With each new year of revamped rosters and coaching staffs, the NFL schedule offers a fresh set of chances for revenge — and a fresh set of moments when someone will go home disappointed. Playoff rematches lure competitive hype. Discarded players eagerly await the chance to show their former employers what they still have left in the tank. Every once in a while, even a coach is happy to show their ex-team:It wasn't me — it was you. So as theNFL reveals its full 2025 schedule Wednesday night, we present Yahoo Sports' top 10 grudge matches of the coming season. Here's where you'll want to tune in for an extra dose of drama: Entering free agency this spring, two-time Pro Bowl receiverDK Metcalfbelieved he merited his next megadeal. TheSeattle Seahawksdidn't agree, so theyinstead traded Metcalf after six seasons to the Pittsburgh Steelersfor a second-round draft pick, and exchanged late-round picks. Metcalf got his five-year, $150 million extension. But will he be able to produce? His ceiling will depend heavily on his quarterback. Metcalf will needAaron Rodgerseven more afterPittsburgh traded possible partner-in-crime receiver George Pickens to the Dallas Cowboys. The competitive potential here hinges on the Steelers' quarterback answer. If they land Rodgers, Metcalf can aim to remind Seattle his 2024 dropoff was more about an MCL injury than indefinite aging. This isn't a Super Bowl rematch, but who can deny how entertaining theRavens' 27-25 AFC divisional-round loss to the Billswas? These returning AFC contenders feature the top quarterbacks of the 2024 season, a race so tight that voters gaveLamar Jacksonthe first-team All-Pro nod while awardingJosh AllenMVP honors. Quarterbacks had not split those awards since 1987, per The Ringer. Expect each of these teams to view their faceoff as a reminder of the playoff hump both have come so close to surmounting before ultimately falling victim toPatrick Mahomesand Co. And consider the regular-season match thefirstfaceoff of this duo. Don't be surprised if a playoff rematch awaits. The Ravens lost to the Chiefs last season with an out-of-bounds touchdown attempt deciding the league season opener. And Baltimore dropped the AFC championship — and that elusive Super Bowl berth — to the Chiefs the playoffs prior. Mahomes and Co. will always be a reminder that Jackson's two-time MVP status and perennial excellent performance has not taken his franchise where he most wants to go. Slaying the Kansas City dragon is his next step. Anyone who watched Dan Campbell's news conference after the Commanders upset his No. 1 seed Lions in the NFC divisional round will knowhis emotions were raw. Campbell's red eyes and raspy voice illustrated what he said: "It hurts." The Lions were shell-shocked after a five-turnover performance to an upstart Washington squad. Detroit's 2025 climb will face new obstacles after offensive coordinator Ben Johnson left for theChicago Bearshead job and defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn took the helm of theNew York Jets. With a new play-caller, quarterbackJared Goffwill look to flush his three-interception playoff loss. Both teams will seek to prove 2024 was a foundation builder rather than a mirage. Some of you may be old enough to remember quarterbackSam Darnoldleading the Vikings to a 14-3 finish last season … and then not receiving a return offer. The Seahawks signed Darnold to a three-year deal worth $100.5 million with $55 million guaranteed. Seattle's goal will be to tap into the playmaking that Darnold showed at the beginning of the season before the regular-season finale vs. Detroit showed cracks that a nine-sack playoff loss to theLos Angeles Ramsfurther exposed. The Vikings' attention to their offensive line this spring suggests Minnesota didn't believe Darnold alone was the problem. It will nonetheless be fascinating to see how Darnold works with a new cast and coordinator, and how 2024 first-round quarterbackJ.J. McCarthydebuts for Minnesota in returning from two knee surgeries. Will the Vikings' QB gamble pay off? The Cowboys may still be seeing ghosts from last season's fall against Ben Johnson's offense, the Lions thrashing the Cowboys 47-9 in Jerry Jones' home. Adding to the ghosts lurking in this matchup: Johnson was hired as head coach after the Bears' in-season firing of Matt Eberflus — who is now the Cowboys' defensive coordinator. Who's ready to see what he cooks up to thwartCaleb Williams, the quarterback he drafted first overall? Eberflus' return to Chicago, the Dallas defense's chance to solve the Johnson schematic puzzle, and both teams' big-market interest set up a matchup worth catching. The Patriots' stock is looking up for multiple reasons, but arguably the top is their hiring of head coach Mike Vrabel. Why was Vrabel available? Because the Titans and team owner Amy Adams Strunk fired him after six years and a 54-45 record … only to fire the general manager who outlasted him, Ran Carthon, a year later. Vrabel's reputation for guiding disciplined, tough, physical teams precedes him. The former Patriots player returns to New England with a mission and a chip on his shoulder. Expect that to shine most brightly against the Titans organization that believed it was better without him. And expect Vrabel to arrive with a plan to disrupt Titans quarterback andfirst overall draft pick, Cam Ward. No, don't start asking about the officiating conspiracy theories this game will invite. The Chiefs have bested the Bills in every playoff matchup betweenJosh AllenandPatrick Mahomes, a record of 4-0 for those counting at home. Wildly, the pre-playoff results are the opposite: Allen is 4-0 all-time in the regular season against the Chiefs. Does that mean bettors should pick Allen to win the lower-stakes matchup again? Tough to say. But like the Ravens' visit to the Chiefs, expect this to be a potential playoff rematch with a deep and sensitive history. One grudge match angle is guaranteed:Justin Fields' chance to show the Steelers they shouldn't have let him walk at season's end — and perhaps they shouldn't have benched him forRussell Wilsonafter Fields engineered a 4-2 season start. But what catapults this game to our second-grudgiest grudge match is the potential forbothquarterbacks to be on revenge tours if Rodgers signs with Pittsburgh after all. The Rodgers-Jets experience failed on multiple levels, including an unceremonious endingwhere Rodgers felt slightedthat he flew across the country to be de facto fired by the Jets' new regime. He has made public his emotions about that meeting. Expect him to fuel the flames again if he suits up for this contest. The Super Bowl rematch isn't only tantalizing because these clubs most recently faced off on the biggest stage. The game was also arguably the most confounded the Chiefs have looked in the playoffs since Mahomes and Andy Reid began their five-Super-Bowls-in-six-years tear. While the 40-22 result was closer than the Chiefs' Super Bowl loss to Tom Brady and the Buccaneers four years prior, garbage time hides the reality of the 34-0 deficit Kansas City faced deep into the third quarter. With three minutes to play, Mahomes and Co. trailed 40-6. They were stunned on both sides of the ball. Will Steve Spagnuolo's defense finally be able to slow the Eagles' pick-your-poison attack? And will Mahomes find answers to the swarming Eagles defense? Bonus: The Atlanta Falcons vs. any opponent Kirk Cousins may sign with For now, Atlanta retains Cousins on its roster. But if the supply-demand imbalance of the league prompts the Falcons to trade Cousins, keep an eye out. The likeliest team to want Cousins (hello, Pittsburgh) doesn't play Atlanta this year. But maybe injury or theNew Orleans Saints losing Derek Carrto retirement changes the calculus. Cousins has reason for ire after the Falcons signed him to a megadeal only to blindside him a month later by draftingMichael Penix Jr.eighth overall. If Cousins doesn't get the chance to exact revenge, we'll leave this matchup in the category of grudge matches wewishedwe could see this year … joiningGeno Smithvs. the Seahawks,Daniel Jonesvs. the Giants and first-year Jaguars head coach Liam Coen vs. theTampa Bay Buccaneersteam he left abruptly. Bonus category, take two:If you haven't had enough grudges yet, we're also excited to watch… Cooper Kuppand his new Seahawks team face the Rams with whom Kupp spent eight years and won a Super Bowl. Is Kupp worth the money Seattle was more willing to pay than Los Angeles? Russell Wilsonand the Giants take on theDenver Broncoswho chose to pay a lot of money to cut Wilson last year. Wilson's Steelers played Denver last year when he was injured, so this would be his first chance to let Sean Payton know how he feels about their divorce. Giants-Eagles will never stop being juicy as long asSaquon Barkleyplays. For the Giants' second overall draft pick to guide a Super Bowl title run in his first yearwithoutthe team that drafted him and let him walk continues to haunt the nightmares of New York team co-owner John Mara.
