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2025 NFL Free Agency: The Moves Already Made and Those Still to Come

Photo of Scott Kacsmar Scott Kacsmar11/03/2025 - 08:28 am
Sam Darnold #14 of the Minnesota Vikings
(Photo by Stephen Maturen/Getty Images)

The NFL does free agency a bit differently these days as they’ll say it officially begins at 4:00 p.m. Wednesday, but deals have been announced at a steady stream ever since the “legal tampering period” started Monday afternoon.

In other words, we’re doing an NFL free agency preview here, but it’s also a review of some of the biggest moves already announced. Either way, this is the time for team building that will hopefully be smart instead of foolish spending, but you know some teams are itching to engage in the latter and that’s why we don’t talk about them come January.

Alas, this is the time of year to grow your roster with proven talent. We’re going to focus on what really matters in the NFL: Quarterbacks, the pass rushers who go after them, the tackles who protect them, and the receivers they throw the ball to.

That’s not to say the other positions aren’t important or won’t be covered, but those are the moves to watch when you’re talking about impact for the 2025 season. We’ll also acknowledge some of the players who were re-signed and were not necessarily free agents this month.

We’ll come back later this week with a review of the other free agent signings and any potential trades.

NFL Free Agency

Quarterbacks: Geno Smith Starts the Game of Musical Chairs

We said this free agency period could be a real game of musical chairs at the quarterback position, and that has already started playing out this week:

  • The Seahawks are trading Geno Smith to the Raiders for a third-round pick.
  • That led to the Seahawks agreeing to a 3-year deal for roughly $100 million with Sam Darnold.
  • The Jets are moving forward in the Aaron Glenn coaching era with Justin Fields, who left Pittsburgh for a 2-year deal worth $40 million.
  • With Russell Wilson in limbo, does that mean Aaron Rodgers goes to the Steelers? They are reportedly talking, but Rodgers is not expected to be released until Wednesday.
  • Still available: Aaron Rodgers, Russell Wilson, Daniel Jones, Jameis Winston, Joe Flacco, Mac Jones, Carson Wentz, Marcus Mariota.

Don’t forget that Kirk Cousins could be on the move as the Falcons have already turned things over to Michael Penix Jr. late last season.

The Lateral Move of Going from Geno to Darnold

We’ll talk about Seattle’s wide receiver moves later, but this sure looks like a team that is not trying to seriously compete for a Super Bowl in 2025. You can say they’re making moves for the long-term future, you can say Geno Smith wasn’t going to win them a Super Bowl. But going with Darnold sure feels like a lateral move, and at best, you’re getting younger at the quarterback position.

But in those last two games of the season, the real Sam Darnold sure seemed to show up as he couldn’t get anything done against Detroit’s defense, then he couldn’t stop making mistakes against the Rams in the playoffs. He’s also going from a quarterback-friendly offense to a lesser one that won’t have Justin Jefferson’s talent. They’ll try to win games with an improved defense, but the fact is Geno did a lot to carry bad defenses in Seattle the last few years.

As for the Raiders getting Geno, they had to do something after going into 2024 with literally no real plan. The AFC West is ridiculously loaded at quarterback and head coach, but Pete Carroll has been to the postseason with Smith before. He’ll love having Brock Bowers at tight end. They don’t have a whole lot else there, but he can make receivers better as a pocket passer. No issue with that trade.

But replacing Geno with Darnold is probably the best definition of a lateral move. Not a fan of those.

Did the Jets Find Their QB?

I don’t fundamentally mind the Jets giving Justin Fields another chance, which gives him Garrett Wilson for an Ohio State reunion. But you have to understand the severe limitations in his game, which the Steelers realized when they made the switch to Russell Wilson last year and didn’t go back.

  • Fields is 0-22 in the NFL when his team allows more than 20 points.
  • Fields is 2-18 (.100) at fourth-quarter comeback opportunities, the worst record among active starters and one of the worst records in NFL history.

You have to play some really good defense and can’t afford to fall behind with this guy at quarterback, which is asking a lot if you’re going to compete in the AFC with so many good quarterbacks, not to mention in a division with Josh Allen.

The Jets last year blew a league-high six leads in the fourth quarter and were 2-7 at comebacks and 3-8 at game-winning drive opportunities, so adding Fields to that mix isn’t exactly encouraging.

Aaron Glenn will be tasked to fix the defense, but let’s not act like his Detroit defenses were stalwarts. That team was led by its offense. Glenn will likely be aggressive from coaching under Dan Campbell, and he got a lot of credit in 2024 for what he did with a badly injured defense. But we can’t just assume the Jets will have a top 10 defense or that Sauce Gardner is still an elite corner anymore.

At least it’s only a small investment in Fields and they didn’t do something stupid like give him $40 million for one season.

Steelers: Rodgers or Wilson?

The Steelers should be the next domino to fall when they decide between what is likely a final two of retaining Russell Wilson or going with another veteran who won a Super Bowl ages ago in Aaron Rodgers. They are reportedly in discussion with Rodgers’ camp about making this happen, but nothing is set in stone yet.

I think you could make the argument that trading for D.K. Metcalf would be an argument to retain Wilson since that was his No. 1 wideout in Seattle and there’s obvious chemistry there. Going with an even less mobile quarterback in Rodgers who turns 42 in December doesn’t sound like the greatest idea, and you can bet he’ll likely command a larger salary than what Wilson had last year or would want in a new deal.

But if the Steelers don’t go for Rodgers, it’s hard to see where they go as Kirk Cousins would probably be the worst decision of the three. There’s also Daniel Jones if they want to attempt to be another team to salvage a MetLife Stadium reject going into Year 7.

Teams like the Titans and Giants are probably pondering the same things the Steelers are about these players, and it comes down to who makes the next move. Stay tuned.

Wide Receivers: Rams Get Top Prize

There have already been some significant moves at wide receiver:

  • The Commanders acquired Deebo Samuel in a trade from the 49ers last week.
  • The Steelers announced a tentative trade of a second-round pick to Seattle for D.K. Metcalf on Sunday.
  • Not to be outdone, the NFC West was shaken up even more when the Rams signed Davante Adams on Sunday to a 2-year deal worth $44 million as Cooper Kupp is expected to be released or traded.
  • The Commanders lost Dyami Brown, a playoff star, to the Jaguars, who traded Christian Kirk to the Texans.
  • The Bills lost Mack Hollins to the Patriots, but they upgraded with Josh Palmer from the Chargers, who should be in the market to get some more weapons beyond Ladd McConkey for Justin Herbert.

Here are some of the best players still available with no moves announced yet:

  • Stefon Diggs
  • Keenan Allen
  • Amari Cooper
  • Brandin Cooks
  • Diontae Johnson
  • Tyler Lockett
  • DeAndre Hopkins
  • Mike Williams
  • Robert Woods
  • Josh Reynolds

It should be interesting to see who opts for Stefon Diggs, who is coming off a torn ACL. He still has some WR1 potential or a high-end WR2 on the right team. Him taking a cheap contract to join the Chiefs would be interesting with the legal issues Rashee Rice and Xavier Worthy face, but after re-signing Hollywood Brown for another year, the Chiefs are likely out on Diggs.

One player some thought could get away would be Chris Godwin in Tampa Bay, but the Buccaneers found a way to keep him in the fold with a new deal.

Also, the Bengals used the franchise tag again on Tee Higgins, so he is likely staying put as the price tag keeps getting higher for Cincinnati.

D.K. Metcalf and George Pickens Are the Spider-Man Meme Come to Life

No move this week has more potential for explosive plays, team toxicity, and meme gold than the Steelers pairing D.K. Metcalf with George Pickens before they even figure out their quarterback for 2025. Granted, maybe there’s a trade of Pickens still to come, because these two guys are eerily similar in how they play the game.

For one, they’re both better on deep balls. They also aren’t afraid to throw a defensive back into the parking lot even if they’re not targeted on a play. Social media is already going wild about this pairing.

Honestly, I’m not sure these two can co-exist. You typically want your WR1 and WR2 to complement each other’s skillset, and that just wouldn’t happen here as both players essentially have the same strengths and weaknesses. They need a slot receiver/chain mover to balance things out in the worst way, and that player just isn’t on the roster yet unless they want to go for Cooper Kupp, Keenan Allen, or Tyler Lockett too.

So, we’ll get a better idea of this pairing if we ever figure out who the quarterback is this year, and if they actually do plan on keeping Pickens. Because Metcalf isn’t going anywhere with a big extension thought to be worth $150 million over the next five years coming his way from the Steelers.

Hope he likes coleslaw and French fries on his sandwiches.

Rams and Commanders Closing the Gap on Eagles

You have to like the moves the Commanders (Deebo Samuel) and Rams (Davante Adams) made as they look to close the gap on the champion Eagles in the NFC. The Commanders were the only team to beat Philadelphia since October, and the Rams came the closest to beating them in the postseason.

With Deebo, he had a down year in 2024, but he was also playing through injury on an injury-ravaged offense, and he is one of the best YAC receivers in NFL history. He needed a change of scenery, and if Jayden Daniels can keep elevating the talent around him the way he did as a rookie, he should find a lot of success with Samuel in 2025, especially since he only needs to be WR2 with Terry McLaurin in town.

As for the Rams, Puka Nacua clearly took over as WR1 from Cooper Kupp, who was great when he was healthy, but that was rare these days. Also, Kupp’s production really sank last year, and Matthew Stafford only seemed locked into Nacua late in the year. With Davante Adams, I think that gives Stafford a different look that he can exploit to great success as Adams and Nacua are both ball hogs who demand high volume and can get open in a variety of ways.

It’s a good move for the Rams, who should be considered a dark horse Super Bowl candidate with one of the few quarterbacks and coaches in the league who can say they have a ring. Don’t forget the young pieces on defense (Jared Verse, Kobie Turner, Byron Young, Braden Fiske, etc.) who should only get better.

The Pass Rushers: Keeping the Studs Under Lock and Key

We saw once again the importance of pass rush in Super Bowl 59, especially that ability to get pressure with just your front four going after the quarterback. You can never have enough good pass rushers in this league.

That’s why one of the fun talking points for this month was going to be those teams on the cusp of a Super Bowl (think Bills and Commanders) going all in and trading for a stud edge rusher like Maxx Crosby (Raiders) or Myles Garrett (Browns). The latter requested a trade right after the insane Luka Doncic trade shook up the NBA in February.

It’s hard to take a team like the Bills seriously to get past the Chiefs in the playoffs if they don’t get a stud on the edge like that. But unfortunately for the other 30 teams in the NFL, it looks like Crosby and Garrett are staying put with their losing franchises as those teams coughed up the most money in NFL history for a non-quarterback contract.

Crosby signed first to a 3-year deal worth $106.5M. Garrett answered with a 4-year deal worth $160 million, which is basically the ill-fated Daniel Jones contract from the Giants. That makes Garrett the first $40M defender on a per-year basis.

Those two moves put a damper on the pass-rusher market this year, and the Chargers also made a 1-year deal to bring Khalil Mack back. But that doesn’t mean there aren’t any good players out there. In fact, we have already seen some deals agreed to:

  • The Cardinals are reuniting Josh Sweat (Eagles) with Jonathan Gannon’s defensive mind after agreeing to a 4-year deal worth $76 million.
  • That Philadelphia front is getting raided a bit with defensive tackle Milton Williams seeing his strong season fetch him $104 million from the Patriots, which is probably an overpay, but we’ll see for a franchise that used to have players like Richard Seymour and Vince Wilfork.
  • The Saints re-signed Chase Young to a 3-year deal worth $51 million, which feels like a lot for a guy who only played 63% of the snaps last year with 5.5 sacks as the former No. 2 overall pick has struggled to live up to the hype.
  • The Bears got busy in the Ben Johnson era by beefing up the front with Dayo Odeyingbo (Colts) and Grady Jarrett (Falcons).
  • With money to spend, the young Commanders decided to give defensive tackle Javon Kinlaw (Jets) a 3-year deal worth $45 million.
  • Haason Reddick didn’t deliver for the Jets, but we’ll see what he can do for a 1-year deal worth $14 million with Tampa Bay.

Here are some of the best defensive linemen and edge rushers still available:

  • Joey Bosa
  • Von Miller
  • DeMarcus Lawrence
  • Dre’Mont Jones
  • Matt Judon
  • Charles Omenihu
  • Preston Smith
  • Za’Darius Simth
  • Larry Ogunjobi

With Joey Bosa, I think you have to consider the possibility of a family affair by joining brother Nick on the 49ers. He also could be a target for the Bills as they need to beef up that pass rush after releasing a veteran like Von Miller.

Offensive Tackles: Not a Strong Year

We already showed you don’t need a great left tackle to be a dynasty, but it’s a position you can’t really afford to have a stiff at either. But overpaying one in free agency can be tricky. This is also not a strong year for offensive tackles in free agency:

  • Dan Moore had a so-so career at best in Pittsburgh, but he still got a 4-year deal worth $82 million from the Titans that is as much of an eyebrow raiser as any move this week.
  • Jaylon Moore (no relation to Dan) surprisingly got a $30 million deal over two years from the Chiefs as apparently their new left tackle, coming over from the 49ers where he rarely started.
  • Veteran Morgan Moses is going from the Jets to the Patriots, staying in the AFC East.
  • Cam Robinson is still on the market after playing for the Vikings last year.

The move we’ll definitely be keeping an eye on is Jaylon Moore in Kansas City as presumably the new left tackle for Patrick Mahomes, who has started five Super Bowls with five different left tackles. They already have agreed in principle to trade guard Joe Thuney, who they made their fourth left tackle in 2024, to the Bears, so it looks like a revamped line is coming for the Chiefs in 2025.

Let’s just hope Moore isn’t a penalty machine and can hold up in this offense that is seemingly going with a new left tackle every season now. But as this free-agent class shows, left tackles don’t grow on trees.

Best of the Rest

Again, there’s only so much space to cover the important moves, and we’ll be back at the end of the week to see what else has transpired. But here is a quick summary of some of the other key moves announced so far at other positions not already covered:

  • The Packers likely overpaid in a big way for guard Aaron Banks (49ers), signing him to a 4-year deal worth $77 million.
  • The Colts have made the splashiest move so far for a safety, pulling Camryn Bynum away from the Vikings for $60 million over four years and also adding corner Charvarius Ward (49ers) for another $60 million.
  • While the Vikings paid corner Byron Murphy top dollar ($66 million over three years) to stay in town, Carlton Davis is getting $60 million to leave the Lions for New England.
  • Linebacker Harold Landy has been injured in recent years, but new coach Mike Vrabel is used to seeing his best in Tennessee, so the Patriots are giving Landry a chance to revitalize his career.
  • Linebacker Dre Greenlaw leaves the 49ers for the Broncos in a solid pick-up for a defense on the rise.
  • Running back Najee Harris is joining the Chargers, putting an end to his 4-year tenure with the Steelers.

As for names to keep an eye on this week, you have to figure Miami safety Jevon Holland can get a decent contract from someone. Tight end is also pretty bare, but Evan Engram (Jaguars) is on the market and showed he can be a reliable receiver after a struggle with the Giants. Someone is likely going to make him their new TE1 with a lot of targets in 2025.

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Photo of Scott Kacsmar Scott Kacsmar11/03/2025 - 08:28 am