2025 NFL Free Agency: Top Values at Every Position for Teams to Target This Offseason

Get your checkbooks ready. It's almost time.

On Monday, the legal tampering period for pending NFL free agents will begin—the NFL's way of putting a stop to the illegal tampering period that has been going on since four seconds after Super Bowl LIX ended.

OK, before that. But come March 12, the 2025 league year will officially begin, and with it comes the annual madness that is free agency.

Dozens of players will find new homes. Millions of dollars will be spent. Some players will get massive deals that will reset the market at their position.

Often, though, it's not the huge signings that make the biggest impact for NFL teams. Finding players who can make a significant impact on the cheap are how teams truly "win" free agency, especially if they are entering the fray with a smaller war chest.

Getting value in free agency is how pretenders become contenders, and contenders get over the top.

And using the projected contracts for this year's free agents at Spotrac as a barometer, these players represent the biggest potential values at each position.

Quarterback: Jameis Winston

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Projected Contract: 2 Years, $12 million

If Kirk Cousins became available, he would shoot to the top of the quarterback values—much like Russell Wilson in 2024, most of his 2025 salary would be paid by his old team.

Right now, though, the Atlanta Falcons appear content keeping the 36-year-old on the roster as the backup to Michael Penix Jr., so it's Jameis Winston of the Cleveland Browns who gets the nod here.

Interceptions have long been the biggest issue with Winston, and he threw 12 in 12 games last year. But while appearing on the Bussin' With The Boys podcast, the 31-year-old said his focus this offseason has been limiting mistakes:

"Honestly, the quarterbacks I've been watching this offseason have been Aaron Rodgers and Russell Wilson because I think they do a good job of limiting their own critical errors.

"Early on in both of their careers, you see the flashy. They show you they can make a play when it's time to make a play. But sometimes they play games where you're just like, 'Man, they have took 18 consecutive checkdowns.' And I think that's the part of my game I have to really master.

"I know I can win a shootout. I know I can go out there and surgically dissect any defense that comes my way. But now the key to my game, to me actually elongating my career, is winning football games and protecting our team to the best ability I can."

When Winston isn’t throwing it to the other team, he has shown he can shred a defense. He set a Cleveland single-game passing yardage record with 497 yards against the Denver Broncos last year.

That’s far more upside than any of the other veteran stopgaps available this season possess.

Running Back: J.K. Dobbins

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Projected Contract: 2 Years, $8.1 million

Talent has never been the question with J.K. Dobbins. He has averaged 5.2 yards per carry for his career and set new career highs across the board in 2024 with the Los Angeles Chargers.

However, durability has been a major issue. The 26-year-old has played in 15 games in a season just once in five years, missed the entire 2021 campaign and sat out four games last year with a knee injury.

For his part, Dobbins told reporters that given a choice, he would just as soon remain in Los Angeles.

"I love it here. The 'Bolt Fam' has welcomed me with open arms," he said. "They love me even people counted me out. I would love to be here. Only God could say what happens in the future, but I would love to be here."

However, there should also be more than a little outside demand for his services. Yes, the injury history is a concern, but he is just entering the prime of his career.

When healthy, Dobbins is as talented as any running back set to hit free agency. And his health concerns should knock down his asking price.

Aaron Jones is the wrong side of 30. Najee Harris has been productive in the NFL but isn't especially impressive. Rico Dowdle has just one solid season under his belt. Nick Chubb has even greater injury worries than Dobbins.

Dobbins will more likely than not cost less per season than all of those running backs.

Wide Receiver: Marquise Brown

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Projected Contract: 2 Years, $15.9 million

The salaries for wide receivers have skyrocketed in recent years, and this year's top free agents should clean up on the open market. Spotrac estimates Darius Slayton of the New York Giants could receive over $15 million a season—and he's hardly Ja'Marr Chase.

Marquise Brown's 2024 season in Kansas City was one best forgotten—a shoulder injury limited him to two regular-season games and just 91 receiving yards.

However, as ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler noted at the Super Bowl, despite that disappointing season, the Kansas City Chiefs remain very interested in bringing the 27-year-old back.

The problem is they likely won't be alone.

"The Chiefs very much want to keep receiver Hollywood Brown, who should have a good market due to teams' desire for speed options on the outside," Fowler wrote. "Mahomes advocated for signing Brown last year and will likely do so again. Will another star quarterback—like Josh Allen—be next? People with the Chiefs I spoke to this week believe that Allen has long wanted to play with Brown."

Admittedly, Brown hasn't had even 750 receiving yards in a season since his 1,000-yard 2021 with the Ravens. And for a so-called speedster, his yards per reception hasn’t been especially impressive at 11.6 yards per grab.

But NFL teams covet speed like children covet candy bars. And after missing most of 2024, his asking price could come in well under $10 million per season.

At that number, there will be no shortage of suitors for Brown's services.

Tight End: Zach Ertz

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Projected Contract: 1 Year, $5.3 million

Zach Ertz likely won't be the last aging veteran listed in this column. The reason isn't complicated: Older players can often be had on reasonable one-year deals. And at 34, he is far closer to the end of his career than the beginning.

Ertz had an excellent season last year for the Washington Commanders, but Anthony Miller of TWSN believes they would be better off getting younger at tight end in 2025 and letting the three-time Pro Bowler find a new team:

"This might come off to be a shock as Ertz became [Jayden] Daniels' second favorite passing target during the regular season and in the playoffs. The veteran tight end had his best season since 2019 as the main tight end in the offense. Ertz caught 66 passes for 654 yards and seven touchdowns, playing in every game during the regular season. He led the Commanders in receptions (18) in the postseason, adding 155 yards and one touchdown in three playoff games. The reason for moving on from Ertz is simply his age. His production will start to decrease as he has no intention of retiring yet. Washington would be better off finding a younger tight end to replace him and avoid the dip in performance and give Daniels a guy who can catch and block for him."

If that's the case, Ertz should be able to find that new home relatively easily. The tight end market this year is shallow, and in the short term at least, his resume and talent compare favorably to the other available tight ends.

Offensive Tackle: Morgan Moses

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Projected Contract: 1 Year, $2.0 million

The parade of veteran values continues.

Frankly, Morgan Moses will likely command well over $2 million per year on the open market. Offensive tackle is a premium position, and he is a reliable veteran starter who has played in at least 14 games for 10 straight years.

The 34-year-old told reporters that being consistently available has been a priority for him throughout his career.

"Obviously, I've been blessed to be able to be in this league for a long time, and I've had great veterans that showed me the way," Moses said. "And so, my job is I never want to let anybody down, so I try to do everything I can to prepare myself to be able to play on Sundays."

Per Pro Football Focus, Moses allowed just two sacks on 723 snaps in 2023 despite spending much of the season playing through a torn MCL in his knee.

Tackles such as Ronnie Stanley of the Baltimore Ravens and Cam Robinson of the Minnesota Vikings will likely join Alaric Jackson of the Los Angeles Rams in landing fat contracts this spring.

But while Moses doesn't have the long-term upside of those tackles, he showed in 2023 he can be a capable player at a position where a significant portion of the league will be looking to upgrade this offseason.

At twice that modest projected contract amount (plus), Moses would still be a bargain.

Interior Offensive Linemen: G Will Hernandez

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Projected Contract: 2 Years, $8.6 million

There are a number of reasons why impending free agents can become values. There's age, a disappointing 2024 season and, of course, injury.

The latter happened to Arizona Cardinals guard Will Hernandez—a knee injury ended his 2024 campaign after five games.

However, Zoltan Buday of Pro Football Focus believes the 29-year-old may be the most underrated interior lineman available in 2025:

"Hernandez, who will turn 30 the week before the 2025 NFL season kicks off, has been among the most underrated offensive linemen in the NFL—not just in this free-agent class.

"His 2024 season was cut short due to an injury, but his 3,281 regular-season snaps since the start of the 2021 campaign rank 24th among guards. He has also been playing at a high level. While his 65.2 PFF overall grade over that span ranks just 38th among 61 qualifying guards, his 69.9 PFF pass-blocking grade slots in at 23rd.

"Since joining the Cardinals in 2022, Hernandez owns a 76.0 PFF pass-blocking grade, which ranks ninth among guards, and has allowed pressure on 4.2% of pass plays—the 17th-best rate.

"Hernandez's age and recent injury could scare off some teams or lead to a lower contract value. Still, they would likely get an above-average pass-blocking guard."

There's risk involved with signing a player who is about to turn 30 coming off a major injury. But getting a quality offensive lineman for less than $5 million a season is the sort of risk that just about any team should be willing to take.

Edge-Rusher: Dante Fowler Jr.

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Projected Contract: 3 Years, $15.5 Million

As a whole, the Washington Commanders pass rush was underwhelming in 2024. Free-agent addition Dorance Armstrong disappointed, and the team tallied a so-so 43 sacks.

However, veteran edge-rusher Dante Fowler Jr. was a pleasant surprise. He paced the team with 10.5 sacks, his most since 2019 with the Los Angeles Rams.

Dan Pizutta of The 33rd Team ranked the 30-year-old just outside the top-50 free agents overall:

"There was a ton of explosiveness in Fowler's game during his season in Washington. He was 21st in pressure rate and eighth among edge-rushers in pass-rush win rate. Fowler did run hot, converting 87.5 percent of his hits into sacks (the league average is around 42 percent), but the constant pressure is something to believe in."

An argument can be made that this projected contract is low. This isn't an especially deep class of free-agent edge-rushers, it's a premium position and not all teams will be willing to pay up for the likes of Josh Sweat of the Philadelphia Eagles and Khalil Mack of the Los Angeles Chargers.

However, Fowler will be 31 when the season starts, and he had just 14.5 sacks from 2021 to 2023.

It’s possible age and an outlier season could depress his market somewhat.

At this price point, the Commanders should pounce on re-signing Fowler. And even at $7 million per season or so, he'd be a value at a spot where more teams than not could use a boost.

Linebacker: Lavonte David

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Projected Contract: 1 Year, $6.7 Million

Given the depth available in free agency at linebacker, calling a 35-year-old projected to make almost $7 million who will seemingly either remain in Tampa Bay or call it a career the best bargain at the position might seem a bit odd.

But when you can get a player of Lavonte David's caliber for that sort of scratch, it's a bargain.

The 2012 second-rounder certainly didn't look his age running the Buccaneers defense again in 2024. He racked up 122 total tackles, added five sacks and was a key part of a Tampa team that again won the NFC South.

While at the NFL Scouting Combine, Buccaneers general manager Jason Licht told reporters he expects to get together with David soon to talk about his future with the team.

"We'll probably talk to Lavonte soon," he said. "Give him a little space. We'll probably talk to him when we get back. I talked to Lavonte a few weeks ago. Had a great conversation. You know, of course, you have to make contingency plans, but right now, I'm not stressing."

To be clear, David isn't the player he once was—he has a passer rating against north of 100 each of the past two years. But he's a quality three-down linebacker who has seen and done just about everything a linebacker can in a career that should culminate with an ugly gold jacket.

At this cost, every contending team with a need at linebacker should be hoping Licht decides to get younger at linebacker and lets David test the open market.

Cornerback: Jourdan Lewis

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Projected Contract: 2 Years, $4.5 million

With free agency not yet underway, there's no shortage of feel-good talk about players wanting to return to teams.

That's the case with veteran cornerback Jourdan Lewis, who told reporters he would like to return to the Dallas Cowboys in 2025.

"Always," he said. "Dallas is my home. My kids were born here. We'd love to have another season here, or a few seasons here. My wife loves it. But I know it's a business, and we don't know what the front office needs."

Given the salary-cap situation Dallas is in and the $20 million a season the team just gave to defensive tackle Osa Odighizuwa, if the Cowboys can land the 29-year-old for anything close to the $2.8 million he received in 2024, they should bring the eight-year veteran back to the only NFL team he has ever played for.

Lewis isn’t a star, but his 5.2 yards allowed per attempt in 2024 was his lowest total since his rookie year, and he has a passer rating against of less than 90 in two of the past three seasons. He's also not afraid to get dirty against the run, amassing a career-high 71 tackles in 2024.

Cornerback is a position where a fortune will be spent next week on the likes of Byron Murphy of the Minnesota Vikings and D.J. Reed of the New York Jets.

Getting a solid slot corner for well under $5 million a season would be a great get for approximately 32 teams.

Safety: Justin Simmons

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Projected Contract: 1 Year, $5.8 Million

If the fine folks at Spotrac are close with their estimated contracts for this year's free-agent safeties, then players such as Camryn Bynum of the Minnesota Vikings and Trevon Moehrig of the Las Vegas Raiders are about to get paid.

And by paid, I mean overpaid. Due respect to both young safeties, who are ascending talents, but neither is worth north of $15 million a season.

Not when teams can (in theory) land Justin Simmons for a third of that.

To be clear, the two-time Pro Bowler told reporters he wants to remain in Atlanta.

"Man, I love it in Atlanta," he said. "I think things are trending in the right direction. There's a lot of firsts here, but I've been a part of a lot of firsts in Denver, and I just feel like things are trending in the right direction."

However, Simmons’ agent sang a somewhat different song.

"I assume we'll be testing the waters and see where things go with him," Todd France told Zach Klein of WSB.

Simmons' numbers weren't great in 2024: His 62 total tackles were his fewest since his rookie year. But from 2019 to 2023, he was either a Pro Bowler or first- or second-team All-Pro five seasons in a row.

He allowed less than 60 percent of the passes thrown in his direction to be completed last year, and his passer rating against hasn't hit 90 since 2020.

Simmons may be 31, but he can still play.

And a short-term commitment to him makes a lot more sense than overpaying the likes of Bynum and Moehrig.