The 2024 NFL regular season is nearing its conclusion, with the playoffs just around the corner. As the calendar turns, however, 2025 promises to deliver its fair share of storylines.
Here are five headlines destined to dominate the NFL landscape in the coming days, weeks and months:
No division has had more firepower this year. The Detroit Lions are a juggernaut darling. The Green Bay Packers are an 11-win team for the fourth time under Matt LaFleur. The Minnesota Vikings are quietly dominant, boasting an elite version of Sam Darnold. But who’s actually primed to make good on their promise? Detroit has the best offense when everything is clicking. The Vikings could swipe the NFC’s No. 1 seed with a Week 18 win. And the Packers still have maybe the most gifted quarterback.
With the exception of the Tom Brady-led New England Patriots, there’s been no team in recent memory with the kind of crunch-time inevitability of these Chiefs. Somehow, in another mostly sluggish year for Patrick Mahomes, they enter Week 18 with a 15-1 record and plenty of time to rest before their latest playoff bid. And Andy Reid’s offense might just be settling in. The AFC competition includes some MVP favorites in Baltimore and Buffalo, but the Chiefs have unmatched confidence in January.
From Aaron Rodgers to Derek Carr to Kirk Cousins, a handful of established signal-callers endured serious hiccups and/or bruises throughout 2024, leading to lots of uncertainty for their generation moving forward. Barring a miraculous return to the New York Jets, or a final farewell to the game, Rodgers is set to hit the open market at age 41. Cousins, meanwhile, is all but guaranteed another free agency tour at 36. Certainly some clubs will inquire, but is there room for all of these vets to land unquestioned top gigs?
Unlike in many years, the 2025 interview circuit may not be abundant with hot up-and-coming candidates when it comes to head coaching vacancies. In fact, some of the most buzz has circulated around aging has-beens like Rex Ryan, Ron Rivera and Pete Carroll — all of them well over 60. Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson may still be the top target if he opts to leave the cozy confines of Detroit, but it’s possible the next wave will look more like the Washington Commanders‘ 2023 revival of Dan Quinn.
By most accounts, the next crop of quarterback prospects isn’t overly encouraging, with Miami’s Cam Ward and Colorado’s Shedeur Sanders widely considered the only safe bets to go on Day 1. That begs the question: Which franchises will be convicted enough to actually take a swing? Plenty of clubs need long-term help under center, but not every club will have a feasible crack at, say, Ward in the top 10. The New York Giants and Las Vegas Raiders are perhaps most likely to pursue this kind of splash.
