Power
Rankings

After building the best roster in football and going 16-1 after its bye week (including playoff games), Philadelphia doesn’t have much to be dissatisfied with entering this offseason. Veteran defensive players like Milton Williams and Josh Sweat might be on their way out as free agents, but I expect the Eagles to bring in at least one new veteran playmaker to the defensive front and to spend the rest of their cap space on retaining linebacker and DPOY finalist Zack Baun. After general manager Howie Roseman solidifies the defense, he won’t have much left to do except draft an eventual successor for tackle Lane Johnson and take some chances on young players to help at receiver, tight end, and safety. Life is good for the champs, and they’ll be the only team without much stress on their offseason plans.

You can make a good argument that each of the top three AFC teams deserves to be the conference favorite in 2025, so I won’t be offended if you disagree with my choice here. But to me, the Ravens have the roster that is the closest to being complete at this point in the offseason. Tackle Ronnie Stanley might be on the way out in free agency, but the Ravens could get away with having an average replacement for him, given their run-heavy approach and the benefit that quarterback Lamar Jackson’s mobility gives the offense. Outside of Stanley’s potential exit, this team isn’t losing much this offseason, and I trust that Jackson will continue to perform at an MVP level. Assuming Baltimore’s defense won’t have as many hiccups next season, this team will be in Super Bowl contention.

The price of success is attrition, and Detroit suffered in waves throughout 2024. Injuries to what was one of the NFL’s best defenses rendered that unit unrecognizable by January, and excellent coordinators Ben Johnson and Aaron Glenn each left for head coaching opportunities after the season. But because Detroit has drafted and developed well, the franchise is still in a good spot, with a relatively young roster and a healthy salary-cap situation. With over $50 million in cap space and not many needs left on the roster, the Lions can acquire some higher-priced veterans on short-term deals—and they could use depth at edge rusher or cornerback. The Lions might not be the NFL’s favorite upstart team anymore, but they’re no less of a Super Bowl contender.

I try not to draw sweeping conclusions after the Super Bowl. But it’s hard to watch the way Philadelphia stomped on most of its opponents en route to its championship and not wonder whether Buffalo is the AFC team that could win in similar fashion—with just a few key improvements. Quarterback Josh Allen is the owner of a shiny new MVP trophy and will continue to be the driving force of his offense. Buffalo has built a strong running game around him, but the lack of a star receiver and a mediocre pass defense cost the Bills in their quest to knock off Kansas City last month. GM Brandon Beane doesn’t have much cap space to work with, but that means he’ll have to get creative and be a savvy spender, because the Bills can’t assume they’ll be within a play of a Super Bowl berth once again. The margins are far too slim to play it safe.

Kansas City went all in on finishing the three-peat, and losing Super Bowl LIX in embarrassing fashion will cast a long shadow over what was truly an impressive run that included 12 wins in one-score games last season. 

Now that every one of their flaws were exposed on the biggest stage, the Chiefs’ path to fixing the offense will be difficult, as the roster is expected to go through significant changes. Restructuring quarterback Patrick Mahomes’s contract (again) could clean up their cap situation, but there are big weaknesses to address at receiver and multiple spots on this offensive line. And key players from the 2024 squad, like guard Trey Smith, safety Justin Reid, and receiver Hollywood Brown, will probably be on new teams next year. Tight end Travis Kelce has a major decision to make about his future, as well. This team may look totally different next year, and that will make for great theater in the AFC.

Last season, the Packers were playing off vibes with house money. Even though the Packers were dominated in a wild-card loss to Philadelphia, we should consider 2024 a success for quarterback Jordan Love and a big step forward for the Green Bay defense.

But whatever benefit of the doubt they got last season because of their youth will be gone in 2025. Nobody wants to hear about potential from this receiving corps or pass rushing group. Simply put, the Packers need at least one of those young rushers and receivers to step forward as a superstar—and if the front office doesn’t think any of the current players are capable of doing so, it needs to be aggressive about adding proven stars. With nearly $40 million in cap space, there’s no reason to sit back in free agency—I want to see the Packers take a huge swing.

Even though the 2024 season ended in a fart, Minnesota can look back on last season and see it had one of the most efficient passing games and defenses in the league. Those are the two most important factors for building a legitimate long-term contender. If quarterback J.J. McCarthy is the player the Vikings think he can be in 2025 and beyond, and this team keeps adding more young talent, Minnesota will be in a good spot moving forward. But I wonder whether general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah will get the itch to go star-hunting this offseason in the hope of speeding up Minnesota’s timeline. Slot receiver Chris Godwin is on the market and would fit this offense like a glove, and defenders like Myles Garrett or Charvarius Ward (to a lesser degree, and at a lesser cost) could get this defense to the next level if the Vikings are willing to spend. With just one or two more difference-makers, this team can make a real run in the NFC.

It’s not often that a quarterback publicly wags his finger at his franchise, and even less often that a quarterback on a $275 million contract has suggestions on what to do about the structure of his own deal, but Joe Burrow doesn’t want to become a footnote in this era of AFC football. 

The Bengals played the Chiefs and Ravens close this year and looked like one of the NFL’s best teams in December and January, though it wasn’t enough to overcome an awful start and make the playoffs. After Kansas City’s Super Bowl dismantling, it’s clear the door is open for a new team to take on the mantle. Burrow has long made it clear he wants the Bengals to keep the core of himself and receivers Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins together. If Cincinnati restructures Burrow’s deal and brings the band back for a couple more seasons, it’s still possible that they can make a deep playoff run.

I don’t believe Washington was one of the four best teams in the NFL last season, but their run to the NFC Championship game proved that quarterback Jayden Daniels is a ceiling-raising quarterback—exactly the type of player to build around. With about $75 million in cap space this offseason, GM Adam Peters has the ability to be aggressive and address every positional need before the draft.

If Peters is able to add another talented receiver and upgrade the offensive line to get that group to at least league-average, Washington’s offense should be dangerous against any defense in the league, thanks to Daniels’s mobility and the benefit he adds to the run game.

The other key spot to address is edge rusher—and if Peters can make a move there, in free agency, on the trade market, or in the draft, Washington could be a true top-five team in the league next season.

I was burned by my belief in the Texans last season. I kept waiting for the Texans to find a solution to their offensive line problems, but former offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik clearly had no answers, and the protection issues ultimately cost Houston a chance to make a deep playoff run. Now that Slowik has been fired and replaced by Nick Caley, a former Rams and Patriots assistant, I'm willing to believe 2025 will be different for the Texans offense. But I need to actually see it happen on the field first.

This roster is mostly set on defense, but it’s possible to rework some contracts and open up enough space to pursue some help at offensive line or receiver. If the offense can get things back to what it was in 2023, contention is a real possibility.

Josh Grizzard is Tampa Bay’s new offensive coordinator, promoted from a senior offensive assistant role to maintain continuity for Baker Mayfield and the Bucs offense. I have no idea whether Grizzard will have as good a feel for the game as his predecessors Liam Coen and Dave Canales did when calling plays for Mayfield, but if Grizzard can copy-paste what already worked for the past two seasons, I trust that Mayfield will make it work.

Continuity is the theme in roster building for the Bucs this offseason, too. With Tampa Bay practically over the cap, we may see GM Jason Licht restructure some contracts to open up space, but I wouldn’t expect the roster to change too drastically in the coming months.

The Chargers weren’t really built to be a playoff team last season, as they took on millions in dead money in order to reset the roster during the first year of the Jim Harbaugh era. But the Chargers were a surprise last season, making the playoffs while also getting some important development time for young players. Now, Los Angeles is in a position to aggressively seek out the top-end talent it needs to win playoff games. Quarterback Justin Herbert is one of my favorite talents in the league, and giving him some help could change the Chargers’ place in the AFC hierarchy.

San Francisco had the season from hell. The 49ers lost several key players on both sides of the ball to season-ending injuries, and they didn’t get nearly enough development from the younger players on the roster to stay competitive. The 49ers have more than $40 million in cap space at the end of February. That looks great right now, but it could change rapidly depending on when the team signs Brock Purdy to a hefty contract extension. San Francisco also has multiple veterans who could possibly be on the way out, like Charvarius Ward, Dre Greenlaw, and Deebo Samuel. Cutting or trading those players would free up more money, but it could also put more pressure on the 49ers to draft and develop well to make up for losing top-tier talent.

With the Rams actively trying to trade Cooper Kupp as the team looks to get younger and faster elsewhere on the roster, it’s logical to consider moving on from quarterback Matthew Stafford this offseason. At 37 years old, the end is probably near for Stafford, and his performance was inconsistent last season. At times, he was still playing like one of the league’s elite passers, while at other times, he looked very much his age. If head coach Sean McVay is building his offense around the run game again and there’s an opportunity to make a quick pivot to a cheaper option at quarterback, we might see the Rams turn the page to a brand new era.

The last of Russell Wilson’s dead cap money comes off the books after 2025, which opens a window for Denver to build a true contender in 2026 and beyond. The upcoming free agency period will test the discipline of general manager George Paton and head coach Sean Payton as they decide how to spend about $30 million in cap space. Adding a dynamic playmaker at running back, receiver, or tight end could help build a balanced offense around quarterback Bo Nix. With the right additions, Denver can push for a playoff run before going all in for 2026.

I’m sure every Cowboys fan is tired of Dallas standing on the sidelines in the first waves of free agency and then picking from the proverbial scrap heap later in the offseason. The Cowboys will enter the offseason slightly over the cap, but they have the flexibility to not only fix their financial situation, but also open up almost $50 million in space, if the Joneses decide they finally want to spend to improve the roster. They could start by adding quality players to the front seven, particularly at defensive tackle and linebacker, and they still have a major need to upgrade the receivers behind CeeDee Lamb. There are a lot of reasons that Dallas could be in the Top 10 of these rankings (mostly a healthy Dak Prescott and Micah Parsons), but I refuse to trust this team until I see the Joneses take the offseason seriously.

Geno Smith is entering the final year of his contract, so it’s very possible that this is the last season we’ll see Smith as Seattle’s starting quarterback, meaning the Seahawks are one of many teams that’ll need to use the 2025 draft to catapult the franchise into the next era. This front office has never prioritized building out its offensive line, and I don’t think that’ll change this offseason, so the Seahawks will need lights-out receiver and quarterback play to survive the issues the line will present up front.

Based on how well the defense played in the second half of the 2024 season, there’s plenty of reason for optimism that the Seahawks will be good on that side of the ball next season, and maybe that’s enough to keep them in the playoff picture as the franchise plays out the string of the Geno era. Because of Seattle’s limited financial options, we won’t know what the future will hold until April. 

If the Dolphins are healthier in 2025, that could be enough to get this team back into the postseason—like receiver Tyreek Hill expects. Still, Miami’s overall depth is a concern—and it's unreasonable to expect quarterback Tua Tagovailoa to stay healthy for a full season if he has to continue playing behind the offensive line that the Dolphins rolled out in 2024.

With so much of Miami’s cap space tied up in veteran contracts, the only avenue to getting to quasi-contender status will be through the draft.

Trading for edge rusher Baron Browning in November was a start for the Cardinals in their quest to finally improve their defense, but that’s far from enough to fix an issue that’s dogged this team for years. There are several high-ceiling edge rushers and cornerbacks in this draft class that Arizona could target, but the Cardinals would be wise to double dip by also focusing on that side of the ball in free agency. Adding veterans like Carlton Davis, Charvarius Ward, Josh Sweat, or Chase Young could bring more immediate improvement in 2025. If the defense can get to above average, that’s probably enough to push the Cardinals into the NFC playoff race.

The Steelers are stuck where they’ve been for years: They’ve got too much talent to bottom out and not enough cap space to make a leap to become a real contender. With around $53 million in cap space, there’s theoretically enough flexibility to add talent along the margins of the roster, but we all know this team needs to take a big swing at quarterback again. Doing so with a veteran QB would eat into their cap space. If this team puts up another 10-7 season with another early playoff exit because quarterback play hasn't improved, you have to assume that everyone will be tired of running the same old race—Mike Tomlin included.

There’s no incentive for any team in the NFL to come to the Falcons with a trade package for Kirk Cousins right now, especially if acquiring him means taking on the entire burden of the contract for a declining QB who will turn 37 years old in August. What’s worse for Atlanta, it’s unlikely that any transaction involving Cousins will help their financial situation, because they’re almost $12 million over the cap for 2025 before free agency and don’t have the draft capital to add enough talent to the defense. Don’t be surprised if the Falcons piddle around .500 next season with one of the worst defenses in football yet again.

With a complicated organizational chart in the front office, a young quarterback in desperate need of development, and a defense that lost its way in the back half of last season, head coach Ben Johnson has a lot to juggle in his new gig. Johnson won’t have the spoils of an elite offensive line in Chicago like he did in Detroit, but there’s more than enough draft capital and cap space available for the Bears to quickly improve that unit and get this offense functioning at a competitive level around quarterback Caleb Williams. If the offense adds enough talent this offseason, the pre-season hype machine will get cranked up again.

New head coach Liam Coen was ostensibly hired on the condition that former general manager Trent Baalke was fired. As of this writing less than a month out from the start of free agency, Jacksonville still doesn’t have a new GM in place. Coen doesn’t seem to be throwing his weight around to force the Jags to hire the general manager of his choosing, but the first-time head coach will have significant influence on the hire and figures to be leading the way in shaping what his offensive depth chart looks like. I’m fascinated to see whether Coen believes he can replicate the success he had designing the Tampa Bay offense with the existing Jacksonville roster, and what Coen’s scheme will look like with quarterback Trevor Lawrence, who still hasn’t actualized his potential in the NFL.

When it comes to how New England could address its needs in free agency and the draft, everything should be on the table. With over $100 million in cap space, there won’t be a single free agent the Patriots can’t be in on, and there will be plenty of opportunities to bolster this roster at each position of need this spring.

With new head coach Mike Vrabel in the building and working with top personnel executive Eliot Wolf, don’t be surprised if the Patriots make a big investment in the trenches on both sides of the ball—and I’d expect New England to take a big swing for a top-end receiver, too.

If head coach Shane Steichen and general manager Chris Ballard want to keep their jobs, they’ll have to put their heads together to build an offense that actually works for quarterback Anthony Richardson. 

The Colts haven’t historically been aggressive in the draft or free agency under Ballard, but banking on the draft-and-develop model has left this team middling since former quarterback Andrew Luck retired. If it’s possible to acquire a high-end playmaker at receiver this spring, that would go a long way toward balancing out the passing game and getting a clear look at whether Richardson can hack it long-term.

The Jets officially declared that quarterback Aaron Rodgers won’t return in 2025, but the matter of retooling this offense doesn’t seem like something they can accomplish in one offseason. Bringing in veterans on the offensive line didn’t help keep Rodgers upright or establish the run in 2024, and New York is working with only about $20 million in cap space to address the trenches and find depth at receiver—not to mention finding a new starting quarterback

Even if this defense plays tougher in 2025 under Glenn than it did last season, I don’t see the Jets being able to score enough points for it to matter.

With $40 million in available cap space and no thorny contracts to work around this offseason, the Titans have a chance to take a step forward and make progress toward becoming a fringe playoff contender. The first order of business is addressing the quarterback position. Will Levis’s performance in 2024 made it clear that he’s not starting material, and the Titans have control over their drafting fate with the top pick. If they decide they do want to take a quarterback at no. 1, that opens the door to add more talent to the offensive line and along the perimeter on both sides of the ball in free agency.

This defense was going to be bad last season no matter what because of a lack of talent up and down the roster, but an early-season injury to defensive tackle Derrick Brown truly exposed the major holes at all three levels. For a team with so many issues, it’s shocking that Carolina has only around $20 million in cap space, the result of spending at the top of the market for several veterans in past offseasons. To clean up past mistakes, this team needs an infusion of youth to play alongside Brown and corner Jaycee Horn, and an offseason of responsible spending to set itself up for future years.

Have you looked at the depth chart for Las Vegas lately? This team could use an upgrade at just about every position (outside of edge rusher and tight end). Fortunately for the Raiders,  they have over $90 million in cap space available to sign new players. I’m nervous about the quarterback situation for the Raiders and head coach Pete Carroll, because with pick no. 6, they’re currently sitting behind other teams with similar needs. But I don’t love the idea of shopping for veterans this offseason in free agency or on the trade market either, given what it would cost and what that would mean for the team’s ability to address the many other holes on the roster. 

In my ideal world, the Raiders focus on the receiver and offensive line positions in free agency. I hope that new offensive coordinator Chip Kelly builds a friendly infrastructure for whoever the next quarterback is.

Giants general manager Joe Schoen made it clear last offseason that he won’t spend at market value for non-premium positions. It’s a sound strategy financially, but that philosophy has put a ton of pressure on Schoen to identify and select immediate difference-makers in the draft. It worked with Malik Nabers last year, but now New York needs help at right tackle, wide receiver, cornerback, and pass rusher—oh, and it needs a new quarterback, too. It’s not possible to check all these boxes in one offseason, but the Giants need to have an answer under center by the end of the draft, and their $43 million in cap space can help them fill in the other gaps. I just don’t think they’ll have enough to compete in the NFC East.