Ranking the next five-year windows for each NFL team

It remains to be seen how much longer 65-year-old Andy Reid will coach, but young GOAT Patrick Mahomes will surely be around for a while. He's seen major roster turnover during his time in K.C., with the notable exception of tight end Travis Kelce. The current state of the Chiefs roster has an excellent offensive line, young wideouts, and one of the youngest defenses in football. The team has been to five consecutive AFC Championships and three Super Bowls over that time, and anything less than those results with Mahomes and Reid at the helm is considered underachieving.

The 49ers have consistently swung for the fences in the draft since bringing on Kyle Shanahan and John Lynch. That formula hasn't been without setbacks, including the disastrous trade for Trey Lance, but the team has been able to make up for its mistakes with great picks like George Kittle, Talanoa Hufanga, and Brock Purdy. Purdy's presence as the starter gives the team plenty of salary-cap flexibility, and the 49ers have as many elite players at other positions as any team in football. They still face some tough cap decisions in the near future, but an elite roster and great coaching from Shanahan puts San Francisco in great position.

The Eagles earned an invite to the Super Bowl last season with an excellent roster, topped off by the brilliant development of quarterback Jalen Hurts. His new contract will make maintaining the elite roster difficult, but it remains clearly one of the most talented entering 2023. His key weapons, A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith, should be around a while, while the defense has an exciting mix of young and old players. If Hurts can prove last season's breakout wasn't a mirage, the Eagles are setup as well as any team in football.

The Ravens finally invested in Lamar Jackson, adding clarity to their future. The 26-year-old quarterback is set to lead the team for the next several years, and has some strong, young weapons around him with Rashod Bateman and Zay Flowers. The franchise remains a linebacker factory, with an outstanding, young unit led by Roquan Smith, while 2022 first-round safety Kyle Hamilton has looked stellar. John Harbaugh's consistency adds to the optimism.

Quarterback Josh Allen is on the shortlist of the best in the game, which is enough to put the Bills near the elite tier. Buffalo might have to adjust the mobile quarterback's designed runs as he ages, but he has a great trajectory at age 27 with weapons like Stefon Diggs, James Cook, and Dalton Kincaid around him. There should be some concern with a defense that has multiple players in the second halves of their careers, though Ed Oliver, Greg Rousseau, and Christian Benford are younger building blocks.

Cincinnati finished just short of a Super Bowl ring in the last two seasons, and a Joe Burrow extension likely means that they will be back in that situation soon. He's a clearly elite quarterback, but now the front office needs to find a way to retain his weapons, including college teammate Ja'Marr Chase. The Bengals have quietly done a great job of drafting defensive players in the meantime, with Sam Hubbard, Logan Wilson, Joseph Assai, Dax Hill, and Cam Taylor-Britt recent examples.

What a difference a year can make. After earning the first overall pick in last year's draft, the Jaguars made the playoffs immediately, spurred by the hiring of Doug Pederson. The former Super Bowl winner has great, young offensive talent to work with, including Trevor Lawrence, Travis Etienne, Calvin Ridley, and Christian Kirk. The defense has also hit on some recent draftees, including Josh Allen, Tyson Campbell, Andre Cisco, Devin Lloyd, and Travon Walker. The potential for Lawrence to become elite at the NFL level, as he was in college, will determine the current roster's ceiling.

Miami saw huge offensive improvement under head coach Mike McDaniel last season, yet their future is somewhat murky due to Tua Tagovailoa's injury issues. He already had an injury history before last year's concussions, and losing the former first-round pick could set back the franchise years. The team does have other foundational pieces like Tyreek Hill, Jaylen Waddle, Christian Wilkins, Jaelan Phillips, Bradley Chubb, and Jalen Ramsey, but the team's ability to compete for a Super Bowl in the near future is on Tagovailoa's shoulders.

For all the attention and criticism that owner/GM Jerry Jones receives, he's done well in the draft lately. The Cowboys roster is built with homegrown talent like Dak Prescott, Zack Martin, Tyron Smith, CeeDee Lamb, Tony Pollard, Micah Parsons, and Trevon Diggs. Most of those big names are set to stick around over the medium term, and are solid foundations for any roster. Getting the 30-year-old Prescott back to the MVP form we've seen from his past is key to their Super Bowl chances.

The Lions roster has been rapidly improving, which is a rare statement considering the franchise's last four decades. Jared Goff is back to playing starter-quality football, and the young core of weapons around him looks terrific with Jahmyr Gibbs, Amon-Ra St. Brown, and Sam LaPorta. The team has hit on the draft with defensive picks Aidan Hutchinson and Brian Branch, though there's much more progress that needs to be made on that side of the ball. Detroit's anti-analytics approach in positional drafting could come back to bite them when more players are due to be paid.

The Chargers have appeared on the cusp since drafting Justin Herbert. The strong-armed quarterback is on the edge of the elite tier of signal callers. The team has plenty of exciting, young players around Herbert, and a promising offensive line led by Rashawn Slater. L.A.'s defense did seem to get old quickly last year, and are looking for a new head coach.

Pete Carroll is the oldest head coach in football at age 72, yet you wouldn't be able to tell by the team's continued success with a recharged roster. Geno Smith has surprisingly established himself as a starting quarterback, and he has a strong, young offensive line and young weapons like Kenneth Walker, DK Metcalf, and Jaxon Smith-Njigba around him. The Russell Wilson trade gave Seattle a wealth of draft capital, which they've used to revamp both sides of the ball. Carroll's eye for defensive back talent has been on full display in the draft over the last two years, adding foundational players like Tariq Woolen. The future is looking bright again in Seattle.

Houston's ongoing rebuild is just taking shape after the drafting of first-round picks C.J. Stroud and Will Anderson Jr. That pair will be key to the team's future, especially after trading their 2024 first-round pick. Stroud's terrific start creates significant optimism in the team's future. The franchise isn't without other promising young players, including Dameon Pierce, Nico Collins, Jonathan Greenard, Derek Stingley Jr., and Jalen Pitre.

Deshaun Watson's injury has set back Cleveland again, though their success with Joe Flacco shows the talented roster. The roster doesn't have much maneuverability due to Watson's contract, and recent drafts have been a mixed bag. The defense has plenty invested in excellent veterans like Myles Garrett, Denzel Ward, and Za'Darius Smith.

The Jets have quickly developed an elite defense, with young players Quinnen Williams and Sauce Gardner at the core of the team's success. The addition of Aaron Rodgers indicates the franchise is in win-now mode, though his Week 1 injury was a huge setback. The team does have a bevy of other weapons, including promising 2022 draftees Breece Hall and Garrett Wilson, but it remains to be seen what the future holds at quarterback.

The Rams went all-in to win a Super Bowl two years ago, and are now paying the price. The franchise continually kicked the can down the road, trading draft capital and spending big bucks, but now have very few recognizable players on the roster beyond Matthew Stafford, Cooper Kupp, and Aaron Donald. The one X-factor the team does have is head coach Sean McVay, who has already established himself as an elite play caller and offensive talent developer, as shown in rookie breakout star Puka Nacua.

The Packers have rebuilt their offense over a two-year period, surrounding their two-headed running back monster of Aaron Jones and AJ Dillon with Jordan Love, Christian Watson, Jayden Reed, Romeo Dobbs, Luke Musgrave, and others. It should be fun to watch that group grow together, though it's unclear what the Packers have in terms of talent. The defense has a higher floor with a mix of veterans and young players, and have a strong, young foundation with Jaire Alexander, Rashan Gary, Quay Walker, and company.

The Vikings' turnaround in Kevin O'Connell's first season showed promise, though the team's efforts to extend Justin Jefferson haven't been fruitful yet. Kirk Cousins' future with the team is in question, but there are other young weapons around him like T.J. Hockenson, K.J. Osborn, and Jordan Addison. 

Justin Fields established himself as a player last season, but it remains to be seen if he will still be around in 2024. The front office has done a nice job building around him over the last year, improving the offensive line and adding DJ Moore. The defense has been in the midst of a complete rebuild, and has some promising youngsters like Kyler Gordon and Jaquan Brisker.

Head coach Mike Tomlin is a proven winner, but the transition from Ben Roethlisberger to Kenny Pickett hasn't been without pain. There are questions about Pickett, but he has a nice, young set of weapons around him with Najee Harris, Diontae Johnson, George Pickens, and Pat Freiermuth. The defense has been in a bit of transition, but they have T.J. Watt locked up with other stars like Alex Highsmith and Minkah Fitzpatrick also around for the foreseeable future.

The Saints have consistently had one of the league's top defenses in recent seasons, but the lack of quality quarterback play has wasted that effort. The defense remains solid but is now on the older side, with the hope that Pete Werner, Paulson Adebo, and company can keep the good times rolling. The offense has found a possible star in wideout Chris Olave, and Derek Carr is a clear improvement at quarterback. Still, Carr's low ceiling shouldn't make fans optimistic that a Super Bowl is imminent.

A horrible defensive decline last season and poor recent drafting necessitated some changes in Tennessee during the offseason. The team has many new faces on the offensive line and defense, and also notably added DeAndre Hopkins. The long-term signal caller remains a mystery, with the team spending high draft choices on Malik Willis and Will Levis over the last two years. The big reason for optimism comes from the coaching of Mike Vrabel, who has consistently overachieved during his time in Tennessee.

The feeling around the Giants was positive heading into 2023 due to Daniel Jones' improvement, but a knee injury and poor start has some nervous. It's still unclear if the quarterback can lead a team to the promised land, but the Giants are now committed to him after handing out an extension. He does have a young, talented offensive line blocking for him, and the future of the defense is in strong shape with Dexter Lawrence, Kayvon Thibodeaux, and Deonte Banks.

Arthur Smith has done some nice things on offense with the talent that he has, which is a nice way of saying the Falcons haven't been very talented during his tenure. Recent first-round picks Kyle Pitts, Drake London, and Bijan Robinson could be keepers, though the team needs to find a quarterback. The defense has a key player in corner A.J. Terrell, but much of the unit is on the backend of their careers.

The merry-go-round at quarterback in Indy since Andrew Luck's retirement has finally settled on Anthony Richardson. He's a developmental prospect, to say the least, and had a major setback with a season-ending injury. While new head coach Shane Steichen tries to unlock Richardson's potential, other young players like Jonathan Taylor, Michael Pittman Jr., Alec Pierce, and Kwity Paye will continue to develop. 

Arizona is in a rebuild, hiring head coach Jonathan Gannon and purging talent. Kyler Murray's future with the team is unclear. The team not only has their own first-round pick, which is likely to be early in the draft, but also the first-round pick of the Texans in 2024.

Denver invested their future in Russell Wilson last offseason, and the returns have been disastrous. His presence has not only limited the team's draft capital but also their salary-cap room. The team is set to move on from him, but Sean Payton's history of success does provide some optimism the rebuild will be short.

The Commanders organization has been consistently mediocre over the two decades-plus ownership of Daniel Snyder, but change is coming. New ownership brings hope, as do talented young players on both sides of the ball like Brian Robinson, Terry McLaurin, Jahan Dotson, Daron Payne, and Jamin Davis. Sam Howell's struggles this season do create a quarterback issue.

Tampa Bay had a very old roster when they won the Super Bowl three years ago, and most of the team's foundational players are now on the backend of their careers. The lack of a long-term quarterback, with apologies to Baker Mayfield and Kyle Trask, puts the Bucs in a tough position, though that can be remedied with a great 2024 draft class. The defense still has some long-term pieces with Vita Vea, Logan Hall, Joe Tryon-Shoyinka, Devin White, Jamel Dean, and Antoine Winfield Jr.

It's tough to tell what the Panthers have in rookie quarterback Bryce Young, though he was a constant playmaker at Alabama. He's set to develop with the team's young offensive line, and needs a more consistent coaching staff. At least the defensive secondary does have two keepers in Jeremy Chinn and Jaycee Horn. A lack of draft capital after acquiring Young could make the rebuild more difficult.

Head coach Josh McDaniels struggled in his first opportunity as an NFL head coach with Denver, and his second shot in Vegas was arguably worse. Of course, the roster that he inherited wasn't in great shape due to some horrific recent drafting. It remains to be seen if Aidan O'Connell is the long term quarterback.

There's a lot of uncertainty in New England, including the quarterback and Bill Belichick's future. Mac Jones' regression is disturbing, and the only viable offensive weapon has been running back Rhamondre Stevenson. The team continues to flounder.