Latest news with #preview
CTV News
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- CTV News
In Your Community: Londonlicious
London Watch CTV London's Lauren Stollone gives us a preview into this year's Londonlicious events.
News.com.au
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- News.com.au
WATCH AFL Round 19 Predictions: Hawks & Lions Must Win
The AFL Today Show is here for all your Round 19 preview needs, covering every single game with teams, stats, debates and tips for some blockbusters including a huge clash of Adelaide vs Gold Coast and Logan Morris vs Sam Darcy goal fest, plus big questions for the weekend! Are the Crows or Suns having a better season? Are the Hawks a lock for the top eight? Do the Tigers or Eagles have the better young crop? Can Ben King catch Jeremy Cameron in the Coleman Medal Race? Is Brodie Grundy the All-Australian ruckman over Tristan Xerri and Max Gawn? The AFL Today Show full of banter, chat about their locks of the week, big calls & key match-ups, including a big debate on who should be All-Australian ruck and Collingwood to bounce back big! The Stats Guy breaks down must win games for Brisbane and Hawthorn with tough fixtures ahead, Marcus guttered with Essendon's injuries, almost not being able to field a team and Leo talking up Geelong's run home, plus building the fortress again at GMHBA stadium. Get around the AFL Today Show brought to you by panelists Liam 'Stats Guy' McAllion, Leo Mullaly and Marcus Bazzano as they talk out all things footy for the 2025 of AFL season! FOLLOW AFL TODAY SHOW CONTENT
Geek Culture
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Geek Culture
Axolotl Love For Singapore Oceanarium That's 3X Bigger Than S.E.A. Aquarium
S.E.A. Aquarium was already impressive in its own right, serving as the spacious home of marine biodiversity, from various stingray, shark, and jellyfish species to a giant octopus. Following three months of renovation works, the attraction is set to return three times larger than before as the Singapore Oceanarium, complete with 22 themed zones focusing on different aspects of life under the sea. Ahead of its official opening on 24 July at Resorts World Sentosa, a closed-door preview was held for invited media and guests, offering a full look at the revamped space. It proved to be a spectacular, even breathtaking, time, and the expanded breadth can certainly be felt — where the previous walkthrough took around two hours or so, this new experience can come up to four hours. Greeting visitors at the entrance is the Ocean Wonders exhibit, where captivating sea jellies are housed in kreisel tanks, a specialised habitat for delicate marine creatures. Whether it's the Lion's Mane Sea Jelly, Upside-Down Sea Jelly, or Atlantic Sea Nettle, all of them can be found pulsating and free-floating in 360-degree views, making for a therapeutic sight. Drop by another day, and there's a chance to catch other moon jelly species in action, as the live displays will be rotated after a certain period. Leading into Ancient Waters, the spotlight shifts to the annals of history. Alongside towering replicas that breathe life into long-extinct creatures like the Dunkleosteus, the prehistoric zone also features fossil exhibits, interactive discovery points, digital experiences involving ancient marine organisms, and live habitats showcasing the Australian Lungfish, Arapaima, horseshoe crab, and epaulette shark. For an extra touch of hands-on fun, scanning a QR code on the wall unlocks an augmented reality (AR) experience, where individuals are fed information about the replicas hanging from the wall. The next zone, Singapore's Coast, puts the local mangrove ecosystem into focus through two ways: projection mapping and active displays of the archerfish, Barred Mudskipper, Knobbly Sea Star, Spotted Seahorse, and more. But more scene-stealers are lying in wait in Whale Fall and Seamount, providing close-up glimpses of axolotls, Japanese giant salamanders, poison dart frogs, and the Titicaca Water Frog — most of which were not seen previously at the S.E.A. Aquarium. Marking a respite from the marine scenery is a photo gallery by internationally acclaimed Singaporean photographers Toh Xing Jie and Michael Aw, housed in the Spirit of Exploration section. Titled 'Ties That Bind', it highlights the relationships that sustain ocean life, and leads into the Explorer's Nook café, which sells adorable marine-themed pastries and lifestyle products. A separate experience called Pier Adventure is also available here, allowing the little ones to bounce on suspended ropes for an additional S$10 for 20 minutes. Now, back to the ocean floor. Coral Gardens, as its name suggests, is all about the vast diversity of hard and soft corals, accompanied by giant clams, with a designated area to educate the public on conservation efforts and the various consequences of global warming, including bleached corals. Visitors can also get a better view of moray eels through a crawl tunnel, while those with a more adventurous spirit can dip their hands into the touch pool. Along the way, guests will come across the Aquarist Lab, where viewing windows offer a behind-the-scenes peek at in-house breeding programmes. Those keen to dive (hah) deeper into the experience can do so via the Singapore Oceanarium Insider Experience, costing an additional S$318 for adults on peak periods (S$288 on non-peak), or the Sea Jellies / Corals Animal Spotlight programme, each priced at S$28. Elsewhere, Life in the Deep turns the attention to preserved specimens of deep-sea species, including the Supergiant Amphipod, Deepsea Lizardfish, and Pudgey Cusk Eel. Keeping in line with the vastness of the deep is the Open Ocean zone, home to manta rays, Spotted Eagle Rays, and zebra sharks. This isn't the only place to find these apex predators, either — the Shark Seas zone sees plenty of them gliding overhead and around in the Shark Tunnel, joining a viewing panel in showcasing the Sand Tiger Shark, Scalloped Hammerhead, Sandbar Shark, and more. Rounding out the Singapore Oceanarium experience are the Trenches, Ocean's Future, and Hallway of Hope sections, with the latter two highlighting the importance of an individual's role in ocean conservation efforts and the dangers of global warming. When the trail ends, a merchandise store threatens to lighten the wallet, offering everything from standard fare like plushies and keychains to more unique souvenirs, such as customisable patches and papercraft. Check some of them out below: The Singapore Oceanarium opens its doors at Resorts World Sentosa on 24 July. Ticket prices start from S$ 50 / S$42 per adult (peak and non-peak, respectively), S$39 / S$35 per child (ages 4 to 12 years old), and S$39 / S$35 per senior citizen (ages 60 and above) for Singapore residents. Non-residents will have to pay S$55 / S$50 for adults, and S$43 / S$39 per child or senior citizen. From 25 June to 23 July, every purchase of an admission ticket — valid for visits between 24 July and 31 August — also includes a free exclusive marine animal blind box. Alongside the previously mentioned Singapore Oceanarium Insider Experience and the Animal Spotlight programmes, other available experiences include Ocean in Focus: Into the Abyss and Fossilist Workshop, priced at S$88 each. Si Jia is a casual geek at heart – or as casual as someone with Sephiroth's theme on her Spotify playlist can get. A fan of movies, games, and Japanese culture, Si Jia's greatest weakness is the Steam Summer Sale. Or any Steam sale, really. resorts world sentosa sea aquarium Singapore Singapore Oceanarium
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
NFL 2025 offseason power rankings countdown guide: 49ers check in at No. 13 amid Jauan Jennings ultimatum
The 2025 NFL season will be here before you know it. It starts with training camps in July and the Hall of Fame Game on July 31. As anticipation builds, catch up on everything you need to know with Frank Schwab's team previews countdown. A new preview will drop every weekday (except July 4) as we get closer to the Detroit Lions facing the Los Angeles Chargers in Canton, Ohio. Who will be No. 1 going into the season? Where will your team rank? Here's your guide for all the answers. Click on below to jump to that team, then click on the team name to read the full preview. No. 32 Titans | No. 31 Saints | No. 30 Browns | No. 29 Panthers | No. 28 Jets | No. 27 Giants | No. 26 Raiders | No. 25 Patriots | No. 24 Colts | No. 23 Dolphins | No. 22 Jaguars | No. 21 Falcons | No. 20 Steelers | No. 19 Cardinals | No. 18 Cowboys | No. 17 Seahawks | No. 16 Texans | No. 15 Bears | No. 14 Bengals | No. 13 49ers (Grant Thomas/Yahoo Sports) A 3-14 season was a wake-up call. The Tennessee Titans not only fell to the bottom of the NFL, they slid deep into obscurity. Tennessee was truly awful but other than regular Will Levis memes and first-year head coach Brian Callahan's outward hostility toward Levis, nobody cared. They had no identity, no marketable star, a decayed roster and only one hope for the future. That hope was the first pick of the draft. The Titans could have traded that pick or taken Travis Hunter or Abdul Carter, but they knew the best path back to relevance was hitting on a pick at quarterback. That's why Cam Ward, who set an NCAA record with 158 touchdown passes at Incarnate Word, Washington State and then Miami, is a Titan. There's a long way to go and Ward won't fix all of that. There were a few bright spots on the roster — Jeffery Simmons is a star on the defensive line, 2024 rookies DT T'Vondre Sweat and CB Jarvis Brownlee Jr. had promising debuts, Tony Pollard and Calvin Ridley had 1,000-yard seasons in a bad situation — but rebuilding will take a while. If Ward hits, at least that's a start. (Grant Thomas/Yahoo Sports) The plan for the Saints always seemed to be that when Drew Brees retired, there would be a total teardown. That really didn't happen. It still hasn't happened four years after Brees' last game. The Saints weren't recklessly aggressive as usual this offseason, but didn't blow things up and didn't make moves that would indicate they have the self awareness to know they should be in a rebuild. They still have a terrible 2026 cap situation and one of the oldest rosters in the NFL. Even a brutal 15-game stretch to end the season didn't force them into facing reality. Maybe it needs to get even worse for the Saints to realize they're at rock bottom. And it might. Kellen Moore is a rookie head coach and he does not step into a good situation. Derek Carr retired and while he wasn't great for New Orleans, the remaining quarterback solution is probably second-round pick Tyler Shough, a curious pick for a fading team considering he'll turn 26 years old in September. The surrounding cast has some recognizable names who have had good careers but is short on stars who are still in their prime. The Saints' only blue-chip player under 28 years old might be receiver Chris Olave, but he hasn't played a full season in the NFL due to four confirmed concussions. New Orleans has reached a point in which a horrific season is the best outcome. It would be a wake-up call and perhaps lead to a franchise-changing quarterback. Like the first two games last season, the Saints' idea that they can turn things around doing things the same old way seems to be nothing but a mirage. (Grant Thomas/Yahoo Sports) The Cleveland Browns were the last to know that Deshaun Watson was one of the NFL's worst quarterbacks. It had to be cathartic for Browns fans to hear owner Jimmy Haslam say the team "took a big swing and miss with Deshaun." Everyone else knew that long ago. The Browns were in deep denial. A key decision at the top of the draft was the unofficial start of reshaping the roster. The Browns passed on the chance to draft Travis Hunter second overall to get a huge haul from the Jacksonville Jaguars in a trade. It included the fifth overall pick and the Jags' first-round pick next year. It had to be hard to give up Hunter, but it was probably the right move. The big part of the rebuild will be figuring out quarterback, and the Browns are taking a shotgun approach to it this year. They have four relatively low-cost quarterbacks and are praying one is the answer. Joe Flacco is the 40-year-old stopgap, Kenny Pickett is the reclamation project, Dillon Gabriel was the rookie the Browns drafted proactively in the third round, and Shedeur Sanders is the fifth-round pick everyone wants to talk about. If Sanders climbs up from fourth on the depth chart and starts any games this season, the Browns suddenly will become one of the most watched teams in the league. The process starts over. Hopefully for Cleveland it's not as long and difficult as the last one, and with some positive results this time. (Grant Thomas/Yahoo Sports) After being benched earlier in the season, Bryce Young got another shot to start in Week 8 and looked like a new player. He might not have played to the level you'd dream of for a first overall pick, but he was much better. By the time he put up 251 yards and three touchdowns (one of which he finished with a confident look-away celebration with the ball in the air) in a season-ending win at the Atlanta Falcons, it seemed like a new world from the depressing low of benching a first overall pick two weeks into the season. "I think we've got our QB here," Panthers owner David Tepper told NFL Media's Cameron Wolfe after that win. The Panthers still have a long way to go. The defense gave up more points than any other team in NFL history and, while there were some offseason fixes, it'll take at least another offseason to get it to a respectable level. Young made strides but he'll need to show more improvement to live up to what the Panthers invested in him. Drafting receiver Tetairoa McMillan eighth overall should help Young. Nobody should be confusing the Panthers with a contender just because they played better late in the season with an emerging quarterback. But there's hope. It has been a while since that was the case. (Grant Thomas/Yahoo Sports) Aaron Glenn seems to be a good hire to lead the rebuild. The new Jets head coach has already done well handling a tough market and also an uncomfortable Aaron Rodgers situation. Rodgers felt put out when he flew across the country to meet with the Jets, just to be greeted with a no-nonsense 15-minute meeting. Glenn and new Jets general manager Darren Mougey told Rodgers they were moving on and didn't ask for Rodgers' input on the direction of the franchise, which Rodgers thought he'd provide. Glenn and Mougey didn't want to hear it. The meeting was short, sweet and to the point. Plenty of fans probably appreciated the new Jets brass after that story, especially after dealing with plenty of Rodgers drama and the franchise bending over backward for him. Justin Fields is the next quarterback, a fairly low-cost gamble that the Jets can easily move on from if it doesn't work out. The Jets have plenty of talented players, which was the reason they had hopes for a big season last year if Rodgers was simply an average quarterback. The Jets have a miserable ownership situation with Woody Johnson, and that will be a constant obstacle, but there are some seeds of optimism. There were major organizational failures that led to the Jets somehow going from 7-10 with Zach Wilson at quarterback to 5-12 with Rodgers playing much better than Wilson ever did. Mougey and Glenn are in charge of changing that, though they're far from the first group to try in this miserable era of Jets football. Rodgers was supposed to break the Jets' streak of not making the playoffs, but it's alive at 14 seasons. And the worst part of coming up woefully short after that big move is the Jets might shift back near square one. (Grant Thomas/Yahoo Sports) The tone for this season all about whether head coach Brian Daboll and general manager Joe Schoen can survive again. Jaxson Dart is the best path to showing progress. Dart is an interesting first-round pick out of Ole Miss. He will take some time to learn an NFL offense, but he has enticing skills. Russell Wilson and Jameis Winston were signed before Dart was picked, and presumably Wilson will begin the season as the starter. If the Giants aren't much better than last season, the biggest question will be when to give Dart a shot. The reality is that decision will be made by a coach and general manager who are in self-preservation mode. Whatever is best for their survival will play a role in that decision. The Giants have a really good defensive line, a secondary that has gotten an influx of talent, a future star in receiver Malik Nabers and not much else. There's still a long way to go before the Giants are contenders again. Daboll and Schoen need some results this season to stick around for those better days. (Grant Thomas/Yahoo Sports) The Raiders are one of the NFL franchises on a never-ending road to nowhere. Over the past 22 seasons, the Raiders have had 13 head coaches and two playoff appearances. Pete Carroll becomes the Raiders' 14th head coach since their last playoff win, which came Jan. 19, 2003. It is odd for the rebuilding Raiders to hire a coach who will turn 74 years old in September — when the season starts Carroll will break the record as the oldest head coach in NFL history — but given team owner Mark Davis' ineptitude at picking the right coach, at least he got someone with a winning history. At least the Raiders have potential stars to build around. Crosby is one of the best defensive players in the NFL. Brock Bowers is coming off the best season for a rookie tight end in NFL history. Ashton Jeanty is one of the best running back prospects in many years, and the rebuilding Raiders thought he was worth the sixth pick of the draft. Geno Smith isn't a star, but when the Raiders traded for him from the Seattle Seahawks they upgraded from what might have been the worst quarterback situation in the NFL. Rebuilds usually take a while, and presumably the Raiders believe a coach who will turn 74 this season and a quarterback who will turn 35 will help establish a culture that can be carried on down the road. That wouldn't be the worst outcome. Anything to get the Raiders moving in a positive direction would be a nice change. (Grant Thomas/Yahoo Sports) The Patriots have a proven head coach in Mike Vrabel, an exciting quarterback in Drake Maye, and just had the best offseason in the NFL. Their win total at BetMGM is 8.5, which means oddsmakers believe the Patriots could be a .500 team. They've won eight games the last two seasons combined. Part of that optimistic win total is a schedule that is projected to be one of the easiest in the NFL this season. A bigger part is spending a ton of money on free-agent upgrades and potentially nailing the draft. It's not like the Patriots will be a Super Bowl contender this season. The offensive line is a big question, even if their rookie left tackle plays well. The Patriots' longstanding ineptitude at drafting receivers means Maye's supporting cast probably won't be great. The defensive additions were plentiful, but they all need to fit together. New England had one of the worst defenses in the NFL a season ago, so there's a long way to go. But it seems like the miserable fall from grace after the NFL's greatest dynasty had ended is a lot further in the rear-view mirror than it actually is. It didn't take long for the Patriots to reinvent themselves. (Grant Thomas/Yahoo Sports) Quarterback play, whether it's Anthony Richardson's progress or Daniel Jones' ability to turn his career around, is the key issue hovering over the Colts going into this season. The Colts won eight games even with a team passer rating of 75.8, which was 31st in the NFL. There's plenty of talent on offense, like running back Jonathan Taylor, receiver Michael Pittman Jr. and new rookie tight end Tyler Warren. The defense was good enough to keep the Colts in games. Head coach Shane Steichen might be a good coach, just one that hasn't been able to fix Richardson's problems. But it's hard to get excited for the Colts if the quarterback play is near the bottom again. Plenty is riding on Richardson or Jones playing well this season. GM Chris Ballard and Steichen can't feel comfortable, especially after the death of longtime owner Jim Irsay. Irsay was patient with Ballard and Steichen, and especially Ballard, even as many fans wanted change. Irsay believed in them, but now his daughters are in charge. It's also hard to believe the Colts would try again with Richardson in 2026 if he doesn't show improvement this season, and we can't even know if he'll get the chance to start. If the Colts have a losing season, there could be a total roster teardown, especially if there's a new general manager and coach. The Colts drafted Richardson knowing there was risk involved. It's just two years into the experiment, but it's looking grim on that gamble working out. (Grant Thomas/Yahoo Sports) It's hard to look at the 2025 Dolphins and be overly optimistic. Tua Tagovailoa continues to be underappreciated but his concussion issues became a big story again in 2024. Tyreek Hill's numbers took a stunning drop, and the team and Hill's camp had to smooth things over after his proclamation that he was done in Miami. Jaylen Waddle's production fell off a cliff, too. The explosive plays on offense disappeared. The offensive line was bad. The defense got a lot worse. There has been plenty of offseason trade speculation with cornerback Jalen Ramsey and tight end Jonnu Smith, two of the Dolphins' few bright spots last season. Head coach Mike McDaniel has gone from a likable whiz kid to being on the hot seat, especially after it was revealed that some players were repeatedly late for meetings despite being fined. That makes it seem like he's losing the locker room. Maybe the real warning sign came when players revolted against and practically ran off 2023 defensive coordinator Vic Fangio, one of the great coordinators of this era. Last season, Fangio turned the Philadelphia Eagles' defense into the best in the NFL and finally got himself a Super Bowl ring. The Dolphins could have used a coach like that. Maybe the Dolphins can turn things back around. Perhaps McDaniel can recapture his magic, Tagovailoa stays healthy and productive, De'Von Achane rediscovers the explosiveness he had as a rookie, Hill again becomes the receiver he was in 2022-23, Waddle also bounces back and the defense holds it together. That's just a lot of what-ifs. And to think, the Dolphins are just a season removed from being an 11-win playoff team. (Grant Thomas/Yahoo Sports) Jacksonville traded several picks to the Cleveland Browns to move up and draft Travis Hunter as a unique, game-changing prospect at No. 2 overall. So they got him, no matter the cost. Maybe that's a good thing. The Jaguars might benefit from not following the same draft charts as everyone else. Jacksonville has zero Super Bowl appearances, only two playoff berths since the 2007 season and many years of being practically anonymous in the NFL. It hasn't gotten very far by following the book. The Jaguars shocked the NFL with the trade. New GM James Gladstone, just 34 years old and from the aggressive Los Angeles Rams front office, boldly told Jaguars fans about the move: "Don't be scared. This is something I'm uniquely positioned to navigate." The move might turn out to be less about Hunter himself and more about a changing mentality in a sad-sack franchise. Maybe Gladstone's approach will work, or perhaps he'll flame out fast. But after years of failure, at least the Jaguars are trying something different. (Grant Thomas/Yahoo Sports) The Falcons are hopeful that Michael Penix Jr. is fantastic right away and helps elevate the rest of the roster. Penix, Bijan Robinson and Drake London could form the foundation of an exciting offense. The defense is a work in progress, but doubling up on pass rushers Jalon Walker and James Pearce Jr. in the first round of the NFL Draft might fix Atlanta's massive and longstanding weakness on the edge. Hiring Jeff Ulbrich, formerly of the New York Jets, to be their new defensive coordinator could help too. The Falcons were 8-9 last season despite uneven quarterback play and a poor defense. Improvements in each area could put them in line to take the NFC South. We'll need to figure out what Atlanta has in Penix first. At this moment the Falcons are pretty happy to have their second-year quarterback. Nobody saw that coming when he was drafted. (Grant Thomas/Yahoo Sports) Maybe the Aaron Rodgers signing works out like Brett Favre joining the Vikings after a season with the Jets, when he had maybe the best season of his career and nearly took Minnesota to a Super Bowl. The Steelers seem unlikely to completely collapse; we all know the history of Tomlin not having a losing season. The defense is still quite good, and the Steelers clearly thought cornerback Jalen Ramsey was an upgrade over safety Minkah Fitzpatrick when they swapped the two in an interesting midsummer trade. The offense might be better with the additions of star receiver DK Metcalf and tight end Jonnu Smith, drafting Kaleb Johnson could give a spark to the running game and perhaps a young offensive line will improve. Pittsburgh made the playoffs with Russell Wilson starting most of last season, and Rodgers is probably an upgrade even as he is about to turn 42. The Steelers are stuck in a rut. They're cycling through unappealing options at quarterback, and that seems likely to continue next offseason. They have a coach with a Hall of Fame level résumé but many Steelers fans want him out because he hasn't won a playoff game over the past eight seasons. The Steelers have not been bad enough to bottom out and draft a permanent answer at quarterback, and they haven't been good enough to make a postseason run either. Rodgers doesn't seem like he'll make the Steelers that much worse or that much better. It's just another season of the same, probably just creating a fuzzy memory for years down the road of "Oh right, Rodgers had that one season with the Steelers at the end." (Grant Thomas/Yahoo Sports) Last season was supposed to be a step forward for Kyler Murray, and maybe the Cardinals, and in some ways it was. Arizona did improve from 4-13 to 8-9. Murray's 93.5 passer rating was his best since 2021. The defense improved from 32nd to 14th in DVOA. There was tangible progress, despite plenty of injuries and ballyhooed rookie receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. not having a massive impact. The next question is what the Cardinals' true ceiling is. There was a lot of talent added on defense for coach Jonathan Gannon, a respected defensive mind. Trey McBride blossomed into an elite tight end (the first Cardinals tight end since Jackie Smith in 1970 to make the Pro Bowl), James Conner is a reliable workhorse at running back and if Harrison has a big second season the Cardinals' offense gets pretty interesting. How high the Cardinals can fly probably comes down to whether Murray ever has that breakout. If he maintains his current level, the Cardinals can be a playoff team but probably nowhere near a Super Bowl contender. Getting to an elite level will depend on Murray moving up a tier or two. If it doesn't happen soon, it probably never will. (Grant Thomas/Yahoo Sports) The Cowboys' drought follows them around everywhere. Their last Super Bowl season was 30 years ago. They haven't made a conference championship game since then either, amazingly enough the longest dry spell in the NFC. When Jerry Jones says the Cowboys are going "all in" on offseason moves and it doesn't happen, he hears about how long it has been since they won the championship. When he makes the unexciting hire of first-time head coach Brian Schottenheimer, everyone wonders why there wasn't more urgency. There is talent on the roster. Dak Prescott has a long history of being productive, as long as he's healthy. CeeDee Lamb is a legitimate No. 1 receiver and George Pickens, acquired in a trade with the Steelers, has the ability to be one of the best No. 2 receivers in the NFL. Of course, that depends on Pickens' attitude, which caused the Steelers to give up on him after three seasons. Dallas' defense wasn't good last season but can bounce back quickly with new coordinator Matt Eberflus and annual Defensive Player of the Year candidate Micah Parsons. Schottenheimer will have to manage championship expectations for a team that hasn't made the NFL's final four in three decades, which isn't easy. For any other coach taking over a 7-10 team in his first job, he wouldn't be answering many questions about when he'll make a Super Bowl. When you're coaching the Cowboys, you can't escape it. (Grant Thomas/Yahoo Sports) Most 10-win teams don't make major changes. The Seahawks made a couple. They swapped out quarterbacks, trading away Geno Smith and then paying Sam Darnold in free agency. Smith wanted a new contract, but it's not like he got that much more from the Raiders than Seattle paid Darnold. The Seahawks made a choice to move on to the younger Darnold. Then the Seahawks traded away perhaps their most marketable star, receiver DK Metcalf. They got a second-round pick in return, which wasn't the kind of offer they couldn't refuse. They just wanted to be done with Metcalf before they had to give him another contract, and Metcalf wanted out too. The Seahawks could have run it back with Smith and Metcalf. It wouldn't have been cheap, but they could have figured it out. They chose a different path. That's not how most NFL teams operate. Teams will talk themselves into the idea they're closer than they actually are, and stick with the status quo to avoid second guessing. Give the Seahawks credit for being bold. The quarterback switch was interesting because the team talked up Smith in the offseason, then bailed when the price got too steep. Smith was traded for a third-round pick, then got a two-year, $75 million extension from the Raiders. Darnold, about seven years younger and coming off a huge season with the Vikings, was signed for $100.5 million over three years. The Seahawks gave up familiarity, but got younger and cheaper at the position while acquiring a top-100 draft pick. It could backfire if Darnold can't replicate his fantastic season outside of a great environment with the Vikings. Up to now, the Seahawks have remained competitive. It's not easy to win 10 games. Seattle hopes that though some more changes, the ceiling gets a little higher. (Grant Thomas/Yahoo Sports) C.J. Stroud is just 23 years old but comes across as wise beyond his years when he speaks of his craft. He didn't make excuses for a down 2024 season. He saw it as part of the process. "Being a quarterback in the NFL is something that no one can teach you about," Stroud said, via Fox Sports. "You got to experience it. Got to make mistakes, you got to fail. You have to do good, and you have to do bad." And it wasn't all that bad. The Texans won a division title. They followed that up with a playoff win against the Chargers and a competitive divisional-round loss at the Chiefs. It's hard to say 10 regular-season wins, an AFC South title and a playoff win was a miserable season. What's next? It shouldn't surprise anyone if Stroud is one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL this season. His rookie season was no fluke. The Texans' defense carried the team last season and should be good again. Head coach DeMeco Ryans is proving himself to be one of the NFL's best. (Grant Thomas/Yahoo Sports) Chicago, which hasn't had an All-Pro quarterback since 1950, has been where quarterbacks' careers go to die. Caleb Williams' upside case died a little bit as he struggled last season behind a terrible offensive line and even worse coaching. The only good thing to come out of last season was that the Bears seemed to finally wake up and address the underlying issues that led Carl Williams to see if there was a way to circumvent the draft and steer his son way from a franchise that has never figured out the modern passing game. The Bears seemed reluctant to pay top dollar in its coaching search when it started, but eventually paid Ben Johnson handsomely to leave his job as the Detroit Lions' offensive coordinator. Johnson is one of the league's most respected play-callers and the Bears hope that leads to a big improvement for Williams. The Bears also revamped their offensive line and then drafted tight end Colston Loveland in the first round and receiver Luther Burden III in the second round, giving the Bears a deep group of skill-position players. With an exciting offensive-minded coach, a good offensive line, a fun group of pass catchers and the No. 1 pick from the 2024 draft at quarterback, if the Bears can't get that elusive first 4,000-yard passing season, maybe the franchise is just doomed at the position. The Bears are again one of the darlings of the offseason and a popular pick to have a breakthrough, both on the team level and with their young quarterback. Now they have to actually do it. (Grant Thomas/Yahoo Sports) For those who like to cite a QB's record like it's an individual stat, try explaining how Joe Burrow didn't do enough for the 2024 Bengals. He was arguably the best quarterback in football last season, and Cincinnati went 9-8. A fiasco like that would usually cause a team to make wholesale changes. The Bengals responded by investing heavily in bringing the same group back. They paid big to keep receivers Tee Higgins and Chase, and that was the right plan. But there weren't many other significant additions. A team that missed the playoffs despite a great season from its star quarterback decided, practically, to run it back. And if contract disputes with defensive linemen Trey Hendrickson and rookie Shemar Stewart aren't worked out, it will be a worse group than the one that let down Burrow last season. The Bengals' defensive DVOA was the sixth-worst in the NFL last season and the main culprit in those eight losses, and it wouldn't be any better without last season's league sack leader or this year's first-round draft pick. The Bengals' biggest offseason move came when they fired defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo and replaced him with Al Golden, who ran Notre Dame's defense last season. Golden has been a coach for 32 seasons and only six of those were in the NFL, without a role higher than linebackers coach in the pros. Golden could work out tremendously as an NFL defensive coordinator, but it was the only move that should give Bengals fans hope that things will be totally different from last season. There was some bad luck in the Bengals missing the playoffs, like losing seven of their first eight one-score games, and fluky losses like dropping the opener to a bad Patriots team. But the Bengals have to take ownership of wasting a year of Burrow's prime (as well as the primes of Chase, the NFL's receiving triple crown winner, and Higgins). The bigger problem will be if it happens again this season. (Grant Thomas/Yahoo Sports) Sometimes when things go bad in the NFL, they go really bad. The 49ers had the most games lost due to injuries in the NFL by a mile and nearly every position group was affected. The 49ers had the second-most adjusted games lost to injury on offense and the third-most on defense. Christian McCaffrey played in just four games. Brandon Aiyuk tore his ACL. Close losses piled up. When the 49ers lost by 28 points to the Packers and 25 points to the Bills in back-to-back weeks, they were 5-7 and effectively finished. A team everyone ranked among the top few in the NFL going into the season went 6-11. And if the bad vibes ended when the season did, that would have been fine. They didn't. Deebo Samuel asked for a trade and was shipped to the Washington Commanders. The 49ers lost eight free agents who got at least $10 million per season elsewhere. Their three biggest free agent additions were all backups (tight end Luke Farrell, quarterback Mac Jones, receiver Demarcus Robinson) at low-cost contracts. The 49ers couldn't spend much because they were keeping the decks clear for Brock Purdy's five-year, $265 million extension, which was signed in May. Aiyuk's recovery from his knee injury seems to be going a bit slow and he could start the season on the physically unable to perform list. Now Jauan Jennings, who's grown into a valuable contributor at wide receiver, wants a new contract — or a trade. It was a horrible offseason for San Francisco. And yet, the 49ers built such a deep, talented roster over the past few years that there's hope for this season. McCaffrey should be back. Purdy is an efficient master of Kyle Shanahan's offense. Other players like George Kittle, Trent Williams, Nick Bosa and Fred Warner are among the best in the NFL at their positions. Shanahan is one of the NFL's best coaches, and he made a good hire to bring Robert Saleh back as defensive coordinator. BetMGM has the 49ers with one of the highest win totals in the NFL, at 10.5, and it's justifiable. The 49ers had one of the unluckiest seasons possible, and that won't repeat. There's tremendous talent on hand. It's just a bit tougher now. Those stars are a year older. The roster took some hits. We can't be sure if McCaffrey, at age 29, is further beyond his prime than we realize. Last year, it seemed like a foregone conclusion that San Francisco would be one of the best teams in the NFL. Going into this season, it's hard to know what the 49ers will be.
Yahoo
10-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
NFL 2025 offseason power rankings countdown guide: Dallas Cowboys are 18th, Bears check in at No. 15
The 2025 NFL season will be here before you know it. It starts with training camps in July and the Hall of Fame Game on July 31. As anticipation builds, catch up on everything you need to know with Frank Schwab's team previews countdown. A new preview will drop every weekday (except July 4) as we get closer to the Detroit Lions facing the Los Angeles Chargers in Canton, Ohio. Who will be No. 1 going into the season? Where will your team rank? Here's your guide for all the answers. Click on below to jump to that team, then click on the team name to read the full preview. No. 32 Titans No. 31 Saints No. 30 Browns No. 29 Panthers No. 28 Jets No. 27 Giants No. 26 Raiders No. 25 Patriots No. 24 Colts No. 23 Dolphins No. 22 Jaguars No. 21 Falcons No. 20 Steelers No. 19 Cardinals No. 18 Cowboys No. 17 Seahawks No. 16 Texans No. 15 Bears (Grant Thomas/Yahoo Sports) A 3-14 season was a wake-up call. The Tennessee Titans not only fell to the bottom of the NFL, they slid deep into obscurity. Tennessee was truly awful but other than regular Will Levis memes and first-year head coach Brian Callahan's outward hostility toward Levis, nobody cared. They had no identity, no marketable star, a decayed roster and only one hope for the future. That hope was the first pick of the draft. The Titans could have traded that pick or taken Travis Hunter or Abdul Carter, but they knew the best path back to relevance was hitting on a pick at quarterback. That's why Cam Ward, who set an NCAA record with 158 touchdown passes at Incarnate Word, Washington State and then Miami, is a Titan. There's a long way to go and Ward won't fix all of that. There were a few bright spots on the roster — Jeffery Simmons is a star on the defensive line, 2024 rookies DT T'Vondre Sweat and CB Jarvis Brownlee Jr. had promising debuts, Tony Pollard and Calvin Ridley had 1,000-yard seasons in a bad situation — but rebuilding will take a while. If Ward hits, at least that's a start. (Grant Thomas/Yahoo Sports) The plan for the Saints always seemed to be that when Drew Brees retired, there would be a total teardown. That really didn't happen. It still hasn't happened four years after Brees' last game. The Saints weren't recklessly aggressive as usual this offseason, but didn't blow things up and didn't make moves that would indicate they have the self awareness to know they should be in a rebuild. They still have a terrible 2026 cap situation and one of the oldest rosters in the NFL. Even a brutal 15-game stretch to end the season didn't force them into facing reality. Maybe it needs to get even worse for the Saints to realize they're at rock bottom. And it might. Kellen Moore is a rookie head coach and he does not step into a good situation. Derek Carr retired and while he wasn't great for New Orleans, the remaining quarterback solution is probably second-round pick Tyler Shough, a curious pick for a fading team considering he'll turn 26 years old in September. The surrounding cast has some recognizable names who have had good careers but is short on stars who are still in their prime. The Saints' only blue-chip player under 28 years old might be receiver Chris Olave, but he hasn't played a full season in the NFL due to four confirmed concussions. New Orleans has reached a point in which a horrific season is the best outcome. It would be a wake-up call and perhaps lead to a franchise-changing quarterback. Like the first two games last season, the Saints' idea that they can turn things around doing things the same old way seems to be nothing but a mirage. (Grant Thomas/Yahoo Sports) The Cleveland Browns were the last to know that Deshaun Watson was one of the NFL's worst quarterbacks. It had to be cathartic for Browns fans to hear owner Jimmy Haslam say the team "took a big swing and miss with Deshaun." Everyone else knew that long ago. The Browns were in deep denial. A key decision at the top of the draft was the unofficial start of reshaping the roster. The Browns passed on the chance to draft Travis Hunter second overall to get a huge haul from the Jacksonville Jaguars in a trade. It included the fifth overall pick and the Jags' first-round pick next year. It had to be hard to give up Hunter, but it was probably the right move. The big part of the rebuild will be figuring out quarterback, and the Browns are taking a shotgun approach to it this year. They have four relatively low-cost quarterbacks and are praying one is the answer. Joe Flacco is the 40-year-old stopgap, Kenny Pickett is the reclamation project, Dillon Gabriel was the rookie the Browns drafted proactively in the third round, and Shedeur Sanders is the fifth-round pick everyone wants to talk about. If Sanders climbs up from fourth on the depth chart and starts any games this season, the Browns suddenly will become one of the most watched teams in the league. The process starts over. Hopefully for Cleveland it's not as long and difficult as the last one, and with some positive results this time. (Grant Thomas/Yahoo Sports) After being benched earlier in the season, Bryce Young got another shot to start in Week 8 and looked like a new player. He might not have played to the level you'd dream of for a first overall pick, but he was much better. By the time he put up 251 yards and three touchdowns (one of which he finished with a confident look-away celebration with the ball in the air) in a season-ending win at the Atlanta Falcons, it seemed like a new world from the depressing low of benching a first overall pick two weeks into the season. "I think we've got our QB here," Panthers owner David Tepper told NFL Media's Cameron Wolfe after that win. The Panthers still have a long way to go. The defense gave up more points than any other team in NFL history and, while there were some offseason fixes, it'll take at least another offseason to get it to a respectable level. Young made strides but he'll need to show more improvement to live up to what the Panthers invested in him. Drafting receiver Tetairoa McMillan eighth overall should help Young. Nobody should be confusing the Panthers with a contender just because they played better late in the season with an emerging quarterback. But there's hope. It has been a while since that was the case. (Grant Thomas/Yahoo Sports) Aaron Glenn seems to be a good hire to lead the rebuild. The new Jets head coach has already done well handling a tough market and also an uncomfortable Aaron Rodgers situation. Rodgers felt put out when he flew across the country to meet with the Jets, just to be greeted with a no-nonsense 15-minute meeting. Glenn and new Jets general manager Darren Mougey told Rodgers they were moving on and didn't ask for Rodgers' input on the direction of the franchise, which Rodgers thought he'd provide. Glenn and Mougey didn't want to hear it. The meeting was short, sweet and to the point. Plenty of fans probably appreciated the new Jets brass after that story, especially after dealing with plenty of Rodgers drama and the franchise bending over backward for him. Justin Fields is the next quarterback, a fairly low-cost gamble that the Jets can easily move on from if it doesn't work out. The Jets have plenty of talented players, which was the reason they had hopes for a big season last year if Rodgers was simply an average quarterback. The Jets have a miserable ownership situation with Woody Johnson, and that will be a constant obstacle, but there are some seeds of optimism. There were major organizational failures that led to the Jets somehow going from 7-10 with Zach Wilson at quarterback to 5-12 with Rodgers playing much better than Wilson ever did. Mougey and Glenn are in charge of changing that, though they're far from the first group to try in this miserable era of Jets football. Rodgers was supposed to break the Jets' streak of not making the playoffs, but it's alive at 14 seasons. And the worst part of coming up woefully short after that big move is the Jets might shift back near square one. (Grant Thomas/Yahoo Sports) The tone for this season all about whether head coach Brian Daboll and general manager Joe Schoen can survive again. Jaxson Dart is the best path to showing progress. Dart is an interesting first-round pick out of Ole Miss. He will take some time to learn an NFL offense, but he has enticing skills. Russell Wilson and Jameis Winston were signed before Dart was picked, and presumably Wilson will begin the season as the starter. If the Giants aren't much better than last season, the biggest question will be when to give Dart a shot. The reality is that decision will be made by a coach and general manager who are in self-preservation mode. Whatever is best for their survival will play a role in that decision. The Giants have a really good defensive line, a secondary that has gotten an influx of talent, a future star in receiver Malik Nabers and not much else. There's still a long way to go before the Giants are contenders again. Daboll and Schoen need some results this season to stick around for those better days. (Grant Thomas/Yahoo Sports) The Raiders are one of the NFL franchises on a never-ending road to nowhere. Over the past 22 seasons, the Raiders have had 13 head coaches and two playoff appearances. Pete Carroll becomes the Raiders' 14th head coach since their last playoff win, which came Jan. 19, 2003. It is odd for the rebuilding Raiders to hire a coach who will turn 74 years old in September — when the season starts Carroll will break the record as the oldest head coach in NFL history — but given team owner Mark Davis' ineptitude at picking the right coach, at least he got someone with a winning history. At least the Raiders have potential stars to build around. Crosby is one of the best defensive players in the NFL. Brock Bowers is coming off the best season for a rookie tight end in NFL history. Ashton Jeanty is one of the best running back prospects in many years, and the rebuilding Raiders thought he was worth the sixth pick of the draft. Geno Smith isn't a star, but when the Raiders traded for him from the Seattle Seahawks they upgraded from what might have been the worst quarterback situation in the NFL. Rebuilds usually take a while, and presumably the Raiders believe a coach who will turn 74 this season and a quarterback who will turn 35 will help establish a culture that can be carried on down the road. That wouldn't be the worst outcome. Anything to get the Raiders moving in a positive direction would be a nice change. (Grant Thomas/Yahoo Sports) The Patriots have a proven head coach in Mike Vrabel, an exciting quarterback in Drake Maye, and just had the best offseason in the NFL. Their win total at BetMGM is 8.5, which means oddsmakers believe the Patriots could be a .500 team. They've won eight games the last two seasons combined. Part of that optimistic win total is a schedule that is projected to be one of the easiest in the NFL this season. A bigger part is spending a ton of money on free-agent upgrades and potentially nailing the draft. It's not like the Patriots will be a Super Bowl contender this season. The offensive line is a big question, even if their rookie left tackle plays well. The Patriots' longstanding ineptitude at drafting receivers means Maye's supporting cast probably won't be great. The defensive additions were plentiful, but they all need to fit together. New England had one of the worst defenses in the NFL a season ago, so there's a long way to go. But it seems like the miserable fall from grace after the NFL's greatest dynasty had ended is a lot further in the rear-view mirror than it actually is. It didn't take long for the Patriots to reinvent themselves. (Grant Thomas/Yahoo Sports) Quarterback play, whether it's Anthony Richardson's progress or Daniel Jones' ability to turn his career around, is the key issue hovering over the Colts going into this season. The Colts won eight games even with a team passer rating of 75.8, which was 31st in the NFL. There's plenty of talent on offense, like running back Jonathan Taylor, receiver Michael Pittman Jr. and new rookie tight end Tyler Warren. The defense was good enough to keep the Colts in games. Head coach Shane Steichen might be a good coach, just one that hasn't been able to fix Richardson's problems. But it's hard to get excited for the Colts if the quarterback play is near the bottom again. Plenty is riding on Richardson or Jones playing well this season. GM Chris Ballard and Steichen can't feel comfortable, especially after the death of longtime owner Jim Irsay. Irsay was patient with Ballard and Steichen, and especially Ballard, even as many fans wanted change. Irsay believed in them, but now his daughters are in charge. It's also hard to believe the Colts would try again with Richardson in 2026 if he doesn't show improvement this season, and we can't even know if he'll get the chance to start. If the Colts have a losing season, there could be a total roster teardown, especially if there's a new general manager and coach. The Colts drafted Richardson knowing there was risk involved. It's just two years into the experiment, but it's looking grim on that gamble working out. (Grant Thomas/Yahoo Sports) It's hard to look at the 2025 Dolphins and be overly optimistic. Tua Tagovailoa continues to be underappreciated but his concussion issues became a big story again in 2024. Tyreek Hill's numbers took a stunning drop, and the team and Hill's camp had to smooth things over after his proclamation that he was done in Miami. Jaylen Waddle's production fell off a cliff, too. The explosive plays on offense disappeared. The offensive line was bad. The defense got a lot worse. There has been plenty of offseason trade speculation with cornerback Jalen Ramsey and tight end Jonnu Smith, two of the Dolphins' few bright spots last season. Head coach Mike McDaniel has gone from a likable whiz kid to being on the hot seat, especially after it was revealed that some players were repeatedly late for meetings despite being fined. That makes it seem like he's losing the locker room. Maybe the real warning sign came when players revolted against and practically ran off 2023 defensive coordinator Vic Fangio, one of the great coordinators of this era. Last season, Fangio turned the Philadelphia Eagles' defense into the best in the NFL and finally got himself a Super Bowl ring. The Dolphins could have used a coach like that. Maybe the Dolphins can turn things back around. Perhaps McDaniel can recapture his magic, Tagovailoa stays healthy and productive, De'Von Achane rediscovers the explosiveness he had as a rookie, Hill again becomes the receiver he was in 2022-23, Waddle also bounces back and the defense holds it together. That's just a lot of what-ifs. And to think, the Dolphins are just a season removed from being an 11-win playoff team. (Grant Thomas/Yahoo Sports) Jacksonville traded several picks to the Cleveland Browns to move up and draft Travis Hunter as a unique, game-changing prospect at No. 2 overall. So they got him, no matter the cost. Maybe that's a good thing. The Jaguars might benefit from not following the same draft charts as everyone else. Jacksonville has zero Super Bowl appearances, only two playoff berths since the 2007 season and many years of being practically anonymous in the NFL. It hasn't gotten very far by following the book. The Jaguars shocked the NFL with the trade. New GM James Gladstone, just 34 years old and from the aggressive Los Angeles Rams front office, boldly told Jaguars fans about the move: "Don't be scared. This is something I'm uniquely positioned to navigate." The move might turn out to be less about Hunter himself and more about a changing mentality in a sad-sack franchise. Maybe Gladstone's approach will work, or perhaps he'll flame out fast. But after years of failure, at least the Jaguars are trying something different. (Grant Thomas/Yahoo Sports) The Falcons are hopeful that Michael Penix Jr. is fantastic right away and helps elevate the rest of the roster. Penix, Bijan Robinson and Drake London could form the foundation of an exciting offense. The defense is a work in progress, but doubling up on pass rushers Jalon Walker and James Pearce Jr. in the first round of the NFL Draft might fix Atlanta's massive and longstanding weakness on the edge. Hiring Jeff Ulbrich, formerly of the New York Jets, to be their new defensive coordinator could help too. The Falcons were 8-9 last season despite uneven quarterback play and a poor defense. Improvements in each area could put them in line to take the NFC South. We'll need to figure out what Atlanta has in Penix first. At this moment the Falcons are pretty happy to have their second-year quarterback. Nobody saw that coming when he was drafted. (Grant Thomas/Yahoo Sports) Maybe the Aaron Rodgers signing works out like Brett Favre joining the Vikings after a season with the Jets, when he had maybe the best season of his career and nearly took Minnesota to a Super Bowl. The Steelers seem unlikely to completely collapse; we all know the history of Tomlin not having a losing season. The defense is still quite good, and the Steelers clearly thought cornerback Jalen Ramsey was an upgrade over safety Minkah Fitzpatrick when they swapped the two in an interesting midsummer trade. The offense might be better with the additions of star receiver DK Metcalf and tight end Jonnu Smith, drafting Kaleb Johnson could give a spark to the running game and perhaps a young offensive line will improve. Pittsburgh made the playoffs with Russell Wilson starting most of last season, and Rodgers is probably an upgrade even as he is about to turn 42. The Steelers are stuck in a rut. They're cycling through unappealing options at quarterback, and that seems likely to continue next offseason. They have a coach with a Hall of Fame level résumé but many Steelers fans want him out because he hasn't won a playoff game over the past eight seasons. The Steelers have not been bad enough to bottom out and draft a permanent answer at quarterback, and they haven't been good enough to make a postseason run either. Rodgers doesn't seem like he'll make the Steelers that much worse or that much better. It's just another season of the same, probably just creating a fuzzy memory for years down the road of "Oh right, Rodgers had that one season with the Steelers at the end." (Grant Thomas/Yahoo Sports) Last season was supposed to be a step forward for Kyler Murray, and maybe the Cardinals, and in some ways it was. Arizona did improve from 4-13 to 8-9. Murray's 93.5 passer rating was his best since 2021. The defense improved from 32nd to 14th in DVOA. There was tangible progress, despite plenty of injuries and ballyhooed rookie receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. not having a massive impact. The next question is what the Cardinals' true ceiling is. There was a lot of talent added on defense for coach Jonathan Gannon, a respected defensive mind. Trey McBride blossomed into an elite tight end (the first Cardinals tight end since Jackie Smith in 1970 to make the Pro Bowl), James Conner is a reliable workhorse at running back and if Harrison has a big second season the Cardinals' offense gets pretty interesting. How high the Cardinals can fly probably comes down to whether Murray ever has that breakout. If he maintains his current level, the Cardinals can be a playoff team but probably nowhere near a Super Bowl contender. Getting to an elite level will depend on Murray moving up a tier or two. If it doesn't happen soon, it probably never will. (Grant Thomas/Yahoo Sports) The Cowboys' drought follows them around everywhere. Their last Super Bowl season was 30 years ago. They haven't made a conference championship game since then either, amazingly enough the longest dry spell in the NFC. When Jerry Jones says the Cowboys are going "all in" on offseason moves and it doesn't happen, he hears about how long it has been since they won the championship. When he makes the unexciting hire of first-time head coach Brian Schottenheimer, everyone wonders why there wasn't more urgency. There is talent on the roster. Dak Prescott has a long history of being productive, as long as he's healthy. CeeDee Lamb is a legitimate No. 1 receiver and George Pickens, acquired in a trade with the Steelers, has the ability to be one of the best No. 2 receivers in the NFL. Of course, that depends on Pickens' attitude, which caused the Steelers to give up on him after three seasons. Dallas' defense wasn't good last season but can bounce back quickly with new coordinator Matt Eberflus and annual Defensive Player of the Year candidate Micah Parsons. Schottenheimer will have to manage championship expectations for a team that hasn't made the NFL's final four in three decades, which isn't easy. For any other coach taking over a 7-10 team in his first job, he wouldn't be answering many questions about when he'll make a Super Bowl. When you're coaching the Cowboys, you can't escape it. (Grant Thomas/Yahoo Sports) Most 10-win teams don't make major changes. The Seahawks made a couple. They swapped out quarterbacks, trading away Geno Smith and then paying Sam Darnold in free agency. Smith wanted a new contract, but it's not like he got that much more from the Raiders than Seattle paid Darnold. The Seahawks made a choice to move on to the younger Darnold. Then the Seahawks traded away perhaps their most marketable star, receiver DK Metcalf. They got a second-round pick in return, which wasn't the kind of offer they couldn't refuse. They just wanted to be done with Metcalf before they had to give him another contract, and Metcalf wanted out too. The Seahawks could have run it back with Smith and Metcalf. It wouldn't have been cheap, but they could have figured it out. They chose a different path. That's not how most NFL teams operate. Teams will talk themselves into the idea they're closer than they actually are, and stick with the status quo to avoid second guessing. Give the Seahawks credit for being bold. The quarterback switch was interesting because the team talked up Smith in the offseason, then bailed when the price got too steep. Smith was traded for a third-round pick, then got a two-year, $75 million extension from the Raiders. Darnold, about seven years younger and coming off a huge season with the Vikings, was signed for $100.5 million over three years. The Seahawks gave up familiarity, but got younger and cheaper at the position while acquiring a top-100 draft pick. It could backfire if Darnold can't replicate his fantastic season outside of a great environment with the Vikings. Up to now, the Seahawks have remained competitive. It's not easy to win 10 games. Seattle hopes that though some more changes, the ceiling gets a little higher. (Grant Thomas/Yahoo Sports) C.J. Stroud is just 23 years old but comes across as wise beyond his years when he speaks of his craft. He didn't make excuses for a down 2024 season. He saw it as part of the process. "Being a quarterback in the NFL is something that no one can teach you about," Stroud said, via Fox Sports. "You got to experience it. Got to make mistakes, you got to fail. You have to do good, and you have to do bad." And it wasn't all that bad. The Texans won a division title. They followed that up with a playoff win against the Chargers and a competitive divisional-round loss at the Chiefs. It's hard to say 10 regular-season wins, an AFC South title and a playoff win was a miserable season. What's next? It shouldn't surprise anyone if Stroud is one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL this season. His rookie season was no fluke. The Texans' defense carried the team last season and should be good again. Head coach DeMeco Ryans is proving himself to be one of the NFL's best. (Grant Thomas/Yahoo Sports) Chicago, which hasn't had an All-Pro quarterback since 1950, has been where quarterbacks' careers go to die. Caleb Williams' upside case died a little bit as he struggled last season behind a terrible offensive line and even worse coaching. The only good thing to come out of last season was that the Bears seemed to finally wake up and address the underlying issues that led Carl Williams to see if there was a way to circumvent the draft and steer his son way from a franchise that has never figured out the modern passing game. The Bears seemed reluctant to pay top dollar in its coaching search when it started, but eventually paid Ben Johnson handsomely to leave his job as the Detroit Lions' offensive coordinator. Johnson is one of the league's most respected play-callers and the Bears hope that leads to a big improvement for Williams. The Bears also revamped their offensive line and then drafted tight end Colston Loveland in the first round and receiver Luther Burden III in the second round, giving the Bears a deep group of skill-position players. With an exciting offensive-minded coach, a good offensive line, a fun group of pass catchers and the No. 1 pick from the 2024 draft at quarterback, if the Bears can't get that elusive first 4,000-yard passing season, maybe the franchise is just doomed at the position. The Bears are again one of the darlings of the offseason and a popular pick to have a breakthrough, both on the team level and with their young quarterback. Now they have to actually do it.
