2025 NFL Football Bounce-Back Candidates

Key Takeaways

• Joe Burrow won the NFL Comeback Player of the Year award last season.

• Burrow’s fellow quarterbacks, Trevor Lawrence, C.J. Stroud, Dak Prescott, and Aaron Rodgers, could win the CPOY award this season.

• Christian McCaffrey could also lift the heralded CPOY hardware.

After suffering a season-ending wrist injury in 2023, Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow returned to form during the 2024-25 NFL season, throwing for a league-leading 4,918 passing yards and 43 touchdowns. “Joe Cool” couldn’t quite get Cincy to the playoffs, but he was still rewarded with the NFL Comeback Player of the Year award.

This marked Burrow’s second time winning the award, having also won it in 2021 after sustaining a serious knee injury during his rookie season. It made him the first player to ever win it twice with the same team.

Following his fantastic 2024-25 season, Burrow won’t win the CPOY award again this year. However, plenty of other players will vie to take home the CPOY trophy. 

Here are the 2025 NFL football bounce-back candidates and the questions they must answer to complete award-worthy comebacks.

Can Trevor Lawrence Bounce Back With Help From Travis Hunter?

After signing a five-year, $275 million contract extension in June 2024, Trevor Lawrence endured one of his most disappointing NFL seasons. The former No. 1 pick threw for just 2,045 passing yards and 11 touchdown passes, leading the Jacksonville Jaguars to an abysmal 2-8 record before suffering a season-ending concussion.

Ironically, Lawrence’s struggles may have set him up for future success. His backup quarterback, Mac Jones, didn’t fare much better, going just 2-5 and enabling the Jags to earn the No. 5 pick in the 2025 NFL Draft.

The Jags then pulled off a trade with the Cleveland Browns to move up to the No. 2 pick, where they selected dynamic cornerback/wide receiver Travis Hunter. Lawrence and Hunter are already prominently featured on the 2025 Panini Certified Football Hobby Box.

The Jags also hired former Tampa Bay Buccaneers offensive coordinator, Liam Coen, to be their head coach and retooled their offensive line, putting Lawrence in the position to reverse last season’s bad fortunes. As long as he remains healthy, he could finally take his career to the next level.

Is Christian McCaffrey Going to Play Week 1 and Avoid Injuries This Season?

Electric, explosive, and versatile are all words routinely used to describe Christian McCaffrey. But unfortunately, they have often been overshadowed by another word: injury-prone.

The No. 8 pick in the 2017 NFL Draft has dealt with persistent ankle, leg, and shoulder injuries. The 2024-25 season was one of his worst years yet from a health perspective. The San Francisco 49ers running back started it with a calf and Achilles injury and eventually saw it cut short by a knee injury.

The good news is that McCaffrey is now 100% healthy. He’s also just one year removed from rushing the football for a career-best 1,459 yards, indicating he still has enough left in the tank to be one of the NFL’s best RBs. Additionally, San Francisco will have less horsepower this season after trading away star wide receiver, Deebo Samuel.

All of this will likely lead to the Niners leaning on McCaffrey even more than usual. He has the chance to shed the “injury-prone” label and show why San Fran gave up four draft picks to acquire him from the Carolina Panthers in 2022.

Will C.J. Stroud Come Back Looking Like He Did During His Rookie Season?

The Houston Texans finished C.J. Stroud’s first two NFL seasons with identical 10-7 records. They also reached the playoffs during both seasons.

Yet, NFL analysts were quick to categorize Stroud’s second year as a “sophomore slump” for the following reasons:

• He threw for just 3,727 passing yards, down from 4,108 during his rookie campaign.
• He tossed 20 touchdowns, down from 23 the previous season, while throwing seven additional interceptions.
• His passer rating fell from 100.8 during his rookie season to 87.0.

The Texans parted ways with top wide receiver, Stefon Diggs, and five-time Pro Bowler offensive tackle, Laremy Tunsil, this offseason, suggesting Stroud’s struggles could continue.

However, the Texans hired a new offensive coordinator, Nick Caley, and worked to bolster their offensive line. They also added several skilled football players, including running back Nick Chubb and wide receiver Christian Kirk.

Plus, Stroud will get back to throwing to wide receiver Nico Collins. Although Collins amassed over 1,000 receiving yards in 2024 to earn his first Pro Bowl nod, he will be trying to pull off a comeback of his own after missing multiple games with a hamstring injury. A return to full health for Collins could be the key to Stroud bouncing back.

Is Dak Prescott Returning to the Cowboys With a Renewed Sense of Urgency?

The 2024-25 season was a massive disappointment for the Dallas Cowboys. A big part of the reason for this was the season-ending hamstring injury that Dak Prescott sustained in November.

Even before Prescott went down, though, he wasn’t exactly lighting it up. Through eight games, his pass completion percentage was 64.7%, his lowest since 2017. His passer rating was also 86.0, the lowest of his career.

The Cowboys did their part this offseason to help Prescott turn things around. They hired a new head coach, Brian Schottenheimer, who is implementing an offensive scheme to play up Prescott’s strengths.

Dallas also pulled off a trade with the Pittsburgh Steelers to land wide receiver George Pickens. They will pair him with CeeDee Lamb to provide Prescott with a top-notch receiving corps.

Can Aaron Rodgers Retire on Top After a Stint With the Steelers?

Aaron Rodgers turns 42 in December, making him the most unlikely bounce-back candidate. He’s also coming off one of his worst statistical seasons.

Rodgers failed to throw for over 4,000 passing yards with the New York Jets despite playing in all the team’s games. This had only happened twice previously during his two-decade career.

So, why include the long-time Green Bay Packers great as one of the 2025 NFL football bounce-back candidates? For starters, he’s with a much better team after signing with the Pittsburgh Steelers. He’s also teaming up with wide receiver DK Metcalf, whom the Steelers landed in a trade with the Seattle Seahawks.

More importantly, Rodgers recently stated that he’s “pretty sure” this season will be his last. This could provide the necessary motivation to leave it all out on the field this year. Even if Rodgers is just a shadow of his former self, it could help him lead the Steelers to a successful season before riding off into the sunset.

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