"Bad teams stay bad" - Mike Florio bursts NFL parity myth while name-dropping 2025’s real Super Bowl threats

The Super Bowl is the pinnacle of professional football. It gives teams the chance to etch their name in history by lifting the prestigious Vince Lombardi Trophy.

Ahead of the 2025 season, NFL analyst Mike Florio has name-dropped 2025's real Super Bowl threats while bursting the illusion of parity in the league. In Sunday's article on NBC Sports, Florio wrote:

"In any given year, not many teams truly are (in Super Bowl contention). And while franchises are not apparently in the window can, in theory, win their way in, the current salary-cap system has matured to the point where some teams have cracked the code — and some teams cannot crack their way out of a paper bag."

Florio listed this season's real Super Bowl threats. He wrote:

"This year, the AFC’s true short-list contenders are the Kansas City Chiefs, Buffalo Bills, Baltimore Ravens, Cincinnati Bengals, and Houston Texans. The Denver Broncos and Los Angeles Chargers could force their way into the conversation.

"In the NFC, it’s the Philadelphia Eagles, Detroit Lions, Los Angeles Rams, San Francisco 49ers, and Washington Commanders. Maybe the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Maybe the Minnesota Vikings."

He concluded:

"Free agency, salary cap, and the draft process that rewards failure should be enough to mix things up (in Super Bowl contention). But the reality is that good teams stay good, and bad teams stay bad."

The above-listed teams are stacked with Pro Bowl-caliber players and have made the postseason in recent years. They've also been active in the ongoing offseason and look primed to make a genuine Super Bowl push.

Which teams are the Super Bowl favorites?

Mike Florio listed numerous Super Bowl contenders in the AFC and NFC. Florio's list didn't include odds for the next Super Bowl champ, but ESPN did.

According to ESPN, the Philadelphia Eagles (+600) and Kansas City Chiefs (+600) are joint favorites to hoist the Vince Lombardi Trophy in the 2025 season. It sounds just about right as both teams faced off in Super Bowl LIX with the Eagles emerging victorious.

The Baltimore Ravens (+650), Buffalo Bills (+700) and Detroit Lions (+900) round up the rest of the top five. These teams have some of the most stacked rosters in the NFL and will look to end their Super Bowl droughts in the upcoming campaign.

Super Bowl 60 will occur on Sunday, February 8, 2026, at Levi’s Stadium in San Francisco, California. The Stadium is the home ground of the San Francisco 49ers, and it'll be the first time since Super Bowl 50 that the stadium is hosting the biggest game of the NFL season.