These NFL teams didn't make the playoffs — what will it take to bring them success in 2025?

Tennessee Titans

Pick a franchise quarterback.

Will Levis and Mason Rudolph alternating series for the offense in Week 18 should go down as a comedic end to what was a moribund season for Tennessee under center. My faith is a little shaken overall in the Brian Callahan regime after the way this season went for the Titans but this group will get their pick of the rookie crop at the first overall selection. Even if this is a weaker quarterback class, they’ll take their favorite of the bunch at that spot.

Cleveland Browns

Move on from the Deshaun Watson era.

Firing offensive coordinator Ken Dorsey but keeping Kevin Stefanski signaled this process has already begun. In all likelihood, Watson will be "on the team" in some form of fashion next season, but that doesn't mean they can't begin moving on. GM Andrew Berry announced Monday morning that Watson had a setback in his Achilles recovery, which could land him on the PUP list for the entire 2025 season. My guess is that he never takes another snap for this team while Kirk Cousins, on a cheap deal — he has ties to Stefanski from Minnesota — and a rookie passer are at the top of the depth chart next season.

New York Giants

Get serious about the quarterback position.

The Giants have approached the quarterback position with a degree of wishful thinking the last two seasons. Now that the Daniel Jones fantasy-land era is officially behind them, Brian Daboll and Joe Schoen can attempt to put their mark on the franchise with a quarterback of their choosing. That doesn’t absolve them of their sins in making the last two years of Giants' football a mess and the path forward isn’t exactly clean. New York will pick third in what’s said to be a weaker quarterback draft. With Malik Nabers and Tyrone Tracy Jr. in place, there is talent for the next signal-caller to grow up around.

New England Patriots

Surround Drake Maye with talent.

We saw plenty of promise out of the rookie quarterback in 2024, and the Patriots should feel quite bullish about his prospects. With Jerod Mayo out after one year, this team is almost a complete blank slate from a coaching and roster standpoint on the offensive side of the ball. New England has a bevy of cap space and a high draft pick to work with this offseason. Their primary focus should be to stack the deck for Maye along the offensive line and in the pass-catcher corps.

Jacksonville Jaguars

Hire the right play-calling head coach.

Doug Pederson got off to a strong start in his Jaguars tenure but things fell apart quite quickly. The scheme was stale and there often seemed to be a disconnect between the head coach and his quarterback. The top priority is to find the right person to maximize the offense with Trevor Lawrence at the helm, especially after Brian Thomas Jr. turned in a superstar rookie season.

Las Vegas Raiders

Get a starting-level quarterback.

Walking into the season with a Gardner Minshew vs. Aidan O’Connell quarterback battle never felt like a serious proposition and the result played out as expected. O’Connell was better than his elder counterpart in 2024 but they can’t fool themselves into thinking he’s a clear solution to the position going forward. The Raiders will pick sixth in this year’s draft and also have the sixth-most cap space in the NFL. They have Brock Bowers and Jakobi Meyers to form a solid duo for their next passer.

New York Jets

Turn the page.

The Aaron Rodgers experiment was a failure. The more the Jets leaned into it by bringing along additional folks he was familiar with, the fewer returns they got from the initial investment. There’s almost no way a new coaching staff would find the job attractive if making it work with Rodgers at this stage is a mandate. If Rodgers wants to continue playing football, it’s in everyone’s best interest if that takes place in another city. That means Davante Adams and the rest of the Rodgers crew will also not be brought back.

Carolina Panthers

Build around Bryce Young.

As Dave Canales said after Week 18's win, the Panthers know they have their guy in Carolina and can now look to construct the correct roster around him. Young was excellent down the stretch and there are some pieces to work with on offense. Adam Thielen should be back in 2025 and this team got some nice contributions from young pieces, notably UDFA rookie, Jalen Coker.

The work isn’t done. The offensive line took a huge leap in 2024 but some tweaking can be done up front. Also, one more vertical X-receiver option would complete this wide receiver room.

New Orleans Saints

Start the rebuild.

The Saints have some good players on offense. Almost all of them just dealt with bad injury luck last season. That shouldn’t cause the team to trick itself into another push for the division next season. This team needs to shed some expensive veterans and refurbish the roster via the draft. That might lead to a long season in 2025 but they can come out the other side in a much better condition.

Chicago Bears

Hire the right head coach for Caleb Williams.

Little else matters. Nothing will change if this team can’t right the ship for Williams after a nightmare rookie season. Williams was behind the eight-ball from the jump, working with an offensive coordinator who was in over his head. Shane Waldron could not solve the protection problems behind a leaky offensive line and offered up lackluster route concepts. Getting the head coach and play-caller right this time will solve many problems for the second-year quarterback and a talented group of pass-catchers.

San Francisco 49ers

Build the offensive line.

Injuries were the biggest reason San Francisco took a step back this season, but the up-front play became an issue over the course of the year. You can bet that the offseason talking points around the 49ers will be all about Brock Purdy’s contract, what happens to Deebo Samuel and many other shiny-object storylines. What will make a bigger difference on the football field is if this brain trust makes some significant investments in the front five beyond Trent Williams’ spot.

Dallas Cowboys

Add a pass-catcher or two.

It was obvious going into the season Dallas didn’t have enough weaponry beyond CeeDee Lamb. That became a reality on the field quickly, especially once declining veteran Brandin Cooks wasn’t available. Third-year man Jalen Tolbert gave them some nice moments but he’s best off as a No. 3. Dallas should come away from this offseason with a legitimate option as the WR2.

Miami Dolphins

Build the offensive line.

Miami's path forward this offseason is quite a bit more complicated than this space allows for, especially now that it seems Tyreek Hill is ready to talk his way off the team. However, the No. 1 thing they can't do is neglect the offensive line. If Hill leaves, that changes the complexion of the passing game and the next phase will almost certainly require better protection than what we've seen the last 365 days. Some new bodies up front will also help improve a run game that dramatically fell off in 2024, ranking 31st in success rate ahead of only the Raiders.

Indianapolis Colts

Catering an offense to make Anthony Richardson efficient.

Owner Jim Irasy elected to run it all back with the same crew in 2025. Given that the Richardson experience would always be a long-term developmental plan, that is likely the wise move, even if this season was an embarrassment far more often than not. Shane Steichen needs to adjust the offense we saw this season. I expected to see a unit that looked similar to what he ran out with Gardner Minshew in 2023 with all the RPOs and layup throws but with a few more designed deep shots added. Instead, this attack leaned far too much into the volatility of Richardson’s game. The quarterback is far from blameless in the failings of the season but an adjusted set of pass concepts will help everyone involved.

Atlanta Falcons

Develop Michael Penix Jr.

No one will claim that the rookie was perfect but inserting Penix boosted the offense. He was willing to let it rip deep downfield and outside the numbers. He accessed areas Kirk Cousins was unable to reach at this stage of his career. Penix also had some erratic misfires and there wasn’t much in between those and the big-time throws. At the very least, Penix showed us he’ll be elevating Drake London’s production going forward. Getting him on the path to being a high-end starting quarterback is the primary goal.

Arizona Cardinals

Further maximize players.

This one is tricky for me. There’s enough talent on this roster that the offense should have been much more consistent. For one reason or another, it didn’t all fully click. I’m willing to give Drew Petzing another year at the controls and Kyler Murray another run in the system. Young players like Marvin Harrison Jr. must improve in critical situations, like winning passes in tight coverage, for this unit to take another step. From a personnel standpoint, they could do with a few additions along the offensive line but otherwise, the players are in place if Murray and Petzing are up to the task.

Cincinnati Bengals

Learn to juggle.

The Bengals are going to be dealing with a lot this offseason. They need to find a way to keep Tee Higgins on the roster or risk drawing the ire of the most crucial person in the building, Joe Burrow. They still don’t have a contract extension for Ja’Marr Chase, who is coming off a triple-crown win. Trey Hendrickson led the NFL in sacks this season after requesting a trade in the offseason because he was underpaid then. Meanwhile, the entire defense beyond Hendrickson needs to be overhauled after Lou Anarumo was let go on Monday.

That is … not a short list of major boxes to check off.

Seattle Seahawks

Figure out the offensive line.

First-year offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb was fired on Monday after Week 18. It was a bit of a shock, but his unit had significant issues in Year 1. The main problems were up front where his protection plans left much to be desired and the run game was a mess. However, it’s fair to point out that a talent-bereft interior certainly didn’t assist both sectors. No matter who is calling plays next season, Seattle can’t function with the same guard-to-guard problems on the line.