With every NFL mandatory minicamp behind us, training camp looms.
And with training camp comes the end of the offseason, and the full-blown start of when all 32 teams begin pursuing their dreams of winning Super Bowl LX in Santa Clara, Calif. come February.
But before we launch ourselves into the predictions and prognostications of the 2025 season, and the action on the fields across the country approximately a month from now, let’s look back.
Let’s unpack the offseason that was and discuss the most notable topics, ranging from a veteran quarterback going to an interesting AFC North team, another AFC North team refusing to recognize it needs to play defense and a long-standing institution leaving us because technology (i.e. the nerds) are winning.
Good: Aaron Rodgers finally making a decision
Our long, national nightmare is over.
After hemming and hawing for months on whether to play and where to do so, Rodgers finally decided to sign a one-year deal with the Pittsburgh Steelers, worth up to $13 million total with incentives.
Rodgers, 41, is trying to rebound from a disastrous two-year stint with the New York Jets. The first season was lost four plays in due to an Achilles tear, and last season saw the Jets go 5–12. With the Steelers, Rodgers has a better supporting cast led by coach Mike Tomlin, but the marriage with offensive coordinator Arthur Smith is an intriguing one.
Smith’s offenses tend to be heavy on motion and prefer the quarterback to be under center more than most other schemes. Rodgers, meanwhile, doesn’t like presnap motion and wants to be in the shotgun. Which preference will win out?
Ultimately, the Steelers are now a good team with designs of making the playoffs. If Rodgers can get Pittsburgh its first postseason win since 2016, it will be a success.
But the biggest success of it all? He finally made a decision.
Bad: The Ravens losing Ar’Darius Washington for the year
The Baltimore Ravens are loading up for another run at the Super Bowl, but things got much tougher in May.
Only two weeks after selecting Georgia safety Malaki Starks in the first round of the draft, the Ravens lost Ar'Darius Washington for the season with a torn Achilles sustained during conditioning.
How important was Washington, the soon-to-be free agent, to Baltimore’s defense in 2024? In the first seven games of the season, the Ravens allowed 25.7 points per game, while Washington never played at least 55% of the defensive snaps. Over the last 10 regular-season games, Washington eclipsed that figure each time, and the Ravens only permitted 18.1 PPG.
While having Starks certainly helps, the loss of Washington playing next to All-Pro Kyle Hamilton is a major blow to a secondary, even with the addition of Jaire Alexander this week on a one-year deal.
Ugly: Whatever is happening with the Browns, Colts and Saints under center
It isn’t football season unless there are a few disastrous quarterback situations.
The Cleveland Browns and Indianapolis Colts are annual participants in this scenario, this year being joined by the New Orleans Saints.
In Cleveland, there are two rookies (Shedeur Sanders and Dillon Gabriel) and two veterans (Kenny Pickett and Joe Flacco) fighting for the job. Smart money says Flacco gets the nod in Week 1 considering his history with coach Kevin Stefanski, but time will tell.
Then there are the Colts, who have third-year man Anthony Richardson and veteran Daniel Jones coming in on a one-year deal. With coach Shane Steichen also in his third year, patience is undoubtedly running short on many fronts. Last year, Richardson completed 47.7% of his pass attempts, threw more interceptions (12) than touchdowns (8), and pulled himself from a game because he was tired. Now, Richardson is dealing with a shoulder injury that could fester into training camp.
Finally, the Saints have second-round rookie Tyler Shough competing with second-year quarterbacks Jake Haener and Spencer Rattler in what could be the most depressing battle under center since the days of Trevor Siemian, Paxton Lynch and Mark Sanchez in Denver circa 2016.
Good: The Bills extending most of their young talent
Good on the Buffalo Bills.
So often, teams that get close to a ring but fail for a few years decide to make drastic changes to both the coaching staff and the roster. In Buffalo’s case, the Bills decided to double down on the current group.
This offseason, general manager Brandon Beane extended a slew of his younger, homegrown players, including corner Christian Benford, receiver Khalil Shakir, linebacker Terrel Bernard and edge rusher Gregory Rousseau. There’s not a single Pro Bowl or All-Pro nod between the quartet, but each is a rising star at his position and Beane got them all on good deals.
The only remaining question in this realm is running back James Cook, who has a year left on his rookie deal. Cook led the league with 16 rushing touchdowns in 2024 but is still slated for free agency. If Cook re-signs at some point, that’s another home run for Beane and the Bills.
Bad: Frank Ragnow retiring for the Lions
This has quietly been a very, very tough offseason for the Detroit Lions.
After being upset at home in the divisional round by Jayden Daniels and the Washington Commanders, Detroit lost both of its coordinators, Ben Johnson and Aaron Glenn, to head coaching jobs in Chicago and New York, respectively. The Lions also saw Pro Bowl guard Kevin Zeitler leave in free agency for a one-year deal with the Tennessee Titans.
However, it seemed the extent of the departures was known, until All-Pro center Frank Ragnow shockingly announced his retirement on June 2. Without Ragnow and Zeitler on the interior, the Lions went from having the best offensive line in football alongside the Philadelphia Eagles to having significant questions about 40% of the front.
Currently, Detroit is leaning on second-round pick Tate Ratledge to replace Zeitler at right guard. Meanwhile, 2024’s left guard, Graham Glasgow, is sliding over to play center in the absence of Ragnow. Glasgow, 32, has played center before, including in his first tour with Detroit, when he started 16 games in the pivot in ’18.
The Lions have enjoyed tremendous continuity in the coaching staff and along the offensive line for years. No more.
Ugly: Getting rid of the chain gang in the name of science
This pains me on an emotional level. And while we’re taught in journalism to never be the subject, this is an exception (to an extent).
For years, technology has encroached on sports largely for the good of the respective games involved. Soccer got VAR. Tennis got Hawk-Eye. Baseball got instant replay and caught up with the current century. Congrats.
But football has remained relatively untouched this century. Instant replay has been here (on and off) since the 1970s, while the ability to challenge decisions was instituted before the 1999 season. Sure, we’ve gotten the first-down line, but that’s for TV viewers only.
Now, we’re getting rid of the first-down markers and those responsible for holding up those beautiful orange sticks because the league is going to a Hawk-Eye first-down system.
Why? Yes, we know it’s because Josh Allen may or may not have gotten a key first down at Arrowhead Stadium in the AFC title game. Fine. Not everything needs to be overhauled because the Bills couldn’t pick up 18 inches. There’s a certain drama that comes with the chain gang running onto the field, the chain stretching and everyone waiting to see what happens.
Maybe that’s the traditionalist in me talking. Maybe there won’t be an ounce of nostalgia for this in a decade. But frankly, I hope the technology breaks down in the Super Bowl, and the chain gang has to come to the rescue in Santa Clara.
Good: J.J. McCarthy’s chances of being a star
Look, in every building you walk into in this profession, you always hear glowing things about two buckets of people: quarterbacks and high draft picks. In the case of McCarthy, he’s both.
And while the Vikings are always going to project confidence about McCarthy no matter what, the buzz about him has been real since last training camp when the rookie was dazzling coaches and teammates with a variety of throws before being lost for the year with a torn meniscus.
Notably, Minnesota didn’t go after a veteran backup quarterback this offseason. They didn’t sign Rodgers. Instead, they stayed the course with McCarthy, who stepped into one of the best situations in recent memory.
The Vikings are coming off a 14-win season and upgraded an already decent offensive line by adding guard Will Fries and center Ryan Kelly, both from Indianapolis, on multi-year deals. Factor in the return of left tackle Christian Darrisaw from a knee injury, and the Vikings’ offense should be scary.
By the way, the last time a team that won 14-plus games turned over the reins to a quarterback with no NFL experience? Brian Griese with the 1999 Denver Broncos, who took over for the retiring John Elway. It’s been a while.
Bad: What the 2025 Bengals defense is about to be
The Cincinnati Bengals are going to be an amazing case study in how far three players can get a team.
Cincinnati did what many thought it wouldn’t and gave massive, nine-figure extensions to receivers Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins. However, the Bengals also failed to address the league’s 25th-ranked defense in any meaningful way, save for using their first-round pick on defensive end Shemar Stewart.
However, Stewart not only remains unsigned after a prolonged contractual dispute with the team, but he also delivered strong words through the media while at minicamp before leaving early. Then there’s the matter of fellow edge rusher Trey Hendrickson threatening to hold out for the entire campaign if he doesn’t get a lucrative extension.
All told, the Bengals have an offense capable of scoring 30 points per game. That might not be enough based on the defensive depth chart and new coordinator Al Golden, who has no experience at his current position on the NFL level.
Ugly: Everything about the George Pickens trade
In theory, the Dallas Cowboys are the winners here. They acquired a star receiver on his rookie deal for a third-round pick from the Steelers.
Of course, there’s a reason Pittsburgh general manager Omar Khan gave up on Pickens. And not only gave up on Pickens but relinquished a second-round pick and signed an older receiver in DK Metcalf to a $120 million extension this winter.
Pickens, 24, has been mercurial throughout his three-year career and now lands on a team with a first-time coach in Brian Schottenheimer. Perhaps Pickens is on his best behavior as he looks for a new contract, but that’s also a risk of this trade. In most cases, Dallas would extend any young player in which it gave up a top-100 pick, but Pickens didn’t get one.
If the Cowboys don’t like their experience with Pickens, they could let him walk and hope to recoup the third-rounder by getting a compensatory pick for the 2027 draft. That said, it’s a risky maneuver, as a signing could cancel out the loss in the compensatory formula.
As for the Steelers side of things, wouldn’t it have made the most sense to hold onto Pickens for another year?
Pittsburgh signed Rodgers and is in win-now mode. T.J. Watt is on the wrong side of 30 years old. Cameron Heyward has been on the wrong side for some time. Metcalf is turning 28 this season. Why not keep Pickens and pair him with Metcalf, hope the pairing is electrifying, and then do a tag-and-trade after the season?
Maybe one side ends up very happy, but this feels like a potential lose-lose scenario.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as The Good, Bad and Ugly From the 2025 NFL Offseason.