Ranked: NFL players, coaches and general managers who had a miserable 2024

2024 is winding down to a close, and certain people in the NFL are extremely happy to put the year behind him. Whether it was putrid play, questionable decision-making from the head coach, or front office moves that backfired, the NFL is littered with individuals who had a deplorable year. All statistics used in this gallery are from Football Reference, and we’ll start the rankings of sadness with…

Hey, at least Levis came out with an entertaining mayonnaise commercial that netted him a lifetime supply from Hellmann’s according to Marketing Dive. Other than that, there has been much to write home about for the Titans signal caller. Bleacher Report delved into the viral trolling of Levis’ abominable turnovers this season.

Levis came into the 2024 as the guy under center for Tennessee, with a chance to prove that he was the long-term answer at the position. He’s failed to accomplish that, and the mind-blowing turnovers did not do much to convince head coach Brian Callahan that he could trust his young quarterback.

Want to see more like this? Follow us here for daily sports news, profiles and analysis!

How things have turned for Pierce in Las Vegas. In December 2023, he was riding high as the interim head coach of the Raiders. His unique style of communication seemed to resonate with players, and his “one of the guys” approach was what got him the permanent job. Now, he might be “one of the guys” out the door at the end of the season.

Sports Illustrated reports that the Raiders have not made a final decision on Pierce’s future one way or the other, but they have to be feeling serious buyer’s remorse. Interim coaches throughout NFL history have succeeded simply because they were not their incumbent, but they need to be evaluated on more than just a spur of the moment feeling.

Watson could have easily been on the list of NFL stars who had the worst 2023 as well. Things didn’t go much better for him in 2024, as he was not able to recapture the same magic that he showed with the Houston Texans earlier in his career. At least he didn’t have to watch another quarterback take the Browns to the playoffs this year.

There isn’t a way to spin Watson’s tenure in Cleveland other than it has been an unmitigated disaster. The Washington Post wrote in December 2024 that the organization probably has no choice but to keep him, but they might be able to get away with benching him in the future. That would make for an even more awkward 2025.

There were multiple signs brewing that Adams was unhappy with the Las Vegas Raiders. Perhaps the most telling indicators came during the Netflix special Receiver, where the pass catcher was clearly fed up with the direction of the franchise. The Raiders granted Adams his wish, trading him to the Jets after a 2-4 start to the 2024 season.

New York proceeded to lose six of the next seven games once Adams joined the team, which was not what he had in mind. Adams thought that he could rekindle the same magic he once had with Aaron Rodgers, but the duo has not been able to get the Jets into the win column much at all in 2024.

Want to see more like this? Follow us here for daily sports news, profiles and analysis!

Al-Shaair wasn’t having the worst 2024, but one moment caused things to come crashing down. His vicious hit on Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence caused a brawl on December 1. The NFL took swift action, suspending the Texans linebacker for three games. The league denied Al-Shaair’s appeal as well.

The violent play unearthed a bevy of infractions for Al-Shaair, which quickly painted the narrative that he was a dirty player. NBC Sports posted his full list of personal fouls and unsportsmanlike infractions, which total 13 dating back to the 2020 season. His name will be linked with questionable tackling moving forward.

After 24 seasons, the Patriots decided to move on from Bill Belichick at head coach. New England elected to promote Belichick’s former player Jerod Mayo to the same post to signal a new era. Unfortunately for the franchise, the Patriots find themselves at the bottom of the standings once again, and without a ton of confidence that Mayo can lead this team out of the doldrums.

Greg Bedard from Boston Sports Journal wrote that Mayo should be coaching for his job over the final stretch of the season. Earlier in the year, Mayo called his players “soft”, and Belichick actually denounced Mayo for those comments to the media. It’s been a long season for this once-proud franchise.

Fans love to be taken inside the locker room and the building where decisions are made to get closer to the team. However, one clip from HBO’s Hard Knocks will live with Schoen and remind him of one of the worst decisions he’s ever made as a general manager. One piece of footage shows Schoen on the phone with Saquon Barkley, asking him to give the Giants a chance to match any offer in free agency.

Of course, Barkley left the Giants in the rear view mirror, and had a spectacular season with the division-rival Philadelphia Eagles. Additional video showed Giants owner John Mara telling Schoen that he would be disappointed if Barkley ended up with one of their direct rivals, which is precisely what happened.

While all the people on this list will do their best to put 2024 behind them, Rodgers has had the worst calendar year of anyone in the NFL. In his return to the lineup, the Jets were pegged by many as Super Bowl contenders with him under center. Instead, they’ve missed the playoffs for a 14^th straight season.

Want to see more like this? Follow us here for daily sports news, profiles and analysis!

Rodgers turned 41 years old in December 2024, and has looked every bit his age during the course of the season. His limited mobility has allowed defenders to tee off on him, and he hasn’t shown the elite level passing ability that has defined most of his career. He and the Jets’ inability to remain competitive is the most disappointing storyline in the league this season.