Which player has the most pressure to perform well in 2025?

[hermanotarjeta]

Who will get the most blame if their team doesn’t succeed?

[asujbl]

LeBron James

[oldgoldy97]

JJ Mac.

[majestik101]

Shadeur Sanders and Cam Ward

[Fenway55]

I think there is a lot of pressure on both Josh Allen and Lamar Jackson to finally get over the KC Chiefs hump that neither one of them have been able to overcome.

It may seem like just yesterday they were drafted, but each is entering his 8th year in the League. The window does not stay open forever.

[sethc1020]

Originally Posted by Fenway55

I think there is a lot of pressure on both Josh Allen and Lamar Jackson to finally get over the KC Chiefs hump that neither one of them have been able to overcome.

It may seem like just yesterday they were drafted, but each is entering his 8th year in the League. The window does not stay open forever.

I don't feel like there is any pressure at all with either of them, they are both solidified as MVPs and there is nobody coming to take their job even if they don't get over the hump. Would be nice if they could but even if they don't neither team is going to move on from them.

[Hawksmack]

Russell Wilson. He personally needs 4 wins to move into the top 10 all time. The Giants are projected to win 3 games ugh!

[Fenway55]

Originally Posted by sethc1020

I don't feel like there is any pressure at all with either of them, they are both solidified as MVPs and there is nobody coming to take their job even if they don't get over the hump. Would be nice if they could but even if they don't neither team is going to move on from them.

Respectfully, I think saying it "would be nice" to beat KC is a wee bit of an understatement.

Fans don't give 2 darns about MVP awards. It is almost embarrassing to have the 2 MVP's and no Super Bowl appearances. In fact, Jackson is the only player of the Super Bowl era who can make that claim. Their legacies will depend on if they ever made it to and won the Big One. You only get so many bites at the apple. Believe me, the pressure is on and getting hotter every year.

[sethc1020]

Originally Posted by Fenway55

Respectfully, I think saying it "would be nice" to beat KC is a wee bit of an understatement.

Fans don't give 2 darns about MVP awards. Their legacies will depend on if they ever made to and won the Big One. You only get so many bites at the apple

I agree but at the end of the day, the fans aren't going to be saying they need to get rid of Allen or Lamar if they don't beat KC in the playoffs this year. So there is zero pressure on them. I guess Im looking at more of a stand point of front office pressure and you're make more of career/legacy pressure take which makes sense.

[Fenway55]

Originally Posted by sethc1020

I agree but at the end of the day, the fans aren't going to be saying they need to get rid of Allen or Lamar if they don't beat KC in the playoffs this year. So there is zero pressure on them. I guess Im looking at more of a stand point of front office pressure and you're make more of career/legacy pressure take which makes sense.

Well I mean if that's our criteria, then the "most pressure" is on all those 3rd string borderline QBs who legitimately might make the team but also legitimately might not. The difference between making the team as a backup or 3rd stringer QB versus getting cut could be millions.

[tjforce]

Prefer to break guys down into a few tiers, because almost any NFL QB is going to be facing some kind of pressure:

High Paid QBs that could have people will be calling for their jobs:

-Purdy: Maybe the most pressure. Huge contract coming off of a losing season. He won't get benched, but he'll catch a lot of flack if he doesn't perform

-Dak: Not only is he under the microscope of Dallas, they added Pickens next to Lamb, so there will be a higher expectation to succeed.

-Tua: Does he still have it or have the concussions gotten to him?

-Lawrence: Has Brian Thomas and Travis Hunter. The excuses stop if he can't get it together this season

-Herbert: Year 2 of Harbaugh he'll be expected to deliver


Young QBs that need to prove they are NFL Starters:

-JJ McCarthy: Has to follow the act Darnold put on last season. We haven't seen anything from him yet

-Caleb Williams: Will always be tied to Jayden Daniels

-Bryce Young: Almost flushed year 2, then showed some skill. Needs to show which QB he is.

Stars that need to prove they are champions, but are secure as one of the NFL's top QBs regardless:

-Josh Allen: We know the story. MVP, HOF trajectory, has lost the the Chiefs 4 times in the playoffs and the Bengals once

-Lamar Jackson: 2 Time MVP. 3-5 record in the playoffs.

-Joe Burrow: Huge stats last year. He missed the playoffs for the 3rd time in 5 NFL seasons.

As little pressure as they could face:

Jalen Hurts: He has his Super Bowl win, a ton of talent around him, and not much more he needs to prove right away

Baker Mayfield: From Panthers scout team to $100MM contract again. Baker being a mid tier QB for a long time is all he needs to continue making a fortune in the NFL.

His own their with a different type of pressure nobody else faces:

Patrick Mahomes: The man who has more Super Bowl appearances (5) than Playoff losses (4) will actually face less pressure this year than last season when everyone was fixated on the 3 peat. The different kind of pressure will come from an all time high 7 Prime Time games, including what will be the most watched regular season game in NFL history on Thanksgiving vs the Cowboys. The social media machine will try to convince you that everything he or his team does is some evil master plan by whichever political party you aren't aligned with, and half of you reading this will believe it. But at the end of the day, whatever happens with the Chiefs this year they'll be in the exact same spot at the center of the NFL universe next season and for the foreseeable future as the league's prime draw. So there's a kind of pressure that goes with carrying the league's brand, the same way LeBron or Steph Curry have been doing it for the last 10-20 years.

[Siberian13]

Originally Posted by hermanotarjeta

Who will get the most blame if their team doesn’t succeed?

Brock Purdy the way people are talking about his contract.

Mahomes because people hate him.

Based on Philly fans, anyone on their team.

[49erRCCollector]

Originally Posted by Siberian13

Brock Purdy the way people are talking about his contract.

Mahomes because people hate him.

Based on Philly fans, anyone on their team.

This seems right.

[ThatGuyPal]

Ward, Jaxson Dart and Fields. NY will eat you alive if you’re trash

[CardClub2Elect]

Originally Posted by ThatGuyPal

Ward, Jaxson Dart and Fields. NY will eat you alive if you’re trash

You would think they would be full by now.

[blackvodka]

No mention of Dak? He has to have at least a little pressure I would believe.

Tua? Does anyone even trust him to stay in the field at this point?

Lamar and Allen will need postseason success, but the pressure in the regular season won't be there unless their teams really struggle.

Burrow will be interesting as well. I also think Love and Goff could get some concerns with early season struggles.

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[starfox]

I think it's Dak. He's lost the confidence of some teammates and fans. Jerry Jones really didn't get him any help last year, and it showed. The team should be better this year, but Dak is judged by the playoffs. Although Jerry has been the main reason this team hasn't won, Dak is going into year ten. That many years in, with how much money he makes, it's time to stand and deliver.

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[JWBlue]

I actually think the pressure is off Dak. Nobody expects anything from him any more.

Most pressure. Purdy is the easy answer.

[sethc1020]

Purdy

[Floridacardguy]

The answer SHOULD ALWAYS BE, Dak Prescott.

[Chicosbailbonds]

Originally Posted by Floridacardguy

The answer SHOULD ALWAYS BE, Dak Prescott.

Dak and Tua, agree.

[2010GBPackers]

Purdy - He just got Top 5 money with everyone and their mom knowing their roster was the biggest reason for the 49ers' success. This is his chance to prove them wrong.

JJ McCarthy - The Vikings built a SB roster and are about to roll out a second-year rookie coming off of two leg surgeries. That's a degree of confidence I don't have. Why build a roster this good and insert an unproven guy to lead it? I have no idea. If they're 2-3 after 5 games, the fan base will grow angry.

Mahomes - If he has another mid year AND the team doesn't do that well, it'll be interesting to see how he and Reid deal with it. KC fans will have no reason to be irritable - they've won 3 SB's in 6 years, but his hobby standing and active GOAT crown will be challenged.

[daveyc1]

Purdy now has 260MM pounds strapped to his shoulders. lots of pressure

[nabzy28]

The fans hold Cowboys players more accountable than anyone in that organization does. There's zero pressure on Dak. If anything, the entirety of that 'pressure' is on the offensive line. They've been complete trash for years, no matter what the screaming clowns on ESPN and everywhere else would love for people to believe. 1 or 2 of them show up, and the other 3 are nothing more than an overpaid turnstile.

IF Pickens can maintain some semblance of teamwork and minimize drama, it could actually be a huge addition, since the defense won't be able to commit 3 or 4 defenders to CeeDee on every snap any longer.

[bojesphob]

Originally Posted by nabzy28

The fans hold Cowboys players more accountable than anyone in that organization does. There's zero pressure on Dak. If anything, the entirety of that 'pressure' is on the offensive line. They've been complete trash for years, no matter what the screaming clowns on ESPN and everywhere else would love for people to believe. 1 or 2 of them show up, and the other 3 are nothing more than an overpaid turnstile.

IF Pickens can maintain some semblance of teamwork and minimize drama, it could actually be a huge addition, since the defense won't be able to commit 3 or 4 defenders to CeeDee on every snap any longer.

I would say that all of the things that Packers fans complained about with McCarthy are what Cowboys fans now see him doing in Dallas. He doesn't change his gameplan when other teams have him figured out, the offensive lines he assembles end up being the offensive weakpoint, and the defense always underperforms in crucial games because McCarthy doesn't hold the defensive coordinator accountable for how they're doing (either that or the DC is more of a figurehead and Mike thinks it's his responsibility). Sometimes a coach doesn't fit a system somewhere and then does better in a system that allows him to improvise more (Reid, Belichek come to mind). McCarthy seems the opposite of that, he is limited more by his tendencies than he is by the team culture.