From a big-picture perspective, the defending Super Bowl champion Eagles kick off the 2025 NFL season Thursday night against the Cowboys. Over in the AFC, it’s a familiar storyline: Can Buffalo or Baltimore or any other AFC team dethrone Kansas City? Is this finally the year Josh Allen leads Buffalo back to the Big Game?
As for the other New York football teams, lately the offseason has been more exciting than the regular season. But there's a renewed sense of optimism for the Jets and Giants after combining for just eight wins last season.
The Jets have a new coach in Aaron Glenn and a new quarterback in Justin Fields. The Giants have three new quarterbacks, led by Russell Wilson and backed up by rookie Jaxson Dart and veteran Jameis Winston. Both Fields and Wilson are on their third team in three seasons, but they share the same mission: bring their new teams back to respectability. — Joe Manniello, NFL Preview Section Editor
NEW YORK JETS
One Aaron is out, another is in. After last year's 5-12 debacle with quarterback Aaron Rodgers, the Jets are starting fresh with a new head coach (Aaron Glenn), a new general manager (Darren Mougey), a new quarterback (Justin Fields) and — perhaps most importantly — a notable lack of flashy headlines. Newsday's Al Iannazzone previews the Jets' 2025 season and the culture that Glenn is building at One Jets Drive.
Glenn is the latest former NFL player to don a headset. Does that give him an edge? Is it easier for players-turned-coaches to relate to their roster because they went through it themselves? Do the players respect them more? Newsday's Tom Rock talked with Glenn's Jets players, as well as other coaches who have done it.
Why the Jets can contend...
The Jets have a hungry defense that will play aggressively, blitz more and be better up front with the return of Jermaine Johnson and the addition of run-stuffing tackle Harrison Phillips. The Jets’ run game, behind an underrated and improving offensive line, will be strong. Breece Hall could have a big season in a contract year. Justin Fields adds a different dimension as a running threat at quarterback. He will need to have his best passing season, though.
... and why they may not
If they don’t contend for a wild-card spot, it means the Fields Experiment didn’t work out the way Aaron Glenn and his staff had hoped. Fields is a dynamic player and athlete but unproven as a passer. The Jets want him to be more of a well-rounded quarterback. But during camp and the preseason, he completed mostly checkdowns and short passes. In 44 career NFL starts, he has only two 300-yard passing games. The Jets didn’t help Fields by not getting him a legitimate No. 2 receiver.
Braelon Allen Credit: Jim McIsaac
Player spotlight
Second-year running back Braelon Allen should have a bigger role this season in the ground-and-pound offense that new coordinator Tanner Engstrand brought from Detroit. The 6-1, 240-pound Allen is a great fit and will be used more than in short-yardage and goal-line situations. His improvement was obvious throughout the summer. Hall is more of a dual-threat, three-down back but the 21-year-old Allen is emerging.
Rookie watch
Tight end Mason Taylor impressed in training camp catching the football and blocking. He could become the Jets’ second or third receiving option in this tight-end friendly system.
Right tackle Armand Membou was worked hard in camp and against the Giants’ edge rushers in joint practices. That will be a big help this season.
Wide receiver Arian Smith’s speed and ability to stretch the field are sorely needed and could earn him a spot in the receiver rotation
Beat writer's prediction: 7-10, third place in the AFC East
Glenn has begun changing the culture, getting the players he wants and building the team in his vision. The players have bought in to their new coach. They believe Glenn has the rebuild blueprint from his time as Detroit’s defensive coordinator. The Jets’ defense and rushing attack should make them competitive and keep them in games. Their passing offense could hold them back. Expect progress and an uptick in wins but rebuilds take time. Playoffs in ’26 is more realistic.
This is Al Iannazzone’s eighth season covering the Jets for Newsday.
NFL Week 1 on TV: Jets vs. Steelers at MetLife Stadium
After a 2024 season that saw them win just three games, the Giants enter 2025 with zero expectations but lots of hope for the future. They addressed their quarterback room — one of the main culprits of the lost 2024 season — by adding three new signal-callers, including a veteran leader in Russell Wilson and the future of the franchise in rookie Jaxson Dart. They rebuilt a porous defense by bolstering a leaky secondary and selecting one of the draft's top players in pass-rusher Abdul Carter. The result? A team that hopes to show it's finally on the right path. Newsday's Evan Barnes previews the Giants' 2025 season, one full of both transition and optimism.
If Russell Wilson finds the fountain of youth, the Giants will be better than expected. The 36-year-old quarterback will be throwing to one of the league’s best young wide receivers in Malik Nabers. The Giants also have solid offensive weapons led by running back Tyrone Tracy Jr. and receiver Darius Slayton. They have a strong pass rush that is scarier with the addition of rookie linebacker Abdul Carter. If Wilson turns back the clock, maybe the Giants get eight wins.
... and why they may not
The Giants have the NFL’s hardest schedule based on last season’s combined won-loss record. An 0-4 start isn’t implausible: at Washington, at Dallas, home to Kansas City and the Chargers. If Nabers’ training camp injuries slow him down . . . and if the run defense continues to be a problem . . . and if cornerback Deonte Banks continues to struggle with teams throwing away from new addition Paulson Adebo, the season could quickly turn into developing rookie quarterback Jaxson Dart.
Brian Burns Credit: Lee S. Weissman
Player spotlight
Brian Burns’ first year with the Giants was a bright light during a dark season. After a strong training camp, he might be better in Year 2. He could be the player who turns this pass rush into something more ferocious with teams worried about Dexter Lawrence. And if foes focus on stopping Burns, it’s more opportunities for Kayvon Thibodeaux and Carter to get sacks. So don’t be surprised if Burns joins Lawrence as the linchpin of a resurgent Giants pass rush.
Rookie watch
Cam Skattebo, the fourth-round pick out of Arizona State, starts this season as the Giants’ third running back. It might be hard to get carries from Tracy or Devin Singletary, but Skattebo can make the most of it. His bruising, running style offers a change of pace but his pass-catching fits right in with Tracy and Singletary’s versatility. Fans admired Skattebo in training camp before he got hurt and now that he’s healthy, he can work to impress more fans, even with limited touches.
Beat writer's prediction: 6-11, last place in the NFC East
The Giants will be better than last season, but only because that’s a low bar to pass. Doubling last year’s win total will save coach Brian Daboll and general manager Joe Schoen’s jobs for another season. An improved pass rush and Carter contending for Defensive Rookie of the Year won’t be enough to avoid another losing season. Wilson becomes the first Black quarterback to start a Giants season opener but Dart starts at least one game to start the clock on his future.
This is Evan Barnes’ second season covering the Giants for Newsday after previously covering the Nets.
NFL Week 1 on TV: Giants vs. Commanders at Northwest Stadium
Time: Sunday, 1 p.m. Eastern
TV: Fox (Kevin Burkhardt, Tom Brady, Erin Andrews, Tom Rinaldi)
Radio: WFAN, 101.9 FM (Bob Papa, Carl Banks, Howard Cross)
New York football hasn’t lived up to expectations of late, but from 2000-24, the Giants and Jets put some of their greatest players on the field, groomed a few Hall of Famers, made several deep and exciting playoff runs and, thanks to the Giants, brought a pair of championships back to town. Newsday’s Tom Rock built an All-Quarter Century Team, pulling from both franchises to assemble a starting lineup that would make New York something it hasn’t been regarding football in quite some time: proud.
AROUND THE NFL
Newsday's Tom Rock ranks all 32 NFL teams entering the 2025 regular season. It all begins the way last season ended — with Saquon Barkley, Jalen Hurts and the defending Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles on top.
Top storylines
Saquon Barkley rushed for 2,005 yards in his season with the Eagles. Credit: Getty Images
Can the Eagles repeat? Philadelphia seemed to be on a mission to prove doubters wrong last year, whether that was in the form of Hurts being overlooked, Barkley being undervalued (by the Giants at least) or the offensive line replacing a recently-retired Hall of Famer in Jason Kelce. It worked out well for the Eagles. This year, though, it’ll be hard to find chips as big as last time to put on those shoulder pads. So how will Nick Sirianni and his crew from the Underdog Capital of America handle their prosperity?
Is Kansas City's reign over? Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce and Andy Reid are all back to give it another go after failing in their quest for a three-peat but it feels like time and opposing teams may be catching up to them. Don’t be surprised if the 30-year-old Mahomes has a second dynasty in him the way Tom Brady did in New England – remember, he won three rings then went 10 years before winning his fourth – but this first Age of Mahomes has to end at some point. This season may be it.
Who won the QB carousel? The Jets and Giants weren't the only teams to import free-agent quarterbacks. We saw Sam Darnold go to Seattle, Geno Smith to Las Vegas, Daniel Jones head to Indianapolis and yes, Aaron Rodgers eventually land in Pittsburgh. Then there's Minnesota, which fascinatingly sat out of the market to count on J.J. McCarthy coming back from a knee injury that robbed him of his entire rookie season. Which of the teams’ decisions will be proven right?
Can Ben Johnson unlock Caleb Williams? The Bears took their quarterback with the first overall pick in the 2024 draft but never seemed to have much of a plan beyond that. Williams wound up overshadowed by Offensive Rookie of the Year Jayden Daniels, Bo Nix and Drake Maye, all of whom were first-rounders as well. This offseason Chicago brought in Johnson as its new coach hoping he could sprinkle some of his offensive magic on Williams and help him develop in Year Two into the quarterback he was projected to be (but never was) in Year One.
Can they finally be Super? The Bills, Lions, Bengals and Chargers, arguably four of the premier teams heading into this season, have combined for zero Lombardi Trophies in their histories. Perhaps that will change for one of them this year. All of those squads have MVP-caliber quarterbacks in Josh Allen, Jared Goff, Joe Burrow and Justin Herbert, respectively, along with strong head coaches and defenses that are good enough (well, maybe not in Cincinnati) that they can get it done if they catch a few breaks along the way.
What's new this season
Touchbacks. In a move that figures to increase the return rate, the touchback on kickoffs will be marked at the 35-yard line. It was the 30 last season, the first year of the league's revamped "dynamic kickoff."
Replay. The on-site replay official can now reverse penalty flags for a number of calls: hits to defenseless players, face-mask penalties, horse collar, tripping and running into / roughing the kicker.
First-down technology. The NFL will use Sony's Hawk-Eye technology to measure first downs.
Overtime change. Both teams will receive a possession in overtime during the regular season, even if the first team scores a touchdown. This rule now matches the playoff format.
Throwback jerseys. Teams will be allowed to wear their throwback or alternate jerseys (think Tampa Bay Buccaneers creamsicle) up to four times per season, an increase from three.
Five things we want to see
More flying Saquon acrobatics. Last year we saw Saquon Barkley make the play of the season with his backward hurdle against the Jaguars. So what can he do to top it this year? Maybe flip over a would-be tackler? Or leap over two defenders in one bound? We’re eagerly waiting to see what stunt he pulls off to make us gasp this time around.
Someone other than Mahomes and Kansas City in the Super Bowl. They’re great. They’ve had their fun. Now let’s give someone else a turn in the AFC. Ideally it will be a team that has a long history of absence from the big game, maybe a few heartbreaks since their last appearance. The Ravens? Bills? Chargers? Why not the Jets? Anyone but the same old red and white jerseys that have dominated February’s showcase for the better part of a decade.
Travis Hunter up for two awards. How cool would it be for the Jaguars’ omnipresent oddity to have such an impact on both sides of the ball that when the NFL Honors show comes around he is a finalist for both Offensive and Defensive Rookie of the Year? Why stop there? Let him win both!
A 70-yard (or longer) field goal. The NFL record is 66 yards, set by Justin Tucker in 2021, but already this preseason we got to watch Cam Little knock one through from 70 for the Jaguars. Maybe some of these new strong-legged kickers will give it a go in the regular season, too. Just to put a 70-yarder in perspective, the line of scrimmage for such an attempt would be about the 48-yard line . . . on the opposite side of the 50.
More tech . . . for good measure! The NFL finally got around to adopting technology that measures for first downs and makes chain gangs a thing of the past, but they still spot the ball by eye and judgment after each down. Let’s get some microchips humming that can determine where the football is when a player’s knee touches, or if he gets it across the goal line, and stop guessing on the most important decisions in the sport.
Hot takes
Tom Rock: Panthers make the playoffs. Don’t sleep on the Panthers. Bryce Young is going to make a big jump this season with help from Chuba Hubbard, Xavier Legette and Tetairoa McMillan. They’re also getting their best defensive lineman back in Derrick Brown after he missed all of 2024 with a torn meniscus and have cornerback Jaycee Horn coming off a Pro Bowl year. Carolina will make the (tied for) worst-to-first jump to win the NFC South.
Aaron Rodgers at Steelers camp. Credit: Getty Images
Al Iannazzone: Rodgers leads Steelers to AFC title game. Aaron Rodgers, now with a more stable franchise and proven and established coach, will play much better than he did for the Jets and the Steelers will earn their first playoff victory in nine years. Rodgers’ career will end with a loss to the Bills in the AFC title game. Jets fans have seen this movie before: Brett Favre led the Vikings to the NFC title game a year after missing the playoffs with the Jets.
Evan Barnes: Kansas City won't make AFC title game. KC has made the AFC title game seven straight seasons since Patrick Mahomes took over in 2018, but that streak will end against either Buffalo or Baltimore in the divisional round.
Joe Manniello: Giants’ Carter named top defensive rookie . . . and Defensive Player of the Year. Abdul Carter may not have gotten his wish to wear Lawrence Taylor’s No. 56, but he will join him as the only NFL players to pull off the double defensive award in the same season. The LT comparisons started the moment the Giants drafted Carter No. 3 overall, and will only escalate with every spin move and sack.
'Hello, friends'
On Sept. 14, 1985, Jim Nantz was an unknown broadcaster making his NFL debut for CBS. Now, he's an iconic media figure who is marking his 40th anniversary at the network. He reflected on those last 40 years with Newsday's Neil Best.
THE BEST OF 2025
Newsday's Tom Rock makes his picks for season’s top awards, plus other predictions:
