- Caleb Williams and Trevor Lawrence face continued high expectations: Lawrence must prove that his sizable contract extension wasn't a mistake, while Williams will need to improve on an uninspiring rookie campaign with a better supporting cast this time around.
- Is it finally Kyle Pitts' year? The former top-five draft pick enters a contract year after four largely uninspiring seasons in Atlanta.
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Estimated Reading Time: 10 minutes
It's an annual occurrence: NFL players regress from prior elite levels of play, whether due to injuries or just poor fundamentals.
Here, we highlight 10 players who will aim to prove in 2025 that, for one reason or another, their 2024 season was just a fluke.
QB Caleb Williams, Chicago Bears
After the Bears selected him with the No. 1 overall pick in 2024, Williams had a somewhat disappointing rookie season compared to expectations. His 67.6 PFF overall grade ranked only 31st among quarterbacks, his 87.8 passer rating placed 24th and his 49.0 PFF passing grade under pressure ranked 27th.
Admittedly, Chicago's offensive line seemed to be an issue, especially after some injuries. The unit allowed a league-high 37 sacks during last year’s regular season. The USC product was also partially to blame, as 27.8% of his pressured dropbacks turned into sacks, which was the third-worst rate among 43 signal-callers last season.
Everything suggests that the circumstances will be better in Williams’ sophomore season. He will operate under one of the highest-regarded play callers in new head coach Ben Johnson, and the Bears' offensive line has been strengthened with the arrivals of guards Jonah Jackson and Joe Thuney and center Drew Dalman. The team also selected tight end Colston Loveland in the first round.
Seemingly, everything is in place for Williams to show in 2025 why he was the first-overall pick of the 2024 NFL Draft.
QB Trevor Lawrence, Jacksonville Jaguars
Lawrence is coming off his worst season since his rookie campaign. He ranked in the top 15 among NFL quarterbacks in PFF overall grade in his second and third seasons in the league but placed only 19th in 2024 (76.8). That came on the heels of his contract extension last offseason, which made him one of the highest-paid players in the NFL but simultaneously put him under pressure to play at a higher level.
On top of his performance not matching his previous seasons, 2024 was also the first instance of Lawrence missing significant time due to injuries. While the Clemson product reached at least 1,000 snaps in each of his first three seasons, he logged only 536 last season.
There are plenty of question marks surrounding the Jaguars' roster, but Lawrence does not lack playmakers. He should have one of the most exciting young wide receiver duos in the NFL in Brian Thomas Jr. and Travis Hunter, which should help him get his career back on track in his first season under head coach Liam Coen.
RB Rhamondre Stevenson, New England Patriots
Stevenson started his career well with the Patriots, earning PFF overall grades of 81.1 and 81.3 in his first two years, both of which ranked 10th at the position. He also averaged 4.6 yards per carry as a rookie and 5.0 yards per carry in his second season. However, Stevenson has been unable to get back to that level in the two seasons since then.
The Oklahoma product averaged just 4.0 yards per carry in 2023 and 3.9 yards per carry in 2024. This past season, he earned a 69.6 PFF overall grade, which ranked just 35th among 59 qualifying running backs — largely due to his seven fumbles.
Stevenson should have a better season just by eliminating fumbles. However, having to run behind arguably the worst offensive line in 2024 certainly did not help. A strengthened offensive line in front of him and a better passing offense led by second-year quarterback Drake Maye could certainly contribute to Stevenson once again playing at his best in 2025.
TE Kyle Pitts, Atlanta Falcons
The former fourth-overall pick is entering the last year of his contract after the Falcons picked up his fifth-year option. However, Pitts has not lived up to his first-round status, let alone his top-five-pick status. While he earned an 80.3 PFF overall grade in his rookie campaign, which ranked fifth among tight ends, he has not been able to replicate that performance in his following three seasons. Over the past two seasons, Pitts posted a 65.3 PFF overall grade, which ranked only 26th among 52 qualifying tight ends.
The Florida alumnus endured his worst season in 2024, ranking 44th in PFF overall grade (59.6). He also averaged 1.32 receiving yards per route run, which placed him only 28th at the position.
Pitts will most likely have to prove in Michael Penix Jr.’s first full season as a starting quarterback that he can be among the best receiving tight ends in the league in order to earn an extension with the Falcons.
WR Brandon Aiyuk, San Francisco 49ers
Aiyuk enjoyed a breakout season in 2023, boasting a second-ranked 91.5 PFF overall grade among all wide receivers. However, he has yet to prove it was not a fluke season. It has been established that Aiyuk is a true No. 1 wide receiver after he ranked among the top 30 players at his position in PFF overall grade in each of his first three seasons. Nevertheless, he took things to another level in 2023.
This past season was a different story. His early-year play was uninspiring, and his season was cut short after just seven weeks. He earned a 74.6 PFF overall grade, which ranked 33rd among 133 qualifying wide receivers.
The 49ers have an aging roster and their Super Bowl window appears to be slowly closing, so the team needs Aiyuk to show that he can get back to that level once again in 2025.
EDGE Maxx Crosby, Las Vegas Raiders
Between 2021 and 2023, Crosby established himself as one of the very best edge defenders in the league. The Eastern Michigan product garnered PFF grades above 90.0 in each of those seasons and never ranked outside of the top four. He also recorded double-digit sacks in 2022 and 2023.
However, Crosby’s play declined in 2024 in every category. He earned his lowest PFF run-defense, PFF pass-rush and PFF overall grades over the past four seasons. He logged only 766 snaps due to injury, his lowest total since his rookie campaign.
After earning a 74.3 PFF overall grade, which ranked only 25th among all edge defenders, Crosby is looking to prove in 2025 that he still belongs among the best players at his position. He will have every chance to do so if he can stay healthy. An improved Raiders offense, with the addition of running back Ashton Jeanty and quarterback Geno Smith, should also provide more pass-rushing opportunities for him.
Maxx Crosby's Career PFF Grades
DI Quinnen Williams, New York Jets
Many players on the Jets' defense will want to prove that the 2024 season was just a fluke. The unit, which was considered to be one of the best defenses in the league in previous seasons, if not the best, significantly underperformed.
Williams was no exception. Across 2022 and 2023, he earned a 91.5 PFF overall grade, which ranked fourth in the NFL over that period, behind only Dexter Lawrence, Chris Jones and Aaron Donald. In 2024, his 69.6 PFF overall grade ranked only 28th among interior defenders. While he won 19.1% of his pass-rush snaps in 2023, his clip dipped to 14.2% in 2024.
Similar to the rest of the Jets' defense, Williams is looking to show that he is still at the top of his game under new head coach Aaron Glenn.
LB Patrick Queen, Pittsburgh Steelers
Following a slow start to his career in Baltimore, Queen started playing like one of the better linebackers in the league following the Ravens‘ trade for Roquan Smith in 2022. He wasn't able to crack the top 70 among linebackers in PFF overall grade in either of his first two NFL seasons but placed 31st with a 69.7 PFF overall grade in 2022. Queen played at an even higher level in Smith’s first full season in Baltimore, posting a 24th-ranked 73.0 PFF overall grade.
The improvement in play earned Queen a hefty contract in Pittsburgh during the 2024 offseason, but the former first-round pick earned only a 56.8 PFF overall grade this past season, which ranked 65th among 84 qualifying linebackers. The Steelers will look for Queen to return to form in 2025.
CB Jaire Alexander, free agent
At one point, Alexander was among the best cornerbacks in the NFL. He finished the 2020 season with a 90.7 PFF overall grade, which led the position that year. He also logged 1,015 snaps that season. Over the four seasons since then, he failed to reach 1,000 snaps in any campaign and logged an 80.0-plus PFF overall grade just once. Still, even if he has not been at the very top of the position, Alexander's level of play is not necessarily a concern. He has yet to grade outside the top 30 cornerbacks in the NFL through seven seasons.
[Read More: Packers expected to release CB Jaire Alexander — 6 potential landing spots]
Durability has been an issue for the former first-rounder, which contributed to his recent release by the Packers. The Louisville alumnus has not topped 560 snaps in three of his past four seasons and played only 361 snaps in 2024. Alexander likely won't have to prove to his new team that he can play at a high level, but he has to show that he can stay on the field.
S Antoine Winfield Jr., Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The Buccaneers made Antoine Winfield Jr. not only the highest-paid safety in the NFL, but also the highest-paid defensive back last offseason. The Minnesota alumnus was coming off a season in which he earned a 90.7 PFF overall grade, which led all safeties. He also ranked among the top 10 safeties in PFF overall grade in both of the seasons leading up to his new deal. Between 2021 and 2023, Winfield earned a 92.0 PFF overall grade, which led 93 qualifying safeties over that span. His 3,077 snaps across the three seasons were the 13th most among safeties.
However, 2024 was Winfield's worst season to date in all regards. He played a career-low 601 snaps due to multiple injuries. Even when he was on the field, he did not play like his usual self. His 57.8 PFF overall grade was the lowest of his career, in line with his 50.8 PFF coverage grade and his 125.1 passer rating allowed in coverage. One year after his historic contract extension, Winfield is looking to prove that he is still among the best safeties in the NFL.
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