5 Injuries That Will Have Biggest Impact on 2025 NFL Season

Injuries are an inevitable part of every NFL season. They have impacted the outcome of countless playoff races and helped determine many Super Bowl champions over the years.

That isn't going to change in 2025. Although training camp is just getting underway, injuries are already leaving their mark around the league.

Several big-name players are set to miss at least several weeks with various ailments. These issues are hindering teams' ability to prepare for the upcoming campaign and some absences may even spill over into the start of meaningful football come early September.

Others are still working their way back from injuries that sidelined them for a large portion of the 2024 season. These IR stints had a negative impact on their respective franchises last year and the health of these players continues to be a major storyline going into the new campaign.

With that in mind, let's highlight five players who are either currently sidelined or working their way back from serious injuries that could have a massive impact on the 2025 NFL season.

WR Brandon Aiyuk, San Francisco 49ers

AP Photo/Eakin Howard

The San Francisco 49ers are hoping to bounce back from the Super Bowl hangover they suffered in 2024. The roster was overhauled this spring, but it could be lacking talent in what used to be a depth-laden receiving corps.

With Deebo Samuel being shipped to the Washington Commanders and Jauan Jennings—one of the few bright spots on last year’s squad—embroiled in a contract dispute that could see him get dealt as well, the Niners might be left with 2024 first-round pick Ricky Pearsall as their top healthy wideout and little in the way of proven options behind him.

Brandon Aiyuk, the star receiver who earned a big extension last summer before going down with a torn ACL, still has no timeline for a return. He was dominant in 2023, racking up 1,342 yards and seven scores on 75 catches, and his health will be a key storyline for the Niners as the season approaches.

General manager John Lynch provided a cryptic update on the 27-year-old's status earlier this week, telling reporters the team has been "encouraged" by the strides he is making in his recovery but still isn't "anywhere close" to giving an ETA for his return to practice.

Given the extensive damage to Aiyuk's knee, it could be some time before he finds his way back into San Francisco's lineup. It's telling that the team worked out six wideouts on Monday, ultimately electing to sign Equanimeous St. Brown to provide some depth and insurance for both Jennings and Aiyuk.

If Aiyuk can get back in time to help the 49ers make a playoff push, it could swing what projects to be a close NFC West race. If he misses a majority of the year and doesn't look 100 percent upon his return, the Niners could well end up missing the postseason again.

WR Chris Godwin, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

AP Photo/Peter Joneleit

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers had a relatively quiet offseason, making it even more imperative that players who were sidelined with major injuries in 2024, such as star wide receiver Chris Godwin, make a full recovery and return to action quickly.

Tampa's aging receiving corps—headlined by perennial Pro Bowler Mike Evans—did receive a much-needed injection of youth with the first-round addition of Emeka Egbuka, but the squad will still need Godwin to play a major role if it wants to contend in a tougher NFC South in 2025.

The 29-year-old went down in Week 7 with a dislocated ankle, a significant injury that reportedly required a second surgery in the spring. Prior to that ailment, he had tallied an impressive 50 catches for 576 yards and five touchdowns—putting him on pace for a career-best stat line and a second Pro Bowl nod.

After missing all practice sessions during minicamp and OTAs, Godwin was recently placed on the team's active/PUP list while he recovers from the surgery. It's worth noting the wideout can be taken off that list at any point during the offseason, but if he lands on the reserve/PUP list at the start of the campaign, he’ll then need to sit out a minimum of four games.

The Bucs will already be without Liam Coen, the offensive coordinator who installed an offense that saw the team rank in the top four for both yardage and points in 2024, after he accepted the Jacksonville Jaguars head coaching job.

Quarterback Baker Mayfield had the best season of his seven-year career under Coen, putting up a whopping 4,500 yards and 41 touchdowns while leading Tampa to a 10-7 record.

If Godwin can return to full strength and Josh Grizzard—Coen's understudy and replacement—can keep Tampa's offense firing on all cylinders, the team will be a great bet to capture a fifth consecutive divisional crown.

CB Jaylon Johnson, Chicago Bears

AP Photo/Scot Tucker

On the first day of training camp ahead of a season that holds so much promise for the up-and-coming Chicago Bears, the team learned that an injury to star cornerback Jaylon Johnson will keep him out for an extended stretch.

The 26-year-old injured his leg while working out away from the team and was placed on the non-football injury list this past weekend. On Tuesday, general manager Ryan Poles revealed the defensive back is expected to miss "several weeks" while he recovers, per ESPN's Courtney Cronin.

It's a tough loss for a franchise that issued Johnson a massive four-year, $76 million extension last April.

The corner has rapidly developed into one of the NFL's top options at his position, earning Pro Bowl nods in each of the last two seasons. He accumulated 89 tackles, 18 pass defenses, six interceptions (including one returned for a score), a pair of forced fumbles and a fumble recovery since the start of 2023 and is poised to continue anchoring Chicago's secondary in 2025.

Johnson's injury came just days after he revealed he wanted to renegotiate the terms of his contract following blockbuster deals signed by both Derek Stingley Jr. and Sauce Gardner this offseason, a pair of corners who will be making over $30 million annually.

It remains to be seen how much impact Johnson's absence will have on his and the Bears' preparations for a season-opening clash with the rival Minnesota Vikings on September 8. If he is sidelined for approximately half of the team's practice sessions leading up to the new campaign, it could set him and the Chicago defense up for a slow start to 2025.

Considering the Bears were one of the most active teams this offseason—overhauling both the coaching staff and roster—and have high hopes of snapping a four-year playoff drought (and potentially even win the franchise's first postseason contest since 2010), this injury is one to monitor throughout the remainder of the summer.

QB Dak Prescott, Dallas Cowboys

AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill

The Dallas Cowboys had an already rocky 2024 season go up in flames after it was revealed star quarterback Dak Prescott would miss the entire back half of the campaign after suffering a hamstring injury in Week 9.

The 31-year-old gave an encouraging update earlier in July, telling reporters he's "healthy as I'll be" and "full go for camp," which began for Dallas on Tuesday. He good on that update at the team's opening practice, displaying a quick rapport with new Cowboys wideout George Pickens.

While Prescott at least appears to be healthy and ready to put the hamstring issue behind him, he will need to stay on the field for the Cowboys to return to the playoffs after missing out in 2024—their first postseason absence in three years.

That trying season resulted in a shakeup on the sidelines, one that saw head coach Mike McCarthy depart and offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer assume the vacated role. He had mixed results during his two seasons working with Prescott, inconsistency that could come back to haunt the franchise in 2025.

While Prescott was electric in his first season in Schottenheimer's system—leading a top-five offense while putting up MVP-caliber numbers and gaining a third career Pro Bowl spot—and earned a record-breaking four-year, $240 million extension after the season, things started going downhill last year even prior to the hamstring issue.

The Cowboys were a concerning 3-5 in the eight games Prescott started (and 4-5 in the nine he was sidelined for) while the quarterback regressed noticeably. The offense went from ranking first in scoring and fifth in yardage in 2023 to finishing No. 17 and No. 21, respectively, in those categories last season.

Dallas is banking on the chemistry between Prescott and Schottenheimer—a connection that reportedly played a large part in the coordinator's promotion, per The Athletic's Michael Silver—to return the organization to prominence.

A healthy and motivated Prescott has shown he can thrive under Schottenheimer, but the signal-caller displayed some troubling signs before last year's injury. He needs to avoid getting hurt again if the Cowboys are going to finally snap a three-decade streak of missing the conference championship game.

WR Rashee Rice, Kansas City Chiefs

AP Photo/Reed Hoffmann

One key reason to believe the Kansas City Chiefs can stave off a Super Bowl hangover and bounce back stronger than before is the impending return of Rashee Rice.

The 25-year-old emerged as the club's top wideout shortly after Kansas City selected him in the second round of the 2023 draft. He finished his rookie campaign 938 receiving yards and a team-high seven receiving touchdowns on 79 receptions and then helped lift a Lombardi Trophy following a 26-catch, 262-yard, one-touchdown performance across four playoff games.

Set to build upon that and break out as a Pro Bowler in Year 2, Rice instead ended up missing a vast majority of the 2024 season with a knee injury suffered early in Week 4. Based on his efforts in the opening three contests, he was on track to rack up an eye-popping 136 receptions, 1,632 receiving yards and 11 touchdowns.

Although his comeback campaign has been marred with a jail sentence—the receiver was sentenced to 30 days for his part in a speeding incident that left multiple people injured on a Dallas highway last year—Rice will reportedly be a full participant in training camp if he remains healthy.

Rice drew praise from quarterback Patrick Mahomes during a May practice session and was a full participant in OTAs in early June. Head coach Andy Reid said the team plans to "progress as normal" and allocate Rice his usual reps despite the jail sentence and surgically-repaired knee.

While Rice has not yet been disciplined by the NFL for his role in the multi-vehicle car crash, league sources told The Athletic's Jenna West that the wideout is likely facing a "multi-game" suspension.

The Chiefs will need Rice back on the field and fully recovered to solidify their title chances. The team went from ranking No. 6 in passing offense during his rookie year to No. 14 without him for most of the 2024 campaign.