Ranking NFL division winners by their chances to be dethroned in 2026

If there is one thing upon which the NFL prides itself, it’s parity. The league’s ability to tout a franchise’s ability to turn things around in an instant, to find themselves in the thick of the championship conversation, gives every fan base a reason to believe when we kick off a new season.

Take last year, for example. Both the Seattle Seahawks and the New England Patriots were on the outside looking in on the playoffs in 2024, only to each find themselves playing in Super Bowl LX the following year. That’s how quickly things can change in the NFL. 

Want even

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Travis Kelce buys minority stake in Cleveland Guardians: Chiefs star joins hometown team’s ownership group

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Travis Kelce’s fandom of the Cleveland sports teams knows no bounds. Now, he’s taken a financial interest in them, too. The Chiefs‘ star tight end purchased a minority share of the Guardians, according to ESPN.

“I have so much love for this city,” Kelce told ESPN. “I say it all the time: I’m just a kid from the Heights living the dream. I credit every good thing in my life to Cleveland and being raised here with the values and the people and the work ethic. Cleveland Heights is such a diverse and dynamic place. Every friend, neighbor, teacher and teammate

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AFC South win totals: Don’t believe the hype around Colts, Jaguars regressions

There are surprises in the NFL every single year, but the AFC South ended up being one of the most interesting divisions this past season. The Jacksonville Jaguars came out of seemingly nowhere with Liam Coen to win the division with a 13-4 record. The Houston Texans weren’t too far behind at 12-5 thanks to one of the best defenses in the league.

The Indianapolis Colts looked like the best team in the NFL after an 8-2 start, but then the wheels fell off as Daniel Jones attempted to play through a fractured fibula.  As for the Tennessee Titans, they are still

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Derwin James signing four-year extension with Chargers, to become highest-paid safety in NFL for second time

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For the second time in his career, Los Angeles Chargers star Derwin James reset the safety market. James agreed on Tuesday to a three-year, $75.6 million contract extension, according to CBS Sports NFL insider Jonathan Jones. The deal includes $57.5 million guaranteed and pays $25.2 million per year, again making him the highest paid safety in the NFL.

James was set to become an unrestricted free agent at the end of the 2026 campaign, and the Chargers paid up to ensure he will not have suitors next offseason. The five-time All-Pro honoree has spent his entire career in Los Angeles after

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Packers’ Josh Jacobs arrested on domestic violence charges, denies allegations

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Green Bay Packers running back Josh Jacobs was arrested on Tuesday and faces five charges stemming from an alleged domestic incident. The Hobart-Lawrence (Wisc.) Police Department booked Jacobs into the Brown County Jail on charges of battery — domestic abuse, criminal damage to property — domestic abuse, disorderly conduct — domestic abuse, strangulation and suffocation and intimidation of a victim.

According to a police department release, authorities responded at approximately 8:37 a.m. on May 23 to a disturbance complaint involving Jacobs. According to NFL Media, Jacobs turned himself into police on Tuesday. Because it remains an ongoing investigation, Hobart-Lawrence Police did

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‘They were not going to tank’: Jerome Bettis supports Steelers’ decision to re-sign Aaron Rodgers

While he’ll compete against Aaron Rodgers at the American Century Celebrity Golf Championship later this summer, Jerome Bettis will pull for Rodgers this fall when the four-time NFL MVP embarks on his final season.

Rodgers, who has already stated that 2026 will be his last season, will spend it with the Steelers, who decided to run it back with Rodgers instead of turning the offense over to veteran Mason Rudolph, second-year quarterback Will Howard or rookie Drew Allar

While some fans would have preferred to see one of the Steelers’ young quarterbacks step into the starting role, Bettis — a Hall of Fame running

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Aaron Rodgers could become rare QB to beat every NFL team, but there’s only one improbable way it can happen

There are 32 teams in the NFL, and over the course of his career, Aaron Rodgers has beaten 31 of them. With Rodgers announcing that he plans to retire at the end of the 2026 season, he’ll have one last chance to become just the fifth quarterback in NFL history to beat all 32 teams.

Heading into the 2026 season, only four quarterbacks have beaten all 32 teams: Tom Brady, Peyton Manning, Drew Brees and Brett Favre. (Joe Montana and Fran Tarkenton are kind of in the club, too. They never got a chance to beat all 32 teams, but they

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The longer Seattle waits on a Devon Witherspoon contract extension, the pricier it gets

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The Seattle Seahawks recently lavished star Jaxon Smith-Njigba with a four-year, $168.6 million contract extension, making him the highest-paid wide receiver in football. The Seahawks selected JSN with the 20th overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, he blossomed into one of the best players in the league at his position and so the Seahawks rewarded him with a major deal.

Their next priority is coming to a similar agreement with the No. 5 overall pick in the same draft — cornerback Devon Witherspoon. Like Smith-Njigba, Witherspoon has become one of the best players in the league at his position, and he

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Ranking greatest NFL quarterbacks by decade: Patrick Mahomes, Josh Allen putting early stamp on the 2020s

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No position in sports has changed more over the years than quarterback. A century ago, quarterbacks made their living by running and kicking, essentially doing anything other than throwing the ball. Today’s quarterbacks have made 4,000 passing yards — a total that was basically unfathomable during the league’s first 50 years — a routine feat. 

We’re living in the most prolific era when it comes to passing quarterbacks. But that doesn’t mean that there weren’t great quarterbacks in previous eras. In fact, many of today’s advancements in the passing game were inspired by quarterbacks who helped revolutionize the position. Along with

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AFC North win totals: Take the Over on Joe Burrow and the remade Bengals defense

The AFC North is going to be very different in 2026. Mike Tomlin is no longer with the Pittsburgh Steelers, the Baltimore Ravens fired John Harbaugh and the Cleveland Browns parted ways with two-time NFL Coach of the Year Kevin Stefanski. Who would have thought Zac Taylor would be the longest-tenured coach in the division entering 2026?

What’s fascinating about the AFC North is that every fan base is upset with how this past season went. The Steelers won the division thanks to a missed field goal from Tyler Loop, but they never appeared to be a serious contender that had

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