Estimated Reading Time: 4 minutes
With free agency and the 2025 NFL Draft, the offseason presents plenty of topics to discuss and analyze in the next weeks or months. We narrowed these down and highlighted five storylines that deserve the most attention — and should get the most attention — throughout the offseason.
Similar to last offseason, the Bengals need to decide what to do with wide receiver Tee Higgins, who they franchise-tagged in 2024. Higgins is PFF’s highest-ranked free agent, having earned a 90.0 PFF receiving grade since entering the league in 2020, tied for 15th among 71 qualifying wide receivers.
Quarterbacks targeting Higgins over the past five seasons have generated a 106.8 passer rating, seventh best in the NFL. There are some durability concerns, as Higgins has not topped 800 snaps in the regular season since his rookie year. Still, he could be a No. 1 wide receiver for many teams and would still be the best No. 2 wide receiver in the NFL if he stays in Cincinnati.
While the Patriots were arguably the worst team in the NFL in 2024 and were just one game away from securing the first pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, there is hope for New England fans due to the team’s significant assets in free agency.
No team has more cap space than the Patriots, who boast $27 million more than the second-place Raiders. There are multiple ways in which the Patriots could attack the offseason, but the most obvious is helping out second-year quarterback Drake Maye, who showed enough potential in Year 1. They should look to add wide receivers and strengthen an offensive line that was considered the worst in the NFL last season. Regardless, the Patriots are expected to be key players during free agency, and their moves could shape the market overall.
The Bears hired arguably the most coveted assistant coach in the NFL in former Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson. They will pair him with the first overall pick of the 2024 NFL Draft, quarterback Caleb Williams.
Johnson’s offense in Detroit was built around a strong offensive line — arguably the best — but Chicago’s 2024 offensive line performed below average and Williams’ pocket awareness did not help the situation. It will be interesting to monitor the immediate changes Johnson makes to the offense to continue Williams’ development.
Unlike other years, not many quarterbacks are expected to go in the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft. Only Miami’s Cam Ward and Colorado’s Shedeur Sanders are obvious first-round selections, with both being expected to be taken in the top 10 or even the top 5. Naturally, there are more than two teams at the top of the draft that need a quarterback. The first three — the Tennessee Titans, the Cleveland Browns and the New York Giants — are all potential landing spots, while the Las Vegas Raiders and the New York Jets also need new quarterbacks.
Will some of those teams delay selecting a franchise quarterback until next year’s draft? And which two will end up with Ward and Sanders at the end of April?
For the second time in the past five seasons, one Super Bowl storyline was Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes being under constant pressure, contributing to their defeat. To those who followed Kansas City’s season closely, this was not necessarily a surprise. The Chiefs had issues at offensive tackle all year, especially on the left side of the line.
Players lining up at left tackle for the Chiefs in 2024 combined to earn a 50.0 PFF pass-blocking grade and allowed pressure on 11.3% of pass plays. Both were the worst marks in the NFL. That level of production at one of the most important positions is a recipe for disaster, and Kansas City will almost certainly need to address the position. Whether they reshuffle the line and move right tackle Jawaan Taylor to the left side, sign or draft a new player or trust one of their younger players to fill the hole is yet to be seen.
