The NFL announced its Pro Bowl rosters for 2024 on Wednesday, and that sparked the annual debate about which players should and shouldn't participate in the event.
The Pro Bowl has long been viewed by die-hard NFL fans as a popularity contest that is influenced too heavily by the fan vote. That's part of why many have expressed their disdain for the NFL's All-Star showcase.
Even so, the Pro Bowl roster reveal accomplishes its exact goal. It gets NFL fans talking about the NFL's overrated and underrated players and which potential All-Pro talents were snubbed from earning Pro Bowl honors.
The 2024 Pro Bowl selections seemed particularly tough for fans. There was plenty of depth and talent at receiver, cornerback and safety, and that made for some difficult decisions as a part of the fan vote.
Per usual, a few veteran players qualified for the event based on their reputation even as they endured poor seasons.
MORE: Full breakdown of the NFL's 2024 Pro Bowl rosters
Here's an in-depth look at the Pro Bowl snubs for 2024 and who they could potentially have replaced on the AFC and NFC rosters.
Pro Bowl snubs 2024
Josh Allen
- Team: Bills
- Position: Quarterback
Allen didn't have his best-ever season in 2023, but he still has the resume needed to make the Pro Bowl. The Bills signal-caller is one of the most dynamic playmaking quarterbacks in the NFL and has helped lead Buffalo on a second-half surge to get back into postseason contention.
Allen has generated 42 total touchdowns during the 2023 season. That figure includes 15 rushing scores, a mark that broke the single-season record for quarterbacks. That alone should be enough to get Allen into the All-Star showcase.
It's hard to shoehorn Allen into the AFC's quarterback room, which contains MVP favorite Lamar Jackson and passing leader Tua Tagovailoa. Still, Allen should probably have gotten the nod over Patrick Mahomes. The duo have similar passing numbers, but Allen's production on the ground could have served as a tiebreaker between the two.
| Stat | Josh Allen | Patrick Mahomes |
| Comp. % | 65.6 | 67.2 |
| Passing yards | 3,947 | 4,183 |
| Pass TDs | 27 | 27 |
| INTs | 16 | 14 |
| Yards/attempt | 7.3 | 7.0 |
| Rating | 91.5 | 92.6 |
| QBR | 68.2 | 62.5 |
| PFF grade | 90.8 (1st) | 85.5 (9th) |
| Rushing yards | 457 | 389 |
| Rush TDs | 15 | 0 |
| Yards/carry | 4.8 | 5.2 |
MORE: Breaking down Josh Allen's overtime record for his career
Brandon Aiyuk
- Team: 49ers
- Position: Wide receiver
The 49ers had more Pro Bowlers than any team in the NFL. They saw a whopping nine players be selected for the All-Star showcase, including Brock Purdy, Christian McCaffrey, George Kittle and more.
That said, if San Francisco has one gripe with the NFC's Pro Bowl roster, it's that Aiyuk wasn't able to crack the list. The fourth-year pro entered Week 18 of the 2023 season ranked sixth in the NFL with 1,317 receiving yards. Impressively, he amassed that total on just 72 catches. His 18.3 yards per reception led the league among qualified receivers.
The NFC's choices of A.J. Brown, CeeDee Lamb, Mike Evans and Puka Nacua were all deserving choices. Still, one could have made the case that Aiyuk should have cracked that list and he should have a good chance to make it into the event as an alternate.
Amon-Ra St. Brown
- Team: Lions
- Position: Wide receiver
St. Brown is in a similar boat to Aiyuk. He finished fifth in the NFL in receiving yards with 1,371. While he did so with far more receptions — his 112 catches were tied for second-most in the NFL with Tyreek Hill behind CeeDee Lamb — St. Brown's success was instrumental in sparking the Lions offense.
Detroit won its first-ever NFC North title and its first division title since 1993. If fans wanted to reward the Lions for that performance, it would have been easy to justify St. Brown cracking the NFC roster.
Antoine Winfield Jr.
- Team: Buccaneers
- Position: Safety
Winfield is almost certainly going to get an All-Pro nod for his performance at safety this season. He has been one of the most versatile playmakers at his position and has generated plenty of splash plays for the Tampa Bay defense.
Winfield has 117 tackles, five sacks, five forced fumbles, three interceptions and 12 pass defenses this season. Comparatively, Budda Baker made the Pro Bowl despite failing to generate an interception, sack or forced fumble in 11 games.
Thus, it's easy to see that Winfield is the biggest defensive snub from the All-Star showcase this season.
L'Jarius Sneed
- Team: Chiefs
- Position: Cornerback
Sneed has a bit of a polarizing Pro Bowl case. Some of his detractors will point out that his 11 penalties are the most by a defensive player in the league this season. That is true, but it's also true that Sneed has been among the best cover men in the NFL too.
Sneed has allowed a passer rating of just 55.9 despite seeing 81 targets during the season. He has held his own, generating multiple interceptions for a fourth consecutive season and logging a career-best 14 pass defenses.
In truth, Sneed may be the most important player on the Kansas City defense, regardless of what Ja'Marr Chase said about him. He has proven consistently that he has the skills needed to be a No. 1 corner at the NFL level.
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Geno Stone
- Team: Ravens
- Position: Safety
Stone's case for a Pro Bowl spot is simple. He leads the AFC with seven interceptions. That alone makes Stone draw serious consideration for a spot, and his teammate Marlon Humphrey believes that Stone should have received the nod.
Pro Bowl Snub = Geno Stone
— marlonhumphrey.eth (@marlon_humphrey) January 4, 2024
It's easy to understand Humphrey's point. Stone trailed only DaRon Bland for picks league-wide and posted respectable stats in other categories.
Perhaps the selection of Stone's teammate and positional counterpart, Kyle Hamilton, played a role in this snub. Still, Stone is among the rare conference interception leader not to be selected for the Pro Bowl. That likely has a lot to do with his lack of familiarity among casual NFL fans.
Dustin Hopkins
- Team: Browns
- Position: Kicker
There's nothing categorically wrong about selecting Justin Tucker as the AFC's Pro Bowl kicker. That said, the 34-year-old hasn't been his usual, accurate self from deep, making just one of five attempts from 50-plus yards.
Conversely, Hopkins has made all of his attempts from 50-plus. He is eight for eight from that distance with a long of 58. His consistency and ability to hit deep field goals makes him one of the best kickers in the league, so he probably should have been granted the nod over Tucker.
One could also have justified Cameron Dicker for this spot. The Chargers kicker has made seven of nine field goals from beyond 50 and had one of the best Pro Bowl campaign videos we've ever seen.
Alas, both Hopkins and Dicker fell prey to Tucker's top-tier reputation. That further helps to establish that the Pro Bowl vote is more of a popularity contest than anything else.