Football Fanatics Weekly Newsletter

08/09/24 4:58 PM

The NFL pre-season has officially started and plenty of storylines have been buzzing all week giving fans plenty to talk about.

With only 30 days left until the regular season kicks off, these some of the biggest news stories you may have missed this week:

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1. Brandon Aiyuk Trade

The Brandon Aiyuk trade saga continued this week as reports have emerged from Santa Clara that a Brandon Aiyuk trade deal is more likely to happen than a contract extension.

This comes after reports that B.A. was looking for a contract extension in the $30 million per year range to be close or surpass the mega deal the Lions gave to Am’ron St. Brown during this recent off-season.

The Pittsburgh Steelers, New England Patriots, and Cleveland Browns have all been that have been linked to Brandon Aiyuk all off-season and the trade talks are intensifying according to several NFL insiders.

The situation appears to be heating up with The Patriots as the current frontrunner and most likely landing spot for Aiyuk if he and the 49ers can not come to terms on an extension. This is a developing story and we will continue to monitor for updates.

Brandon Aiyuk is set to make $14 million this year, but has his eyes on a much bigger bag.

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2. Aaron Rodgers Back on The Field

After his short debut with the Jets, the NFL world has been patiently waiting and wondering when and if we would get another chance to see A-A-ron play again. It looks like the wait is almost over as Aaron Rodgers is in camp and appears to be back to full health.

Do you think the Jets are a legitimate contender with Rodgers at qb? Only time will tell.

A-A-ron is back in action

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3. NFL Announces all 32 Teams Will Use Facial Recognition Software

In the most interesting news of the off-season, and the most technologically advanced new feature the NFL might have EVER announced, all 32 teams in the league will be using facial recognition software to verify the identity of fans at every game this season.

One thing is for sure: if Aaron is even 75% of what he was in his prime, the Jets are going to be in a SIGNIFICANTLY better position this season than they were with Zach Wilson at the healm. I know Jets fans everywhere (and Robert Saleh) are banking on that to be the case.

This is not the news any of us were expecting, let’s be honest, but hopefully this will at least improve fan safety at the games and we can only hope that no privacy concerns arise, but that seems imminent.

Was this really necessary?

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4. Justin Jefferson Face of NFL?

With the release of the show “Receiver”, it was clear there were some very unique individuals that catch the football in the NFL, with none more unique than Justin Jefferson, aka “Jets”.

Justin joined the broadcast crew in Minnesota for the Vikings preseason game (broadcasting from the sidelines, nonetheless) against the Raiders and lit up the screen with his enthusiasm and clear love of the game of football.

I wouldn’t be surprised if Justin Jefferson ends up getting even more screen time off the field as he has a great personality which is a stark contrast from the robotic (but clear winning) personality of Patrick Mahomes, the current face of the league.

Justin Jefferson the future of the league?

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5. Caleb Williams Silences Critics in First Start

Caleb Williams has been a non-stop media hype machine ever since it was the consensus that he would be the #1 overall pick in the NFL draft.

Once drafted, Caleb continued to garner attention based on him wearing nail polish and appearing to carry purses around the Bears facility in scenes on Hard Knocks.

After his first snaps in the NFL, it is safe to say the only thing people are talking about is how good he looked in his debut. Considering he still has a lot to learn in the league and even the Bears offense, it stands to reason that he will only get better as the season progresses.

Were the critics wrong about Caleb Williams? Only time will tell, but he dazzled in his first playing time in the NFL.

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