The 2025 Preseason has wrapped up, and it is almost time to hit the field for Week 1 with Thursday Night Football on September 4th. Even though preseason doesn’t count in standings, we’ve gotten a glimpse of standout rookies, new coaching schemes, and narrowed down rosters to see who will end up on top in February.
Before preseason, the 90th Annual NFL Draft was held in Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The top 5 picks include Cam Ward, a quarterback from Miami to the Tennessee Titans, Travis Hunter, a dynamic wide receiver and cornerback from Colorado to the Jacksonville Jaguars, Abdul Carter, a linebacker from Penn State to the NY Giants, Will Campbell, an offensive tackle from LSU to the New England Patriots, and finally Mason Graham, a defensive tackle from Michigan to the Cleveland Browns. Besides the top picks, the draft also shocked fans when Shedeur Sanders dropped all the way to 144th overall, heading to the Cleveland Browns with an already stacked QB room. However, fans recently found out that Joe Flacco and the two rookies, Gabriel and Sanders, did make it onto the 53-man roster.
In addition to the draft, the NFL is famous for big-money moves that relocate superstars from city to city in the offseason. Just some of the most well-known names include Davante Adams to the LA Rams, George Pickens to the Dallas Cowboys, Minkah Fitzpatrick to the Miami Dolphins, DK Metcalf, Jalen Ramsey, and Aaron Rodgers to the Pittsburgh Steelers, Joey Bosa to the Buffalo Bills, Stefon Diggs to the New England Patriots, Justin Fields to the New York Jets, Debo Samuels to the Washington Commanders, and Russel Wilson to the NY Giants.
Not only was it preseason for rookies, but after waiting all year, many players stepped on the field for the first time after coming back from season-ending injuries. JJ McCarthy, the National Champion Michigan Wolverine, made his debut after an injury this time last year. Aaron Rodgers, now relocated to Pittsburgh, is healthy and ready to play, but decided to sit out of the Steelers games to ensure he didn’t get injured in the first play… like last season. Aiden Hutchinson, the Lions’ defensive superstar, participated in the Lions’ Hall of Fame game that kicked off preseason in Ohio and was cleared in May before training camp. Dak Prescott, the franchise QB for the Dallas Cowboys (not the cheerleaders), is finally healthy from his Week 8 hamstring injury and is expected to hold off on playing until the official start of the season. Finally, Christian McCaffery, the cover of Madden 25 and the face of the San Francisco 49ers offense, made his debut against their win over the Atlanta Falcons on the 24th. CMC was out with Achilles tendinitis that was followed by a season-ending PCL injury that some may say was the result of the “Madden Curse”.
And of course, it wouldn’t be fair if we didn’t mention the biggest news by far… the one and only Taylor Swift is officially engaged to Chiefs TE Travis Kelce after Taylor was a guest on the Kelce brothers’ podcast and just dropped her new album, debuting on October 3rd. The couple was then seen on an official date to Arrowhead Stadium, where Travis, Taylor, and Jason Kelce watched the Cincinnati Bearcats take on the Nebraska Cornhuskers. In interviews after the proposal made its way across social media, Ed Kelce, Travis’s dad, said that Travis had “popped the question” as early as two weeks before the news got out.
But now, despite all of the changes and headlines, the regular season is upon us. Week 1 is just the beginning of reigniting rivalries, unbelievable catches, and jaw-dropping moments that make football the truly captivating sport that it is.