Excitement Meter for Every NFL Team Entering Offseason Activities

Spring is the season of optimism in the NFL.

Your team has spent some money in free agency, added players with potential in the draft, and this is pretty much as healthy as the roster will be all year.

It's easy to be fired up.

With that in mind, let's gauge the excitement surrounding each team as offseason activities loom, on a scale of 1 to 10.

AFC East

AP Photo/Jeffrey T. Barnes

Josh Allen

Buffalo Bills: 7 -- You've got the most valuable quarterback of the 2020s and you've added D.J. Moore to his receiving corps. A change of the guard at head coach also makes things a little more interesting for a team that is always in the picture but continually falls short of the Super Bowl. 

Miami Dolphins: 7 -- The expectations are actually quite low, but the presence of a new general manager (Jon-Eric Sullivan), head coach (Jeff Hafley) and quarterback (Malik Willis) certainly stirs things up for a rebuilding Miami squad. 

New England Patriots: 9 -- A surprise Super Bowl run inevitably sparks excitement, and the potential addition of star receiver A.J. Brown only builds on that for the young Patriots. 

New York Jets: 3 -- Geno Smith doesn't move the needle, even if he's got a decent supporting cast and the Jets have added a pair of first-round picks to the pass-catching corps. This is a suck-it-up year for Gang Green. 

AFC North

AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar

Lamar Jackson

Baltimore Ravens: 7 -- Same logic here as Buffalo. You keep falling short, but you've got an elite quarterback, a decent supporting cast and a new-looking coaching staff. The excitement isn't through the roof, but it remains a good time to be a Ravens fan. 

Cincinnati Bengals: 5 -- As long as you've got that offense in its prime, there's reason to be pumped. But the fact that this core has fallen short of the playoffs in three straight years has us pumping the brakes a bit. 

Cleveland Browns: 5 -- A new coaching staff, lots of competition at quarterback and the presence of the best defensive player in the game compensate for the fact this ain't a contender. 

Pittsburgh Steelers: 5 -- Aaron Rodgers' potential return and a new coaching staff doesn't change the fact this feels like a good-not-great team that lacks an elite quarterback and is destined to be one-and-done at best in the playoffs for the ninth consecutive year. 

AFC South

AP Photo/John Raoux

Trevor Lawrence and Liam Coen

Houston Texans: 6 --  They remain a good young team with a good young coaching staff and a talented young quarterback, but said QB has been a tremendous disappointment the last two years so it feels like these guys have hit their ceiling. 

Indianapolis Colts: 4 -- Daniels Jones' injury (and the rough stretch that preceded it) puts a damper on things 

Jacksonville Jaguars: 9 -- It sure feels like the Jaguars have something cooking with head coach Liam Coen. Trevor Lawrence finally broke out with 15 touchdown passes to one interception and a 113.2 passer rating in his last six games as the Jags went 8-0 to conclude the 2025 regular season. This is a rising team. 

Tennessee Titans: 3 -- Cam Ward still has a high ceiling and Robert Saleh taking over as head coach counts for something, but this is a rebuilding team that is just laying the foundation in 2025.

AFC West

AP Photo/John Locher

Trevor Mendoza

Denver Broncos: 9 -- You proved you're a legit contender last year and there's no reason to think that growth won't continue in Year 3 for Bo Nix. Adding Jaylen Waddle to the offense only throws fuel onto the fire.

Kansas City Chiefs: 2 -- This team was no longer looking like a prime contender even before losing Patrick Mahomes, who is a massive question mark entering the offseason program. You get the feeling we're witnessing the end of a dynasty. 

Las Vegas Raiders: 9 -- Top pick Fernando Mendoza does most of the heavy lifting here, but let's not look past Klint Kubiak's invigorating new regime as well as a young offensive core and the complicated return of Maxx Crosby on D. This will be a team to watch in 2026, regardless of how it fares in the win column. 

Los Angeles Chargers: 6 -- The talent is there, and the Jim Harbaugh-Mike McDaniel combo should be interesting. But it's also easy to wonder if the Bolts are stuck between average and contender status. 

NFC East

AP Photo/Adam Hunger

Jaxson Dart

Dallas Cowboys: 6 -- I mean, the nucleus hasn't really changed after they went 7-9-1 in 2025, but they have added some quality guys on defense and the talent is there for a run. This remains one of the most intriguing teams in pro football. 

New York Giants: 9 -- The potential is undeniable, and there is a huge delta between ceiling and floor for a team that is loaded with intriguing young talent on both sides of the ball and has brought in a Super Bowl-winning head coach. 

Philadelphia Eagles: 6 -- You can't go much lower than a six for a prime contender, but it's status quo for a still-flawed team that may be trading away its No. 1 receiver. It's hard to get too fired up here. 

Washington Commanders: 6 -- Jayden Daniels is doing a lot of heavy lifting here. Dude has clear superstar potential, but if he falls short or can't stay healthy again in 2026, this is one of the most uninteresting teams in the league. 

NFC North

AP Photo/Kamil Krzaczynski

Caleb Williams

Chicago Bears: 9 -- This is all about Ben Johnson and Caleb Williams taking it to another level in their second season together. Can they take that next step? There's a lot of intrigue, even with limited offseason changes. 

Detroit Lions: 5 -- Have they hit a wall? They'll entertain on offense regardless, but a non-playoff campaign followed by limited offseason progress doesn't result in a lot of momentum. 

Green Bay Packers: 6 -- They're the Lions but a little less far down that road toward exhaustion. At least the quarterback is younger with a higher ceiling? 

Minnesota Vikings: 7 -- The addition of Kyler Murray and a potential quarterback battle with J.J. McCarthy spices things up for a team that has the core talent to make waves.  

NFC South

AP Photo/Tyler Kaufman

Tyler Shough

Atlanta Falcons: 6 -- The addition of Tua Tagovailoa and a potential quarterback battle with Michael Penix Jr. spices things up for a team that has superb offensive talent but still probably has a non-contender ceiling. 

Carolina Panthers: 5 -- Another full year for Bryce Young and Tetairoa McMillan is worth some excitement, but is this really a team that has earned our attention just yet?

New Orleans Saints: 4 -- Quarterback Tyler Shough helps the Saints' cause quite a bit in terms of 2026 intrigue, but there isn't a lot else going for this rebuilding squad.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers: 3 -- The Bucs are short on both mid-prime talent and intriguing young pieces. They aren't really rebuilding, nor are they a contender. They just exist as one of the league's most "meh" teams.

NFC West

AP Photo/Jessie Alcheh

Jacoby Brissett

Arizona Cardinals: 1 -- A Jacoby Brissett-Gardner Minshew II quarterback situation isn't sparking much interest in a team that hasn't been above .500 since 2021 and is unlikely to put up a fight in a killer division. 

Los Angeles Rams: 8 -- Not a lot has changed, but they're a no-doubter contender with one of the strongest rosters in football.

San Francisco 49ers: 7 -- They're also a no-doubter contender but the continued bad luck with injuries puts a damper on the outlook for the 49ers in 2026. 

Seattle Seahawks: 8 -- Winning the Super Bowl is sure to cause considerable excitement, but some emotional losses and the inevitable threat of a hangover/letdown are lingering here.