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John breaks down the 2025 NFL free agency outlook for the American Football Conference. Which players are the top pending free agents for each AFC team?
The 2024 NFL season seems long gone, but the work is never over for NFL front offices. After the season, they have to decide what they'll do with all their players who have contracts that are set to expire before the 2025 season.
In fantasy football, we mostly only worry about offensive players, but that's not the case for NFL general managers and other managerial staff, who have much more on their plates. I, for one, am thankful it's less complicated to only worry about offensive skill-position players.
Regardless, let's break down the top pending free agent from each AFC team.
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AFC East
Buffalo Bills: WR Amari Cooper
Cooper's wrist injury made for a disappointing close to his 2024 campaign, and he didn't produce much after his midseason trade from the Cleveland Browns to his new team. But Buffalo has expressed interest in re-signing him, and Cooper seems content to stay in his new home if the two sides can work out a deal.
WOW AMARI COOPER.
📺: #NYJvsBUF on CBS/Paramount+
📱: https://t.co/waVpO909ge pic.twitter.com/Erc076QOvv— NFL (@NFL) December 29, 2024
Cooper is now 31 years old, so he probably only has one or two good years of football left in him. Father Time comes for everyone. He's always been a fundamentally sound route runner with nice explosive qualities, so he should stick around in the league for at least three more seasons.
Miami Dolphins: OT Kendall Lamm
Offensive tackles who can play somewhat competently are a dime a dozen, and it would be a mistake for Miami to let him walk. But he is 32 years old, so he would need to last a few more seasons to be worth signing a new contract. Many teams don't have much choice, though, as good OLs are crucial for teams looking to have any success in the regular or postseason.
This is teach tape from Isaiah Wynn.
Him and Kendall Lamm pick up this stunt absolutely perfectly, with Wynn putting a clean punch on the DT, working his way back to a solid stance, and laying another block on the edge and keeping the pocket open for Tua Tagovailoa. pic.twitter.com/QSuYYPJgTu
— Tyler DeSena (@desena_tyler) August 20, 2023
Pro Football Focus ranks Lamm as the 35th best of 141 offensive tackles. He'll find a home somewhere, it's just a matter of time.
New England Patriots: DE Deatrich Wise Jr.
The only free agent from this team registering as a blip on the radar, Wise logged five sacks last season despite not having a starting role. He's 30 years old, so he likely doesn't have much left in the tank, but he should still be able to contribute as a nice depth piece and rotational player at edge-rusher for another team moving forward.
✨Deatrich Wise appreciation post ✨pic.twitter.com/4q3UjuOEfZ
— Boston Cream 🍩 (@itsbostoncream) November 5, 2023
The Patriots are stunningly devoid of talent on both sides of the ball, so they wouldn't be remiss if they made an effort to bring him back.
New York Jets: DE Haason Reddick
Reddick posted four consecutive double-digit-sack seasons with the Carolina Panthers, Arizona Cardinals, and Philadelphia Eagles from 2020-23, including a monster 16.0-sack effort in 2022. He was then traded to the New York Jets ahead of the 2024 season, where he staged a bizarre holdout that lasted all of the offseason and the first six games before the team caved and reworked his contract.
Haason Reddick's 2022 season:
16 sacks (2nd in NFL)
5 forced fumbles (1st in NFL)
3 fumble recoveries
49 tackles
2nd team All-ProWhat a steal he was in free agency. pic.twitter.com/Ps1J7YvGLp
— Brenden Deeg (@BrendenDeeg_) January 18, 2023
He's 30 years old and will turn 31 in late September, and many teams may be understandably wary of taking a chance on him. But he's not far removed from some excellent campaigns, and pressuring opposing quarterbacks wins championships, as we've seen from the past few seasons.
In a league where dominant pass-rushers regularly swing playoff games, as they did in the Super Bowl less than a month ago, Reddick will be sought after by teams looking to bolster their edge-rushing talent.
AFC North
Baltimore Ravens: OT Ronnie Stanley
Even tackles who aren't in the best 30 players at their position in the league are highly sought-after. Stanley will turn 31 on March 18, and good offensive linemen typically play well into their 30s. The Ravens should probably re-sign him, as their OL is the cornerstone of their run game, and quarterback Lamar Jackson benefits greatly from blind-side protection, as does the whole offense.
LT Ronnie Stanley in pass pro vs Danielle Hunter pic.twitter.com/e1IXYzmNBl
— Taylor Kyles (@tkyles39) March 2, 2025
Backup LT Josh Jones is not a suitable replacement for Stanley. Baltimore would be best suited drafting someone to replace Jones in 2025 or 2026 who could provide depth, and possibly step into the starting role in case of injury to Stanley. It would be a great place for a good LT prospect to develop. But the Ravens really can't afford to let Stanley walk.
Cincinnati Bengals: DT B.J. Hill
Well, after I wrote the section about wide receiver Tee Higgins, I saw the news that he was franchise-tagged for the second year in a row, so he's no longer a pending free agent. Instead, you get to read and I get to write about a much more boring player!
Bengals place franchise tag on WR Tee Higgins. pic.twitter.com/SuuBGBcK8g
— NFL (@NFL) March 3, 2025
Hill wasn't an inconsequential player in 2024, but it may be hard to evaluate him and the rest of the defense after they were, altogether, one of the worst units in the league. Quarterback Joe Burrow's season-long heroics couldn't save Cincy, which failed to stop both the run and the pass on defense. Hill is 29 years old and played well, though.
The Bears are on the market for a run stopping DT, and B.J Hill is a free agent they could target.
At 6'3, 311lb, he's a wall up the middle. In '24, he had 53 TOT, 3 sacks, 4 QBH, and 32 total pressures.
Projected at $9mil a year, should Chicago sign Hill in '25? pic.twitter.com/AhYN5iOIKS
— Just Another Year Chicago: Bears (@JAYChi_Bears) March 3, 2025
If Cincinnati can't stop the run in 2025, it could be another ugly season for it on defense, but it could address holes on the defensive line in the draft as well.
Cleveland Browns: RB Nick Chubb*
There's an asterisk here because we just don't know how much he has left in the tank after a brutal knee injury cut his 2023 season short and caused him to miss the first six games of 2024. He also didn't play in the final four contests due to a broken foot.
NICK CHUBB. 70 YARDS. GONE. #Browns
📺: #CLEvsCIN on CBS
📱: NFL app pic.twitter.com/O6OqTQfXvI— NFL (@NFL) November 7, 2021
We don't know if we'll ever see this iteration of Chubb again. He will turn 30 in late December of this year, so he's not quite hit the age cliff, which comes later for elite running backs. But his knee may never fully recover. He'll likely not earn a big contract, as running backs are devalued these days, and there's a deep crop of fresh talent about to enter the league -- the rookie class.
Pittsburgh Steelers: Quarterback Russell Wilson
Though reporting earlier in the season seemed to suggest that Wilson and Pittsburgh would reach a deal for an extension, more recent news indicates that the two are headed for a split.
Competent quarterbacking is something that's sought after by every team, and while Wilson isn't likely to end up as a backup, at least not initially, there are plenty of teams that still don't have a passable answer at the position.
Russell Wilson in his Steelers debut 🌟
16/29
264 YDS
2 TDWent from being down 15-6 to winning 37-15 😳 pic.twitter.com/CELGwySkH8
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) October 21, 2024
In 11 games, Wilson threw for 2,482 yards, 16 touchdowns, and five interceptions, scored two rushing touchdowns, and lost four fumbles. Many teams would be happy to shell out money for that kind of production. He'll turn 37 on November 29, and while he does still have some mobility left, he's not what he once was.
His name hasn't been floating around extensively regarding talks with other teams, though. We'll have to wait and see what happens.
AFC South
Houston Texans: DE Derek Barnett
The Texans defense was certainly the biggest strength in 2024. While the offense regularly sputtered, Houston's pass rush terrorized opposing quarterbacks. Defensive ends Danielle Hunter and Derek Barnett and linebacker Will Anderson Jr. all had good seasons and were highly graded by Pro Football Focus.
Derek Barnett forced the first fumble and recovered the second for the TD!
📺: #HOUvsDAL on ESPN/ABC
📱: Stream on #NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/XoOP2tepIG— NFL (@NFL) November 19, 2024
Barnett will be 29 before the 2025 season starts. Anderson and Hunter are still under contract, but it makes sense for the Texans to re-sign Barnett, both for depth and to keep together the impressive defensive line. The Eagles' dominance in the Super Bowl once again showed that pressuring the opposing quarterback is the most important thing a team can do on defense.
Indianapolis Colts: C Ryan Kelly
Kelly's injury was an unmitigated disaster for the entire offense. The running game sputtered in his absence, and the added pressure up the middle put a damper on the already unimpressive passing game. Kelly, despite dealing with injury issues, finished 17th among all centers, as ranked by PFF.
Ryan Kelly, @Colts C has started 121 regular season games for the Colts over 9 seasons. Kelly was called for 1 penalty, total, in 2024 (Per PFF). Kelly is set to be a free agent this offseason. #fortheshoe #NFL #Colts #Indianapolis pic.twitter.com/bCY2x3Vdl8
— Pro Football Hall of Fame Ambassador (@PFHOFAmbassador) February 2, 2025
He's a cornerstone of what's been one of the better offensive lines in the NFL for the past few seasons. The Colts would be unwise to let him go, as he has at least a few more good years ahead of him even though he'll be 32 to start the 2025 season.
Jacksonville Jaguars: OG Brandon Scherff
The Jaguars don't have many notable free agents and Scherff is now 33 years old, so it wouldn't be a surprise if they let him walk. He's a middling guard. The problem is that their offensive line as a whole isn't in good shape, so they don't have a lot of other options unless they sign players or prioritize that group in the draft.
#PunishSpinners via Brandon Scherff pic.twitter.com/YKjNF5kuEf
— Brandon Thorn (@BrandonThornNFL) December 20, 2024
I would expect the team to re-sign him to at least a two-year deal. It could use some stability while it tries to bolster a middling overall unit that finished in the bottom half of the league both as run-blockers and pass-protectors in 2024.
Tennessee Titans: DL Sebastian Joseph-Day
Safety Quandre Diggs had a nice 2024 season, but he's now 32 years old. Thus, 29-year-old defensive lineman Sebastian Joseph-Day is the Titans' best free agent right now. He can still be a starter or rotational piece on many teams, and he logged 2.5 sacks, 44 tackles, and finished with an overall grade above 70 from PFF, good to make it into the top 30 of defensive tackles in 2024.
Sebastian Joseph-Day gets sack #1 on the season 😤@SJD_51 | @Titans
📺: #TENvsCHI on FOX
— Rutgers Football 🪓 (@RFootball) September 8, 2024
He won't light up the stat sheets in 2024, but he could be an important part of a stout run defense moving forward.
AFC West
Denver Broncos: DT D.J. Jones
The Broncos don't have many interesting free agents at all. While both quarterbacks Zach Wilson and Jarrett Stidham finished the final season of their contracts, they're not anything more than low-upside backup options. Jones had a fine season in 2024, finishing with a PFF grade of 64.1.
A good look at the #Broncos Penny run fits
I call this SLIDE (Str Eagle)
Nose is in a TILT technique
Saf to the TE is playing Qtrs (11p 2x2)
#97 (DJ Jones) does a nice job of defeating the double once the Center moves to the 'backer
👉🏻 Winning inside is 🔑#ArtofX x #NFL pic.twitter.com/1AZOwSaD2M
— Cody Alexander (@The_Coach_A) December 1, 2022
He should still be a competent run defender next season, and there's some value there for teams that want to beef up their defensive line since he's 6-foot and 305 pounds.
Kansas City Chiefs: LB Nick Bolton
Analogous to how Chris Jones is the engine behind Kansas City's pass rush, the heart and soul of the Chiefs run defense is linebacker Nick Bolton. It would be a mistake to let him go. Bolton is just 24 years old and has started in all but four of his regular-season games in his four years with the squad.
Nick Bolton 💪 pic.twitter.com/3l9bK3HY2u
— Nick Price (@NickPriceKC) September 23, 2024
Teams that can't stop the run typically don't have a ton of success in the regular season and playoffs. Bolton wants to stay in Kansas City, and linebackers don't fetch a ton of money on the open market. He's also not stellar in pass defense. The team is likely to re-sign him anyway.
Las Vegas Raiders: LB Robert Spillane
As is often the case with bad teams, Vegas has a big crop of free agents who likely are nearing the end of their careers due to middling play, age, or both. Spillane isn't one of them and was one of the few (reasonably) bright spots on a bad defense. Spillane played 1,093 snaps and made 110 tackles, good for fourth and third among all linebackers in 2024, respectively.
Robert Spillane swarmed to the ball and got the INT! #RavensFlock
📺: #LVvsBAL on CBS/Paramount+
📱: https://t.co/waVpO909ge pic.twitter.com/rsbhJG4aJW— NFL (@NFL) September 15, 2024
The team should do what it takes to bring him back because it has a weak roster on both sides of the ball, especially on defense. He's one of the leaders on the defensive side of the ball for it as well.
Los Angeles Chargers: DT Teair Tart
Running back J.K. Dobbins is the most prominent FA in the eyes of fantasy football managers, but the resurgent Chargers defense owed much of its better play to a variety of defensive players that had solid seasons. Most importantly, Tart, who's still just 28 years old, was excellent.
Knew watching the broadcast that Teair Tart made an insanely good play chasing down this tunnel screen, but didn't realize he also likely saved a touchdown. pic.twitter.com/jRzHQwrj3m
— Steven Haglund (@StevenIHaglund) January 14, 2025
While being both a good run defender and serviceable pass-rusher, Tart made extraordinary plays like the one above. Players weighing 300 pounds or more who possess that level of athleticism, strength, and football IQ will be priority signings by teams in need. The Chargers would be wise to bring him back.
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