The NFL announced its full roster for the 2025 Pro Bowl Games on Thursday, a collection of the 88 best-performing players from the 2024 season—44 apiece from the NFC and AFC. But as is tradition, the deserving players left off the initial Pro Bowl rosters are just about as notable as the ones who earned the nod.
Pro Bowl weekend looks a lot different these days. The NFL's annual showcase now is a combination of skills challenges and a flag football contest instead of a full-fledged game between the stars of the AFC and NFC. But the Pro Bowl is still meaningful to players, especially when it comes to building out career résumés and bonus structures in contracts.
Of course, there are more Pro Bowlers to be named. Some players will opt out of the Pro Bowl Games, including those on the two teams to advance to Super Bowl LIX, therefore opening up opportunities for others to book a trip to Orlando, Fla., and fill the spots.
Without further ado, here are 10 players snubbed of a Pro Bowl nod this season:
Baker Mayfield, QB, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Mayfield's best season should have led to a Pro Bowl nod. The NFC quarterbacks are Jared Goff, Sam Darnold and Jayden Daniels, and given the various situations of all three, Mayfield has an argument to be in over all of them. The other three quarterbacks have put up great seasons, but Mayfield made the most out of the least.
As of Thursday, the 29-year-old is currently second in the NFL in completion percentage (71.7), third in passing yards (4,279), fifth in yards per attempt (8.0), second in touchdown passes (39) and fourth in passer rating (107.6). All of that came while having top target Chris Godwin limited to just seven games after breaking his ankle, and Mike Evans missing three contests in the middle of the season.
Mayfield has finally found his fit in Tampa Bay, and he deserved to be rewarded for what he did in 2024.
Danielle Hunter, DE, Houston Texans
What more did Hunter have to do to earn a spot in his fifth Pro Bowl and third in a row? In his first season with the Texans, Hunter followed up the best season of his career with another outstanding campaign.
In 2023 with the Minnesota Vikings, Hunter racked up a career-high 16.5 sacks and forced four fumbles. The Vikings didn't bring him back, and Houston locked him down on a two-year, $49 million deal. The Texans got their money's worth, as Hunter is third in the NFL with 12 sacks and tied for third with 17 tackles for loss heading into Week 18. He ranks sixth among edge rushers with 66 pressures this season, has forced a fumble, and broke up three passes.
The 30-year-old fully deserved a spot on the AFC's Pro Bowl team.
Jordan Mailata, OT, Philadelphia Eagles
Pro Football Focus player grades are far from an exact science, but it is worth noting that Mailata is the highest-graded player (95.8) in the NFL this season. He has paved the way to running back Saquon Barkley's MVP-worthy season and protected quarterback Jalen Hurts en route to an NFC East title.
The Eagles are sending three-fifths of their offensive line to the Pro Bowl already in right tackle Lane Johnson, right guard Landon Dickerson and center Cam Jurgens. Mailata is just as deserving.
James Cook, RB, Buffalo Bills
Cook has been excellent this season, rushing for 981 yards and 15 touchdowns on 197 carries (5.0 yards per carry), while adding 258 yards and two touchdowns on 32 receptions. That's 1,239 total yards and 17 touchdowns. He was named an alternate, but he should have been in over Houston's Joe Mixon.
Josh Allen gets all the attention for the Bills' offense, and that's fair given the season he's having. But Cook is a huge piece to the puzzle that makes the team go. He made his first Pro Bowl in 2023 and is having a much better season in '24.
The Bills are locked into the No. 2 seed in the AFC and are likely to rest starters in Week 18. That means Cook may not get the chance to top 1,000 rushing yards for the second consecutive season. It doesn't matter. He was a major snub.
Kerby Joseph, S, Detroit Lions
A safety is among the seven players the Lions are sending to the 2025 Pro Bowl Games—but that was Brian Branch, not Joseph.
While the Lions' defense has struggled with injury issues throughout the year, Joseph has been a consistent, healthy option in the secondary. In 16 games, Joseph has tallied 77 tackles, a career-high 12 passes defensed and nine interceptions, which leads the NFL. No other defensive player has more than seven picks.
Malik Nabers, WR, New York Giants
Despite an awful season and a terrible roster, the Giants did one thing right in 2024—they selected Nabers with the No. 6 pick in the 2024 NFL draft. Given all the issues New York had this season, Nabers has been remarkable.
The rookie has only played in 14 games and has had to deal with the likes of Daniel Jones, Tommy DeVito, Drew Lock and Tim Boyle playing quarterback. Despite that, he's currently fourth in the NFL in receptions (104), eighth in receiving yards (1,140) and has six receiving touchdowns. He also leads the NFL in targets (162)—mostly because he doesn't have anyone to take the pressure off him in the receiving game.
Nabers should have been in over Washington's Terry McLaurin, who he tops in receptions (74 for McLaurin) and yards (1,034). McLaurin made it because of his 12 touchdowns, but Nabers had the better overall season.
C.J. Gardner-Johnson, S, Philadelphia Eagles
The Eagles' defense is the top-ranked unit in the NFL this season, allowing a stingy 280.9 yards and 18.1 points per game. Gardner-Johnson is a big reason for their dominance.
In 16 games this year, Gardner-Johnson tallied 59 tackles, 12 passes defensed, two tackles for loss and six interceptions, tying a career high. He was named the NFC Defensive Player of the Week on Dec. 31 for his efforts in Philadelphia's 41–7 rout of the rival Cowboys, as he hauled in two interceptions and took one back for a 69-yard touchdown return on Dallas's opening drive.
Gardner-Johnson appeared to note his Pro Bowl snubbing on social media Thursday evening.
Kyren Williams, RB, Los Angeles Rams
The Rams won the NFC West this season, but it wasn't the high-flying passing offense led by Matthew Stafford, Cooper Kupp and Puca Nakua that led the way. With his top targets injured early in the season, Sean McVay leaned on his running back and Williams delivered.
Williams is currently third in the NFL in rushing yards (1,299), tied for second in rushing touchdowns (14), second in carries (316), and has added 34 receptions for 182 yards and two more touchdowns. It was Williams's second consecutive 1,000-yard season, and it looks like he's just warming up.
The NFC's running back room will be crowded with Saquon Barkley, Jahmyr Gibbs and Josh Jacobs, but Williams should have gotten a spot.
Brian Thomas Jr., WR, Jacksonville Jaguars
Thomas was the fourth receiver off the board in the 2024 NFL draft, but he enters Week 18 leading all rookies with 1,179 receiving yards this season. Thomas only has gotten better as the season goes on, too, as he has tallied at least seven catches for at least 86 yards in each of his last four games.
The Jaguars have plenty of questions to answer this offseason. Looking for a No. 1 receiving option in 2025 and beyond is not one of them.
Bucky Irving, RB, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Irving, a fourth-round pick by Tampa Bay in April, is the only rookie to register over 1,000 rushing yards this season. Entering Week 18, Irving has tallied 1,033 rushing yards on 188 carries—an average of 5.5 yards per attempt, which only trails Pro Bowlers Barkley (5.8), Derrick Henry (5.8) and Gibbs (5.6) among the 14 running backs to surpass the 1,000-yard mark this year.
