At long last, the NFL is back.
Our nearly seven-month drought comes to a merciful end on Thursday night when the Philadelphia Eagles host the Dallas Cowboys in a star-powered rivalry game fit for primetime.
That game alone features no shortage of intrigue, with the Eagles kicking off their championship defense and the Cowboys getting their first taste of life without Micah Parsons.
And that’s only the start.
Every team has a reason to dream going into Week 1, be it championship aspirations or a rookie quarterback who offers hope for the future.
Here are some of 2025’s biggest NFL storylines as the new season finally arrives.
PARSONS FALLOUT
The Cowboys’ blockbuster trade sending the perennial Pro Bowler Parsons to the Green Bay Packers last week shifted the very fabric of the NFL.
The addition of Parsons, a generational pass rusher who is only 26, thrust the Packers even further into Super Bowl contention, dramatically upgrading a defense that was already among the NFL’s best.
That’s why Green Bay traded defensive tackle Kenny Clark and two first-round picks for Parsons, then signed him to a market-resetting four-year, $188 million extension.
Whether that vision comes to fruition is compelling, as is where Dallas goes from here.
Players like Parsons, particularly at his age, are almost never traded, but contract negotiations became so fractured that Cowboys owner Jerry Jones was willing to pull the trigger.
A full assessment on this trade won’t be possible until we see what Dallas does with the picks it got in return, but clearly, the Cowboys are worse on paper this year.
It will be interesting to see if this comes back to haunt the Cowboys — and how quickly.
The Cowboys host Parsons and the Packers on Sept. 28.
CHIEFS REVENGE
If Super Bowl LIX marked the conclusion of the Kansas City Chiefs’ dynasty, it certainly ended in spectacular fashion.
Seeking a three-peat, the Chiefs trailed 34-0 at one point in February’s 40-22 loss to the Eagles, leaving a bitter taste in the mouths of Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce and company,
The Chiefs now begin their revenge tour, eager to prove that the Super Bowl was an aberration and not the beginning of the end.
Kansas City went 17-3 last year, including the playoffs, but 12 of those wins were by one score or fewer. The Chiefs have won 17 consecutive one-score games.
Even for the great Mahomes, that isn’t sustainable.
But the Chiefs boast an Andy Reid-led offense, a stout defense and championship pedigree, meaning no one should question their ability to bounce back.
EAGLES AGAIN?
It’s extremely difficult to repeat as Super Bowl champions, despite what the recent dynasties by Mahomes’ Chiefs and Tom Brady’s New England Patriots might suggest.
But that’s what the Eagles are trying to do.
It certainly won’t come easily, considering the driving force of last year’s run, running back Saquon Barkley, is 28 and touched the ball an incredible 482 times between the 2024 regular season and playoffs.
Expect a lighter workload for the workhorse Barkley, which would put more on the plates of Jalen Hurts and the Eagles’ passing game.
The Eagles also lost important depth from last year’s defense, with defensive tackle Milton Williams, defensive end Josh Sweat and cornerback Darius Slay all gone.
And Philly has the Washington Commanders, led by standout second-year quarterback Jayden Daniels, breathing down their necks in the NFC East.
With all of that being said, the Eagles enter this year among the Super Bowl favorites.
AFC BREAKTHROUGH
Other Super Bowl favorites include the Buffalo Bills and Baltimore Ravens, who are both still trying to break through after years of coming up short.
Allen’s Bills beat Lamar Jackson’s Ravens in the AFC Divisional Round last year, then lost to Mahomes and the Chiefs in the AFC Championship Game. The year before that, Kansas City beat the Ravens in the AFC Championship Game.
The Chiefs have eliminated the Bills from the playoffs in four of the last five seasons.
If the Chiefs truly are on the decline, this could be the year Allen or Jackson finally breaks through and makes it to the Super Bowl.
Also attempting to reclaim their place among the AFC’s elite are the Cincinnati Bengals, who aim to bounce back from last year’s 9-8 disappointment behind a high-powered offense led by Joe Burrow, Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins.
RODGERS REDEMPTION
The Aaron Rodgers experiment did not work out for the Jets.
Rodgers suffered a season-ending Achilles tear in Week 1 of 2023, then led the Jets to a 5-12 record last year in his return.
But rather than retire, Rodgers, 41, decided to return for a 21st season, signing with the Pittsburgh Steelers after the new Jets regime released him.
Rodgers passed for 3,897 yards, 28 touchdowns and 11 interceptions last year, and his production improved toward the end of the season.
The Steelers aren’t looking at Rodgers to be their savior as the Jets once did, but how much he has left in the tank will dictate whether Pittsburgh can extend its run without a losing season to 22 years.
BEAR DOWN
Plenty was working against Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams in year one.
His offensive line was a mess.
His offensive coordinator, Shane Waldron, was fired in November, and his head coach, Matt Eberflus, was fired less than three weeks later.
Thomas Brown was promoted from passing game coordinator to offensive coordinator to interim head coach all within a month.
That extreme lack of continuity would be difficult for any QB to endure, let alone a rookie already navigating the expectations that come with being the first overall pick.
But the situation is much better for Williams this year.
The Bears hired Ben Johnson, the offensive mastermind who helped turn the Detroit Lions into a high-scoring juggernaut, to be their head coach, and they retooled their O-line in the offseason.
Chicago also used high draft picks on tight end Colston Loveland and wide receiver Luther Burden, who join D.J. Moore and Rome Odunze as weapons for Williams.
With all of that support, it’s now up to Williams to take the next step in his development and prove he’s worthy of the hype.
