If NFL Franchise's Were Stocks, I'd Short These 4 Teams Going Into 2025

If you think of NFL teams as stocks, each offseason offers a new chance to buy low, sell high. Even if it's easy to find hope at this time of year, there are some team's who I am just struggling to buy into. Going into 2025, several teams stand out as ticking time bombs, whether it's because of internal conflict, bad team building, or questionable coaching decisions. I'm here to tell you which teams I think could be very disappointing this fall. 

If the NFL were the stock market, I would short these four teams.

Miami Dolphins

Last season, the Miami Dolphins had an awful start where, halfway through the year, they sat at 2-6, which was in large part due to their starting quarterback, Tua Tagovailoa, suffering a scary concussion in Week 2, sidelining him for multiple games early on in the campaign. However, over the second half of the season, the Dolphins rallied and were in a position to make the postseason in the final week of the regular season if things went their way, ending the year by winning six of their last nine games.

Because of that positive momentum to end the year, it would be easy to understand if some people are high on the Dolphins going into the 2025 season, but you can take it to the bank: I will not be one of those people.

I know the Dolphins as an organization continue to say that they believe in Tagovailoa as their quarterback going forward; in just my personal opinion, I don't believe that they believe that. Throughout his entire career, Tagovailoa has not proven he can be relied on to stay healthy, and as we saw last season, when he is out of the lineup, head coach and offensive play caller Mike McDaniel has struggled to dial up game plans that not only don't work but also make Miami, which features one of the better wide receiving duos in the NFL, look non-functional—which, to me, makes him one of the more overrated coaches in all of the NFL.

Because of Tagovailoa's injury history, you'd think the Dolphins would prioritize the backup quarterback more than your average NFL team would, but who did they go out and sign this offseason? Former number two overall pick, Zach Wilson. I'm sure Wilson is a great guy and teammate, but throughout his time in the NFL, he has just not shown he is a legitimate NFL quarterback.

Even if Tagovailoa plays every game next season, we have seen countless times over the last few years, when the games begin to matter late in the season and the weather gets colder, the Dolphins simply cannot handle the cold conditions.

In the sad but more likely scenario where Tagovailoa does miss time, which would lead to Wilson starting games, I definitely can see a scenario where the Dolphins are picking top-five in next year's draft—and don't be shocked if there is a new head coach on the sidelines in Miami for the 2026 season.

Indianapolis Colts

Going into next season, I am not sure there is a franchise I am more down on in the AFC than the Indianapolis Colts. While I do understand that there is talent throughout the roster, I simply cannot take you seriously when your "quarterback competition" is a duel between a player whose biggest weakness is throwing the football, Anthony Richardson, and a turnover machine, Daniel Jones. Not to mention, THE TWO OF THEM CANNOT STAY HEALTHY! There is a very real possibility where both Jones and Richardson start and get injured, leaving the Colts stuck in a spot where they could be playing a player who belongs on a practice squad. If that not-unrealistic scenario happens, the Colts could very well end up being the team with the worst record in the conference, and if that happens, I expect the organization to blow the whole thing up: new coach, new general manager, and new quarterback after this season.

If sometime in January the Colts are searching for a whole new regime, I just wouldn't be shocked if we hear rumblings that new team owner Carlie Irsay-Gordon, who has taken control of the franchise after her father Jim passed away last month, is trying to lure someone like Peyton Manning to return to the franchise in an executive role and take over football operations, much like John Elway did in Denver for many years.

I very much do think this season will end up being a disaster in Indianapolis, and if that's the case, I think Irsay-Gordon should be doing anything to give the fanbase hope, and bringing back Manning, I believe, would be an excellent idea to move the team forward.

Atlanta Falcons

I understand that he hasn't exactly been in the news for the right reasons over the last few months, but I think the Falcons not hiring Bill Belichick in the 2024 offseason looks worse and worse by the day. While he may have had his flaws, Belichick at least brought some level of credibility to most of the moves he made, and over the last 18 months, the Falcons just seem like they have no idea what they are doing. After signing Kirk Cousins to a mega deal last March, six weeks later they took Michael Penix Jr., which in retrospect was a smart move because Cousins looked like a shell of himself in 2024 before getting benched late in the season.

After the benching, it seemed all but certain that Cousins would be traded or released, yet he is still on the team, creating one of the weirdest quarterback rooms in the NFL and an uncomfortable scenario for a player in Penix, who is going into his first full season as the starter.

Not to mention, the Falcons made one of the more mind-boggling moves in the draft when they traded a 2026 first-round pick to the Los Angeles Rams to draft pass-rusher James Pearce Jr. late in the first round. To me, that move reeked of a front office and coaching staff who know their jobs are on the line this season, and if they don't win, they know they will be fired at season's end—which, again, is just an awful environment for a young quarterback like Penix.

All of this is sad to me because I truly believe Penix has all the tools to be a great quarterback in this league, but I just think the whole situation in Atlanta is weird, which could lead to an uncomfortable environment for the whole franchise.

Sell your Falcons stock while you can.

Cincinnati Bengals

This is the one that kills me the most. Joe Burrow is by far my favorite quarterback in the NFL, and I would love to see him win a Super Bowl one day. However, I am unsure that will ever happen in Cincinnati. Well, at least under this ownership group.

Last season, Burrow was arguably the best quarterback in the league, as he ended the regular season throwing for the most yards and touchdowns in the NFL. Yet, because of how bad their defense was, the Bengals ended up missing the postseason.

Based on their actions this offseason, can anyone explain to me how their problems were addressed? After the season, Cincinnati stated they would definitely look into upgrading the defense, and while they did draft a pass-rusher in Shemar Stewart in the first round, the team has yet to sign the player because of never-before-seen language in a rookie contract where the guarantees Stewart should be entitled to could become voided if he gets himself in trouble off the field or injured. Because of that, Stewart has yet to step foot on the field with the team for any offseason workouts, and just this week, there have been rumblings about him opting out of this season and reentering the 2026 Draft.

What makes this situation even more disastrous is that a big reason for the team drafting Stewart was due to another contract dispute the team is currently in with star pass rusher Trey Hendrickson, who led the NFL in sacks last season despite Cincinnati's historically bad defense. The fact that this Hendrickson situation is still looming over the team is ridiculous as well; it's time for the team to either pay up or trade him. Just get the distraction done with and provide the team with clarity.

I understand Burrow was very public about making sure his top two targets in Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins got paid. The fact is, you can find impact offensive weapons easier than defensive studs, and when you are making as much as Burrow is, you need to accept the fact that at some point, you are going to have to do more with less talent around you on offense.

I personally would have traded Higgins last offseason and put a majority of my resources into the defensive side of the ball.

Unless the Bengals can get all this drama resolved quickly, I don't see any way they got any better than last season, and don't be shocked if we are looking at a third straight year where the team misses the playoffs.