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2025 NFL Cap Space, By Team

February 15th, 2025 at 9:45pm CST by Adam La Rose

Free agency is roughly one month away, and teams are preparing for the first major roster-building checkpoint on the offseason calendar. In several cases, of course, the lead-in to the start of the new league year will require cost-cutting measures.

Teams expect the 2025 cap ceiling to check in somewhere between $265MM and $275MM, providing a general target to aim for before the final figure is unveiled by the NFL. Using a projected cap of $272.5MM, here is a look at where all 32 teams currently stand (courtesy of Over the Cap):

  1. New England Patriots: $119.8MM
  2. Las Vegas Raiders: $92.53MM
  3. Washington Commanders: $75.21MM
  4. Arizona Cardinals: $71.33MM
  5. Los Angeles Chargers: $63.41MM
  6. Chicago Bears: $62.97MM
  7. Minnesota Vikings: $58.01MM
  8. Pittsburgh Steelers: $53.26MM
  9. Cincinnati Bengals: $46.26MM
  10. Detroit Lions: $45.69MM
  11. San Francisco 49ers: $44.26MM
  12. Tennessee Titans: $44.08MM
  13. New York Giants: $43.38MM
  14. Green Bay Packers: $42.14MM
  15. Los Angeles Rams: $38.33MM
  16. Denver Broncos: $34.78MM
  17. Jacksonville Jaguars: $32.27MM
  18. Indianapolis Colts: $28.25MM
  19. Carolina Panthers: $20.33MM
  20. Philadelphia Eagles: $18.08MM
  21. New York Jets: $16.86MM
  22. Baltimore Ravens: $5.96MM
  23. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: $2.24MM
  24. Houston Texans: $99K over the cap
  25. Kansas City Chiefs: $916K over
  26. Dallas Cowboys: $2.85MM over
  27. Miami Dolphins: $5.44MM over
  28. Atlanta Falcons: $11.15MM over
  29. Seattle Seahawks: $13.46MM over
  30. Buffalo Bills: $14.18MM over
  31. Cleveland Browns: $30.17MM over
  32. New Orleans Saints: $54.11MM over

These figures will of course change based on where the final cap ceiling winds up for the year, but they take into account each team’s carryover amount for 2025. Even with those savings in play, more than one quarter of the league finds itself in need of cost-shedding moves to simply achieve cap compliance by mid-March.

With the Patriots leading the way in terms of spending power, they will be a team to watch closely once free agency begins. The team’s willingness (or lack thereof) to make major free agent additions last year was a talking point, and it will be interesting to see if the regime featuring de facto general manager Eliot Wolf and new head coach Mike Vrabel takes a different approach in 2025. A serious push for Tee Higgins – by far the most sought-after wideout set to hit the market – can be expected.

Aside from Higgins, the Bengals have a number of financial priorities. Working out a monster extension for fellow receiver Ja’Marr Chase and a new deal (and accompanying raise) for edge rusher Trey Hendrickson are key goals for the franchise. Quarterback Joe Burrow is prepared to restructure his own pact to create cap space for this offseason, but the team will no doubt need to break with tradition in terms of contract structure and guarantees to keep its core intact.

The Colts’ offseason has been defined in large part by a focus on retaining in-house players during recent years. That approach has not paid off as hoped, and general manager Chris Ballard said last month he plans to oversee a shift in roster-building philosophy this year. With the finances to make at least a modest addition or two on the open market, Indianapolis could be a suitor for some of the middle-class free agent options.

Over the coming weeks, many teams will proceed with extensions and restructures to free up cap space; the Seahawks recently took the latter route with defensive lineman Leonard Williams. Teams like the Steelers (in the case of edge rusher Preston Smith) and Dolphins (with running back Raheem Mostert as well as corner Kendall Fuller and tight end Durham Smythe) have already begin cutting veterans to free up cap space. That will increasingly continue in the near future with respect to the teams currently slated to be over the cap in particular.

Updated 2025 NFL Draft Order

February 10th, 2025 at 8:58am CST by Adam La Rose

With Super Bowl LIX in the books, the 2024 campaign has come to a close. The final first-round order for April’s draft is now set as a result.

All 32 teams currently own a Day 1 selection, leaving the door open to each one adding a prospect in the first round for the first time since expansion in 2002. Any number of trades will no doubt take place between now and the draft, though, and it will be interesting to see how teams maneuver in the lead-in to the event. Of course, Tennessee in particular will be worth watching closely with a move to sell off the No. 1 pick being seen as a distinct possibility.

A weak quarterback class will leave teams like the Titans, Browns, Giants and Raiders with plenty of key offseason decisions. The free agent and trade markets do not offer many short-term alternatives which are seen as surefire additions, and teams which do not make moves in March will rely on the incoming group of rookies as part of their efforts to find a long-term solution under center. The two prospects seen as the clear-cut top options in 2025, however, are two-way Colorado star Travis Hunter and Penn State edge rusher Abdul Carter.

For non-playoff teams, the draft order is determined by the inverted 2024 standings plus a series of tiebreakers, starting with strength of schedule. Playoff squads are slotted by their postseason outcome and the reverse order of their regular season record.

Here is a final look at the first-round order:

  1. Tennessee Titans (3-14)
  2. Cleveland Browns (3-14)
  3. New York Giants (3-14)
  4. New England Patriots (4-13)
  5. Jacksonville Jaguars (4-13)
  6. Las Vegas Raiders (4-13)
  7. New York Jets (5-12)
  8. Carolina Panthers (5-12)
  9. New Orleans Saints (5-12)
  10. Chicago Bears (5-12)
  11. San Francisco 49ers (6-11)
  12. Dallas Cowboys (7-10)
  13. Miami Dolphins (8-9)
  14. Indianapolis Colts (8-9)
  15. Atlanta Falcons (8-9)
  16. Arizona Cardinals (8-9)
  17. Cincinnati Bengals (9-8)
  18. Seattle Seahawks (10-7)
  19. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (10-7)
  20. Denver Broncos (10-7)
  21. Pittsburgh Steelers (10-7)
  22. Los Angeles Chargers (11-6)
  23. Green Bay Packers (11-6)
  24. Minnesota Vikings (14-3)
  25. Houston Texans (10-7)
  26. Los Angeles Rams (10-7)
  27. Baltimore Ravens (12-5)
  28. Detroit Lions (15-2)
  29. Washington Commanders (12-5)
  30. Buffalo Bills (13-4)
  31. Kansas City Chiefs (15-2)
  32. Philadelphia Eagles (14-3)

Patriots Announce 2025 Coaching Staff

February 5th, 2025 at 9:56pm CST by Ely Allen

Along with the hiring of new Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel came the addition of two new coordinators, as well, in offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels and defensive coordinator Terrell Williams. Each coordinator went about building their new staffs, with lots of new names arriving in New England over the past few weeks. ESPN’s Mike Reiss reported the final lineup today.

On offense, we had already heard about the hirings of quarterbacks coach Ashton Grant, wide receivers coach Todd Downing, and offensive assistant Riley Larkin. We had also been informed that Thomas Brown, Doug Marrone, and Jason Houghtaling had been hired, but we weren’t yet made aware of their positions. Reiss’ report tells us that Brown will serve as tight ends coach and passing game coordinator, Marrone will be offensive line coach, and Houghtaling will be assistant offensive line coach under Marrone.

New information tells us that, joining Houghtaling as an assistant offensive line coach under Marrone, Robert Kugler has been retained from last year’s staff. Kugler held the same position with the Texans and Panthers before joining the Patriots as an assistant offensive line coach last year. We also learned that Tony Dews has been hired as running backs coach. Dews served the same position under Vrabel during his tenure in Tennessee (including one year as tight ends coach) before spending last year as running backs coach for the Jets. Lastly on offense, Chuckie Keeton‘s coaching journey continues in New England after he debuted for the Seahawks as an offensive assistant last year.

On defense, we had already heard of the hirings of Zak Kuhr, Scott Booker, and Clint McMillan, as well as the retention of Ben McAdoo, but thanks to Reiss, we now know that Kuhr will serve as inside linebackers coach, Booker as safeties coach, and McMillan as defensive line coach. McAdoo served last year as a senior offensive assistant for the team, and in 2025, he will switch sides of the ball as a senior defensive assistant. Reiss also informed us that defensive assistant Vinny DePalma was retained in the same role. Last year was his first year in the NFL — or coaching period — after finishing his collegiate playing career as a linebacker at Boston College.

Reiss also reported four defensive hirings. We had heard that the Patriots were targeting Colts assistant defensive backs coach Justin Hamilton, and Reiss has him listed as the team’s new safeties coach. Hamilton held a defensive quality control coaching role on the Titans during Vrabel’s last year in Tennessee before landing his role in Indianapolis last year. The Patriots have also hired Mike Smith as outside linebackers coach. Smith has held the same role previously with the Chiefs, Packers, and Vikings but spent last year away from coaching. Lastly, the Patriots announced the hirings of Milton Patterson and Kevin Richardson as defensive assistants. Patterson makes his NFL coaching debut after five seasons as defensive coordinator and linebackers coach at Florida A&M. Richardson is likewise debuting as a coach in the NFL following two seasons as assistant defensive backs coach at Illinois.

Finally, on special teams, we learned that Tom Quinn has been retained as assistant special teams coach. We knew that special teams coordinator Jeremy Springer had been retained, and while we don’t know his exact fate, Coby Tippett, a special teams assistant coach last year, was not included in today’s staff announcements. We also learned that Deron Mayo was retained as strength and conditioning coach despite his brother’s dismissal as head coach.

There you have it: the Patriots 2025 coaching staff. There are lots of areas that need improvement in order for the Patriots to see success next season, but it all starts with the coaching staff. Vrabel returns with head coaching experience under his belt, and he will try to bring some of the success he had as head coach at Tennessee with him to New England.

Colts C Ryan Kelly Will Reach Free Agency

February 3rd, 2025 at 8:58am CST by Adam La Rose

Ryan Kelly has spent his entire career with the Colts, but his next deal may very well come from a different team. The veteran center recently confirmed he will test the open market this spring.

“Never been a free agent,” Kelly said (via Mike Chappell of Fox59), “so I’m excited to see what’s out there. My plan is to see what’s out there on the market. Indy can always match it. I’ll miss it, if that’s it. It was a good run for nine years.”

Kelly, 31, has started all 121 of his appearances with Indianapolis, providing the team with a consistent presence in the middle over that span. The four-time Pro Bowler made it clear after the end of the 2024 season that his preference is to remain with the Colts, although he is aware he will likely need to be on the move in March. Indianapolis did not include Kelly in the team’s long list of in-house players who were extended or re-signed last offseason, a strong sign a 2025 departure will take place.

The Colts selected a potential Kelly replacement in the form of Tanor Bortolini during last year’s draft. The Wisconsin product made 12 appearances and five starts as a rookie, filling in at center when Kelly missed time with a knee injury. Bortolini could serve as a cost-effective replacement for Kelly over the remainder of his rookie contract, allowing the Colts to focus on other positions with respect to free agent spending.

Kelly has remained steady in terms of PFF evaluation over the course of his career, ranking in the top 10 amongst qualifying centers three times. The most recent of those occasions was in 2023, so the former first-rounder could generate a notable market in spite of his age. Kelly’s PFF grade from this past season (67) was still good enough for 12th at his position.

The Alabama product landed an extension averaging just over $12.4MM in 2020. Kelly will be hard-pressed to command a similar AAV on a new pact this March (especially if he secures a multi-year commitment), but he will have the opportunity to receive offers from suitors before deciding on a potential Indianapolis departure.

Chris Hewitt Parts Ways With Ravens, Joins Colts

February 1st, 2025 at 3:31pm CST by Ely Allen

The Ravens defensive staff was ransacked by opposing coaching staffs last offseason as they lost former defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald (Seahawks head coach), defensive backs coach Dennard Wilson (Titans defensive coordinator), and defensive line coach Anthony Weaver (Dolphins defensive coordinator). Baltimore was able to hold on to inside linebackers coach Zachary Orr by promoting him to defensive coordinator, but with so many departed pieces from his staff, a bit of a drop off was expected.

One area in which the Ravens weren’t expecting a drop off was pass defense. Although, like Wilson, Weaver, and Orr, pass-game coordinator & secondary coach Chris Hewitt also received some defensive coordinator interest last offseason, Baltimore was able to retain Hewitt by granting him the additional title of assistant head coach. Unfortunately, after watching an abysmal pass defense handicap the team for the first 10 weeks of the season, the Ravens and Hewitt “agreed to mutually part ways,” per Tom Pelissero of NFL Network.

Viewed as a strength of the defense coming into the season, the Ravens secondary returned starting safeties Kyle Hamilton and Marcus Williams and starting cornerbacks Marlon Humphrey and Brandon Stephens while also adding veteran safety Eddie Jackson in free agency, rookie cornerback Nate Wiggins through the draft, and nickelback Ar’Darius Washington in return from injury. With such outstanding depth, the Ravens looked forward to being able to use their defensive ace Hamilton as a utility defender all over the field and being able to employ Washington in the slot, giving them the potential to field an effective dime personnel most of the time.

Unfortunately, Williams and Jackson took major steps backwards in 2024, both ending the season among the 10 bottom-ranked safeties in the NFL, per Pro Football Focus (subscription required). Stephens similarly struggled in 2024, ranking as the 100th-best cornerback in the league out of 118 players graded by PFF and getting targeted frequently as a result. Through 10 weeks, Baltimore’s defense ranked dead-last in total defense, despite fielding a league-best rushing defense.

Eventually, the team was able to turn things completely around, but it required the team to cut Jackson and bench Williams. This moved Hamilton and Washington back into the safety positions and moved Humphrey more into a nickelback role, opening the door for more opportunities for Wiggins on the outside. The defense ranked at the top of the league in many categories over the last seven weeks of the regular season as a result, but it appears the damage was already done.

Following the rocky start to the 2024 campaign, Hewitt’s time in Baltimore came to an end. Hewitt had been in Baltimore since 2012, when he was first hired as defensive backs coach. After eight years in that role, he was promoted to pass defense coordinator for two years before adding secondary coach to his title for two more. This was his first and only season with the assistant head coach moniker, which he took over from Weaver.

Luckily, Hewitt has quickly rebounded. Three days after Pelissero’s initial report, the NFL Network reporter has followed up with the announcement that Hewitt has been hired as pass game coordinator/secondary coach for the Colts. It will be only the second NFL franchise Hewitt has worked with in his long coaching career.

Hewitt will fill the role left vacant when defensive backs coach Ron Milus was dismissed. He joins defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo and linebackers coach James Bettcher as new additions to the defensive staff in Indianapolis.

AFC Coaching Rumors: Rizzi, Broncos, Browns, Musgrave, Dolphins, Colts, Bengals

January 28th, 2025 at 8:53pm CST by Sam Robinson

Mickey Loomis has been linked to wanting to tie his to-be-determined next HC to some of Dennis Allen‘s contracted assistants, but Mike McCarthy may not see eye-to-eye with that approach. This has introduced one of the potential hurdles in McCarthy’s path back to New Orleans. McCarthy’s view could affect the Broncos‘ staff as well, as 9News’ Mike Klis notes that he or Kellen Moore landing the Saints’ HC job could well lead Darren Rizzi to rejoin Sean Payton in Denver. Before the coaching carousel started to spin, the Saints moving Rizzi from interim HC to another staff position — presumably back to the special teams coordinator role — was likely. But the Broncos are among the teams interested in poaching him if the Saints let the ex-Payton hire out of his deal. Rizzi and Payton coached together for three seasons.

The Broncos have seen two of their staffers — pass-game coordinator John Morton and tight ends coach Declan Doyle — become OCs elsewhere (Lions, Bears). But they are retaining Vance Joseph for a third season; DBs coach Jim Leonhard is also staying, per NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport. Leonhard is believed to have drawn DC interest from three teams, and while it is interesting that no interviews are taking place (as Denver cannot block them), the former Wisconsin DC and Broncos safety will stick around.

Here is the latest from the AFC coaching ranks:

  • The Browns kept their OC post internal, elevating Tommy Rees, and they will do the same with their QBs coaching role. The team interviewed Giants assistant QBs coach Christian Jones for the job, NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero tweets, but they are instead shifting veteran Bill Musgrave to that position (via NFL.com’s Mike Garafolo). Musgrave, 57, is a six-time NFL OC — with the Eagles, Panthers, Jaguars, Vikings, Raiders and Broncos — and served as a senior offensive assistant on the past two Browns staffs. The Browns are backstopping their 32-year-old OC with considerable experience.
  • Former Cardinals and Giants DC James Bettcher has landed another gig under Lou Anarumo. The new Colts DC is adding Bettcher as linebackers coach, Pelissero tweets. Bettcher, 46, served as the Bengals’ LBs coach from 2022-24. He had previously headed up the Arizona and New York defenses in the 2010s but has since settled back on the positional level. This will also be a second tour of duty for Bettcher in Indianapolis; he coached under Chuck Pagano in 2012, before following Bruce Arians — Indy’s acting HC during Pagano’s cancer battle that year — to Arizona.
  • The Bengals will replace Bettcher with Mike Hodges, who will come over from the Saints. New Orleans had employed Hodges, 38, as its linebackers coach from 2020-24. Overall, Hodges spent eight seasons under Dennis Allen in the Big Easy, making it a bit interesting he is headed to Cincinnati than following Allen to Chicago.
  • Two new staffers are joining the Dolphins. Craig Aukerman is set to lead Miami’s ST units, Pelissero adds. An NFL staffer for 14 years, Aukerman spent 10 seasons with the Titans, staying on staff through four HCs. A 2023 game that featured two Tennessee punts blocked and standout punter Ryan Stonehouse suffering a serious knee injury led to Aukerman’s firing, and he did not coach in 2024. The Dolphins are also hiring Robert Prince as their wide receivers coach, per Pelissero. Prince has not previously coached under Mike McDaniel, but he has been an NFL assistant since 2004. After seven seasons with the Lions and a 2021 stop in Houston, he coached the Cowboys’ WRs for the past three years.
  • Circling back to Denver, the team is moving on from one of Joseph’s staffers. Greg Manusky will not be back as the Broncos‘ linebackers coach, Pelissero offers. The Broncos’ linebackers were perhaps the weak point on a top-five defense this season, though the unit lost top tackler Alex Singleton in Week 2. A four-time NFL DC, Manusky spent the past two seasons as Denver’s ILBs coach.

2025 NFL Offensive/Defensive Coordinator Search Tracker

January 26th, 2025 at 9:57pm CST by Sam Robinson

Last year, half the league changed up at offensive and defensive coordinator. As most HC-needy teams have now filled their open positions, the coordinator carousel has accelerated. Here is how the market looks now. When other teams make changes, they will be added to the list.

Updated 2-21-25 (1:59pm CT)

Offensive coordinators

Chicago Bears (Out: Chris Beatty)

Cleveland Browns (Out: Ken Dorsey)

Dallas Cowboys (Out: Brian Schottenheimer)

Detroit Lions (Out: Ben Johnson)

  • John Morton, pass-game coordinator (Broncos): Hired

Houston Texans (Out: Bobby Slowik)

Jacksonville Jaguars (Out: Press Taylor)

Las Vegas Raiders 

New England Patriots (Out: Alex Van Pelt)

New Orleans Saints (Out: Klint Kubiak)

New York Jets (Out: Nathaniel Hackett)

Philadelphia Eagles (Out: Kellen Moore)

  • Kevin Patullo, pass-game coordinator (Eagles): Promoted

San Francisco 49ers

Seattle Seahawks (Out: Ryan Grubb)

Tampa Bay Buccaneers (Out: Liam Coen)

Defensive coordinators

Atlanta Falcons (Out: Jimmy Lake)

Chicago Bears (Out: Eric Washington)

Cincinnati Bengals (Out: Lou Anarumo)

Dallas Cowboys (Out: Mike Zimmer)

Detroit Lions (Out: Aaron Glenn)

  • Larry Foote, inside linebackers coach (Buccaneers): Interviewed
  • Kelvin Sheppard, linebackers coach (Lions): Promoted

Indianapolis Colts (Out: Gus Bradley)

Jacksonville Jaguars (Out: Ryan Nielsen)

  • Anthony Campanile, linebackers coach/running game coordinator (Packers): Hired
  • Jonathan Cooley, pass-game coordinator (Panthers): Interview requested
  • Patrick Graham, former defensive coordinator (Raiders): Interviewed 1/27
  • Daronte Jones, defensive pass-game coordinator (Vikings): Interviewed 1/27
  • Aubrey Pleasant, defensive pass-game coordinator (Rams): Interviewed 1/28

Las Vegas Raiders 

New England Patriots (Out: DeMarcus Covington)

  • Ryan Crow, outside linebackers coach (Dolphins): Interviewed 1/21
  • Terrell Williams, defensive line coach (Lions): Hired

New Orleans Saints (Out: Joe Woods)

New York Jets (Out: Jeff Ulbrich)

  • Chris Harris, former defensive backs coach/passing game coordinator (Titans): Interviewed 1/29
  • Steve Wilks, former defensive coordinator (49ers): To be hired

San Francisco 49ers (Out: Nick Sorensen)

NFL Reserve/Futures Contracts: 1/24/25

January 24th, 2025 at 8:26pm CST by Ely Allen

Friday’s reserve/futures deals:

Carolina Panthers

Houston Texans

Indianapolis Colts

Ajou was a strong high school recruit whose collegiate career didn’t amount to much in two years at Clemson, a season at South Florida, and a season at Garden City CC. After going undrafted, he spent 2024 in the Canadian Football League, where he collected 20 catches for 307 yards and two touchdowns for the Saskatchewan Roughriders.

Colts Add Lou Anarumo As DC

January 20th, 2025 at 11:08pm CST by Sam Robinson

Although the news coming out of Chicago will probably be the biggest across the NFL today, the Colts have identified their next defensive coordinator. Lou Anarumo is the pick, according to ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter. The team has since confirmed the news.

Anarumo and Dennis Allen had been discussing the possibility of joining Ben Johnson wherever he landed, The Athletic’s Dianna Russini adds. While the new Bears HC is expected to choose Allen to be his top defensive assistant, Anarumo will make an early jump to Indianapolis. Allen was also a Colts interviewee.

The Chicago component here helps explain why Indianapolis moved so quickly with Anarumo. But the former HC candidate figured to have more options as soon as other teams hired coaches. The ex-Bengals defensive boss had already met with the Falcons about their vacancy, but Atlanta went with Jets interim HC Jeff Ulbrich. That cleared a path for the Colts, who will replace Gus Bradley with another DC with considerable experience in the role.

Anarumo, 58, had devised a plan to cool off Patrick Mahomes and a then-elite Chiefs offense to help the Bengals to an upset in the 2021 AFC championship game. While he was unable to match that feat in the teams’ rematch a year later, the Bengals had entered the 2022 AFC title game ranked sixth in scoring defense. This came after the team went toe-to-toe with the Rams in Super Bowl LVI. Not too many HC looks emerged, however, as Anarumo only met with the Giants (2022) and Cardinals (2023). The Colts had passed on such a meeting, but they will pair Anarumo with Shane Steichen after Bradley’s defense had become somewhat stale.

After Matt Eberflus had engineered three top-10 defensive finishes in his four seasons, Bradley had seen his troops rank 28th, 28th and 24th in points allowed during his three seasons at the helm. The former Jaguars HC and four-time DC coached a similar cast from 2023-24, with GM Chris Ballard continuing to focus on retaining players rather than pursuing outside help. The results did not produce success, potentially leading to a philosophical shift. Bradley’s unit bottomed out in Week 17, when a 45-point outing from a basement-level Giants team eliminated the Colts from playoff contention.

While Anarumo is also coming off a down season (25th in point and yardage), as the Bengals’ defense effectively kept an MVP-caliber Joe Burrow season from even producing a wild-card berth, he has been a well-regarded option for a while. Anarumo spent more than 20 years in the college ranks but has now been an NFL assistant for 13 years. He coached Dolphins DBs under Joe Philbin and Adam Gase, moving to the Giants for a one-year tenure as their secondary coach in 2018. The Colts will sign off on a quick second chance as a DC, keeping one of the higher-profile options off the market for the five teams that still need to hire HCs.

Via PFR’s Offensive/Defensive Coordinator Search Tracker, here is how Indy’s process concluded:

  • Dennis Allen, former head coach (New Orleans Saints): Interviewed 1/17
  • Lou Anarumo, former defensive coordinator (Cincinnati Bengals): Hired
  • Ephraim Banda, safeties coach (Cleveland Browns): Interviewed 1/10
  • Wink Martindale, defensive coordinator (Michigan): Interviewed 1/15
  • Steve Wilks, former defensive coordinator (San Francisco 49ers): Interviewed

Updated 2025 NFL Draft Order

January 19th, 2025 at 10:00pm CST by Ely Allen

Two weekends of playoff football have come and gone, providing us with 10 more draft slots cemented into position as NFL teams continue to be eliminated from the playoffs. The top 18 picks were already divvied up at the conclusion of the regular season to the teams who failed to make the playoffs, while picks 19-28 have been determined over the past two weeks.

For non-playoff teams, the draft order has been determined by the inverted 2024 standings plus a series of tiebreakers, starting with strength of schedule. The playoff squads are being slotted by their postseason outcome and the reverse order of their regular-season record.

The league’s Super Wild Card weekend resulted in the elimination of Chargers, Steelers, Broncos, Packers, Buccaneers, and Vikings after their respective losses. Tampa Bay benefitted from the three-way tie in record with Denver and Pittsburgh, just as the Chargers did over the Packers.

The divisional round of the playoffs resulted in the elimination of the Texans, Rams, Ravens, and Lions. This time, Houston held the tiebreaker over Los Angeles, gifting it higher draft priority.

We are still at a place that, for the first time since the league expanded to 32 teams in 2002, there is a chance that every team drafts in the first round, as no first-round picks have yet been traded. It’s extremely unlikely that this will remain the case, as draft-day trades are a very common occurrence, but it’s still an interesting concept to note this close to the draft.

Here is how the draft order looks following two weeks of playoff football:

  1. Tennessee Titans (3-14)
  2. Cleveland Browns (3-14)
  3. New York Giants (3-14)
  4. New England Patriots (4-13)
  5. Jacksonville Jaguars (4-13)
  6. Las Vegas Raiders (4-13)
  7. New York Jets (5-12)
  8. Carolina Panthers (5-12)
  9. New Orleans Saints (5-12)
  10. Chicago Bears (5-12)
  11. San Francisco (6-11)
  12. Dallas Cowboys (7-10)
  13. Miami Dolphins (8-9)
  14. Indianapolis Colts (8-9)
  15. Atlanta Falcons (8-9)
  16. Arizona Cardinals (8-9)
  17. Cincinnati Bengals (9-8)
  18. Seattle Seahawks (10-7)
  19. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (10-7)
  20. Denver Broncos (10-7)
  21. Pittsburgh Steelers (10-7)
  22. Los Angeles Chargers (11-6)
  23. Green Bay Packers (11-6)
  24. Minnesota Vikings (14-3)
  25. Houston Texans (10-7)
  26. Los Angeles Rams (10-7)
  27. Baltimore Ravens (12-5)
  28. Detroit Lions (15-2)
  29. Washington Commanders (12-5)
  30. Buffalo Bills (13-4)
  31. Philadelphia Eagles (14-3)
  32. Kansas City Chiefs (15-2)
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