Here’s everything you need to know about 2025 NFL free agency. We picked out sleepers, quarterbacks to watch and top names.
NFL free agency officially begins at 4 p.m. ET March 12, but teams can start negotiating with players on March 10. We have you covered with everything you need to know. That includes a preview of what to expect, a look at the best available players, key teams to watch, quarterbacks who could be on the move, perfect player-team fits, bold predictions and interesting sleepers.
We also picked out free agents who could break the bank and asked one big question to our Patriots, Bengals and Saints reporters. Finally, we wrap it all up with an evaluation of how deals could impact April’s NFL draft and next season’s fantasy football landscape.
Here’s what you need to know about free agency. (Salary cap figures are via Roster Management System as of March 5.)
Jump to:
Preview | Top names | Franchise tags
Quarterbacks to watch | Bank breakers
Active teams | Quiet teams | Best fits
Big questions | Deepest position | Sleepers
Bold predictions | Draft outlook | Fantasy spin
Quarterback Matthew Stafford and the Rams reached an agreement on a contract adjustment, which created a trickle-down effect for all quarterback-needy teams — the Raiders, Giants, Steelers and Browns. The most notable quarterbacks in free agency are Sam Darnold, Justin Fields, Russell Wilson and Aaron Rodgers (whom the Jets are expected to release).
With the salary cap increasing by $23.8 million to a record $279.2 million, many teams will have plenty of cap space to shop with when the negotiating window opens at noon ET on Monday.
On offense, some moves ahead of the franchise-tag deadline and negotiation window reshaped the class of receivers available. The Bengals tagged Tee Higgins, who would have been the top receiver in free agency, for a second consecutive season. The Jets released receiver Davante Adams, who should have many options but will have to decide whether he wants to team up with Rodgers again or forge his own path forward. Chris Godwin (ankle) and Stefon Diggs (ACL) are set for the open market, but both are coming off season-ending injuries, so it will be interesting to see how that affects their value.
Outside of receiver, watch for teams to spend on the offensive line, where tackle Ronnie Stanley and center Drew Dalman have each reached free agency.
Defensively, there’s always a premium placed on pass rushers. There will be a market for veterans Josh Sweat, Khalil Mack, Haason Reddick and Joey Bosa, each of whom could provide an immediate impact. — Lindsey Thiry, national NFL reporter
Read more: NFL free agency live tracker . Grading signings (ESPN+)
Matt Bowen stacked the top 10 free agents available.
1. Ronnie Stanley, OT
2. D.J. Reed, CB
3. Chris Godwin, WR
4. Sam Darnold, QB
5. Josh Sweat, Edge
6. Milton Williams, DT
7. Khalil Mack, LB
8. Charvarius Ward, CB
9. Jevon Holland, S
10. Joey Bosa, Edge
Read more: Ranking the top 100 free agents (ESPN+) . 32 players who need a change of scenery
Only two teams used the franchise tag before the Tuesday deadline. The Kansas City Chiefs kicked things off by tagging guard Trey Smith. Wide receiver Tee Higgins received the Cincinnati Bengals’ tag for the second straight year.
Read more: Franchise tag tracker . What is an NFL franchise tag? . Tag deadline winners, losers (ESPN+)
Sam Darnold: Even as the Vikings remain committed to J.J. McCarthy as their franchise quarterback of the future, Minnesota would love to find a way to bring Darnold back. The problem is he will likely find better deals on the open market because the Vikings are already paying Justin Jefferson $35 million per year and plan on pivoting to McCarthy as soon as he’s ready. The 27-year-old Darnold is coming off a career-best season, throwing for 4,319 yards and 35 touchdowns. If he doesn’t have a market, no one will.
Aaron Rodgers: He’s 41 years old and won five games last season, so the fact he’s second on this list gives you a pretty good idea of what this year’s quarterback market is like. Rodgers probably would have been in play for the Rams if they moved on from Stafford, but they didn’t. The teams likely to be interested in Rodgers — Giants, Raiders and Titans — aren’t likely to be 2025 contenders. He has to decide if continuing his career for a noncontender is worth it. And how would he react if he signed with one of those teams and it drafted a first-round quarterback the way Atlanta did last year after signing Kirk Cousins?
Dan Graziano can’t fathom why the New York Giants would consider bringing in Aaron Rodgers as their starting quarterback.
Justin Fields: He was 4-2 as a starter last season for the Steelers, but the team turned the job over to Russell Wilson when he got healthy. We know Fields, 26, can run, and he has shown enough flashes as a passer that teams will have some interest in bringing him in as an upside play unless Pittsburgh re-signs him first.
Best of the rest: The Falcons continue to insist they won’t release Cousins even as they commit to Michael Penix Jr. as their 2025 starter. This feels like a silly stance to take, but we learned last year that Atlanta’s quarterback plans can be a bit eccentric. When and if the Falcons finally do end up cutting him, teams would have interest in bringing Cousins in on a veteran-minimum deal while Atlanta pays him the remainder of his guaranteed $27.5 million salary.
Wilson is in the mix in Pittsburgh if the Steelers don’t bring back Fields. Otherwise, could he reunite with Pete Carroll in Las Vegas? Daniel Jones finished the season with the Vikings and could be their bridge QB to McCarthy if they decide they need one. If not, he could end up in a spot like Cleveland, where the Deshaun Watson contract necessitates the Browns going cheap at quarterback. After that, it’s guys such as Jameis Winston, Carson Wentz, Joe Flacco, Jimmy Garoppolo and Jacoby Brissett, who have been starters at various points in their careers and theoretically could be again in a pinch. — Dan Graziano, national NFL reporter
Read more: Predicting all 32 starting QBs for 2024 (ESPN+) . The path to career recovery for free agent QBs (ESPN+)
Milton Williams, DT
Williams may not be a household name, but the 2021 third-round pick steadily improved in Philadelphia and delivered his best performance in 2024. Five sacks feel unremarkable, but he was part of a deep rotation that kept his overall snap total down. His 12.5% pressure rate was fourth among defensive tackles with at least 100 pass rushes this season. He’s a highly disruptive player.
Sam Darnold, QB
People will be surprised by how much Darnold makes on the open market. He will almost certainly receive an unquestioned QB1 job, and on an ever-escalating cap, handing a starting quarterback $30 million per year is still just a drop in the bucket. Darnold faded under bright lights at the end of last season, but the bulk of his work was still more than enough to bring a team to the postseason, where hopefully his play will improve with more experience.
Byron Murphy Jr., CB
Murphy is hitting the market at the right time. He’s 27 years old, which is young in a fairly old free agent class. He just had his most productive season of ball production — six interceptions, 14 passes defensed and his first Pro Bowl. And because the Vikings moved the void date on his contract, he was not franchise-tagged, which means Murphy will force his way into the open market and create a bidding war for his services. Jaylon Johnson, Tyson Campbell and L’Jarius Sneed recently signed for roughly $19 million per year, and I’d imagine that’s what Murphy is gunning for this month.
Will Fries, G
I had better see a fan base getting stoked when its team lands Fries.
