NFL 2025 Offseason: Teams With Resources Vs. Teams With Tough Decisions
Some NFL teams are in good position for 2025 but others have work to do to get into a better position.
With the final week of the NFL regular season wrapping up, thoughts will turn to the playoffs for some teams. For others, thoughts will turn to the offseason.
I've already talked about multiple teams who have some decisions ahead to become cap compliant. In the weeks to come, I'll be talking more about how teams might approach the offseason, along with what to expect from free agency and certain players.
For now, I figured I do a quick list of teams who are in the best position to address team needs this offseason and which teams will have to make some tough decisions. I'll look at both teams who are in a rebuild and teams who are playoff contenders, but I won't cover teams I've already talked about the past few weeks.
First, here are three teams in rebuild mode who are in good position to get that process going or continued.
New England Patriots: Drake Maye has shown he's a quarterback the Patriots can build around. As this season showed, though, the Patriots were in a rebuilding year. But for 2025, they are in excellent shape, with $118M in projected cap space once they get 51 players under contract. They also have nine draft picks, four in the first two days and might finish the season with the No. 1 overall pick. If any team is in position to get back into the playoff hunt, it might be the Patriots.
Las Vegas Raiders: Here's a team that realized early on it wasn't going to reach the playoffs and approached that accordingly by trading Davante Adams. The Raiders do need a quarterback and have 10 total draft picks, with four in the first three rounds. They also have a lot of cap space, with about $93M projected available once they get 51 players under contract. The Raiders might go after a quarterback in free agency but they definitely need to draft one. They at least know that Brock Bowers can be a key part of the offense, plus Maxx Crosby continues to play well.
Chicago Bears: The Bears will have a new head coach but still have hope that they can build around Caleb Williams. They will have the cap space and resources to do that. The Bears are projected to have about $62M in cap space once they get 51 players under contract. They also have plenty of draft capital with eight total picks, four in the first three rounds and two in the second round. They might not be aggressive in free agency but they could be looking to add upgrades to the offensive line, while using the draft to focus on either defense or another offensive playmaker.
Now let's look at three teams who missed the playoffs and have some decisions to make. I'll focus on teams I haven't already examined.
Carolina Panthers: On one hand, Bryce Young showed some improvement and will probably get another year as the starting quarterback. On the other hand, the Panthers won't have the cap space to be aggressive in free agency. They are projected to have $17M in cap space once they have 51 players under contract. Their big spending came in 2024 and, now, they'll have to pause. The good news is they have nine total draft picks, so they'll need to focus there. They might have to trade or cut a player to get some cap space cleared for those draft picks, though.
Indianapolis Colts: The Colts aren't in a bad position as far as the salary cap goes, with $35M in projected space once 51 players are under contract. They are in a solid position in the draft with seven total picks. The first question they have to ask is how confident they are in Anthony Richardson. While the Colts generally don't spend money, they might want to take a chance on an offensive playmaker to see if that helps. This is a team with a regime who might be under notice that they have to make the playoffs next year or changes will be coming.
Dallas Cowboys: The Cowboys are projected to have about $9M in cap space once they get 51 players under contract. This comes when the Cowboys have Micah Parsons up for an extension, one that is likely to re-set the market for pass rushers. Several of their key players have expiring deals with void years, so there's going to be a lot of decisions to make about replacing those players, unless the Cowboys opt to keep them. Having recently extended Dak Prescott and CeeDee Lamb, the Cowboys aren't going into full rebuild mode, but they might have to do a soft rebuild, which means cutting a couple of players for cap space. The good news is they have 10 total draft picks, so they have the resources to find younger players to replace older ones.
Now let's look at three playoff teams who are in the best position to address team needs when it comes to cap space and draft capital. I'm only looking at teams who have made the playoffs as of this writing.
Washington Commanders: Jayden Daniels has locked up the Offensive Rookie of the Year award and the Commanders are in great position to take advantage of his inexpensive contract. The Commanders are projected to have at least $81M in cap space once they get 51 players under contract. They also have eight total picks, so draft capital isn't an issue. It won't surprise me if the Commanders are aggressive in free agency. While they could be in the running for an offensive playmaker, the defense needs lots of help, so it won't surprise me if that's the focus in the offseason.
Los Angeles Chargers: After starting a soft rebuild in 2025, the Chargers are in a much better position. They are projected to have $60M in cap space once 51 players are under contract, they have 10 total picks in the draft and they have a franchise quarterback in Justin Herbert. As with the Commanders, the Chargers could add an offensive playmaker, but they need plenty of help on defense, so that may be the focus. But the Chargers are in a good position to close the gap in the AFC West.
Minnesota Vikings: It's been a tremendous season for the Vikings, with Kevin O'Connell a favorite to win Coach of the Year and Sam Darnold having played better than anyone expected. The Vikings are projected to have $63M in cap space once 51 players are under contract. The only concern is draft capital, as they have five total picks. Many will play up the decision about whether or not to keep Darnold but I imagine the Vikings will move forward with JJ McCarthy as their quarterback. They will likely need to be aggressive in free agency given the lack of draft capital.
And now we come to three playoff teams who will have to make some tough decisions. Again, I'm only focusing on teams who have locked up their playoff spots.
Buffalo Bills: The Bills have done a good job of navigating the salary cap while still keeping themselves in playoff contention. They're going to have to work their magic again, as they are projected to have less than $100K in cap space once 51 players are under contract. The good news is they have 10 total draft picks, so they are in position to replenish the roster. As with last season, I expect the Bills to be quiet in free agency, make some tough decisions with the current roster (to include several cuts) while doing what they can to extend or retain current players.
Kansas City Chiefs: As the Chiefs prepare to chase the Super Bowl three-peat, they will need to be ready to make some tough decisions this offseason. They are projected to have about $6M in cap space once 51 players are under contract. They have a couple of key free agents they might want to keep, while figuring out how much longer they want to keep certain players (or, in a couple of cases, how much longer certain players want to keep playing) and deciding when to extend a couple of younger players who are eligible for extensions. They aren't in bad shape with draft capital with seven total picks. I've liked how the front office has operated but they have some challenges ahead in 2025.
Houston Texans: This was supposed to be the year the Texans took the next step but injuries to key players, plus issues with the offensive line have kept that from happening. They did win the AFC South but it wasn't a strong division this year. And in 2025, they are projected to have just $2M in cap space once they get 51 players under contract. Add the fact they have just six total picks in the draft and the Texans have some work to do. They aren't likely to be active in free agency and might have to trade a player away for draft capital. The Texans need to be careful how they handle their situation because they want to ensure they can keep a good roster around CJ Stroud as he enters his third season.