NFL Analysis
1/2/25
7 min read
6 Biggest Snubs From 2025 NFL Pro Bowl Games
The Pro Bowl selection process has always been imperfect, and that process leads to some noteworthy snubs left off of this year's roster.
The NFL announced its Pro Bowl rosters for this season on Thursday, along with the alternates who could fill in for the players who opt out of playing in the games. Fans, players, and coaches are given equal power in deciding who is named to the Pro Bowl rosters, leading to plenty of controversy every season.
This year is no exception, so let's take a look at which players were snubbed from being named a preferred Pro Bowler.
Biggest 2025 Pro Bowl Snubs
Catching up on Bucs offense tape and it's amazing to me that Baker Mayfield is 12th in MVP odds right now pic.twitter.com/rzlC3doPiU
— James Foster (@NoFlagsFilm) October 9, 2024
Baker Mayfield, QB, Tampa Bay Buccaneers 
It was a career year for Baker Mayfield, who went from a potential draft bust into a franchise quarterback just a couple of seasons after arriving in Tampa Bay.
Even with injuries across the offense, Mayfield has led the Buccaneers into a potential playoff spot and NFC South division title. He's set career-high marks in numerous categories, passing for 4,279 yards, 39 touchdowns, and 15 interceptions for a 107.6 passer rating.
Despite carrying Tampa Bay's offense, Mayfield was only given first alternate honors in the voting process. That's despite ranking fourth in the league in success rate and third in touchdown rate, according to NFELO.
It's not like the other NFC quarterbacks are undeserving, but the level that Mayfield had to play at to get Tampa Bay into a playoff position is incredible, and he deserved some national recognition for it.
Christian Gonzalez is a dangerous man
— Taylor Kyles (@tkyles39) December 2, 2024
Ridiculous closing speed and a great finish for the INT pic.twitter.com/0KcVXXDJ81
Christian Gonzalez, CB, New England Patriots
It's been a brutal year for the New England Patriots as a whole, but Christian Gonzalez has reminded everyone why he was a first-round pick back in 2023.
After playing in just four games as a rookie, Gonzalez has returned and played like a top-tier corner in his second NFL season. Along with two interceptions and 11 pass breakups, Gonzalez has allowed a passer rating of just 70.5 when targeted.
On top of the coverage ability, Gonzalez has a missed tackle rate of just 7.8 percent. He's an all-around shutdown corner who is allowing a catch on just 54.8 percent of his targets, with the length and play speed to stick to the best receivers in the league.
The rest of the AFC cornerbacks are talented, but outside of Pat Surtain II, there might not be another cornerback more talented than Gonzalez, even with how poorly the rest of New England's defense has played.
Zach Tom is an All-Pro level tackle
— Eli Berkovits (@BookOfEli_NFL) October 17, 2024
Don't let anyone tell you otherwise pic.twitter.com/qj8i7cgW2r
Zach Tom, OT, Green Bay Packers
The fact that no Green Bay Packers offensive linemen were named to the Pro Bowl is legitimately shocking.
Jordan Love has been kept clean in the pocket for large stretches of this season. He was sacked just once during a four-game span, and four times in an eight-game span. He's only been sacked 14 times this season, and his pressure-to-sack ratio of 9.1 percent is one of the lowest in the league.
On top of that, the Packers have established one of the most dominant run games in the league behind Pro Bowl RB Josh Jacobs. They have the fourth-ranked rushing offense by DVOA and have dominated the line of scrimmage in recent weeks.
Tom has played a key role by moving bodies in the trenches and keeping Love upright. He's allowed just three sacks and 22 pressures on the year and is the third-highest graded run blocker among tackles by Pro Football Focus.
He's only in his third NFL season, but Tom has quickly developed into one of the best and most well-rounded right tackles in football. That's a huge win for the Packers, who scooped him up in the fourth round back in 2022.
It's just a shame that he didn't earn any Pro Bowl recognition.
Bijan Robinson remains a joy to watch pic.twitter.com/FXiethFJ0m
— Nate Tice (@Nate_Tice) December 11, 2024
Bijan Robinson, RB, Atlanta Falcons
In any other season, a running back with Bijan Robinson's production would have been a no-doubt Pro Bowler.
Robinson finished the year with 1,286 yards and 12 touchdowns on the ground while adding another 428 yards and a score on 59 receptions. He's already one of a handful of players in NFL history with more than 3,000 scrimmage yards in his first two seasons, to go along with 21 total touchdowns and 117 catches.
What's even more impressive for Robinson is just how well-rounded he's become as an NFL running back. He had just one fumble with zero lost fumbles this season and has drastically improved in pass protection to stonewall free pass rushers in the pocket.
Robinson might have the hardest case of any of the snubs on this list, with Jahmyr Gibbs, Saquon Barkley, and Josh Jacobs all representing the NFC. However, the 22-year-old running back deserved some recognition for having such a productive season behind a limited quarterback in Kirk Cousins, who had the offense sputtering near the end of the year.
Brian Thomas Jr. highlights through Week 8. This is a future All-Pro pic.twitter.com/NVccwwPYlA
— James Foster (@NoFlagsFilm) October 29, 2024
Brian Thomas Jr., WR, Jacksonville Jaguars
In a loaded class of rookie wide receivers, it's a bit shocking that Brian Thomas Jr. wasn't selected to be a Pro Bowler, especially considering who got in ahead of him.
Thomas was only the 22nd pick in this year's draft, with multiple wide receivers taken ahead of him. However, he ended up being the most productive wideout of the group, catching 80 passes for 1,179 yards and 10 touchdowns.
All of that production happened despite playing on a struggling Jaguars team with Mac Jones under center for the tail end of the season. He averaged an impressive 2.42 yards per route run throughout the year and caught 10 passes for 418 yards and four scores on passes thrown 20-plus yards downfield.
That breakaway speed, combined with a 6-foot-4 frame and the explosiveness to get out of his release, made him an almost impossible player to guard this season. It's a shame he didn't make the Pro Bowl over a player like Zay Flowers, who had a great year but wasn't the efficient big-time playmaker that Thomas was in his first NFL season with a chaotic quarterback situation.
Lions DB Kerby Joseph is such a freaking stud. Reads this one the entire way. #OnePride pic.twitter.com/gZdToCaMpy
— Russell Brown (@RussNFLDraft) January 2, 2025
Kerby Joseph, SaF, Detroit Lions
How does the NFL's leader in interceptions not make the Pro Bowl?
It's not just that Kerby Joseph will likely finish the year with a league-leading nine interceptions. He also has 12 pass breakups, 54 solo tackles, and a passer rating of just 74.8 when targeted. He flies all over the field to jump passes and help support against the run. He rarely makes mistakes, with a missed tackle rate of just 6.0 percent this season.
With all of the injuries on Detroit's defense, Joseph has continued to be a reliable playmaker in the secondary. While some may consider him an unpopular option due to his growing reputation as a potentially dirty player, he's still been one of the most effective and exciting safeties in the league this season.
The All-Pro voters should help to give Joseph some national recognition by the end of the year, but the fact that he wasn't recognized as a Pro Bowler despite having the most interceptions in a year since 2021 feels grossly unfair to an ascending young player.
