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Ranking the Top NFL Free Agents of 2025
Who’s Ready for Some NFL Free Agent Window Shopping?
It’s been 16 days and some change since the Philadelphia Eagles were crowned Super Bowl champions after putting on a football clinic against the Kansas City Chiefs in New Orleans.
Naturally, you’d think the league would take a break to allow fans to catch their breath and prepare for next season, right?
Well no! As one of my favorite drag queens of all time, Bianca Del Rio would say (yes, I can talk sports and RuPaul’s Drag Race all in one, try and beat that), “Not Today Satan, Not Today!”
bianca del rio: “not today satan, not today” pic.twitter.com/u6E25XteBK
— drag race archives (@DragRaceQuots) September 14, 2021
With NFL rumors already swirling about who would be the best fit to go to the X, Y, and Z teams when the free agency period begins on March 12, let’s get to ranking the best available free agents!
Quarterback: Sam Darnold
Honorable mentions: Matthew Stafford, Justin Fields, Kirk Cousins, Russell Wilson, Aaron Rodgers
I wonder if anybody in the world would believe Aaron Rodgers, former New York Jets quarterback, would be the best-ranked free-agent passer for next season.
After being told by the Jets to pack his bags, it’s safe to say Rodgers might not be on everybody’s “to watch” list.
On the other hand, another former Jets QB, Sam Darnold, who is coming off a career-changing season with the Minnesota Vikings, is a different story. Yes, even after his gut-wrenching playoff loss against the Rams.
With the Las Vegas Raiders currently standing as the betting odds favorite to land Darnold, his numbers with the Vikings have led people to believe we could be looking at the rebirth of the former 2018 #3 overall draft pick.
Sam Darnold WOULD absolutely be a great fit with the @Raiders.
That said… go get another team interested Kwesi and execute a successful tag and trade 🫡 pic.twitter.com/Io5TCOgFTZ
— The Purple Persuasion (@TPPSkol) February 24, 2025
Leading Minnesota to a 14-3 record, all while putting up 35 touchdowns to 12 interceptions on 4,319 passing yards, if I were a team like Las Vegas, the New York Giants, or even the Vikings if they were interested in running it all back, I would knock on Darnold’s door before any other free agent passer on the list.
Wide Receiver: Tee Higgins
HM: Cooper Kupp, Chris Godwin, Amari Cooper, Stefon Diggs, Marquise Brown
As reported by NFL news experts, the Cincinnati Bengals are nowhere close to figuring out what they will end up doing with star wide receiver Tee Higgins.
Even if Joe Burrow is a strong believer that keeping Higgins and Ja’Marr Chase in Cincy is a must, Tee’s odds point to the Denver Broncos lining up as the preferred destination for the receiver to continue his career.
Joe Burrow addresses the Bengals slow starts and the importance of their WRs 💪
“We have the space we need to keep both [Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins].” pic.twitter.com/2cSy0YUfts
— First Take (@FirstTake) February 6, 2025
While being a No.2 receiver for the Bengals, it’s no secret he could perfectly be a WR1 for most other teams in the league. Higgins is just now entering his prime years as a player, can put up strong and consistent numbers, and could automatically elevate any team’s passing offense instantly.
Running Back: Najee Harris
HM: Aaron Jones, Nick Chubb, Rico Dowdle, JK Dobbins, Javonte Williams
If you’re looking for a running back who understands his assignment to the “T”, it is putting up rushing yards by the thousands, then Pittsburgh Steelers star rusher Najee Harris is your man.
Najee Harris’ career so far:
•Never missed a single game
•First RB since 2008 to rush for 1,000 yards in each of his first 4 seasons
•One of just three players since 2021 with 4,000+ rushing yards and 1,100+ receiving yards
Still Doubting? 🤔🤔#NFL #Steelers pic.twitter.com/aQHBKX1jmR
— The Standard (@TheStandard412) January 8, 2025
Harris is everything a team would want from a strong, old-school back. He still hasn’t missed any NFL games in his career, avoids tackles smoothly, powers through defenses and if he can get his yards-per-touch average up, he could easily be a franchise-altering rusher for any team believing that a strong running offense is still cool.
Offensive Line: Trey Smith
HM: Ronnie Stanley, Cam Robinson, Alaric Jackson, Will Fries, Drew Alman
In the never-ending debate on how the Kansas City Chiefs dynasty altered football forever, there’s one question I’ll always have in mind. Why is it that the team never manages to build a strong enough offensive line to protect Patrick Mahomes?
I get Mahomes is practically invincible, but he still needs a little protection here and there. Hence why a player like guard Trey Smith, who held the lowest sack percentage in the NFL last season (0.2%) should be considered a top priority for the team.
🚨 UPDATE 🚨
The #Chiefs are making it a priority to keep right guard Trey Smith.
They are going to make every effort to get a long-term deal done.
Per, @DMRussini. pic.twitter.com/1wHJs1nU4E
— Chiefs Blitz (@ChiefsBlitz) February 25, 2025
If by any chance though, the Chiefs, aka everybody’s favorite NFL picks and predictions darlings, decide to let Smith walk, I can see two things happening. One, it wouldn’t take more than a minute for all other teams to go into a bidding war to land one of the best offensve linemen right now. Two, he will surely become the highest-paid guard in the NFL as soon as he lands a new deal.
Defensive Line: Milton Williams
HM: Zack Baun, Josh Sweat, Osa Odighizuwa, Khalil Mack, Nick Bolton
With two sacks on Mahomes and two forced fumbles, defensive tackle Milton Williams made sure everybody remembered his name after the Eagles’ win against KC in Super Bowl LIX.
look at my dog Milton Williams out there dominating in the Super Bowl!! That’s 2 sacks for #93 🔥🔥🔥 @miltonw_12 pic.twitter.com/GBQkHjsxW8
— 73-9 and THEY LIED (@CuffsTheLegend) February 10, 2025
Even in a defense full of studs, it’s hard to look past the fact that Williams was the best defender in Philadelphia’s D-line this past season, especially in the playoffs.
If I were Howie Roseman I wouldn’t think twice about offering Milton a well-earned, high-paying extension. If not, I’m sure there are plenty of teams ready to make him their new defensive leader.
Defensive Back: DJ Reed
HM: Jevon Holland, Byron Murphy Jr., Talanoa Hufanga, Justin Reid, Charvarius Ward
As a Jets fan, I hate the idea of Sauce Gardner not pairing up next to DJ Reed in the team’s secondary. While Sauce dealt with all the hype, Reed was quietly putting in his work, again cementing his status as one of the best ball-covering backs in the NFL.
PFF: Jets’ ‘lockdown’ DJ Reed named among best free agents in NFL https://t.co/mTqlp4tObY pic.twitter.com/X5xgb1a2es
— Jets Wire (@TheJetsWire) February 25, 2025
With two of his former coaches, Robert Saleh (San Francisco 49ers Defensive Coordinator) and Jeff Ulbrich (Atlanta Falcons DC) already trying to lure him to their teams, with Reed, any team who snags him up will end up with one of the most consistently high rated CBs in recent years.
