The NFL is officially two days into the legal tampering period, and many of the top free agents are already off the board. So far, some teams have significantly improved their rosters through smart moves, while others have taken a step back.
Let’s break down which teams are the biggest NFL free agency winners and losers through Day 2.
Free Agent Winners Through Day 2
New England Patriots: A-
Notable Signings: CB Carlton Davis III, DT Milton Williams, EDGE Harold Landry III, OT Morgan Moses, LB Robert Spillane, WR Mack Hollins
Notable Departures: DT Davon Godchaux
The New England Patriots have been one of the most active teams at the start of free agency. They kicked things off by adding Harold Landry III on Sunday, March 9, and then backed that up by adding talent at all three levels of their defense. The combination of Landry, Milton Williams, Robert Spillane, and Carlton Davis III gives this defense a very different look from what we saw in 2024.
Davis and Christian Gonzalez are now one of the strongest cornerback duos in the NFL. Adding Williams and Landry to a defensive line with Christian Barmore means the Patriots have assembled a very talented group across their front. Williams, at $26 million per year, may end up looking like an overpay. Still, the Patriots have cap space to spend, and Williams has proven himself capable of causing havoc in opposing passing games.
Offensively, there is still more work to do, but adding the veteran stability and reliability of Morgan Moses at tackle is a shrewd move. They still need to add more talent at wide receiver to give Drake Maye more reliable weapons, but there is plenty of wide receiver depth still available, and there is some intriguing talent in the draft that they could target in the first round.
Los Angeles Rams: A-
Notable Signings: WR Davante Adams, QB Matthew Stafford (extended), DL Poona Ford
Notable Departures: G Jonah Jackson (trade), EDGE Michael Hoecht, DT Bobby Brown III
The Los Angeles Rams elected to bring back Matthew Stafford, thus sending a win-now message to their roster and to the rest of the league. They backed up that messaging by bringing in Davante Adams to replace Cooper Kupp, a move that gives this offense more upside than it showed a season ago.
Poona Ford coming over from the Chargers may not be a highlight move, but he’s entering his age-29 season and gives this defense a chance to perform better against the run in this post-Aaron Donald world. The Rams allowed the ninth-most yards per carry to opposing running backs last season, a flaw that should be rectified with the addition of Ford and the potential for this offense to put more pressure on opponents to score.
Baltimore Ravens: B+
Notable Signings: Ronnie Stanley (re-signed), Patrick Ricard (re-signed), DeAndre Hopkins
Notable Departures: G Patrick Mekari, CB Brandon Stephens, S Marcus Williams
The Baltimore Ravens made their biggest offseason move by re-signing left tackle Ronnie Stanley before the start of the legal negotiating period. That kept the best available left tackle off the open market and ensured the Ravens didn’t lose multiple starters from their offensive line.
Of course, it made it virtually impossible to keep Patrick Mekari, who left for Jacksonville on the opening day of the negotiating period. Brandon Stephens was an expected departure after he struggled in 2024, but the Ravens will need to add competition for their third corner behind Marlon Humphrey and Nate Wiggins.
Getting DeAndre Hopkins on a near-minimum deal was a nice way to round out a receiver room led by Zay Flowers and Rashod Bateman.
Chicago Bears: B+
Notable Signings: G Joe Thuney (trade), G Jonah Jackson (trade), C Drew Dalman, DT Grady Jarrett, DE Dayo Odeyingbo
Notable Departures: DE DeMarcus Walker
The Chicago Bears had the third-lowest cash spending on their offensive line in 2024 at just over $14 million. Ryan Poles made absolutely sure the unit would not go neglected in 2025. The Bears will have an entirely new interior offensive line after trading for guards Joe Thuney and Jonah Jackson and agreeing to sign center Drew Dalman on the first day of the negotiating period.
The Bears’ interior line needed a revamp, so this should help both Caleb Williams and a run game that struggled mightily in 2024. The defensive additions were a little more questionable, with Grady Jarrett and Dayo Odeyingbo combining to receive $60.5 million in guaranteed money. That feels rich for a duo that combined for 5.5 sacks in 2024, with neither ever recording more than 8.0 sacks in a season.
Still, the most important factor for the Bears in 2025 is ensuring that Williams and the offense take a step forward under Ben Johnson. With the offensive line upgrades, the Bears are an early winner, even if they had to pay handsomely for those players.
Minnesota Vikings: B+
Notable Signings: DT Jonathan Allen, C Ryan Kelly, G Will Fries, RB Aaron Jones (re-signed), Byron Murphy (re-signed)
Notable Departures: QB Sam Darnold, EDGE Patrick Jones II, QB Daniel Jones
The reported signings of former Colts linemen Ryan Kelly and Will Fries paired with the departure of Sam Darnold points to the fact that this team is looking at a more grounded offense in 2025. That could prove savvy with a quarterback in J.J. McCarthy, who has yet to take an NFL snap scheduled to start, but they are betting big on Kelly turning around the efficiency of this ground attack.
In 2024, Aaron Jones saw his 10+ yard carry rate decline in a significant way for a second straight season (9.8%, down from 10.6% in 2023 and 14.6% in 2022) due to his fewest yards per carry gained after contact since 2018. There’s some natural decline to expect for a RB entering his age-30 season, but an improvement on the offensive line gives this team the potential to run more effectively and thus support their young signal caller.
The Vikings then kept CB Byron Murphy Jr. in house, re-signing him to a three-year, $66 million deal to end the first night. Minnesota appears to be bolstering its interior defensive line depth as well, signing Jonathan Allen to a three-year deal.
New York Giants: B+
Notable Signings: CB Paulson Adebo, S Jevón Holland, WR Darius Slayton, DT Roy Robertson-Harris, DL Chauncey Golston, P Jamie Gillan (re-signed), QB Tommy DeVito (re-signed)
Notable Departures: None
The New York Giants have actively addressed the defensive side of the ball in free agency so far. The unit struggled in 2024, and they needed to get better across the board. Paulson Adebo and Jevón Holland give them young high-upside defensive backs who should start in 2025. Roy Robertson-Harris should be a decent rotational piece for a run defense that was porous last season.
Bringing back Darius Slayton was somewhat unexpected — not because the Giants shouldn’t want him but because he could’ve easily wanted out of a rough offensive situation. The future at quarterback is uncertain, but Slayton decided to return. The Giants also got him back on a good deal. New York still has a lot of work to do, but they’re off to a decent start.
Washington Commanders: B+
Notable Signings: WR Deebo Samuel Sr. (trade), LT Laremy Tunsil (trade), DT Javon Kinlaw, S Will Harris, LB Bobby Wagner (re-signed), TE Zach Ertz (re-signed)
Notable Departures: DT Jonathan Allen, WR Dyami Brown, S Jeremy Chinn, OT Cornelius Lucas
The Washington Commanders are in win-now mode as they look to make the most of having an explosive quarterback on his rookie deal and they showed us that with their roster construction this offseason. Bringing in Deebo Samuel Sr. showed creativity in playing to the strengths of Jayden Daniels while the retention of Zach Ertz was a move in the name of continuity.
Laremy Tunsil gives them yet another way to ensure that Year 2 of Daniels is as effective, if not more so, than Year 1. Bobby Wagner and Tress Way were inked to single-year deals and that is exactly how you’d expect this team to function around the fringes — attempt to find short-term value in areas of need to support a team that is betting the farm on their ability to score.
Washington won eight more games in 2024 than in 2023 and appears motivated to prove that its success was not a flash in the pan.
Free Agent Losers Through Day 2
Miami Dolphins: D
Notable Signings: QB Zach Wilson, G James Daniels
Notable Departures: S Jevón Holland, WR Braxton Berrios, CB Kendall Fuller, RB Raheem Mostert
There is not much to talk about in terms of the Miami Dolphins in free agency so far. With a difficult cap situation ($4 million over the salary cap), the Dolphins do not have a lot of wiggle room.
They have multiple starters entertaining other teams, with Jevón Holland leaving for the Giants on the second day of the legal negotiating period. Miami already cut RB Raheem Mostert and CB Kendall Fuller, so there are holes to fill that have not been acted on just yet. On the bright side, they signed Tua Tagovailoa’s new backup and restructured LB Bradley Chubb’s contract.
Philadelphia Eagles: D
Notable Signings: QB Dorian Thompson-Robinson (trade), G Kenyon Green (trade)
Notable Departures: EDGE Josh Sweat, DT Milton Williams, CB Darius Slay Jr., CB Isaiah Rodgers, QB Kenny Pickett (trade), S C.J. Gardner-Johnson (trade)
The Super Bowl champions have lost some impact pieces off of their defense, but that is status quo for teams following a championship season. While their team is certainly weaker today than it was at the end of Super Bowl 59, this team remains a well-balanced machine that is as dangerous as anyone.
The addition of Dorian Thompson-Robinson isn’t going to turn heads and, in a perfect world for Eagles fans, he wouldn’t play a snap for them, but backing up an athletic quarterback with an athletic quarterback is a logical move as it allows the offense to hold its shape should an injury occur.
The Eagles also continued their secondary exodus by trading C.J. Gardner-Johnson away for guard Kenyon Green. Green is a former first-round pick who went bust in Houston, but could step in at right guard for free agent Mekhi Becton. After all, Becton was also a first-round bust before Philly turned him into a capable starter.
One positive move the Eagles made before free agency started was to re-sign Zack Baun and keep the status quo at linebacker. However, losing Darius Slay Jr. (as he is expected to be released), Milton Williams, and Josh Sweat far outweighs any positive impact of re-signing Baun.
San Francisco 49ers: D
Notable Signings: None
Notable Departures: WR Deebo Samuel Sr. (trade), OT Jaylon Moore, G Aaron Banks, S Talanoa Hufanga, CB Charvarius Ward, LB Dre Greenlaw, DE Leonard Floyd, FB Kyle Juszczyk
It is hard to offer much praise for the moves that the San Francisco 49ers have made so far this offseason. They have allowed a lot of veteran talent to leave, some through free agency and others through either releases or trades.
There is a case to be made that this is addition by subtraction for the 49ers. Deebo Samuel Sr.’s play has not been the same as it was a couple of years ago, while Aaron Banks and Jaylon Moore were both far from proven at the prices they commanded in free agency. The same could be said for Charvarius Ward and potentially Javon Hargrave, who both had their struggles in 2024.
The 49ers have the cap space to start making moves, but they may want to let the market settle and then add some starters or depth options when the prices begin to fall toward the end of the first wave of free agency and into the second wave. There is time to turn this offseason around, but the transaction table makes for a tough read if you are a 49ers fan so far.
Seattle Seahawks: D
Notable Signings: QB Sam Darnold
Notable Departures: QB Geno Smith (trade), WR DK Metcalf (trade), WR Tyler Lockett, DE Dre’Mont Jones, S Rayshawn Jenkins
Seattle Seahawks fans are likely to be nervous about what they have seen during the first portion of this offseason. Sam Darnold is technically a slight upgrade on Geno Smith in terms of PFSN’s QB+ metric from last season, having ranked 12th compared to 15th for Smith. However, Darnold comes with a lot more risk than Smith, and that is scary, but he also comes with a higher ceiling if they put the right pieces around him.
The issue for the Seahawks is that they have allowed both Tyler Lockett and DK Metcalf to depart, leaving Jaxon Smith-Njigba as the only show in town at wide receiver. Smith-Njigba is talented, but asking him to be the No. 1 is a big step suddenly. At the very least, the Seahawks need to put another reliable receiver in this offense if they want to get the best out of Darnold.
One positive area for the Seahawks is on defense, where they retained key pieces in Ernest Jones IV and Jarran Reed. They had to cut a few pieces for salary cap purposes, but they will return most of their starting defense, which ranked sixth last year.
Kansas City Chiefs: D+
Notable Signings: OT Jaylon Moore, CB Kristian Fulton, WR Hollywood Brown (re-signed)
Notable Departures: G Joe Thuney (trade), DT Tershawn Wharton, DeAndre Hopkins
The Kansas City Chiefs did their main work on Day 1 of free agency early, locking up Jaylon Moore to a two-year deal to be their left tackle. It was an intriguing move for a player who has flashed his ability but has not been a full-time starter in his career. Across four years in San Francisco, Moore started just 12 games, but five of those did come in 2024. The Chiefs addressed their biggest need, but the jury is out on whether they did it well.
A lot of the Chiefs’ moves came before the negotiation window opened in terms of retaining their own free agents. Franchise tagging Trey Smith was a solid decision, but they have put all of their eggs in that basket by then trading away Joe Thuney. Trading one of the most reliable interior offensive linemen in the league is a major risk, even if he is likely entering the twilight of his career.
Re-signing Marquise Brown and Nick Bolton are both smart moves. Bolton has been the heartbeat of the defense, while Brown looked good in limited time last year. Despite those moves, trading away Thuney and signing an unproven left tackle to be their starter leaves this offseason with a negative feeling overall. Signing Smith to a long-term extension will mitigate some of that negativity.
Las Vegas Raiders: D+
Notable Signings: QB Geno Smith (trade), G Alex Cappa, S Jeremy Chinn
Notable Departures: LB Robert Spillane, LB Divine Deablo, CB Nate Hobbs, S Tre’von Moehrig, G Andre James
It has been an intriguing offseason for the Las Vegas Raiders since they hired Pete Carroll as head coach. They then reunited him with his former quarterback Geno Smith via a trade. Smith is a solid quarterback and is certainly an upgrade on last year, but his QB+ grades have not been higher than a C+ in his time in Seattle, demonstrating his ceiling.
Adding Alex Cappa gives them a starting guard option after they released Andre James, but at best, that feels like a neutral pair of moves rather than an upgrade on an offensive line that ranked 22nd last year. Jeremy Chinn was another nice addition, but against the backdrop of losing Tre’von Moehrig, Robert Spillane, and Nate Hobbs, it is another move that is a net negative and does not improve a defense that ranked 21st last year.
Securing Maxx Crosby’s future should not be underestimated, but the overall trend of this offseason is not a positive one. The head coach change mitigates some of the personnel decisions, and there are a lot of free agents remaining, but it is hard to make a case that the Raiders roster has gotten better since the end of the 2024 NFL season.