From 2020, 14 instead of twelve teams will move into the knockout rounds. This means that both the AFC and the NFC will send another “wild card team” into the playoffs, which will have to survive in an additional “wild card game” against the second best at their conference.
There is therefore only a bye in the playoffs for the first of the two conferences.
7. New stadium for rams and chargers
In addition to the spectacle of the games, the new stadiums for the teams always cause a stir.
It won’t be any different in 2020 either. The new stadium for the LA Rams and LA Chargers has been built in Los Angeles in recent years. The $ 2.4 billion arena was completed just in time for the start of the season. The new SoFi Stadium can hold around 80,000 spectators and will be the home stadium of the two teams from Los Angeles from 2020.
© imago images/ZUMA Wire
Last season, the Rams played their games in the 1932 and now obsolete Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum; the Chargers’ venue was the Dignity Health Sports Park.
8. Las Vegas gets an NFL team
After years of debate, the Oakland Raiders are leaving California for Nevada. More precisely, Head Coach John Gruden’s team is drawn to the city of sin. Above all, it is hoped that this will provide better marketing opportunities.
An NFL team had been in for many years Las Vegas in conversation – now it becomes reality. The new home of the Las Vegas Raiders around quarterback Derek Carr and newcomer Henry Ruggs (WR) was built in the heart of the city. The $ 1.84 billion Allegiant Stadium is expected to hold 65,000 spectators. It will be inaugurated on September 13th during the encounter between the Raiders and the Carolina Panthers.
9. When does the NFL start the new season?
On September 11th at 02:20 am Central European Time (CET) the time has come: The NFL starts the new season with the Houston Texans game against the Kansas City Chiefs. The next games will then be played on Sunday, September 13th at 7 p.m. CET.
10. When does the Super Bowl take place?
Also this season, the two best teams in the NFL will meet again in the Super Bowl. It is now the 55th Super Bowl in football history. This year it will be held at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida. It is the third Super Bowl to be played in this stadium. The game is scheduled for February 7, 2021.
.
