Best, Worst and Biggest Head-Scratching Deals from Early 2025 NFL Free Agency

And just as NFL free agency gets underway, it's over. 

OK, we're being a little dramatic. But, man, is that ever a rush. 

With at least the heart of the process already complete, here are the deals we loved and hated, and the moves that seem pretty odd on the surface but deserve some time to play out. 

Contract and salary-cap information courtesy of Spotrac

The Good

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Arizona Cardinals sign edge Josh Sweat to a four-year, $76.4 million contract with $41 million guaranteed 

The Cardinals entered free agency with money to burn and the need to add an impact player on defense. They did so with Sweat, who comes from a championship culture, has put up six-plus sacks in five straight seasons and is still just 27 years old. 

By all indications, Sweat’s just hitting his prime. He isn’t yet elite, and there’s a chance he never reaches that status, but they’re getting him for less than $20 million per year. That only makes him the 13th-highest-paid edge defender in the league. 

That’s great value for a high-floor veteran with upside at a key position of need, and a step in the right direction for a franchise on the rise. 

Baltimore Ravens sign OT Ronnie Stanley to a three-year, $60 million contract with $44 million guaranteed 

Sure, Stanley has a spotty injury history, and he’s on the wrong side of 30 now. But the 2024 Pro Bowler has been relatively healthy the last two years and he’s integral to the Ravens’ operation. 

This team remains a contender in the AFC, but it is being chased down by the Bengals and Steelers within the division and the competition is fierce beyond that. If they’re finally going to get over the top with this core, Lamar Jackson has to remain healthy and free, and re-signing Stanley is critical there. 

That they secured him for just $20 million a year (which is not even a top-10 average annual salary at the tackle position) is the cherry on top for a veteran team with limited cap room.

Washington Commanders acquire OT Laremy Tunsil from Houston Texans 

The Commanders were one of the surprise stories of 2024 thanks primarily to tremendous play from Offensive Rookie of the Year quarterback Jayden Daniels, but they’re smartly not resting on their laurels. 

Upgrading to a perennial Pro Bowler on Daniels’ blind side is exactly what was necessary if they want to keep the 2024 No. 2 overall pick on the right track. Bringing in 30-year-old star Laremy Tunsil does exactly that, and the net cost is a reasonable second-rounder next year along with a third and a seventh this year. 

What’s more, Tunsil’s $21.4 million 2025 salary-cap hit is beyond reasonable for a team that had plenty of cap wiggle room to begin with. It’s hard not to love this move, regardless of whether he signs an extension beyond 2026. 

Chicago Bears acquire G Joe Thuney and G Jonah Jackson from Kansas City Chiefs and Los Angeles Rams, respectively 

Like the Commanders, the Bears seemed to know they had to do more to support and protect their high-profile second-year quarterback. And in this case, they completely remade the interior offensive line by trading for the two aforementioned respected veteran guards while also signing superb center Drew Dalman away from the Falcons. 

The new trio will count just over $47 million against the cap in 2025, but they can get out of Jackson’s deal at no cost next offseason if need be, Thuney is entering a contract year, and Dalman is only guaranteed $28 million on his three-year contract. 

All three posted 70-plus Pro Football Focus grades in 2024, although Jackson and Dalman are coming off campaigns marred by injuries. Still, the Bears merely gave up a pair of Day 3 draft picks in the trades, and now they’ve got a reigning first-team All-Pro guard, another guard with a Pro Bowl on his resume and a center with plenty of upside at 26. 

It’s great news for Caleb Williams.  

The Bad

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Tennessee Titans sign OT Dan Moore Jr. to a four-year, $82 million contract with $50 million guaranteed 

I don’t get it. The Titans had plenty of cap space, but that doesn’t give them a license to be fiscally irresponsible. Signing a mediocre veteran left tackle to a sizable contract with a huge guarantee is extremely odd. 

Moore surrendered a league-high 12 sacks in 2024, according to PFF, and he’s never been near a Pro Bowl while posting so-so grades throughout his four-year career. He was only a fourth-round pick in 2021 and he’s looked like a borderline starting-caliber player for much of his career to date. 

There’s no way in hell he should be getting more money than fellow recent signees like Stanley and Alaric Jackson, but here we are. 

Indianapolis Colts sign CB Charvarius Ward to a three-year, $54 million contract with $35 million guaranteed 

Ward was superb in 2023, but was that somewhat of an anomaly? The seven-year veteran was good but not special before that and struggled quite a bit in 2024, giving up a 116.6 passer rating on throws into his coverage. Now, he’s about to turn 29 and a team that is still rebuilding is paying him like a perennial star. 

This would have made more sense for a Super Bowl-caliber team that is trying to fill a hole with a veteran who has played in some huge games, but there’s a decent chance Ward’s best days are fading and now the Colts are pretty much married to him for more than $30 million the next couple of years. 

By the time this team realistically becomes competitive, there’s a good chance Ward will have become a financial albatross or skipped town. It doesn’t make much sense to me, even if I’m admittedly in the minority among pundits reacting to this relatively well-received move.

Los Angeles Rams sign WR Davante Adams to a two-year, $44 million contract with $26 million guaranteed

To be clear, the Rams are paying Cooper Kupp $22.3 million to play elsewhere in 2025, and now they’re also paying Adams $22 million. Kupp is a year younger than Adams and coming off a season in which he put up very similar numbers to Adams. 

I’m not even suggesting they should have kept Kupp. It’s more that they should just pick an approach and stick to it. Are they cutting costs and eyeing a rebuild now that Matthew Stafford is beyond his prime and the core that won them Super Bowl LVI has pretty much faded away?

If so, handing $44 million to a 32-year-old who peaked at the turn of the decade makes no sense. And if not, they’re delusional because this roster is not in contender shape. 

New Orleans Saints sign S Justin Reid to a three-year, $31.5 million contract with $22.3 million guaranteed 

Same idea here. The Saints have to realize they’re realistically toast in terms of their ability to contend. This team has lost at least eight games in four consecutive seasons and has bled a little more this offseason primarily with Paulson Adebo’s departure. 

And yet, more than $10 million a year for a good-not-great safety who has never been an All-Pro or Pro Bowler and is no spring chicken at 28? 

This signing has also received really strong grades overall, but I’m good being the contrarian. Reid is probably peaking now, and he’s not a superstar. The Saints need to start saving money for the future, and they need to invest in guys who could eventually become centerpieces rather than dudes who will be washed by the team New Orleans puts it back together. 

The Head-Scratchers

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These are moves that seem odd at the moment but we’re willing to let play out. 

New York Giants sign S Jevon Holland to a three-year, $45.3 million contract with $30.3 million guaranteed 

OK, you’re getting a top-tier free agent at a not-too-wild price. And the 25-year-old Holland does fill a need, while possessing the upside to stick around as the team rebuilds. 

Still, let’s keep in mind that the Giants let Xavier McKinney walk for very similar money just a year ago, and McKinney is now a first-team All-Pro in Green Bay and he’s merely a year older than Holland.

Maybe the inconsistent but undoubtedly talented Holland will flourish in New York in the same way that a change of scenery appeared to help McKinney take off, but it’s an interesting gamble that could go either way for a Giants team that still has a lot of work to do elsewhere. 

Dallas Cowboys sign RB Javonte Williams to a one-year, $3 million contract

The key here is the Cowboys made this move while letting Rico Dowdle walk via a one-year, $6.25 million deal with the Carolina Panthers. 

OK, they save a few mil and get about two years younger at the position. And Williams is a former second-round pick with more pedigree and probably more overall talent than Dowdle. But this is a cost-cutting/upside-focused move that disregards the fact the gently-used Dowdle averaged 4.6 yards per carry while going over 1,000 yards in 2024 while Williams averaged less than 3.8 yards per attempt for the second season in a row in Denver. 

The Cowboys are essentially betting that Dowdle was a one-year wonder, and that either Williams can blossom in a new spot or they can land their next great back in next month’s draft.

Time will tell. 

Pittsburgh Steelers acquire WR DK Metcalf from Seattle Seahawks 

A second-round pick might not be a bad sacrifice for a player with Metcalf’s talent, but this is still a strange move considering that it has required a team with major needs elsewhere to invest significant overall capital (they also made him the third-highest-paid receiver in the NFL) in a guy who has a very similar physical profile and skillset to incumbent Steelers No. 1 wideout George Pickens. 

It seems like this move might be a luxury the Steelers couldn’t afford as they look for an answer at quarterback as well as an influx of talent up front on defense. Is Metcalf suddenly turning you into a Super Bowl contender? Unlikely considering that his productivity has been less-than-awesome the last few seasons, especially if the quarterback situation isn’t taken care of properly. 

They’d better hope the still-only-27-year-old explodes in a new home.

Seattle Seahawks sign QB Sam Darnold to a three-year, $100.5 million contract with $55 million guaranteed 

Meanwhile, Seattle moves on from both Metcalf and Tyler Lockett, gives up on Geno Smith and Dre'Mont Jones, but then the team throws more than $100 million at Darnold? 

It sure looked like the Seahawks were going full tank for 2025 and that they’d be in the mix for a prime quarterback in the intriguing 2026 class. That could still happen, but they’d still be tied to Darnold and this move could make that decision more difficult. 

On the other hand, Darnold is still just 27 and he really did impress for much of the 2024 season in Minnesota. Maybe he can build on that, and it’s still worth noting that the former No. 3 overall pick is still just the 18th-highest-paid quarterback in the league. 

But considering how badly things went wrong for Darnold with everything on the line late in ‘24, this could easily go real badly for Seattle.