With the 2025 NFL regular season getting closer, you may be scrambling about which NFL futures bets to place with so many options available at top-rated sportsbooks these days.
Do you bet on a surprise team to make the playoffs, or how about a shocker to miss it? Do you bet on a season prop, trusting a skill player to stay healthy and hit their over in yards? Do you have a good feel on one of the individual award winners? Do you think you know which team is winning Super Bowl LX in February?
After breaking things down the last 6 months, we’re ready to make our best bet for every NFC team for the 2025 NFL season. Sixteen teams, 1 pick per team, and it’s the market we feel the most confident about today.
Arizona Cardinals: Josh Sweat-Jonathan Gannon Reunion
The Cardinals did not have a defender notch more than 5.0 sacks in the 2024 season. They spent a lot of money in free agency to upgrade their pass rush for Jonathan Gannon’s defense, but the best signing was getting Josh Sweat from the Eagles, where he played under Gannon in that 2022 Super Bowl season and had a career-high 11.0 sacks.
Sweat has had at least 6.0 sacks in 5 consecutive seasons, including 8.0 last year. We’ll gladly take his over 6.5 sacks as Arizona’s best new edge rusher with a coach who knows how to use him in his scheme.
- NFL Pick: Josh Sweat Over 6.5 Sacks (-110) at BetOnline
Atlanta Falcons: Playoffs!? You Kidding Me?
The Atlanta Falcons have not made the playoffs since the 2017 season. We’re picking that drought to end this year behind a breakout season from quarterback Michael Penix Jr., who has standout weapons in Bijan Robinson, Drake London, Kyle Pitts, and a solid offensive line that’s staying intact.
The defense added 3 pass rushers, including a pair of 1st-round picks (Jalon Walker, James Pearce Jr.) and a productive veteran in Leonard Floyd. It may or may not be the NFC South title that gets Atlanta in the tournament, but we’re going to trust Penix to deliver and get this team back to playing January football.
- NFL Pick: Atlanta Falcons to Make the Playoffs (+140) at BetOnline
Carolina Panthers: Bryce Young’s Big Year?
The Carolina Panthers finished 5-12 last year but still hung tough with both Super Bowl teams, the Chiefs and Eagles. Bryce Young faces a huge Year 3 where he needs to show if he’s the franchise quarterback or not, but they got him another talented wideout in Tetairoa McMillan.
But we like the Panthers to go over 6.5 wins because they play in a winnable division, and their first 7 games are against teams that had losing records and/or didn’t make the playoffs last year. Trust the schedule, and trust Dave Canales to get a bit more out of Young. Also, the defense can’t get any worse than it was in 2024.
- NFL Pick: Carolina Panthers Over 6.5 Wins (-135) at BetOnline
Chicago Bears: The Value of Coaching for Caleb Williams
I’m firmly in the camp that Ben Johnson will do wonders for the Bears’ offense and culture this year. However, I’m not sold he can win enough games in a loaded division to make the playoffs or win the Coach of the Year award.
But after Caleb Williams threw 20 touchdowns as a rookie in poor conditions, I can’t help but jump on him to go over 23.5 touchdown passes with Johnson running the show and giving him more talent like Luther Burden and Colston Loveland.
That’s the best pick to make for this offense after Williams wasn’t even properly taught how to watch film as a rookie.
- NFL Pick: Caleb Williams Over 23.5 Passing Touchdowns (-115) at Bovada
Dallas Cowboys: Washington Rivalry
The 2025 Cowboys are a tough team to figure out, as they have a rookie coach in Brian Schottenheimer, who isn’t entirely new to the team. They brought in a talented but troubling player like George Pickens from Pittsburgh. They need to hurry up and pay Micah Parsons, too.
But instead of trying to figure out if Dallas has slipped to the 3rd-best team in the NFC East for the time being, let’s flex the depth of NFL props out there and go with a unique one from BetOnline (check our BetOnline Review) where you can bet on division rivalry scores in the 2 games this year.
Let’s bet on the Cowboys and Commanders to split their games 1-1. Dallas arguably defended Jayden Daniels as well as anyone last year in getting a 1-1 split that was almost a sweep, actually. But let’s check the schedule too.
The Commanders have to go to Dallas on a short week after playing a Monday night game against Chicago in Week 7. Let’s say they lose that one. Then the rematch is Christmas afternoon in Washington, so let’s give them the win in that one. Another split.
- NFL Pick: Cowboys and Commanders Split Season Series 1-1 (+160) at BetOnline
Detroit Lions: Jared Goff Goofing Off?
Jared Goff is coming off the best season of his career, but it was a playoff loss with 3 interceptions that he’d love to forget. He’s used to the NFL in his 10th season, but there’s also no denying that his worst 2 seasons had no Sean McVay or Ben Johnson on the sideline to help coach him through it.
Goff lost Ben Johnson to the Bears, and even with his famed coordinator, he threw 12 picks in 2023 and 2024. Look for Goff to press more without Johnson’s creativity and throw over 11.5 picks again this year as the Lions take a few steps back after a 15-win season.
- NFL Pick: Jared Goff Over 11.5 Interceptions (-115) at BetOnline
Green Bay Packers: Double-Digit Wins
Matt LaFleur is one of those coaches you should trust, as he’s won 67% of his 100 games. He’s only had one losing season, and we haven’t even seen the best version of Jordan Love yet, if you ask me. Maybe we get it this year, as he has a new 1st-round weapon in Matthew Golden, and the Lions and Vikings could take steps back after losing coordinators and a quarterback change.
Maybe the Packers don’t reclaim the NFC North, but we’ll trust them to go over 9.5 wins.
- NFL Pick: Green Bay Packers Over 9.5 Wins (-115) at BetOnline
Los Angeles Rams: Trust Sean McVay
We’re definitely monitoring the Matthew Stafford health story here. But with a great coach in Sean McVay, excellent weapons that added Davante Adams, and one of the best young front 7s in the NFL, we’ll trust that the Rams go over 9.5 wins and contend for the playoffs again.
- NFL Pick: Los Angeles Rams Over 9.5 Wins (-140) at BetOnline
Minnesota Vikings: Prove It, J.J. McCarthy
The Vikings are favored to make the playoffs again, but we’re going to make J.J. McCarthy prove he’s a legitimate franchise player before going all in on him. Sam Darnold had a great career year in leading that team to a 14-3 record, including 5 game-winning drives, matching his total from 2018-23 combined.
Kevin O’Connell has gone from 13 to 7 to 14 wins, so he’s used to wild swings, and McCarthy’s lack of experience makes him the wildest card of 2025. The Vikings have a tough schedule, and they play in a division where Detroit and Green Bay should still be very good, and Ben Johnson makes the Bears better. With trust still in Washington and San Francisco, we’re not finding a playoff spot for the Vikings this year.
- NFL Pick: Minnesota Vikings to Miss the Playoffs (-115) at BetOnline
New Orleans Saints: Invest in Chris Olave Shares
The Saints are like the Colts of the NFC in that their roster is decent, but the quarterback battle is an absolute mess between Spencer Rattler and Tyler Shough. However, if there’s a constant in Kellen Moore-coached offenses, it’s that he knows how to feed his No. 1 wide receiver the ball. Only an A.J. Brown injury last year prevented Moore from producing 6 straight years of 1,100-yard receivers.
Chris Olave is the WR1 in New Orleans, he’s coming off an injury-plagued season (concussions), but he should get back to the excellence he showed in his early seasons in Moore’s offense. He’s the only player we really want to trust to produce here.
- NFL Pick: Chris Olave Over 850.5 Receiving Yards (-125) at BetOnline
New York Giants: Malik Nabers Eating Succulent Meals Every Week
The Giants face such a ridiculous schedule that you have to think Brian Daboll is in danger of being the 1st coach fired in the 2025 NFL season. However, his offense is slinging it in the preseason as the Giants have scored over 30 points and thrown for over 300 yards in both games with the quarterbacks all performing well.
But since you don’t know exactly which quarterbacks will start all the games given the way Russell Wilson has played since 2022, the best bet is for 2nd-year wideout Malik Nabers to feast again after he had 109 catches, 1,204 yards, and 7 touchdowns as a rookie.
We’re going to highlight his yards again as the Giants really have 3 quarterbacks capable of feeding him down the field. But the general idea is Nabers will see a ton of volume, so our favorite pick is over 1175.5 receiving yards.
- NFL Pick: Malik Nabers Over 1175.5 Receiving Yards (+100) at BetOnline
Philadelphia Eagles: What’s Next for the Champs?
There are so many ways to go with the defending champions this year. You could pick them to repeat, but you could also acknowledge no one has even won the NFC East in back-to-back years since 2004. You could bet on Saquon Barkley to regress from a historic number of long touchdown runs and take his under in rushing yards.
But let’s play it a little safe and take the Eagles to finish over 11.5 wins, which is better than even odds right now. This team was the last NFL unbeaten in 2022 and 2023, and the Eagles were literally 2 dropped passes away from going 16-1 last year.
Love them or hate them, this team is great on both sides of the ball. Even with a tough schedule, we’re going over 11.5 wins and we’ll see if that’s enough to set them up for a repeat run or not.
- NFL Pick: Philadelphia Eagles Over 11.5 Wins (+110) at BetOnline
San Francisco 49ers: Praise Trent Williams
If you want a safer pick, you can take the 49ers to win the NFC West thanks to facing an easier schedule than the Rams as it’s a matter of getting 3 games against last-place teams from 2024.
But my favorite pick for the 49ers is for left tackle Trent Williams, the oldest offensive lineman in the NFL (turned 37 last month), to win the inaugural Protector of the Year Award to honor the best offensive lineman in the game.
Many have said he is that player, and while injury slowed his 2024 production, injury slowed everything in San Francisco last year. But with players coming back healthy and the favorable schedule, look for the 49ers to shine again and for Williams to block the way for Chrisitan McCaffrey and that stellar offense.
Then the voters will accordingly acknowledge he’s such a great player near the end of his career that it’d only be fitting if he won the inaugural Protector of the Year award.
- NFL Pick: Trent Williams to win NFL Protector of the Year award (+1000) at BetOnline
Seattle Seahawks: Feeding Jaxon Smith-Njigba
The Seahawks’ passing game is going to look mighty different in 2025 as Geno Smith will no longer be throwing to D.K. Metcalf and Tyler Lockett. Instead, the team has Sam Darnold and Cooper Kupp. But Jaxon Smith-Njigba remains the go-to receiver, and he’s coming off a career year with 100 catches for 1,130 yards.
Darnold only had 1 fewer passing yard in Minnesota than Geno had in Seattle in 2024. The Seahawks are not going to suddenly turn into a run-heavy team to cater to Darnold, who played well in 2024. He’ll throw it, and while JSN is no match for Justin Jefferson, you make do with what you have, so let’s go with another 1,000-yard season for Smith-Njigba.
- NFL Pick: Jaxon Smith-Njigba Over 1000.5 Receiving Yards (-105) at BetOnline
Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Baker the Mistake Maker
This ties into the Atlanta prediction of the Falcons making the playoffs and quite possibly winning the NFC South. But we’re going with Baker Mayfield to throw over 13.5 interceptions. He already had a league-high 16 picks last year, and that was even with Liam Coen doing a great job of calling this offense.
Coen is gone now, so Mayfield is back to learning another new coach’s system, and he’s had seasons with 14 and 21 interceptions before last year. He’s also working with a young receiving corps where you might get some mistakes on bad routes, Mike Evans is another year older and maybe a step slower, and Chris Godwin is still injured.
We’ll trust Baker to get into some trouble with picks again this year.
- NFL Pick: Baker Mayfield Over 13.5 Interceptions Thrown (-110) at BetOnline
Washington Commanders: Jayden Daniels’ MVP Case
No, we’re not going with Jayden Daniels winning MVP as our outright best bet even though it has a good case. But we’ll go with the 2nd-year pro to throw over 24.5 touchdowns with good odds for that.
He already threw 25 touchdowns as a rookie, and that was with missing most of 2 games, and he rushed for 6 touchdowns. They also had a lot of rushing touchdowns, and Daniels has talked about improving his velocity this offseason to get the ball where he wants faster. He has Deebo Samuel and Laremy Tunsil to upgrade the offense too.
He really feels like the kind of quarterback who could throw 30 or 35 touchdowns this year while being a great runner too. He’s the full package right now and 2025 won’t be a sophomore slump by any means.
- NFL Pick: Jayden Daniels Over 24.5 Passing Touchdowns (+120) at BetOnline
