With NFL free agency a week away, NFL teams are trying to figure out which free agents need to be kept in town and which players are allowed to hit the open market. These are the top free agents for all 32 teams as the legal tampering window looms.
EDGE Baron Browning
The Cardinals sent a sixth-round pick to Denver for Browning at the trade deadline. Browning played a pass-rush specialist role for Arizona but made the most of his 50 percent weekly snap share. After being traded, he led the team with 20 pressures while totaling two sacks and five TFLs. Arizona acquired Browning to replace EDGE Dennis Gardeck, who went down with a season-ending ACL injury. Gardeck, also a free agent, is over four years older than Browning and may not be ready for Week 1. Expect Arizona to pursue Browning more aggressively.
C Drew Dalman
Dalman only appeared in nine games because of an ankle injury but continued to put out elite tape when healthy. Pro Football Focus graded him as a top-five player at his position for the second year in a row. The Kirk Cousins’ contract complicates Atlanta’s cap situation, but keeping Dalman to protect Michael Penix will be an offseason priority for the team.
LT Ronnie Stanley
The 2024 season wasn’t the best of Stanley’s career by the advanced numbers, but it was more successful than any of his other seasons in a key metric: games played. Stanley suited up for an entire season for the first time in his career. Ravens GM Eric DeCosta has already talked publicly about wanting to bring Stanley back. The injuries may prevent Stanley—soon to be 31 years old—from getting a long-term deal, he should be able to get plenty of money on a year-to-year basis.
CB Rasul Douglas
Douglas has been a revelation for the Bills since the team acquired him via a midseason trade with the Packers in 2023. He finished second on the team with nine pass breakups that year despite appearing in just nine games for the team. His five pass defenses ranked third on the team in 2024.
Fellow trade acquisition Amari Cooper is also a free agent. Cooper should fetch a pretty penny on the open market but struggled to make an impact in Buffalo. The veteran wideout averaged 27.2 yards per game including the playoffs and totaled a measly 41 yards in three postseason outings.
S Xavier Woods
Woods signed a cheap, three-year deal with the Panthers a few years ago and has been a solid contributor for the team each season. He has finished third, first, and fourth on the Panthers in pass breakups. Woods also stepped up on a struggling defense last year and led the squad in tackles (119) and interceptions (three).
WR Keenan Allen
Allen struggled to adapt to life in Chicago early in the season. He averaged a dreadful 35 yards on 3.8 catches at five yards per target over his first eight games as a Bear. He turned things around in the second half of the year with a weekly output of 5.7 catches for 66 yards over his final seven games. He also scored five times during that stretch compared to just two touchdowns over his first eight outings. With DJ Moore and Rome Odunze locked in as starters, Allen’s time in Chicago may be shortlived. All three starting interior linemen—Teven Jenkins, Coleman Shelton, and Matt Pryor—are free agents as well, giving newly minted head coach Ben Johnson a chance to remake his team around Caleb Williams.
WR Tee Higgins
Update: Higgins has officially been assigned the franchise tag. He has yet to sign the tag while working toward a long-term contract, leaving the potential for a tag-and-trade on the table.
No surprises here as Higgins is the crown jewel of the receiver class and maybe even the entire free agent group this offseason. Higgins has struggled with injuries over the past two years, appearing in just a dozen games in back-to-back seasons. When healthy, he’s been a force on the boundary. Higgins is 26th in yards, 14th in touchdowns, and 22nd and first downs from an outside alignment over the past two seasons. Joe Burrow averaged 7.9 yards per attempt with a .8 percent touchdown rate with Higgins active this year. Those numbers fell to 6.6 and 6.1 percent without him.
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RB Nick Chubb
Chubb agreed to a team-friendly contract restructure last offseason after suffering a catastrophic knee injury in September. He returned late this year but looked like a shell of his former self, averaging 3.3 yards per carry before ending the season on injured reserve, this time because of a foot injury. Chubb is a fan favorite in Cleveland, but it’s hard to say how much he has left in the tank after struggling in 2024. GM Andrew Berry has said they will likely let him hit free agency but didn’t rule out a return entirely.
EDGE Demarcus Lawrence
Lawrence only appeared in four games last year before a Lisfranc injury ended his season. Before 2024, Pro Football Focus had graded Lawrence as a top-10 EDGE defender in five of his previous seven seasons. Lawrence is coming up on 33 years old and his best days are likely behind him. With defensive linemen Osa Odighizuwa and Chauncey Golston also set to hit the open market, the Cowboys have a tough decision to make with a Dallas staple.
On offense, breakout running back Rico Dowdle is an impending free agent. The fourth-year back did what Tony Pollard never could and succeeded in the face of high volume. Dowdle posted a 235/1,079/2 rushing line. The upcoming draft class is loaded at running back, giving Dallas an alternative to Dowdle despite the breakout campaign.
RB Javonte Williams
Williams failed to regain his footing after suffering a multi-ligament knee injury in 2022. He averaged a strong 4.4 yards per carry over his first two seasons. That number has plummeted to 3.6 over the past two years and Williams fell out of favor in Sean Payton’s backfield in 2024. A fresh start is likely for the best, leaving Denver with a hole to fill via free agency or the draft.
RG Kevin Zeitler
Zeitler was one of three Detroit linemen PFF graded as a top-three player at their respective positions. The Lions’ dominance in the trenches has been one of their defining characteristics over the past two seasons and I don’t see them letting Zeitler walk.
On defense, cornerback Carlton Davis may be on the way out. He was a strong offseason addition for the team, tallying 11 pass breakups and two interceptions. Davis’s season ended early when he suffered a broken jaw in December. He has yet to play a full season since entering the league in 2018.
LB Isaiah McDuffie
McDuffie started all 17 games for the Packers plus their lone playoff outing. He finished second on the team in tackles while adding three TFLs and as many pass breakups. Fellow inside linebacker Eric Wilson is also a free agent, though he is more of a spot-starter than a member of the first 11 men on defense. The immediate breakout of rookie linebacker Edgerrin Cooper means the Packers only need one of these two free agents back in the mix for 2025.
WR Stefon Diggs
The Texans made a splash move last offseason when they traded for Diggs. Houston then restructured his contract, making him a free agent after just one year. Diggs fit well in Houston and was on pace for 100 catches and just over 1,000 yards before going down with a torn ACL in Week 8. With Tank Dell staring down a lengthy recovery from multiple torn ligaments in his knee, the Texans will need to add more firepower at receiver even if they bring Diggs back.
C Ryan Kelly
Kelly is a Colts lifer, playing in Indy since the franchise drafted him in 2016. He’s a locker room leader and will probably retire as a Colt. Kelly may test the waters of free agency, but I wouldn’t be surprised to see his decision come down to re-signing or retiring.
RG Brandon Scherff
The Jags have a more than manageable free agent class and ample cap space, so bringing back Scherff shouldn’t be a tough task. PFF graded Scherff as a top-20 pass-blocking guard in 2024, notably crediting him with zero sacks allowed. The Jags’ offseason has been and will continue to be about rebuilding Trevor Lawrence from the ground up, so I fully expect them to keep Scherff in the fold.
RG Trey Smith
Update: Trey Smith has been assigned the franchise tag.
Kansas City is also set to lose multiple receivers in Hollywood Brown and DeAndre Hopkins. Both players were acquired in the past year. Brown missed most of the season with a shoulder injury. He showed some signs of life upon returning but disappeared in the playoffs. Hopkins failed to make much of an impact at any point after the Chiefs acquired him from Tennessee. Brown could come back on another short-term deal, making the same bet he did last offseason. Hopkins isn’t likely to return.
S Tre’Von Moehrig
Moehrig has been a solid starter for the Raiders, starting nearly every game of his four-year rookie contract. He recorded two pass breakups and intercepted two throws while finishing second on Vegas in tackles in 2024. With few free agents of note and plenty of cap space, bringing back Moehrig won’t be hard.
EDGE Khalil Mack
Jim Harbaugh has already said he wants to bring Mack back and the star EDGE rusher has voiced his desire to return. Even at 33 years old, Mack should earn a healthy contract in LA. Cornerbacks Asante Samuel Jr. and Kristian Fulton are also up for grabs. Like Mack, Samuel has talked about staying with the Chargers long-term.
JK Dobbins is their most notable free agent on offense. Dobbins set career-highs in carries (195) and yards (905), though injuries remained an issue for him. If he stays in LA, I’d expect the Chargers to add another back, easing Dobbins’ workload.
WR Demarcus Robinson
Left tackle Alaric Jackson was easily the Rams’ top free agent coming out of the 2024 season. Pro Football Focus graded him as a top-20 tackle in just his second season as a full-time starter. The Rams were never going to let him hit the open market and inked him to a three-year extension last week. That leaves them with a relatively light crop of potential departures.
Demarcus Robinson isn’t a flashy name, but the Rams typically stick to a single three-receiver look and trust Robinson to do the dirty work. Because of that and the fact that Cooper Kup and Puka Nacua missed time, Robinson led the team with 512 routes. He earned 64 targets while WR4 Tutu Atwell saw 62 looks. Atwell is also a free agent and isn’t likely to return to LA while a trade or release is on the horizon for Kupp. Between just those three players, the Rams have 226 targets and 1,777 receiving yards ready for departure.
EDGE Calais Campbell
The Dolphins have more free agents than names under contract this offseason. Not all are high-impact players, but the sheer number of possible vacancies will be a challenge for the team. Even at 38 years old, Campbell will be one of the best defensive linemen on the open market. PFF graded him as their No. 6 overall defensive lineman in 2024. He totaled five sacks and a dozen TFLs.
Miami is also set to lose bodies on the offensive line. Backup right tackle Kendall Lamm graded out as one of PFF’s top pass-blocking tackles across seven starts this year. He ended the year on injured reserve and has previously talked about this being his final year in the NFL. Right guard Liam Eichenberg and left guard Robert Jones are also free agents.
QB Sam Darnold
The Vikings’ secondary is loaded with impact players who are impending free agents including Harrison Smith, Byron Murphy, Stephon Gilmore, and Shaq Griffin. Aaron Jones’s contract is also up. All of those decisions pale in comparison to Minnesota’s choice surrounding Sam Darnold and J.J. McCarthy by extension. Darnold ranked 14th in EPA per play and seventh in CPOE in the regular season. Those were strong numbers for a player in his first year on a new team. The season, of course, ended in a catastrophic loss to the Rams. GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah now has to decide how much to weigh one vivid defeat versus Darnold’s regular season body of work.
CB Jonathan Jones
Jones was a part-time corner for New England in his ninth NFL season. He broke up six passes and is best used as a depth option and a locker-room leader at this point in his career. The Patriots have a minuscule free agent class with no big names set to hit the open market. They also have the most cap space in the league by a country mile.
EDGE Chase Young
Per usual, the Saints are dead last in cap space heading into the offseason. They currently need to clear $47.5 million from the books to reach cap compliance. The good news is that the Saints don’t have a lofty free agent class to keep in-house. They took a one-year flyer on Young last offseason and got a respectable 5.5 sacks from him. Young also racked up the 12th-most pressures (66) among EDGE defenders.
Tight end Juwan Johnson is also a free agent. Johnson has failed to truly break out but does have a pair of 500-yard campaigns to his name over the past three seasons. For a team drastically short on pass-catching talent, bringing him back makes sense.
WR Darius Slayton
Slayton has become the veteran presence of the New York receiving room. He has topped 700 yards in four of his six seasons as a Giant but fell to 573 yards last year largely based on how disastrous the passing attack became. The addition of superstar wideout Malik Nabers also put a dent in his role.
CB D.J. Reed
The Jets are cleaning house this offseason and have already released Aaron Rodgers and Davante Adams. At the bottom of a rebuild, veteran free agents like Reed and linebacker Jamien Sherwood—key contributors in 2024—could be shown the door by a front office looking to get younger. Reed led the Jets with 11 pass breakups last year and should earn a multi-year deal on the open market.
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LB Zack Baun
Baun was PFF’s No. 1 graded linebacker this year and he was a Defensive Player of the Year finalist. Baun led the Eagles in tackles (151) and forced fumbles (five). He also finished second on the team in TFLs (11) and tallied 3.5 sacks. Baun did it all as an interior linebacker and played a big part in the Eagles’ defense rebounding after a shockingly poor 2023.
QB Russel Wilson
Russ was the Steelers’ intended starter during the offseason, but a hamstring issue knocked him out for the first month of the year. Justin Fields took his place and was benched after six starts and a 4-2 record. Fields’ limited abilities as a passer created a ceiling for the offense, necessitating a change. While Wilson was more capable in the pocket, his skill set brought limitations of its own and the Steelers lost five straight games to close out the year including a postseason defeat at the hands of Baltimore. If the Steelers want to escape the Wild Card Round for the first time since 2017, they need to swing bigger at the most important position in football.
CB Charvarius Ward
Ward joined the 49ers three years ago after playing out his rookie contract with the Chiefs. He was an immediate difference-maker for the team and led the league in pass breakups (23) in his second season in San Francisco. Ward missed time with injuries and for personal reasons in 2024. He said near the end of the season that the most probable outcome for him is a fresh start elsewhere and named Dallas, his hometown, as a team he would love to play for.
DT Jarran Reed
Reed spent the first five years of his career in Seattle, left for two seasons, and returned on a two-year deal as many years ago. His best three seasons as measured by total sacks have all come in Seattle and he likely wants to stay with the Seahawks. At 32 years old and on a team that needs to improve on defense, Reed will only be brought back for the right price.
WR Chris Godwin
Godwin was on pace for a 121/1,299/12 receiving line before going down with a nightmarish ankle injury. He was a phenomenal fit as the primary slot receiver in OC Liam Coen’s offense. Coen is gone and Jalen McMillan broke out late in the year, making it far from a guarantee that Godwin returns to Tampa. Bucs legend Lavonte David is also a free agent. David contemplated retirement last year before returning to the Bucs on a one-year deal.
WR Nick Westbrook-Ikhine
This might not surprise you, but the 3-14 Titans aren’t teeming at the brim with superstar free agents. NWI’s 32 catches and 497 yards aren’t especially notable, but his touchdown rate of 15 percent and touchdown total of nine stand out. In fact, it’s the fifth-highest rate (min. 50 targets) since 2000. NWI is a veteran presence in the locker room, scores touchdowns, and plays special teams. I’d bet the Titans make a strong effort to keep him in town.
LB Bobby Wagner
Wagner led the upstart Commanders with 132 combined tackles. He ranked third on the team in TFLs (10) while forcing two fumbles and breaking up four passes. PFF ranked him as their No. 3 linebacker. Wagner’s familiarity with Dan Quinn’s defense makes him an easy candidate to re-sign with Washington. However, Pete Carroll is also back in the coaching game and is all but guaranteed to make a bid for Wagner.
The Commanders don’t have superstars on offense set to hit the open market, but they do have a lot of bodies potentially leaving, namely amongst their pass-catching group:
These aren’t premier names, but that’s 277 vacant targets. The Commanders have already gotten out ahead of this pending need by trading for Deebo Samuel.
