We now continue the series by diving into the AFC — the battle-hardened side of the bracket where champions are forged, and heartbreak is a rite of passage.
These are the teams that were in the mix last season. Some danced deep into the playoffs, others fell short. But every single one of them came into 2025 ready to reload, retool, and reclaim the crown.
Only one team earned the right to raise a banner. The rest? They’re back in the trenches, crunching numbers, watching film, and praying their contract decisions don’t become their downfall.
Let’s break down the AFC side — starting with the gritty grinders, the reigning threats, and the squads with unfinished business.
Do Your Job (2024 Record: 8–6, First-Round Exit vs. the Champ)
Do Your Job enters 2025 with Jalen Hurts, Michael Pittman Jr., and Sam LaPorta under contract, accounting for roughly 30% of the salary cap. After a WR group that fell short in 2024, management wasted no time — swinging an offseason trade to acquire Courtland Sutton on a $5/2 initial contract.
Here were the key expiring contract decisions:
- Tyrone Tracy Jr. – $1 (Retained)
- DeAndre Hopkins – $12
- Keenan Allen – $30
- Joe Mixon – $52 (Retained)
- Rashee Rice – $24 (Retained)
- Rashid Shaheed – $3
Only three players made the cut. Rashee Rice, despite a looming suspension, was given a 3-year deal — a calculated risk. When on the field, Rice looks every bit the part of a future WR1 and has a path to become a true fantasy alpha.
Joe Mixon was retained on a one-year “prove-it” deal. With other GMs circling, the front office saw value in locking down a back coming off a 1,400-yard, 12-touchdown season. Tyrone Tracy Jr. was also signed to a 2-year deal, with expectations that his versatile skill set will break through.
What does Killa see?
- QB: Jalen Hurts, elite dual-threat, top-3 fantasy QB
- RB1: Bucky Irving (Tyrone Tracy Jr.), breakout season with 1,500 all-purpose yards, 47 receptions, 8 TDs
- RB2: Joe Mixon, streaky but productive, 1,400 all-purpose yards, 12 TDs
- WR1: Rashee Rice, strong WR1 trajectory despite off-field cloud
- WR2: Courtland Sutton / Michael Pittman Jr., need one to break the 1,000-yard mark
- FLEX: Tyrone Tracy or a potential Year 2 breakout from Keon Coleman
- TE1: Sam LaPorta, despite a dip in production (123 targets down to 80), remains a top-5 option in a thin TE landscape
Killa ranks this team with a strong chance to return to the playoffs, equipped with a flexible cap and a foundation of stars. to add some depth pieces
G’s Unit (2024 Record: 9–5, Defending Champion)
The reigning champ finally broke through. Coming off a dominant 2024 season, G’s Unit enters the offseason with Tyjae Spears, Nico Collins, and James Cook on the final year of their deals, taking up just 26% of the cap.
Here were the key contract decisions following the championship parade:
- Tyler Bass – $2
- Isaiah Likely – $1 (Retained)
- Puka Nacua – $60 (Retained)
- Tua Tagovailoa – $21
- Trey McBride – $53 (Retained)
No surprise that kicker Tyler Bass was let go, and Tua Tagovailoa — who struggled with injuries and spent time on the bench — was not brought back. The championship core, however, was rewarded. Likely, McBride, and Puka Nacua were all retained on “prove-it” or “run-it-back” deals.
Puka is poised to lead the league in receptions and yards, making his deal well worth it. Trey McBride, despite a lack of touchdowns, had 111 receptions and nearly 1,200 yards. If he can bump his touchdowns into the 6–8 range, he becomes a high-end WR2 in TE clothing.
G’s Unit heads into free agency with $34 remaining in cap.
What does Killa see?
- QB: TBD — Tua is gone, and tryouts are underway. But this squad has won without elite QB play.
- RB1: James Cook — 1,300+ yards and 18 touchdowns last year. Regression coming? Maybe. But he’s a locked-in top-8 back.
- RB2: Tyjae Spears / Trey Benson — A thin spot. Could be a weakness unless addressed in free agency.
- WR1: Puka Nacua — Elite route-runner, target monster. See above.
- WR2: Nico Collins — Consistent WR1 with top-5 upside.
- TE1: Trey McBride — If the touchdowns come, he could be the overall TE1.
Killa’s Take: The champ might not like this, but the uphill battle is real. With a target on his back, every opponent is gunning for a piece. Depth is thin. The starting lineup has some mystery. If the free agent pool isn’t kind, we could see a bubble playoff team… or a narrow miss.
Jerry’s World (7–7, First Round Exit in 2024)
Jerry’s World retains Jordan Love, DJ Moore, and Zay Flowers — collectively taking up about 32% of the cap. Flowers was acquired in a polarizing trade that saw Marvin Harrison Jr. shipped out. Opinions remain divided on whether that was a savvy win-now move or a panic button smash. One thing’s for sure: Harrison Jr. didn’t even have time to unpack before being traded again.
Contract decisions included:
- Tony Pollard $23
- San Francisco D/ST $6
- George Kittle $27 (Traded)
- Jordan Addison $23 (Traded)
George Kittle — a top tight end in 2024 — was traded away. While Kittle can be boom-or-bust, the departure of Deebo Samuel and a banged-up WR corps in San Francisco could’ve meant a more consistent season ahead. Addison? A topic for another day.
But the real story here: Jerry got fed up. He cleaned house. Every expiring contract — gone. Most shocking of all? Tony Pollard. A former Cowboy with 1,300 scrimmage yards and 5 touchdowns in 2024 was shown the door. Perhaps Jerry saw something on tape the rest of us didn’t.
Projected Starters:
- QB1: Jordan Love — emerging as a top-5 to top-10 QB candidate
- RB1/RB2: Rookie committee — very much in TBD territory
- WR1: DJ Moore — Caleb Williams’ new best friend, but may be held hostage by a learning curve
- WR2: Zay Flowers — oozing talent, but limited by a run-heavy Ravens offense
- FLEX: Gone Fishin’ 🎣
- TE: Whatever’s left on the wire or incoming in FA
What does Killa see?
Let’s not mince words: Jerry’s World went full mad scientist. He chucked the veterans and hit the restart button. The front office popped a metaphorical blue pill, got aggressive, and chased youth.
Is this a brilliant rebuild… or a bucket-list experiment gone rogue?? With $132 to use in free agency, maybe a stud or 2 can be convinced to fill in the holes. This team is following their real life team the cowboys straight into the gutters, think this was part of the rebrand or retool to position themselves in a future year
Smash n’ Dash (8–6, First Round Exit in 2024)
Smash n’ Dash enters 2025 with Achane, Joe Burrow, and DK Metcalf under contract, accounting for roughly 35% of their salary cap.
Contract Decisions:
- Stefon Diggs – $30 (No Deal)
- Jerome Ford – $11 (No Deal)
- Jerry Jeudy – $6 (Prove-It Deal)
- Austin Ekeler – $15 (No Deal)
- Chase Brown – $15 (Prove-It Deal)
- Jakobi Meyers – $6 (Prove-It Deal)
- Dalton Schultz – $6 (No Deal)
Smash took a firm stance at the negotiating table — extending short-term offers to Meyers, Jeudy, and Brown, while letting the rest walk. The result? Over 50% cap space available heading into free agency.
Projected Starters:
- QB1: Joe Burrow — Top 4 QB when healthy, especially if Cincy’s defense can’t keep teams off the field
- RB1: De’Von Achane — Top 5 potential; last season: 1,500 all-purpose yards, 12 TDs, 80 receptions
- RB2: Chase Brown — Quiet breakout: 1,300 yards, 11 TDs, 50+ receptions; sneaky low-end RB1
- WR1: DK Metcalf — Hasn’t cracked 1,000 yards since his 1,300/10TD sophomore breakout; can Pittsburgh bring back the big-play magic?
- WR2: Jerry Jeudy — Nearly 100 receptions and 1,200+ yards in a bounce-back campaign; will a new environment elevate both him and Metcalf?
- TE1: Free agent target
- Flex: Jakobi Meyers — Underrated WR2 last season: 87 receptions, 1,000+ yards
Killa’s Take: This team is being slept on. High floor, sneaky ceiling — especially if Metcalf reemerges and Achane keeps hitting home runs. TE is the only clear hole, and with $100 in cap space, Smash has the ammo to fill it or go big-game hunting for depth.
But with so much riding on prove-it WRs and sophomore RBs — will Smash n’ Dash be a silent assassin… or a team that comes up just short again?
Show Me MO TDs (7–7, First-Round Exit in 2024)
An expansion team that snuck into the playoffs in its debut year, but ultimately couldn’t complete the Cinderella run.
Show Me returns Tyreek Hill and Mark Andrews — two aging stars who take up a massive chunk of the salary cap. Tank Dell was shown the door and told to enjoy his penalty payout from home. Together, these retained contracts make up about 50% of the team’s cap.
Players up for contract:
- Zach Charbonnet $7 (Signed)
- Romeo Doubs $2 (Signed)
Negotiations? Barely a formality — both players were re-signed before anyone blinked. But while the top-end talent remains, this roster is thin, and the risk is high. Let’s take a look at the starting lineup:
Projected Starters:
- QB1: Will Cam Ward be ready to start Day 1? Or will Show Me burn precious cap space for a veteran placeholder?
- RB1: Zach Charbonnet — decent upside, but it’s still Walker’s backfield in Seattle. Charbonnet’s 900 yards and 9 TDs in 2024 were solid, but his ceiling is capped without an injury to Walker.
- RB2: Things go off the rails quickly. With Saquon gone, it’s rookie Will Shipley — a backup who used to practice with Barkley — stepping in. Yikes.
- WR1: Tyreek Hill — still the Cheetah, still elite, but murmurs of decline and questions about his long speed loom. Camp reports say he’s trimmed down to preserve that burst.
- WR2: Rome Odunze — can he rise above the mystery that is the Bears’ passing game? His talent is obvious, but his QB situation might hold him hostage.
- TE1: Mark Andrews — since his 2021 peak, he’s looked more like a fullback than a fantasy TE1. With Isaiah Likely surging, is Andrews even the top tight end on his own team?
- FLEX: …Don’t ask.
Killa’s Take:
This team feels like it’s one more “if” away from fantasy collapse — if Cam Ward is a rookie phenom, if Mark Andrews isn’t cooked, if a Romeo rises (take your pick), if Shipley absorbs Barkley’s powers, if Tyreek outruns Father Time…
That’s a lot of ifs.
But here’s the twist: this team also has $92 in cap space — plenty of ammo to buy a few sure things and stop the bleeding.
I’m just gonna say it straight: this squad might be scouting for 2026… unless GM “Show Me” goes full shark mode in free agency.
🗣️ Question is… does this team have another miracle left in the tank?
Trust My Process (12–2, Regular Season Champ, Another Semifinal Exit)
Trust My Process has arguably been the most dominant regular-season team in the league’s history. But that regular-season dominance? It hasn’t translated into Lombardis. The question looms — is this a franchise cursed, or are we witnessing a management blind spot?
Let’s start with the front office decisions.
Josh Allen was the only player under contract heading into the offseason, holding down $34 of the cap. Here’s the list of expiring deals:
- James Conner – $42
- Jake Ferguson – $16
- Brandon Aubrey – $5
- Pittsburgh D/ST – $2
- Jordan Addison – $23 (sign-and-trade)
Letting James Conner walk raised some eyebrows — was it savvy forward-thinking, or a slip in asset management? The rest? Chalk. The defense and kicker unsigned as expected. The Addison deal was a strategic move, but the roster now feels like it’s floating in the wind.
Projected Starters:
- QB1: Josh Allen — the “fake MVP” who still puts up video-game numbers and can singlehandedly win you a matchup
- RB1: Jesus
- RB2: Christ
- WR1: Addirol?
- WR2: Unclear what’s going on here
- TE1: We’re not doing this again, are we?
- FLEX: This paragraph stopped writing itself
Killa’s Take:
Trust My Process — you are a savvy, calculated owner. But this is next-level magician stuff. We’re talking illusionist-tierrebuild. It’s feeling more like Philly’s “Trust the Process” than anything grounded in reality.
Still, the franchise carries one of the best reputations and the best win percentage in league history. But is that legacy starting to crack? Is the process broken… or am I just missing the long game?
Traffic Cones (9–5, 3rd Place Finish)
Another expansion team made a strong debut in the playoffs — that’s 3 out of 4 expansion squads reaching the postseason in Year 1. But of the three we’ve covered so far, only one looks poised to maintain momentum heading into 2025. Let’s see how the Traffic Cones are shaping up.
Coming into the offseason, Traffic Cones had zero players under contract. That meant major decisions had to be made. Here were the players on the table:
- Patrick Mahomes – $47
- Jaxon Smith-Njigba – $19
- Javonte Williams – $17
In a surprising move, Mahomes was sent packing — no top-dollar QB deals for this franchise. Instead, Jaxon Smith-Njigba was inked to a 4-year extension, and Javonte Williams was given a one-year prove-it deal. Additionally, Chuba Hubbard, disgruntled and holding out with his prior team, was traded to the Cones and immediately locked into a 3-year deal.
Projected Starters:
- QB1: Jayden Daniels
The Terry McLaurin situation makes this one tricky. Daniels has the rushing upside for a high weekly floor, but early signs point to a possible sophomore slump. Expect a finish somewhere in the QB8–QB15 range. - RB1: Chuba Hubbard
People kept expecting Chuba to be replaced — and all he did was deliver. He posted 1,400 yards, 11 touchdowns, and 40 receptions. The market sees this as his ceiling, but the Cones are betting on more. - RB2: Javonte Williams
The logic? If Rico Dowdle can shine in this offense, why not Javonte? It’s a dart throw, but the upside is intriguing. - WR1: Malik Nabers
Managed 1,200 yards and 7 touchdowns on 109 receptions despite horrendous QB play. His floor is low-end WR1, and if he gets decent quarterback support, he could be a Top 3 WR. - WR2: Jaxon Smith-Njigba
Had 100 catches for 1,100 yards and 6 touchdowns in his second season. Now heading into Year 3 with Sam Darnold and a new-look WR room (DK gone, Kupp in), JSN projects as a high-end WR2 — with weeks of WR1 upside. - TE1: To be determined
- FLEX: Still shopping in FA
Killa’s Take:
With $160 to deploy, this manager is sitting in the driver’s seat. But a key variable: the FA pool is thinner than expected, and competition for premium players is fierce. While the original plan may have been to grab 3–5 stars, expectations have likely shifted to landing 1–2 cornerstone additions.
Still, this team adapted well to the market — locking in Chuba, betting on Javonte, and planning smart around positional flexibility. Among the expansion teams, Traffic Cones look like the best bet to sustain success in Year 2.
Can the Cones capitalize on their cap war chest — or will a shallow FA pool turn gold into fool’s gold?
Unstoppable (8–6, 2024 Super Bowl Appearance)
Unstoppable fielded the highest-scoring offense in the league last season — but not on the one day that mattered most. After falling short in the 2024 Fantasy Super Bowl, many expected this team to hit the panic button. Instead, they doubled down. Why? Because Unstoppable was built for a multi-year title window, and the core remains intact.
Returning stars — A.J. Brown, Kenneth Walker, Ja’Marr Chase, and Kyler Murray (acquired via trade) — account for roughly 53% of the cap.
Contract Decisions:
- Kyren Williams – $61 ✅
- T.J. Hockenson – $15 ✅
- Jared Goff – $20 ❌
- Jameson Williams – $5 ✅
No time was wasted. The front office made quick work of negotiations, letting go of Jared Goff after an underwhelming season, while locking in the rest. Kyler Murray steps in to helm the offense, and the rest of the weapons are back to finish what they started.
Projected Starters:
- QB1: Kyler Murray — A solid middle-tier QB with the potential to sneak into the top 5 if everything clicks.
- RB1: Kyren Williams — Injury-prone? Maybe. But he also racked up 1,400 yards and 16 touchdowns last season.
- RB2: Kenneth Walker — Boom-or-bust RB2 with serious home-run potential.
- WR1: Ja’Marr Chase — Defending his WR1 crown and still looking untouchable.
- WR2: A.J. Brown — Already sharing hype videos and talking legacy. He’s locked in.
- TE1: T.J. Hockenson — An elite TE when healthy, and the team clearly believes in his bounce-back.
- FLEX: Jameson Williams — The ultimate wild card. With a new OC in Detroit, the breakout could finally be real.
Killa’s Take:
Unstoppable’s starting lineup is arguably the best in the AFC — no, it is the best. The ceiling is championship or bust.
But there’s a catch: depth is nonexistent. One injury could derail the entire campaign. If they stay healthy? A Super Bowl rematch is not just likely… it’s expected.
Conclusion
We’ve now covered all the major offseason moves leading into the highly anticipated Free Agency Draft. Along the way, we teased some early Killa Rankings for both the AFC and NFC — and one thing’s clear: 2025 is shaping up to be a season to remember.
With August in full swing, some teams are already gearing up for a title run, while others may be in for a long grind. One way or another, everyone’s chasing the crown — and looking to dethrone G’s Unit.
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