The majority of the 2025 NFL offseason is in the rearview, and we're looking ahead to next week's schedule release followed by an extremely long wait to the 2025 regular season. Offseason programs are getting going all over the league and rosters have taken shape, but not every team looks like the greatest finished product.
Offseason work can be defining for better or for worse. Some teams are deliberately rebuilding while some teams are simply hanging on by an absolute thread. Which NFL teams had the worst offseasons? Who had the best?
We're going to be diving into every team's offseason, ranking them all from worst to best from every angle. Coaching hires, free agent pickups, trades, draft picks...every move will be scrutinized for better or worse. These rankings are not a reflection of the best teams in the NFL, necessarily, but which teams truly had great offseasons overall.
NFL Power Rankings: Saints had worst offseason in the league in 2025
32. New Orleans Saints
This one is really a dealer’s choice. The New Orleans Saints are currently dealing with Derek Carr’s extensive injury history at this point and a really vague timeline on when he’ll be back, if that’s going to happen at all. The Saints used a second-round pick on Tyler Shough after hiring Kellen Moore as their head coach, and everything deserves a fair shot to see what will actually happen on the field.
I’m not overly optimistic about this offseason for the Saints. Defensively, this team isn’t going to bottom out, but they have set themselves up with a rough situation offensively, potentially. Not only do you have the injury situation with Carr, but you also had to throw in the towel on former first-round pick Trevor Penning and replace him with another in Kelvin Banks. The quarterback situation looms large here.
31. Cleveland Browns
The Cleveland Browns have the most uninspiring quarterback competition in the league going on this offseason. Bringing back Joe Flacco and then drafting Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders is proof that this team really just doesn’t have direction right now. And we can’t forget trading for Kenny Pickett.
The Browns managed to convince Myles Garrett to stick around on a massive contract and he’s clearly taking the Joe Thomas path. There’s nothing wrong with that. This was a rather exciting draft class for GM Andrew Berry and getting a future 1st-round pick from the Jaguars is an extremely helpful building block. This team needed to strip things down to the studs and start over, and they’re off to a pretty solid start. There are pieces here, but this offseason was the “getting worse” before the “getting better”.
30. Miami Dolphins
Even if we disregard the headlines being made by Tyreek Hill this offseason, it hasn’t been the best first five months of the year for the Dolphins.
After missing out on the playoffs last year, the Dolphins are dealing with major changes on both sides of the ball. Terron Armstead retired from pro football, and Miami is going extremely young on the offensive line which has to be somewhat of a concern for Tua Tagovailoa’s health. They are also going young on the defensive front with first-round pick Kenneth Grant coming in after the loss of Christian Wilkins was felt, maybe more than anyone expected.
Then you factor in the significant losses the last two offseasons in the secondary (Brandon Jones, Jevon Holland, and soon to be Jalen Ramsey) and you have the makings of a potential regression year for the Dolphins.
29. New York Jets
The New York Jets made wholesale changes this offseason from the top of the organization on down, hiring Darren Mougey as their new general manager as well as Aaron Glenn as their head coach. Those guys decided to take a calculated risk on Justin Fields as a bridge quarterback and upside play at the quarterback position. They are clearly going to emphasize keeping games close with that stellar defense and trying to run the ball until teams prove they can stop it consistently.
I don’t hate the strategy overall, especially in a year where it might not be in the team’s best interests to reach for a quarterback. With that in mind, this team not only gutted an entire coaching staff, but they are obviously going to need some time to move on and rebuild from the Aaron Rodgers Brigade.
28. Indianapolis Colts
Not everything is dependent upon the quarterback position as far as offseason rankings, but the Colts bringing in Daniel Jones is concerning on multiple levels. This is a guy who was jettisoned in the middle of last season by the team that drafted him. He’s now in line to potentially take the job of the Colts’ recent fourth overall pick Anthony Richardson, which is the primary concern here.
The Colts also are renovating a bit on the interior offensive line, which could be problematic. Assembling an offensive line year over year can be like playing a game of Jenga.
I do love the Colts’ additions to their secondary with Charvarius Ward and Cam Bynum. Those two guys addressed major needs and can help this team create extra opportunities for the offense.
27. San Francisco 49ers
Trading away Deebo Samuel and moving on from a number of other key starters was about as indicative of “rebuild” as it gets for any team around the league. In fact, it’s tough to have the 49ers even this high on an offseason rankings list.
They don’t have an extension done with Brock Purdy yet, which isn’t a deal-breaker for a great offseason, but they lost so many guys. Samuel is gone, Dre Greenlaw is gone, Talanoa Hufanga is gone, and Javon Hargrave is gone. Oh, and Charvarius Ward.
Yeah, the 49ers might have had the worst offseason in the entire league. It’s difficult to even focus on who this team actually brought in, but they did emphasize the trenches in the NFL Draft.
26. Houston Texans
When your young star quarterback is getting hit a ton, it actually does make sense to do some work on the offensive line. But to get rid of your best players on that unit? That doesn’t seem to make a ton of sense.
The Houston Texans moved on from Laremy Tunsil and former first-round pick Kenyon Green, among others this offseason. You can’t blame Nick Caserio for trying to get a spark somehow for that unit as much time as CJ Stroud spent on the ground last year.
The additions at wide receiver loom large for this team. Stefon Diggs is gone and the team showed maybe what it thinks about the long-term health projection of Tank Dell by adding all of Christian Kirk, Jayden Higgins, and Jaylin Noel this offseason.
25. Kansas City Chiefs
For an offensive line that was already struggling terribly last year, the loss of Joe Thuney stings maybe a little bit more than anyone had hoped. The Chiefs obviously invested quite a bit in potentially fixing the offensive line, not just this offseason but last year as well. They have options on the left side of that line, and they took a worthwhile risk on Josh Simmons in the first round of the draft.
Justin Reid’s departure could end up being a significant loss for this team, but they were able to keep Nick Bolton around in free agency. I loved what the Chiefs did getting some underrated guys on the defensive line in this draft class, but the question marks on the left side of the offensive line loom large.
24. Tennessee Titans
I don’t love that the Titans took the risk on Cam Ward with the #1 overall pick in this year’s draft, but I can’t be mad about it. That’s a worthwhile risk to take because you don’t assume you’re going to be in that #1 pick slot again if you’re running an NFL team. The Titans felt conviction about a guy and they hit send on the pick. Ward might not have been QB5 in last year’s draft class, but fit and situation are everything.
This Titans team approached last offseason as though they were going to be an upstart franchise, so maybe some of those investments start paying off with the addition of Ward this year. General manager Mike Borgonzi is in a very interesting evaluation year and could blow things up at the deadline.
23. Detroit Lions
I don’t love the offseason for the Detroit Lions. I think the Lions didn’t do enough to really upgrade that defensive front, particularly off the edge. The pick of Tyleik Williams in the 1st round gives the Lions another physical run-stopper on the interior defensive line, and they are getting a stud for the interior offensive line in Tate Ratledge.
But let’s acknowledge the elephants in the room. Losing Ben Johnson as the team’s offensive coordinator really sucks. Losing Aaron Glenn as the defensive coordinator is brutal. Aidan Hutchinson’s recovery process looks…well, he certainly still doesn’t look like he’d be ready for last season’s Super Bowl.
This could be a very difficult year for the Lions.
22. Carolina Panthers
You can never just fix an entire roster in one offseason, so I can’t be too hard on the Carolina Panthers here. I also can’t fault them for investing in the talent around Bryce Young. That’s always essential when you have a young quarterback. Getting Tetairoa McMillan is huge for Young after the year we saw from him in 2024, which I’ve been considering a breakout year. And the Panthers clearly agree.
The only issue with this team is that they have been really struggling to add pieces to the defensive side of the ball. They missed out on their top free agent target with Milton Williams on the defensive line, and pivoted to a number of other guys. We’ll see how that works out for them. They also pivoted in the NFL Draft without Abdul Carter falling to their pick slot, taking McMillan and moving up to get guys like Nic Scourton and Princely Umanmielen.
They took more of a “Moneyball” approach defensively and that didn’t work last year. Is it going to work this year?
21. Pittsburgh Steelers
The trade to acquire wide receiver DK Metcalf is really doing a lot of heavy lifting here. I’m fascinated to see how the duo of Metcalf and George Pickens can actually work together. Mason Rudolph has to be thinking he’s hit the jackpot at this point.
I’m still thinking we’re going to see the Steelers and either Kirk Cousins or Aaron Rodgers, but they don’t seem overly worried about either of those things happening. There’s a lot to like about this Pittsburgh roster, obviously, but the quarterback position being addressed – even with a short-term fix – would vault this team into the upper echelon of offseasons this year.
20. Atlanta Falcons
The offense is not an issue for the Atlanta Falcons, and they proved that with their approach to the 2025 offseason. I’m not sure a single player was added to this Falcons roster that’s even going to crack the second unit on that side of the ball.
Defensively? This team went all-in, finally.
The Falcons got one of the top steals of the first round of this year’s draft with Georgia’s Jalon Walker falling into their laps, and then they managed to get James Pearce Jr. later in the first round, even though it cost them a future 1st-round pick.
That was probably a worthwhile trade for this team to make because they needed some production off the edge in the worst way. If those two picks can hit like the Falcons think they can, this team can win the NFC South.
19. New York Giants
The signings of Russell Wilson and Jameis Winston really do not move the needle for this Giants team, but the trade to move up and get Jaxson Dart is really fascinating. I’m not saying Dart is going to come in and just light up the league in his first season, but that’s something I’m willing to see play out for this team.
The Giants got Abdul Carter to pair up with the already strong duo of Brian Burns and Kayvon Thibodeaux. With Dexter Lawrence out there as well, the Giants are going to be a tough team in the trenches defensively, and that can raise the floor of this team significantly.
If Wilson can start and not bottom out for this team, they could win nine games and sneak into the playoffs.
18. Los Angeles Chargers
Although he was oft-injured as a Charger, the loss of Joey Bosa is significant for this team and I’m not sure the Chargers really did enough to replace him. This team had to make some difficult roster decisions for a second consecutive offseason and that was one of them, along with letting go of Kristian Fulton at corner, who played well for them last season.
And they lost both guys to other AFC playoff teams on top of it.
The Chargers did have a great draft class, topped by running back Omarion Hampton. The one-two punch of Hampton and Najee Harris is a huge upgrade for this LA team with Mekhi Becton also coming in to fortify that right side of the offensive line with Joe Alt.
Still, this team had a mixed bag defensively with the aforementioned losses as well as losing run stuffer Poona Ford. Jesse Minter will have to work some more magic.
17. Seattle Seahawks
I think all told, the Seattle Seahawks had such high variance with their offseason moves that you have to put it somewhere in the middle of the league overall.
A clean sweep at the quarterback position is at least interesting with Sam Darnold, Drew Lock, and Jalen Milroe replacing Geno Smith and Sam Howell. I absolutely hate the DK Metcalf trade for this Seahawks team but it’s better to move on too early than too late in those types of situations.
I loved Mike Macdonald going out and getting his own version of Kyle Hamilton in Seattle, but nothing else defensively is really moving the needle for this team, which they desperately needed. This was a very risky offseason for the Seahawks, but it could pay off.
16. Dallas Cowboys
The Dallas Cowboys’ offseason grade, at least in my eyes, is getting carried significantly by their recent 2025 NFL Draft class. I think the Cowboys legitimately got three players who could have gone in the first round with Tyler Booker at guard, edge rusher Donovan Ezeiruaku, and cornerback Shavon Revel.
There is an element of risk involved with a guy like Revel, but I like it in the third round. The Cowboys crushed the draft overall, but there are still some major question marks lingering about running back, wide receiver, and with a number of injured players defensively.
I’m also not really buying the Brian Schottenheimer coaching decision, but the Cowboys could bounce back this year simply if Dak Prescott can stay healthy.
15. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
One of the strongest areas of this Buccaneers team last year was their passing attack offensively, and they strengthened a strength in the 2025 NFL Draft with first-round pick Emeka Egbuka. Egbuka was one of my favorite prospects in this draft class with inside-outside ability, tremendous athletic traits, a team-first mentality, and soft hands. He’s going to fit in nicely with Mike Evans and Chris Godwin, who are both returning to the fold yet again despite so many rumors that the Bucs wouldn’t be able to keep Godwin, in particular.
The success of this offseason defensively for the Bucs is going to depend largely on whether Haason Reddick can give them the juice off the edge they desperately lacked last year. The Bucs were desperate enough last year to call Shaq Barrett out of retirement, so they need Reddick to work out.
14. Jacksonville Jaguars
The Jacksonville Jaguars were sort of a punchline earlier this offseason with the Liam Coen “Duval” video that was going viral, but they have quietly put together a fun offseason. General manager James Gladstone may look like he’s 17 years old, but the dude is clearly sharp as a tack and you have to respect the risk he took by trading up for Travis Hunter in this year’s draft.
Hunter was the best player in the class and the Jaguars are going to actually give him the chance to play both ways.
If this team can stay healthy, they were one of the best up-and-coming rosters in the league back in 2022. They can be a factor in a weak division like the AFC South, and based on our rankings here, they had the best offseason out of any team in the division.
13. Green Bay Packers
The Packers went out and spent big in last year’s NFL Free Agency on Josh Jacobs and Xavier McKinney, who both turned out to be absolute grand slam signings. This year, they really didn’t do as much spending, but they didn’t really need to, either.
The modest addition of Nate Hobbs in the secondary was a fantastic and underrated addition, and it looks for the time being, like the Packers are going to be keeping Jaire Alexander around. You always love to see the focus on certain positions from GM Brian Gutekunst in the NFL Draft and we saw that this year at receiver (again) and on the offensive line.
The strategy of the Packers has always been a heavy lean on player development and drafting well, and it looks like they did that again this year. Matthew Golden, Anthony Belton, and Savion Williams could be huge additions to an already loaded offense in 2025.
12. Las Vegas Raiders
The Las Vegas Raiders made a huge splash in this year’s coaching cycle by calling Pete Carroll out of retirement, and that move alone will land this team in the upper echelon of quality offseasons. On top of adding Carroll to the mix, I love the hire of John Spytek from the Buccaneers as the team’s new GM. The Raiders have smart people in charge of building this roster, and we saw them get to work right away with a shrewd trade to acquire Geno Smith.
Smith is not a game-changer, but he’s going to raise the floor of the offense and give the Raiders a fighting chance in the AFC West. They added Ashton Jeanty and for the second straight year, might have drafted the top offensive weapon in the class.
Defensively, this team is an unfinished product. They can only hope to hit on a number of signings they made this offseason, but they are going to need future draft classes to really help in that regard.
11. Cincinnati Bengals
Thanks to the fact that they got Tee Higgins and Ja’Marr Chase locked up on long-term deals, the Bengals have enjoyed one of the top offseasons of any team in the league. Some may disagree with the roster building strategy there, but you can’t put a price on keeping your franchise QB happy. And the Bengals opened up the checkbooks for Mike Gesicki as well.
Trey Hendrickson is still wondering when his number is going to be called, but that can’t take away from what the Bengals have built offensively.
Making Lou Anarumo the scapegoat for the defense and hiring Al Golden was a risky move for the Bengals, but I like what they’ve been doing to upgrade personnel on that side of the ball with first-round pick Shemar Stewart coming in and bringing the heat off the edge. The additions of veteran DL TJ Slaton and second-round pick Demetrius Knight were really underrated.
10. Buffalo Bills
The Buffalo Bills made the mistake of signing not one but two guys this offseason to help their defensive line who are going to serve six-game suspensions due to PED violations. Still, the Bills absolutely crushed this offseason when it comes to upgrading in the trenches defensively.
At some point, Larry Ogunjobi and Michael Hoecht are going to help this team. They also landed Joey Bosa in free agency and their draft class included TJ Sanders, Landon Jackson, and Deone Walker. They nailed it there.
In the secondary, the move that made the most headlines was bringing back former first-round pick Tre’Davious White, but getting Maxwell Hairston could loom large for this team. Hairston is a pick-six waiting to happen in the secondary.
9. Philadelphia Eagles
You can’t expect complete continuity after winning a Super Bowl in today’s NFL. Guys are going to leave and go get paid by other teams, and that’s exactly what happened with Milton Williams and Josh Sweat, among others. The Eagles also traded CJ Gardner-Johnson to the Houston Texans this offseason, so there’s a considerable amount of change happening defensively. On offense, Mekhi Becton is gone and another NFL Draft reclamation project (Kenyon Green) could be the next success story for offensive line coach Jeff Stoutland.
But how about this team reloading on the defensive front seven? Jihaad Campbell was a great first-round pick for the Eagles. Free agents Azeez Ojulari and Josh Uche are such fun dart throws for this team that could pay dividends over the course of the season, and the Eagles got another young ballhawk for the secondary in Texas’s Andrew Mukuba.
8. Los Angeles Rams
The Los Angeles Rams kept Matthew Stafford around after more trade rumors. They added Davante Adams after moving on from franchise legend Cooper Kupp. They traded out of the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft and got an extra first-round pick to work with in the much better QB class of 2026.
Les Snead is running a masterclass again.
Poona Ford was a necessary replacement for Bobby Brown IV on the interior defensive line, and the Rams managed to get one of my favorite potential steals in the 2025 NFL Draft class: Linebacker Chris Paul Jr.
The team’s top pick in this year’s draft – tight end Terrance Ferguson – was the top tester at the TE position in this year’s Combine and could be a very underrated addition to an already stellar offense.
7. Arizona Cardinals
I don’t know if I can love the Arizona Cardinals’ offseason more. The Cardinals are banking on progression from their current guys offensively, but defensively is where this team is going to make major strides.
They went out in NFL Free Agency and brought in former Eagles pass rusher Josh Sweat, one of the best available EDGE players in free agency this year. They also added Walter Nolen in the first round and surrounded him with veterans like Calais Campbell and Dalvin Tomlinson to upgrade a defensive front that desperately needed it.
The Cardinals managed to get Will Johnson in the second round of the draft and perhaps the steal of the draft if he stays healthy. I absolutely love third-round pick Jordan Burch here and think he’s going to make a big impact in year one. The Cardinals have crushed this offseason.
6. Baltimore Ravens
Continuity can go such a long way in today’s NFL, and the Baltimore Ravens kept the majority of their group from last season intact.
They added DeAndre Hopkins to the wide receiver room, and even though expectations for him should be tempered, I like the thinking there to bring a veteran like that into the mix and at least draw some attention.
Defensively is where we saw the most significant additions and the Ravens managed to get two guys who were probably in the top 20 overall on most draft boards strictly in terms of the on-field evaluation.
Malaki Starks is a perfect pairing with Kyle Hamilton on the back end of the defense, and while there are some off-field concerns with Mike Green, he might be the best EDGE rusher in this class. The Ravens are a juggernaut and I’d be shocked if they lose more than three games this coming season.
5. Washington Commanders
There’s no handbook for completely overhauling a franchise and making it to the NFC Championship Game in your first year at the helm. General manager Adam Peters and head coach Dan Quinn deserve a ton of credit for building this Commanders program the right way and getting a fantastic fit with Jayden Daniels at the #2 overall pick slot last offseason.
This year was all about building around Daniels, and the Commanders got aggressive in doing so. They traded for veterans Laremy Tunsil at left tackle and Deebo Samuel at wide receiver before using their first-round pick on offensive lineman Josh Conerly Jr. You love to see the deliberate, aggressive attempt at upgrading that side of the ball around Daniels.
The steal of the 2025 draft class for the Commanders was Trey Amos in the second round. He was routinely in the first round of my final mock drafts and he has all of the traits to be an instant starter opposite Marshon Lattimore at outside corner with Mike Sainristil running things from the slot.
4. Denver Broncos
Despite having $90 million in dead cap last year, the Denver Broncos managed to crush the NFL Draft, landing a franchise QB in Bo Nix while also developing a bunch of key young players all over their roster.
Cornerback Pat Surtain II won Defensive Player of the Year and a number of players had breakout years for the Broncos, who have one of the best offensive and defensive lines in the league.
The Broncos went out after winning 10 games last season and added Evan Engram at tight end along with RJ Harvey at running back in the 2025 NFL Draft to upgrade the offense, but they might have assembled the top defense in the NFL. The Broncos’ top three additions on that side of the ball were linebacker Dre Greenlaw, safety Talanoa Hufanga, and first-round cornerback Jahdae Barron. This Denver defense already led the NFL in sacks last year and now has a bunch of playmakers to take advantage of that rush. They are going to be fun to watch in 2025.
3. Minnesota Vikings
I don’t subscribe to the idea that the Vikings are instantly downgrading with JJ McCarthy taking over as the starting QB in the 2025 season. Many people didn’t buy the idea of Sam Darnold working out under Kevin O’Connell, and look how that turned out.
Even if there are growing pains for McCarthy, the Vikings had a stellar offseason. Bringing back Aaron Jones was fine, but trading for Jordan Mason? I don’t know how you couldn’t love that backfield right now for McCarthy to lean on.
The true work of art this offseason from Vikings GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah, however, was on the defensive line. The Vikings added both Jonathan Allen and Javon Hargrave just one year after bringing in Jonathan Greenard, Andrew Van Ginkel, and first-round pick Dallas Turner. That’s how you build a pass rush.
The primary concern for this team is depth and whether or not they could sustain injuries, but the headliner moves were outstanding.
2. New England Patriots
From the hiring of Mike Vrabel to the upgrades made on both sides of the ball this offseason, I don’t know that you can really argue that many teams have had a better or even comparable offseason to the New England Patriots.
After adding Morgan Moses in free agency, the Patriots used their first-round pick to get more protection for Drake Maye with Will Campbell coming in from LSU. They also added Garrett Bradbury and Jared Wilson to fortify the interior offensive line.
At receiver, the additions of Stefon Diggs and Mack Hollins are kind of the perfect additions for what this team really lacked. They also landed one of the best separators in the class with third-round pick Kyle Williams.
A defense that was already tough landed Milton Williams, Harold Landry, Robert Spillane, Carlton Davis, and Khyiris Tonga in NFL Free Agency. Not many teams did more to upgrade this offseason than the Patriots, and they drafted one of my favorites in the class: Running back TreVeyon Henderson.
1. Chicago Bears
How can you not love what the Chicago Bears have been doing the last couple of years? No matter if it works out or not, and I think it will, the drafting of Caleb Williams has given Ryan Poles a much clearer vision for building this team and roster.
Ben Johnson was probably the best head coaching hire of the 2025 offseason, though time will tell. The Bears added some much-needed experience and talent to their offensive line with the trade to acquire Joe Tuney and the signing of center Drew Dalman. Ozzy Trapilo in the second round gives this team a potential future starter at tackle as well, but the playmakers continue to pour into Chicago.
Colston Loveland at tight end and Luther Burden at receiver in this draft class? That’s just nasty, especially after getting both Williams and Rome Odunze last year.
Defensively, Dennis Allen was a good hire as defensive coordinator and he’s got some fun toys to play with in new arrivals Grady Jarrett, Dayo Odeyingbo, and second-rounder Shemar Turner.
The Bears might mess around and take over the NFC North this season.