Whether it's drama, possible milestones, or the possibility of standouts, here are the top 10 storylines heading into the 2025 NFL season! And be sure to check out our top 15 rookies to watch out for during the 2025 NFL season here.
The 2025 NFL season kicks off on September 4th with a matchup between the Dallas Cowboys and Philadelphia Eagles.
Philadelphia Eagles on repeat watch
It goes without saying that the Eagles have one heck of a shot at repeating this year - they're that good of a team. And the scary part is they loaded up from the draft (again). But it goes without saying that repeating as Super Bowl champs is one of the hardest feats to achieve as a team in the NFL.
Only eight teams in NFL history have won back-to-back Super Bowls, with only two of them being since 2000 - the New England Patriots in 2003 and 2004, then the Kansas City Chiefs in 2022 and 2023.
Barring any major injuries that could happen, the Eagles are currently in the top three favorites among different sports books to win Super Bowl 60. They had the seventh-highest scoring offence last season and the number two scoring defence (No. 1 overall). With most of the same team returning this year, there's no doubt they have another big chance to make history.
Micah Parsons
After Trey Hendrickson was given a drastic pay raise by the Cincinnati Bengals to bring his 2025 salary to $30 million, the Cowboys are left alone on the mountain top to secure a new deal for pass rusher Micah Parsons.
The Bengals couldn't afford to lose Hendrickson, the NFL's reigning sack leader, or else their defence was going to be worse than it already is. Meanwhile, the Parsons-Jerry Jones feud is a fire that continues to rage on with seemingly no progress whatsoever.
Both players are unrestricted free agents at the end of the season, but both also deserve the extensions they're looking for. While it's unlikely the Cowboys trade Parsons, one has to wonder how long the theatrics will carry on for.
No more excuses for the Baltimore Ravens
The clock has officially run out for the Ravens' players, their coaches, their front office, and their fans. This is their biggest Super Bowl-or-bust year since Lamar Jackson became the starting quarterback.
The two-time MVP is coming off one of the greatest seasons by a quarterback in NFL history and the team still couldn't make the AFC Championship, let alone the Super Bowl, because of shooting themselves in the foot like they always do come playoff time.
But with a defence that linebacker Roquan Smith said is the best he's ever played with, and a No. 1 offence that more or less remained the same from last season, there are no more excuses - zero.
If the Baltimore Ravens don't win a Super Bowl this year, then changes need to be made, specifically at the head coach position. They could go 17-0 during the regular season. But if they can't get over this pesky playoff curse, anything beforehand won't matter.
Detroit Lions on cusp of greatness
With a lot of doubt surrounding the Detroit Lions after losing both offensive coordinator Ben Johnson and defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn, the team is still incredible on paper - and the best part is that they're healthy.
While losing linemen Kevin Zeitler and Frank Ragnow to retirement could be a little bit of a blow to their offence, the line unit they have going into the regular season is still solid. Tyler Decker is expected to be ready for the start of the season after shoulder surgery, while centre Graham Glasgow suffered a "minor" injury this preseason but shouldn't be an issue.
Besides them? The Lions' offence has zero significant injuries. Although linebacker Alim McNeill is out until late November following an ACL tear, and pass rusher Josh Paschal is to miss time as well, these are a pair of blows to the team's front seven on the other side of the ball. Otherwise, the Lions are looking solid and are ready for another Super Bowl run.
Can one of last year's best stories rekindle that spark and win their first-ever Super Bowl this year?
Will Bryce Young, Caleb Williams rebound?
So many sports media outlets love talking about the infamous "Sophomore Slump" with players, but how about a "Sophomore Surge"?
Quarterbacks Bryce Young and Caleb Williams are entering their second years after going 5-12 last season. Young had shown promising flashes towards the end of the 2024 season and Williams is now in a new system that could possibly allow him to flourish.
After giving up the most sacks (37) last season, Chicago beefed up their offensive line this offseason - and that's an understatement - bringing in linemen Joe Thuney and Drew Dalman. Now, Williams has the line he needs to have a successful season with possibly the best young tight end duo in football with Cole Kmet and rookie Colston Loveland.
As for Young, the Panthers went out and made sure the two-year quarterback has all the weapons he needs to throw the ball to this season. With Xavier Legette, Adam Thielen, Hunter Renfrow, and rookies Tetairoa McMillan and Jimmy Horn Jr. all lining up at wide receiver for the Panthers this season.
Carolina's offensive line ranked eighth-best last season and they have the same unit ready to roll this season in front of Young.
How long until Jaxon Dart starts for the Giants?
Dart hit the field for the Giants in the preseason and managed to show up in a major way, completing 32 of 47 passing attempts (68.1%) for 372 yards with four total touchdowns (three passing).
While the team has veterans Russell Wilson and Jameis Winston in the same room as Dart, the latter is currently second on the team's depth chart. So the anticipation for Dart to be named the starting quarterback is higher than it has ever been heading into the regular season.
I wouldn't expect the Giants to sit their 25th overall pick quarterback for long, especially if Wilson starts to stumble early on in the season. New York will be taking on the Washington Commanders, Dallas Cowboys, Kansas City Chiefs, New Orleans Saints, and Philadelphia Eagles in their first six games.
Former Giants quarterback Daniel Jones took over the starting role from Eli Manning in Week 3 during his rookie campaign. So Dart will undoubtedly be raring to go at any moment each week if Wilson slips.
Just how far can Joe Burrow carry the Bengals?
The last quarterback to reach 5,000 passing yards in a single season was Patrick Mahomes in 2021. Burrow was right there with Josh Allen and Lamar Jackson for MVP last season and has all the capabilities of making another MVP run this year.
But with questions surrounding the Bengals' defence yet again, the team will rely heavily on their elite pass game with Burrow at the helm. He needed just 82 yards last season to hit the mark, and with a couple of more wins leading the Bengals to the playoffs, Burrow would've really made a case to win the award.
However, the Bengals' awful offensive line took another blow recently, losing starter Cordell Volson for the year. The line gave up 30 sacks and allowed 220 pressures last season, ranking in the bottom three of the NFL.
So while signing wide receivers Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins to new contracts is great and all, how much weight is Burrow going to have to shoulder this year with yet another rough o-line and one of the worst defences in the league, who could be without their star pass rusher soon?
Rookie of the Year Awards
The Rookie of the Year awards are going to be a week-to-week headline throughout this season. Las Vegas Raiders running back Ashton Jeanty could become the first running back since Saquon Barkley (2018) to win the award.
Jaguars' Travis Hunter has a serious shot at becoming the first-ever NFL player to win both Offensive and Defensive Rookie of the Year. In 2022, the New York Jets had both Garrett Wilson (WR) and Sauce Gardner (CB) win the awards, so it's definitely a possibility we could witness history this season with Hunter playing both wide receiver and cornerback if he remains healthy.
The quarterback battle could also be one to watch - or not at all. As it stands, Cam Ward of the Tennessee Titans is the only rookie starting quarterback heading into the season. While others could start at some point, like Dart, Shedeur Sanders (Cleveland Browns), Tyler Shough (New Orleans Saints), etc. Ward is the runaway favorite for the award among quarterbacks.
Defensive Rookie of the Year is completely up in the air as well. While pass rusher Abdul Carter is the runaway favorite among rookies, there's no telling if it would be him or someone else. So the Rookie of the Year Award is definitely a major storyline this year.
Jayden Daniels - Sophomore Slump or Surge?
Unlike Young and Campbell, Daniels skyrocketed his way to being one of the best quarterbacks in the league during his rookie season, blowing any expectations for the Washington Commanders out of the water last season.
Daniels posted 4,459 total yards, 31 total touchdowns, and just nine interceptions last season while finishing with a 100.1 pass rating and a 69% completion percentage. It's tough to say that Daniels could lead the Commanders back to the NFC Championship, but it's also tough to say he won't.
The tape speaks for itself - Daniels is the real deal and there's no saying that the Commanders can't repeat what they did last year. But it'll all start with the reigning Offensive Rookie of the Year.
The Aaron Rodgers experiment continues
Will Rodgers go on a spiritual journey and find himself lost in pierogi while in Pittsburgh, or will he actually show up and make the Steelers a somewhat-viable contender for the AFC North this season?
Pittsburgh has put all their chips on the table for Rodgers to lead the team after they moved on from Russell Wilson and Justin Fields. While they did end up drafting rookie quarterback Will Howard, it's not looking like he'll have a possible chance at starting like other rookie QBs unless Rodgers and backup Mason Rudolph crap the bed - which is shockingly a possibility.
While it shouldn't be a 2025 NFL headline for the season, it is. Pittsburgh had the flashiest offseason of any team in the league and it was all revolved around bringing in Rodgers. So this is either going to work exactly how head coach Mike Tomlin and company hope it does or it's going to be a train that falls off the rails quickly.