NFL free agency is a year-round process, as teams scout opposing players in an effort to defeat them during the year and perhaps sign them in the offseason.
Now that we’re at the end of the 2024-25 NFL season, the free agency picture is coming into focus, and teams are beginning to identify potential targets to improve their roster weaknesses.
Here are the top guards slated to hit free agency in 2025. Click here for PFF’s full list of the top 100 free agents.
Smith’s 78.8 PFF overall grade in the regular season ranked 11th among all guards, and he will still be only 25 years old when free agency opens. That’s a good combination for a big payday, given that multiple players at the position signed deals at or exceeding $20 million per year in 2024.
The complicated element when projecting a contract for Smith is the reason he fell to the end of the sixth round in the 2021 NFL Draft: He was diagnosed with blood clots in his lungs. On the field, he is every bit of a prized free agent. Factoring in his health is the key question.
| Player | Pass-blocking grade | True pass set pass-blocking grade | Positive run-blocking grade percentage | APY as % of Cap at signing |
| Trey Smith | 68.7 | 60.7 | 18.0% | ? |
| – | – | – | – | – |
*All data in tables reflects two years prior to UFA contract signing
Contract projection: Available in PFF’s free agency rankings
Fries made tremendous strides over the duration of his rookie contract and could be the next guard to cash in during the free agency period after a wave of big deals landed in 2024. Unfortunately, Fries fractured his tibia in Week 5 against the Jacksonville Jaguars and underwent immediate surgery, but he had earned an 86.8 PFF overall grade up to that point on 268 snaps.
| Player | Pass-blocking grade | True pass set pass-blocking grade | Positive run-blocking grade percentage | APY as % of Cap at signing |
| Will Fries | 68.0 | 63.3 | 14.4% | ? |
| Damien Lewis | 68.5 | 63.0 | 13.1% | 5.2% |
*All data in tables reflects two years prior to UFA contract signing
Contract projection: Available in PFF’s free agency rankings
Jenkins is a force to be reckoned with on most Sundays; the issue over his career thus far has been getting on the field on Sundays. There are some occasional whiffs to clean up in pass protection, but it can’t exactly help his pass-set footwork going from right tackle to left tackle to left guard while also rehabbing a bunch over his rookie contract. Fellow 2021 second-round draft pick Sam Cosmi signed a four-year, $74 million extension with the Washington Commanders before the 2024 campaign, which could serve as a favorable comparison for Jenkins, as Cosmi also kicked inside from tackle to guard and missed some time to injury through his first three seasons.
| Player | Pass-blocking grade | True pass set pass-blocking grade | Positive run-blocking grade percentage | APY as % of Cap at signing |
| Teven Jenkins | 73.7 | 67.6 | 15.2% | ? |
| Brian Winters | 75.0 | 66.0 | 12.2% | 4.7% |
*All data in tables reflects two years prior to UFA contract signing
Contract projection: Available in PFF’s free agency rankings
After spending the past three years in Baltimore, Zeitler joined Detroit, which was a near-seamless fit. His 86.8 PFF overall grade in the regular season was his best since 2014, and his 87.2 PFF run-blocking grade was a career-high mark. The 34-year-old could be a cheap yet effective guard option on the open market.
| Player | Pass-blocking grade | True pass set pass-blocking grade | Positive run-blocking grade percentage | APY as % of Cap at signing |
| Kevin Zeitler | 78.8 | 74.2 | 13.9% | ? |
| Ramon Foster | 82.1 | 75.3 | 7.4% | 2.2% |
*All data in tables reflects two years prior to UFA contract signing
Contract projection: Available in PFF’s free agency rankings
Daniels was turning in a career year but, unfortunately, tore his Achilles in Week 4. The 27-year-old was solid in his first two years with the Steelers, recording PFF overall grades above 61.0, but showed some liabilities in run blocking. There should still be a solid market, given Daniels’ age and experience (already seven years).
| Player | Pass-blocking grade | True pass set pass-blocking grade | Positive run-blocking grade percentage | APY as % of Cap at signing |
| James Daniels | 61.6 | 50.3 | 13.4% | ? |
| John Miller | 65.4 | 59.3 | 10.5% | 2.0% |
*All data in tables reflects two years prior to UFA contract signing
Contract projection: Available in PFF’s free agency rankings
Becton is the latest in a very long line of star pupils to attend Jeff Stoutland University in Philadelphia, working with arguably the league’s best offensive line coach to get his career back on track. A kick inside to guard for 2024 may not be a permanent move for Becton, as the Eagles have possibly the best tackle tandem in the NFL, but his demonstrated versatility across the line is only a good thing.
| Player | Pass-blocking grade | True pass set pass-blocking grade | Positive run-blocking grade percentage | APY as % of Cap at signing |
| Mekhi Becton | 61.0 | 49.1 | 14.3% | ? |
| Ezra Cleveland | 55.1 | 53.1 | 16.8% | 3.1% |
*All data in tables reflects two years prior to UFA contract signing
Contract projection: Available in PFF’s free agency rankings
After a rash of injuries kept Scherff on the shelf for a handful of games in each season from 2018-21, he bounced back in a major way by starting every game over his three-year contract with the Jaguars from 2022-24. The top-five pick doesn’t quite have All-Pro/Pro-Bowl tape anymore, but he is still a very capable starter, particularly in pass protection.
| Player | Pass-blocking grade | True pass set pass-blocking grade | Positive run-blocking grade percentage | APY as % of Cap at signing | |
| Brandon Scherff | 78.0 | 70.4 | 9.5% | ? | |
| Ramon Foster | 82.1 | 75.3 | 7.4% | 2.2% | |
*All data in tables reflects two years prior to UFA contract signing
Contract projection: Available in PFF’s free agency rankings
Martin will be 34 by the time free agency opens in 2025, and he’ll be coming off a season-ending ankle injury for which he underwent in Week 14. While he wasn’t playing at the level that saw him dominate from 2014 to 2021, he is still a more-than-capable player on any offensive line.
| Player | Pass-blocking grade | True pass set pass-blocking grade | Positive run-blocking grade percentage | APY as % of Cap at signing | |
| Zack Martin | 70.4 | 67.4 | 9.5% | ? | |
| Kevin Zeitler | 73.0 | 67.8 | 12.0% | 4.1% | |
*All data in tables reflects two years prior to UFA contract signing
Contract projection: Available in PFF’s free agency rankings
Mekari logged snaps all over the offensive line, filling in wherever the Ravens needed. In 2024, that meant playing nearly every down at left guard for a revamped offensive line that markedly improved as the season went on after a rocky start. The versatility Mekari provides, with more than 500 snaps at both tackle spots before 2024, could drive his value in a major way in free agency.
| Player | Pass-blocking grade | True pass set pass-blocking grade | Positive run-blocking grade percentage | APY as % of Cap at signing | |
| Patrick Mekari | 67.4 | 64.4 | 11.4% | ? | |
| James Hurst | 72.4 | 64.7 | 7.4% | 2.5% | |
*All data in tables reflects two years prior to UFA contract signing
Contract projection: Available in PFF’s free agency rankings
The former second-round pick showed steady growth over his four-year rookie deal, though he never eclipsed 90% of snaps played in a season at a position where you’d like to play as close to 100% as possible. Banks moves very well in the run game for his size, which is presumably what made him most attractive to the 49ers in the first place, but still has room to grow in pass protection.
| Player | Pass-blocking grade | True pass set pass-blocking grade | Positive run-blocking grade percentage | APY as % of Cap at signing | |
| Aaron Banks | 54.4 | 47.3 | 15.2% | ? | |
| Ezra Cleveland | 55.1 | 53.1 | 16.8% | 3.1% | |
*All data in tables reflects two years prior to UFA contract signing
Contract projection: Available in PFF’s free agency rankings
Hernandez seemed to have found a great fit for his skill set in the Arizona Cardinals’ offense but, unfortunately, suffered a season-ending knee injury in Week 5 of his contract year after another solid start to his third campaign with the club. Hopefully, the silver lining for Hernandez is that he was hurt early enough in the year that he can be well into his recovery before free agency begins. The former second-round pick offers a high floor as a pass protector on the interior.
| Player | Pass-blocking grade | True pass set pass-blocking grade | Positive run-blocking grade percentage | APY as % of Cap at signing | |
| Will Hernandez | 71.8 | 66.7 | 11.2% | ? | |
| Greg Van Roten | 72.0 | 71.3 | 9.1% | 1.8% | |
*All data in tables reflects two years prior to UFA contract signing
Contract projection: Available in PFF’s free agency rankings
