NFL’s way-too-early storylines for 2025 season include Eagles’ title defense, Chiefs’ rebound and Caleb Williams’ growth under Ben Johnson

If 1 happening tin beryllium predicted astir the ever-unpredictable NFL, it’s that plentifulness volition alteration betwixt present and the commencement of the 2025 season.

Jets backmost Aaron Rodgers and Rams wide receiver Cooper Kupp are expected to beryllium connected the move, portion Browns walk rusher Myles Garrett and 49ers wide receiver Deebo Samuel person requested trades.

Bengals wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase and 49ers backmost Brock Purdy are owed big-money extensions.

Chiefs choky extremity Travis Kelce could retire.

Each of the 32 teams volition look antithetic aft escaped bureau and the draft. But shot is king, and with the Eagles crowned Super Bowl champions, it’s ne'er excessively aboriginal look ahead.

Here are the way-too-early storylines for the 2025 NFL season.

EAGLES AGAIN?

The Eagles person a fewer cardinal players poised for escaped agency, including All-Pro linebacker Zack Baun, close defender Mekhi Becton and walk rusher Josh Sweat.

But by and large, Philadelphia’s core remains intact.

Quarterback Jalen Hurts; wide receivers A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith; and violative tackles Jordan Mailata and Lane Johnson signed multi-year extensions.

Running backmost Saquon Barkley is entering the 2nd play of his three-year contract.

Defensive playmakers Jalen Carter, Quinyon Mitchell, Cooper DeJean and Nakobe Dean stay connected their rookie deals.

Boasting that overmuch continuity bodes good for the Eagles successful their title defense, adjacent if they’ll person to bash it without violative coordinator Kellen Moore, whom the Saints hired Tuesday to beryllium their caput coach.

The Eagles took vantage of immoderate bully luck successful 2024, including a afloat steadfast play from Barkley, who dealt with injuries passim his six-season tenure with the Giants.

But Philadelphia won 16 of its past 17 games and embarrassed the Chiefs successful the Super Bowl. Time volition archer however they grip having a people connected their back, but the Eagles look to beryllium the squad to beat.

END OF AN ERA?

It would beryllium foolish to stake against a squad led by Patrick Mahomes and Andy Reid, but Super Bowl LIX was not the archetypal motion of occupation for the 2024 Chiefs.

They went 15-2 successful the regular play but repeatedly won successful improbable fashion, finishing the twelvemonth with a pedestrian +59 constituent differential and an unsustainable 11-0 grounds successful one-score games.

The Eagles’ antiaircraft beforehand dominated Kansas City’s violative enactment successful the Super Bowl, and astatine 1 constituent successful the game, the Chiefs trailed 34-0.

It’s just to wonderment if the Chiefs’ dynasty is over.

They’ve inactive won 3 of the past six Super Bowls, and thing is imaginable with Mahomes. But this appears to beryllium a squad successful request of violative upgrades, particularly successful a loaded AFC wherever the Ravens, Bills and Bengals besides boast elite quarterbacks but with amended casts astir them.

Seeing however the Chiefs bounce back, some during the offseason and erstwhile the games start, volition surely beryllium compelling.

QB CONQUEST

Speaking of the Ravens, Bills and Bengals, it volition beryllium absorbing to spot if 2025 is the twelvemonth immoderate of their fantabulous quarterbacks tin yet scope the pinnacle.

Baltimore’s Lamar Jackson is simply a two-time MVP coming disconnected of an All-Pro play but has ne'er precocious past the AFC title game.

Buffalo’s Josh Allen, the reigning NFL MVP, fell to 0-4 against the Chiefs successful the playoffs with this year’s nonaccomplishment successful the AFC title game.

Cincinnati’s Joe Burrow is the lone QB of the clump to bushed Mahomes successful the playoffs oregon to marque it to a Super Bowl — achieving some successful 2022 — but he, excessively inactive seeks his archetypal championship.

This volition beryllium a storyline each twelvemonth until 1 of these quarterbacks wins a Super Bowl.

NEW YORK MISERY

It’s hard astatine this constituent to adequately analyse the Giants oregon Jets, considering some look to beryllium successful the marketplace for a backmost this offseason.

But 2025 figures volition beryllium pivotal for some franchises.

For the Giants, the seats are hotter than ever for caput manager Brian Daboll and wide manager Joe Schoen, who instrumentality contempt past year’s dreadful 3-14 campaign.

The Giants person the No. 3 prime successful April’s draught but whitethorn person to commercialized up to get the backmost they privation oregon motion 1 successful escaped agency. Regardless of who is nether center, the Giants volition request to show overmuch much advancement — and winning — successful 2025.

The Jets, meanwhile, person caller enactment successful caput manager Aaron Glenn and wide manager Darren Mougey, whose archetypal large determination was reportedly to determination connected from Rodgers aft a disappointing 5-12 season.

The Jets stay successful a win-now situation, with plentifulness of antiaircraft endowment and respective violative playmakers connected their rookie deals.

Whomever the Jets rotation with astatine backmost volition beryllium saddled with large expectations — and with the extremity of ending the franchise’s 14-year playoff drought.

RODGERS’ ROUTE

Even assuming helium leaves the U.S. media capital, Rodgers volition stay applicable if helium decides to play again adjacent season.

His willingness to reportedly alert to New Jersey and conscionable with the Jets past week suggests helium wants to support playing.

Where — oregon if —Rodgers ends up volition beryllium among the NFL’s juiciest offseason storylines. How helium plays successful 2025 aft his failed Jets experimentation volition beryllium conscionable arsenic juicy.

REFORMED 49ERS

Another squad successful request of a large bounce backmost are the 49ers, who went from NFC champions successful 2023 to an injury-riddled 6-11 cellar dweller past year.

San Francisco volition effort to rebound down a (hopefully) steadfast Christian McCaffrey astatine moving back, but Kyle Shanahan’s typically high-powered discourtesy could look overmuch antithetic successful 2025.

Samuel wants retired aft a career-worst play successful which helium faded arsenic a focal point. Fellow wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk is returning from a superior genu injury.

Purdy, whose declaration presumption arsenic the past prime of the 2022 draught made him an unthinkable bargain, is present discussing a semipermanent woody that volition chopped into the Niners’ quality to supplement the roster elsewhere.

Even with each of that stacked against them, the 49ers person demonstrated an quality to beryllium among the NFL’s champion clip and clip again.

They’ll effort to beryllium that past play was simply an outlier.

PRIME TIME 2.0

Few quarterbacks participate the NFL with arsenic overmuch attraction arsenic Shedeur Sanders.

But successful the lawsuit of the Colorado QB, the hype stems archetypal and foremost from his celebrated family.

Sanders, the lad of Hall of Fame cornerback Deion Sanders, is expected to beryllium 1 of the apical 2 quarterbacks taken successful April’s draft, if not the No. 1 wide pick.

He doesn’t boast the elite athleticism of his dad, but Sanders is simply a precise passer who thrives successful late-game situations.

There are capable breadcrumbs to suggest helium would similar to onshore with the Giants, but careless of wherever Sanders ends up, helium volition bid nationalist publicity.

SOPHOMORE STANDOUTS

Sanders would bash good to present a rookie play that adjacent approaches that of Jayden Daniels.

The dual-threat Daniels led the Commanders to past month’s NFC rubric game, turning astir a Washington squad that went 4-13 successful the play earlier it drafted him No. 2 overall

What Daniels does successful Year 2 volition beryllium a important storyline. Should helium instrumentality different step, helium could beryllium mentioned among the NFL’s precise champion quarterbacks.

Even much intriguing, though, is what the Bears’ Caleb Williams does arsenic a sophomore.

Williams was the No. 1 prime past year, up of Daniels, and portion his last numbers — 3,541 passing yards, 20 touchdowns and six interceptions — weren’t bad, the Bears went 5-12.

Williams’ inconsistency wasn’t each his fault. The Bears made aggregate coaching changes during the year, including firing caput manager Matt Eberflus successful precocious November.

The Bears person since made a home-run head-coach prosecute successful Ben Johnson, who, arsenic Detroit’s violative coordinator, helped marque the Lions the NFL’s highest-scoring squad past year.

It volition beryllium fascinating to spot if Johnson tin assistance Williams scope his sky-high potential.