The 100 most important players of 2025 NFL season, plus Aaron Rodgers drops big hint about his NFL future

Welcome to the Tuesday edition of the Pick Six newsletter. 

I don’t want to make it seem like the start of the NFL season is just around the corner, but the start of the NFL season is just around the corner. As of today, we are just 100 DAYS away from the first game of the season, which will come on Sept. 4 when the Eagles host the Cowboys. 

To celebrate today’s milestone, we’ll be ranking the 100 most important players of the 2025 season. I might also make 100 cupcakes to hand out to random NFL fans at the grocery store, but first, I would actually have to learn how to bake and I’m not sure we have enough time for that. 

As always, here’s your daily reminder to tell all your friends to sign up for the newsletter. To get them signed up, all you have to do is click here. Let’s get to the rundown. 

1. The top 100 most important players of the 2025 season

I’m not sure how it happened, but we are now just 100 days away from the start of the 2025 NFL season. Zach Pereles loves to celebrate things like this, so to help us celebrate the fact that the new NFL season is just 100 days away, he decided to make a list of the 100 most important players heading into the 2025 season.  

Here are a few players who made the list: 

• Saquon Barkley. “He took Philadelphia’s offense to the next level, his 2,005 rushing yards the eighth-most in a single season. Barkley was also the ultimate closer, his 1,245 rushing yards in second halves/overtimes the most on record (since 1991).”
• Larmey Tunsil and Deebo Samuel. “Both players are coming off down seasons — Tunsil committed an NFL-high 17 accepted penalties, and Samuel had his second-fewest yards from scrimmage — but they’re big talents, too. Tunsil’s addition (plus first-round tackle Josh Conerly Jr.) helps fix an inconsistent offensive line, and Samuel, if healthy, could thrive in Kliff Kingsbury’s screen-heavy offense.”
• Joe Thuney. “He can truly anchor the new-look line in Chicago. A first-team All-Pro each of the last two seasons, Thuney turns 33 this season but has shown no signs of slowing down.”
• Justin Fields. “His consistency (or lack thereof) will determine how long he stays on as the starting QB, both this year and in the future. Fields’ two-year deal is more than a bridge contract, but not so much more that it’s truly locking the Jets in long-term.”
• DK Metcalf. “He’ll be the top target for whomever plays quarterback in Pittsburgh, and after giving him a four-year, $132 million extension, the Steelers have high hopes for him. He’s a premier deep threat and a true physical specimen, and at 27, he’s right in his prime.”

There are 100 PLAYERS on Zach’s list and if you want to check out who made the cut, you can do that here. When he’s not ranking players, Zach writes the CBS Sports HQ AM newsletter, which you can subscribe to here. 

We also came up with a list of 100 things to know about the upcoming season and if you want to read through that list, you can do that here. 

2. Aaron Rodgers drops biggest hint yet that he’ll be signing with the Steelers

For the first time this offseason, Aaron Rodgers has offered a big hint on whether he plans to play in the NFL this year. Over the past few months, Rodgers has been coy about whether he plans to play, but based on his most recent comments, not only does it sound like he’ll be playing in 2025, but it seems pretty clear that he has his eyes set on the Steelers. 

Rodgers opened up during an interview on the YNK podcast with Mike Stud that was released on Friday afternoon. 

Here’s what you need to know: 

• Rodgers’ first hint that he’s likely heading to Pittsburgh. At one point during the live podcast, Rodgers was asked if he would ever play for the Bears. “No, but I believe there’s a team that might play in Chicago this year.” Rodgers said. So the big takeaway here is that he won’t be playing for the Bears, but he plans on playing for a team that has a road game in Chicago this year. Hello, Pittsburgh. 
• Rodgers ruled out playing for the Saints. With Derek Carr now retired, the Saints could use a veteran QB, but Rodgers doesn’t have any interest in going to New Orleans. The four-time MVP was asked if he would ever consider signing with the Saints and he slammed the door closed. “No,” Rodgers said. “That’s the answer. I’ve played there a couple times, but no. The answer is no.”
• Fans asked Rodgers if the QB will sign with the Steelers. Rodgers gave a three-word answer when asked if he would sign with the Steelers. “You never know,” the QB replied. Considering he gave an emphatic “NO” when asked about going to New Orleans, it’s pretty telling that he left the door open when asked about Pittsburgh.
• Rodgers seems to know Pittsburgh’s schedule well. Near the end of the show, a Vikings fan said he was excited that Rodgers was going to play at U.S. Bank stadium this year. “That game is in Ireland, by the way,” Rodgers said. The Vikings and Steelers will be playing in Dublin in Week 4. The twist here is that the Vikings fan never mentioned anything about the Steelers, so Rodgers brought them into the conversation on his own. It’s also worth pointing out that he seems to know the Steelers’ schedule pretty well: He knows they’ll be playing in Chicago and he knows they’ll be playing in Ireland against the Vikings. Those were the only two games he mentioned during the entire podcast and they just both happened to be Steelers’ games. 

Based on everything Rodgers said during the podcast, it sounds like it’s only a matter of time before he signs. If things somehow fall through with Rodgers, it appears the Steelers have Kirk Cousins on their radar as a possible replacement and you can read more about that here. 

Rodgers also got an interesting question about whether he plans to retire as a member of the Packers and you can check out his answer here.  

3. Ranking NFL’s most vulnerable division winners

If there’s one thing that’s guaranteed to happen in the NFL this year, it’s the fact that at least one division winning team in 2024 is going to fall off their perch in 2025. Since the NFL realigned the divisions in 2002, there’s never been a season where all eight teams repeated as champs, so there will definitely be a few teams who take a step back this year. 

So who will those teams be? Cody Benjamin tried to answer that question by ranking the most vulnerable division winners. Let’s check out the top three most vulnerable reigning division champs on his list: 

1. NFC West: Rams. “The 49ers are always a force under Kyle Shanahan when healthy and they’re due for a rebound. The Seahawks at least offer an imposing defense under Mike Macdonald. And the Arizona Cardinals just beefed up their own ‘D’ as well.”

2. NFC North: Lions. “Old friend Ben Johnson is now guiding Caleb Williams with the Chicago Bears, however, along with a significantly retooled offensive lineup. The Minnesota Vikings are giving J.J. McCarthy one of the coziest supporting casts in football. And the Green Bay Packers are never not in the mix under Matt LaFleur.”

3. AFC North: Ravens. “This isn’t a case of a lackluster first-place team as much as steep competition from the No. 2, like in the NFC East. The Cincinnati Bengals, after all, could be one of the NFL’s top title contenders if Joe Burrow remains upright, in MVP form, and the club’s defense goes from horrendous to just passable.”

If you want to check out Cody’s full ranking, you can do that here. 

4. One thing to watch for with each NFC team in OTAs

There will be a total of 20 teams kicking off their OTA sessions today, so Garrett Podell decided to give us one thing we should be watching out for from each NFC team. Let’s check what he has to say for three for the NFC’s 16 teams: 

• Vikings: All eyes will be on J.J. McCarthy. “Minnesota possesses perhaps the best offensive ecosystem in the NFL with Pro Bowlers at running back (Aaron Jones), wide receiver (Justin Jefferson), tight end (T.J. Hockenson), center (Ryan Kelly) and right tackle (Brian O’Neill). … Plus, head coach and offensive play caller Kevin O’Connell is the reigning NFL Coach of the Year. How healthy will McCarthy look, especially after being robbed of crucial developmental reps as a rookie because of his injury? The Vikings are all in on McCarthy, so it’s critical he shows he might have what it takes to be a reliable NFL starter.”
• Saints: Will anyone take a small step forward in the QB competition? “The team went 0-7 in the games Derek Carr missed because of injury last season, and New Orleans has the same quarterback room it had last season — Jake Haener and Spencer Rattler — with the exception of 2025 second round pick Tyler Shough. Shough struggled with injuries in college, which is why the 25-year-old started just 32 games in seven collegiate seasons. Will Shough provide hope in a hopeless place, or will the Saints need to hop on the quarterback carousel again in 2025?”
• 49ers: How will Christian McCaffrey looks as he aims to return from an injury-filled 2024 season? “In 2024, McCaffrey played four games while dealing with bilateral Achilles tendonitis and a PCL injury in his knee, and the 49ers went 6-11. … How much the soon-to-be 29-year-old running back participates in OTAs and how he looks will be something to watch because San Francisco’s 2025 hopes may rest on his banged up body.”

Garrett broke down all 16 NFC teams and you can see his full list here. 

5. AFC West win totals: Predicting the over/under for each team in the division

Since it’s never too early to start making predictions, we’re going around the NFL and breaking down the over/under win total for EVERY team in the NFL. We started this process last week, and today, we’re finishing up the AFC by going through the AFC West. 

Tyler Sullivan was in charge of making the predictions here. Let’s check out whether he likes the over or the under for each team in the division: 

NFL odds courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook.

Kansas City Chiefs
ODDS: Over 11.5 (+110) / Under 11.5 (-130)
LEAN: Over 11.5
Sullivan’s take: “Since Mahomes became the full-time starter in 2018, the Chiefs have exceeded this win total in all but one season (2023). Of course, the division itself has become a lot more competitive, which is likely the key driver for these latest odds. … The Chiefs have the benefit of facing some of their more difficult opponents at Arrowhead, including the Eagles (Week 2), Ravens (Week 4), Lions Week 6) and Commanders (Week 8). So, while it’ll be daunting, the Chiefs will at least be in their own building, which should result in at least a .500 record in those matchups, helping them go over this total.”

Los Angeles Chargers
ODDS: Over 9.5 (+100) / Under 9.5 (-120)
LEAN: Under 9.5
Sullivan’s take: “If the offense continues to ascend and the defense maintains its ability to keep opposing offenses out of the end zone, the Chargers will be in a lot of games. Does that mean they’ll get to double-digit wins, however? The oddsmakers believe that’s a bit out of reach as they are +100 to get to 10 wins. I tend to agree as this feels like a nine-win club, especially with the gauntlet of teams they’ll have to face down the final stretch of the season: vs. Eagles (Week 14), at Chiefs (Week 15), at Cowboys (Week 16), vs. Texans (Week 17) and at Broncos (Week 18).”

If you want to see how Tyler feels about the Raiders or Broncos, you can get his take on those two teams here. 

6. Extra points: Raiders punter lands record-setting deal

This is always a busy time in the NFL, and since it’s nearly impossible to keep track of everything that’s happening, I went ahead and put together a roundup for you. 

• A.J. Cole lands record-setting extension from Raiders. Cole has been one of the best punters in the NFL during his six-year career and the Raiders awarded him on Monday with a four-year, $15.8 million extension that makes him the highest-paid punter in NFL history. We’ve got the full details on the deal here.
• Joey Bosa out until training camp. The former Chargers pass rusher won’t be participating in OTAs suffering a minor injury to his calf. According to coach Sean McDermott, Bosa will likely miss. OTAs and minicamp before returning to the field for training camp in July. 
• Lion sign veteran linebacker. The Lions are expected to sign Zach Cunningham, according to NFL Media. The veteran linebacker, who’s going into his ninth NFL season, will add some solid depth for Detroit’s defense. Cunningham was limited to just seven games last season due to injuries, but he’s started a total of 86 games in his career, so at the minimum, he’ll give the Lions some veteran experience. 
• Browns agree to terms with Mason Graham. The fifth overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft will soon be under contract in Cleveland. Graham has agreed to terms on a four-year, $40.9 million rookie deal that is fully guaranteed. If you want to know which first-round picks are under contract, we’re tracking all the first-round signings and you can see the full list here. 
• NFL won’t be involved in Olympics selection process. NFL players will be allowed to participate in flag football in 2028, but the NFL won’t have a hand in picking the team, something that Roger Goodell pointed out last week. “That’s actually a function of USA Football that will be making that decision,” the NFL commissioner said of picking the team. “The NFL will not have any involvement in that selection process.” You can read more about Goodell’s comments here.