After a long off-season, one of the best parts of the year is nearly here, as the start of the 2025 NFL regular season is finally within sight.
With that in mind, here are seven figures in the world of football who are sure to play a major role in the coming six months.
J.J. McCarthy, QB, Minnesota Vikings
When McCarthy was drafted in the first round back in 2024, a lot of people — myself included — expected him to be an X-factor for the Vikings that very year. But a meniscus tear combined with the re-emergence of Sam Darnold put the Michigan product on the backburner.
This season holds new promise, with McCarthy’s knee fully healthy and Darnold off to ply his trade in the Emerald City. But given the last time the 22-year-old played a meaningful game was in the national championship 19 months ago, what can we expect?
The profile is much the same as when he was drafted: He’s a good decision-maker, uses his athleticism to scramble for first downs, and has a good enough arm to make defences respect downfield throws. It’ll be interesting — and, after a full year off, somewhat telling — to see whether McCarthy looks comfortable running the pre-snap offence, and whether he can make those throws with some finesse when needed.
For a team that won 15 games in 2024, a lot is riding on how McCarthy turns out. Entrusting the Vikings offence to a quarterback who has never played an NFL regular-season snap is quite the risk, especially in a competitive NFC North. But if McCarthy looks ready at all, then Minnesota might be reaping some serious rewards.
Matthew Golden, WR, Green Bay Packers
When you look at the evolution of quarterbacks around the NFL, it’s easy to see how early career development can be guided by the presence of dynamic wide receivers. Josh Allen had Stefon Diggs for a time, both Patrick Mahomes and Tua Tagovailoa got to play with Tyreek Hill, Jalen Hurts still has both A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith, and Joe Burrow has played with Ja’Marr Chase in both college and the pros.
It’s not that Jordan Love hasn’t had any help in his first few years as a starting quarterback in Green Bay, but it’s fair to say he’s never had a truly elite wide receiver capable of taking the top off a defence.
Even with a crowded receiver room that includes Jayden Reed, Christian Watson, Romeo Doubs and Dontayvion Wicks, Golden’s presence on the roster changes things in a big way. He might still be a rookie, but with his top-end speed (he posted the fastest 40-yard time at this past year’s combine), ability to win 50-50 balls and smooth route running, it’s easy to see why the Packers made him the first wide receiver they’d taken in the first round in more than two decades.
Joey Bosa, DE, Buffalo Bills
There aren’t many questions about the Bills these days, and that’s all thanks to reigning league MVP Josh Allen. If he’s getting ready to snap the ball, Buffalo always has a chance.
But how can the Bills make life easier for their superstar? General manager Brandon Beane’s answer is to beef up the defence.
Enter Joey Bosa, who signed a one-year, $12.6-million contract in free agency back in March. A true game-wrecker, Bosa’s only major flaw has been availability, having only played 28 of a possible 51 games in the last three seasons. Despite that, he’s still racked up a whopping 72 sacks since being drafted in 2016. Bosa is a game-changer for a defence that has struggled at times to rush opposing passers.
If he stays healthy, he’ll join a front seven that includes defensive end Greg Rousseau, defensive tackles Ed Oliver and DaQuan Jones, linebacker Terrel Bernard, and rookie T.J. Sanders, who was drafted 41st overall this past April. If that group remains available all season, the deep post-season run that has so far proven elusive for the Bills might just be within reach.
Omarion Hampton & Najee Harris, RBs, Los Angeles Chargers
If there’s one thing we know about Chargers head coach Jim Harbaugh, it’s that he loves the ground game. He relied on it with the San Francisco 49ers in his first stint as an NFL head coach and en route to a national championship with Michigan, and… he tried to lean on it last year, albeit with little success.
In fact, the Chargers’ 2024 rushing attack was essentially non-existent, as they averaged 110.7 yards per game and 4.1 yards per attempt, 17th and 20th in the league respectively.
This year promises to be very different.
L.A. drafted Hampton with the 22nd overall pick this past April, and signed Harris to a one-year, $9.5-million contract in free agency. Hampton alone ran for 1,660 yards and 15 touchdowns in 2024 for the Tar Heels; by comparison, the Chargers as a team ran for just 1,882 yards and 17 touchdowns last year. While college and the pros are two different beasts to be sure, having that kind of firepower will make life in Los Angeles a little easier for both Harbaugh and quarterback Justin Herbert.
Broderick Jones, OL, Pittsburgh Steelers
It’s been a tumultuous few seasons for the Steelers offensive line. Last year saw them surrender 49 sacks, tied with the Vikings for sixth-most in the NFL in 2024.
Despite those grim recent results, 2025 does show some promise, and Jones in particular has been praised this pre-season for his development — a third-year left tackle out of Georgia, he was forced to play on the right side last year after Troy Fautanu missed most of the season due to injury. With Fautanu now healthy, Jones is back where he belongs, and he’ll be asked to both help key the run game and protect the blindside of the latest Steelers quarterback experiment in 41-year-old Aaron Rodgers.
If Jones, and the offensive line as a group, can produce as planned, head coach Mike Tomlin and offensive coordinator Arthur Smith — both of whom love to run the ball — will likely sleep much better at night.
Dan Campbell, HC, Detroit Lions
A lot of oxygen has been spent on Campbell’s coaching style since he took the job, but the truth is that biting kneecaps has proven to be quite fruitful in Detroit, as the Lions have made deep playoff runs under his leadership in two straight years.
2025 presents a new challenge: After an off-season brain drain that saw both offensive coordinator Ben Johnson and defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn leave to take head coaching positions elsewhere, will the Lions see a dip in the quality of their play? Or will Campbell — a rare modern head coach who doesn’t call plays himself — prove immune to the poaching?
The talent Detroit has will certainly help, but we may soon learn a whole lot more about how things really work at Ford Field with Campbell at the helm.
Mike Vrabel, HC, New England Patriots
It’s been an odd few years for the Patriots, once the gold standard of the NFL. Since Tom Brady’s departure for Tampa at the conclusion of the 2019 season, New England has seen a lot of losing. While understandably few tears have been shed around the league as a result, even the staunchest of Patriots haters were likely surprised to see former head coach Jerod Mayo fired after just one season.
Now, another former Patriots player has been given the reins in Vrabel, a coach who led the Titans to multiple division titles and their first AFC Championship appearance in 17 years.
With Vrabel back in New England, we’ll see if his hard-nosed style and messaging on accountability and effort is enough to clean up a team that has won just eight games in the last two seasons amidst a lot of unforced errors. While there are a lot of ifs — including whether Josh McDaniels’ third stint as offensive coordinator can help quarterback Drake Maye develop further, and if loading up on players in free agency will fix a defence that allowed the 11th-most yards in the NFL — there’s also a lot of potential (and a soft schedule) for Vrabel to take advantage of.
