The NFL does a better job of selling hope to all 32 of its franchise's fanbases than any other league in the world. Even if your favorite team absolutely stinks, there's still the belief that one good draft and one franchise cornerstone could make all the difference. Of course, your favorite team's GM then has to choose the right player and then surround him with the best talent possible.
In a hard salary-capped league, having a competent front office is paramount to sustaining success in the NFL. Yes, ownership controls everything. But even with a great head coach or an all-world quarterback, it's hard to win without competent people in charge of team-building. It's a job many fantasy football players dream about, but only so many lucky ones ever get a shot at.
Failed head coaches have an easier time of reinventing themselves than front-office executives, and if someone fails as a GM, it's rare to get a second shot. That is why it's imperative that ownership get this major hire right immediately.
We're ranking every GM by trustworthiness, competence and long-term vision heading into 2025.
32. Las Vegas Raiders, John Spytek
The Las Vegas Raiders are one of a handful of new front office regimes taking over. This is no slight on John Spytek comin from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, but rather the Raiders organization as a whole. Mark Davis is a bit of a meddler, as he rarely allows any regime under his watch to really get to work and run its course. The Raiders have been strange for 25 years, so look for that to continue.
31. Jacksonville Jaguars, James Gladstone
Not by much, I am putting the Jacksonville Jaguars ahead of the Las Vegas Raiders. Like the Silver and Black, their ownership is questionable at best. Shahid Khan is every bit the eccentric billionaire. However, there may be something special about James Gladstone, who is in his first year as GM, following nine-year tenure with the Rams in scouting. I do not trust Liam Coen at all, but Jacksonville deserves a well-run operation. If Tony Boselli is all-in on him, then maybe we should be, too?
30. Tennessee Titans, Mike Borgonzi
You are seeing a trend here, right? The Tennessee Titans have a losing culture because of questionable ownership. Amy Adams Strunk is not quite the meddler her late father Bud Adams was, but Ran Carthon never had a chance running the operation. Up to this point, Mike Borgonzi has not shown an ability to have anything close to a poker face. He may be good, but I have real concerns.
29. New England Patriots, Eliot Wolf
Ownership is not as big of an issue in Foxborough as it is the New England Patriots having to find themselves a new identity in a post-Bill Belichick world. If Eliot Wolf is empowered by the Kraft family, then that is wonderful. To me, it all comes down to who the most important alpha male in the building is now in new head coach Mike Vrabel. I am eager to see how well he and Wolf can jell here.
28. New York Jets, Darren Mougey
Against my better judgement, I am willing to give the new regime of the New York Jets a real shot. I have long been a fan of head coach Aaron Glenn's prowess as a defensive mind. I may need to be convinced a bit more about Darren Mougey running point in the front office, but everybody in the NFL world seems to be in favor of the guy. The problem is everyone felt the same way about Joe Douglas.
27. New York Giants, Joe Schoen
I have the New York Giants dead last when it comes to returning regimes for a reason. For whatever reason, the rapport between Brian Daboll and Joe Schoen has not been as advertised since they left Orchard Park together. The Giants may have drafted well this past spring, but that does not make up for one season of buffoonery after another at the helm of this operation. This needed to end last year.
26. Miami Dolphins, Chris Grier
For decades, the Miami Dolphins have made Darius Rucker cry. Every other team in the NFL has won a playoff game more recently than them. While I like head coach Mike McDaniel, it is odd to me that Chris Grier is still calling the shots in the front office for absentee owner Stephen Ross. The Tua Tagovailoa tenure has been nothing short of tumultuous. It is so hard to find steadiness with Miami.
25. Indianapolis Colts, Chris Ballard
For my money, there may not be a worse general manager in football than Chris Ballard with the Indianapolis Colts. His teams do not win divisions, nor do they ever win down in Jacksonville. This should not be that hard, but Ballard finds a way to make celebrating mediocrity a right of passage in Indiana. Late owner Jim Irsay swore by him. We can only hope to have Ballard's kind of job security.
24. Carolina Panthers, Dan Morgan
Now that owner David Tepper stopped being a meddler, I am eager to see what the Carolina Panthers can finally become under their new regime. Dave Canales is one of my favorite up-and-coming head coaches. As for Dan Morgan running the Panthers' front office, he seems to have a good eye for offensive talent. My concern is he is a former linebacker. Where are the defensive guys in Charlotte?
23. Chicago Bears, Ryan Poles
I could go either way with incoming head coach Ben Johnson. Frankly, I do not trust Ryan Poles calling the shots in the Chicago Bears front office. The McCaskeys still own the team and Kevin Warren is still wreaking havoc in Halas Hall. With Poles, he seems to get praised for making easy decisions, but often struggles to make ones that are a little less obvious. He does not feel like he'll be here for long.
22. Atlanta Falcons, Terry Fontenot
What is there to say about my beloved Atlanta Falcons? The team usually has the talent to compete, but the pieces do not always fit together. While Terry Fontenot seems to draft well in some aspects, for every hit he has building this team, he has a huge swing and miss. He will be defined on the decision to draft Michael Penix Jr. when he already spent a boatload on a declining Kirk Cousins.
21. Houston Texans, Nick Caserio
I had not been able to put my finger on it until quite recently. In a conversation with my False Start co-host and FanSided.com colleague Cody Williams, he mentioned that the Houston Texans may have a suboptimal front office. I think he might be right. Nick Caserio is fine, but again, for a team expected to make noise in the postseason, why do they feel so chaotic? They have C.J. Stroud. Figure it out!
20. New Orleans Saints, Mickey Loomis
Mickey Loomis might be a hall of fame executive one day, but it is hard to deny what we are seeing from the rubble of his fallen New Orleans Saints empire. You can only kick the can down the road so many times before you run out of road. This may be my favorite team's arch rival, but most people would say the Saints are the running favorite to end up with the No. 1 overall pick in next year's draft.
19. Pittsburgh Steelers, Omar Khan
No team needs to hit the reset button more than the Pittsburgh Steelers. Mike Tomlin is holding this franchise hostage. Art Rooney II does not seem to have the stones of his father to make any real difference. While his predecessor Kevin Colbert is not without fault, I have a bad feeling new-ish general manager Omar Khan will be forced to eat if the team stinks, outside of Arthur Smith of course.
18. Denver Broncos, George Paton
Things might be taking a turn for the better for George Paton in Denver. The Denver Broncos finally made the playoffs again last year with Sean Payton at the helm. Under Paton, Denver has a strong identity up front in the trenches. An ownership change may have nearly cost him his job. Right now, I am interested to see where this ascending franchise can go. Paton is proof these things take time.
17. Arizona Cardinals, Monti Ossenfort
Monti Ossenfort is one of my favorite up-and-coming general managers in the league. I cannot understand for the life of me how the Tennessee Titans let him walk to lead the Arizona Cardinals. While they may be a team I low-key think could win the NFC West this year, it is all about third-year head coach Jonathan Gannon leveling up. He is a total dork, but his players seem to really like him.
16. Los Angeles Chargers, Joe Hortiz
He may have the strangest personality on Earth, but Jim Harbaugh can really coach. His decision to leave his alma mater of Michigan was odd, but an emerging scandal may have played a role in that. His connection to the Los Angeles Chargers from his time playing for them in San Diego led to him going there. GM Joe Hortiz worked for his brother in Baltimore. But this year, it is all about if Justin Herbert can play.
15. Dallas Cowboys, Jerry Jones
As strange as it sounds, I kind of like the Dallas Cowboys' front office. Yes, Jerry Jones will always have a seat at the table for as long as he has a breath in his body, but his son Stephen Jones, in conjunction with Will McClay, seem to do a better job of drafting players than most teams. Where the Cowboys get crushed is overpaying their guys in free agency, as well as hiring patsy head coaches.
14. Minnesota Vikings, Kwesi Adofo-Mensah
I may be more down on the Minnesota Vikings than most people, but there is a lot to like about this team. Ownership is excellent and every player wants Kevin O'Connell to be their head coach. I have often described Kwesi Adofo-Mensah as a gifted student playing with Mentos and Diet Coke at a science fair. I do not know if he is good, but he might be. My problem is I do not trust J.J. McCarthy...
13. Cleveland Browns, Andrew Berry.
It took a minute, but here are the Cleveland Browns. Ownership is an issue, but not to the degree it used to be. Jimmy Haslam hired two great men in head coach Kevin Stefanski and general manager Andrew Berry. They work very well together. While I think Stefanski is slightly better at his job than Berry is at his, Cleveland is lucky to have both. If they ever get the right quarterback, look out, AFC!
12. Cincinnati Bengals, Duke Tobin
Per usual, the penny-pinching ways of Mike Brown and his family hold the Cincinnati Bengals back from really achieving greatness. That being said, I think Duke Tobin is one of the game's most underrated front-office executives out there. He is asked to make chicken salad out of chicken mess. Tobin does a better job of most when it comes to drafting. He is exceptional at NFL free agency, too.
11. San Francisco 49ers, John Lynch
I find John Lynch to be one of the most frustrating front-office executives out there. The hall of fame safety from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Denver Broncos will hit on his late-round draft picks for the San Francisco 49ers, but will too often miss on his first-round selections. He and Kyle Shanahan do a great job of surrounding themselves with great people, but a 49ers brain drain could ruin them.
10. Washington Commanders, Adam Peters
If you want proof why ownership matters, look no further than the Washington Commanders. All it took was to get rid of Daniel Snyder and for Josh Harris to take over. In a matter of months, he empowered the likes of Adam Peters, Dan Quinn and Kliff Kingsbury to make a difference. Together, they have. When I talk about the San Francisco 49ers' brain drain, I am obviously talking about Peters.
9. Los Angeles Rams, Les Snead
Just outside the top quarter of the league, I have Les Snead and the Los Angeles Rams. A man who is famous for not caring about picks has done a remarkable job of taking a former doormat in St. Louis and turning it into a championship-caliber one in Los Angeles. It may have more to do with Sean McVay and Stan Kroenke than anything, but Snead is a man of action who will back up what he says.
8. Green Bay Packers, Brian Gutekunst
I have Brian Gutekunst and the Green Bay Packers just inside the top quarter of the league for a reason. It is not easy to sustain excellence in Green Bay, but the Packers have. Gutekunst will be defined by what Jordan Love does at quarterback in a post-Aaron Rodgers world. That being said, I find him increasingly able to do less with more than most. I just wish Matt LaFleur was a better coach.
7. Seattle Seahawks, John Schneider
Ownership has been in a constant state of flux since the late Paul Allen passed away. While Pete Carroll is no longer there, John Schneider sure is. He is the NFL's mad scientist when it comes to drafting. Good luck ever predicting what the Seattle Seahawks are ever going to do in an NFL Draft. His staying power is a testament to knowing exactly how the pieces will fit, even if we do not see it.
6. Buffalo Bills, Brandon Beane
The Buffalo Bills are regularly a Super Bowl contender because they seem to have many of the right pieces in place. The Pegulas have been great owners. Brandon Beane has thrived in his general manager role. Josh Allen just won NFL at quarterback. While I do tend to believe that head coach Sean McDermott shrinks in the playoffs, the team is built to contend for Super Bowls, and it shows.
5. Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Jason Licht
One of the constants throughout the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' recent run of success has been the great work of long-time general manager Jason Licht. He has raised this team's floor, even when there have been concerns about head coach and quarterback play. To me, he is the new Kevin Colbert, or what Colbert was in his prime in Pittsburgh. When Licht makes a move, I pay attention.
4. Detroit Lions, Brad Holmes
I cannot say enough good things about Detroit Lions general manager Brad Holmes. He is outstanding. The reason why the Lions are in the midst of their best run since the 1950s is because all the key pieces in place trust each other. Holmes' rapport with owner Sheila Ford Hamp and head coach Dan Campbell is astounding. Together, they have helped Jared Goff become a superstar.
3. Baltimore Ravens, Eric DeCosta
There may not be a more well-oiled machine in the NFL than the Baltimore Ravens front office. Pro Football Hall of Fame tight end Ozzie Newsome set the foundation for Eric DeCosta to take over the reins nearly a decade ago. Having Lamar Jackson helps. Same with John Harbaugh and owner Steve Bisciotti. This team is built to win a Super Bowl with its core. They need to get out of their own way.
2. Kansas City Chiefs, Brett Veach
The Kansas City Chiefs have become dynastic over in the AFC because they are A in the most important categories. Patrick Mahomes is the most talented quarterback of his generation. There has never been a players' coach like Andy Reid. While Clark Hunt is a tad overrated as an owner, I would argue that Brett Veach is still somehow underrated as a general manager. He is so keen on detail.
1. Philadelphia Eagles, Howie Roseman
It is Howie Roseman's world and we are just living in it. Without question, he is the best at what he does in the NFL. The Philadelphia Eagles are Super Bowl champions because this man can build a team through the draft and free agency like no other. Yes, Jeffrey Lurie is a terrific owner. While Jalen Hurts and Nick Sirianni are top-tier at what they do in some manner, this is no denying with Roseman.