Tyler’s Take: NFL players that got snubbed out of the 2025 Pro Bowl Games

Last week was all about the AFC and NFC Championship matchups. However, this week, the fun begins in Orlando, Fla, which is hosting the 2025 Pro Bowl Games. Between the two conferences, 88 participants get the opportunity to represent their respective teams. With that said, several players missed out on becoming pro bowlers, despite putting on amazing seasons. Before individuals began dropping out, the Miami Dolphins, New York Jets, Tennessee Titans and New Orleans Saints had no players going to Orlando.  

Jonnu Smith

Jonnu Smith is currently replacing tight end Travis Kelce in the Pro Bowl, but that’s not how he should have gotten in. The tight end had a breakout-year performance after the Miami Dolphins signed Smith in the 2024 offseason. Per ESPN, the 29-year-old passed Kelce in every category this year, with 884 yards and eight touchdowns. Smith never played his best until Tua Tagovailoa returned to the field, but Pro Bowl voting started on Nov. 25. This brings into question whether fans truly picked the two best tight ends or if they selected Kelce because of his name. 

Kerby Joseph

In the 2024 campaign, Kerby Joseph dominated the free safety position. The third-year Detroit Lion racked up 83 combined tackles, led the league with nine interceptions and returned one for a touchdown. In addition, Joseph was named First Team All-Pro and received 37 first-place votes, leading to all safeties, according to Yahoo Sports. Despite all his success this year, Xavier McKinney was picked for the NFC team.

Neither defender was a terrible option, but stats tell who outperformed the other. McKinney had five more tackles than Joseph, eight takeaways and one sack. The only difference is that the former Illinois safety had a touchdown. To add on, the first-year Green Bay Packer made First Team All-Pro as well. This was a close race but, by the end of the season, Joseph earned it more. 

James Cook

James Cook is in a similar situation to Smith. Running back for the Baltimore Ravens, Derrick Henry dropped out, giving Cook the opening. The former Georgia Bulldog was a massive part of the Buffalo Bills’ 13-4 record this year. The running back rushed for 1,009 yards, found the endzone 16 times and caught two passing touchdowns. The 25-year-old is tied with Jahmyr Gibbs and Henry for first in rushing touchdowns, per the NFL. Comparing Cook’s stats, he nearly beat Joe Mixon in every category. Mixon carried the ball for 1,016 yards for 11 scores. That’s only seven more yards and five fewer touchdowns than the third-year player. In addition, Mixon had 38 more rushing attempts. Switching over to Jonathan Taylor, the 26-year-old passed Cook with 1,431 yards but fell short in scoring. One could argue that Cook participated in 16 matches while Mixon and Taylor missed three contests. Despite the advantage, the third year running back helped the Bills when needed most. 

Bo Nix

The replacements for Josh Allen and Lamar Jackson came out, and not adding Bo Nix was a mistake. The dynamic quarterback started off rough but quickly got the hang of the game. Nix threw four interceptions between weeks one and two but only turned the rock over once in the following 10 games. The former Oregon Duck finished with a total of 12 interceptions. Despite that struggle, the rookie completed 376 passes in 567 attempts for 3,775 yards and 29 touchdowns.

Looking at the AFC quarterback alternatives, neither Russell Wilson nor Drake Maye played the entire season. Wilson threw for 2,482 yards, while Maye launched the ball for 2,276 yards. Regardless of gaining the advantage to earn a better completion percentage, the veteran quarterback ended the year at 63.7 percent, while Nix sat at 66.3 percent. The former North Carolina quarterback just barely passed the 24-year-old with 66.6 percent. Despite not performing at the beginning of the season, Wilson and Maye struggled when under pressure. The veteran took 33 sacks, while the rookie had 34. In 17 clashes in the regular season, Nix went down 24 times. The Arkansas native has the mobility to get out and earn a positive gain, unlike Wilson and Maye, making him the clear choice for this event.

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