If the top half of this list is about teams built to contend, the bottom half is where things start getting a little murky.
Some of these teams are rebuilding the right way. Some are pretending they’re not rebuilding at all. A few still think they’re just “one piece away,” when in reality, they’re six starters and a miracle from being relevant. And then there are the teams that haven’t figured out they’re already lost.
Whether they’re on the rise, stuck in the mud, or heading straight for the fire sale, here’s how the rest of the league stacks up heading into 2025.
Let’s finish this list. Rankings 17–32.
17. Arizona Cardinals
Kyler Murray has developed into what I’d now consider a veteran QB. With two Pro Bowls and doing while overcoming an ACL injury and ton of noise around the team with Hopkins, and the coaching. This team has finally started to settle down, and is proballby the most mentally tough team.
Marvin Harrison Jr. is a great receiver, whether you think his rookie year lived up to the hype or not. Now he’s coming into 2025 with a chip on his shoulder. The running game is solid, and this offense will be fine.
Defensively, former Eagles DC Jonathan Gannon plays a style that requires monsters up front, and last year, they just didn’t have them. Now? They’ve added Josh Sweat, Dalvin Tomlinson, Calais Campbell, and first-rounder Walter Nolen—all in one offseason. That’s not just a boost, that’s a defensive line overhaul.
18. Atlanta Falcons
Let’s rip the Band-Aid off: this defense has no pass rush. They were second-worst at getting after the QB in 2024.
The offense? A rotating door at QB, nobody commanding the huddle, and whispers that if none of them steps up, the draft might send another kid in there just to see what sticks.
Make no mistake, this team could hit double-digit wins with enough breaks and heat from their O-line and Bijan Robinson. But they’re also the perfect poster child for tanking if you want a real QB to build around.
19. Chicago Bears
This season isn’t about wins. It’s about finally giving Bears fans a passing offense worth watching. It’s about having a QB who isn’t going to be caught smoking on the sidelines. It’s about the offense being the strength of the team for once.
And yes, the Bears have won a Super Bowl, but haven’t thrown for 4K yards ever. But this season? That’s the goal. Everything else is noise.
In 2025, the only number that matters to the bears is that one.
20. Dallas Cowboys
This is the hardest team in the league to figure out. On paper, the passing attack should be flirting with 5,000 yards. In reality, they should’ve done that last year—and didn’t.
The defense? It’s been great. It’s been the identity. But if Micah Parsons isn’t himself, or worse, isn’t out there, I’m not convinced it stays that way. He’s that important.
This is a team that could be sitting comfortably in the top 10 by midseason… or be the most disappointing roster in football.
21. Jacksonville Jaguars
This team feels desperate.
It’s running on gimmick packages and patchwork plans.
Trevor Lawrence is a solid QB. He’s done more than most could under these conditions. No true No. 1 wideout, an unreliable O-line, A backfield made up of “situational” runners instead of a real workhorse, and for years, it’s felt like this team was built to sell tickets, not win games. Even drafting Travis Hunter looked like a marketing stunt just to move jerseys and fill seats.
But after looking closer, maybe they’ve figured out the real money comes when you actually win. And maybe—just maybe—there’s been a plan all along. Urban Meyer was the culture shock. Doug Pederson brought in bodies. Now Liam Coen? He might be the one to finally make it all click.
Call it a hunch, but this feels like a team still a couple years away from being a January problem… and for the first time in a long time, that future doesn’t feel impossible.
22. Cleveland Browns
It doesn’t matter who plays quarterback in Cleveland—they’ll make him the fall guy. They always do. Hand him an impossible situation, watch it blow up, then act shocked when it goes wrong.
This franchise has one consistent skill: shooting themselves in the foot, then complaining about being slow.
Until they can stay stable, take accountability, and stop letting emotion run the show, this is exactly where they belong… and honestly, even this might be too high.
23. Seattle Seahawks
The offense has shifted from a speed-and-YAC approach to a more methodical, possession-based style. With the players they’ve lost and the ones they’ve added, I think it’s the right move. Don’t be surprised if it takes time to work out the kinks. Expect this early-season gray area before they figure out exactly who they are.
I still see Sam Darnold as the better QB option here, but his struggles under pressure could become a problem behind this line. Rookie Grey Zabel is a promising piece, yet Seattle’s offensive line still ranks near the bottom of the league.
They’ll probably need another year and a few more key additions to make this work, but I’m not against the change in philosophy.
24. 25. And 26. Jets / Dolphins / Patriots
Put these three in whatever order you want—it doesn’t really matter. They’ve all got issues, they’ve all got some really promising pieces, and the only real deciding factor will be who does the best job beating up the other two.
The Bills win this division. That’s not a debate. Everyone else just hangs out in the back room talking trash about each other while splitting their matchups. About 20% of their total records will come from playing each other, and nobody’s sweeping anybody.
End result? Expect each of them to go 2–4 in the division, finish with 7–8 wins, and miss the playoffs. Good enough to give their fans hope, not good enough to extend the season.
27. New York Giants
I think Cam Skattebo might be the perfect fit for this offense in both setting a culture and for bringing the kind of violent, do-anything style that changes games momentum. If Russell Wilson can help Jaxson Dart develop, this team could get really good, really fast.
The defense still needs work, but the offense has the potential to be great. Not this season—but expect to see flashes of it in 2025 that make you believe it’s coming.
28. Las Vegas Raiders
The offensive pieces are there. The defense is good enough. My question is, how fast can that locker room buy in and play like a team?
I don’t see them finding real consistency this season. This is the kind of team that can beat anyone on Sunday, then lose by 10 to the worst team in the league the very next week. Until they figure out who they are, they’re just a collection of talent without a true identity.
I believe in Pete Carroll and Chip Kelly to get it done eventually, but that locker room has a lot of ego to sort through before self-pride turns into team pride. Only then will this group start winning for real.
29. Carolina Panthers
I said it then, and I’ll say it again—I don’t think Bryce Young is any good.
That being said, I do love Chuba Hubbard and Tetairoa McMillan. The defense isn’t far off, either. This is one of those cases where the team might just need to cut its losses at QB and be better for it.
Sometimes the fastest way forward is admitting the experiment failed. If they do that, this roster has enough pieces to start turning the corner.
30. Tennessee Titans
I like this new mindset we’re seeing with teams doing a back-to-back draft of QBs, or 2 in the same draft, let them fight it out. One gets thrown to the wolves while the other waits to take his job. It’s brutal, but don’t tell me that’s not exactly what’s happening here.
Someone will start, and then someone else comes in as the hero to “save” the team. It’s a setup we’ve seen before, and it usually works out in the long run. By 2026, I expect a more positive outlook. The Falcons turned the corner from last season to this one, with a similar situation..
The Titans still have more holes to fill and work to do, but these two QBs are both better than most people give them credit for. They’ll push each other all year, and both will come out better because of it. I was high on Levis before, and there’s still a chance he beats out Cam. But honestly? It doesn’t matter who wins the job—by 2026, I think this team will be in the top 15 for QB talent.
31. Indianapolis Colts
Another team with potential at QB, and another case where the situation can strip that potential away. The talent is there—but once confidence goes, the player gets safe, unexciting, and forgettable.
The Colts aren’t a bad team, but they’ll play like one in 2025 if Anthony Richardson can’t get healthy and get back to doing what made him special. The injury isn’t the only hurdle he still needs to keep growing his game as well. If he plays scared, If his development stops, this offense sinks fast.
If it doesn’t work out? Then it’s time to see what the next draft has for a new QB and start the cycle all over again.
32. New Orleans Saints
I have nothing nice to say about the Saints. Better luck next year?