Five hot takes for the 2025 NFL season
The 2025 NFL season is a mere speck in the distance as we approach the second week of June. With the main talking point around the league being Aaron Rodgers’ signing in Pittsburgh (I refuse to treat that as news and resent the fact that it’s somehow still a talking point), now seems like a good time to throw out some hot takes.
These are the thoughts that I genuinely believe in this year, but ones that I recognize are far more speculative in nature.
Five NFL Hot Takes for 2025
Broncos Win the AFC West
I’m massively in on the Denver Broncos this year, after the team continued its progression under Sean Payton last season. Denver was a horror show before Payton got there, but has turned a corner and is a team on the up.
The offseason additions of Dre Greenlaw and Talanoa Hufanga add to an already elite defense, which got better again with the drafting of Jahdae Barron. Evan Engram should provide a much-needed secondary veteran receiving presence for Bo Nix. Marvin Mims, meanwhile, separated himself from the pack late last year and is a breakout candidate in 2025.
Of course, the Broncos face the daunting task of usurping the Kansas City Chiefs, who have dominated the division for nine straight years. The Chiefs were fully locked in on a historic “three-peat” last season, though, and their failure to seize that opportunity will have been incredibly deflating.
The Chiefs are the Chiefs, but even a minor drop-off from their 2024 form could see them overtaken in the division this year.
Brashard Smith Leads the Kansas City Backfield
Staying with the Chiefs, I think 2025 seventh-round pick Brashard Smith has a great chance to earn a starting role in his rookie year. A former receiver, Smith should be able to win the passing down work, at the very least. The Chiefs have had a great deal of success with Isiah Pacheco in recent years, who himself was a seventh-round pick back in 2022.
Kareem Hunt is back with the team after deputizing admirably for Pacheco last season, but is almost certainly just an insurance signing for the Chiefs. Pacheco struggled, understandably, to rediscover his pre-injury form after returning from a fractured fibula in November and watched on as Hunt dominated work in the playoffs.
There seems to be an expectation that Pacheco will return to the starting role in 2025, but there is no guarantee that he will ever fully return to his old self. If Pacheco can’t get up to speed, there is no reason for the team to stick with him, given that his contract is up at the end of the year.
Elijah Mitchell was also brought in as a free agent signing, but his injury history is a difficult one to ignore. His one-year, $1.1 million deal offers no guarantee of a role on the offense and makes Smith the only Chiefs running back tied to the team beyond next March.
Xavier Restrepo is a Top-7 Rookie WR
After Shedeur Sanders, Xavier Restrepo was, for me, the most overlooked player in the 2025 NFL Draft. The Miami product was my WR5 in pre-draft rankings and I placed him in the second round of both of my mock drafts. Admittedly, I knew he would likely fall to the third round, or maybe fourth, due to his size, but for him to go undrafted was incredible.
We all have our guys, and I could very well be wrong about Restrepo, but the disappointing combine performance that likely put teams off doesn’t bother me at all. Restrepo is an intelligent receiver with great hands and the ability to contort his body to snag wayward throws.
Now reunited with his college quarterback, Cam Ward, in Tennessee, I fully expect Restrepo to prove a steal in training camp. Ward is a quarterback who likes to extend plays, and Restrepo showed in college that he has the understanding to improvise and find space.
Calvin Ridley remains the team’s likely No. 1 receiver, while new signing Tyler Lockett should man the opposite sideline. That leaves the slot role wide open for Restrepo to claim. Elic Ayomanor and Chimere Dike were both taken by the Titans in the fourth round back in April, but I still believe that Restrepo will outperform both in 2025.
Adonai Mitchell Finishes 2025 as Colts’ WR1
I could already hear the groans as I typed out that heading, but I will continue to bet on the talent of Adonai Mitchell. The former Texas receiver consistently makes opposing cornerbacks look silly when running routes. His speed and agility are outrageous and should have led to much better production in his rookie year.
Mitchell would have been a top-10 receiver in the league after the first two weeks of 2024 had he not been missed on multiple walk-in touchdowns by Anthony Richardson.
Josh Downs broke out as the Colts’ leading receiver in 2024, while Alec Pierce found solid usage as a deep threat. Despite the numbers, I still believe that Mitchell is the most naturally gifted receiver on the team and expect him to show it in Year 2.
Michael Pittman is still around, but his contract is up in 2026, and there is no guarantee that the Colts will be in a hurry to extend him at cost. Mitchell has the tools and the opportunity; it’s up to him to step up and dominate in 2025.
Jameis Winston is Starting for Either the Saints or the Dolphins to Finish the Year
Jameis Winston is likely to be the Giants’ third-string quarterback by November, if not by the opening game of the season. Given the quarterback’s adamance that he isn’t content with a backup role, that’s unlikely to keep him happy.
Unless the New Orleans Saints decide to trade for Kirk Cousins before September, the NFL looks set for starting quarterbacks (following the aforementioned news, that’s not news, and that we’re also not mentioning).
That leaves in-season form and injuries as the only likely scenario in which we see a notable quarterback trade, with Winston an obvious target.
The Saints look likely to head into the season with rookie Tyler Shough at quarterback, though camp reports suggest Spencer Rattler is also in contention. If things get ugly, though, the team may be better served bringing in a veteran presence. Winston would be the perfect candidate to take the heat off the young prospects, given his professional attitude and exciting play style.
Elsewhere, you can’t talk about quarterbacks getting replaced without mentioning Tua Tagovailoa. Another concussion could spell the end for Tua’s career and would leave the Dolphins in need of a starter.
Given Mike McDaniel’s precarious position in Miami, relying on Zach Wilson or recent seventh-round pick Quinn Ewers would be asking to be fired. Winston would again be in contention for the job in the short term, as the Dolphins look to avoid a repeat of last season’s quarterback misery.
That wraps up my “hot takes” for 2025, unless I decide to write a part-two later in the offseason. Feel free to comment with your own predictions, or to give your thoughts on mine.
If you’re looking for more fantasy football content in 2025, you can subscribe for free email alerts whenever I post a new article. I’ll be writing frequently throughout the offseason, and three times a week from September.
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