If one thing can be predicted about the ever-unpredictable NFL, it’s that plenty will change between now and the start of the 2025 season.
Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers and Rams wide receiver Cooper Kupp are expected to be on the move, while Browns pass rusher Myles Garrett and 49ers wide receiver Deebo Samuel have requested trades.
Bengals wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase and 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy are due big-money extensions.
Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce could retire.
Each of the 32 teams will look different after free agency and the draft. But football is king, and with the Eagles crowned Super Bowl champions, it’s never too early look ahead.
Here are the way-too-early storylines for the 2025 NFL season.
EAGLES AGAIN?
The Eagles have a few key players poised for free agency, including All-Pro linebacker Zack Baun, right guard Mekhi Becton and pass rusher Josh Sweat.
But by and large, Philadelphia’s core remains intact.
Quarterback Jalen Hurts; wide receivers A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith; and offensive tackles Jordan Mailata and Lane Johnson signed multi-year extensions.
Running back Saquon Barkley is entering the second season of his three-year contract.
Defensive playmakers Jalen Carter, Quinyon Mitchell, Cooper DeJean and Nakobe Dean remain on their rookie deals.
Boasting that much continuity bodes well for the Eagles in their championship defense, even if they’ll have to do it without offensive coordinator Kellen Moore, whom the Saints hired Tuesday to be their head coach.
The Eagles took advantage of some good fortune in 2024, including a fully healthy season from Barkley, who dealt with injuries throughout his six-season tenure with the Giants.
But Philadelphia won 16 of its last 17 games and embarrassed the Chiefs in the Super Bowl. Time will tell how they handle having a target on their back, but the Eagles appear to be the team to beat.
END OF AN ERA?
It would be foolish to bet against a team led by Patrick Mahomes and Andy Reid, but Super Bowl LIX was not the first sign of trouble for the 2024 Chiefs.
They went 15-2 in the regular season but repeatedly won in improbable fashion, finishing the year with a pedestrian +59 point differential and an unsustainable 11-0 record in one-score games.
The Eagles’ defensive front dominated Kansas City’s offensive line in the Super Bowl, and at one point in the game, the Chiefs trailed 34-0.
It’s fair to wonder if the Chiefs’ dynasty is over.
They’ve still won three of the last six Super Bowls, and anything is possible with Mahomes. But this appears to be a team in need of offensive upgrades, especially in a loaded AFC where the Ravens, Bills and Bengals also boast elite quarterbacks but with better casts around them.
Seeing how the Chiefs bounce back, both during the offseason and once the games start, will certainly be compelling.
QB CONQUEST
Speaking of the Ravens, Bills and Bengals, it will be interesting to see if 2025 is the year any of their excellent quarterbacks can finally reach the pinnacle.
Baltimore’s Lamar Jackson is a two-time MVP coming off of an All-Pro season but has never advanced past the AFC championship game.
Buffalo’s Josh Allen, the reigning NFL MVP, fell to 0-4 against the Chiefs in the playoffs with this year’s loss in the AFC championship game.
Cincinnati’s Joe Burrow is the only QB of the bunch to beat Mahomes in the playoffs or to make it to a Super Bowl — achieving both in 2022 — but he, too still seeks his first championship.
This will be a storyline every year until one of these quarterbacks wins a Super Bowl.
NEW YORK MISERY
It’s difficult at this point to adequately analyze the Giants or Jets, considering both seem to be in the market for a quarterback this offseason.
But 2025 figures will be pivotal for both franchises.
For the Giants, the seats are hotter than ever for head coach Brian Daboll and general manager Joe Schoen, who return despite last year’s dreadful 3-14 campaign.
The Giants have the No. 3 pick in April’s draft but may have to trade up to get the quarterback they want or sign one in free agency. Regardless of who is under center, the Giants will need to demonstrate much more progress — and winning — in 2025.
The Jets, meanwhile, have new leadership in head coach Aaron Glenn and general manager Darren Mougey, whose first big decision was reportedly to move on from Rodgers after a disappointing 5-12 season.
The Jets remain in a win-now situation, with plenty of defensive talent and several offensive playmakers on their rookie deals.
Whomever the Jets roll with at quarterback will be saddled with big expectations — and with the goal of ending the franchise’s 14-year playoff drought.
RODGERS’ ROUTE
Even assuming he leaves the U.S. media capital, Rodgers will remain relevant if he decides to play again next season.
His willingness to reportedly fly to New Jersey and meet with the Jets last week suggests he wants to keep playing.
Where — or if —Rodgers ends up will be among the NFL’s juiciest offseason storylines. How he plays in 2025 after his failed Jets experiment will be just as juicy.
REFORMED 49ERS
Another team in need of a major bounce back are the 49ers, who went from NFC champions in 2023 to an injury-riddled 6-11 cellar dweller last year.
San Francisco will try to rebound behind a (hopefully) healthy Christian McCaffrey at running back, but Kyle Shanahan’s typically high-powered offense could look much different in 2025.
Samuel wants out after a career-worst season in which he faded as a focal point. Fellow wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk is returning from a serious knee injury.
Purdy, whose contract status as the last pick of the 2022 draft made him an incredible bargain, is now discussing a long-term deal that will cut into the Niners’ ability to supplement the roster elsewhere.
Even with all of that stacked against them, the 49ers have demonstrated an ability to be among the NFL’s best time and time again.
They’ll try to prove that last season was merely an outlier.
PRIME TIME 2.0
Few quarterbacks enter the NFL with as much attention as Shedeur Sanders.
But in the case of the Colorado QB, the hype stems first and foremost from his famous family.
Sanders, the son of Hall of Fame cornerback Deion Sanders, is expected to be one of the top two quarterbacks taken in April’s draft, if not the No. 1 overall pick.
He doesn’t boast the elite athleticism of his dad, but Sanders is a precise passer who thrives in late-game situations.
There are enough breadcrumbs to suggest he would like to land with the Giants, but regardless of where Sanders ends up, he will command national publicity.
SOPHOMORE STANDOUTS
Sanders would do well to deliver a rookie season that even approaches that of Jayden Daniels.
The dual-threat Daniels led the Commanders to last month’s NFC title game, turning around a Washington team that went 4-13 in the season before it drafted him No. 2 overall
What Daniels does in Year 2 will be a significant storyline. Should he take another step, he could be mentioned among the NFL’s very best quarterbacks.
Even more intriguing, though, is what the Bears’ Caleb Williams does as a sophomore.
Williams was the No. 1 pick last year, ahead of Daniels, and while his final numbers — 3,541 passing yards, 20 touchdowns and six interceptions — weren’t bad, the Bears went 5-12.
Williams’ inconsistency wasn’t all his fault. The Bears made multiple coaching changes during the year, including firing head coach Matt Eberflus in late November.
The Bears have since made a home-run head-coach hire in Ben Johnson, who, as Detroit’s offensive coordinator, helped make the Lions the NFL’s highest-scoring team last year.
It will be fascinating to see if Johnson can help Williams reach his sky-high potential.