NFL franchises gear their offseasons around cultivating success. It's defined differently by each club on an annual basis, but it remains central to the team-building efforts of free agency, the draft and spring and early summer practices ahead of the next season.
We see teams fall short of expectations every year, though. And those seeds can be planted as early as the offseason — just like this year.
With plenty of time still left before football is played again this fall, here are the NFL quarterbacks and head coaches that appear to be positioned to fail in 2025:
Sam Darnold, QB, Seattle Seahawks
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Darnold may have gotten the money he sought with the Seahawks, but Seattle’s personnel deficiencies on the offensive side of the ball raise significant questions about just how effective he can be.
To this point, the team has done close to nothing to address an offensive line that tied for 25th in pressure rate allowed and 24th in sack rate allowed last season, according to Next Gen Stats. The Seahawks also moved on from two of their top three receivers, trading DK Metcalf to the Pittsburgh Steelers and releasing Tyler Lockett. They signed Cooper Kupp in free agency, but he’s a declining player at 31.
Needless to say, this is nothing close to the supporting cast Darnold had with the Minnesota Vikings last season — and it could hurt his ability to build off a career 2024.
Brian Daboll, HC, New York Giants
Co-owner John Mara thrust Daboll (and general manager Joe Schoen) into an impossible situation at the start of the offseason, when he said that he’s "just about run out of patience" but also that the No. 1 priority is to find the "quarterback of the future."
Armed with the No. 3 overall pick, the Giants might not be able to get Miami’s Cam Ward or Colorado's Shedeur Sanders, the consensus top two passers in the draft. It’s why their signings of Russell Wilson and Jameis Winston make sense — except for the fact that they’re committing eight figures in guarantees between them, which feels like a steep commitment for a team that has so many other needs.
Even if New York leaves the draft with the quarterback it wants — that could be Ole Miss’ Jaxson Dart, for instance, as opposed to Ward or Sanders — how does Daboll get him the reps he needs for proper evaluation while balancing the need to win now with Wilson (and/or Winston) on a roster that doesn’t look much better than the one that finished 2024?
It’s a lose-lose situation for Daboll.
RELATED: The Giants are stuck in QB purgatory with little path to finding a franchise savior
C.J. Stroud, QB, Houston Texans
On paper, the Texans’ pass protection for Stroud looks worse than it did last year, when it ranked near the bottom of the league. In 2024, Stroud was the second-most sacked quarterback in the NFL and faced a pressure rate of 38.6%, fourth-highest among qualified quarterbacks, per NGS.
The Texans traded left tackle Laremy Tunsil for draft compensation, and also moved on from guards Shaq Mason (cap casualty) and Kenyon Green (traded to the Philadelphia Eagles). In a vacuum, those moves are fine. But the acquisitions they’ve made to remake their offensive line feel underwhelming at best. Houston signed veteran tackles Cam Robinson and Trent Brown, and added guards Laken Tomlinson and Ed Ingram, the latter of whom was acquired via trade from the Vikings.
More moves could be made during the draft, and there’s a long time between now and September. But it’s difficult to say Houston has given Stroud the surrounding cast he needs to get back to the play of his historic rookie season in 2023.
Zac Taylor, HC, Cincinnati Bengals
Sure, the Bengals have star receivers Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins locked in for the long term. They should once again have one of the most explosive offenses in football. But they still have massive concerns surrounding their defense, which has been made more difficult to address because of the money allocated to the offense.
Barring a phenomenal defensive draft class, Taylor is barreling toward another disappointing season in 2025, which could be difficult for him to survive. Cincinnati hasn’t made the playoffs in back-to-back seasons under Taylor.
Michael Penix Jr., QB, Atlanta Falcons
There’s still a chance that Kirk Cousins is moved before the season, but as long as he remains on the roster, the shadow of his presence could be detrimental to Penix’s development. What happens if Penix struggles in 2025, and the fan base is clamoring for Cousins to be re-inserted as the starter?
Brian Callahan, HC, Tennessee Titans
Titans controlling owner Amy Adams Strunk, who has fired two general managers and a head coach in the past two and a half years, appears to be running thin on patience. But Tennessee also requires some, needing to build up its talent-deficient roster through the draft. It’s why Callahan is in a tough spot.
After a league-worst 3-14 record last season, Callahan needs to make meaningful strides in the win-loss column in 2025. But even with a strong draft class, including a potential franchise quarterback with the No. 1 overall pick, on-field results may not show for a couple years. Without the protection of being a first-year coach anymore, can Callahan survive a rough 2025?
Ben Arthur is an NFL reporter for FOX Sports. He previously worked for The Tennessean/USA TODAY Network, where he was the Titans beat writer for a year and a half. He covered the Seattle Seahawks for SeattlePI.com for three seasons (2018-20) prior to moving to Tennessee. You can follow Ben on Twitter at @benyarthur.
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