AFC:
5. Las Vegas Raiders
The Raiders spent the 2025 offseason massively upgrading their roster in three key areas; coach, quarterback and running back. Legendary head coach Pete Carroll, who many believed to be unofficially retired from the league aged 73 having last coached the Seahawks in 2023, has returned to the sport signing a three-year deal in Las Vegas. Veteran quarterback Geno Smith, who saw his career revitalised under Carroll's stewardship in Seattle, has followed his former head coach to the Raiders, signing a contract extension through the 2027 season which ends a tumultuous quarterback saga in Vegas since the departure of Derek Carr in 2022.
The arrival of Carroll and Smith from Seattle signals a new era of stability in Vegas which should allow for the team to become somewhat viable in the AFC playoff race, having not appeared in the postseason since 2021. Alongside these veteran additions - the Raiders have made an existing injection of youth via the draft, taking one of the hyped running back prospects in recent memory, Heisman Trophy finalist Ashton Jeanty, with their first round selection. Having coached previously dominant running backs such as Marshawn Lynch in Seattle, Carroll is no stranger to getting the most out of a powerful runner, so Raiders fans can except an instant impact out of their newest addition to the backfield.
Overall, the Raiders roster appears to be in a good place, and with the boost in coaching alongside this, in most divisions Vegas would be deemed viable to fight for the crown. However, the other three teams in the AFC West all made the playoffs in 2024 and each have Super Bowl aspirations, with the Broncos and Chargers seeking success via their young exciting defenses and the Kansas City Chiefs seeking their 4th straight AFC Title. As such, the Raiders face an uphill battle just to rise from the bottom of their four-team division and whoever places last in the AFC West will likely be the best last-placed team in the entire NFL next year.
In order to change these fortunes, the Raiders need Jeanty to hit the ground running (literally), as a dynamic rookie running back could provide enough to support to make this Geno Smith led offence viable, with second-year Tight End Brock Bowers looking to become Smith's number one target after a stellar rookie year. As for the defence, the hope will be that Pete Carroll can work the same magic that built a defensive dynasty in Seattle with a Raiders group which finished 25th in scoring defence last year but does contain promising individual pieces, such as star defensive end Maxx Crosby.
4. Indianapolis Colts
Was Daniel Jones' playoff run a fluke? Or can Shane Steichan revitalise 2022's 'Danny Dimes' and finally end Indianapolis' quarterback struggles? These are the questions that will determine the success of the 2025 Colts because outside of the quarterback position, this roster has held playoff potential for some time now.
Ever since the shock, preseason retirement of Andrew Luck in 2019, the Colts have been in quarterback purgatory, swapping out veteran leaders Philip Rivers and Carson Wentz before finally taking a swing on rookie Anthony Richardson in 2023, which two years later appears to have been a significant miss. Now they have returned to their veteran strategy, gifting a second opportunity to Daniel Jones when many feel his play as a New York Giant didn't warrant one. Amidst 5 largely sub-par seasons at the helm of the Giants franchise, Jones' 2022 campaign stands alone as a true success, where Jones was able to operate as an effective duel-threat signal caller to steward the Giants first playoff win since 2011. Jones will now play within the a Shane Steichan offensive system which oversaw Justin Herbert's record breaking rookie season and Jalen Hurts' career changing 2022 campaign - so can he become the latest quarterback to blossom under these conditions, assuming he at least beats out Richardson in training camp?
Regardless of who starts at quarterback, the pieces are there in Indy to make them viable for the AFC South. Running back Johnathan Taylor has multiple 1400 yard seasons under his belt and the receiving trio of Michael Pittman, Josh Downs and Alec Pierce should combine with rookie tight end Tyler Warren to give Jones the best weapons he's had in his career. Combine this with a defense consistently around league average and Indianapolis definitely has potential to shock a relatively weak AFC South, the only division in this conference without a quarterback from the 'Big 4' of Mahomes, Allen, Jackson and Burrow.
3. Jacksonville Jaguars
The Trevor Lawrence experience in Jacksonville hasn't quite been what Jaguars fans thought they signed up for. A rough rookie season in 2021 where almost everything that could go wrong did go wrong was followed by a playoff win in 2022 that looked to be a sign of brighter things to come. Since, things have stagnated in Jacksonville, with Lawrence's trajectory towards quarterback stardom hitting a number of snags. His last two seasons have been clouded by injury and poor play culminating in the Jaguars' return to AFC irrelevance, leading many to question whether all the hype surrounding Lawrence as he entered the league will ever come to fruition.
However, the Jaguars front office have provided Lawrence with a young player who could prove to be the ultimate spark plug. Travis Hunter, selected by the Jaguars with the 2nd overall pick in the 2025 draft, is thought of as a generational talent. Having played college football under the legendary Deion Sanders at the University of Colorado, Hunter looks to follow in Sanders' footsteps to play both wide receiver and cornerback at the professional level, except he projects to do both full-time. This would be an unprecedented feat, no player has ever played both offense and defense full-time without prioritising one over the other, but Hunter's athleticism is something which many believe is up to the task.
The Jaguars new two-way star is not the only dynamic weapon which Jacksonville has at it's disposal. Second year receiver Brian Thomas Jr. had one of the most impressive rookie seasons from a wide receiver in recent memory, bursting onto the NFL scene with the third most receiving yards across the league (1,282) in his first year. New head coach Liam Cohen formed a dynamic offense across Florida with Tampa Bay and should help revitalise Lawrence to help him find some of the form that put the NFL on notice as a younger player.
Like the Colts, the main reason the Jaguarss are more likely than others to be playing January football next year is the weakness of their division. The Houston Texans are the most vulnerable of 2024's AFC division winners and the weakness of Houston's roster, the offensive line, is something which a Jaguars defensive duo of Travon Walker and Josh Hines-Allen are perfectly poised to exploit. Jacksonville has a roster which, on paper, should be somewhat competitive in the AFC, but will they ever realise this theoretical potential?
2. New England Patriots
Are New England ready to return? The most successful franchise in the 21st century has been on a drought ever since Tom Brady departed; the Patriots have only been to the playoffs once since the Brady dynasty ended. Having endured years of quarterback uncertainty with Mac Jones, Cam Newton and a brief experiment of Bailey Zappe, New England appear to have found their answer with young signal caller Drake Maye, who showed promising flashes despite the team's struggles during his rookie year. In response to Maye's promise, New England had one of the most active off-seasons across the league, adding veteran receiver Stefon Diggs and dynamic rookie running back TreVeyon Henderson to support the new offense run by Josh McDaniels, who returns to the Patriots for the third time as Offensive Coordinator.
McDaniels is not the only new addition to the Patriots' staff, with head coach Jerrod Mayo fired after just one season in January to be replaced by the highly coveted Mike Vrabel who himself played for New England in one of the franchise's most successful spells. Vrabel, who formerly had success coaching in Tennesse, arrives in New England with high expectations and a reputation for defensive mastery which could see the Patriots return to the AFC's summit if their off-season additions prove wise. Even in this poor spell for the franchise, defense has never been the Patriots problem, but Vrabel's arrival could well see this once mediocre unit transformed into one of the league's best.
The other factor which should give Patriots' fans optimism is their schedule - the third easiest in the NFL based on their 2025 opponents' win percentage last season (42.9%). This favourable schedule should provide opportunities for Drake Maye and his new offense to gel, grow and gain confidence throughout the season and reintroduce players and fans to the feeling of winning. This comparative ease in schedule partially because of the weakness in the AFC East where, whilst the Bills are consistently a conference juggernaut and should win the division fairly comfortably, both the Dolphins and Jets are visibly in a state of flux and should finish amongst the worst teams in the conference. As such, whilst the Patriots roster is still lacking experience and may not be as strong as others listed before them, they benefit from a number of favourable circumstances which could well see them achieve double digit wins for the first time since 2021.
1. Cincinnati Bengals
The 2024 Cincinnati Bengals were an anomaly the likes of which the NFL has rarely seen. Offensively, this team was electric, with elite quarterback Joe Burrow leading the league in passing yards and touchdowns alongside an unstoppable wide receiving duo of Tee Higgins and Triple-Crown winner Jamarr Chase. Despite this, the Bengals sat with a 4-8 record after week 13, with their defence performing historically poorly and consistently causing the Bengals to fall short in high-scoring, close games. To end the year, Cincinnati seemed to find an answer, winning their final 5 games to finish 9-8 but this was ultimately too little too late, falling just short of the postseason for the second straight season.
The 2025 offseason needed to be one of positive change for the Bengals, with the franchise on a negative trajectory since acheiving their 3rd Super Bowl birth in a 2021 defeat to the LA Rams. However, Cincinnati entered the offseason with a huge dilemma, three of the team's star players in Chase, Higgins and NFL Sack Leader Trey Hendrickson were all due for contract extensions, limiting the teams ability to spend elsewhere. Resigning Chase was a no brainer, but the choice between Higgins and Hendrickson was one which created a lot of controversy, and with the Bengals defensive struggles many assumed that the team would choose to retain their best defensive player instead of a second elite receiver. Despite this, Higgins was resigned first and with an agreement with Hendrickson yet to be agreed, it's hard to see how the Bengals defence has got any better than it was in 2024.
To add insult to injury, the Bengals first round rookie, the raw but athletically gifted defensive end Shemar Stewart, is currently sitting out of training camp due to a contract dispute. Therefore, the only significant change to the Bengals defence going into 2025 is the new coordinator Al Golden, who arrives fresh from guiding Notre Dame's defence to a National Championship birth. Cincinnati's offense should be electric again next year, but Cincinnati need Golden's unit to improve to at least mediocre in order to get them over the hump this year. If Golden proves up to the task however, there is no reason why Cincinnati can't regain it's status as one of the premier contenders for Super Bowl glory.
NFC:
5. Arizona Cardinals
This feels like Kyler Murray's last chance. The number one overall pick in 2019, Murray's speed and dynamic athleticism have garnered significant national attention to a Cardinals franchise which usually exists on the league's periphery but has ultimately failed to bring with it team success. Providing only one playoff game in 2021 falls well short of the expectations for a first round 'franchise' quarterback to deliver in his first six years, especially one as hyped as Murray was coming out of Oklahoma with a Heisman trophy. However, poor coaching and front office decisions alongside a number of injuries can be attributed for the Cardinals' lack of success during Murray's time at the helm, and the young quarterback has shown a number of flashes of the talent which merited such a high draft selection.
The 2025 edition of the Cardinals is not a team from whom many expect a lot this season, as Arizona has retreated from the limelight into one of the NFL's more forgotten teams. However, this roster and this coaching staff should have the ability to shock a lot of people in the NFC this year. Johnathan Gannon, second year Cardinals head coach and former defensive coordinator for the Philadelphia Eagles, has quietly rebuilt a once flailing Arizona defence into one of the NFL's more promising young units, and the addition of Walter Nolan (pick 16) and Will Johnson (pick 47) in the 2025 draft only adding to the excitement around the potential of this roster.
On the other side of the ball, Kyler Murray finally has all the support he could ask for to build a profilic scoring offence. Second year wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. entered the NFL in 2024 as one of the most highly regarded rookie pass-catches the league had seen and despite a slightly underwhelming debut year, looks set for a break out year two having bulked-up in the offseason. Alongside him is the Pro-Bowl tight-end Trey McBride and a running game headed by the ever consistent James Connor, both of which should continue to provide Murray with enough support to finally make the jump.
The main thing working against the Cardinals however will be the strength of the NFC West. The Los Angeles Rams came the closest of any team to toppling the eventual Super Bowl Champion Philadelphia Eagles in last year's playoffs and have improved during this offseason, ready to make a legitimate charge for the NFC's number one seed. Alongside LA, San Francisco and Seattle have both made moves during the offseason which place them in competition for playoff spots, so the absence of a true rebuilding team in this division could well prove problematic for fans hoping Arizona returns to NFL relevancy.
4. Atlanta Falcons
Michael Penix Jr. - time to see what your made of. The Falcons second-year quarterback impressed many in his 3 starts to end 2024 but how he will conduct the Falcons offense moving forward is still relatively unknown. What is for sure is that the case of offensive weapons around him is strong enough that Penix might only have to be serviceable for the Falcons offense to be one of the most exciting in the NFC. Bijan Robinson broke out in 2024 for 1400 rushing yards and 14 TDs, culminating in a first career Pro-Bowl selection, and Drake London had similar statistical success finishing 4th in the NFL in receiving yards (1,271). Darnell Mooney and Kyle Pitts, whilst not the most consistent of contributors, both have the talent to occupy defenses themselves, giving Penix a plethora of options behind one of the league's more steady offensive lines.
As for the defence, Atlanta finally took steps to address their gaping defensive holes this offseason, which each of their first four selections in the 2025 draft focused on defence including two first-round edge rushers in Jalon Walker (pick 15) and James Pierce Jr. (pick 26). Perennial Pro-Bowler Jessie Bates III continues to lead a talented defensive backfield, but the Falcons will need their young defensive additions to contribute quickly, especially on the line of scrimmage. However, young head coach Raheem Morris has demonstrated an ability to create a defensive unit which outperforms it's individual talent so there is cause for optimism in Atlanta that this defense could continue to develop.
The main route for Atlanta to play postseason football in 2025 is likely toppling Tampa Bay atop the NFC South, as the competition for the wildcard spots in this conference looks especially fierce this year. Fortunately for Atlanta, the South is on paper the weakest division in the entire league, with the New Orleans Saints pegged as early favourites for the number one pick in the 2026 draft, and the Carolina Panthers still struggling to build effectively around young quarterback Bryce Young. However, Tampa Bay is still a formidable force, having won this division for four straight years and show no signs of slowing down. Atlanta were able to get the better of Tampa in each of the teams' two fixtures last season, demonstrating that at least head-to-head, they should be able to compete for the division crown. However, whether or not they can match the Bucs consistency across the entire 17 game schedule remains to be seen, and this could be the achilles heel for this talented young group again in 2025.
3. Seattle Seahawks
Are the Seahawks going to get the same version of Sam Darnold which took the Vikings to a 14-3 record last year? If they are, good times are surely returning to the Pacific North-West, as this Seahawks roster is plently talented enough to become competitive provided the quarterback play remains stable.
Seattle had the best record of any team to miss the playoffs in 2024 (10-7) so in theory not much change was needed to take this squad to the next level. In spite of this, the Seahawks decided to opt for a complete offensive rebrand going into 2025, replacing veteran quarterback Geno Smith with the aforementioned Darnold and swapping wide receiver DK Metcalf for the aging but still productive Cooper Kupp. Pairing with Kupp, the Seahawks have retained young receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba, who had a breakout season in 2024 with 1,100 receiving yards, and this new duo should provide Darnold with enough support to continue his individual success from last year. The run game, once the pillar of the great Seahawk teams in the 2010s, is likely the weakness in this new-look offence, posting bottom 5 numbers in the NFL in 2024. These faults fall largely as a result of the struggles on the offensive line, something which could trouble Darnold's passing attack as well as the run game and has received little attention by Seattle's offseason additions.
However, the Seahawks defence is a group with a greater cause for optimism, having improved year on year behind young cornerstones Tariq Woolen and Devon Witherspoon and now under the second year of coaching from Mike McDonald, pioneer of an elite defensive unit in Baltimore at the start of this decade. The addition of a veteran presence in DeMarcus Lawrence to mentor young defensive lineman in Byron Murphy II and Boye Mafe should improve a defensive front already boasting a double-digit sack artist in Leonard Williams. All signs in Seattle point to the return of the dominant defensive football which has always been the recipe for success in Lumen Field.
The blueprint for Seattle is much the same as it was for last year's Vikings; surround Sam Darnold was as much offensive firepower as possible and a dominant defence and hope that he can recover some of his old form. Darnold proved last year that if these conditions around him are met he can succeed, but will a shaky offensive line and the lack of a superstar like Justin Jefferson make Seattle's 2025 team a poor imitation of Minnesota instead of the desired carbon copy?
2. Chicago Bears
Chicago finally has a football team to get excited about. For years success in American Football has illuded one of America's greatest cities, with only the memory of the 1985 edition of the Chicago Bears keeping fans' passions alive. Whilst Michael Jordan carried the Bulls to six NBA Championships throughout the 1990s, and Baseball's Cubs and White Sox each which 21st century Championships of their own, the Bears remain the only side to consistently disappoint sports fans in the Windy City. Will this finally be the year that the Bears give the city of Chicago a team to get behind?
If it is, everything starts with second year quarterback Caleb Williams. Touted as a future superstar of the league entering the 2024 draft, Williams' rookie season was overshone by fellow first-round signal caller Jayden Daniels, who was selected one pick after Caleb sparking debate around if the Bears should regret their selection. However, little of the blame for Chicago's lackluster 2024 can fall on the young quarterback's shoulders, with former coach Matt Eberflus deemed largely responsible for the Bears' disfunction, causing him to be sacked mid-season. His replacement for 2025 is the offensive mastermind behind the Detroit Lions high-scoring success Ben Johnson, who arrives with sky-high expectations having taken the league by storm in 2024 with Jared Goff and Co. Johnson's most important task will be to re-direct Williams' career back onto the trajectory on which he entered the league, and all signs from Chicago's offseason show that the Bears are doing everything they can to maximise the skillset of their young quarterback.
The Bears' 2025 offseason was spent completely redefining an offense which finished in the bottom 10 in both passing and rushing in 2024. Johnson's dominant Detroit side was built around one of the NFL's top offensive lines, so naturally this is where his attention was first directed, singing Drew Dalman, Joe Thuney and Jonah Jackson to completely revamp the interior of this group. In the skill positions, promising 2024 rookie Rome Odunze is now joined by 2025 second-round selection Luther Burden III as two exciting young receivers to be paired with the veteran DJ Moore. The Bears also used their first round selection on tight-end/wide receiver hybrid Colston Loveland who joins Cole Kmet to form one of the stronger tight-end tandems in the entire NFL. All these moves culminate to give Ben Johnson all the tools to extract every last bit of potential from his young signal caller, finally giving Bears fans an offense to get excited about after years of struggle putting points on the board.
Ironically, whilst the Bears offense might finally provide fans with excitement, the defense, normally the saving grace for Chicago football, might now be the cause for concern. Despite a number of offseason additions in 2024, such as the promising linebacker duo of TJ Edwards and Tremaine Edmunds, the Bears defense struggled last season to make the impact many had predicted. Most of these issues came from the defensive line, with the Bears finishing in the bottom 5 in the NFL in rushing defense, and these issues have no far been ignored. While Chicago's defensive-back room remains strong, headed by Pro-Bowl corner Jaylon Johnson, an inability to stop the run will limit the Bears' ability to compete with the elite teams in the NFC.
1. San Francisco 49ers
Kyle Shanahan's 49ers started this decade as the perennial 'nearly-men' of the NFL, consistently climbing to the summit of the NFC with one of the best constructed rosters and a great offensive scheme only to fall short in the biggest moments. That was until last season, where many feel the wheels finally came off. Injuries across an aging defence and offensive skill positions led to the majority of the 49ers starters from 2023 being absent for the 2024 campaign, with young quarterback Brock Purdy unable to replicate the startling success of his debut campaign, where led the 49ers to a narrow Super Bowl defeat in overtime against Kansas City. This led San Francisco to limp to a disappointing 6-11 record and a last place finish in the NFC West.
For the 2025 campaign, many of those contributing pieces of San Francisco's recent success will return, but there are a few notable losses to the 49ers which could be cause for concern. Firstly, previously dominant wide receiver Deebo Samuel has departed to join the Jayden Daniels revolution in Washington and whilst Samuel's production has dipped in recent years, the loss of his veteran presence should be felt in a young group of receivers. Crucial defensive pieces from the 2023 roster in Talanoa Hufanga and Dre Greenlaw have both departed for Denver with experienced corner Charvarious Ward also on the way out to Indianappolis, so this defence will be without key contributors going into 2025.
However, many of the household names within this roster are running it back for the new season, with electric running back Christian McCaffrey returning to Brock Purdy's supporting cast alongside legendary tight end George Kittle and talented receiver Brandon Aiyuk. Defensive lynchpin Fred Warner also returns for the 49ers defense at middle linebacker and will lead a group coordinated by the returning Robert Salah, who after an eventful spell as head coach of the New York Jets has returned to San Francisco looking to bring this defence back to the elite standards which he created at the start of the decade.
Another factor working in San Francisco's favour is their 2025 schedule - the easiest in the entire NFL as merited by their last place finish in 2024's NFC West. As such, the 49ers have been gifted with the opportunity to play the weakest possible opponents based on last years' standings and therefore should have the ability to tally wins in the regular season whilst attempting to regain the form which once dominated the NFC. Even if the 2025 49ers cannot replicate the success of earlier Shanahan teams, making the playoffs with this group might be one of the easier tasks of the young head coaches career thus far.
