What is the worst team in the NFL? The National Football League doesn’t kick off its 2025 season until September, but rosters and starting positions have already been determined for the most part. While what happens this season is the best judge of these squads, we can still assess what some of the worst NFL teams will be this season.
With training camp underway, let’s dive into the worst NFL teams currently and their outlook for the 2025 campaign and beyond.
32. New Orleans Saints
The New Orleans Saints are the worst NFL team right now and they aren’t facing much competition for the title. New Orleans deserves credit for creating a foundation on the offensive line that can lead to long-term success, but this will still be a multi-year process. A young Saints’ offensive line will go through growing pains and rookie quarterback Tyler Shough doesn’t exactly inspire a ton of confidence in his upside. New Orleans will also likely have a bottom-10 defense this season and the offense could be even worse. At the very least, the Saints have positioned themselves to be in the mix for the first pick in the 2026 NFL Draft.
Related: Projecting When Rookie QBs Make First NFL Starts
31. Cleveland Browns
The Cleveland Browns defense deserves much better than this. With the addition of Mason Graham, there is a path for it to be a top-12 defense this fall. Unfortunately, fans are also likely to witness the worst offense in football on a weekly basis. There are some bright spots, such as the rookie running back tandem and receivers Jerry Jeudy and Cedric Tillman, but Cleveland will likely have the worst starting quarterback in the NFL. An offense that often seems incapable of sustaining drives results in a bottom-two team.
30. Tennessee Titans
The Tennessee Titans at least have their centerpiece at quarterback in Cam Ward. Importantly, they are also placing the rookie behind an offensive line that could be at least league average next season. However, even with Calvin Ridley, Tennessee’s receiving corps leaves much to be desired. On the defensive side, linemen T’Vondre Sweat and Jeffery Simmons provide a solid foundation. That pretty much covers everyone on the Titans roster worth considering as building blocks. Regarding the defense, this has always been a multi-season rebuild, and they might finally have the right general manager in place to lead it.
29. Carolina Panthers
Ranking the Carolina Panthers among the worst NFL teams in 2025 has nothing to do with Bryce Young. In fact, we think the third-year quarterback will take another step forward this fall and prove he’s an above-average starter. Unfortunately, there is still not much talent around him. He will benefit from playing behind, potentially, a top-12 offensive line, and we can see young weapons like Tetairoa McMillan, Xavier Legette, and Ja’Tavion Sanders taking real strides in 2025. However, Carolina’s defense remains an alarming concern, and this young offense still needs time. One step back this coming season, then two steps forward in 2026.
Related: Worst NFL Rosters 2025
28. New York Jets
The New York Jets will be one of the worst NFL teams next season and should be in contention for a top-five pick in the 2026 NFL Draft. With that acknowledged, we see the groundwork being laid for this team to eventually become a perennial playoff contender. There is blue-chip talent on defense (Quinnen Williams, Quincy Williams, and Sauce Gardner) along with a young offensive line that could be a top-10 unit
Related: New York Jets Schedule Predictions 2025, Game-by-Game Jets Picks
27. Indianapolis Colts
Reports from the Indianapolis Colts training camp about quarterbacks Daniel Jones and Anthony Richardson seem like an early warning sign for how this season may unfold. An optimistic view might point to likely defensive improvements for a team that finished 8-9 last year. However, concerns remain about the interior offensive line (center and right guard) and the potential impact that pocket collapse up the middle could have on either signal-caller. At the very least, the Colts will easily avoid falling into the league’s lowest tier alongside teams like the Titans, Browns, and Saints.
26. New York Giants
The New York Giants defense is going to be a treat to watch this fall. New York boasts one of the best defensive lines in football, and if young defensive backs Dru Phillips and Tyler Nubin take steps forward, this unit could be a top-10 defense. However, the fact that New York still rates as one of the worst NFL teams right now says everything about quarterback Russell Wilson and the Giants offensive line. The team is unlikely to perform well enough for Brian Daboll and Joe Schoen to keep their jobs, which fans could certainly view as a good thing. It is also worth noting that New York’s schedule is brutal this season, which will have a big impact on the final record.
Related: NFL defense rankings 2025, see where the Giants defense ranks
25. Las Vegas Raiders
The Las Vegas Raiders are the polar opposite of some of the teams on this list. If everything goes right, primarily with the offensive line and receiving corps, there is a path for the Raiders to have a top-10 offense in the league. Geno Smith is an excellent quarterback, and the weaponry of Brock Bowers, Ashton Jeanty, and Jakobi Meyers can yield great results in Chip Kelly’s system. However, we do not think Las Vegas will be able to cover anyone with any consistency, and its gaps at linebacker are nearly as problematic. It will be fun to see the Raiders’ offense put on some scoring clinics, but this team feels like a worse version of the 2024 Bengals.
Read More: Bold NFL Predictions for 2025, including for Raiders’ QB
24. New England Patriots
The New England Patriots are on the brink of turning things around. For one, a soft schedule sets them up very favorably to exceed their projected win total this season. It also helps that Mike Vrabel is an excellent coach, and he is inheriting a defense that, with the added talent, should be very good. Of course, a franchise quarterback like Drake Maye raises the floor even higher for this team. The Patriots are still a bottom-10 team entering the season, but the entire league could be much higher on New England’s future by the end of November.
23. Jacksonville Jaguars
While the Jacksonville Jaguars are making our list of the 10 worst NFL teams entering the season, this is the one club with at least a shot at winning its division. Liam Coen is a very good offensive architect, and he can get a lot more out of Trevor Lawrence, Tank Bigsby, Brian Thomas Jr., Travis Hunter, and Brenton Strange. On defense, Hunter even helping out at cornerback would go a long way toward taking pressure off corner Tyson Campbell and the Jaguars’ front seven. Jacksonville’s offensive line is still a problem, and maybe Lawrence was set back by the two previous coaching staffs, but there are reasons to be hopeful about this squad.
Related: NFL Breakout Candidates 2025, including Jaguars’ Skill Player
