Goodbye 2024 and hello ’25.

It was a good year for teams that went away from the norm of not opening up their wallets for older star running backs. 

The Baltimore Ravens and Philadelphia Eagles haven’t looked back since signing Derrick Henry and Saquon Barkley, respectively, after their former teams let them hit the open market in March for the the start of free agency. Those are two of the best decisions that occurred in 2024. And, of course, two of the worst decisions for the Tennessee Titans and New York Giants, respectively. 

It was a year of regret for the two losing teams in Tennessee and New York, but even they made at least one wise decision. 

But where do the signings of Barkley and Henry rank for best decisions of the year? Here’s one best decision for every team, ranked from Nos. 32 to 1.   

Best decision: Drafting DT T’Vondre Sweat

This was a year of many misses for the Titans. They didn’t get much in Year 1 from many of their long-term investments, which included the signings of Calvin Ridley and the trade for cornerback L’Jarius Sneed. Also, second-year quarterback Will Levis drastically regressed and hasn’t gotten on the same page with Brian Callahan, who’s in the midst of a dreadful first season as head coach. 

But the Titans at least know they’re set on the interior of the defensive line with Sweat, the massive 6’4,” 362-pound defensive enforcer selected in the second round in April. He’s been tough to contain playing next to star defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons. 

Best decision: Trading for WR Davante Adams 

This was a tough one because there weren’t many smart decisions for the Jets this past year. Even the trade for Adams was a bit reckless, but the team had to do it after going all in for Aaron Rodgers in 2023. Adams made them better, but he didn’t fix all of their problems. The offensive line moves didn’t pan out as well as the team would have liked and the defense had its own issues after the dumb decision to fire coach Robert Saleh back in October. 

But, hey, at least Adams and Rodgers had their moment in the sun after lighting up the Jacksonville Jaguars last month. Garrett Wilson probably didn’t like being forgotten once Adams reunited with Rodgers. 

Best decision: Drafting edge Chop Robinson 

The Dolphins could have one of the best edge-rushing groups in the NFL next season because of the emergence of Robinson, the team’s 2024 first-round pick. Robinson stepped up after the season-ending knee injury to Jaelan Phillips. Miami has also been without Bradley Chubb for the entire season due to a torn ACL sustained in ’23. Robinson could see plenty of favorable matchups next season when Chubb and Phillips are cleared to play. 

On a different note, I’m aware the Dolphins locked down Tua Tagovailoa with a four-year, $212.4 million contract extension earlier this year. I just don’t believe that was the right move based on Tagovailoa’s poor track record against teams with winning records.   

Best decision: Highlighting more of WR Jauan Jennings 

The 49ers already know one way to get back to the playoffs in 2025: Get Jennings the ball early and often. Plenty of good things occurred when Brock Purdy targeted Jennings, especially on money downs this season. We saw that chemistry between the two on the biggest stage when Jennings had a strong shot of winning Super Bowl LVIII MVP. The connection paid off once the 49ers started the season without Christian McCaffrey, the first of many long-term injuries to key players. Purdy and Jennings kept the team afloat to give the team one final push with a healthy roster, but that never really happened leading to a disappointing season in San Francisco.  

Best decision: Returning to QB Anthony Richardson 

Richardson hasn’t shown much improvement since regaining his starting job after a brief benching of two games earlier this season. He continues to be an erratic passer, evident by his dismal 47.7% completion percentage. But there’s no turning back now. The Colts need to find out whether the talented No. 4 pick in the 2023 draft will ever put it together. It was the right move to stomach through the ups and downs and let Richardson learn from his playing experiences. It was too soon to give up on a quarterback after a season and a half. The Colts need to give him a fair shake or else they might wonder whether they quickly gave up on the next Cam Newton or Josh Allen. 

Best decision: Making Chase Brown the starting RB 

The best decision should have been re-signing Ja’Marr Chase, but for strange reasons, the Bengals decided to put contract negotiations on hold until the offseason. The price tag has only gone up with Chase’s career numbers in 2024. But putting that aside, the Bengals have found something in Brown, a 2023 fifth-round pick. 

It wasn’t that long ago that the Bengals viewed veteran running back Zack Moss as the team’s best option in the backfield. But Brown quickly won the starting job and provided the team with reassurance that they made the right move to trade Joe Mixon to Houston. Brown has 990 rushing yards and seven touchdowns this season. 

Best decision: Making Darren Rizzi the interim coach

Do yourself a favor and read Sports Illustrated’s Conor Orr’s breakdown of Rizzi’s coaching decisions during the furious rally that fell short on the final play against the Washington Commanders last month. Rizzi’s passion for the game and years of coaching experience gave the Saints new life after a few rough months that led to Dennis Allen losing his coaching job. But there have been some rough moments for Rizzi, including the ugly 34–0 blowout loss in Green Bay. If Rizzi ends the season on a high note, he might get a serious look from the Saints to be their full-time head coach next season.  

Best decision: Drafting WR Brian Thomas Jr. 

Thomas, the No. 23 pick in this year’s draft, has been a bright spot during another ugly season in Jacksonville. There’s a case to be made that he’s been the best rookie wide receiver this season after many draft pundits viewed him as a distant fourth behind Marvin Harrison Jr., Malik Nabers and Rome Odunze. Thomas became the first rookie in Jaguars history to surpass 1,000 receiving yards. The dynamic downfield threat recorded 80 catches for 1,179 yards and 10 touchdowns in his first 16 games.   

Best decision: Re-signing coach Kevin Stefanski  

The Browns made a savvy decision to re-sign Stefanski before the 2024 season. It’s difficult for media members to ask questions about job security knowing that the coach just signed a new deal. I guess this could be one positive for another losing season in Cleveland. Regardless of the financial security, Stefanski should get another season with the Browns because it’s become clear he’s not the problem. 

Stefanski’s offense played better after Deshaun Watson sustained a season-ending Achilles injury. But what’s the point of keeping one of the better offensive coaches in the league if the team refuses to bench the struggling quarterback with a fully guaranteed contract? Perhaps this will be the first offseason the team admits they made a mistake signing Watson and adds better quarterback options for Stefanski. Then again, the team just restructured Watson’s deal, signaling that the team will likely bring him back in 2025.  

Best decision: Drafting and starting QB Michael Penix Jr. 

First of all, let’s stop praising the Falcons for having Penix as a backup plan in case the Kirk Cousins signing didn’t work out. As my colleague Matt Verderame mentioned on the MMQB podcast, what the Falcons essentially did was buy two cars and ditch one after learning one didn’t work properly.

Atlanta made a bad investment and blew plenty of money for it. The Falcons whiffed on Cousins and gave him $100 million guaranteed to play 14 games consisting of many ups and downs. But being late is better than never and the Falcons might have saved their season by benching Cousins and starting Penix for the final three games of the regular season. Penix had a sensational performance in Week 17 vs. the Washington Commanders. 

Best decision: Hiring OC Liam Coen

There was concern of a potential drop off for Baker Mayfield and the Buccaneers’ offense after former offensive coordinator Dave Canales left to become the head coach of the Carolina Panthers. But Mayfield might be playing better under Coen, a home-run hire for coach Todd Bowles. Coen and Mayfield had previous chemistry from their brief stint with the Los Angeles Rams in 2022. That led to a seamless transition, with the Buccaneers racing to a fast start, including wins over Detroit and Philadelphia. 

But Coen was forced to adjust the offense after the injuries to wide receivers Mike Evans and Chris Godwin. It didn’t take long for Coen to build a new scheme utilizing more of tight end Cade Otton and running backs Bucky Irving and Rachaad White. Coen’s work in Tampa Bay could lead to head coaching opportunities in January. 

Best decision: Re-signing CeeDee Lamb 

Committing $100 million guaranteed to Lamb was a no-brainer for the Cowboys. There was more to think about with paying Dak Prescott $60 million per season because he’s not close to being the best player at his position. You can confidently say Lamb is a top-three wide receiver, with the other two being Justin Jefferson and Chase. 

And it’s really not about positional rankings. Lamb has been the team’s best player the past three seasons and has often stepped up in clutch situations. Yes, the Cowboys have salary cap issues, but signing Lamb to a four-year, $136 million contract extension was easily the team’s best decision. 

Best decision: Hiring coach Mike Macdonald 

Macdonald isn’t afraid to tinker with his defensive scheme, a good sign for not being a stubborn coach. That trait might have saved the Seahawks’ season after the first-year coach parted with linebackers Jerome Baker and Tyrel Dodson and traded for linebacker Ernest Jones IV for a different defensive approach after the team’s bye week. Macdonald’s defense hasn’t looked back. It’s also not a coincidence that defensive end Leonard Williams is having one of his better seasons in Year 10 of his career under Macdonald’s guidance. 

Best decision: Drafting WR Marvin Harrison Jr.

Harrison didn’t play up to his lofty rookie expectations, but the Cardinals still made the right decision to take him at No. 4, two spots before the New York Giants selected wide receiver Malik Nabers. As Cardinals coach Jonathan Gannon mentioned, Harrison needs to be more physical when it comes to contested catches. But he’s a smooth route runner who consistently gets open. It also didn’t help that Kyler Murray struggled with the deep ball and the offense was too reliant on the running game. Harrison has 57 receptions for 822 yards and seven touchdowns.  

Best decision: Drafting WR Malik Nabers

It’s been a rough season for the Giants to say the least. But Nabers gives Giants fans something to look forward to next season after a dynamic rookie season. Nabers has been a one-man show, recording 104 receptions for 1,140 yards and six touchdowns heading into Week 18. The football public found out Nabers was the real deal after recording a combined 30 receptions for 320 yards and three touchdowns between Week 2 and 4 vs. Washington, Cleveland and Dallas. 

Best decision: Betting on the trio of Diggs, Mixon, Hunter

It rarely works out for teams that bet big on veteran players searching for new opportunities. But the Texans decided to go all in after C.J. Stroud’s prolific rookie season and orchestrated trades for Stefon Diggs and Joe Mixon and spent plenty of money to sign Danielle Hunter (two years, $49 million). 

The moves didn’t lead to the Texans becoming Super Bowl contenders, but all three veterans have played well, even Diggs before tearing his ACL in late October. Hunter has 12 sacks and Mixon has rushed for 993 yards and 11 touchdowns this season. Also, the Texans clinched the mediocre AFC South and will be in the playoffs. That’s enough to say they made the right decisions to bet on the older players.  

Best decision: Drafting QB Caleb Williams 

There was some hesitation here because the Bears could have drafted Jayden Daniels. Chicago might have drafted the second-best quarterback in the 2024 draft, but that doesn’t mean that Williams wasn’t the team’s best decision of the season. Also, there aren’t many positive decisions to choose from this miserable season in Chicago. 

I have concerns about Williams’s poor body language in games and his knack for doing too much, plays that often get him in trouble. But it’s hard to fault him for abandoning called plays quickly, and playing behind one of the worst offensive lines in the league. I’ve seen enough flashes from Williams to know he’s capable of playing up to his draft billing in the future. There have been many wow throws in between all the bad. Perhaps a different coaching staff can bring out the best in Williams next season. 

Best decision: Cutting QB Russell Wilson 

The Broncos moved on from Wilson after benching him toward the end of the 2023 season. But I’ll make an exception because the team didn’t technically release him until March. Denver wisely cut its losses with Wilson, one of the worst trades in NFL history, and allowed Sean Payton to properly rebuild the Broncos before his second season with the team. 

Not many expected the Broncos to be one victory away from clinching a playoff spot after how poorly it went during the two seasons with Wilson. It remains to be seen how good rookie Bo Nix could be as a starting quarterback, but it’s impressive how quickly he grasped Payton’s offensive scheme.    

Best decision: Returning to QB Bryce Young 

Being benched turned out to be the best decision for Young, the No. 1 pick in the 2023 draft. There’s been plenty of progress made since Young returned in Week 8 after sitting for five consecutive games. Young produced back-to-back wins against the Saints and Giants before pushing the Chiefs, Buccaneers and Eagles in three consecutive weeks. 

Young played with confidence, made quick reads and became a creator away from the pockets—all those traits were also noticeable in the Week 16 overtime victory against the Cardinals. Young has thrived behind Dave Canales’s offensive scheme, a stout offensive line and a productive rushing attack.  

Best decision: Drafting TE Brock Bowers

The Raiders missed on selecting one of the top six QB prospects in the 2024 draft, but they got it right by grabbing Bowers with the No. 13 pick. Bowers quickly proved why some draft pundits viewed him as a top-five prospect regardless of position. He’s listed as a tight end, but he’s more of a bigger wide receiver who can get open in a hurry and haul in contested catches. Bowers broke an NFL record that stood for 63 years on Sunday. With a 13-yard catch in the second quarter against the Saints, he surpassed Mike Ditka (1,076 in 1961) for most receiving yards in a single-season by a rookie tight end. He now has 1,144 yards on 108 receptions heading into Week 18. 

Best decision: Drafting DE Jared Verse 

GM Les Snead nailed his first first-round pick since taking Jared Goff No. 1 in the 2016 draft. Verse, who was a steal at No. 19, is the clear frontrunner for Defensive Rookie of the Year after quickly making an impact with his tenacity on the field. SI’s Albert Breer recently mentioned that Verse is receiving comparisons to former Ravens star outside linebacker Terrell Suggs. That alone tells you how good Verse has been in Year 1. 

Best decision: Sitting Justin Fields and starting Russell Wilson 

This decision doesn’t look good now after a three-game losing streak, but don’t forget that Wilson immediately improved the Steelers’ passing game, established a connection with George Pickens and won seven of his first eight starts in Pittsburgh. Wilson had a game-winning throw in Washington and carved up Cincinnati for 414 yards. Perhaps Wilson and the Steelers can regain momentum before the postseason by beating the Bengals once more in Week 18.    

Best decision: Keeping the No. 3 pick to draft QB Drake Maye

It’s been a nightmare season in New England, but at least the Patriots know they have something special in Maye, who has flashed despite the lack of help on the field. Maye has the arm strength and mobility to keep plays alive even if there appears to be nothing available on the field. With time and more help, Maye could quickly climb the rankings for best quarterbacks in the league. There’s a reason why the Patriots weren’t willing to trade the No. 3 pick in April’s draft. The scouting reports were right about Maye.

Best decision: Rewarding the core group 

The Lions have made many right decisions since hiring coach Dan Campbell and GM Brad Holmes in 2021. Now Campbell and Holmes are repaying the many players who have made them look good in the past three seasons. Wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown, right tackle Penei Sewell, quarterback Jared Goff, running back David Montgomery and defensive tackle Alim McNeill have all signed lucrative contract extensions since April. Players now want to stay in Detroit, which wasn’t the case for a long time for this franchise. 

Best decision: Trading WR Stefon Diggs 

Josh Allen has played freely in this transition season without Diggs. He’s a strong candidate for MVP because defenses can’t figure out where Allen is going with the ball. Wide receivers Khalil Shakir, Keon Coleman and Amari Cooper have stepped up by providing a collective effort. 

With more playmakers to account for, Allen has taken advantage of that in the biggest moments by using his mobility to score touchdowns and produce first downs. The Bills no longer have a true No. 1 wideout, but they have taken a Chiefs-like approach with a star quarterback and a handful of reliable pass catchers, including a stud running back in James Cook. 

Best decision: Hiring DC Jeff Hafley 

Re-signing Jordan Love to a four-year, $220 million contract extension in July is truly the team’s best decision in 2024. But that might be their best decision for many years to come with how well he’s played in his two seasons as the starting quarterback. Let’s switch it up a bit here and highlight coach Matt LaFleur’s bold decision to hire Hafley, a move not many saw coming because Hafley was the head coach at Boston College. 

It turned out to be the best move for the team after Hafley finally got the talented defense to play on the same page. The Packers could make plenty of noise in the postseason with a balanced team on both sides of the ball. 

Best decision: Moving Joe Thuney from guard to left tackle 

It’s no coincidence that the Chiefs’ best offensive stretch has occurred since moving Thuney from left guard to left tackle three games ago. Patrick Mahomes has finally been given the time to develop chemistry with his pass catchers because of how well Thuney has played at his new position. 

What’s more impressive is that the All-Pro guard has done this while playing against Cleveland’s Myles Garrett, Houston’s Will Anderson Jr. and Hunter, and Pittsburgh’s T.J. Watt. Kansas City has only allowed one sack since moving Thuney to the outside. Also, Mike Caliendo deserves plenty of credit for holding it down at left guard. The Chiefs might be looking back at this O-line shuffle as a turning point if they win a third consecutive Super Bowl.  

Best decision: Hiring coach Jim Harbaugh 

The Chargers took a big swing on Harbaugh and haven’t looked back. Harbaugh quickly made the team tougher on both sides of the trenches, leading to a playoff berth in Year 1 of the new regime. The team has also turned a corner when it comes to securing leads and winning one-score games. It said plenty that the Chargers were able to rally from 11 points in the second half to beat the Broncos in Week 16. These aren’t the same-old Chargers thanks to Harbaugh’s quick changes.   

Best decision: Signing RB Derrick Henry  

The Ravens turned into an elite offense thanks to the arrival of Henry. I’m pretty sure this is no longer a hot take: This is the best Ravens offense in the Lamar Jackson era. Henry being in the backfield has made Jackson more dangerous as a passer and that’s saying a lot for a two-time MVP quarterback. It’s wild to think the Ravens were one of few teams that made a true run at Henry in free agency and it only took a two-year, $16 million contract to lock down the bruising running back. In his age-30 season, Henry is still putting up dominant numbers, with 1,783 rushing yards and 14 touchdowns this season.  

Best decision: Signing RB Saquon Barkley 

Eagles fans are still thanking Giants GM Joe Schoen for letting Barkley walk in free agency. The star running back has been a perfect fit in Philadelphia, playing alongside a stout offensive line, an athletic quarterback in Jalen Hurts and a dynamic receiving tandem in A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith. Barkley went from carrying a boulder on the field with the Giants’ poor roster to seeing gaping holes in Philadelphia for a career season. Barkley, who signed a three-year, $37.75 million contract in March, has been so good in 2024 that he might break Eric Dickerson’s single-season rushing record of 2,105 yards.  

Best decision: Signing QB Sam Darnold 

The Vikings essentially paid $10 million for an MVP candidate this season. That’s a bargain in this era of highly-paid quarterbacks who haven’t played up to expectations. Darnold has made the most of his ideal surroundings in Minnesota, but he has also lifted the team on several occasions this season, including his game-winning touchdown pass to Justin Jefferson in Seattle in Week 16 and a career-high 377 yards passing against the Packers in Week 17. 

Even Darnold’s biggest doubters have to agree this is without a doubt the Vikings’ best move of 2024, considering the production they’ve gotten from a bargain one-year contract. As a reminder, the Falcons signed Cousins to a four-year, $180 million deal. And locking down Jefferson to a four-year, $140 million extension will be Minnesota’s best move for many years to come. 

Best decision: Drafting QB Jayden Daniels

The Commanders are clinched a playoff berth Sunday night with a win over the Falcons thanks in large part to the rise of Daniels, the presumptive Offensive Rookie of the Year. Daniels’s leadership, poise on the field and killer mentality in clutch moments have given Washington fans a year to remember. The walk-off Hail Mary vs. the Bears will be talked about for many years to come. He also had his introduction to the football public with a sensational prime-time performance vs. Joe Burrow and the Bengals in Week 3. Washington selecting Daniels with the No. 2 pick in the draft is the best move in the NFL for 2024 because not many saw this once poor franchise ascending as fast as it did with Heisman-winning quarterback.