We've officially hit Wishing Season.
With three Sundays remaining in the 2025 NFL regular season, 13 teams have been eliminated from playoff contention. Fans of these clubs can turn their attention to 2026.
Scouring through free-agent primers, skimming endless mock drafts and poring over roster briefings is the next phase of the yearly calendar for a sport whose offseason is anything but dull.
No roster in the NFL is perfect, but for teams eliminated before Christmas break, the holes are numerous. Some need a franchise QB. Others, massive help on defense. There is something for everyone.
With that in mind, let's do some wish-casting for the teams playing out the string into 2026.
BIGGEST WISH: Offensive line help
Regardless of whether it’s Jacoby Brissett or Kyler Murray under center in 2026, the offensive line needs aid. The long-term plan at right tackle remains a concern. Jonah Williams is a pending free agent and hasn’t stayed healthy (15 games in two seasons). Kelvin Beachum is also a free agent and has struggled. The interior has been a mess. The running back injuries haven’t helped, but the run-blocking struggles have been a main driver in the Cardinals being such a pass-heavy unit.
BIGGEST WISH: Pass catchers
With Kyle Pitts in the last year of his rookie deal, Atlanta has a massive choice to make: Pay the inconsistent TE, who has come on strong of late, or find a replacement. Regardless of that decision, the Falcons must find more weapons in the passing game. It can't be just Drake London moving forward. Atlanta needs a consistent No. 2 receiver. Despite playing in just nine games thus far, London leads the team with 810 receiving yards. Darnell Mooney is the No. 2 wideout with 364 yards. Adding additional pass catchers who can burn defenses that roll coverage to London is a must for Michael Penix Jr. to take the next step when he returns next season.
BIGGEST WISH: Defense
The league's worst defense needs help at all three levels. Cincinnati ranks dead last in the NFL in points, yards and yards per play allowed. It doesn't matter how explosive the offense is -- no team can win consistently with that type of play on D. With Trey Hendrickson and Joseph Ossai both heading to the open market, the pass rush needs help. Outside of DJ Turner II, the secondary needs upgrading. Geno Stone has been a disaster at safety and is likely gone in free agency. Cincy also needs its two rookie linebackers, Demetrius Knight Jr. and Barrett Carter, to improve immensely in the offseason. With a good chunk of cap space and a potential top-10 pick, the Bengals have to completely overhaul the defense this offseason.
BIGGEST WISH: Offensive line
Cleveland has another massive quarterback decision this offseason -- what else is new? Yet, it won’t matter if the offensive line remains a disaster. The Browns have the worst pass-blocking unit in football this season, and the much-maligned line opens precious few holes in the ground game. Injuries have exacerbated the problems. Cleveland has a hoard of O-linemen on expiring contracts (Joel Bitonio, Jack Conklin, Wyatt Teller, Cam Robinson and Teven Jenkins). General manager Andrew Berry needs to completely overhaul this unit in the offseason, or it won’t make a difference who is under center.
BIGGEST WISH: Running back
Patrick Mahomes' injury will garner all the attention this offseason, but the needs are clear for a Chiefs team that won't be participating in the playoffs for the first time since the 2014 campaign. Edge rusher is a pivotal need on defense. However, if we're handing out wishes, adding a playmaking running back shoots to the top of my list. Whether or not Mahomes is ready for the start of next season, the run game in K.C. must be better. Kareem Hunt can get 3 yards, but the 30-year-old isn't consistently gashing defenses. Isiah Pacheco has hit a wall, and seventh-round rookie Brashard Smith has accumulated just 95 ground yards over 14 games. The Chiefs haven't had a 1,000-yard rusher since Hunt's rookie year in 2017. A true dual-threat back would be big for Andy Reid's squad, especially if Mahomes misses time.
BIGGEST WISH: Quarterback
No quarterback could thrive behind this sieve offensive line that the Raiders have rolled out in 2025. Upgrading the blocking is a massive need in 2026. But finding a franchise QB takes precedence on this wish list. Geno Smith clearly isn’t the long-term answer, as a 35-year-old struggling his way through a turnover-plagued season. Drafting a signal-caller in Round 1 is the best way to breathe some fresh air into an organization living in the basement of the AFC West.
BIGGEST WISH: Resolution to the QB situation
Tua Tagovailoa's struggles have come to a head. The Miami quarterback was benched after more than a month of subpar play. The decision came 17 months after he signed a $212.4 million extension. It's a mess in Miami. Tua is owed $54 million guaranteed next year. Even with a post-June 1 release, he'd account for $67.4 million in dead money in 2026, per Over The Cap. We've seen teams take that nasty medicine in recent seasons (SEE: Denver's release of Russell Wilson and Atlanta's trade of Matt Ryan), but it's still a big pill to swallow, particularly for a cap-strapped team. It's difficult to imagine Miami turning back to Tagovailoa after a benching, but what are the franchise's other options? Seventh-rounder Quinn Ewers is getting his shot to make an impression. In a perfect world for the Dolphins, he pulls a Brock Purdy. Short of that, there aren't many pretty options. The free-agent pool is shallow. The Fins could draft a rookie and carry Tua as a Kirk Cousins-esque backup. There is no seamless option for the most pressing question in South Beach heading into 2026.
BIGGEST WISH: J.J. McCarthy and Justin Jefferson find chemistry
Oh, I could put down Cornerback or talk about the need for O-line depth, but the reality is that if McCarthy doesn't progress, none of those other discussions will mean bupkis. After missing his entire rookie campaign with a knee injury, it's been a roller-coaster second season for the former No. 10 overall pick. He'll go long stretches looking like a backup, then flash elite throws to close out games. Injuries have slowed the progress under Kevin O'Connell, and McCarthy has shown improvement in the past few weeks. Those strides need to be longer in Year 3. The signal-caller must find a changeup on his passes; touch is not a strength of his game. And if Santa could send a chemistry package for him and Jefferson, that would be amazing. The star receiver has made things work in past seasons with the likes of Nick Mullens and Josh Dobbs, so it's head-scratching seeing him unable to find a groove with McCarthy. That must change in the new year.
BIGGEST WISH: Pass rusher
Tyler Shough's stretch run has sparked the Saints, but the rebuilding club still has plenty of holes to fill. Another pass catcher alongside Chris Olave -- who's in line for an extension this offseason -- and interior O-line aid are certainly needs. Those additions would significantly help Shough's development. However, for me, adding a dynamic front-line defender tops the list. New Orleans has generated 29 sacks this season, tied for ninth-fewest in the league. 36-year-old Cam Jordan leads the team with 6.5 sacks. Adding a weapon to pair with Chase Young and Carl Granderson would boost an average defense heading into 2026.
BIGGEST WISH: Coaching stability
Since Tom Coughlin resigned in January 2016, Big Blue has endured one disaster after another. First, it was Ben McAdoo and his oversized suit going 13-15. Pat Shurmur bumbled his way to 9-23. Joe Judge was in over his head, finishing 10-23. Brian Daboll at least won a playoff game before bottoming out, ending his run this year with a 20-40-1 record. The Giants have been rudderless for a decade. New York has to nail this hire. The next coaching staff must be able to get the best out of quarterback Jaxson Dart while turning around a moribund defense. Another swing-and-miss on the coaching hire, and we’ll be right back here in two years writing a similar blurb.
BIGGEST WISH: Quarterback
The rebuilding Jets have holes aplenty, but the same need that has persisted for generations remains: quarterback. Justin Fields proved he’s not the answer. Tyrod Taylor is no more than a veteran backup. Brady Cook ... no need to pile on the undrafted rookie. Big-name stand-ins like Brett Favre and Aaron Rodgers disappointed. High picks like Zach Wilson, Sam Darnold and Mark Sanchez flamed out. The singular wish of every Jets fan for the past half-century has been to have a consistent, stable quarterback situation. The yearning continues. Regardless of where the team lands in the final draft order, the Jets, after their midseason trades, have the ammo to move up for a QB. Aaron Glenn and Darren Mougey need to succeed where so many others have failed with this long-suffering franchise.
BIGGEST WISH: Weapons for Cam Ward
Getting the right coach in the building is an important step, but adding playmakers around Ward is paramount for the young QB to thrive in Year 2. Chimere Dike and Elic Ayomanor have shown flashes as rookies, but the Titans lack a true No. 1 threat. At this point, we can’t presume Calvin Ridley will be that guy. Rookie tight end Gunnar Helm has also displayed upside and rapport with Ward, but with Chigoziem Okonkwo an impending free agent, another TE could be an option. Getting Ward a go-to target will go a long way toward the No. 1 overall pick smoothing out some of the rough patches that have plagued him during an up-and-down debut season.
BIGGEST WISH: Young defenders
Washington's old defense has looked its age for the bulk of the season, ranking 31st in yards allowed and yards per play through 14 games, as well as 26th in points surrendered. The Commanders don't do much well on D, ranking in the bottom five against the run and pass. Adam Peters needs to overhaul the unit with young, fresh playmakers at all three levels. The biggest need is on the edge, where a 36-year-old Von Miller leads the team with seven sacks. A coverage linebacker and youth in the secondary are also on the wish list.
BONUS: Hanging on by half a thread
BIGGEST WISH: Edge rusher
I know, I know, I know. Dallas isn't officially eliminated from the postseason. Yet with less than a 1% shot at overtaking Philly for the division, I think we're in the clear. Entering Week 16, Next Gen Stats put the Cowboys in the playoffs 80 times in 10,000 simulations (0.8%). Their faint hopes could be dashed before they even take the field on Sunday, if the Eagles beat the Commanders on Saturday evening. If you want to hang on that slim shot, feel free to stop reading. For everyone else ...
The Cowboys' defense needs help all over the field. Safety is a concern, and Donovan Wilson is set to hit free agency. Corner Trevon Diggs, who hasn't played since Week 6, is a cut candidate. Dallas could use a coverage linebacker. However, an edge rusher remains the most significant need. James Houston leads the Cowboys with 5.5 sacks. The team has just 29 total sacks through 14 games. Adding a player who can consistently win one-on-one is vital if the worst pass defense in the NFL is to turn things around in 2026.
