The 2024 NFL season has had numerous injuries which have left multiple players sidelined for weeks and some out for the remainder of the season. Tua Tagovailoa and Aidan Hutchinson are two players that had potentially career-threatening injuries. 

Tagovailoa has experienced damaging head injuries in the past, and another happened the weekend of Sept.12. Hutchinson, the Detroit Lions’ star defensive end, sustained a fractured tibia during the week six game against the Dallas Cowboys. 

The injury occurred after a sack on quarterback Dak Prescott. Hutchinson was carted off the field and underwent emergency surgery shortly after. An injury of this magnitude will most definitely leave Hutchinson out for the remainder of the season, but head coach Dan Campbell is optimistic about a return for the playoffs.  

“That was one of the worst injuries I have ever seen,” said Carter Kling, a junior business major. “It looked like his leg was literally hanging on by a thread.” 

San Fransisco star wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk will miss the rest of the 2024 season with a knee injury. In week seven, Aiyuk tore his ACL and MCL against the Kansas City Chiefs. This hurts the Niners, as he is their best receiver, and Aiyuk recently earned a $120 million extension for the next four years. Some of this may have to do with the fact that he barely participated in the pre-season because of contract problems, and he was not at his full strength as the season started.  

Another gruesome injury occurred in week seven regarding the Tampa Bay Buccaneers receiver Chris Godwin. The game was pretty much over as the injury happened late in the game against the Baltimore Ravens. He caught a pass and was immediately hit and rolled his ankle badly. Godwin, who was having a great start to his 2024 season, was carted off the field and underwent surgery soon after. It was later announced that Godwin will miss the remainder of the season.  

Star receivers Stefon Diggs for the Houston Texans and Christian Kirk for the Jacksonville Jaguars, both suffered season-ending injuries this season. Diggs tore his ACL during the Texans week eight game against the Indianapolis Colts. Diggs was working as the No.1 receiver for the Texans as fellow receiver Nico Collins was dealing with a hamstring injury that left him sidelined for a couple of weeks.  

The Buffalo Bills star linebacker Matt Milano suffered a broken leg early in the 2024 season that will leave him sidelined for the rest of the year. Some reports say that there is a chance he makes a return in late December, but that has yet to be confirmed. Milano has been the cornerstone of a very good Bills defense since he was drafted in 2017.  

49ers running back Christian McCaffery returned last week after being out every game to start the season. He began the year on injury reserve dealing with a calf strain as well as Achilles tendinitis. There was no real timetable for when his return would happen, but he is now back and looks healthy. 

“I feel like the reason the Niners struggled to start the season is because they didn’t have McCaffery,” said Jared Carter, a senior finance major. “I have him on my fantasy football team, too, so I am so glad that he is back.” 

This year, there have been a significant number of injuries, leaving many questioning whether the players are preparing for the season the right way or not. Some players sat out the entire pre-season because they wanted to figure out their contracts and didn’t want to risk injury.  

“Players need to participate in the pre-season,” Carter said. “When they sit out all preseason and aren’t in the weight room, that could be the reason for some of these injuries.”