Aaron Rodgers' return and growth of Dan Whelan - 5 NFL storylines to look out for

After a seven-month break, the NFL is back this week.

Following one of the most eventful off-seasons for Irish fans - several Gaelic footballers tested their skills in the league - the attention now shifts to the on-field action.

Michael McQuaid of Pro Football Ireland looks at some of the key storylines ahead of the new season, which gets underway tonight (1.15am Irish time) with the visit of the Baltimore Ravens to Kansas City.

Friday night lights

For the first time ever, the NFL will host a game in São Paulo, Brazil, this weekend. One of the most notable aspects is the timing - a Friday night, coinciding with many high school football games in the United States.

For millions of Brazilian fans, the chance to watch the Green Bay Packers face off against the Philadelphia Eagles is an exciting prospect.

This marquee matchup, relocated from Philadelphia, underscores the NFL's commitment to international expansion, with Ireland also likely to be on the schedule in the coming years.

The game itself promises to be a close contest, featuring a Philadelphia Eagles team that suffered a dramatic collapse late last season, against a young Green Bay Packers squad that many expect to excel in 2024.

What Aaron Rodgers will we see?

If you have dipped in and out of the league in the past decade or so, one player will have remained a constant - Aaron Rodgers.

Now at the New York Jets, a team that has found it borderline impossible to replace the icon Joe Namath, Rodgers hopes to bring a Super Bowl title to the Jets for the first time since they won their only championship in the 1968 season.

His season was cut short last year, a mere four games into the campaign, when he suffered a torn Achilles.

One year on, Rodgers and the Jets have a