Ranking the 15 Best NFL Free-Agent Signings of the Last Decade

The arrival of free agency is the catalyst for a fresh wave of optimism around the NFL every offseason.

Super Bowl contenders will surely sign their missing piece, and playoff hopefuls will certainly become championship-caliber teams. Rebuilding franchises will take that valuable step toward a postseason run, too.

Reality, of course, is not so kind, and history is littered with very expensive mistakes on the open market.

When a player hits, though, he can make a stellar impact.

The most recent examples are Saquon Barkley and Sam Darnold, who helped the Philadelphia Eagles and Seattle Seahawks, respectively, win a title. However, they are simply two of several recent star acquisitions.

Note: Extensions and/or free agents who re-signed are not included.

For more free-agency history, check out The 50 Biggest NFL Free-Agent Busts of All Time, Ranked

15. Andrew Van Ginkel, Minnesota Vikings (2024)

AP Photo/Adam Hunger

A fifth-round selection of the Miami Dolphins in the 2019 NFL draft, Andrew Van Ginkel steadily developed into an impact defender.

For whatever reason, though, they let him walk.

Miami's loss became the Minnesota Vikings' immense gain—for just $20 million over two years—as a pressure-heavy system unleashed Van Ginkel. He amassed career-best marks of 79 tackles, 18 stops for loss and 11.5 sacks, also returning both of his interceptions for a touchdown and forcing a fumble.

Van Ginkel garnered second-team AP All-Pro recognition and finished seventh in AP Defensive Player of the Year voting.

He followed up that sterling 2024 campaign with seven sacks in 2025.

14. Sam Darnold, Minnesota Vikings (2024)

AP Photo/Stephen Brashear

One excellent signing is good, two is better.

Van Ginkel emerged as the Vikings' major add on defense, and Sam Darnold—finally—found a place to thrive.

The former top draft prospect led Minnesota to a 14-3 record, throwing for 4,319 yards and 35 touchdowns to 12 interceptions. Darnold finished on the fringes of the MVP radar and third in Comeback Player of the Year voting.

Sure, the Vikings lost to the Los Angeles Rams in the Wild Card Round. There was no storybook ending (yet) for Darnold.

But a one-year, $10 million deal and no guaranteed starting job—until an injury sidelined rookie J.J. McCarthy—turned into a brilliant move for both sides.

13. Derrick Henry, Baltimore Ravens (2024)

AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar

How much should a struggling team prioritize a high-paid, productive, aging running back? That was the difficult question for the Tennessee Titans in 2024.

Ultimately, it wasn't a surprise the Titans elected to not retain Derrick Henry. Similarly, for him, leaving a franchise that fired its head coach and faced an uncertain QB situation made sense, too.

Henry jumped to the Baltimore Ravens on a two-year, $16 million pact and reignited his career alongside Lamar Jackson.

After matching a career-low 4.2 yards per carry with Tennessee in 2023, Henry set a personal best at 5.9 per tote on the Ravens in 2024. Henry powered his way to 1,921 yards and an NFL-leading 16 touchdowns, earning second-team All-Pro status and finishing fourth in Offensive Player of the Year voting.

Henry signed an extension prior to the 2025 campaign and had another strong year at 1,595 yards and 16 scores on the ground.

12. Zack Baun, Philadelphia Eagles (2024)

AP Photo/Chris Szagola

It's amazing what a difference a new situation can make.

Across four seasons with the New Orleans Saints, Zack Baun played a total of 660 defensive snaps. He managed 88 tackles in those limited reps, mostly contributing on special teams for the Saints.

But the Eagles saw an overhauled type of role for Baun, moving the edge-type linebacker to the middle of the defense.

Baun responded with an incredible season, posting 151 tackles (11 for loss and 3.5 sacks), five forced fumbles and an interception. He earned first-team All-Pro recognition and was fifth in the AP Defensive Player of the Year race.

All for $3.5 million.

Philly rewarded him with a three-year, $51 million extension.

11. Shaquil Barrett, Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2019)

AP Photo/Eric Christian Smith

Since he signed a one-year agreement, Shaquil Barrett can hardly be listed much higher. Simultaneously, he's a no-doubt inclusion.

Four million bucks for 19.5 sacks? Not bad.

Barrett spent his first four NFL seasons on the Denver Broncos and managed 14 sacks in a largely rotation role. He headed to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as a free agent in 2019 and assembled a spectacular breakout year.

Beyond his league-best sack total, Barrett collected 51 pressures. He garnered second-team AP All-Pro recognition and finished fourth in AP Defensive Player of the Year voting.

One season later—following the arrival of a quarterback named Tom Brady—Barrett and the Bucs won a Super Bowl.

10. Nick Foles, Philadelphia Eagles (2017)

AP Photo/Mark Humphrey

How do you weigh a Super Bowl-level impact?

During this modest two-year, $11 million contract, Nick Foles logged 13 starts for the Eagles. He, objectively, did not contribute on a consistent basis as much as many other players.

What he did, however, was replace an injured Carson Wentz in 2017 and help Philly put together its underdog championship run. Foles capped that season with a Super Bowl MVP-winning performance of 373 passing yards and four total touchdowns.

Foles was merely an insurance policy and became a franchise legend.

9. Calais Campbell, Jacksonville Jaguars (2017)

AP Photo/Rick Scuteri

As a two-time All-Pro pass-rusher, Calais Campbell was bound to receive a hefty contract offer in the 2017 offseason.

And his choice provided a memorable jolt to a franchise in need of one.

Campbell signed with the Jacksonville Jaguars, who hadn't topped five victories in six straight years. He piled up a career-high 14.5 sacks, earning first-team All-Pro honors and ending as the NFL Defensive Player of the Year runner-up.

That season, Jacksonville controversially lost to the New England Patriots in the AFC Championship Game. Were it not for a quick whistle on a fumble recovery, the team likely would've made the Super Bowl.

Campbell notched 44 tackles for loss and 31.5 sacks in three seasons on the Jags.

8. Andrew Whitworth, Los Angeles Rams (2017)

AP Photo/Michael Owen Baker

Andrew Whitworth played 11 seasons for the Cincinnati Bengals, missing less than 10 games and making a couple of All-Pro teams.

But in 2017, the veteran left tackle decided to move on. He signed a three-year, $36 million pact to join the Rams, who desperately needed a blind-side protector for a young Jared Goff as the Sean McVay era began.

The contract worked out beautifully.

Whitworth—a first-team All-Pro selection in 2017—stabilized an offensive line that dropped from 49 sacks allowed to 28, while the Rams soared from 4-12 to NFC West champs at 11-5. The next season, Los Angeles posted a 13-3 record and reached the Super Bowl.

Ultimately, he played five seasons with the Rams, brought home a championship in 2021 and rode off into retirement.

7. Trey Hendrickson, Cincinnati Bengals (2021)

AP Photo/Kareem Elgazzar

In a contract year, Trey Hendrickson had a breakout year.

Oh, buddy, are there plenty of cautionary tales in that genre.

Fortunately for the Cincinnati Bengals, that 13.5-sack season with the New Orleans Saints was simply the beginning of Hendrickson's rise. He signed a four-year agreement with Cincy and became a superstar.

Hendrickson tallied 14.0 sacks in 2021, dipped to eight in 2022 and bounced back with consecutive years of 17.5. He landed first-team All-Pro recognition and finished second in DPOY voting in 2024.

Though a hip injury limited him to seven appearances in 2025, Hendrickson was a terrific signing for the Bengals.

6. Tyrann Mathieu, Kansas City Chiefs (2019)

AP Photo/Steve Luciano

Given that Tyrann Mathieu inked a three-year, $42 million offer, the Kansas City Chiefs understandably had high expectations for the versatile defensive back.

Clearly, he met—and surpassed—them.

Mathieu played an integral part of Kansas City's defensive rise in 2019. Along with his 75 tackles, he grabbed four interceptions with 12 pass defenses on the way to first-team All-Pro status and a Super Bowl win.

The next season, Mathieu again secured first-team All-Pro honors. He snagged a career-best six picks, and the Chiefs won another AFC title before the Tom Brady-led Bucs prevented a KC repeat.

Mathieu closed out his Kansas City tenure with a third straight Pro Bowl season then headed to the Saints in 2022 free agency.

5. Demario Davis, New Orleans Saints (2018)

AP Photo/Peter Joneleit

Speaking of the Saints...

Back in 2018, they acquired hyper-productive linebacker Demario Davis for three years and $24 million. That's some of the best money New Orleans has spent.

During that contract term, he racked up 110-plus tackles in each season. Davis garnered first- and second-team All-Pro honors in 2019 and 2020, respectively, as the Saints won three consecutive NFC South titles. They were a blatant missed penalty away from reaching the Super Bowl in his first year, too.

Davis has since signed multiple extensions with New Orleans, crossing the 100-tackle mark every year and adding All-Pro recognition three more times.

4. Stephon Gilmore, New England Patriots (2017)

AP Photo/Adrian Kraus

After playing five seasons on the Buffalo Bills, cornerback Stephon Gilmore headed to AFC East rival New England.

Buffalo's loss was an enormous gain for the Patriots.

In his second year of a five-season contract, Gilmore was a first-team All-Pro. He repeated the honor in 2019, a campaign in which he paced the NFL in both interceptions (six) and pass defenses (20) and became the AP Defensive Player of the Year.

Gilmore also snared two interceptions in the 2018 postseason, including one in Super Bowl LIII when the Pats defeated the Rams.

3. Sam Darnold, Seattle Seahawks (2025)

AP Photo/Matt Slocum

On the heels of that surprising surge in Minnesota, Sam Darnold ventured back into the open market with a fascinating outlook.

Minnesota had used a first-round pick on J.J. McCarthy and wanted to move forward with him under center. Darnold needed to find a new home, and the Seattle Seahawks came calling after moving Geno Smith to the Las Vegas Raiders.

That alone did not win a Super Bowl, but it sure helped.

Darnold joined the Seahawks on a three-year, $100.5 million pact. He again topped the 4,000-yard mark as he'd done in Minnesota and threw 25 touchdowns, guiding Seattle to an NFC-best 14-3 record.

Prior to hoisting the Lombardi Trophy when the Seahawks outlasted the Patriots, he passed for 346 yards and three scores in a wild, memorable NFC Championship Game victory over the Los Angeles Rams.

2. Saquon Barkley, Philadelphia Eagles (2024)

AP Photo/Brynn Anderson

Saquon Barkley stole the show during his first season in Philly.

He left the NFC East rival New York Giants for a three-year contract with the Eagles, who unleashed the versatile running back. He scampered for 2,005 yards and caught 33 passes for 278 yards with 15 total touchdowns in the regular season.

Barkley earned first-team All-Pro honors and was named AP Offensive Player of the Year, finishing third in MVP voting.

As if that's not enough, he amassed 574 total yards and five touchdowns on the Eagles' path to winning the Super Bowl over Kansas City.

Barkley's encore in 2025 was not as great, but he still rushed for 1,140 yards, brought in 37 catches for 273 yards and totaled nine scores.

1. Tom Brady, Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2020)

AP Photo/Chris O'Meara

Before the veteran quarterback arrived in 2020, the Bucs hadn't reached the postseason in 13 years.

Yet it took but one season for Tom Brady to win a Super Bowl.

His relationship had soured with New England, and he bolted for Tampa Bay in 2020. He proceeded to throw for 4,633 yards and 40 touchdowns, then guided the Bucs to three straight road playoff wins before they stomped the Chiefs in Super Bowl LV.

Brady broke franchise records in 2021, passing for 5,316 yards and 43 touchdowns. He received second-team All-Pro honors as the MVP runner-up.

Free agency, in this situation, sparked an entire franchise.