NFL Division-by-Division Rankings After First Week of 2025 Free Agency

With more than a week of free agency dealings in the rearview and most of the marquee names now off the open market, this is a perfect time to survey the NFL landscape ahead of the 2025 season.

The NFL's hierarchy has clearly shifted in wake of the numerous signings and trades that opened the league year. Certain squads appear to have lost ground due to key veterans departing, while other teams look poised to climb the ranks and make a legitimate Lombardi Trophy push thanks to shrewd deals for impact talent.

With that in mind, let's take a division-by-division look at power rankings, starting with the worst and ending with the top collection of teams.

No. 8: AFC South

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The AFC South features two of the league's worst teams, one rudderless mid-tier squad and one fringe Super Bowl contender. It should come as no surprise this division ranks as the worst the NFL has to offer in 2025.

The Houston Texans have been the cream of the AFC South crop for two years and counting. That won't change in 2025, especially if C.J. Stroud can shake off his sophomore slump and get back to playing at a Pro Bowl level under new offensive coordinator Nick Caley. Houston also brought in Laken Tomlinson, C.J. Gardner-Johnson and Christian Kirk to bolster a roster that still needs to hit on a few of its draft picks to have a much better chance of advancing beyond the Divisional round next season.

The Indianapolis Colts once again hovered around .500 in 2024, finishing in no man's land for the second straight year and leaving the team with limited options to address its quarterback conundrum. Anthony Richardson has been a bust, but without a top draft pick in hand the team can't effectively replace the ineffective signal-caller. Signing Daniel Jones to compete for the QB1 gig hardly moves the needle and likely guarantees the Colts take a step back in 2025.

The Jacksonville Jaguars have the best chance of the bunch to make a leap forward. It won't be too difficult to improve upon a 4-13 campaign with a healthy Trevor Lawrence back under center, although a quiet free-agent signing period headlined by the additions of Jourdan Lewis and Patrick Mekari doesn't do much for the squad. The Jags need to hit a home run with a good portion of their 10 picks—headlined by No. 5 overall—in the upcoming draft to start the Liam Coen era off right.

The Tennessee Titans are in the midst of a full-blown rebuild after Will Levis failed to develop into a serviceable NFL starter. The Titans have the No. 1 overall pick to use on a blue-chip prospect like Cam Ward or Shedeur Sanders—the top passers on the B/R Scouting Department's big board—and can make several other transformative selections when they are on the clock next month. Don't expect this team to seriously compete right away, however, as Tennessee projects to finish in the league's basement for the second consecutive season.

No. 7: NFC South

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The NFC South has been ripe for the taking in recent years, but no juggernaut has stepped up to take control of the division. There's no clear-cut top team here for 2025 either, although there's at least three teams that could emerge with the crown.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have won the NFC South title four years in a row, although they haven't finished better than 10-7 in any of the last three seasons. They'll be in the mix to push that streak to five—especially after adding pieces like Haason Reddick and Kindle Vildor in free agency—although it's possible Baker Mayfield regresses after a career-best season due to the departure of offensive coordinator Liam Coen.  

The Atlanta Falcons are ready to start up the Michael Penix Jr. era in earnest after the quarterback showed immense promise as a rookie. The No. 8 overall pick took over for an underwhelming Kirk Cousins in Week 16, picking up a win and two close overtime losses during his three-game preview at the end of last season. If Penix continues to improve and the defense can actually get after the opposing signal-caller—the addition of Leonard Floyd should help—this Falcons squad will be a well-rounded force this year.

The Carolina Panthers are one of the more intriguing teams to watch in 2025. The development of Bryce Young has been promising after a brutal start to his career. If he can take a real leap in Year 3, the team could be in the mix for the NFC South crown. A league-worst defense must make strides as well, although the additions of Bobby Brown III and Tre'von Moehrig should assist in this endeavor.

The New Orleans Saints have had an extremely puzzling offseason. The team clearly hasn't been a contender since Drew Brees' retirement, but the front office continues to make half-hearted attempts to compete by signing overpriced veterans instead of focusing on clearing the books and building up the roster via draft picks. New coach Kellen Moore will have his work cut out trying to get much out of this disjointed roster next season.

No. 6: AFC East

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The AFC East has a long tradition of rating amongst the NFL's weaker divisions, often featuring just one powerhouse that dominates the rest of the mid-to-low tier teams.

That remains the case in 2025, as the Buffalo Bills continue to be the class of the division and shouldn't have too much trouble defending their crown for the sixth consecutive season. The Bills didn't have too exciting of an offseason, but they did add some firepower to the edge in Joey Bosa while securing another weapon for Josh Allen in Joshua Palmer. These two pieces should fit nicely on a veteran-laden roster hungry to finally reach the Super Bowl.

The Miami Dolphins are the other realistic playoff contender in the division, but it's going to be an uphill battle following a down 2024 campaign. More injuries to Tua Tagovailoa led to Miami's offense falling out of the top half of the league after ranking No. 1 the year prior and the defense took a step back as well. The loss of Jevon Holland could only compound these defensive issues in 2025.

The New York Jets were forced to blow things up after the Aaron Rodgers era came to an ignominious end. With Aaron Glenn leading the new coaching staff and Justin Fields set to take over under center, the Jets could be an interesting team to watch this year. Don't expect a playoff berth, however, as the team still has a litany of roster issues to sort out and needs to build through the draft to have a realistic chance of contending in future seasons.

The New England Patriots appear poised to re-enter the league's upper echelon soon, but 2025 likely won't be their year. Drake Maye capped off a promising rookie season with a Pro Bowl appearance, although he still needs more weapons and better protection to make a leap. New head coach Mike Vrabel should help the organization get back to playing "the Patriot way" and competing hard each week, but this team is still at least a year away from making any real noise.

No. 5: NFC West

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After ranking amongst the league's most competitive divisions in recent years, the NFC West has lost some of its luster.

The Los Angeles Rams were the lone team to make the playoff field last season, claiming the divisional crown with a 10-7 record. After going toe-to-toe with the eventual champion Philadelphia Eagles in the Divisional round, the Rams will be hoping veteran additions such as Davante Adams and Poona Ford can push them over the edge this time around.

The Seattle Seahawks made some massive and rather questionable changes this offseason despite winning a double-digit number of games and only missing the playoffs on a tiebreaker. The disappointing finish prompted the front office to jettison Geno Smith, Tyler Lockett and DK Metcalf. While the moves would have made sense to jump-start a rebuild, the organization also intimated a desire to contend by scooping veterans Sam Darnold and Cooper Kupp off the open market.

The San Francisco 49ers have been a perennial NFC West contender for much of Kyle Shanahan's eight-year tenure as head coach, but the team suffered a Super Bowl hangover in 2024 and finished dead last in the divisional race. Things don't look much better for next season either, as the club recently parted ways with foundational pieces like Deebo Samuel and Dre Greenlaw without bringing in any high-profile replacements.

The Arizona Cardinals still have quite a few questions surrounding them after a mediocre 8-9 campaign, but they are starting to have the look of a playoff-caliber squad. The club secured some major upgrades for a defense that could evolve into one of the league's best, notably landing edge rusher Josh Sweat on the heels of an excellent Super Bowl LIX showing. If the Cards can find a quality wideout to pair with Marvin Harrison Jr., quarterback Kyler Murray could take this team back to the postseason for the first time since 2021.

No. 4: NFC East

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Although the NFC East features the reigning Super Bowl champions and arguably best team in the league in the Philadelphia Eagles, it's far from the top division heading into the 2025 season.

The Eagles commanded both sides of the trenches last year and utilized that dominance to lift their second Lombardi Trophy of the last eight seasons. While key stars such a Jalen Hurts, Saquon Barkley and Jalen Carter will be back with hopes of defending that title, Philadelphia did part ways with several notable contributors. It remains to be seen if the Eagles will have the defensive talent and depth to repeat following the losses of Darius Slay, Josh Sweat and Milton Williams.

If the Eagles are going to get knocked off their perch atop the NFC East, the Washington Commanders are the main candidate to do it. The Commanders were one of the biggest surprises of the 2024 campaign, riding the dual-threat talents of rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels all the way to the NFC Championship Game. Washington's brass is clearly hoping to capitalize on a wide-open Super Bowl window, bringing in proven veterans like Deebo Samuel and Laremy Tunsil to augment the up-and-coming passer.

The Dallas Cowboys are a comeback candidate after missing the playoffs for the first time since 2020. The disappointing 7-10 campaign resulted in a parting of ways with former head coach Mike McCarthy, but it remains to be seen if replacement Brian Schottenheimer will have the tools at his disposal to improve upon that middling finish. The Cowboys have been a bit player in the free-agent market—adding only a handful of starting-caliber players—and need to knock their draft picks out of the park to restock the cupboard.

The New York Giants remain in limbo after opting against a full-blown rebuild and regime change. With the head coach-general manager combo of Brian Daboll and Joe Schoen desperately needing to put a winning product on the field to keep their jobs beyond the upcoming season, the G-Men are stuck hoping someone like Aaron Rodgers or whichever veteran quarterback they ultimately land can find a way to bail them out.

No. 3: AFC North

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The AFC North has long been one of the most competitive divisions in football, filled with some of the most intense and bitter rivalries the league has to offer. Expect iron to sharpen iron again in 2025 as all four teams fight tooth and nail for playoff spots.

The Baltimore Ravens came out on top last year and are a strong bet to claim their third consecutive divisional crown this coming season. While they didn't make any splashy moves akin to the acquisition of Derrick Henry in 2024, the Ravens were a missed two-point conversion away from forcing overtime and potentially playing in the AFC Championship Game last year and should have no qualms about running it back with mostly the same group.

The Pittsburgh Steelers were the division's other postseason representative last year. While the team opened the campaign with a strong 10-3 record, Pittsburgh backslid into the bracket with four consecutive losses and was quickly dispatched in the Wild Card round by Baltimore. The Steelers can't be considered a serious contender in 2025, however, as they still have no clear-cut solution to their woes under center.

The Cincinnati Bengals were the best team to miss the playoffs last year and it would be a shock if Joe Burrow and co. can't break back through this year. The organization's offense is set for the foreseeable future after both Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins—the top receivers in a passing attack that led the league in 2024—signed new four-year deals. With that stability in place, Cincinnati just needs its defense to step up to get back into Super Bowl contention.

The Cleveland Browns are the biggest wild card in the AFC North. The squad is coming off a disheartening 3-14 campaign—one superstar Myles Garrett described as "more disappointing" than going 0-16 during his 2017 rookie year—but still received a long-term commitment from its superstar edge rusher in free agency. The team also holds the No. 2 overall pick in the draft and may be able to land a serviceable quarterback with the selection, a move that would greatly assist Cleveland in turning things around in 2025.

No. 2: AFC West

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The AFC West should remain the top division in the conference during the 2025 season.

One of the key reasons for this is the presence of the Kansas City Chiefs, the reigning divisional champs for nine years running. The team has a chance to inch closer to the New England Patriots' record of 11 consecutive divisional crowns, although they'll have a tough time keeping a stranglehold due to loss of standout talent like Joe Thuney and Justin Reid.

Both the Denver Broncos and Los Angeles Chargers—two playoff teams in 2024—are candidates to dethrone Kansas City.

The Bolts had the second-best record in the AFC West last year, going 11-6 in head coach Jim Harbaugh's first year. The team is well-positioned to build on that performance, bringing in free agents such as Najee Harris and Mekhi Becton to reinforce the ground attack.

The Broncos will be in the running as well, especially with promising young quarterback Bo Nixon entering a pivotal Year 2. Nix is coming off a standout rookie year in which he outperformed expectations, throwing for 3,775 yards and 29 touchdowns while posting a 10-7 record. If Nix continues to thrive in head coach Sean Payton's system, the team should be right back in the hunt for another playoff appearance.

The Las Vegas Raiders are a dark horse candidate to contend for a Wild Card spot despite finishing 4-13 in 2024. The team finally has a capable quarterback after trading for Geno Smith, opening the door for a massive improvement in his first season under center in Sin City. If Vegas nails the 2025 draft class—the team has nine picks, including No. 6 overall—it could be a sneaky good squad.

No. 1: NFC North

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The NFC North was a powerhouse last year and should remain as such in 2025.

After posting a collective 45-23 record and sending three teams to the playoffs—tying the AFC West for the most last season—this group has only gotten collectively stronger during the offseason.

The Detroit Lions were the class of this group last year, although they've taken a slight hit due to the defection of both coordinators. Aaron Glenn will utilize his defensive prowess as the new head coach of New York Jets, while offensive guru Ben Johnson is now leading the rival Chicago Bears and their new-look attack.

Speaking of Johnson, the Bears should make a major leap under his watch. The team showed flashes under former head coach Matt Eberflus, but poor discipline and clock management took a toll on the squad. Chicago should also vastly improve in the protection department after giving up a league-worst 68 sacks last season, by adding three new offensive linemen, headlined by their trade for perennial Pro Bowler Joe Thuney.

The Green Bay Packers have had arguably the quietest offseason of the four NFC North teams, but they'll still be in the mix to make a third consecutive playoff berth. The team paid big for cornerback Nate Hobbs and guard Aaron Banks, two players who should help keep the status quo but don't truly move the Super Bowl needle.

The Minnesota Vikings look a bit different on offensive in 2025, notably due to the departure of incumbent starting quarterback Sam Darnold. It's looking like it's going to be J.J. McCarthy's show to run going forward, with NFL insider Tom Pelissero revealing that Vikings brass has been turning away trade overtures for their second-year signal-caller. After missing his entire rookie campaign with injury, the team's success will hinge on his rapid development.