10 Offseason Moves That NFL Teams Are Regretting Big-Time This 2025 Season
This article was originally published on Total Pro Sports.
The 2025 NFL season is underway, and several franchises are already second-guessing the moves they made just a few months ago. From high-priced free-agent signings that aren’t producing to blockbuster trades that look worse every week, many teams are discovering that their offseason decisions are turning into costly mistakes. In a league where every snap matters and every roster spot counts, a bad offseason move can derail an entire year and some teams are learning that lesson the hard way.
In this breakdown, we highlight 10 offseason moves NFL teams already regret in 2025, using early-season performance trends, contract impact, team expectations, and fan reactions to evaluate which decisions have backfired the most. Whether it’s a star who hasn’t lived up to the hype or a front office gamble that simply hasn’t paid off, these choices are shaping the 2025 season in ways no one expected.
Which offseason moves haven’t panned out for these NFL teams?
Dallas Cowboys: Trading Micah Parsons
Yes, we know. This trade could ultimately benefit the Cowboys in the long run. However, since this list is based entirely on the short term, it was the easy choice to kick things off.
Instead of paying the superstar linebacker what he’s worth, Jerry Jones made things personal in negotiations to the point where Parsons had enough and requested a trade. Before the start of the regular season, Jones gave in and traded Parsons to the rival Green Bay Packers for veteran defensive tackle Kenny Clark and two first-round picks.
Parsons has single-handedly transformed the Packers’ defense and is on pace to finish with a career-high in sacks.
The Cowboys offense has been lights-out this season, but they’re going to miss the playoffs because of a wretched defense that’s allowing nearly 30 points per game. And yes, Parsons would have single-handedly made this defense much better.
Jones flipped one of the first-round picks he got from Green Bay to land All-Pro defensive tackle Quinnen Williams. So we’ll see if Williams brings enough value, and if the Cowboys can make good on the other first-round pick from the Pack.
But in the short term? The trade looks like a colossal disaster for Jerry and America’s NFL Team.
Las Vegas Raiders: Trading For Geno Smith
After hiring Pete Carroll to fill their head coaching vacancy, the Raiders reunited him with his old friend Geno Smith. The Seattle Seahawks traded the two-time Pro Bowl signal-caller to Las Vegas for a 2025 third-round pick, with Smith quickly agreeing to a two-year extension worth $75 million.
Smith won Comeback Player of the Year honors under Carroll’s tutelage in 2022, so there was good reason to think this would be a smooth transition to Vegas. Not to mention he’d have Brock Bowers, Jakobi Meyers, AND promising rookie running back Ashton Jeanty as his main weapons.
Just how much did Vegas like Smith? So much so that new minority owner Tom Brady reportedly stopped the Raiders’ push for Sam Darnold, who has gone on to enjoy a career year with the Seattle Seahawks.
Well, let’s just say Brady should stick to broadcasting. Sort of kidding. But man, the Smith trade has really blown up in the Raiders’ faces.
Smith has reverted to his old New York Jets form, which led to them giving up on him after two years. He’s in danger of finishing as the league leader in interceptions and notably flipped off angry Raiders fans after a Week 12 home loss to the Cleveland Browns.
Smith obviously isn’t going to be the starter in 2026, but the Raiders would have to take on $18.5 million in dead money. And to think they passed on Darnold and could have drafted a polished rookie like Jaxson Dart, who’s lighting it up for the New York Giants.
Fear not, Raiders fans. We’re sure your NFL team will find a quarterback one day.
Pittsburgh Steelers: Trading George Pickens
Everyone knew that Pickens had played his last game for Pittsburgh when the Steelers lost to the Baltimore Ravens in the Wild Card Round. The trade wasn’t surprising. Doesn’t mean it was the right move.
After acquiring star wideout DK Metcalf in a blockbuster trade with the Seattle Seahawks, the Steelers waited until the conclusion of the draft to trade Pickens. They finally dealt him to Dallas, along with a 2027 sixth-round pick, for 2026 third and 2027 fifth-round picks.
The Steelers never bothered to address their obvious need for a No. 2 receiver, which is weird considering how this NFL team put all their faith in the hands of a 41-year-old Aaron Rodgers.
The four-time MVP has been okay, but far from great in Pittsburgh. A key reason? Metcalf is his only reliable receiver. None of Pittsburgh’s other pass-catchers have stepped up, leaving the Steelers with a stagnant offense. Once again.
Pickens, meanwhile, has enjoyed a career year with the Cowboys and has even outplayed CeeDee Lamb on plenty of occasions. Heh. What if Pittsburgh just held onto Pickens in his contract year and sees what he could do with Rodgers, instead of selling low on him?
The Steelers usually win blockbuster trades, not lose them. But this was surely a costly trade to lose.
Washington Commanders: Signing Javon Kinlaw
After releasing star defensive tackle Jonathan Allen in a cap-saving move…the Commanders tried to replace him by throwing $45 million over three years at Javon Kinlaw. All because the former San Francisco 49ers’ draft bust racked up a whopping 4.5 sacks with the New York Jets in 2024.
The Commanders’ defense has been a disaster this season, and swapping out a star like Allen for Kinlaw is a key reason why. Kinlaw has made no impact in Washington and might not even crack the 50-grade mark at Pro Football Focus.
Other than that, the Commanders are getting a good return on the Kinlaw investment.
Miami Dolphins: Drafting Kenneth Grant
The defensive line was hardly a problem for the Dolphins heading into the 2025 NFL Draft. They already had three quality pass rushers in Jaelan Phillips, Bradley Chubb, and Chop Robinson. There were more pressing needs on the offensive line, at linebacker, and in the secondary.
Heck, in hindsight, taking a wide receiver or tight end wouldn’t have hurt, now that we know Tyreek Hill most certainly isn’t returning to South Beach next year.
Grant has been, by all metrics, one of the worst defensive players in the NFL this season. Per Pro Football Focus, his grade is in the low-40s. You can look at the disappointing box scores and all, but his run defense has especially been a problem. And it’s been more evident ever since Miami traded Phillips to the Eagles ahead of the deadline.
The next guy drafted after Grant? Tight end Tyler Warren, who’s been instrumental in Daniel Jones’ career-reviving season. Emeka Egbuka, Jalon Walker, Jihaad Campbell, and Malaki Starks are among the other rookie standouts taken in round one who would have made much bigger differences in Miami.
Tennessee Titans: Signing Dan Moore For $82 Million
If someone told you at the start of free agency that the Titans signed a veteran player for $82 million over four years? You’d assume we’d be talking about a multi-time Pro Bowler, yeah?
Nope. Not in the case of Dan Moore. The ex-Steeler who finished with a “meh” Pro Football Focus grade of 67.2 got a deal that paid him as if he were only a tier below Trent Williams, Penei Sewell, or Tristan Wirfs.
Sure enough, Moore has been anything but an All-Pro-caliber offensive lineman for the Titans. Though the unit as a whole has been horrible in front of Cam Ward, the rest of the starting linemen also aren’t getting paid over $20 million a season.
Moore ranks in the bottom half of PFF’s 80 graded offensive tackles in pass-blocking and run-blocking. He’s also among the leading offensive linemen in penalties and is in danger of finishing as PFF’s top bookend in sacks allowed.
Other than that, this NFL team’s getting every penny out of him!
Cleveland Browns: Their Entire Handling Of The QB Room
With Deshaun Watson sidelined for the entire year after re-rupturing his Achilles, the Browns had no choice but to start over at quarterback. Amazingly, they added four new quarterbacks to battle it out for the QB1 job. So far, we know three of them were mistakes.
The Browns brought back 40-year-old Joe Flacco, hoping he could regain the brief magic we saw in his 2023 Comeback Player of the Year-winning season. They acquired former Pittsburgh Steelers first-round pick Kenny Pickett in a trade with the Philadelphia Eagles, extending the QB competition to two.
Then at the draft, GM Andrew Berry picked not one, but two quarterbacks: Oregon’s Dillon Gabriel in round three and Colorado’s Shedeur Sanders in round five. Why do you need two rookie QBs when you already have two vets on the roster?
So anyway, here’s what happened: After losing three of four starts, he was traded to the QB-needy Cincinnati Bengals, who had lost Joe Burrow to a turf toe injury.
Pickett would have been worth a look behind center as well. But the Browns had traded him to the Las Vegas Raiders in August, refusing to give him a chance beforehand, like he couldn’t do better than Flacco.
Gabriel did next to nothing on offense as well before suffering a concussion in Week 11 against the Baltimore Ravens. That forced the Browns to put in Sanders, who at least won his first NFL start, but hardly looks like a long-term solution for this team.
So they whiffed on Flacco, Pickett, and at least Gabriel. In hindsight, why didn’t they try to draft a top QB prospect like Jaxson Dart? Pursue Sam Darnold? Even taking a flier on Kirk Cousins would have netted better results.
Cincinnati Bengals: Drafting & Playing Hardball With Shemar Stewart
The Bengals needed more pass-rushing help to complement Trey Hendrickson, so we liked the idea of drafting Shemar Stewart at the time. Of course, we didn’t think incompetent owner Mike Brown would decide to screw up rookie contract negotiations from the get-go.
But that’s exactly what Brown did. All because of disagreements in the language of Stewart’s rookie deal, with Brown and the front office wanting to add a potential void of guaranteed money. Because rookie deals cost so much money for billionaires, right?
The holdout finally ended in late July, with Stewart agreeing to his rookie contract. By then, he had already missed valuable offseason workouts and practices, costing valuable time to learn the Bengals’ playbook.
Unfortunately, ankle and knee injuries have sidelined Stewart for most of his rookie year. In the limited action he saw before his injury, the Bengals were only using him as a rotational player, which makes no sense considering how historically bad their D has been this year.
It’s unfair to Stewart that the Bengals dragged out negotiations, forcing him to rush his preparation for the NFL. They mistreated and misused him from the get-go, and cost themselves the chance to acquire an impact player right away.
Not to be captain obvious, but next time the Bengals should draft a rookie they plan to a) pay and b) play.
New York Jets: Signing Justin Fields
After cutting ties with Aaron Rodgers, the Jets moved quickly to scoop up Justin Fields on a two-year deal worth $40 million. That felt generous considering that Fields never once looked like an above-average starter, but New York was pleased with the 4-2 record he posted with the Pittsburgh Steelers and thought they could unlock his potential.
Not that it’s entirely his fault, of course, but Fields has been even worse than the guy we saw in Chicago. You know, the one that the Bears couldn’t wait to get rid of so they could draft Caleb Williams?
Fields is hardly moving the ball downfield with his arm, and that dazzling rushing game we saw in Chicago has barely been on display with the Jets. At least the 2022 version of Fields rushed for 1,143 yards and eight touchdowns?
Worse yet for Fields? Veteran Tyrod Taylor has looked better since taking over as the starter for this NFL team. What does that tell you? Fields is not a starting-caliber QB in this league. The Jets are paying him to be one.
Atlanta Falcons: Trading Up For James Pearce Jr.
After selecting Alabama edge rusher Jalon Walker with the No. 15 pick, the Falcons wanted to double down on the front seven. Requiring an extra day-one pick to do so, they acquired the No. 26 and 101 picks from the Los Angeles Rams in exchange for the 46th and 242nd picks and their 2026 first-round pick. With the No. 26 selection, the Falcons took Pearce.
When the Falcons made that move, they did it with the expectation they’d make the playoffs, meaning the Rams would be picking late with their 2026 first-round pick. Or not.
Not only has Pearce struggled to make a significant impact in Atlanta, but the Falcons are also on the verge of missing the postseason for the eighth consecutive year. Wth Michael Penix Jr. and Drake London both suffering serious injuries in the second half, the Falcons are likely to finish with a bottom-10 record.
That means a top-10 pick for the Rams, who look like the team to beat in the quest for Super Bowl 59. So basically, Atlanta gave up a second-rounder and a top-15 pick in 2026 for the No. 26 pick in 2025.
If that’s not a fireable offense on the end of GM Terry Fontenot, what is? And we thought signing Kirk Cousins for $180 million before drafting Penix eighth overall in 2024 was terrible management.
