Super Bowl 60 is right around the corner, and the New England Patriots and Seattle Seahawks are preparing to square off for the biggest prize in the NFL. The other 30 teams in the league, however, are looking ahead to next season.
Many things can and will change around the league before the 2026 NFL season kicks off. It’s impossible to accurately predict which players teams will sign, who will be traded, which prospects will be drafted where, and whether any surprise retirements will occur.
That said, it’s always fun to look into the future using PFSN’s Playoff Predictor and Season Simulator. Once this year’s Super Bowl ends, every NFL team will be 0-0, which is an exciting prospect for many teams.
32) New York Jets
The New York Jets placed in a four-way tie for the worst record in the NFL this season. Their decision to sign Justin Fields as their starting quarterback backfired, and despite being a defensive-minded head coach, Aaron Glenn’s defense didn’t generate a single interception all season.
Unfortunately for them, the Jets’ path to success in 2026 is difficult. They have the No. 2 pick in a draft class that only has one franchise-caliber QB prospect, so the chances they find an answer at that position are slim. They have plenty of draft capital to work with, but their roster is still so far from competitive. Don’t expect much to change in New York.
31) Las Vegas Raiders
There’s plenty of reason to be excited for the future if you’re a Las Vegas Raiders fan. Klint Kubiak will be coming over as their head coach after the Super Bowl, and Indiana star quarterback Fernando Mendoza figures to be theirs as the No. 1 pick in the 2026 NFL Draft.
With those two pieces, along with Brock Bowers and Ashton Jeanty on offense, the Raiders are slowly getting a nice foundation in place. However, their offensive line, wide receivers, and defense as a whole still need plenty of upgrades. Las Vegas should show flashes of potential in 2026, but don’t anticipate a major turnaround in Kubiak’s first year.
30) Cleveland Browns
Don’t let Shedeur Sanders’ controversial Pro Bowl nod fool you; there’s still a lot that needs to be done in the Cleveland Browns’ organization. Sanders threw more interceptions than touchdowns as a rookie; their group of weapons in the passing game is thin, and their offensive line is aging and falling apart.
Fortunately for them, they have a decent foundation in place. They got tremendous returns from their 2025 draft class, and their defense is one of the best in the NFL. They also have two first-round picks in this year’s draft. If they’re smart in how they address their needs on offense, they could be a sleeper to rise up the rankings as the year goes on.
29) New Orleans Saints
If you’re looking for a sneaky team to rise up the rankings and crawl into the playoffs in 2026, it could be the New Orleans Saints. They play in a weak NFC South, as the rest of these rankings will soon reflect. They also went 5-3 to close out the year behind strong play from rookie quarterback Tyler Shough.
Don’t get it twisted: the Saints still have a flawed roster. They could use another top weapon on offense and a few more difference makers on defense. They’re not a great team on paper yet, but don’t be surprised if they start to swing upwards for them in 2026.
28) Miami Dolphins
A lot of the Miami Dolphins’ outlook for 2026 will depend on what happens at quarterback for them. If they keep Tua Tagovailoa, they’ll remain with a higher floor and a lower ceiling. That said, new general manager Jon-Eric Sullivan and head coach Jeff Hafley could wish to bring in somebody of their own choosing.
If they keep Tyreek Hill, he’ll give them a tantalizing group of weapons alongside Jaylen Waddle and De’Von Achane. The Dolphins’ pass rush has some pieces, but their secondary and offensive line are problems. It’s a flawed roster that should be competitive but ultimately might lack the firepower to get much done in 2026.
27) Tennessee Titans
The coaching combination of Robert Saleh and Brian Daboll should provide the Tennessee Titans with much more stability than this year, when Brian Callahan was fired midseason. That bodes well for Cam Ward, who showed improvement in the second half of his rookie year.
Tennessee’s rookie class showed some promise, especially on the offensive side of the ball. They desperately need a true star receiver, but they have a few good complementary weapons. It would be a major surprise if they made the playoffs in 2026, but with a good draft class and improved coaching, they should improve.
26) Carolina Panthers
The Carolina Panthers snuck into the playoffs at 8-9, breaking their nine-year streak without a postseason appearance but extending their streak without a winning season to ten years. There were plenty of ups and downs along the way, and it ended in a surprisingly close 34-31 Wild Card matchup against the heavily-favored Rams.
It’s clear that Dave Canales’ team is on the upswing, though there’s still clearly work to be done. Bryce Young needs to improve in Year 4 of his NFL career, and a focus this offseason on offensive additions could help him get there. Without a dominant team in their division, a repeat as champions is entirely on the table.
25) Pittsburgh Steelers
Will replacing Mike Tomlin with Mike McCarthy change anything for the Pittsburgh Steelers? PFSN’s analytical model doesn’t seem to think so. Like his predecessor, McCarthy has been known as a floor-raiser of whichever NFL team he ends up coaching. Also like Tomlin, McCarthy has been known to fall short once his teams reach the postseason.
The quarterback position figures to hold the Steelers back next year, barring an unforeseen blockbuster trade. They’re not in a position to take a blue-chip QB in a 2026 NFL Draft class that’s pretty thin there, and a returning Aaron Rodgers would likely present more of the same. Pittsburgh’s defense will keep them competitive, but the offense is questionable.
24) New York Giants
In spite of injuries to key contributors and a head coaching change midway through the year, the New York Giants showed plenty of promise in 2025. Throw in a full offseason for Jaxson Dart to work with the team and a head-coaching splash hire in John Harbaugh, and you’re working with something intriguing.
The tandem of Harbaugh and new offensive coordinator Matt Nagy should bring stability to a young Giants offense. Their defensive line is extremely talented, though the secondary looks shaky heading into the offseason. If they can boost their defensive backfield and add a new offensive lineman to the mix, they could surprise a lot of people in 2025.
23) Arizona Cardinals
Mike LaFleur is now the head coach of the Arizona Cardinals. While optimism isn’t through the roof given they’re the last team on the NFL coaching carousel to hire a new head coach, LaFleur comes from a Rams system that has seen multiple of his former offensive coordinators go on to become good head coaches in the NFL.
He’ll have his work cut out for him, especially in terms of finding a long-term replacement for Kyler Murray. That said, the Cardinals have a few young pieces on defense worth getting excited about, and their offensive weapons are pretty strong. It’ll be tough for them to avoid the basement in a loaded NFC West, but expect improvement in 2026.
22) Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Going into 2025, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers had made the postseason for five consecutive years, and they were projected as a near shoo-in this past year. However, their 1-7 stretch going into Week 18 doomed their playoff chances, providing an embarrassing finish to the season after starting off the year at 6-2.
The big question next year will be whether the Buccaneers can get Baker Mayfield back on track after a down year in 2025. They dealt with a lot of injuries this season, but they have good weapons and a solid defense when everybody’s healthy. In the end, it’ll likely come down to whether Mayfield can bounce back and prove he’s not on the decline.
21) Indianapolis Colts
Perhaps no team in the NFL suffered a steeper fall from grace than the Indianapolis Colts as 2025 progressed. They started off the year 8-2, with Daniel Jones looking like a surprise MVP candidate in the first half of the season. But the offense soon fell off, Jones got hurt, and they finished the year with seven consecutive losses, missing the playoffs.
Try PFSN’s FREE NFL Mock Draft Simulator
Realistically, if Jones stayed healthy all year, the Colts would’ve made the postseason this year. However, their chances of actually making it in 2026 depend heavily on if Jones can repeat that hot start, assuming they re-sign him. His first half of 2025 was an anomaly compared to the rest of his NFL career; Indianapolis needs him to prove it’s not a fluke.
20) Atlanta Falcons
Out goes Raheem Morris, in comes Kevin Stefanski as the new head coach of the Atlanta Falcons. He’ll be tasked with returning the team to the NFL postseason for the first time since 2017, as well as elevating Michael Penix Jr. in what’s been an inconsistent start to his professional career.
Quarterback questions aside, the Falcons come in as PFSN’s highest-ranked NFC South team for a reason. They got tremendous production from defensive rookies Jalon Walker, James Pearce Jr., and Xavier Watts. They have a talented group of weapons on offense and some good offensive linemen. 9-8 could be enough to land Atlanta back into the playoffs.
19) Dallas Cowboys
The Dallas Cowboys’ acquisitions of Quinnen Williams and Logan Wilson at the 2025 NFL trade deadline indicate they’re in win-now mode, and the pressure will be applied heavily starting next season. Their defense improved with those players on the roster, but there are still several additions needed on that side of the ball.
That said, the Cowboys’ offense is good enough to keep them in games, regardless. George Pickens’ impending free agency is a big story going into this offseason, but Dak Prescott will have a good offensive line and good weapons to work with either way.
18) Washington Commanders
Let’s face it: 2025 was a disastrous season for the Washington Commanders. Not only did Jayden Daniels regress in Year 2, but more importantly, he missed a significant amount of time due to injury. The offense looked lackluster due to injuries to him and Terry McLaurin, and their defense ranked third-worst in the NFL by PFSN’s Defense Impact Metric.
Though they have an aging roster, the Commanders hope that having their star players healthy again will get them back near the top of the NFC. If Daniels returns to his rookie year form, it’s hardly out of the question that Washington bounces back and wins the NFC East in 2026.
17) Minnesota Vikings
Kevin O’Connell is a great head coach. Brian Flores is one of the best defensive coordinators in the NFL. The Minnesota Vikings also have a strong defensive line and some talented offensive weapons. The main thing that held them back in 2025, though, was the quarterback position.
Whether or not J.J. McCarthy was healthy seemingly had little impact on the Vikings’ offense. He ranked 37th in the NFL with a PFSN QB Impact Score of 64.5 in his first year as their starter. The flaws were abundant, and it led to Justin Jefferson’s worst receiving season of his career. Minnesota has talent; they just need stable QB play to maximize it.
16) Los Angeles Chargers
Another year, another season without a playoff win for the Los Angeles Chargers. Their 11-6 regular-season record points to them as one of the better teams in the NFL, but Justin Herbert is now 0-3 in the postseason since joining the team in 2020. It’s hardly all his fault, but it’s a trend Jim Harbaugh and Co. will need to address.
New offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel figures to be a breath of fresh air. They have weapons, but their interior offensive line was a mess in 2025. Defensively, they’ll have to figure out the impending free agency of both Khalil Mack and Odafe Oweh. Los Angeles has a good roster, but it has questions to answer this offseason.
15) New England Patriots
Yes, despite making it all the way to the Super Bowl, the New England Patriots come in at just No. 15 in PFSN’s analytical model projecting for the 2026 NFL season. The metrics punished them for an easy schedule in the regular season this year, so it’s not entirely shocking that the model does so again this time around.
That said, the Patriots should remain a force to be reckoned with in the AFC again next year. Drake Maye playing at a near-MVP-caliber level makes them a strong team regardless, and further development from young offensive players like Will Campbell and TreVeyon Henderson would bring a talented offense to even greater heights.
14) Kansas City Chiefs
The Kansas City Chiefs were disappointing in 2025 even before Patrick Mahomes got hurt. Once their star QB tore his ACL, the chances of turning the season around were dead on arrival. Despite finishing the year with a 6-11 record, PFSN’s metrics indicate better things are ahead for them in 2026.
Before Mahomes got hurt, the Chiefs played seven games against postseason teams. They lost all of them, which is obviously a major concern, but they were all one-score games. That competitiveness bodes well for Kansas City in the new year, depending on Mahomes’ recovery timeline. But they need to execute next season, or else they could make big moves.
13) Cincinnati Bengals
Want to know Joe Burrow’s impact on the Cincinnati Bengals? In 2025, they went 5-3 in the eight games he played for them. In the nine games he missed due to injury, they went 1-8. That’s a massive swing that shows how impactful having an elite quarterback can be, even for an offense with as good a weapons as Cincinnati has.
Injuries are practically impossible to predict, but if Burrow stays healthy in 2026, logic suggests the Bengals should be much more competitive next season. They’ll need to shore up the defense this offseason, but if they can put together a defensive season that isn’t literally terrible, they should have enough offensive firepower to make the playoffs.
12) Baltimore Ravens
The Baltimore Ravens fell just one field goal short of making the playoffs in 2025. Considering Lamar Jackson missed four games and played hurt through a few others, that’s not the most disastrous outcome. That said, they parted ways with head coach John Harbaugh, bringing in Jesse Minter to serve in that role.
Minter’s Chargers defenses graded in the top eight in PFSN Defense Impact Scoring each of the last two seasons, which bodes well for a Baltimore unit that regressed in 2025. Shoring up the trenches will be key for them this offseason, but if Jackson plays at full strength in 2026, the Ravens project as favorites to win the AFC East.
11) Jacksonville Jaguars
With an eight-game winning streak to close out the 2025-26 NFL season, few teams, if any, had as good a second half to the year as the Jacksonville Jaguars. After a practically shoddy start to the year, Trevor Lawrence turned things around to send his team to a 13-4 record and an AFC South crown.
To repeat that success, it will be crucial that the Jaguars get second-half Lawrence and not the first-half Lawrence, who threw 11 interceptions in his first 11 games. That said, Jacksonville returns a lot of key contributors on both sides of the ball, and they didn’t even have two-way standout Travis Hunter Jr. for most of the season.
10) Detroit Lions
After missing the postseason just one year after going 15-2, the Detroit Lions will look to retool coming out of a down year. New offensive coordinator Drew Petzing ran a pass-heavy approach in Arizona, which should be beneficial for Jared Goff as he enters Year 11 of his impressive NFL career.
KEEP READING: Top 100 2026 NFL Free Agent Rankings
The Lions obviously have the firepower on offense to stay competitive in games. That said, both sides of the ball took a step back in 2025, particularly their defense. Their focus this offseason should be on the trenches on both sides of the ball. If they improve in that category, a return to the postseason is absolutely manageable.
9) Chicago Bears
For the first time since 2018, the Chicago Bears won the NFC North. They also won their first playoff game in 15 years this season, defeating the Packers in the Wild Card Round. Though it ended in an overtime loss to the Rams in the Divisional Round, there was much positivity around Ben Johnson’s first year as their head coach.
The Bears’ offense was a well-oiled machine in 2025, but their defense needs work. In particular, the defensive line struggled to generate a pass rush without schemed blitzes from incoming defensive backs. If Chicago can use this offseason to improve the defensive line the way they did with the offensive line last year, another NFC North crown seems likely.
8) Green Bay Packers
Just by looking at the Green Bay Packers’ schedule, you can pinpoint exactly when Micah Parsons got injured. He got hurt in Week 15 against the Broncos, and they ended up losing that game, the next three regular-season games after that, and their Wild Card matchup against the Bears.
Parsons’ return will be a massive boost to a Green Bay defense that looked strong before he got hurt. Jordan Love is a great quarterback, their defense has talented pieces all over, and Matt LaFleur is a very good head coach. It’s a safe bet to assume the Packers will make the playoffs next year; it’s just a matter of whether they can break their glass ceiling.
7) Houston Texans
With a nine-game winning streak to close out the regular season and a dominant Wild Card win over the Steelers, the Houston Texans caught fire in the second half of the year. Their defense was the second-best by PFSN’s Defense Impact Scoring in the NFL, and no matter if it was C.J. Stroud or Davis Mills at quarterback, they kept stacking wins.
Houston’s offensive line is improving, but reinforcements are still needed this offseason. Protecting Stroud should be their biggest priority this offseason. If they can keep this level of defensive play up with an explosive offense similar to what they had in 2023, they could be a dark-horse Super Bowl contender.
6) Philadelphia Eagles
After winning the Super Bowl the year before, the Philadelphia Eagles fell back down to Earth in 2025. They still won the NFC East, but they lost three more games than in 2024 and saw their season cut short in the Wild Card Round, losing to the 49ers. Their offense wasn’t as effective under Kevin Patullo as it had been under Kellen Moore.
New offensive coordinator Sean Mannion will be tasked with upgrading an Eagles passing attack that often lacked explosiveness. Philadelphia’s roster is one of the most well-constructed in the NFL, with star power on both sides of the ball. Can their coaching staff manage to keep all the pieces together this time?
5) Buffalo Bills
Joe Brady is the new head coach of the Buffalo Bills, as the team parted ways with longtime coach Sean McDermott and promoted their OC to the position. Brady will immediately be expected to win and get the Bills over the hump they’ve come close to so many times and have fallen short of each time: a Super Bowl victory.
As long as the Bills have a healthy Josh Allen, they’ll be fine in the regular season. They have a dynamic offense and a defense that holds its own against top teams around the NFL. Buffalo feels like it’s a star weapon and an impact edge rusher away from a perfect roster. It’s unlikely they find both, but if they get one this offseason, look out.
4) San Francisco 49ers
The San Francisco 49ers just keep getting unlucky with injuries. They got bit heavily by the bug for the second year in a row, but unlike their 6-11 finish in 2024, they fought through it to earn a 12-5 record and a playoff appearance. Though they’d end up squashed by the Seahawks in the Divisional Round, they still looked like a top team in the NFL this year.
If their star players stay healthy, it’s hard to argue that the 49ers don’t have the most star power in the NFL. Names like Brock Purdy, Christian McCaffrey, George Kittle, Trent Williams, Nick Bosa, and Fred Warner give them impact players galore. With a strong draft of pro-ready contributors, another Super Bowl appearance could be in their future.
3) Denver Broncos
With a 90.1 PFSN Defense Impact Score, the Denver Broncos had the best defense in the NFL in 2025. They were the only team with an “A” grade this season, with players like Patrick Surtain, Zach Allen, Nik Bonitto, Talanoa Hufanga, and Jonathon Cooper all putting together strong campaigns.
Denver has such a good defense that they’ll be competitive in most games they play in 2026. The biggest question is the further development of Bo Nix. He’s a good quarterback who can execute Sean Payton’s system well, but can he ever be great? If he takes that next step, it’ll be tough to prevent them from making the Super Bowl.
2) Seattle Seahawks
As the favorites to win Super Bowl 60, it’s no surprise the Seattle Seahawks rank this highly in an early 2026 NFL power rankings piece. They were the only team in the league with a top-ten offense and a top-ten defense according to PFSN’s analytical models. In particular, their defense had three All-Pros and three Pro Bowlers, with two named to both.
The offense will need to prove it can sustain itself without Klint Kubiak next year, but the core from this year’s Seahawks squad will remain in 2026. Their offensive line improved this year, and Sam Darnold has a superstar in Jaxon Smith-Njigba to throw to. Factor in that, their loaded defense, and the 12th Man, and they’ll be a force again in 2026.
1) Los Angeles Rams
PFSN’s model accounts for Matthew Stafford returning to the Los Angeles Rams in 2026; they would obviously rank lower if he retires. That said, coming off an MVP year, he’s playing the best football of his life. He has an unstoppable receiving duo in Puka Nacua and Davante Adams, a great running back in Kyren Williams, and Sean McVay. Enough said.
What also helps give the Rams a bright outlook is their defense. Both Byron Young and Jared Verse made the Pro Bowl along their defensive line, which is a unit loaded with young talent. They also have two first-round picks in the 2026 NFL Draft to shore up positions like cornerback and offensive tackle. Los Angeles should be a real player again next season.
If the Cowboys bring back Pickens as expected and fix the defense, they are a top-10 team next year.