The official rosters for the 2025 NFL Pro Bowl finally came out. As always, there is so much to expect for fans, with some excellent matchups and first-timers to look forward to. However, there is a ton of debate surrounding the selections.
Every year, fans discuss players that they feel may have been more deserving of a spot. As a result, we have snubs to sift through as well. Let’s look at what the games have in store for us.
Note that you can go to the bottom of the article to see the full Pro Bowl rosters.
Reacting to the NFC and AFC Pro Bowl Rosters
On the QB side, the NFC saw some young blood in Jayden Daniels and Sam Darnold making their first-ever appearance. Jared Goff, in leading the Detroit Lions, has cemented his position on the roster as well. According to PFN’s own QB+ metric, the three rank seventh, 12th, and second, respectively.
For the AFC, there is less room for debate. The tried and tested trio of Josh Allen (third), Lamar Jackson (first), and Joe Burrow (fourth) made it onto the list amidst some historically impressive seasons.
This season’s Pro Bowl QBs include rookie Jayden Daniels and free-agent-to-be Sam Darnold. pic.twitter.com/mmcPxS3DOr
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) January 2, 2025
The wide receiver room for the NFC was rather straightforward, but Terry McLaurin making it back after another 1,000-yard season for the Commanders was worth looking out for.
Trey McBride, on the other hand, making his first-ever appearance after totaling over 1,000 yards for the Arizona Cardinals felt deserved.
On the AFC side, three newcomers Zay Flowers, Nico Collins, and Jerry Jeudy made the list, despite the latter’s Madden rating. All three WRs have been the clear first option for their squads, with each of them close to or above 1,000 yards already.
Brock Bowers making the Pro Bowl as a rookie, despite the up-and-down QB play for the Las Vegas Raiders, warrants a special mention.
The offensive line in the NFC saw a ton of love go to the Detroit Lions and the Philadelphia Eagles. Lane Johnson, Landon Dickerson, and (Jason Kelce’s replacement) Cam Jurgens all made it to the Pro Bowl, with Jurgens marking his first selection. Penei Sewell and Frank Ragnow, who have given Goff ample time in the pocket, certainly earned their spot on the roster.
On the AFC squad, it was the Kansas City Chiefs who got a ton of love at the guard and center position. Creed Humphrey, who might be the best center in the league, alongside Trey Smith and left tackle Joe Thuney also made the roster.
Defensively, Rashan Gary made his first Pro Bowl as the Green Bay Packers found a defensive identity around him early in the year. The inclusion of Nick Bosa was surprising, given San Francisco’s 22nd-ranked scoring defense. Similarly, Micah Parsons, who got torched by Shannon Sharpe for his play, also made it in despite a down year.
The DE and interior linemen spots didn’t see any surprises. However, Nik Bonitto made his first Pro Bowl as he led the charge for a terrific, playoff-caliber defense for the Denver Broncos. Similarly, Zaire Franklin got the MLB nod, as his play was a critical reason that the Colts had their playoff hopes alive until after their Week 17 contest.
Philly got some love as DPOY candidate Jalen Carter and middle linebacker Zack Baun made the team. However, Vita Vea and Dexter Lawrence might have been two of the more underrated selections on the squad.
The outside linebacker position saw three first-timers: Jonathan Greenard and Andrew Van Ginkel from Minnesota, who boast one of the best defenses in the league, and Jared Verse of the Los Angeles Rams.
The lone bright spot on a desolate Carolina Panthers defense, Jaycee Horn, made it in alongside fellow first-time selection Byron Murphy. Xavier McKinney was an obvious choice for free safety, while Brian Branch earned his flowers for keeping Detroit’s defense afloat after Adrian Hutchinson went down.
For a Houston Texans team that has been a relative disappointment to most people, the defense has been consistently solid. A lot of that falls on Derek Stingley Jr., who made life hell for any opposing WR.
Who Were the Biggest Snubs?
Now comes the controversial part of the discussion: snubs. Starting with the QB spot, it’s hard to debate the QB room for the AFC. But no Patrick Mahomes feels icky, despite his productivity being way below his usual standards this season. Yet, he leads a 15-1 team coming off back-to-back Super Bowls in which he won MVP.
Similarly, on the NFC side of the bracket, both Daniels and Darnold sat behind names like Jalen Hurts (fifth) and Brock Purdy (sixth) in QB+. Even if one wanted to argue about team success, Baker Mayfield (ninth) was three spots clear of Darnold while missing Mike Evans and Chris Godwin for major portions of the year.
On the WR front, it is hard to argue with any of the selections. However, the sensational rookie seasons of Brian Thomas Jr. and Ladd McConkey warrant some love. On the year, they have 1,179 yards, the fifth-highest number in the league, and 1,054 yards, 14th in the league.
For the running back position, both James Cook (who has been critical to Buffalo’s success alongside Josh Allen) and Kyren Williams (who helped keep the Los Angeles Rams afloat with Puka Nacua and Cooper Kupp out with injury and is third in the league in total rushing yards) deserve special mentioning as names who could have made the list.
Jonnu Smith was a name to consider for the TE spot after the season he’s had (828 yards and seven TDs) for a Miami Dolphins team that was missing QB Tua Tagovailoa for a big chunk of the year.
On the defensive front, the two biggest names missing from the list were arguably Leonard Williams, who has 15 tackles for loss and nine sacks on the year, and the league leader in interceptions, Lions S Kerby Joseph. The safety has been downright terrifying, as he energizes the Lions’ defense playing without stud EDGE Aidan Hutchinson.
Similarly, Zach Allen, critical for the Broncos’ defensive transformation, with 8.5 sacks, 15 tackles for loss, and 39 QB hits, was a name many expected to make the Pro Bowl.
Most Exciting Matchups
There seems to be a clear theme with the Pro Bowl matchups we are getting this time around. Both the AFC and NFC rosters have a distinct new vs. old feel to them. While Jayden Daniels squares off against his most direct comparison in Lamar Jackson, Sam Darnold might be the new Joe Burrow from the pocket.
Similarly, the young trio of Collins, Flowers, and Jeudy will go up against some of the most established names in the league in Justin Jefferson, CeeDee Lamb, and Amon-Ra St. Brown.
An RB matchup between Saquon Barkley and Derrick Henry, two of the best running backs of the generation, seems like a contest made in heaven.
Simultaneously, both Xavier McKinney and Brian Branch should get some excellent experience going up against the formidable passing of a guy like Joe Burrow.
Seeing the young QBs of the NFC try to break through veterans corners like Marlon Humphrey and Pat Surtain II should be a fun matchup, especially with the already-established Kyle Hamilton and Minkah Fitzpatrick taking up the safety spots.
Full AFC Pro Bowl Selections
Note that alternates have yet to be announced, but we will continue to add to the list as names become available.
Quarterbacks
- Josh Allen (Buffalo Bills)
- Joe Burrow (Cincinnati Bengals)
- Lamar Jackson (Baltimore Ravens)
Running Backs
- Derrick Henry (Baltimore Ravens)
- Joe Mixon (Houston Texans)
- Jonathan Taylor (Indianapolis Colts)
Wide Receivers
- Ja’Marr Chase (Cincinnati Bengals)
- Jerry Jeudy (Cleveland Browns)
- Nico Collins (Houston Texans)
- Zay Flowers (Baltimore Ravens)
Tight Ends
- Brock Bowers (Las Vegas Raiders)
- Travis Kelce (Kansas City Chiefs)
Offensive Linemen
- Tackles: Dion Dawkins (Buffalo Bills), Laremy Tunsil (Houston Texans), Rayshawn Slater (Los Angeles Chargers)
- Guards: Quenton Nelson (Indianapolis Colts), Joe Thuney (Kansas City Chiefs), Trey Smith (Kansas City Chiefs)
- Centers: Creed Humphrey (Kansas City Chiefs), Tyler Linderbaum (Baltimore Ravens)
Defensive Linemen
- Ends: Myles Garrett (Cleveland Browns), Trey Hendrickson (Cincinnati Bengals), Maxx Crosby (Las Vegas Raiders)
- Tackles: Cameron Heyward (Pittsburgh Steelers), Chris Jones (Kansas City Chiefs), Nnamdi Madubuike (Baltimore Ravens)
Linebackers
- Outside: Nik Bonitto (Denver Broncos), T.J. Watt (Pittsburgh Steelers), Khalil Mack (Los Angeles Chargers)
- Inside: Roquan Smith (Baltimore Ravens), Zaire Franklin (Indianapolis Colts)
Defensive Backs
- Cornerbacks: Derek Stingley Jr. (Houston Texans), Patrick Surtain II (Denver Broncos), Marlon Humphrey (Baltimore Ravens), Denzel Ward (Cleveland Browns)
- Safeties: Minkah Fitzpatrick (Pittsburgh Steelers), Kyle Hamilton (Baltimore Ravens), Derwin James Jr. (Los Angeles Chargers)
Special Teams
- Kicker: Chris Boswell (Pittsburgh Steelers)
- Punter: Logan Cooke (Jacksonville Jaguars)
- Return Specialist: Marvin Mims Jr. (Denver Broncos)
- Long Snapper: Ross Matiscik (Jacksonville Jaguars)
- Special Teamer: Brenden Schooler (New England Patriots)
Full NFC Pro Bowl Selections
Quarterbacks
- Jared Goff (Detroit Lions)
- Sam Darnold (Minnesota Vikings)
- Jayden Daniels (Washington Commanders)
Running Backs
- Saquon Barkley (Philadelphia Eagles)
- Jahmyr Gibbs (Detroit Lions)
- Josh Jacobs (Green Bay Packers)
Wide Receivers
- Justin Jefferson (Minnesota Vikings)
- Amon-Ra St. Brown (Detroit Lions)
- CeeDee Lamb (Dallas Cowboys)
- Terry McLaurin (Washington Commanders)
Tight Ends
- George Kittle (San Francisco 49ers)
- Trey McBride (Arizona Cardinals)
Offensive Linemen
- Tackles: Penei Sewell (Detroit Lions), Lane Johnson (Philadelphia Eagles), Tristan Wirfs (Tampa Bay Buccaneers)
- Guards: Landon Dickerson (Philadelphia Eagles), Tyler Smith (Dallas Cowboys), Chris Lindstrom (Atlanta Falcons)
- Centers: Frank Ragnow (Detroit Lions), Cam Jurgens (Philadelphia Eagles)
Defensive Linemen
- Ends: Nick Bosa (San Francisco 49ers), Micah Parsons (Dallas Cowboys), Rashan Gary (Green Bay Packers)
- Tackles: Dexter Lawrence (New York Giants), Jalen Carter (Philadelphia Eagles), Vita Vea (Tampa Bay Buccaneers)
Linebackers
- Outside: Jonathan Greenard (Minnesota Vikings), Andrew Van Ginkel (Minnesota Vikings), Jared Verse (Los Angeles Rams)
- Inside: Fred Warner (San Francisco 49ers), Zack Baun (Philadelphia Eagles)
Defensive Backs
- Cornerbacks: Jaylon Johnson (Chicago Bears), Byron Murphy (Minnesota Vikings), Jaycee Horn (Carolina Panthers), Devon Witherspoon (Seattle Seahawks)
- Safeties: Quandre Diggs (Seattle Seahawks), Jessie Bates III (Atlanta Falcons), Budda Baker (Arizona Cardinals), Talanoa Hufanga (San Francisco 49ers)
Special Teams
- Kicker: Jake Elliott (Philadelphia Eagles)
- Punter: Ryan Stonehouse (Tennessee Titans)
- Return Specialist: KaVontae Turpin (Dallas Cowboys)
- Long Snapper: Rick Lovato (Philadelphia Eagles)
- Special Teamer: Jeremy Reaves (Washington Commanders)