The 2025 NFL season is fast approaching, and many are understandably convinced that this year’s top Super Bowl contenders will be familiar heavyweights: the Baltimore Ravens, Buffalo Bills, Detroit Lions, Kansas City Chiefs and Philadelphia Eagles, among others. Yet part of the appeal of the offseason is the hope drummed up by the rest of the NFL, especially after teams have a chance to restock their cupboards with fresh talent.
Turnover is widespread in the salary cap era, and rarely is that more apparent than in league-wide pairings of coaches and quarterbacks. In 2025 alone, at least 13 of the NFL’s 32 teams will enter the season with either a new head coach, a new starting quarterback, or both. That’s 40% of the entire league. And those aren’t small pieces of the operation! A home-run pairing can be vital. A misfire at those spots can be lethal.
So which of this year’s new coach-quarterback tandems is best equipped to make some noise in 2025? We decided to sort all 13 of them from least to most promising. But first, some quick criteria:
- A team needs just one new starting quarterback or head coach to qualify (for example, Caleb Williams is entering Year 2 with the Chicago Bears, but this is his first season with Ben Johnson atop the staff).
- What constitutes a “new starting quarterback”? Any projected starter who didn’t start Week 1 or multiple games for his current team the year prior.
- Just to be clear, we’re ranking duos, not their respective teams. That said, coach-quarterback duos can be a good indicator of a team’s standing. Chances are, if your favorite team’s pairing is high on the list, they’re better positioned to overcome other weaknesses on the roster.
Now let’s get to the 2025 ranking:
Note: Asterisks (*) denote the new member(s) of the duo.
13. Saints: QB Tyler Shough* | HC Kellen Moore*
Shough might quietly have a decent setup, with Alvin Kamara, Chris Olave and Brandin Cooks as veteran outlets, and his seven-year college career (!) might make him an easier mentee for Moore. But he’s still a rookie who struggled to stay healthy during that prolonged NCAA run. The 36-year-old Moore, meanwhile, got a Super Bowl ring for feeding Saquon Barkley in Philadelphia, but we’ve yet to see him oversee an entire program.
12. Browns: QB Joe Flacco* | HC Kevin Stefanski
Will Kenny Pickett start instead of Flacco? Though aging and immobile, the latter has built-in local support, having led the Browns to a surprise 2023 playoff bid while airing it out in place of the injured Deshaun Watson. The gritty Pickett might have a touch more upside at 26. Either way, the calm and collected Stefanski is doing the heavy lifting here, and the Browns will need another masterclass from him to survive their latest stab at a rebuild.
11. Titans: QB Cam Ward* | HC Brian Callahan
There’s no doubt Tennessee has added upside under center, with Ward bringing a sizzling arm and backyard-style approach from Miami. The funny thing is that his much-maligned predecessor, Will Levis, basically offered those same traits; he could just never reign himself in to control the ball or his body. Does Callahan have the wits to better shepherd his new young gunslinger? The veteran playmakers in their lineup could help.
10. Giants: QB Russell Wilson* | HC Brian Daboll
It’s possible we might be underselling Wilson’s alignment with Daboll, who’s really just needed competent play-action quarterbacking to get the ball rolling. But at 36, fresh off consecutive pitstops in Denver and Pittsburgh that ended sluggishly, Wilson just isn’t the play-extending magician he once was. He may well launch some deep shots to Malik Nabers, but the clock is already ticking on Jaxson Dart taking over as the dual threat of the future.
9. Jets: QB Justin Fields* | HC Aaron Glenn*
One of just three teams with an entirely new duo at these positions, the Jets at least deserve credit for pivoting off the sadly short-sighted gamble that was Aaron Rodgers. In fact, Fields is basically the polar opposite under center: just 26, more gifted athlete than savvy passer, modestly priced as a one-year trial. Glenn is just as much of a wild card coming over from Detroit, hoping his rah-rah attitude will finally lessen the franchise’s reality-show drama.
8. Seahawks: QB Sam Darnold* | HC Mike Macdonald
Seattle made something of a lateral move, at least stylistically, by dealing Geno Smith and signing Darnold; both veterans have snappy arms and a penchant for forced throws. The difference is Darnold, who finally gained the authority of a former top-three pick in Minnesota’s cozy surroundings, is younger and slightly cheaper. He did fold under the lights to close 2024, so hopefully Seattle’s front can support him as well as Macdonald’s defense.
Maye didn’t just survive New England’s pivot off Bill Belichick in 2024; he found a way to flash his dual-threat potential even without reliable weapons or consistent messaging from coach Jerod Mayo. Vrabel’s return to the franchise he once repped on the field brings instant gravitas to a newly stocked defense, and his more proven voice as a playoff-contending head coach should help strengthen the entire operation, including Maye.
This might sneakily be one of the best pairings by the end of 2025, provided all goes according to plan. It’s a big “if,” of course, but Jacksonville’s duo is kind of flying under the radar due to widespread skepticism about both men. Lawrence has struggled to stay healthy or protect the rock, but he’s got all the tools of a former No. 1 investment. And Coen, quirky as he may be, worked wonders alongside Baker Mayfield in Tampa.
5. Steelers: QB Aaron Rodgers* | HC Mike Tomlin
Tomlin alone might ensure Pittsburgh flirts with eight or nine wins, just as he’s done for close to two decades. His inexplicable knack for squeezing wild-card berths out of a club with an outdated offensive pace can’t be oversold. Yet this all hinges on Rodgers. He may well be on the back nine; he’s not only 41 but hasn’t posted a winning record or elite passing marks in four years. Still, he’s a clear upgrade on their alternatives, and he might have enough touch to finally get Steel City a playoff win.
4. Bears: QB Caleb Williams | HC Ben Johnson*
The latest in a long line of premium investments under center in the Windy City, Williams certainly had the energy of a No. 1 pick in his debut, though he often looked more frantic than focused beneath a frazzled staff. The challenge for Johnson, who arrives from the rival Lions with mighty expectations thanks to his ultra-aggressive hand in Detroit’s turnaround, will be unlocking Williams’ gunslinging gifts while keeping his freestyling in check.
3. Raiders: QB Geno Smith* | HC Pete Carroll*
It’s very possible these ex-Seahawks partners are past their prime. Smith is 34 and endured two uneven seasons after his award-winning 2022 breakout in Seattle. Carroll is 73, spent 2024 away from the sidelines and hasn’t led a playoff victory in six years. And yet, if you’re looking for a high floor this year, it’s almost got to be the new faces of the silver and black. Though streaky, Geno still possesses the kind of big-play arm the Raiders haven’t seen for years. Carroll, meanwhile, is a proven culture-builder whose infectious personality has the potential to bring the best out of unforeseen corners of the Las Vegas locker room.
2. Vikings: QB J.J. McCarthy* | HC Kevin O’Connell
This might seem ridiculously high considering one-half of the pair has yet to take a real NFL snap. In fact, the 22-year-old McCarthy is probably facing unreasonably lofty expectations, given Minnesota’s brutal schedule a year after Sam Darnold helped guide 14 wins as a bargain-bin gem. Still, all McCarthy really needs to be is adequate to capitalize on the Vikings’ treasure trove of playmakers, all of whom are maximized by O’Connell’s beloved leadership. He thrived as a point guard at Michigan; who’s to say he can’t be just that in purple?
Ranking new QB/WR duos: Dak Prescott and George Pickens fall behind other NFC tandem
Tyler Sullivan
It’s moderately painful to suggest Jerry Jones was “ahead of the curve” by letting Mike McCarthy walk, only to promote McCarthy’s own offensive coordinator as the new head honcho. That’s not really what we’re doing here, though. This tandem is all about Prescott. Yes, he still lacks a defining big-game run. Yes, he’s been banged up quite a bit in recent years. He’s also a top-10, total-package passer when healthy. Maybe, just maybe, Schottenheimer’s assistance as an unsexy hire will end up steadying Dallas rather than overhyping the club.
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Author: Cody Benjamin
June 5, 2025 | 4:00 pm
