The 2024 NFL regular season is coming to an end, and half of the league will be turning their attention to the offseason. Last offseason was rather dramatic, as Bill Belichick found himself without a head-coaching job, Jim Harbaugh returned to the NFL and the quarterback market exploded with five $50-plus million-per-year extensions being handed out.
What will happen this offseason? Where will Sam Darnold end up? What NFL rule changes are coming? Could a star wide receiver be dealt? Below, we will break down 10 crazy 2025 NFL offseason predictions. Let’s start with Deion Sanders making the jump to the NFL.
1. Deion Sanders takes Las Vegas Raiders head coaching job
“Prime Time” has done an excellent job turning around the Colorado Buffaloes. He’s excited the city of Boulder, and is trailblazing a path other former NFL players such as Michael Vick and DeSean Jackson are attempting to tread. I don’t doubt that Sanders wants to remain at Colorado and continue to build something special, but the call of the NFL is impossible to ignore.
New Raiders minority owner Tom Brady and his crew pitch Sanders about taking the Raiders job after Vegas surprisingly fires Antonio Pierce. They sell Sanders on “Sin City,” how the Raiders are a sleeping giant and explain how ownership will build a support system they claim will guarantee success. Sanders decides to take the leap to the NFL given this huge opportunity.
2. Raiders trade up to No. 1 overall for QB Shedeur Sanders
Another part of the Raiders’ pitch is the idea to trade up to the No. 1 overall pick to select quarterback Shedeur Sanders. Vegas needs a franchise quarterback anyway, and Sanders is viewed by many as the best in this class. The Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year completed 74% of his passes for a conference-leading 4,134 yards, 37 touchdowns and 10 interceptions.
Keep in mind that Brady knows Shedeur, and has apparently mentored him for years.
“I’m always here for him,” Brady said last year on the “Let’s Go!” podcast, via Boston.com. “Because in him I see someone who has a great work ethic but wants the knowledge, too. I think all of us on this call had so many people in our lives which allowed us to be successful. Obviously having great parents, but having these other instrumental people that come in at the right time when you’re open to learning …”
3. Ben Johnson stays with Detroit Lions — again
If there’s one man who has a seat reserved on the coaching carousel this offseason, it’s Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson. He’s created arguably the most explosive offense in the NFL, and is a major reason why the Lions have been the best team in the NFC over the last two years.
Johnson was expected to take a head-coaching job last cycle, but surprised everyone by returning to Detroit. Why? No one knows for sure. It was reported Johnson wanted to be one of the highest-paid head coaches in football right off the bat. Then there was the Washington Commanders situation. Did he pull his name out of the running, or did Washington say no thank you? ESPN reported many were “surprised” by the pivot.
Our prediction is that, for one reason or another, Johnson skips on a head-coaching job again. He shockingly returns to Detroit with a nice boost in pay.
Garrett Wilson’s future with the New York Jets is unclear at this point, and if he’s available via trade, every team with a WR1 need should be calling about him. Through 16 games this season, Wilson has caught a career-high 97 passes for 1,053 yards and seven touchdowns. The Ohio State product has surpassed 1,000 yards receiving in each of his three NFL seasons, and is one of just seven wide receivers all time to catch 80 passes in each of his first three seasons. Keep in mind he’s done so with incredible quarterback turnover.
Our prediction is that Wilson is dealt to the Broncos to serve as Bo Nix’s new No. 1 wideout. Someone who can both stretch the field, and move the chains with his ability to dodge defenders.
Colin Kaepernick hasn’t given up on his NFL dream just yet, despite having not played a snap in nearly eight years. Earlier this year, new Los Angeles Chargers head coach Jim Harbaugh, who coached Kaepernick during his time with the San Francisco 49ers, said he reached out to the former quarterback about potentially joining his coaching staff. Our prediction is that this offseason, a 37-year-old Kaepernick returns to the NFL — as an offensive assistant for the Chargers.
6. NFL makes major change by narrowing goal posts
Did you know the top-five field-goal percentage leaders in NFL history are currently kicking in the league? Only five kickers in NFL history have hit more than 87.1% of their field goals: Justin Tucker, Harrison Butker, Eddy Pineiro, Chris Boswell and Daniel Carlson.
In 2024, kickers are making short and long field goals with more accuracy than ever. This season has featured the most 50-yard field goals made (181) and attempted (260) all time. That’s also the highest make percentage on 50-yard field goals (69.9%) since at least 1991. The field-goal percentage inside 40 yards is 95.4%. That means you’re more likely to recover an onside kick (6.3%) than miss a kick from inside 40 yards (4.6%)!
Our crazy prediction is that the NFL makes the decision to narrow the uprights. The uprights are currently 18 feet and 6 inches apart, which is the same for college football. This offseason, the NFL narrows them to 15 feet to make life tougher on kickers, and encourage more offenses to go for it on fourth downs in enemy territory.
Major changes may be on the way for the Colts after their second losing season registered in the last three years. Our crazy prediction is that the Colts fire not only general manager Chris Ballard, but also head coach Shane Steichen as well. Since taking over in 2017, the Ballard-led Colts have put together four winning campaigns compared to four losing seasons. The Colts have failed to win the AFC South a single time under Ballard, and won just one playoff game.
Steichen being fired this offseason would be surprising. He went 9-8 in his first season as head coach with backup quarterback Gardner Minshew, and engineered a breakout season for running back Zack Moss. However, in 2024, No. 4 overall pick Anthony Richardson has struggled, reigning Comeback Player of the Year Joe Flacco has been terrible and the defense looks like one of the worst in the league.
Who will replace Steichen? How about a former rival in Mike Vrabel! The former Tennessee Titans head coach fits the “leader of men” box that Jim Irsay wants to check, and he will even give Vrabel some roster control as he attempts to right the ship. Vrabel likes the idea of having a say in roster construction, and also getting to play his former team twice a year.
8. Utah State WR Jalen Royals is selected in the first round
In the 2024 NFL Draft, we saw a surprise wide receiver sneak in at the end of the first round in Ricky Pearsall. This year, we will see the same thing with Jalen Royals out of Utah State.
In just seven games played this past season, Royals caught 55 passes for 834 yards and six touchdowns. He averaged about eight catches for 119 yards and one touchdown per game. In 2023, which was Royal’s first season at Utah State after transferring in from Georgia Military College, he caught 71 passes for 1,080 yards and a whopping 15 touchdowns, which ranked second in the nation just behind Brian Thomas Jr. That year, Royals led the nation in touchdown receptions of at least 50 yards with seven.
Royals is an explosive playmaker, and some team is going to fall in love with him during the draft process. He sneaks in the first round.
9. Tee Higgins signs with Commanders
Since Washington hit on Jayden Daniels, general manager Adam Peters understands his “Super Bowl window” is open right now. He made the aggressive move to acquire New Orleans Saints cornerback Marshon Lattimore at the trade deadline, and could make one or two splash moves this offseason. Our prediction is that Washington signs former Cincinnati Bengals wideout Tee Higgins in free agency to a four-year, $108 million deal that carries an AAV of $27 million. That would put Higgins in the top 10 of highest-paid wide receivers currently.
10. Robert Saleh returns to the 49ers
Robert Saleh’s defenses ranked in the top five in yards allowed per game during his final two seasons with San Francisco before he was hired away by the Jets. Now that he’s free to pursue other opportunities, our prediction is that Saleh replaces Nick Sorensen as the 49ers defensive coordinator, and is reunited with Kyle Shanahan.
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