Now with just hours left until 8 P.M. EST on Thursday, Sept. 4th when the National Football League (NFL) will kick off with the Dallas Cowboys and the reigning Super Bowl champion Philidelphia Eagles facing off in primetime football, anticipation for the 2025-26 NFL season has never been greater.
In this article, all 16 NFC teams will be ranked from best to worst within each of the four divisions based on their expectations and potential for the upcoming season. Additionally, it will include a prediction of the team’s record next to their name, their key additions, notable personnel losses and an explanation of why the teams are ranked in their respective position.
NFC West
San Francisco 49ers (12-5)
Key Offseason Additions: The biggest news throughout the 49ers camp all offseason was the extensions of three of their most impactful players Brock Purdy, George Kittle and Fred Warner signing for a combined 12 years and $400 million. Via trade, the 49ers acquired some valuable plug-and-play guys such as Brian Robinson Jr. and Bryce Huff, who already has experience playing under Robert Salah the 49ers Defensive Coordinator that they got back this season after their previously elite stint of defensive football under Salah from 2017-20. Through free agency and the draft, the Niners were pretty quiet with minor acquisitions such as Mykel Williams, Mac Jones, Demarcus Robinson and Tre Brown.
Notable Losses: Due to the re-signing of their top players, the 49ers in free agency lost the most quality players of any team in the league. It seems almost all of the Niners defense other than Nick Bosa and Fred Warner have parted ways. Most importantly losing starters on all sides of the ball such as Deebo Samuel, Aaron Banks, Leonard Floyd, Dre Greenlaw, Maliek Collins, Javon Hargrave, Charvarious Ward, Talanoa Hufanga, and Mitch Wishnowsky.
Why Are They Ranked Here: Despite numerous significant blows to the roster, the 49ers will still compete for the one seed in the NFC this year because they have the easiest schedule (in terms of opponent winning percentage) since the 2015 Atlanta Falcons. Also, the Niners are due for a year of health after countless seasons of being one of the most injured teams in the league.
Seattle Seahawks (9-8)
Key Offseason Additions: In free agency the Seahawks acquired who they hope to be their quarterback for the next three years with Sam Darnold along with big signings of Cooper Kupp and Demarcus Lawrence. In addition to the signings of a few other backups, the Seahawks took a risk on North Dakota State Offensive Lineman Grey Zabel, selecting him with the 18th overall pick of the 2025 NFL Draft.
Notable Losses: Though the Seahawks traded away their starting quarterback Geno Smith and their star receiver D.K. Metcalf, they limited the damage by signing their replacements referred to in the previous paragraph. The Hawks additionally lost long time Seahawk Tyler Lockett who had been a staple of the franchise in his 10 years with the team in their post-Super Bowl era.
Why Are They Ranked Here: Despite being in somewhat of a rebuild these last couple of years, the Seahawks have shown time and time again that they are consistently a quality franchise that can compete for a playoff spot no matter the strength of their roster or division. Coming off a breakout season, Quarterback Sam Darnold is working to prove he is worthy of his new contract and that he is not the one year wonder reliant on Kevin O’Connell that may experts believe him to be. Similarly, Jaxson Smith-Njigba (JSN) is looking to repeat the year he had in 2024 and prove he will be a top receiver in this league for the foreseeable future. Being that the Hawks also do not have a particularly difficult schedule, it is likely that they could put together their fourth straight winning season and their third 9-8 record in the last four years.
Los Angeles Rams (7-10) 
Key Offseason Additions: This offseason the Rams only made one big acquisition which was the signing of free agent Davante Adams to a two-year $46 million deal. Adams elected to return to the West Coast after spending his college years at Fresno State. And on the other end of the deal, the Rams got their Cooper Kupp replacement in Adams who is going to play a significant WR2 spot behind the rising star Puka Nacua.
Notable Losses: Though Los Angeles didn’t make any splashes in free agency or the draft, they did not lose many valuable assets either. The only main departure being long time Rams star receiver Cooper Kupp who was a triple crown winner in his tenure with the franchise and a major part of their 2022 Super Bowl run.
Why Are They Ranked Here: Despite the Rams’ inability to really shake up their roster, it is very possible their performance declines from last year. This is largely due to the fact that Matthew Stafford has yet to practice much all offseason due to a back injury that the Rams are hiding the severity of from the public. Stafford is only getting older, and his injury prone tendencies may greatly affect the Rams ability to have success this season and possibly the reason they miss the playoffs for the fourth time in their last nine seasons.
Arizona Cardinals (6-11) 
Key Offseason Additions:
TheCardinals followed through on their main focus of the offseason being that they resigned their best player Trey McBride to a four-year $76 million extension. In free agency Arizona bulked up the defensive line by signing Calais Campbell, Josh Sweat and Dalvin Tomlinson while also resigning Baron Browning and L.J. Collier. The Cardinals had a pretty subtle but effective draft getting Walter Nolen, Cody Simon and who many believe may be the steal of the draft in cornerback Will Johnson out of Michigan.
Notable Losses: The Arizona Cardinals did a good job in not letting any key players leave in the offseason. Some of the minor losses include receiver Zach Pascal, guard Will Hernandez, Linebacker Kyzir White and kicker Matt Prater. The other departures all ended up being backups that were easily replaceable in the draft and free agency with younger and cheaper players.
Why Are They Ranked Here: Though their roster may not have gotten worse this offseason, it is reasonable to believe their record will decline. This is due to reasons like the fact that they won a few close games last year that they likely won’t be able to squeeze out this time around along with the fact that their division and conference around them has only gotten better while they have remained the same. This same mediocre roster will leave them in last place of the NFC West and without a playoff spot for the fourth consecutive season.
NFC South
Tampa Bay Buccaneers (9-8)
Key Offseason Additions: First things first the Buccaneers ensured that they could resign two of their longest tenured players in Chris Godwin and Lavonte David who also are one of the few players still rostered who played during their most rec
side Antoine Winfield, Vita Vea and Lavonte David.
ent Super Bowl run. Along with Chris Godwin’s resigning, the Bucs added to their already stacked receiver room drafting National Champion Ohio State Buckeye Emeka Egbuka with the 19th overall pick of the draft. Then finally, after a drama-filled year with the Jets Haason Reddick chose to come to Tampa Bay to join that defense along
Notable Losses: Defensively the Bucs lost a few starters in safety Jordan Whitehead, Ryan Neal, K.J. Britt and Shaq Barrett while offensively Tampa Bay lost just a few role players who won’t affect this year’s success very much. Such an uneventful offseason seemed to be the plan for the Bucs hoping to squeeze out yet another divisional title by running it back with a very similar roster to last year’s.
Why Are They Ranked Here: The Buccaneers are not top this division due to a stacked roster or a guru of a head coach, but simply because they play in what very likely may be the worst division in the NFL only rivaled by the South’s AFC counterpart. Getting to play a Falcons team with an inexperienced second year QB, the Saints who are currently in a complete rebuild and who’s roster is a complete mess and the Panthers team in a very similar situation as New Orleans , sets up the Bucs for one of the easiest paths to the playoffs in the league. The only way the Bucs miss the postseason is if this next team, the Atlanta Falcons, surpasses expectations.
Atlanta Falcons (9-8)
Key Offseason Additions: The Falcons surprised everyone last year with the selection of their current starting quarterback Michael Penix Jr. after signing Kirk Cousins to a nine-figure deal that offseason. This year despite their predictability with their first selection in Jalon Walker, the Falcons shocked the football world yet again when trading back into the first round for Tennessee edge rusher James Pearce Jr. in a deal that surprisingly included their first-round pick for next year. The Falcons added to the front seven as well through the pickups of Divine Diablo and Leonard Floyd in free agency.
Notable Losses: The few pickups that the Falcons made were outweighed by the star power they lost on both sides of the ball. This included long time Falcon Grady Jarrett along with short-lived Falcons with players such as Justin Simmons, Matthew Judon and Rondale Moore. Jarrett and Simmons being the heart of Atlanta’s defense last year will make it interesting to see how that side of the ball will hold up this season.
Why Are They Ranked Here: Similar to the Buccaneers situation, if this Falcons roster was laced in almost any other division in the league, they would not be competing for a playoff spot nor have a chance for a winning record. But they are, so I believe if their young defensive line can prove themselves and they can squeeze out a few close games, the Falcons could very well take the division and host a first-round playoff game.
Carolina Panthers (5-12)
Key Offseason Additions: The Carolina Panthers head into the season after one big re-signing, one big draft pick and one notable free agent signing to headline the offseason. The re-signing being their young star corner Jaycee Horn signing back on a four-year $100 million deal. The big draft being possibly the best wide receiver in the draft, Arizona University’s Tetairoa McMillan. And to add another quality back to their secondary, Carolina signed Tre’von Moehrig to a three-year $51 million deal.
Notable Losses: The Panthers only lost their back up running back Miles Sanders on the offensive side in free agency, but it is the defensive departures that may end up affecting them negatively throughout the year. They lost multiple veteran leaders on the defensive side in Jadeveon Clowney, Jordan Fuller, Dane Jackson and Shaq Thompson. The Panthers already weak defense will only be getting weaker going into the new season, and as a team with a very mediocre offense, that is not what they needed.
Why Are They Ranked Here: The Carolina Panthers are still blatantly in the heart of their recent rebuild that has been in action since the loss of Cam Newton and the falloff of their 2015 Super Bowl Squad. Even in such a thin and easy division, with this roster it seems the Panthers are going to struggle against non-divisional opponents. It is possible they end up with a few more wins than predicted, but there is not much of a possibility that the Panthers will make the playoffs or even be fighting for a spot. While the Falcons and Bucs fight for the division title, it seems the Panthers and Saints will be battling for the first overall draft pick in the 2026 NFL Draft.
New Orleans Saints (3-14)
Key Offseason Additions: In the draft, the Saints went the safe route by taking Texas Longhorns Tackle Kelvin Banks Jr. to bolster up the line. But it was their next pick that some consider to be the worst in the draft, the Saints selected quarterback Tyler Shough with the 40th overall pick of the draft who many believed they could have gotten multiple rounds later or that the Saints should have gone to another QB on the board like Sheduer Sanders. Through free agency, the Saints stacked up on veteran players to mentor their young core, signing players such as Brandin Cooks, Justin Reid and re-signing guys like Cam Jordan and Chase Young.
Notable Losses: Most notably the Saints lost their former starting quarterback Derek Car to retirement after one of the worst stretches of his career. Additionally, two more of New Orleans’ best players retired, Tyrann Mathieu and Ryan Ramczyk. Losing a quarterback in this league is never a good thing, especially if there isn’t another quality QB waiting to come in and play.
Why Are They Ranked Here: Any team going into the season with Spencer Rattler as their QB is going to be in contention for the worst team in the league, but with the surrounding cast they have mixed with Rattler they may have the best odds to end up with the number one pick of the 2026 NFL Draft. The three wins in their prediction is result of the fact they do have a relatively easy schedule and will likely luck into a win or two or three.
NFC East
Philadelphia Eagles (13-4)
Key Offseason Additions: Reasonably, the Eagles biggest signings of the offseason were all extensions. The Eagles extended Saquon Barkley, Lane Johnson, Zach Baun and Cam Jurgens, each of these extremely valuable players and responsible for the team’s dominant Super Bowl run last season. Through the draft the Eagles took yet another defensive player from a prestigious college with Jihaad Campbell the linebacker out of Alabama. Through free agency the Eagles added small pieces like A.J. Dillon, Matt Pryor, Terrace Marshall and Harrison Bryant.
Notable Losses: Like almost any reigning champion, the Eagles re-signed their stars to big extensions, leaving role players out to dry and leave in free agency due to the lack of money to go around. Despite losing much on the offensive side of the ball, Philadelphia was stripped of many vital defensive pieces that were the reason they were as dominant as they were in last year’s playoffs. Philidelphia ended up losing Darius Slay, C.J. Gardner-Johnson, James Bradberry, Milton Williams, Bryce Huff, Josh Sweat and Brandon Graham all this offseason.
Why Are They Ranked Here: Despite the numerous valuable losses on the defensive side of the ball, the Eagles will not lose a step from last year’s Super Bowl run. Philadelphia has always been great at scouting out young talent, recently proven with picks like Cooper Dejean and Jalen Carter. The Eagles will still, at least for this year, out play the up-and-coming Washington Commanders who are realistically the only team standing between Philadelphia and yet another divisional title due to the Cowboys falling off and the Giants being an absolute mess.
Washington Commanders (11-6)
Key Offseason Additions: After an entertaining breakout season from Jayden Daniels and the Commanders, Washington became an extremely desired landing spot this offseason. The list of players that either signed or re-signed with the Commanders this offseason includes Jonathan Jones, Bobby Wagner, Javon Kinlaw, Von Miller, Laremy Tunsil, Michael Gallup and Deebo Samuel. This is a complete 360 from the team that a few years ago nobody wanted to consider signing with due to a lack of culture, maintenance and hospitality.
Notable Losses: Contrary to the Eagles, Washington’s plethora of signings did not result in the loss of numerous key players. The most significant of the departures was longtime Commander and Pro Bowl defensive tackle Jonathan Allen. The smaller but impactful losses included Jeremy Chinn, Benjamin St-Juste and Dante Fowler Jr.
Why Are They Ranked Here: The Washington Commanders quickly went from one of the least cared about teams in the league to America’s favorite new success story. With the second pick of the draft last year Washington made a selection that would alter their franchise’s trajectory for the near future in Jayden Daniels. The Commanders quickly shot up from one of the worst teams in the league to playing in the NFC Championship game in the rookie quarterback’s first year. With the Commanders roster only improving along with Jayden Daniels they are still slightly below the Eagles in result of their old age and the fact that their roster does not just yet line up with Philadelphia’s.
Dallas Cowboys (7-9)
Key Offseason Additions: In classic Jerry Jones fashion, the Cowboys had yet another lackluster offseason with contract extension drama and few free agent signings. The biggest news of the offseason has been Micah Parsons being traded to the Green Bay Packers. In a crazy blockbuster trade, Michah Parsons is now headed to Green Bay for two first round picks and Kenny Clark. Jerry Jones was certain Parsons would be a Cowboy to start the season and was quoted telling fans not to “lose any sleep” over the situation. The other two impactful moves of the offseason came via the trade when they received George Pickens from the Steelers and Kenneth Murray Jr. from the Titans. Additionally, they did add to their extremely weak running back room with Miles Sanders and Javonte Williams.
Notable Losses: Most notably, this offseason the Cowboys lost their two longest tenured players on the roster, Zack Martin and Demarcus Lawrence. With Martin retiring and Lawrence departing in free agency, Dak Prescott is now the teams longest tenured player and must prove he can be the team’s veteran leader. Dallas lost a few other pieces in guys such as Brandin Cooks, Rico Dowdle, Jourdan Lewis and Eric Kendricks.
Why Are They Ranked Here: It seems like the Cowboys’ prestigious reputation under Jerry Jones is slowly diminishing year by year. The players seem unhappy, their best player is now gone and it feels as if every year there is big contract drama either with Micah Parsons, Dak Prescott or Ceedee Lamb, the Cowboys can never make it easy and just pay someone simply. All of this off the field uncertainty will lead to yet another difficult year for Dallas. With the Eagles and Commanders getting better and the Cowboys getting worse, Dallas’ chances for the playoffs are looking smaller by the day.
New York Giants (3-14)
Key Offseason Additions: Defensively the Giants continue to stack on and improve while the offensive side of their roster remains one of the worst in the league. Defensively they added elite safety Jevon Holland and drafted possibly the most skilled layer in his draft in Penn. State edge rusher Abdul Carter. Despite taking Jackson Dart in the first round of this year’s draft, the most significant offensive signings New York made were Russell Wilson, Jameis Winston, and the re-signing of Tommy Devito. Just adding one of the veteran quarterbacks to mentor dart would have made plenty of sense but spending over $18 million on backup quarterbacks does not add up.
Notable Losses: The Giants surprisingly did a good job retaining many players from last year’s roster, but is that a great idea after going 3-14 previously? The only players of value that the Giants let go were Jason Pinnock, Adoree’ Jackson, Chris Hubbard and Azeez Ojulari. New York did not really lose any value on offense but that is not saying much after having one of, if not the worst offense in the league.Why Are They Ranked Here: Being one of the worst rosters in the league is already bad enough for the Giants but to make matters worse they also have the league’ hardest schedule. Not a winning combination. In what seems to be the prime years of their rebuild post Eli Manning, the Giants are having to develop yet another young and inexperienced quarterback in hopes Jaxson Dart will be their future. It seems to be the same Giants storyline going into the season yet again, and with the hardest schedule in the league, 3-14 may even be generous.
NFC North
Detroit Lions (12-5)
Key Offseason Additions: The 2025 offseason was quiet for the Detroit Lions, in terms of additions and in terms of departures. In regard to signings, the only significant moves made were the re-signings of Kerby Joseph, Dan Skipper, Marcus Davenport and Tim Patrick. After receiving a bye and the one seed last season, it seems the Lions didn’t believe they needed to shake up their roster at all despite not winning a playoff game.
Notable Losses: After being so close yet so far these last two years, it seems many players are re-signing in hopes that this year they will get over that hump. The Lions lost their second longest tenured player in Frank Ragnow due to retirement and another key offensive lineman in Kevin Zeitler to the Titans. Besides those two, the only real losses this offseason were Emmanuel Moseley, Carlton Davis and Za’Darius Smith.
Why Are They Ranked Here: Being that the Lions roster has not changed much at all, I believe their success will not either. Despite the Packers and Bears seemingly improving their rosters this offseason, they don’t seem to be up to par with Detroit just yet. The Lions have dominated the regular season two years in a row, and they will likely do such again. When it comes to playoff success though, teams like the Eagles, Packers, Chiefs, Bills, Ravens and 49ers may stand in the way of Detroit finally going all the way.
Green Bay Packers (11-6)
Key Offseason Additions: MICAH PARSONS. This section could really end at just that, with one of the biggest trades in NFL history the Packers are receiving former Cowboys defensive end Micah Parsons and signing him to the largest non-quarterback deal of all time at four years and $188 million. Parsons along with the signings of Aaron Banks, Isaiah Simmons and the drafting of Matthew Golden, the Packers could be scary this year.
Notable Losses: Such big additions don’t come without some sort of price. In the Parsons trade the packers had to give up two first-round picks and Pro Bowl defensive tackle Kenny Clark. A price likely worth it for a 26-year-old Parsons but a hefty price nonetheless. Also, in free agency the packers lost some big names in long time Packer Jaire Alexander, Eric Stokes and A.J. Dillon
Why Are They Ranked Here: Despite losing key defensive pieces in Alexander and Clark, Parsons will most likely provide more than the two of them could have combined. For that to happen though, the young role players need to come in and play up to a high standard. For example, in such an injury ridden wide receiver room, Matthew Golden is going to have to carry a big load early if the Packers want a chance to dethrone the Lions as NFC North champions.
Minnesota Vikings (7-10)
Key Offseason Additions: After what many believe to be a fluke season for the Vikings, Minnesota is looking to combat this through many offseason signings. With players such as Jonothan Allen, Jordan Mason, Javon Hargrave, Andrew Van Ginkel and Jeff Okudah being added to the roster. Along with the drafting of offensive guard Donovan Jackson, the Vikings seem to have added many valuable players that can be immediately plugged in this season.
Notable Losses: As stated, many times throughout this article, with numerous great signings, comes many significant departures. Such a list consists of names like Camryn Bynum, Stephon Gilmore, Garret Bradbury, Cam Robinson, David Quessenberry and most importantly Sam Darnold. After Darnold’s breakout year, the Vikings decided to focus all their attention on developing second year quarterback J.J. McCarthy instead of attempting to re-sign Darnold.
Why Are They Ranked Here: Due to the fact that the Vikings are in probably the hardest division in the league and are choosing to start a quarterback with zero NFL experience, despite their surrounding cast it is hard to believe the Vikings will compete for a top-spot in the division. If Kevin O’Connell can work his magic on McCarthy, this take may get proven wrong very quickly.
Chicago Bears (6-11)
Key Offseason Additions: After a long season of Caleb Williams running around in the backfield due to weak protection, the Bears finally stacked up to line this offseason. With the acquisitions of Joe Thuney and Jonah Jackson through trade along with the signing of Drew Dalman, for once the Bears offensive line is looking very promising. Additionally, on the defensive side of the line, the Bears added Pro Bowl defensive tackle Grady Jarret who will help Chicago stop the strong run games of Detroit and Green Bay. The Bears draft class this year cannot be overlooked with the additions of Coleston Loveland and Luther Burden III.
Notable Losses: The Bears really did not lose many vital pieces on either side of the ball. The most impactful departures likely being Keenan Allen, Gerald Everett and Matt Pryor. With the amount of talent Chicago added, they did a great job of limiting the damage done in this category.
Why Are They Ranked Here: The Bears have a very strong roster with the improvement of both sides of the line. But similar to the Vikings, the fact that they play in such a difficuly division and have such a strong schedule swings their predicted record to a few games below five hundred. And again, like the Vikings, the Bears newly added head coach Ben Johnson could easily flip that record around to be 10-6 if he can maximize the potential of his players with his unique play calling.
All photos from Ghetty Images.
