NFL Power Rankings: An early look at 2025, is there a dynasty brewing?

The 2024 NFL season has reached its conclusion with the Philadelphia Eagles emerging as Super Bowl champions. Now, with a long offseason ahead of us, we are going to take a look ahead with power rankings that will include both a look back at 2024, and a view to the future as we try to predict how teams will perform in 2025.

The Giants will be returning a lot of the same players from last year but are in an even worse quarterback situation now than they were then. Daniel Jones is gone, and no one is in position to fill the void. They are reportedly looking to be aggressive in acquiring a new signal caller, we just aren’t sure who they will target, and we don’t trust them to get it right.

The Titans are in a similar situation to the Giants, but they do at least have a guaranteed shot in the draft at getting one of the top guys. Cam Ward is no sure thing, but we believe he is the best option in the draft and could help turn things around quickly in Nashville.

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Per ESPN, the team is ready to move on from Aaron Rodgers, which we think is the correct decision. They took a swung by trading for the veteran QB and it didn’t work, but the process was solid. Unfortunately, they parted ways with the general manager who oversaw that process and have no obvious solution at quarterback.

The Browns face a potentially devastated offseason after All-World defensive end Myles Garrett requested a trade. Now, they could be on the verge of losing a superstar player and don’t have a solution at quarterback either. The next few months could be hugely significant for the Browns.

The Saints kept Kellen Moore in the building following the Eagles Super Bowl win, hiring him as their new head coach. Moore faces an uphill battle in New Orleans given their mediocre roster and lack of cap space. We can only hope they give him plenty of time to fix the mess he didn’t create.

While many teams in the NFL were looking to hire the next up and coming offensive mind, the Raiders went with experience, hiring Pete Carroll as head coach and Chip Kelly as OC. We think those hirings make some sense given the franchise hasn’t had an adult in the room for some time. Give Carroll a few years to build a culture and the Raiders could be in a much better place.

We weren’t sure where to put the Colts after what we saw in 2024. They have to hope Anthony Richardson can turn things around otherwise they will need to be looking for a new quarterback.

The Panthers came on in the second half of 2024 which should give them some optimism heading into the offseason. Unfortunately, they have holes all over the roster that need filling. The defense was historically bad last season and will need fixing if they want to compete in an NFC South that could be competitive.

The Patriots hired Mike Vrabel as their head coach and added Josh McDaniels as their OC. We like the Vrabel hire, but struggle with McDaniels who hasn’t led a good offense since Tom Brady left Foxborough. We know what Vrabel will bring to the table, we just hope Drake Maye isn’t stifled by McDaniels’ offense.

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By the time the season rolls around, we worry we are going to be full-time Jaguars-truthers. We still believe in Trevor Lawrence as good NFL, even if the evidence suggests otherwise, and if anyone can unlock him, it’s Liam Coen. If Jacksonville can have a reliable run game, which they haven’t recently, it should make things a lot easier for Lawrence too.

We aren’t convinced Kyler Murray is ever going to be ‘the guy’ to lead Arizona forward. He’s not a bad quarterback, but his play is too high variance. The Cardinals also need to plug plenty of holes on their roster. As Josh Weinfuss writes for ESPN, “Arizona could use another receiving target, top-tier cornerback and more help on the defensive line.” Not easy in one offseason.

This time last year, Dolphins players were publicly celebrating Vic Fangio’s departure. Now, he’s the DC of the best defense in football and a Super Bowl champ. That attitude speaks to something in the locker room culture in Miami, and that will need to change if they want to go beyond anything they have done in recent years.

It’s unlikely, but possible, that the Bears are able to turn things around quickly under Ben Johnson’s leadership. It could take a couple of years to shape this roster in his image, but we do expect this team to be much better in 2025.

I think we sort of know what the Steelers are going to be in 2025, as we’ve seen them be the same team for years now. They will win 9-11 games with a mediocre offense and a good defense, but not one that’s good enough to take them far in the playoffs. Until Pittsburgh commits to a long term solution at QB, they’re an afterthought.

We don’t like the Brian Schottenheimer hire in Dallas, but maybe he will surprise us. The Cowboys’ roster doesn’t look as talented as it did a couple of years ago, but it’s still a top-half group. If Dak Prescott can re-find his play from a couple of seasons ago, Dallas could be back near the top of the NFC.

We have to presume the Falcons will commit to Michael Penix Jr. as the starting quarterback, which gives us more optimism. Atlanta could be a sneaky-good team in 2025 if they address the pass-rush and ideally add another receiving option.

Per ESPN, Seattle currently has 15 pending free agents and is $13 million over the cap. If they are able to improve on 2024, it will have been due to excellent roster management from all involved. It could be a transition year as Mike Macdonald shapes the team in his image. We don’t expect them to bottom out, however.

The Vikings are in a similar boat to the Seahawks, with over 20 players set to leave. Where they differ, is the $59 million in projected cap space, per Sportrac. If they can find replacements to those expected to leave, the Vikings will once again win a good number of games, but do we think they will improve on their 14-win season? No?

Mike Evans is aging, Chris Godwin looks set to leave in free agency and Liam Coen is now coaching the Jags. New OC Josh Grizzard has worked with Mike McDaniels in Miami and Coen in Tampa, so his experience is great, but this is a tough situation to come into given the expectations. 

The 2025 Denver Broncos’ performances are entirely reliant on Bo Nix’s improvement. He had a good rookie year, but we need to see him take a step in 2025. Sean Payton is still one of the better coaches in the league, so we don’t doubt he will have his team ready to play week in and week out.

The Rams are looking to trade Cooper Kupp this offseason. Despite the controversy around the move, we understand it. He’s an aging player, whose not getting any better. If there is any team that can find a replacement for his very specific skillset, it’s the Rams. Don’t be surprised if they draft Jack Bech from TCU.

There’s a world in which the 49ers implode in 2025 leading to Kyle Shanahan’s firing and a fresh start. We don’t think that’s likely, hence ranking them at 11, but they will need to make some serious improvements from last year, especially on both sides of the line of scrimmage. The looming Brock Purdy contract could also be franchise shaping, too.

The Texans will be hoping to see C.J. Stroud return to his 2023 level of play, possibly with a reinforced set of skill position players. DeMeco Ryans had his defense playing at a high level for all of 2024, and they will need to perform similarly if they want to go deeper into the playoffs.

We worry we are falling into the Bengals’ trap once again, as this could be an offseason of major upheaval in Cincinnati. Tee Higgins is likely to go, and Trey Hendrickson is reportedly pushing for a new contract. We aren’t sure if they are able to pay both of them and keep space for Ja’Marr Chase’s extension whenever that comes.

After a season that started full of optimism for the Packers, it ended in the playoffs once again. Per ESPN, they only have two players set to enter free agency, center Josh Myers and kicker Brandon McManus. Whether they sign those players or not, they should still enter 2025 with mostly the same roster. Can they win with this group is the question.

If the Chargers are able to get another weapon for Justin Herbert, this team could be looking at deep playoff run in 2025. Jim Harbaugh is an expert coach and will have his team prepared every week. Defensively, this was one of the best units in 2024, and we suspect it will be similar in 2025. The Chargers could be a dark horse for the Super Bowl next year.

We will need to see how the Lions will adapt to the loss of both coordinators. Aaron Glenn and Ben Johnson were huge reasons behind their success, and we don’t know how they will cope without them. This is still a talented team, but we aren’t sure if 2025 will be their year. It could be time to start thinking about moving on from Jared Goff too, if he can’t perform without Johnson.

The Commanders have an opportunity to go all in just one year into Jayden Daniels’ career. They have over $80 million in cap space, per Sportrac, and should look to attack free agency with as much aggression as they can. They cobbled together a team last season and reached the NFC Championship game, who knows what they can achieve in 2025.

All season we were unsure of this Chiefs team. To say they got exposed in the Super Bowl is going too far, but it does suggest they need an injection of talent to their roster. The offensive line will look a lot different by September, and we suspect the skill positions could too, especially at wide receiver. Teams that lose in the Super Bowl, tend not to make it back.

Per DraftKings Sportsbook, the Bills are the third-most likely team to trade for Myles Garrett this offseason. We aren’t sure if that’s feasible, but we do know that it would make them Super Bowl favorites in our eyes. If they can find another receiver as well, this could be a juggernaut.

2024 was a case of so close, but yet so far for the Ravens who once again fell having reached the playoffs. The defense should look more consistent in 2025 with coordinator Zach Orr entering his second year in charge. Lamar Jackson and Derrick Henry will probably be as good if not better too.

The Eagles' offense will look almost identical in 2025, with the only change possibly coming at tight end. Defensively, Milton Williams and Josh Sweat will probably cash in on great Super Bowls in free agency. Zack Baun is also a scheduled free agent, but we expect him to return. Could this be the start of a period of Eagles dominance?

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