Ranking top 10 NFL Front Offices

Top 10 NFL Front Offices according to The Athletic

1. Baltimore Ravens (GM: Eric DeCosta)
   • Points in Poll: 259 (150 from first-place votes)
   • Why They Rank High: The Ravens are lauded for consistency, knowing exactly what a "Raven" is—tough, versatile players who fit their system. DeCosta, succeeding Ozzie Newsome, has maintained a draft-heavy approach, making smart trades (e.g., Orlando Brown Jr. for a first-round pick that became Odafe Oweh) and extending core players early. Their ability to reload talent while staying competitive, even after losing key evaluators, is unmatched.
     
     
   • Key Moves: Drafting Lamar Jackson, signing Mark Ingram, and trading for Marcus Peters.
   • X Sentiment: Posts highlight DeCosta’s efficiency in maximizing value, with some calling him a top-3 GM.
2. Kansas City Chiefs (GM: Brett Veach)
   • Points in Poll: 174 (130 first-place votes)
   • Why They Rank High: Veach and Andy Reid’s synergy, dating back to 2004, creates a clear vision for roster building. Their bold draft move for Patrick Mahomes and subsequent roster fortification (e.g., Trent McDuffie and George Karlaftis from the Tyreek Hill trade) have fueled three Super Bowl wins in five years. Their young defense (NFL’s youngest by average age) ranks third in expected points allowed.
     
   • Key Moves: Trading Tyreek Hill to save $75M and gain draft capital, drafting Mahomes.
   • X Sentiment: Chiefs’ sustained success is attributed to Veach’s adaptability.
3. San Francisco 49ers (GM: John Lynch)
   • Points in Poll: 151 (30 first-place votes)
   • Why They Rank High: Lynch and Kyle Shanahan have built a roster with seven All-Pros, reaching two Super Bowls and four NFC Championship Games since 2019. Their 62 wins (regular season + playoffs) from 2019-2023 rank third in the NFL. They’ve also produced GMs for other teams (e.g., Adam Peters, Kwesi Adofo-Mensah), showing front-office talent development.
     
   • Key Moves: Drafting Nick Bosa, trading for Jimmy Garoppolo, and signing Trent Williams.
   • Challenges: Contract disputes (e.g., Brandon Aiyuk, Trent Williams) raised eyebrows, but their talent accumulation overshadows this.
     
4. Philadelphia Eagles (GM: Howie Roseman)
   • Points in Poll: 140 (50 first-place votes)
   • Why They Rank High: Roseman’s aggressive yet calculated approach—trading for stars like A.J. Brown and drafting well (e.g., Jalen Carter)—has kept Philly a perennial contender. The Eagles’ front office is a pipeline for talent, with four assistant GMs recently poached. Their culture and roster depth led to a Super Bowl LIX win in 2024.
     
   • Key Moves: Trading for A.J. Brown, drafting Jalen Hurts, and signing Saquon Barkley.
   • X Sentiment: Roseman is often ranked as the top GM for consistency in drafting and free-agent signings.
5. Detroit Lions (GM: Brad Holmes)
   • Points in Poll: Appeared on ballots, ranked 5th
   • Why They Rank High: Holmes has transformed Detroit from a laughingstock to a contender, with savvy draft picks (e.g., Aidan Hutchinson, Jahmyr Gibbs) and trades (e.g., Carlton Davis). His focus on culture and aggressive roster building earned praise, with five agents voting him the best GM in a separate poll.
     
   • Key Moves: Drafting Penei Sewell, trading for Jared Goff, and signing D.J. Reader.
   • X Sentiment: Holmes is highly respected for his talent evaluation.
6. Green Bay Packers (GM: Brian Gutekunst)
   • Points in Poll: Appeared on ballots, ranked 6th
   • Why They Rank High: Gutekunst has rebuilt the Packers post-Aaron Rodgers, hitting on draft picks like Jordan Love and Josh Jacobs. His 2019 free-agent spree (Za’Darius Smith, Preston Smith) and draft successes (Jaire Alexander) show balance. The Packers’ front office has also produced GMs like John Schneider (Seahawks).
     
   • Key Moves: Drafting Jordan Love, signing Xavier McKinney.
7. Seattle Seahawks (GM: John Schneider)
   • Points in Poll: Appeared on ballots, ranked 7th
   • Why They Rank High: Schneider’s draft acumen (e.g., Russell Wilson, DK Metcalf) and ability to stay competitive despite roster turnover are notable. His hiring of Mike Macdonald and navigating cap challenges keep Seattle relevant.
     
   • Key Moves: Drafting Devon Witherspoon, trading for Leonard Williams.
   • Challenges: Some question their cap management and draft consistency.
8. Los Angeles Rams (GM: Les Snead)
   • Points in Poll: Appeared on ballots, ranked 8th
   • Why They Rank High: Snead’s “F— them picks” philosophy led to a Super Bowl LVI win, trading first-rounders for stars like Matthew Stafford and Jalen Ramsey. Their “stars and scrubs” approach relies on hitting mid-to-late-round picks (e.g., Puka Nacua), though a 5-12 season in 2022 raised questions.
     
   • Key Moves: Trading for Stafford, drafting Cooper Kupp.
   • X Sentiment: Praised for bold moves but criticized for draft capital risks.
9. Buffalo Bills (GM: Brandon Beane)
   • Points in Poll: Appeared on ballots, ranked 9th
   • Why They Rank High: Beane ended Buffalo’s playoff drought in 2017 and built a perennial contender around Josh Allen. His patient approach with coaching staff and culture-building (praised by executives) is a strength. The Bills’ front office has produced GMs like Joe Schoen (Giants).
     
   • Key Moves: Drafting Josh Allen, trading for Stefon Diggs.
   • Challenges: No Super Bowl appearance despite consistent playoff runs.
     
10. Pittsburgh Steelers (GM: Omar Khan)
    • Points in Poll: Appeared on ballots, ranked 10th
    • Why They Rank High: Khan, taking over in 2022, has revitalized Pittsburgh with smart signings (e.g., Patrick Peterson) and drafts (e.g., Broderick Jones). The Steelers’ model of stability and low-key roster tweaks keeps them playoff-relevant.
      
    • Key Moves: Drafting George Pickens, signing Russell Wilson.
    • X Sentiment: Noted for consistency but less flashy than top-tier offices.

I personally would put a couple of other franchises above us. Chargers, Buccaneers and Texans to start.

 

I suspect you would just for the sake of complaining

But you would be wrong

Just look at those teams over the last 10 years

Enough said

 

I should preface it with the last few years not the last ten years.

 

Seems miopic but ok

 

It’s too early to tell for sure but I honestly like what the Steelers are doing since khan / Weidl took over the front office.

He is making moves that just weren’t part of the process under Colbert, playing the comp game etc.

The team is missing a QB. That will be the big test for this front office in the near future.

 

There it goes again. This darn add.

Anyway I guess in a long winded way I was trying to say this is no longer the same Steelers organization we have all been used too. In fact I believe Art Jr. is even more at fault than Tomlin. The best Rooney was Dan Rooney. We won all of our Super Bowls under him I believe. He took over for Art Sr. in the late 60’s I believe and then ran it until a little after Cowher retired. Art Jr. may have inherited a that last Super Bowl with Dan’s players and FO and Coaches. But this team is drastically different from then.

You could say it is similar to the 80’s Steelers but even those 80’s teams had a hardness to them that these recent Steelers don’t have. Noll was in the process of building another good team before he handed it over to Cowher. He had a good foundation built up with some stars on that team with Woodson and Lloyd etc. I just don’t want to see this team make irrational and desperate moves because we think we are closer than we are.

 

Khan has done well. But one fireable offense is not opening a new 4 year QB window and sticking with it regardless of what Tomlins says. Tomlin is not in charge of talent acquisition and QB windows.

 

there are a lot of teams with franchise QB's that have been in place and they aren't in super bowls either. is that successful? should they be ranked high? you still have to build a whole team and with that franchise QB making a lot of loot there is a fine line to that building.

every team would like to have all pro's at every position and trade for them and draft them and pick them up in free agency but that really isn't going to happen.

it's not just about the GM either. the owner, GM and coach has to be on the same wavelength. some let their GM do the work. some don't.

here is a couple of questions for you. if weidl and omar had free reign do you think we would get to where we need to be? how much are they hindered by art2 and MT in what they do? it's not the same for every team out there. would omar and weidl even keep MT? sometimes there are too many cooks in the kitchen.

 

Indeed it is too early to truly evaluate them. The problem however is you have to take into consideration the coach as well. The FO doesn’t fully make the decisions and I doubt in our case they make the final decision. The Kenny Pickett, Queen, Metacalf and even Rodgers all feel like moves heavily influenced by Tomlin and Rooney. I’m by no means saying our FO is bad I’m just not sure we are top yet. It is very hard to evaluate players like Broderick Jones. Is it on the FO or is it on the coaching? I do think we dropped the ball last year trying to get a WR in FA and we overspent for one this year. I think we dropped the ball on how we handled Fields as well. Finally it looks these days of waiting to extend our Star players is coming back to bite us with Watt.

 

2 of those top 10 never won a Super Bowl.

 

That’s so foolish it’s hilarious

 

How is that relevant to today? It all about what have you done for me lately.

 

Tomlin should feel lucky to be a fixture at head coaching position and the ownership stands behind him on that. Just beacuse that is so and the ownership protects the head coach positions does not mean Tomlin is end all be all and should have his nose everything.

 

Actually he should

 

• Key Moves: Drafting George Pickens, signing Russell Wilson.

I don't see how Russell Wilson's time in Pittsburgh can be anything, but a failure.

By signing Russell they lost Kenny Picket, as he thought Mike Tomlin had lied to him about competing for the Starting job in 2024.
They lost Justin Fields this offseason, because he was not allowed to compete for the starting job during the 2024, because Tomlin and company had guaranteed Russell the starting position before, during, and after the season.

The Russell Wilson signing has left the Steelers QB room a complete disaster for 2025.

 

Yes
Tomlin did not lie to him actually it appears he was quite open with him
Fields was allowed to compete
Maybe

 

Philadelphia Eagles (GM: Howie Roseman)

• Points in Poll: 140 (50 first-place votes)
• Why They Rank High: Roseman’s aggressive yet calculated approach—trading for stars like A.J. Brown and drafting well (e.g., Jalen Carter)—has kept Philly a perennial contender. The Eagles’ front office is a pipeline for talent, with four assistant GMs recently poached. Their culture and roster depth led to a Super Bowl LIX win in 2024.
  
• Key Moves: Trading for A.J. Brown, drafting Jalen Hurts, and signing Saquon Barkley.
• X Sentiment: Roseman is often ranked as the top GM for consistency in drafting and free-agent signings.

And I still believe the the Eagles Front Office have doomed themselves to many, many years of failure because they don't know how to manage the cap.

2024 Eagles spend $399 million on roster.
2025 Dead Cap is $60.9 million

Future Dead Cap money is $356 Million!!!!

Eventually the Eagles will need to have an Uncapped year, or just simply not play a year.

 

This is what I believe happened. I know people like to kick Kenny because he is down, but can you blame him for demanding a trade???

Tomlin lied to Kenny at the end of the 2023 season when he told him he would be the Steelers starter going into the 2024 and it would be his job to lose. It would be an open and fair competition in camp.

After signing Russell, Tomlin had to tell Kenny that they had to guarantee the starting job to Russ and he would not be able to compete for it. (He was Open with him about breaking his word)

Kenny told Tomlin to "Take this Job and Shove It". As many other employees would do, if their boss completely screwed them out of a promotion, by hiring someone off the street.

I remember at the end of the 2023 season when Rudolph fans were going nuts, because Mike Tomlin kept calling Kenny QB1, and would not acknowledge the fact that Mason Rudolph had over taken Kenny on the depth chart.

 

Yes it was cowardly

Where did you come up with Tomlin telling him he would be the starter going into 2024 there is always competition show me proof of your claim

Russ was not guaranteed the starting job this has been cleared up repeatedly

 

LOL... It is going to kill you this year when Kenny becomes the starting QB of the Browns, beats the Steelers twice and picks up a playoff victory, all while the Steelers finish 5-12.


Someone here told me that I was crazy for thinking the Steelers would get rid of Mike Tomlin after one bad year; but how about 1 bad year, and watching Art Rooney's local Kid, Kenny "2 Gloves" Picket, have success in the NFL while your own team finishes last in the Division???

I will be on the Kenny bandwagon this year just to stick it to Tomlin and Khan.

 

I definitely think Tomlin dances around the edge sometimes with players and isn’t always forth right in his communication style. I think it is more about his wavering or delayed decisions that can be just as upsetting for players. I’m sure Fields felt frustrated last year with Tomlin. Although I think Tomlin learned his lesson with Pickett, as a result I think he was probably upfront and forthright with Fields.

I remember in 2023 when Pickett got hurt and it was Trubiscky that came in and then it was the next game Pickett wanted to play but they held him out for precautionary reasons so he threw a tantrum and wasn’t going to dress for the game and be number two. I don’t know if that was true or not, but it does seem to me that Pickett had a bit of temper. He had this expectation without having justified or earning the right to have an expectation yet. Its like a bad golfer getting mad when they slice the ball, as if they expecting it to be a perfect shot.

 

I like the way you changed the subject

 

Incorrect. Tomlin job is the head coach. He is not in charge of talent acquisitions. He is in charge of his coachis staff, practice schedule, and 53 men roster.

 

I assume you are new to football

You came to the right place to learn

 

My first response was... "that is my story and I am sticking to it"