Pittsburgh Steelers and Green Bay Packers, among the cheapest offenses for the NFL 2024
April 4, 2024
Najee Harris scores against the Packers last season. (Photo: USA Today Sports)
The 2024 NFL season is still far awaybut the dropper of the preseason is leaving some details worth attention: in this case, and with the most intense part of free agency already in the rearview, we are going to analyze those teams that chose to spend the least money on their offenses… and to the surprise of many, they do not promise to be, precisely, low-octane attacks.
Pittsburgh Steelers, Green Bay Packers and Los Angeles Chargers (in that order) top the list of the cheapest offenses ahead of the 2024 NFL Draftand while surely some first-round rookie contracts could move that needle slightly, the trend seems to be clear: These franchises are betting on young talent and the mentoring of their coaches more than on flashy hires and big names.
There are two things every NFL franchise owner wants: win championships and make money. If the first is achieved without investing millions in free agents or onerous extensions, the second comes in addition and is much sweeter. To put context and understand what amounts we are talking about: the Cleveland Browns have invested almost 189 million dollars in the most expensive offense in the league. Both the Steelers, the Packers and the Chargers have forecast spending less than 70 million… that is, almost a third of what the Ohioans will spend on the services of Deshaun Watson and company.
Pittsburgh Steelers: Experienced QBs at a bargain price
Considering last season’s results, it seems strange to include Tomlin’s team among the “cheap and promising offenses”, but GM Omar Khan’s masterful moves in free agency achieved something that a little over a month ago seemed impossible: With just over $4.5 million in salaries, Pittsburgh secured the services of not one but two experienced and talented veteran QBs.
While is true that Neither Russell Wilson nor Justin Fields are currently in the pantheon of the best in the league, both have plenty of arguments and talent to be considered starting Quarterbacks in this league. A well-established running game (with Najee Harris and Jaylen Warren sharing the touches), a TE with a lot of potential in Pat Freiermuth and the Steelers’ historic ability to find quality WRs in late rounds of the Draft (see: Brown, Antonio), They make this offensive a very interesting cocktail to discover. If Mike Tomlin actually manages to put the pieces together and said offense reaches something even close to the top of his potential, we could be facing one of the best cost/quality balances of the season.
Green Bay Packers: To no one’s surprise
Anyone who has watched NFL in 2023 (especially the last stretch) knows what GM Brian Gutnkunst and Matt LaFleur are building: a young offense full of complementary talents where what shines is not the names, but the joint operation.
In just one season, Jordan Love showed that his shoes were not too big for him, managing to surpass 4,000 passing yards without having a single receiver with more than 800. The formula? A set of first- and second-year receivers who took turns playing the WR1 role game by game: Romeo Doubs, Dontavion Wycks, Jayden Reed, Christian Watson, TE’s Tucker Kraft and Luke Musgrave, and the list goes on…
Jordan Love is the leader of the Packers offense. (Photo: Getty Images)
With the recent castling in the backfield, going from an Aaron Jones already in his thirties to a Josh Jacobs still with a lot of cloth to cut and some painful but necessary moves (like cutting a Rodgers-era bannerman with LT David Bakhtiari), Gutekunst, LaFleur and all of Titletown doubled down on the philosophy that took them so faragainst all odds, less than a year ago.
Los Angeles Chargers: All back and Herbert 9
The last deal offense to analyze is a little trickier: having shed Austin Ekeler, Keenan Allen and Mike Williams in less than a month, you could say this unit is in rebuild mode. Why, then, include them on this list? The reason has a first and last name: Justin Herbert.
Having an elite Quarterback when building an offense practically solves half of the job. And while Herbert has had his ups and downs, His talent and potential can hardly be disputed. as one of the most disruptive players in the position. The arrival of Jim Harbaugh as a Head Coach and mentor only makes the projections even more optimistic.
Of course, the loss of several of their figures hurts, but some intelligent additions (like RB Gus Edwards, ex-Ravens), young talents yet to be exploited (WR Jordan Addison, first-round pick in the 2023 Draft) and a good position in the upcoming Draft (they have the #5 selection) leads one to think that with a little cunning and the arm of Herbo guided by the mind of Harbaugh, The Bolts have a good chance of winning, winning and scoring… and almost without spending.
Alejandro Casas
UBA Graphic Designer. Covering the NFL from 2022. Editor and designer at No Huddle, the largest American football media in South America. Co-host of Falso Punteo, a podcast of analysis, opinion and humor about current NFL events.
2024-04-04 14:13:49
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