With The Nfl Season Set To Begin, Here's What You May Have Missed During The Offseason

The NFL became nan world’s astir valuable convention by figuring retired really to ne'er afloat cede nan shape to nan remainder of nan sports world. This week, games that count return — but it’s besides existent that since Philadelphia dethroned Kansas City successful nan Super Bowl successful February, nan intrigue into nan NFL ne'er genuinely went away.

In nan past 7 months, rules were altered, players moved and caller contenders emerged. Here is everything that happened during nan offseason that could power nan 2025 season:

Familiar faces, caller places

The NFL’s type of an earthquake deed without informing past Thursday erstwhile Dallas opted to trade All-Pro walk rusher Micah Parsons to Green Bay alternatively than salary a lucrative extension. Trying to look from a crowded people of Super Bowl contenders successful nan NFC, nan Packers made Parsons nan highest-paid nonquarterback successful convention history and only had to springiness up 2 first-round picks and protect lineman Kenny Clark.

After waiting months to determine wherever to motion arsenic a free agent, four-time MVP backmost Aaron Rodgers chose Pittsburgh. Rodgers is “pretty sure” his 21st NFL play will beryllium his last. The Steelers had a void astatine backmost aft past season’s starters some went to New York — pinch Justin Fields taking complete arsenic nan Jets’ starter, and Russell Wilson pinch nan Giants.

Sam Darnold, meanwhile, is retired to beryllium his career revival past play successful Minnesota wasn’t a one-year wonder. The quarterback’s profession play helped nan Vikings to a 14-3 record, but aft consecutive sadistic losses ended their season, nan squad opted to beforehand their 2024 first-round pick, JJ McCarthy, to starter. Darnold is now successful Seattle, but for really long? Though his statement is for 3 years and $100.5 million, nan Seahawks tin get retired of nan woody aft conscionable 1 season.

Seattle needed a backmost aft trading past year’s starter, Geno Smith, to Las Vegas, reuniting him pinch coach Pete Carroll, who is successful his first play pinch nan Raiders.

Quarterback activity doesn’t mean overmuch without receivers to propulsion to and blockers to connection protection. The Cowboys traded for Pittsburgh receiver George Pickens, who became expendable aft Pittsburgh itself traded for DK Metcalf. The Los Angeles Rams signed Davante Adams aft letting erstwhile prima wideout Cooper Kupp locomotion to Seattle. And Washington upgraded its protection of prima second-year backmost Jayden Daniels by trading for violative tackle Laremy Tunsil.

The rules that changed (and those that didn’t)

The best-known and astir argued-over play successful nan NFL remains ineligible successful 2025 — barely. Philadelphia pushed its measurement to a Super Bowl title down a super-charged short-yardage strategy known alternately arsenic nan “tush push” aliases “brotherly shove,” successful which blockers positioned down backmost Jalen Hurts push him forward. It looked for illustration nan only force tin of stopping nan “tush push” was NFL owners. But erstwhile they met successful May to ballot connected whether to prohibition nan play, Philadelphia launched an impassioned defense and narrowly kept nan play ineligible by a two-vote margin.

Some rules did, however, acquisition changes.

To beforehand much returns, kickoffs that onshore successful nan extremity area aliases beyond will consequence successful drives starting astatine nan 35-yard line, 5 yards farther downfield than past season. The move incentivizes teams to footwear nan shot into nan “landing zone” betwixt nan extremity statement and nan 20-yard line. Yet watch for this wrinkle: Tacklers can’t statesman moving downfield until nan shot is either caught aliases hits nan ground. Will teams effort to footwear knuckleballs into nan “landing zone” to bargain their defenders much time?

Onside kickoffs past play could return spot only successful nan 4th quarter. That’s nary longer nan case. Teams must still “declare” their intent to onside footwear but now tin do it astatine immoderate constituent successful nan game, truthful agelong arsenic they are trailing.

In overtime during nan regular season, each squad is now guaranteed a possession. That’s a alteration from before, erstwhile nan squad that sewage nan shot first successful overtime could extremity nan crippled if it scored a touchdown.

The eyes successful nan sky

For arsenic agelong arsenic shot has existed, whether a squad has converted aliases fallen conscionable short of a first down has been wished manually by a “chain gang” of officials toting orange, upright sticks connected by a 10-yard chain. This season, “chain gangs” will still beryllium connected nan sideline but will no longer beryllium nan superior method of measurement. That will autumn to Sony’s Hawk-Eye system, which uses six cameras placed passim a stadium. The NFL claimed successful April that its virtual process could prevention up to 40 seconds per play.

The caller exertion won’t, however, alteration nan quality correction that tin beryllium introduced erstwhile officials spot nan shot aft each play.

Can Philadelphia repeat?

The Eagles’ champion lawsuit for a title defense originates pinch their powerfulness on some nan violative and protect lines. Because of it, Saquon Barkley became conscionable nan ninth moving backmost pinch a 2,000-yard season, and their defense could harass Kansas City prima backmost Patrick Mahomes successful nan Super Bowl contempt ne'er blitzing.

But to scope Super Bowl 60 successful Santa Clara, California, Philadelphia will person to travel retired connected apical again successful a heavy NFC, pinch Green Bay, Detroit, Washington, San Francisco and nan Los Angeles Rams lingering arsenic contenders.

In nan AFC, Baltimore, Buffalo and Kansas City stay nan people of nan conference, pinch each team’s title hopes hinging connected nan play of their quarterbacks. Expect reigning Most Valuable Player Josh Allen, nan Ravens’ Lamar Jackson and Mahomes to beryllium successful nan MVP speech again.

Welcome to nan league, rook

Quarterback Cam Ward, nan apical wide prime successful April’s draft, originates his rookie play arsenic nan starter successful Tennessee. Little is expected of nan Titans but Ward has nan capacity to surprise; look nary further than his emergence from zero-star precocious schooler to nan apical of nan draft.

The biggest draught curiosity entering nan play surrounds second-pick Travis Hunter, nan Heisman-winning receiver and cornerback whom Jacksonville will let to play some ways successful nan pros, too. An upper-body wounded costs Hunter much than a week of training camp, but he is expected to beryllium disposable for nan season’s start.

For nan Giants, 3rd wide prime Abdul Carter added much talent to what was already an imposing protect line, but possibly nan bigger mobility is if, aliases when, first-round backmost Jaxson Dart will commencement astatine quarterback.

On nan heels of bounce-back seasons by moving backs successful Philadelphia (Barkley) and Baltimore (Derrick Henry), rookie Ashton Jeanty (Las Vegas) will effort to adhd to nan belief that reports of nan position’s demise has been greatly exaggerated. The sixth wide pick, Jeanty ran roughshod done assemblage defenses and will beryllium highly featured by nan Raiders and caller violative coordinator Chip Kelly.

The variables that could shingle up nan season

The NFL earned nan nickname “Not For Long,” a reference to nan all-too-brief magnitude of astir players’ careers. It could besides mention to nan lifespan of trends that predominate shot 1 year, only to beryllium obsolete nan next.

Washington was last season’s astir unexpected success, advancing to its first convention title crippled successful 33 years down Daniels, nan violative rookie of nan year. Yet nan Commanders’ outlier occurrence converting connected 4th downs, and nan measurement Daniels caught nan convention by surprise, makes them besides primed to beryllium a campaigner for regression.

On nan different extremity of past season’s rookie backmost spectrum were Chicago’s Caleb Williams, Atlanta’s Michael Penix Jr. and New England’s Drake Maye. All were first-round picks but saw varying levels of playing clip and success. As nan No. 1 wide prime successful 2024, Williams is nether nan astir unit to unrecorded up to expectations, particularly aft nan Bears hired wunderkind violative coordinator Ben Johnson arsenic caput coach.

And Johnson wasn’t nan only prima coordinator mislaid by nan Detroit Lions. They’re besides replacing protect coordinator Aaron Glenn, who near to coach nan Jets.

It was only 2 years agone that San Francisco was playing successful nan Super Bowl. Then attrition decimated nan roster successful 2024, astir notably prima moving backmost Christian McCaffrey. He is backmost healthy, but nan 49ers had to fto spell of cardinal pieces of its roster to spend backmost Brock Purdy’s caller contract. Will nan Niners still person capable talent to contend? Their likelihood of winning nan NFC West besides dangle connected whether nan Rams, a section rival, tin support backmost Matthew Stafford’s aching backmost patient each season.