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Every season is an opportunity for NFL players to make their mark on the league and translate that into major paydays. The problem is, everyone around you wants to eat your lunch. Nothing is safe in this league; you have to constantly prove yourself.
But some will enter the 2023 NFL season with their futures more on the fence than others. Maybe it’s because they haven’t produced like they’ve been paid lately, or perhaps it’s due to off-field activities affecting on-field availability. Context is always important, but the name of the game remains objective.
All players in the NFL have a shelf life, within the league itself and often with the team that currently pays them. Some last longer than others, but time is the ultimate consumer. It could be a few weeks, it could be a couple of decades, but each player has make-or-break periods that determine their longevity. Some pass and elongate life in the NFL, and others wilt away. For these five players with the most to prove and plenty to lose, 2023 is that time.
Calvin Ridley | WR | Jacksonville Jaguars
After the completion of his third-straight season with at least seven receiving touchdowns, the Atlanta Falcons exercised the fifth-year option on Calvin Ridley’s contract, confirming the wide receiver would make $11.1 million for the 2022 campaign.
About six months later, Ridley announced he was stepping away from football to focus on his “mental wellbeing.” Another six months on, and the NFL suspended the player indefinitely for placing bets on the league’s games from the season before. At least the Falcons could take some solace in avoiding that $11.1 million bill.
The debacle prompted Atlanta to ship Ridley off to become someone else’s problem. In November, the Falcons traded him to the Jaguars, where he will play the 2023 campaign. New team, new beginnings, new Ridley.
That’s what the Jags are hoping for, anyway. The NFL reinstated Ridley earlier this year, and he’s now part of one of the more exciting young passing offenses in the league. He was a machine in 2020, and Jacksonville will be plenty happy with the collection of picks it pushed out the door for him if he matches it again. But a lot can change in football in a short period of time – with very limited live NFL reps over the last two seasons, is Calvin Ridley still Calvin Ridley?
J.C. Jackson | CB | Los Angeles Chargers
In 2021, J.C. Jackson was selected to his first Pro Bowl in his fourth NFL season. The cornerback exploded in production, doubling his approximate value from the campaign before to 12 and coming up with the second-most interceptions of any player in the league (8). He hit the free agency market in the offseason and departed from the Patriots to the Chargers with a $82.5 million price tag. The five-year contract included $40 million guaranteed and was a massive sign of LA’s belief in the former Terrapin.
His first season on the West Coast did not go as planned. Jackson could only play in five games – an offseason ankle surgery held him out of the two opening outings, and a ruptured patellar tendon in Week 7 put an end to the cornerback’s 2022. “Mr. INT,” a nickname the player has fully embraced, went the whole year without a single one.
The disappointment of his first year in Los Angeles would be a distant memory if 2023 goes more like 2021, and it’s not crazy to think that it will; an injury-riddled season can bring even the best players down. Jackson was a pillar of consistency before last year’s setbacks, and he could be again. Or maybe the wounds will linger, and we won’t see him reach those heights again. But what I do know is that the Chargers spent a lot of money on him, and they’d like to see a good return on their investment sooner rather than later.
Michael Thomas | WR | New Orleans Saints
It’s been a tumultuous time for the Saints wide receiver the last few years. After winning the 2019 AP Offensive Player of the Year award, Michael Thomas hauled in a combined 56 receptions from 2020 through 2022, which is less than 40 percent of his tally in 2019 alone. Thomas didn’t play at all in 2021 because of injuries, and injuries only allowed him to see the field in three contests in 2022.
Plenty of drama has been interspersed within these down years, including everything from subtweeting to reports of physical violence and more. But Thomas has remained in New Orleans through it all, and now he has a fresh campaign and a seemingly-improved outlook on things – he was key to recruiting quarterback Derek Carr to sign with the Saints.
“I always knew I was going to be here,” Thomas told Katherine Terrell of ESPN in June. “I knew I would be the receiver. I knew our priorities for the offseason was to get a quarterback and put some pieces around us. So, I was always involved.”
And the team is still willing to give the 30-year-old another chance, too. The Saints signed him to a one-year deal in March that gives the wide receiver one last opportunity to make amends. Thomas better make it happen in 2023, or his time in town is likely done.
Justin Fields | QB | Chicago Bears
Sure, a Justin Fields-led Chicago Bears team went 3-12 with him at the helm, but that’s only scratching the surface of what happened in the Windy City in 2022. The second-year quarterback became the third QB in NFL history to rush for 1,000 yards in a season, joining the likes of Lamar Jackson and Michael Vick, while tossing 17 touchdowns. Fields wasn’t without his flaws, but an improvement from 2021 was clear, and it means that he could be the future of Chicago.
Emphasis on could. He hasn’t exactly led the Bears to many victories yet in his two NFL seasons, even if several of those defeats were slight. There are much deeper reasons for the lack of wins than solely his performances – for example, his defense gave up the most points per game and fourth-most yards per contest of any team in the NFL in 2022 – but this is a results-based business, and we know where the fingers point when too many Ls pile up. To prove it, you must do it.
And the Bears have given Fields more to work with in 2023 than he’s ever had before. The team dealt the No. 1 overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft to the Carolina Panthers for D.J. Moore, then used the No. 10 overall selection to add Tennessee right tackle, Darnell Wright. In making these moves, the Bears skipped opportunities at sought-after rookie quarterbacks, a sign of their commitment to Fields. Now it’s time for him to repay that commitment.
Chicago needs to see a Fields with improved passing acumen. Accuracy is the big one; the QB completed just 60.4 percent of his passes last season. That won’t be good enough this time around. If Fields is to be the franchise’s quarterback of the future, he has to show tangible steps forward with his passing in the present.
The table is set, let’s see if he can eat.
Chase Young | DE | Washington Commanders
If Chase Young wants to stay in Washington, then 2023 is do or die. The team declined the player’s fifth-year option in April, eliminating 2024 from his contract and making this season the last one on his rookie contract.
Young signed the deal, worth $34.56 million, in the summer after the Commanders selected him with the No. 2 overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft. He hit the ground running as a rookie, registering 44 tackles, 7.5 sacks, and four forced fumbles with an approximate value of 14. It was enough to earn the defensive end a Pro Bowl nod and the 2020 AP and PFWA Defensive Rookie of the Year honors.
In the two seasons since, the Ohio State product has only featured in 12 games and amassed 1.5 sacks in total. Injuries have hindered Young severely, keeping him off the field and impacting him even when he was on it. It’s currently not clear if those knocks will derail his career, but they have certainly affected his last couple of campaigns.
Regardless, the Commanders must not have felt sure that the player would be worth the salary increase that would have come in the fifth year of his rookie contract. It’s now up to Young to show Washington, or any other franchise in the league that might be in the market for a defensive end next summer, that he still has what we all saw in 2020.
NFL FAQs
How do you play football survival pool?
Players pick one team each week they think will win the game outright. They may only pick a team ONCE per season, meaning you can't pick the same team twice in one season. If their pick is correct, the player survives another week and continues to play. An incorrect pick eliminates the player from the contest entirely. This is sometimes called an elimination or suicide pool. The last person standing wins.
How to make a football pool?
A football pool generally requires the creation of a shareable spreadsheet (like Google Sheets) so that members may pick teams. Then depending on the game type, creators must use several kinds of formulas (e.g. CountIF), data validation, and conditional formatting. Or, you can just use football pool hosting service like RunYourPool where we do all the work for you!
How to run a weekly football pool?
In order to run a football pool, you must first crown yourself as Pool Commissioner. Begin by picking a game type like Survivor or Pick'Em. You'll want to establish rules before inviting friends, family, and colleagues to join. As commissioner, you make the rules and also need to enforce them equally and fairly.
What is a football survivor pool?
In a Football Survivor Pool, players choose one team weekly they think will win. Usually, a team can be picked one time per season. Picks are made "straight up," no spreads necessary. If a pick is correct, members survive another week. An incorrect pick eliminates the player, unless a mulligan is used.
How does a football pool work?
Football pools are games of skill played among a group of people. There are a variety of pool types to fit every players needs, from casual to competitive. Pool commissioners can set up pools manually, or use a hosting service like RunYourPool whiel still customizing your own settings. Some examples include NFL Squares, NFL Survivor, NFL Pick 'Em, and Playoff Brackets.
What is an NFL pickem pool?
In an NFL pick’em pool, simply pick the outcome of each NFL game throughout the season. You can pick straight up winners or losers, or pick each game against the spread.
How to play a football pool?
The way one plays a football pool varies on the game type. For example, in Survivor, you pick one team to win each week and can't pick that team again. Guess wrong and you lose. Another example is Pick'em Pools in which you simply pick every game each week.
How does a fantasy football pool work?
Fantasy football pools don’t involve a traditional fantasy football draft. You can have as many members in your pool as you’d like, meaning no more 12 or 14 team limits! You pick a new lineup of players each week, and once you use a player once, you can’t use them again for the rest of the season.
What is a fantasy football pool?
A fantasy football pool is similar to a traditional fantasy football league but without the draft. Pick a new lineup each week, and once you use a player, you can’t use them for the rest of the season. Your players will receive points based on their in-game stats, and the member with the most points at the end of the season is the winner.
What is a football pool?
"Football Pool" is a broad term for a group of people competitively guessing the outcome of one or more football games. There are many types of formats, each assigning winners differently. They can be played informally between friends or through a more formalized system. They are often considered a great alternative to fantasy football given the ease of playing, although there are fantasy football pools as well.
How do football pool squares work?
There are different kinds of football square pools. Most have a 10x10 grid with one team for the rows and columns. In an attempt to win, participants select a square where they believe the last digit number of each team's score will intersect at the end of each quarter, and the game's end.
How do you play football squares pools?
To play a football squares pool, you're going to want to pick the squares with the best odds. As winners are determined by the point totals at the end of each quarter, try to consider options where scores are most common. Some of the most popular squares include 7-3, 7-0, 7-7, and 0-0. Numbers divisible by seven are good starting points.
How many squares in a football pool?
In a traditional football squares pool, a grid is sectioned off into 100 squares with 10 columns and 10 rows. This accounts for a direct relationship between each possible digit from 0 to 9 on both the X and Y axis. For smaller square grids like 5x5, multiple numbers can be assigned to each column and row.
How to play squares football pools?
Football squares are played by creating a grid, in which Team 1 takes the column and Team 2 the rows. In some cases, participants may claim as many squares as they like. In others, commissioners limit them to one. At the quarter times and end of the game, the winner is decided at the point the scores final digit intersect.
What is a football squares pool?
Also called Grid, Block, or Box Pools, Football Squares Pools can be played with any single game, but are most popular during the Super Bowl. Pool members claim squares on a 25, 50, or 100-square grid by putting their information in the square. Game scores are matched to the winning square(s), usually with winners being determined every quarter.
How to read a football pool sheet?
In Squares formats, football pool sheets include a grid, where one team is the column and one is the row. Winners are determined at the end of each quarter when the last number in the team’s score (on each side) is matched to the numbers on the grid, and the intersecting square wins.
How do you play football credits pool?
In the credits format, all players start with the same number of credits. Players make picks each week by risking a certain number of credits on games, assigning more credits to the picks with a higher confidence level. Members receive double the credits risked for each win. The member with the most credits at the end of the season wins.
What is a football credits pool?
In Football Credits Pools, players start with the same number of credits. They then make picks each week by risking a number of credits on games, assigning more to the picks they have more confidence in getting right. Members double credits risked for each win. The member with the highest credits at the end of the season wins.
How to run a football pool?
How you decide to run a football pool varies greatly depending on the game type. In each case, however, you'll want to determine the rules and settings before you begin inviting members to join you. You'll want to clearly establish how score will be kept, how tiebreakers work, and how winners are decided before anything else.
How do you play football confidence pool?
A football confidence pool is played straight up, not with a point spread. Not only do members pick the winning teams, they must back up their picks by giving them a relative confidence ranking. Your score reflects the number of confidence points given to winning teams. So if your confidence for a team winning is '1', then you can only win one point at most. If your confidence for a team winning is '5', then you can win five points for a win. The member with the most credits at the end wins.
What is a football confidence pool?
"Football Confidence Pool" refers to how you rank the teams that you think will win each week. For example, in the NFL, there are often 16 games weekly. In this scenario, you would rank each game from 16 to 1, based on the your confidence in that team winning.
How do you play football margin pool?
Margin pools are an NFL pool format that rewards members for picking a winning team each week. Pool commissioners can decide whether they award points equal to a winning teams margin of victory or the point spread for that game. When a commissioner chooses the point spread option, this format is often referred to as an NFL Underdog Pool.
What is a football margin pool?
In a Football Margin Pool, you are awarded points for picking a winning team. Pool commissioners get to decide whether they award points equal to a winning teams margin of victory or the point spread for that game. The player with the most points at the end of the season wins.
How do you play football 33 point pool?
The football 33 pool format is a casual pool where members are each assigned an NFL team (these pools are 32 members max, as there are 32 NFL teams). Members win when their team scores 33 points. Options for changing the target score, or having the closest to the target win each week is also available.
What is a football 33 point pool?
In the football 33 pool format, each member is assigned a unique NFL team (32 members max). A member will win when their team scores 33 points. This is a casual pool where you can change the target score or the option to have the closest to the target that week win.
How to run a weekly football pool?
In order to run a football pool, you must first crown yourself as Pool Commissioner. Begin by picking a game type like Survivor or Pick'Em. You'll want to establish rules before inviting friends, family, and colleagues to join. As commissioner, you make the rules and also need to enforce them equally and fairly.
What is an NFL Playoff bracket pool?
NFL Playoff Bracket pools are simple NFL pool formats where members pick every round of the playoffs before they start in an attempt to predict every match up correctly. It's optional to configure a multiplier for each round, or add a tiebreaker option of total points in the Super Bowl.
How to make a football pool?
A football pool generally requires the creation of a shareable spreadsheet (like Google Sheets) so that members may pick teams. Then depending on the game type, creators must use several kinds of formulas (e.g. CountIF), data validation, and conditional formatting. Or, you can just use football pool hosting service like RunYourPool where we do all the work for you!
How to set up a football pool?
To set up a football pool, you'll need to first choose a pool type like Survivor or Pick'em. Then, you'll need to set the ground rules. As pool commissioner, you'll enforce these rules and make sure the game runs smoothly throughout the season. Many commissioners use pool hosting sites like RunYourPool to make it easier and more engaging.
What is a football power ranking playoff pool?
In a power ranking playoff pool, members rank all 12 NFL teams competing in the playoffs from strongest (12 points) to weakest (1 point). Picks are made only ONCE before any games begin. Members are awarded the number of points assigned to a team when they win. Commissioners can optionally set up a point multiplier for each playoff round.
What is a football confidence pool?
"Football Confidence Pool" refers to how you rank the teams that you think will win each week. For example, in the NFL, there are often 16 games weekly. In this scenario, you would rank each game from 16 to 1, based on the your confidence in that team winning. This is similar to the Playoff Pool Power Ranking, just less teams.
How to run a football pool?
How you decide to run a football pool varies greatly depending on the game type. In each case, however, you'll want to determine the rules and settings before you begin inviting members to join you. You'll want to clearly establish how score will be kept, how tiebreakers work, and how winners are decided before anything else.
What is a football playoff precision pool?
In a playoff precision pool, members attempt to pick the winner of every playoff game each week. You can decide if it’s straight up or on a point spread picks, but point totals are also added. Points are awarded for correct picks AND for how close to the correct combined point total they were.
How to read a football pool sheet?
In Squares formats, football pool sheets include a grid, where one team is the column and one is the row. Winners are determined at the end of each quarter when the last number in the team’s score (on each side) is matched to the numbers on the grid, and the intersecting square wins.
What is a Super Bowl Prop Bets Pool?
A Super Bowl Prop Bet Pool is a fun and thrilling way to compete against friends and family during the big game! It's a simple questionaire of prop betting questions revolving around the Super Bowl, and whoever earns the most points based off correct answers wins!
How does a Super Bowl Prop Bets Pool work?
Pool members simply fill out a wide range of prop questions, each question worth a different value. Commissioners decide on the point value for each question, along with the amount of questions. Whichever member earns the most points based on corret answers wins the pool.
What is a football Super Bowl Squares pool?
Also called Grid, Block, or Box Pools, Football Squares Pools can be played with any single game, but are most popular during the Super Bowl. Pool members claim squares on a 25, 50, or 100-square grid by putting their information in the square. Game scores are matched to the winning square(s), usually with winners being determined every quarter.
What is a prop bet?
Prop bets are any sort of pick or wager on a game that has nothing to do with the score or the final score outcome. Props can range from game types, to team types and even player types - such as who will score the game's first and last touchdowns? Other props, such as novelty or exotic, feature bets on things such as the coin flip or the Super Bowl Halftime Show.
How to read a football pool sheet?
In Squares formats, football pool sheets include a grid, where one team is the column and one is the row. Winners are determined at the end of each quarter when the last number in the team’s score (on each side) is matched to the numbers on the grid, and the intersecting square wins.
