10 NFL Teams Whose 2026 Seasons Are Officially Over Before They Even Began
This article was originally published on Total Pro Sports.
It’s sad that the 2026 football season has barely begun, and we can already bury the hopes of a dozen fanbases. For every team like the Rams or Seahawks, who harbor Super Bowl aspirations, there are the Dolphins and Giants, already planning next year’s NFL draft, or the Jets and Browns, franchises that are just broken.
The teams that are already on the outside of the playoff picture are there due to poor roster construction, front office mismanagement, and/or salary cap issues. Sure, one of these teams may surprise us, but in all likelihood, they won’t.
Here are 10 NFL teams whose seasons already seem over.
Which NFL teams have no chance for progress this season?
Miami Dolphins
The Dolphins enter the 2026 season with almost no hope of making the playoffs. In fact, they might be among the worst teams in the NFL this year, and while they won’t be competing for a Super Bowl, there’s a good chance that they’ll be competing for the first overall pick in next year’s draft. The entire organization is an absolute mess.
They have a crumbling roster, massive salary cap issues, and a new coach and general manager. From a personnel standpoint, on offense, the Dolphins have a skilled running back and nothing else. Their quarterback, the unproven Malik Willis, will get the first chance to lead Miami in the post-Tua Tagovailoa era, as they decided a $99.2 million cap hit was better than keeping Tua on the roster.
The financial albatross that was Tua’s contract was one example of the poor decisions made by the former regime. It also doesn’t help Willis that the roster is devoid of any worthwhile receivers. The offensive line is a liability, the defense lacks a steady pass rush, and it routinely gives up big plays. The Fins roster also lacks any substantial depth, so when injuries pop up, and they will, the organization will suffer. Simply put, Miami doesn’t have the ability to mount a significant challenge in the AFC this year.
Arizona Cardinals
Another club with no real chance to compete in 2026, the Cardinals are coming off a 2025 season in which they finished 3-14 and made a drastic change at quarterback. Arizona decided to release quarterback Kyler Murray, who has underperformed since entering the NFL, and absorb a $47.5 million cap hit to get him off the team.
Instead, the Cards will enter the 2026 season with a quarterback battle between veterans Jacoby Brissett and Gardner Minshew, neither of whom provides any comfort or hope for success. Quarterback isn’t the only area where the franchise has made a substantial change; they also fired head coach Jonathan Gannon and replaced him with Mike LaFleur.
A year with a massive transition, like a coaching and quarterback change, doesn’t usually end with a successful season, and considering the Cardinals have been mired in sub-mediocrity for over a decade, that’s not likely to change in 2026. That’s also due to the poor makeup of the rest of the team. While Marvin Harrison Jr. and Jeremiyah Love offer some glimpses of hope, the remaining offense and defensive depth remain thin and subject to injury concerns. Instead of chasing a Lombardi Trophy, the Cardinals will be chasing a high draft pick.
Las Vegas Raiders
It would take a lot of things to break right for the Raiders to win anything substantial this season, like having every other team in the AFC go out of business. Las Vegas is at the beginning of a long-overdue rebuilding process, and after a disastrous 2025 under head coach Pete Caroll, the Raiders are starting fresh.
They have hired Klint Kubiak as head coach and have paired him with 2026’s #1 pick, Fernando Mendoza, hoping they’ll have massive success together. However, there will be growing pains. While Mendoza provides hope for the future, relying on a rookie quarterback can be risky. The Raiders have done the right thing by bringing in veteran Kirk Cousins, who provides a bridge until Mendoza is ready and adds leadership and experience. Of course, quarterback isn’t the only area where Vegas will be relying on a rookie.
Far from it, they’re expected to have almost a dozen inexperienced players among their starting lineup. That many first-year players will lead to costly mistakes on both sides of the ball. The transformation from a doormat to a true contender will not happen in one year. In 2026, the Raiders should be focused more on building the foundations for a winning culture than on winning.
Chicago Bears
The Bears play in a tough division, with the Lions, Packers, and Vikings all vying for the division title. Chicago (are they still called that?) might squeak into the NFL playoffs as a Wild Card team, but they will not win their division, or a Super Bowl. Therefore, since we already know that they won’t be winning a title, it’s fair for them to land on our list. The Bears surprised many people in 2025, finishing first in the NFC North with an 11-6 record and advancing to the NFC Divisional Round before losing to the Rams.
But let’s be honest, they overachieved last year. Relying on the things that went right last year to happen again would be foolhardy, yet that’s what the Bears are doing. The 2025 team’s defense was heavily reliant on turnovers, leading the league with 33 takeaways. That type of luck-driven success is bound to return to normal, especially when the team has failed to upgrade its pass rush.
It’s not just the defense, though; the front office has yet to truly address the weakness at left tackle and the shocking retirement of center Drew Dalman. In a tough division like the NFC North, that’s a recipe for a regression in 2026.
Cleveland Browns
Surprise! It’s the Browns. Raise your hands if you expected them to be on our list. Oh, look, it’s everyone, except for the three fat topless guys wearing dog masks. Cleveland is one of the perennial members of these “NFL teams whose seasons are already over” lists, and truth be told, they deserve it. The organization makes the same mistakes repeatedly.
One must feel bad for their fans, but as far as the organization, you almost have to laugh at their ineptness. Let’s start with the “unsettled” quarterback position where they have a battle between the unproven, second-year Shedeur Sanders and Deshaun Watson, the high-paid veteran attempting to return from an Achilles injury and off-field issues. Watson’s massive, fully guaranteed contract is the only reason he’s still on the roster and has simultaneously hampered the team’s flexibility under the salary cap.
Whoever wins the starting job may not be standing for long, as the offensive line will feature four new starters. The trade of Myles Garrett, one of the best pass rushers in the league, has left a gaping hole in their defense that severely weakens the unit. Yes, all of this and a new head coach. Any thoughts of playoff success are mere fantasy.
Atlanta Falcons
Even in the NFC South, the absolute worst division in the NFL, the Falcons’ season is all but over. Nothing is impossible, and while I’m no oddsmaker, I’ll put the odds of a Super Bowl win for Atlanta at 1%. “So, you’re saying there’s a chance?” Realistically, no. The Falcons are another organization that’s been stuck in a rut of mediocrity for the last decade and just can’t shake loose.
Attempting to find a replacement for Matt Ryan at quarterback has proven to be problematic. Michael Penix Jr. was the team’s 4th attempt at finding a starter since 2022. Sadly, the Falcons front office wasn’t impressed enough with Penix in 2025 and brought in Tua Tagovailoa to challenge him in 2026.
Any team that’s potentially relying on Tua to lead them to success is already in trouble, and Tua’s not going to help. The suspension of edge rusher James Pearce Jr. for the first 8 games of the season is a setback that Atlanta could ill afford. While they possess skill players at running back, Bijan Robinson, and in the passing game, Drake London and Kyle Pitts, there are still too many roster holes for them to overcome. For now, the most realistic scenario is the Falcons remaining on the outside of the playoff picture.
New York Jets
There seems to be a recurring theme of ineptitude running through the NFL teams on our list, as at least half of them have exhibited a high level of it for an extended period. Enter the New York Jets, whose recurring incompetence has been jarring. Have you ever seen another team lose in such a dramatic and comical fashion?
The good news for the Jets in 2026 is that there’s almost no chance they’ll finish last in their division, not with the Dolphins around, but that’s about it. There are just too many other factors standing in their way right now. Head coach Aaron Glenn led New York to a disappointing 3-14 record in 2025, and while he’s still on the hot seat, the front office decided to purge the roster, trading stars Sauce Gardner and Quinnen Williams, leaving the coach with a depleted defensive unit to work with.
On the offensive side of the ball, the team has brought back quarterback Geno Smith for an encore, despite his first performance in New York not going well. While the starting quarterback’s faults are well known, and injuries are always a concern, his backup is Cade Klubnik, an unproven rookie drafted earlier this year. Expect the Jets’ playoff drought to reach 16 seasons this year.
New Orleans Saints
Primarily due to salary cap issues and an aging core, the Saints will not be able to compete in 2026. For years, when it came to managing the salary cap, New Orleans continually kicked the can down the road, pushing dead money into future years. That massaging of the cap has finally caught up with them and left the front office unable to field a solid NFL team.
The financial obstacle has also blocked the Saints from acquiring top free agents, widening the gap between them and others and requiring them to rely on aging players past their prime. Quarterback remains an unstable scenario for New Orleans, with Tyler Shough getting the first opportunity under center. The Saints must’ve seen more in his nine-game audition than most people, because they haven’t invested in a solid backup.
If Shough falters, Spencer Rattler is next in line, and that’s not a comforting thought. Neither are the elite, game-changing quarterbacks needed to lead a team through a 17-game season. The offensive line is porous, and the defense faces multiple issues, such as the lack of a solid pass rush that gives opposing quarterbacks the time to expose weaknesses in the Saints’ secondary.
Tennessee Titans
The Titans won 6 games in 2023 and followed that up by winning a combined six games over the next two seasons. That wraps up a four-year period in which they finished 19-49 and embarked on a needed rebuild. The timeline for turning things around in Tennessee does not include a winning 2026 season. New head coach Robert Saleh inherits a team that has numerous issues, and if we’re being honest here, he doesn’t have the greatest track record.
As a head coach, Saleh is a good defensive coordinator, and he’s not walking into the most ideal situation. There will be even more pressure on second-year quarterback Cam Ward, and although he made it through his rookie season unscathed, we still don’t know how effective he can be, primarily because his supporting cast is so bad. The offensive line failed to properly protect their young signal caller, giving up a league-leading 55 sacks last year, and the two primary culprits, tackles Dan Moore Jr. and J.C. Latham, are both back in 2026.
External factors will hinder Tennessee as well, as their division rivals, the Houston Texans, Jacksonville Jaguars, and to a lesser extent, the Indianapolis Colts, are further along in their development, and the Titans don’t have the weapons to compete with them.
New York Giants
The NFC East is a tough division, with the Philadelphia Eagles and Dallas Cowboys legitimate Super Bowl contenders, and the Washington Commanders improving, but right now, the Giants just don’t possess the firepower, offensively or defensively, to stand with their rivals.
New York may or may not have found its quarterback of the future in Jaxson Dart, who impressed enough in 2025 to have the offense put into his hands. The front office has surrounded him with a talented supporting cast, which includes wide receiver Malik Nabors, tight end Isaiah Likely, and running back Cam Skattebo, but each has major questions attached to them. Will Nabors be able to return to his Pro Bowl form? Does Likely have the ability to handle a full 17-game season?
Can Skattebo return to full health from his serious right leg injury? Unfortunately, those aren’t the areas of concern for New York. The offensive line struggles in all areas of the game and is a primary reason the offense continually fails to generate long drives. Defensively, they lack a steady pass rush and game-changing talent in the secondary. The Giants are just outmatched in all facets of the game. New York isn’t quite there, and fans can expect another year at the bottom of the division.
