Offseason Goal NFL’s Worst Teams Must Achieve to Contend in 2025

Hope springs eternal in the NFL—at least this time of year.

Right now, all 32 teams in the NFL are 0-0. The Philadelphia Eagles may still be celebrating their victory in Super Bowl LIX, but the truth is 2024 no longer matters. Only 2025 does. And that is excellent news for teams who have little to celebrate about the season that was.

For fans of tomato cans, this may well be as good as things get this year. But at the moment, things are good. Sure, the teams have needs that much be addressed. But those teams have high draft picks with which to address them. Many also have a large war chest of salary cap space.

Those teams all share a common goal. Turn things around, ala the Washington Commanders last year. Go from punching bag to playoff contender.

However, while that goal may be a common one, the path to achieving it is unique to each team. Some need help in the trenches. Others need a quarterback. Others still divine intervention.

Each of the NFL's worst teams from a year ago has a primary goal that must be achieved for things to get better in the season to come.

And for the 10 teams that finished 2024 with a winning percentage below .300, here they are.

Hit on the First Overall Pick

The Tennessee Titans have two things working for them as they prepare for the 2025 season. The first is that they play in the worst division in the AFC and arguably the weakest in the entire league. The second is that Tennessee possesses the first pick in April's NFL Draft.

Tennessee also has just over $40 million in cap space. But while speaking to reporters in January, general manager Mike Borgonzi told reporters that the Titans are going to rebuild their broken franchise mainly through the draft.

"We'll supplement free agency, but we want to build through the draft," Borgonzi said. "We need to build that core foundation of players really to change the culture, and that takes a little bit of time."

Borgonzi also said that the Titans will listen to offers for the first pick. And if Tennessee can get the sort of haul the Chicago Bears did when they traded the first selection to Carolina a couple of years ago and the team doesn't love this year's top quarterback prospects, it's an idea worth exploring—even if it means punting on 2025.

But after watching Will Levis redefine the concept of poor decision-making in almost comical fashion at times in 2024, it's painfully clear that the Titans need a quarterback.

Whether it's Miami's Cam Ward or Colorado's Shedeur Sanders in 2025 or another guy this year or next, until the Titans get competent quarterback play, they might as well get comfortable in the AFC South cellar.

Pray for a Miracle

That isn't sarcasm. OK, it mostly isn't sarcasm.

Simply put, the Cleveland Browns are a mess.

The team's best player appears to see it—star edge-rusher Myles Garrett recently requested a trade. But while speaking to reporters, general manager Andrew Berry said the Browns have no intention of dealing Garrett.

"We feel really good about Myles, obviously, as a big piece of our future," Berry said. "We're looking forward to him being on the field. Like I said in my (early January) press conference, we envision him going from Cleveland to Canton when his career is over. I think you can assume that we do anticipate at some point doing a third contract with Myles. We want him to retire here."

Frankly, if the Browns could trade Garrett, it might not be that bad an idea. The team's 11-win 2023 campaign was a fluke. This is a bad football team with multiple issues on both sides of the ball.

But the dead cap hit for dealing the 2023 Defensive Player of the Year is a staggering $36.2 million. The Browns are already over $30 million over the projected 2025 cap thanks to the abomination that is Deshaun Watson's contract. They can't trade Garrett. Or make any big moves in free agency.

The Watson trade (and the fully guaranteed contract that came with it) was the single worst move in the history of the NFL. It has crippled the entire franchise—and there's no reasonable path to digging out of that pit in 2025.

Cleveland picks second in 2025. The first pick in 2026 is a distinct possibility.

Rebuild the Offense

OK, so as it turns out, giving Daniel Jones a four-year, $160 million contract extension in 2023 was a mistake. But the Giants realized that as well—the team released Jones back in November.

Thanks in part to that gaping hole at quarterback, only two NFL teams averaged fewer yards per game than the Giants in 2024. Only one team averaged fewer points. Obviously, that woeful production is a big reason why the Giants won just three games last season.

However, despite what those numbers might say, Giants general manager Joe Schoen said that the New York offense isn't as bad off as many believe.

“The way we built our roster, four of our five starting offensive linemen coming back,” Schoen said in an interview with Sirius XM NFL Radio. “In Malik Nabers, you have a No. 1 receiver on the roster. Young tight end that was really promising this year in Theo Johnson. And Tyrone Tracy. The cupboard’s not bare offensively.”

It's true that Nabers looks the part of a true No. 1 receiver, tallying over 1,200 yards as a rookie. Tracy was quite a find in the fifth round of last year's draft.

But outside Nabers, the Giants didn't have a player who tallied 700 receiving yards in 2024. The offensive line may have continuity, but Ben Rolfe of Pro Football Network ranked it 27th in the league.

Oh, and there's the matter of finding a new starting quarterback, which could be tricky if Ward and Sanders are the first two picks in April's draft.

It's a lot to accomplish in one offseason, even with a top-three pick and over $43 million in cap space.

Build an Offense Around Drake Maye

The New England Patriots struggled mightily on offense last year—the team was 31st in yards per game and 30th in points per game. But unlike most of the league's other bottom-feeders offensively, the Pats appear to have found their quarterback in Drake Maye.

Nick Shook of NFL.com ranked Maye outside the top-20 quarterbacks of 2024. But he also said that the Pats are on to something with last year's third overall pick.

"Maye was the memorable silver lining in a very forgettable Patriots season," Shook said. "Despite New England's lack of talent and general dysfunction, Maye found success and proved he was fit for the job. He has incredibly quick processing for an inexperienced quarterback, is rarely fazed by the opponent and has the physical tools to succeed in the modern NFL. The Patriots should (and hopefully will) build around him, because he's the successor they've sought since Tom Brady's departure."

The Patriots are well-equipped for an offensive overhaul, with a top-five pick and a whopping $119.8 million in cap space. That's good though, because New England needs just about everything except a quarterback.

The team's pass-catching talent and offensive line are both arguably the league's worst. Running back Rhamondre Stevenson averaged less than four yards a carry last year.

Even if you believe in Maye as the team's future under center, he has to be given an opportunity to succeed.

And that means attacking every aspect of the offense around him in both free agency and the draft.

Fix Trevor Lawrence

The Jacksonville Jaguars face a double-edged dilemma in 2025.

To be clear, the defense in Duval County needs work—a lot of it. The Jaguars were gashed with regularity on the ground and through the air. No team in the AFC allowed more yards per game.

But while Jacksonville should absolutely dedicate a chunk of its $32 million and change of cap space and perhaps the fifth overall pick to improving defensively, the Jags aren't headed anywhere unless new head coach Liam Coen can figure out how to get quarterback Trevor Lawrence back on track.

The Jaguars thought enough of Lawrence to hand him a five-year, $275 million extension last year. But the fact is that dating back to the second half of the 2023 season, Lawrence hasn't played like a $55 million quarterback.

Coen hired Grant Udinski to serve as offensive coordinator, and Udinski told reporters he has every confidence that Lawrence can regain the form that led the Jaguars to the AFC South title in 2022.

"There's a lot that stands out. Once again, the physical talent you can see," Udinski said. "The most exciting thing for me is the guy and the person as I've started to form this relationship because, like I said, the quarterback position is still played by a person, it's still a human being back there who's gotta stand back there and navigate tight pockets and hits and escape and deal with 10 other guys in the huddle, all 11 on defense and make those decisions and snap judgments."

If Lawrence rebounds, the Jags could be a factor in the AFC South last year.

If he doesn't, Jacksonville could have an even bigger dilemma in 2026—a $55 million bust.

Improve Under Center...Markedly

There's more than a little enthusiasm in Sin City this spring, despite a miserable 2024 campaign. The team hired a coach in Pete Carroll who has won a Super Bowl. The team has the second-most cap space in the NFL.

But the Raiders also have myriad needs—chief among them quarterback.

Las Vegas has been connected to just about every big-name free agent under center, from Aaron Rodgers to Russell Wilson. While addressing the media, Carroll said that he wouldn't rule out anyone, including a reunion with his old quarterback in Seattle.

"It's so early, and we're just in the midst of trying to find the puzzle pieces. We're not even putting them together yet, so I can't even say," Carroll said. "Free agency hasn't come yet. That's the first competitive opportunity that will occur. Then, the draft is coming. We'll have that opportunity. I can't tell you right now. I could guess, but it would just be a guess. I promise you, if you're a real competitor, you're not letting options get away from you. So we're going to consider every option as a possibility, and we'll go after it very aggressively, with intent, and hopefully with a sense and a feeling that people want to be part of this thing."

One player isn't going to magically fix the Raiders. Most of the veterans available would be short-term stopgaps at best. And it may take a trade up in Round 1 to land a top prospect in the draft.

But in a division where three teams made the postseason last year, the Raiders can't afford to enter the season with Aidan "Oh no!" O'Connell leading the offense.

Find a New Quarterback

A year ago at this time, the New York Jets had aspirations of making the playoffs. But after a disastrous 2024 season, the team is moving on from Aaron Rodgers, there's a new head coach in Aaron Glenn and Gang Green is seemingly hitting the reset button...again.

With less than $17 million in cap space, the Jets aren't in a position to spend big on a free agent quarterback. The seventh overall pick all but certainly isn't good enough to land Cam Ward or Shedeur Sanders.

However, while at the Senior Bowl, Rick Spielman (who has since joined the Jets as an adviser) brought up another potential option—Jaxson Dart of Ole Miss.

"I like Jaxson Dart a lot—better and better and better," Spielman said during a podcast appearance. "It just looks like the position comes natural to him. I came away impressed. I'm going to say this. I don't know if there's another first-round quarterback after the first two, but the way Bo Nix started to surge last year coming out of this game, I would not be surprised if [Dart] ends up in the first round."

At this point in the pre-draft process, drafting Dart inside the top 10 would be considered a sizable reach by most. But as we move into the combine and pro days, opinions could change. The Jets could also potentially move back in Round 1.

However the Jets do it, their only chance of contention in 2025 is to somehow accomplish a goal that has eluded the team for decades:

Finding a quality option at the game's most important position.

Get Much Better Defensively

There wouldn't appear to be a ton of good news in a five-win season. But there were bright spots for the Carolina Panthers in 2024. After being benched earlier in the season, Bryce Young's play down the stretch improved considerably. There appears to be hope for the first overall pick in 2023.

However, if Young is going to build on that success and the Panthers are going to start stacking some wins, Carolina's defense needs a fairly thorough overhaul...because it was terrible last season.

The Panthers were the only team in the NFL to allow over 400 yards of offense per game in 2024. They were the only team in the NFL to surrender more than 30 points per game in 2024. Carolina's 32 sacks were tied for the third-fewest in the league.

Former Panthers great Luke Kuechly told reporters that, in his opinion, targeting a defender with the eighth overall pick is an easy call.

“Do we go defense? There’s some good edge rushers, there’s a couple of inside guys that are really good," Kuechly said. "Do we try to find Bryce more playmakers? I think sitting there at eight, we’re going to have some really good opportunities. I’m looking forward to seeing what we do. I’m a defensive guy, love pass rushers and I love big inside defensive linemen. There’s a guy in Michigan, Mason Graham, he’s a stud. Abdul Carter, the two guys at Georgia, they’re all over the place. We just gotta go pick the right one.”

The defense had better be a priority, both early in the draft and in free agency.

Because if the Panthers give up 400-plus yards and 30-plus points a game again in 2025, it won't matter how well Young plays.

Tread Water...Again

This one comes with a massive caveat—it's not what the New Orleans Saints should do. It's what they have been doing for years. And they should stop.

Since the end of the Drew Brees era (and frankly even before that), the Saints have played kick the can. They've pushed their significant salary cap issues down the road, assembled a team that is good but not great and attempted to either win a weak NFC South or sneak into the postseason as a wild card.

Four years running it hasn't worked. But while speaking to reporters, New Orleans general manager Mickey Loomis didn't sound the part of a man looking at a rebuild—or a person overly concerned about being a league-high $54.1 million in the red against the salary cap.

"I'm positive. I'm glass half-full at all times. Even in a 5-12 season, I see a lot of things that were positive that we can build on," Loomis said. "So, I'm on the side of, man, this thing can go the other direction pretty quickly. I'm pretty comfortable with where we're at. I'm comfortably uncomfortable. It's something we have to manage, but there's a lot of teams that have to manage their cap that way. Some of the ones are going to have to at some point. I feel OK about where we're at. I think we're making progress from where we've been the last few years, and so I'm feeling better about it."

A long-term fix for the Saints likely involves a tear-down. Starting over at quarterback. Making hard choices that can finally remedy the cap nightmare. Suffering through a bad season or two to get right financially and find a franchise quarterback.

But if the Saints want to vie for a playoff spot in Kellen Moore's first season as head coach, it's more of the same. Retain quarterback Derek Carr. Restructure umpteen contracts to worry about in 2026.

And hope that 9-10 wins is good enough for a postseason spot.

Retool the Offensive Line

The rookie season of first overall pick Caleb Williams had its highs and its lows. At times, Williams showed the electrifying talent that made him the first player drafted. There were also times when he looked very much like a rookie.

There's a new head coach in Chicago in Ben Johnson, and while speaking to the media, Johnson said he expects big things from Williams in Year 2—in part because he's going to tailor the Bears offense around him.

"Standing on the opposite sideline from him this year, I gained a tremendous amount of respect for not only the talent level that he possesses but also the type of person he is," Johnson said. "This is going to be really, I like to fancy the quarterback's offense. We're going to tailor this right around Caleb Williams. It will not be necessarily what you've seen me (do in Detroit) the last three years. We're gonna find out exactly what our quarterback does well and that's really where we're going to anchor on."

It's a wise move provided the Bears also do something about an offensive line that gave up a staggering 68 sacks in 2024. Some of that is due to Williams holding the ball too long. But the offensive line has to be a focus of Chicago's offense. The focus.

The Bears are well equipped to upgrade that line with a top-10 draft pick and almost $63 million in cap space.

Quality. Quantity. The Bears need both.

And they have the assets to acquire them.