NFL Season Changes

Week 1 of the 2025 NFL season came and went, but teams do not look exactly the same since the last Super Bowl. It’s important to recognize the roster changes different squads made after the conclusion of last season. Through offseason signings and trades, many notable NFL players will be playing for different teams on the gridiron this autumn.

Quarterback Sam Darnold, who played for the Minnesota Vikings in the 2024 season, signed with the Seattle Seahawks on March 10.. The contract is worth $100.5 million over three years. 

“First and foremost, I’m excited to be here. I’m excited to get to know this organization…[I’m] so excited to meet my teammates…I’ve heard so many good things about this organization, from guys that have played here, retired and still playing in the league…I’m just so excited to be here,” Darnold said.

Darnold had a breakout year with the Vikings last fall, throwing for over 4,000 yards and leading Minnesota to a 14-3 record. However, the season ended in the wild card round with the Vikings falling to the Los Angeles Rams. Darnold still exceeded expectations in Minnesota, and with his free agency looming, Seattle signed him. 

The Seahawks then traded their starting quarterback Geno Smith to the Las Vegas Raiders a few days later. Smith had spent the previous six seasons with the Seahawks before the trade, and was the starter for the past three seasons. 

“[Smith’s] a guy that’s such a great worker, he’s grown so much throughout his career, he’s been through so much and overcome so much,” Raiders head coach Pete Carroll said. For the time being, this trade seems like a big win-win for both teams. The transaction was the first big shift of starpower of the offseason. 

In May, the Dallas Cowboys traded for Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver George Pickens to add to their arsenal. Pickens had 59 receptions for 900 yards last season, and was traded with a 2027 6th round pick to Dallas for a 2026 3rd and 2027 5th round pick. With this transaction, Pickens joined CeeDee Lamb as a pro-bowl wide receiver on the Cowboys.

“I thought it was an excellent trade for the Cowboys, only giving up a 3rd round pick and a 5th round pick for a great wide receiver 2,” NHS sophomore Ethan Freylikhman said.

Although some think the move was good for the Cowboys, others thought that Pickens’ bad attitude and off the field problems would cause locker room issues and draw unnecessary attention from the league. 

“He’s got a target on his back because he’s George; he understands that. But he’s got to grow up. He’s got to grow up in a hurry,” Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin said last season. Whether this hinders or helps the Cowboys throughout the season is still to be seen. 

On August 28th, just days before the regular season commenced, Dallas traded away their superstar edge rusher Micah Parsons to Green Bay for defensive tackle Kenny Clark and two first round picks over the next two drafts. 

The blockbuster deal had most football fans baffled, as Parsons was a Pro Bowler in all four of his first four seasons. Most Cowboys fans thought Parsons would be a Cowboy for life, but Dallas owner/president/general manager Jerry Jones and Parsons could not find a deal. 

“I can’t believe [Parsons] went for as little as he did,” NHS school counselor and head football coach Dan Farina said. “I thought [the Cowboys] could get more than just [essentially] two first round picks.” 

Parsons was not a free agent this offseason, as Dallas was utilizing his fifth year option on his rookie contract. But after contract negotiations went south, Parsons was moved to Green Bay, where he inked a four year, 188 million dollar contract with the Packers. This gives him 47 million dollars per year, including 120 million dollars guaranteed, making him the highest paid non-quarterback in the history of the NFL.  

“From all the reports I’ve read, Jerry Jones was just not gonna pay him. They have so much money tied up in guys like [Dak Prescott] and Ceedee Lamb…188 million dollars to play football is pretty extraordinary for him to go to the Packers,” Farina said. 

With so many football stars playing for other teams, the NFL season will feel like an alternate reality at the beginning of the season. Many fans are left optimistic, disgruntled, or downright enraged at trade decisions made by their favorite teams before the 2025 season. Only time will tell how these trades play out over the next few months.