It's that time of year when hot takes are flying around. You've got to keep your head on a swivel.
The offseason is the time for bold predictions and optimism, but some fan bases have to face reality. There are NFL teams out there who are clearly rebuilding and reloading. There are teams with obviously horrible quarterback situations. There are teams whose rosters would need to completely shock the NFL world in order to make these kinds of inherently negative projections look bad.
We have to talk about this question, though: Who are legitimately the worst teams in the NFL right now?
There are plenty that look like they'll be bad this year, but everyone's got a clean slate to work with right now. Not that these teams should be packing it in already, but which NFL teams could end up being the 10 worst in 2025, and why?
NFL Power Rankings: Predicting the 10 worst teams for 2025 (ranked worst to best)
10. Cleveland Browns
When all is said and done this season, the Cleveland Browns will almost certainly be the worst team in the NFL. You never know what can happen when you get to the actual games, of course, and the Browns have done well with Joe Flacco in the past, but it would be a major shock if this Cleveland team was able to win more than two or three games.
If they're going to even play spoiler in more games than expected, the Browns are going to need their defensive line to really step up and take control of. games. They'll have to hope to win tight games with less than 30 total points on the board. That's just how it feels at this point with so much youth, question marks at quarterback, and an offensive line that's in rough shape.
9. New Orleans Saints
There is such a strange combination of things going on with this New Orleans Saints roster here in 2025. The Saints obviously have a lot of veteran talent on both sides of the ball, and you would think that would elevate the overall floor of this team for 2025.
The Saints are hoping that one of their young quarterbacks can hit, and that the offensive line can take a huge step forward this season. Kellen Moore is in his first year as an NFL head coach, and this is going to be an interesting group for him to manage.
Do the Saints have the worst roster in the NFL? No. Do they have the second-worst roster in the NFL? No. This projection is mostly about the quarterback position where New Orleans has a bunch of uninspiring options. But if one of them hits, they might be a dangerous team in the NFC South.
8. Tennessee Titans
Most of what the Titans have been doing this offseason, I do not like at all. The Titans getting Cam Ward with the 1st overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft was an interesting decision considering Ward might have been the 6th or 7th-best quarterback in last year's talented class.
Does that mean anything for his future projection in the NFL? Not really. Quarterbacks need the right situation and fit, but that's true of everyone. The stuff I dislike about what the Titans have been doing this offseason has more to do with their free agency strategy, bringing in a bunch of B-list or C-list guys for way more money than they should.
The strategy of new GM Mike Borgonzi seemed to be right in line with the strategy of the previous regime. The Titans just don't have the quality of talent on the roster or depth to be able to be overly competitive this season unless Cam Ward pulls a Jayden Daniels.
7. New York Jets
The New York Jets are one of a variety of teams hoping for a Washington Commanders-like resurgence in the 2025 season. The Jets have a new GM, a new head coach, a new quarterback, and an entirely overhauled offensive lineup after the departure of Aaron Rodgers and his cronies.
New head coach Aaron Glenn will have his work cut out for him with Justin Fields firmly entrenched as his starting quarterback. The Jets might give Fields the best combination of offensive line and weapons that he's had since he was at Ohio State.
With how dynamic Fields is capable of being, and the talent the Jets have defensively, it's not out of the question that this team bounces back in 2025. But the more likely scenario feels like the Jets end up in the top five of next year's draft, searching for a long-term solution at QB.
6. Carolina Panthers
There are reasons to be optimistic about the Panthers this season, but they're all on the offensive side of the ball. The Panthers have seemingly recreated the same exact problem the Atlanta Falcons have been dealing with the past couple of years, and it could end up stunting their growth in 2025.
The Panthers got necessary progression last year from Bryce Young. They've got interesting weapons at receiver, headlined by a pair of first-round picks in Xavier Legette and Tetairoa McMillan. They've got a strong core on the offensive side of the ball overall, but very few legitimate building blocks on the defensive side and they whiffed on their big-ticket free agent target, Milton Williams.
The Panthers just don't have the presence off the edge to consistently close out close games in the NFL. They'll need pass rush productivity to come from other sources, and it's hard to see where that would be as of this point in time.
5. Indianapolis Colts
The situation with the Indianapolis Colts this season is very, very simple:
Good roster, bad quarterback situation.
Shane Steichen has had his guys playing above expectation in the last couple of years, but at what point are we going to see some actual progression for this team? It feels like the Colts have been competitive with Gardner Minshew and Anthony Richardson as their primary quarterbacks, but this year is likely another year with change at quarterback.
Richardson is dealing with a shoulder injury and former Giants first-round pick Daniel Jones is likely going to be this team's primary starter. And that could be the anchor dragging this team down, keeping them from truly setting sail. The Colts have elite weapons offensively. They have a strong overall defense. I am just not confident in this team's QB situation.
4. Jacksonville Jaguars
If the Jacksonville Jaguars can get the late-2022 or early-2023 version of Trevor Lawrence, they will be in the mix in the AFC South all year long. This is a team that looked like one of the best young teams in the NFL just a couple of years ago, but injuries to Lawrence have derailed progress significantly.
But the Jags obviously aren't that worried about it because they gave Lawrence one of the biggest contracts in NFL history.
The Jags have interesting foundational players on both sides of the ball. Travon Walker took a step forward last year. Josh Hines-Allen is solid. Travis Hunter could be the most interesting player in the entire league. Brian Thomas Jr. was among the league leaders in receiving yards as a rookie.
There's a lot to like, but the Jaguars will have to prove they can stay healthy and that Lawrence hasn't simply fallen off as a player.
3. Las Vegas Raiders
The Raiders should be significantly improved this coming season after winning just four games last year. The hiring of Pete Carroll as the team's head coach is one of the best coaching moves of the 2025 offseason, and they followed that up by upgrading the QB position with the Geno Smith trade.
After the rookie year we just saw from Brock Bowers, it's hard not to be excited about a core for the Raiders offensively that also now includes Boise State superstar Ashton Jeanty.
The Raiders' offense should be significantly improved, but their defense might be the worst on paper out of any team in the NFL. They lost some of the better players they had last year with safety Trevon Moehrig, cornerback Nate Hobbs, and linebacker Robert Spillane moving on in free agency. The Raiders also don't know if they're going to have defensive lineman Christian Wilkins, who is dealing with an injury.
I think the offense has 10-win potential but the defense has #1 pick potential. They might be capped at about 7 or 8 wins.
2. Seattle Seahawks
I think a lot of people are overlooking the fact that the Seattle Seahawks have changed as much as they have this offseason.
I hate the trade of DK Metcalf and then just replacing him with Cooper Kupp, especially when you're also making a change at quarterback.
I don't fault the Seahawks for taking a shot at someone like Sam Darnold after his breakout year with the Vikings, but are they going to get more out of Darnold for the next 2-3 years than they would have from Geno Smith? As good as Darnold was for the Vikings, I'm still not sure what you can really bank on with him. He's in a tough position of now having to prove himself yet again with new surroundings and less talent at the skill positions than he had in Minnesota.
Not to mention, a different coaching staff. The defense is going to be a big reason why this team is competitive in the NFC West, if it happens at all.
1. Atlanta Falcons
Congratulations to the Atlanta Falcons, the best worst team in the NFL according to this arbitrary list.
The Falcons once again have an intriguing offense with a borderline elite set of playmakers at the skill positions. At this point, Kyle Pitts is more of a disappointment than an intriguing option. Bijan Robinson is outstanding, Drake London is outstanding, and Darnell Mooney was a fantastic addition last year.
The key X-factor for this team will obviously be Michael Penix Jr. and what he's going to look like in his first year as a full-time starter.
And then there's the defense. The Falcons don't have the type of defense, on paper, to truly compete in the NFC South. It's going to take the two first-round picks -- Jalon Walker and James Pearce Jr. -- looking like veterans to see this team competing for anything in 2025.