5 NFL Teams That Should be Worried More About Next Year's Draft than 2025 Season

Sometimes, an NFL season is lost before it even begins.

Certain squads simply aren't built to be competitive against the league's best. The worst possible place an organization can find itself is stuck in mediocrity without a franchise quarterback. In reality, only a handful of squads have the overall talent level where it counts to be considered legitimate Super Bowl contenders (as long as they remain healthy).

Once that former point is reached, what can a franchise do?

The "T" word won't be used, because NFL teams are going to try and win even if it's not in their best interests. And they should. Eventually, reality sets in, especially when a squad is particularly outmatched against the a top opponent.

It's impossible to think of winning on a consistent basis when rivals are trotting Patrick Mahomes, Josh Allen, Lamar Jackson and others onto the field. A roster needs to be built to near-perfection, with a lucky streak added to the mix, in order for a squad without top quarterback play to compete at a championship level.

Fortunately, the 2026 NFL draft class appears loaded at the quarterback position. However, those options will come off the board quickly. Thus, certain organizations should already have their gaze set upon a top prospect in order to make the necessary on-field leap.

Cleveland Browns

AP Photo/Rusty Jones

Cleveland Browns quarterback Shedeur Sanders

The Cleveland Browns have been a rudderless organization for over a quarter-century. They've had three different owners at the helm and 10 different full-time head coaches since the franchise returned to the NFL in 1999. However, poor quarterback play has been the one constant.

No team has been more maligned because of the revolving door behind center. Now, the Browns are about to enter the 2025 campaign with the 40-year-old Joe Flacco as their chosen starter.

Obviously, Flacco isn't the long-term answer. He may not even be a short-term solution if he plays anything like the version that donned an Indianapolis Colts uniform last season. The Browns aren't a serious challenger with the 17-year veteran leading the way.

What's the best possible outcome? Flacco plays well enough to get Cleveland into the postseason again only to fall short in the first round?

The Browns did invest two draft picks in the quarterback position this spring. Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders were selected in the third and fifth rounds, respectively. While both have provided glimmers of hope this preseason, its falls on the coaching staff and organization to eventually commit to one of them and ensure their hand-picked option can be a legitimate NFL starter. Until that's proven by one or the other, neither is the answer.

Right now, the Browns aren't even committing to playing either. Though it seems like a foregone conclusion that it will eventually happen. Besides, mid-round draft picks aren't guaranteed anything. The investment isn't great enough to demand those young quarterbacks gets a fair and extended look.

Once again, the Browns are a mess at the game's most important position. The organization must finally go all in with a quarterback either now, with one of the rookies on the roster, or move on next offseason.

Indianapolis Colts

AP Photo/Zach Bolinger

Indianapolis Colts quarterback Daniel Jones

The Indianapolis Colts are teetering on the edge of the abyss, with an organizational reset only step ahead.

The decision to move forward with Daniel Jones as the squad's starting quarterback all but seals the fate for the 2023 fourth overall draft pick, Anthony Richardson.

"No hard feelings, it's never personal," Richardson told reporters after the decision became public. "I can't let me not being the starter stop me from growing to be the person and player that I'm supposed to be. I just gotta stay focused and keep grinding."

A trade may be in Richardson's future. As of now, he's QB2 in Indy, with a need to continue his development. The Colts can benefit by trying to get something in return for his services after failing to harness the 23-year-old's immense physical gifts.

Meanwhile, Jones will get an opportunity to redeem himself as an NFL starting quarterback after flaming out with the New York Giants. The Colts aren't even looking for a playmaker at the position. Right now, all they want is someone who is going to prepare properly and orchestrate the offense. It's a very low bar for Jones to clear, and he still may not do so. Besides, he's operating under a one-year contract this fall.

"I think this league is a year-to-year league," head coach Shane Steichen said. "And I do what I feel is best for the Colts in 2025 and I've got to make these decisions. That's what I get paid to do, and I've got to go with what I feel is right."

Ironically, the coach's initial comment reflects directly onto himself. It applies to general manager Chris Ballard as well. Without a strong performance from Jones and the team as a whole, the Colts, under the new leadership of CEO Carlie Irsay-Gordon, likely goes in another direction at all three levels, including a new quarterback.

New Orleans Saints

AP Photo/Gerald Herbert

New Orleans Saints quarterback Tyler Shough

The New Orleans Saints enter Week 3 of the preseason without a decision of who should start at quarterback for the 2025 regular season. Neither Spencer Rattler nor second-round rookie Tyler Shough have taken command of the spot and earned a strong backing to lead the team.

The Saints are already viewed as the league's worst team. In fact, they have the longest odds of any squad to make a Super Bowl run by a rather comfortable margin. Those odds are heavily reliant on a recent fifth-round draft pick or a soon-to-be 26-year-old rookie leading the way, with an understanding that it's unlikely either emerges as a franchise quarterback.

So, the Saints enter the 2025 as the favorite to earn next year's No. 1 overall draft pick, where the possibility of an Arch Manning, LaNorris Sellers or Fernando Mendoza awaits.

Keep in mind, New Orleans is once again projected to be well into the red regarding the '26 salary cap, per Spotrac. Franchise stalwarts Cameron Jordan, Demario Davis, and Alvin Kamara are already 36, 36 and 30, respectively.

Looking around the NFC South, each of the Saints' rivals have already made their primary investments in the quarterback position. Maybe Bryce Young and Michael Penix Jr. don't work out for the Carolina Panthers or Atlanta Falcons. At the same time, no one is going to argue the Saints are in a better position than either of those organizations. They're all trailing the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, with Baker Mayfield playing better with each passing season.

The Saints franchise is currently stuck in a worse predicament than getting caught in Bayou mud. The only way out is a quarterback who can serve as a winch to pull the organization out of the muck.

New York Jets

AP Photo/Noah K. Murray

New York Jets quarterback Justin Fields

Justin Fields is now with his third team in hopes of proving himself as a franchise quarterback. Maybe, the third time is the charm. The New York Jets certainly hope so.

Others aren't around the league aren't as hopeful.

"(The Jets) know who he is, what he is, and they are going to try to structure things for him," an anonymous offensive coach told The Athletic's Mike Sando. "The problem is, the hardest thing to fix with a quarterback is keeping their eyes up the field, seeing the field and not being affected by the rush. And those are three of the worst things that he does."

An argument can be made that Fields never received the support he should have with either the Chicago Bears or Pittsburgh Steelers. Chicago never supplied a quality supporting cast around the former first-round draft pick, while Pittsburgh's coaching staff remained dead set on going the veteran route with Russell Wilson last year.

The Jets are banking on two facts: Fields is only 26 years old with plenty of remaining growth potential, and his athleticism can continue to be a weapon in the meantime.

Interestingly, New York can take a different approach by becoming a run-heavy team reliant on its quarterback and young backfield with multiple talent ball-carriers in Breece Hall, Braelon Allen and Isaiah Davis. In doing so, the Jets are inherently limiting what they're capable of achieving.

Yes, Fields is special when working in space. Yet he needs to take a massive leap as a passer and become more consistent overall. The Jets understand their situation, hence why the organization didn't go all in with their current quarterback. New York can release Fields next offseason, designate him as a June 1 cut and save $10 million of his $13 million salary-cap charge.

More than likely, Gang Green will have its sights set on another quarterback next offseason.

Pittsburgh Steelers

AP Photo/Matt Freed

Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers

Here's the primary question anyone invested in the Pittsburgh Steelers need to ask themselves about this season: Are they significantly better than any of their recent squads that finished with nine or 10 wins over the last four seasons?

The answer is no.

Pittsburgh is the primary culprit among teams cosplaying as Super-Bowl contenders. Everyone might look good on paper, but the team itself still isn't equipped to perform at the highest level, even with the acquisitions made this offseason.

Aaron Rodgers can provide a veteran presence at quarterback and still make some throws that recent Steelers quarterbacks can't. At the same time, he turns 42 before the season ends, and he's no longer the caliber of quarterback that so many fondly remember.

DK Metcalf gives the Steelers an awesome physical presence at wide receiver. He's a more consistent option compared to George Pickens. Then, the organization traded Pickens away, which minimized the impact of Metcalf's acquisition since the team lacks a true No. 2 target.

Broderick Jones is moving from right to left tackle after struggling during his sophomore campaign. Dan Moore Jr. wasn't great by any means. At the same time, Jones has to prove himself as an NFL left tackle. Furthermore, Troy Fautanu is now starting at right tackle after missing almost all of his rookie campaign. So, Rodgers bookends are suspect.

Defensively, the Steelers added veteran cornerbacks Jalen Ramsey and Darius Slay, as well as safety Juan Thornhill. Ramsey's acquisition came at the cost of five-time Pro Bowl defensive back Minkah Fitzpatrick. Also, those aforementioned additions will all be 30 or older by the end of this season.

Finally, this year's first-round draft pick, Derrick Harmon, will likely miss the first month of the season due to a sprained MCL, per NFL Network's Ian Rapoport.

The Steelers are going to be competitive. A winning record is almost a foregone conclusion during Mike Tomlin's tenure. They still fall well short of the AFC's elite. After going all in this fall, a hard reset may be necessary next offseason.