Aaron Rodgers, Justin Fields, NFL players under the most pressure in 2025
The NFL season won't kick off until September, but plenty of players around the league are already facing pressure to succeed in 2025.
The pressure players are facing stems from a variety of factors. Some are playing for new teams. Others have been elevated to new roles in which they need to prove they belong. A handful will be looking to help their respective teams advance deeper into the playoffs than they have in recent seasons.
Per usual, quarterbacks will disproportionately comprise the group of players facing the loftiest expectations ahead of the upcoming season.
Below is a look at the players under the most pressure to perform well during the 2025 NFL season.
Aaron Rodgers, QB, Pittsburgh Steelers
The Steelers have been a perennial playoff team under Mike Tomlin, but they haven't won a postseason game since the 2016 NFL playoffs. They signed Rodgers, hoping the four-time MVP could break that drought and lead the team on a Super Bowl run.
Will Rodgers be up to the challenge? The 41-year-old completed 63% of his passes for 3,897 yards, 28 touchdowns and 11 interceptions with the Jets last season but led them to just a 5-12 record. If he can't deliver better results in Pittsburgh, he may not get a chance to extend his one-year pact with the team – should he even want to continue his career following the season.
Justin Fields, QB, New York Jets
Fields signed a two-year deal with the Jets in free agency, but they can move on from him with relative ease during the 2026 offseason if things don't go well. As such, the 2021 first-round pick will have to quickly establish himself as the team's starting quarterback and find consistent success to keep the job beyond this season.
Fields is entering his fifth NFL season and while he won't turn 27 until March, he is running out of chances to prove he can be a quality starting quarterback. If he can't take advantage of the opportunity in New York, he may be relegated to backup duty in 2026 and beyond.
J.J. McCarthy, QB, Minnesota Vikings
The Vikings view McCarthy as their long-term starter at quarterback and seem likely to be patient with the 2024 first-round pick. Still, the 22-year-old is taking over a Minnesota team that went 14-3 with Sam Darnold at quarterback last season and is facing lofty expectations in 2025.
The expectations aren't coming from McCarthy being viewed as an immediate, major upgrade over Darnold. They stem more from the upgrades Minnesota made to its overall roster, particularly in the trenches on both sides of the ball.
Many anticipate that fielding better blocking and an improved pass rush should only make the Vikings more competitive. The one variable is whether McCarthy can perform at or close to the Pro Bowl level Darnold demonstrated for most of the regular season last year.
Michael Penix Jr., QB, Atlanta Falcons
Like McCarthy, Penix – a 2024 first-round pick – is likely to get multiple seasons to prove himself as a starting quarterback. However, Penix is facing a unique challenge after the Falcons opted to keep Kirk Cousins as his backup.
Atlanta signed Cousins to a four-year, $180 million contract during the 2024 offseason. The 37-year-old was benched late in the season in favor of Penix after struggling to consistently score, but if the productive passer can regain his form, he could push the 25-year-old for playing time.
That may leave Penix feeling as though the sword of Damocles is hanging over his head. He will face consistent pressure to deliver strong results and avoid mistakes, which may not be ideal for a second-year quarterback who has made just three career starts.
Ricky Pearsall, WR, San Francisco 49ers
Pearsall recorded 31 catches, 400 yards and three touchdowns across 11 games during his rookie season. More than half of that production (14 catches, 210 yards, two touchdowns) came over his final two games of the season, giving 49ers fans hope the 2024 first-round pick can blossom into a quality weapon for the team.
Now, Pearsall will have to do just that. The 49ers traded Deebo Samuel during the offseason and Brandon Aiyuk may not be ready for the start of the 2025 season while recovering from a torn ACL. That will leave Pearsall and Jauan Jennings as Brock Purdy's top wide-outs to begin the season. Purdy figures to rely on both, especially with Christian McCaffrey coming off an injury-plagued season and George Kittle entering his age-32 season.
Will Campbell, OT, New England Patriots
The Patriots had arguably the NFL's worst offensive line last season. They signed veterans like right tackle Morgan Moses and center Garrett Bradbury to help shore up Drake Maye's protection, but a significant portion of the responsibility for improving the unit will fall on Campbell.
New England made Campbell the No. 4 overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft after he enjoyed a standout, three-year career at left tackle for LSU. While Campbell's tape was great, many questioned whether his below-average arm length would impede him from playing the outside at the NFL level.
The Patriots believe Campbell will hold up just fine at left tackle. He will need to show an ability to do that as a rookie, both to keep Maye's blind side clean and to show he won't have to kick inside to guard to find success at the NFL level.
Patrick Paul, OT, Miami Dolphins
Paul is set to be Miami's replacement for left tackle Terron Armstead, a five-time Pro Bowler who retired in April after 12 seasons. The Dolphins will need the 2024 second-round pick to hold up on the left side to keep the oft-injured Tua Tagovailoa from taking too many shots to his front side.
The Dolphins are just 3-7 without Tagovailoa in three seasons with Mike McDaniel, so keeping him clean and healthy will be paramount for Paul and the team.
Haason Reddick, edge, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Reddick had just one sack for the Jets in 2024 after missing the first seven games of the season, holding out for a new contract. The 31-year-old will need to rebuild his value in 2025 and will seek to do so after signing a one-year deal with the Buccaneers.
Reddick had at least 11 sacks every season from 2020 to 2023. If he can reach that height again, he should be able to land at least one more lucrative, multi-year contract. If not, he may be forced to play on a year-to-year basis to continue his career.
Cam Taylor-Britt, CB, Cincinnati Bengals
Taylor-Britt allowed a 67.6 passer rating in 2023, per Pro Football Focus. Last year, that figure ballooned to 118.5 for a Cincinnati defense that struggled, allowing 25.5 points per game and ranking 22nd in defensive EPA.
Taylor-Britt was benched on multiple occasions because of his issues in coverage. Despite this, Cincinnati didn't sign any major free agents or spend a draft pick on their secondary. As a result, the Bengals will need Taylor-Britt to play closer to his 2023 form to get the most out of their secondary. If not, the team figures to have a tough time containing opposing passing games.