With the NBA and NHL playoffs over, we’ve reached that dead zone period of the sports year – unless you’re an MLB enthusiast – where you’re sweating in the heat and just counting down the days until NFL training camps open for the upcoming season.
But it’s a great time to do some research on the upcoming season, and top-rated sportsbooks already have dozens and dozens of prop picks for the 2025 NFL season. You can bet on everything from award winners to passing yardage props to predicting a team’s exact fate this year.
Picking division winners is a popular NFL futures bet, but what about the teams that finish last? You can bet on that too, and that’s the market you can find at BetOnline (check our BetOnline Review) that we wanted to focus on today. We know 8 teams will finish last in the divisions this year, but we’ve identified our 4 favorite NFL value picks for it as things stand.
Sure, the Giants (-210 at BetOnline) stand a great chance of finishing last in the NFC East with Dak Prescott coming back and the 2 teams who played in the NFC Championship Game there, but we can do better than -210 odds with these other divisions. The same goes even stronger for Cleveland (-250) in the AFC North, where the Steelers are usually a game above .500, the Bengals should be flirting with 10 wins, and the Ravens are still a great team.
We’re looking for better value today.
NFC North – Minnesota Vikings
Last season, the NFC North had an argument for the best division in NFL history with the Lions (15-2), Vikings (14-3), and Packers (11-6) all posting great records, with many of their losses to each other. The Bears (5-12) drew the short end of the stick, but they were more competitive than their record.
That’s why it’s stunning that those teams were 0-3 in the playoffs, and after some major changes around the division, it’s going to be fascinating to see how things play out in 2025 when the NFC North is facing the AFC North and NFC East, where several of the elite teams exist.
But the team we’re singling out to finish last in the 2025 NFC North is the Minnesota Vikings. Here are their odds at BetOnline for which place in the division they’ll finish:
- 4th (+240)
- 3rd (+240)
- 2nd (+275)
- 1st (+300)
What makes the Vikings such a wild card this year is going from quarterback Sam Darnold’s unexpected career year to J.J. McCarthy, who tore his meniscus after a half of a preseason game last year. No one knows how he’ll fare, but there’s a possibility he struggles with a lack of experience while the Vikings are facing so many teams that have a confident quarterback in place already.
Scheme Fit Could Be an Issue
McCarthy is talented and obviously gets to play with Justin Jefferson as his main wide receiver, but coach Kevin O’Connell loves a pass-heavy scheme regardless of what he has along the offensive line. That doesn’t mesh well with McCarthy, who was in a run-heavy offense at Michigan and rarely had to throw that many passes.
While Darnold imploded in the final 2 games last season, he played very well for much of the season and led 5 game-winning drives. It was in 2022, when O’Connell was a rookie coach, that this team won 8 4th-quarter comebacks, tying an NFL record. That expected regression hit in 2023 when they slumped to a 7-10 finish, so there is precedent for him going back after a great record.
But it’s also a reflection of the rest of the division. The Packers still have a very good coach in Matt LaFleur, and Jordan Love will hopefully be more consistent this year, like he was to end 2023. The Lions may have lost their coordinators, but still have great talent in the right spots.
The Bears Could Be Dangerous
Then it’s a matter of the Bears. Can Ben Johnson get this thing going in the right direction with so many talented skill players to use? The Bears lost an unfathomable rate of close games under Matt Eberflus, and that should end with him finally gone in Chicago.
If you believe in Caleb Williams and Johnson, then you should believe the Bears can go 8-9, if not post a winning record in 2025. It’s hard to say the same for Minnesota because of the McCarthy situation. That’s why I’d take the +240 odds on the Vikings to slip to the bottom this year while Detroit only takes a few steps back and the other 2 teams should get better.
NFL Pick: Minnesota Vikings – Exact Division Position – 4th (+240) at BetOnline
NFC South – New Orleans Saints
Let’s stay in the NFC with something perhaps a little simpler in the NFC South, which hasn’t had a team surpass 10 wins since 2021. But the Saints (5-12) brought up the rear last year, and they’ve seen Derek Carr retire this offseason. They are going with a rookie coach (Kellen Moore) and a rookie quarterback (Tyler Shough) who was only the 40th pick in the draft.
Here are the Saints’ current odds at BetOnline on where they’ll finish in the NFC South this year:
- 4th (-140)
- 3rd (+300)
- 2nd (+500)
- 1st (+900)
I think Moore will be a solid coach in this league, but he’s got his work cut out for him with a roster that’s put a lot of money into veterans who weren’t getting the job done as is. Shough is not an improvement over Carr – at least not in 2025.
But this is more about the rest of the NFC South.
- Even if the Buccaneers do not win the division for the 5th season in a row, that offense is way too potent and Todd Bowles is a good defensive coach for this team to finish last.
- The Falcons are a great pick to improve on last year’s 8-9 disappointment behind new quarterback Michael Penix Jr., who has weapons around him, and the team used a pair of 1st-round picks on pass rushers to help out Raheem Morris’ defense. Atlanta has division title potential.
- Carolina had to like how Bryce Young stood in there with the Chiefs and Eagles last year in games the Panthers could have won, and they have better overall talent than the Saints right now with a quarterback who is much further along in his albeit slow development, but that team can finish 7-10 or better this year.
The Saints don’t have the kind of defenders Moore needs to win in Year 1, and it’s going to be a learning process on offense with Shough. Pick the Saints to repeat as a last-place team.
NFL Pick: New Orleans Saints – Exact Division Position – 4th (-140) at BetOnline
AFC South – Tennessee Titans
The Titans had the No. 1 pick in the draft for good reason after a 3-14 finish in rookie coach Brian Callahan’s debut season. While making Miami quarterback Cam Ward the No. 1 overall pick was the right move in April’s draft, it could be a long year for this team, which still lacks great playmakers on both sides of the ball.
While Ward could surprise people in a way that Jayden Daniels did last year in Washington, it’s far less likely on an offense where Calvin Ridley is still WR1.
But this is another one where the division makes it tough for the Titans to climb out of the cellar. Here are the 2025 Titans’ odds from BetOnline on their exact finish in the AFC South:
- 4th (+150)
- 3rd (+200)
- 2nd (+310)
- 1st (+700)
Jaguars Reload With Talent and New Coach
While the Jaguars are also coming off a poor record, they have a great wide receiver in Brian Thomas Jr., and they added maybe the best player in the draft in Travis Hunter, who will try to play both corner and wideout in the NFL. They also hired a new coach in Liam Coen, and while you can excuse his goofy “Duval!” press conference, he is a Sean McVay disciple who got the best out of a Tampa Bay offense last year. He should get this team close to .500 in 2025.
Then the Colts are a wild card as Anthony Richardson is in a quarterback battle with Daniel Jones, which isn’t good news for Colts fans. But Shane Steichen has shown he can go 9-8 and 8-9 the last 2 years with a lot of injuries and issues around the offense. That’s mediocrity that isn’t helping the Colts get back to contention, but it’s also keeping them out of the cellar in the AFC South.
Texans Too Strong to Fall Off
Then, with the Houston Texans, you have a team that pushed the Chiefs in the divisional round of the playoffs, getting there in both seasons under coach DeMeco Ryans and quarterback C.J. Stroud. Even if you think the Texans take a step back in 2025, there is too much success and talent here for them to fall to last place in a division that isn’t that strong.
That’s why it’s still on the Titans as they have the greenest quarterback in the division with a coach who didn’t do much to inspire confidence in Year 1.
NFL Pick: Tennessee Titans – Exact Division Position – 4th (+150) at BetOnline
NFC West – Seattle Seahawks
See if you can spot our narrative here. We already have the Vikings finishing last in the NFC North, and now we’re picking the Seattle Seahawks to finish last in the NFC West. The narrative is that Sam Darnold and the Vikings both miss each other in 2025, as the switch isn’t beneficial to either team this season.
Here are Seattle’s odds on where they’ll finish in the NFC West this year, according to BetOnline:
- 4th (+175)
- 3rd (+225)
- 2nd (+300)
- 1st (+450)
The way I see it, Darnold won’t repeat what was a breakout season in Year 7 (rarely ever happens) in an offense with a friendly system and a great receiving corps led by Justin Jefferson. In Seattle, Darnold won’t have D.K. Metcalf (traded to Pittsburgh) or Tyler Lockett (Titans). Instead, he’ll have a possession receiver in Jaxon Smith-Njigba, and Cooper Kupp is on the decline. He’ll also have to deal with Marquez Valdes-Scantling dropping passes Jefferson never would.
Seattle managed to win 10 games in rookie coach Mike Macdonald’s debut, but it wasn’t enough for the playoffs. That team also feasted on the early schedule, drawing Denver (Bo Nix’s 1st game), New England (bad team), and Miami right after the Tua Tagovailoa concussion to start 3-0. The Seahawks were 7-7 the rest of the way and still missed the playoffs despite 4 game-winning drives by Geno Smith, who hung in there with some questionable pass protection in front of him.
NFC West on the Rise
It’s hard to say the Seahawks got better this year while the NFC West looks like a division on the rise again.
The 49ers can’t possibly be any more injured than they were last year, and even with those injuries, they still blew the division title by blowing a 4th-quarter lead to all of their rivals. Brock Purdy got paid, Christian McCaffrey and Brandon Aiyuk should be back, and they restocked Nick Bosa’s defense in the draft while drawing one of the easiest schedules in the league.
Cardinals Could Surprise
The Cardinals are probably the main competition to Seattle for finishing last in 2025, but Kyler Murray has great weapons around him, and you should expect more of a 2nd-year leap from Marvin Harrison Jr. Trey McBride is one of the best tight ends in the game, and Jonathan Gannon is starting to figure out his defense. This team has a shot at the playoffs this year if Murray is more consistent.
Then the Rams are a trendy pick for the Super Bowl because they gave the Eagles the best game of any team in the playoffs, and they’ve been there before with Sean McVay and Matthew Stafford. Puka Nacua is a dominant receiver who is always open, they can run the ball, and their young talent in the front 7 should only get better, led by Defensive Rookie of the Year Jared Verse. McVay is usually good for finishing with a winning record.
It should be a fun division race to watch, but the Seahawks are the best pick to finish in last place. Darnold’s 2024 is going to look like one of the biggest anomalies in NFL history.
NFL Pick: Seattle Seahawks – Exact Division Position – 4th (+175) at BetOnline
