4. NFC North
1. Jordan Love, Green Bay Packers
Jordan Love is one of the most talented quarterbacks in the NFL. Even after a slight step back in terms of his overall production last season, he’s one of the biggest difference-makers in the league and the best quarterback (for now) in a very good division at the position. Entering his third full year as a starter, I expect Love to make a big leap in 2025.
2. Jared Goff, Detroit Lions
Jared Goff has thrown 29 or more touchdown passes in each of the last three seasons, but he lost a huge component of his success in the 2025 offseason: Offensive coordinator Ben Johnson. Johnson isn’t some master puppeteer or something like that, but it’ll be fascinating to see how Goff plays this season without Johnson calling the plays. He’s one of the most efficient and probably underrated QBs in the league at this point.
3. Caleb Williams, Chicago Bears
Everyone expects Caleb Williams to make a huge jump in his overall play in 2025 with the arrival of Ben Johnson, an upgraded offensive line, and somehow even better offensive weapons in 2025 than he had as a rookie. Williams took way too many sacks last year, so I’m keeping my projection on him pretty conservative. The talent is undeniable.
4. JJ McCarthy, Minnesota Vikings
I was really high on JJ McCarthy coming out of last year’s draft, but he’s obviously got a lot stacked against him right now. He needs to prove he can come back from a major injury and prove that he can lead this Vikings team despite being one of the youngest starters in the NFL. Can he handle a much higher volume of responsibility as a passer compared to when he was at Michigan?