The 2025 NFL free agent pool isn’t as star-studded compared to the last few years, but there’s plenty of depth and no shortage of real difference-makers. If NFL teams spend their money wisely, they’ll have seriously upgraded their rosters ahead of the draft in April.
So, with that all said, let’s rank the top 25 NFL free agents of 2025 from WORST to FIRST.
Who are the top NFL free agents in 2025?
25. Aaron Jones
After his release from the Green Bay Packers, Jones signed a one-year deal with the Minnesota Vikings and put together a career year at the age of 30. Impressive stuff.
Jones rushed for a career-high 1,138 yards in a pass-heavy Minnesota offense and had 1,546 total yards of offense. Jones will have to take a short-term deal because of his age, but he’s a safe bet for 1K rushing when healthy.
24. Talanoa Hufanga
Hufanga earned Pro Bowl and First-team All-Pro nods as a sophomore in 2022 after recording nine pass breakups, four interceptions, and two sacks. Unfortunately, injuries have limited the San Francisco 49ers’ star safety to 17 games over the last two years.
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The free agent wasn’t much of an impact player in the seven games he played in the 2024 NFL season, so he might have to take a one-year prove-it deal to show he can regain his superstar form.
23. Will Fries
A season-ending tibia injury unfortunately limited Fries to five games in what was shaping up to be an All-Pro-caliber year.
Fries had a 2024 Pro Football Focus grade of 86.9, fourth among guards. His 84.9 run-blocking grade was fifth at the position, too.
Small sample size, though, and you never know how offensive linemen will recover from serious leg-related injuries. But if Fries gets healthy and shows last year was no fluke, he could be the steal of 2025 free agency.
22. Carlton Davis III
Davis will never be a superstar, but he’s consistently been in that B-tier of cornerbacks. His advanced metrics have always been stellar, and he’s got 84 pass breakups since entering the league as a rookie in 2018.
Davis is only 28 and still in his prime. He’ll immediately improve the pass defense for whichever team he lands with.
21. Osa Odighizuwa
His 2024 sack total of 4.5 doesn’t seem eye-popping at first, but the advanced stats suggest that the real breakout year is coming soon.
Odighizuwa finished with a 78.5 pass-rushing grade at PFF, placing him 11th among interior defensive linemen. Additionally, he finished 12th in ESPN’s pass rush win rate for defensive tackles.
There’s gonna be a big market for this 2025 free agent, who should easily secure over $10 million annually on a multi-year NFL contract.
20. Cam Robinson
Robinson had an off year in a season split with the hapless Jacksonville Jaguars and the Vikings. He took 13 penalties last year and has always been a leaky run-blocker, but he makes up for it with rock-solid pass protection.
Per PFF, he had a pass-blocking grade of 70.4 — 49th among 141 graded offensive tackles. Any team with an opening at the bookend spots should seriously pursue Robinson.
19. Charvarius Ward
2024 was a down year for Charvarius Ward, who missed five games due to injury. But teams will be willing to pay a guy who earned a Pro Bowl nod in 2023 after leading the league with 23 pass breakups.
Ward’s big-game experience — three Super Bowl appearances and a Super Bowl 54 ring with the Kansas City Chiefs — should make him extra attractive to contending teams.
18. Justin Fields
Fields went 4-2 in six starts for the Steelers, and it remains baffling to us that Mike Tomlin didn’t go back to him during Russell Wilson’s brutal late-season collapse.
Fields could be the ideal “bridge” QB for a rebuilding team like the Tennessee Titans, Cleveland Browns, New York Giants, or Jets. Or the free agent might be viewed as a long-term option somewhere within the NFL. His best bet may be to return to Pittsburgh and show what he can do in a full season as the starter.
17. Haason Reddick
Reddick skipped the Jets’ first seven games of 2024 with a contract holdout, and it may cost him dearly in free agency. Reddick had just one sack in 10 games, a far drop-off in production from a guy who had 11-plus sacks in each of the previous four seasons.
It’s tough to project his market after a forgettable 2024 year. But if he returns to his old form in 2025, Reddick will be the ultimate difference-maker on his next team.
16. Dre Greenlaw
Greenlaw missed all but two games in 2024, recovering from a torn Achilles he suffered in last year’s Super Bowl. Before the injury, though, the 49ers veteran was among the league’s more underrated and well-rounded linebackers.
Greenlaw is excellent in coverage and recorded at least 120 tackles in the 2022 and 2023 campaigns. And as a stud run-stopper, a healthy Greenlaw should be paid handsomely despite missing the majority of 2024.
15. Byron Murphy
Murphy earned his first Pro Bowl nod after posting the best season of his career in Minnesota, racking up 14 pass breakups and six interceptions.
Murphy’s 72.8 overall grade at PFF placed him 33rd among 223 graded cornerbacks. There is some risk here since the current free agent had a breakout year in his sixth NFL season. But above-average corners always get paid, and this is his chance to finally land the big bag.
14. Nick Bolton
A key contributor in the Chiefs’ last two Super Bowl-winning teams, Bolton will likely price himself out of Kansas City after turning in a career year of his own.
Bolton had six pass breakups, two fumble recoveries, three sacks, and 106 combined tackles. His 66.1 coverage grade at PFF placed Bolton 40th among 189 linebackers, too.
13. Milton Williams
Folks who overlooked Williams’ superb regular-season performance got a nice introduction in Super Bowl 59. Williams annihilated the Kansas City Chiefs’ offensive line in that game, sacking Patrick Mahomes twice in a 40-22 blowout win.
Williams had a career-high five sacks and only played 48 percent of the Eagles’ defensive snaps. With a starting role awaiting him somewhere, it’s time for Williams to cash in and make his mark as a game-changing stud.
12. Najee Harris
Harris, Saquon Barkley, Derrick Henry, Josh Jacobs, Jahmyr Gibbs, and Bijan Robinson have led quite the running back revolution, if you will. That is, teams who invested plenty of money or first-round picks at the so-called “devaluing position” got major rewards.
The No. 24 pick of 2021 gave the Pittsburgh Steelers four straight 1,000-yard seasons and posted over 1,200 yards of offense in each. And Harris did this with weak quarterback play in front of him…and with a revolving door of offensive linemen.
Are the Steelers sure they made the right call declining his fifth-year option? Harris, one of the best free agents in 2025, is just entering his prime and should be a great value signing wherever he goes in the NFL.
11. Amari Cooper
Cooper had a disappointing eight-game audition with the Buffalo Bills after coming over in a trade deadline move, catching just 20 passes for 297 yards and two touchdowns.
That shouldn’t affect his market much, however. The five-time Pro Bowler has exceeded 1K receiving in seven of his 10 NFL seasons, some of that with below-average quarterbacks throwing him the football.
Honestly, Cooper could sign with any contender. The Bills could give him another chance, but the Chiefs, Steelers, Baltimore Ravens, Houston Texans, Green Bay Packers, and Los Angeles Rams also make perfect sense.
10. Stefon Diggs
Diggs got off to a strong start in his first season with Houston before unfortunately suffering a season-ending ACL tear. In eight games, he caught 47 passes for 496 yards and three touchdowns, so he was on his way to another 1,000-yard season.
Diggs will be 32 in November and coming off a serious injury, so there is some risk here. But four-time Pro Bowlers and consistent 1,000-yard threats don’t grow on trees, so if he keeps his asking price reasonable, expect Diggs to draw a wide range of interested parties.
9. Khalil Mack
Mack had just six sacks in the regular season, but the perennial Pro Bowler is just a year removed from posting a career-high 17 sacks.
Also, the sack numbers don’t tell the story. He was PFF’s fifth-ranked edge rusher with an insane 90.4 grade. His 88.0 run defense grade was second among edge defenders, too.
Mack can still play at a high level and will probably be paid well below market value. A must-have free agent for any NFL team in desperate need of more pass-rushing depth.
8. Zack Baun
Baun was arguably the biggest bargain signing of the 2024 free agent class. He took a one-year deal with the Eagles and earned First-team all-pro and Pro Bowl nods after racking up 3.5 sacks, four pass breakups, and five forced fumbles.
His lights-out performance in the postseason – including the Super Bowl — means Baun will become a very rich man. He didn’t get many chances to shine as a starter in New Orleans, so it’ll be interesting to see if rival GMs think Baun was a one-hit-wonder…or if Philly unlocked his potential.
Baun got his Super Bowl ring. Now we wait and see just how big his payday will be.
7. D.J. Reed
Reed is among football’s more underrated guys for two obvious reasons. One: He has spent the last three years with the awful Jets. And two: the love on that defense goes to All-pro corner ‘Sauce’ Gardner.
But Reed has been an exceptional cover guy often tasked with limiting the opponent’s No. 2 receiver. He has 42 pass breakups over the last four seasons and allowed an opponent’s passer rating of under 82.0 each year from 2020 to 2023. He’s one of the best free agents in the NFL offseason.
6. Jevon Holland
Do-it-all safeties cost a premium in today’s NFL, so Holland may as well treat himself to a nice offseason vacation. He could easily get over $15 million annually on a multi-year deal after another excellent season with the Miami Dolphins.
5. Josh Sweat
If Sweat’s strong regular-season performance wasn’t enough for other GMs, how about his off-the-charts Super Bowl performance? Sweat had 2.5 sacks and two tackles for a loss in Philly’s shellacking of Kansas City.
Sweat’s sack totals have never been eye-popping because of the Eagles’ insane pass-rushing depth. But this big-game player has the skill set to be a team’s No. 1 edge rusher.
4. Ronnie Stanley
Stanley played a full season for the first time in his nine-year career in 2024. The timing couldn’t be better, with free agency looming.
When healthy — keyword “when” — Stanley has been an All-Pro-caliber offensive tackle. This free agent may be entering his age-31 season, but NFL teams are always willing to open up their checkbooks for elite offensive linemen.
If he leaves Baltimore, that’s a big loss for Lamar Jackson and company.
3. Chris Godwin
Godwin was on pace for a career year before suffering a brutal season-ending ankle injury in Week 7 against the Ravens. If he stayed healthy, Godwin would have exceeded 1,000 receiving yards for the fifth time in six years.
Godwin has put up excellent numbers despite playing second-fiddle to Mike Evans his entire career. Wherever he lands, a healthy Godwin will bring a new explosive element to the offense employing him.
2. Sam Darnold
Yes, he imploded in the Wild Card Round loss to the Los Angeles Rams, but let’s not take away what Darnold did in his career year: A 66.2 completion percentage for 4,319 yards, 35 touchdowns, and 12 interceptions to lead Minny to their best record since 1998.
The Vikings probably won’t retain Darnold with JJ McCarthy waiting in the wings, but the No. 3 pick of 2018 showed that he’s a Pro Bowl-level starter in the right system. And fortunately for Darnold, the market will be robust, with more teams than usual needing a franchise QB.
1. Trey Smith
The golden goose of 2025 free agency. The Kansas City Chiefs’ all-world offensive guard is sure to land around $100 million.
The first-time Pro Bowler was instrumental in reshaping the Chiefs’ o-line following their humiliating Super Bowl 55 loss to the Bucs. Smith and Joe Thuney formed the league’s best interior offensive line tandem, propelling KC to three straight big game appearances and two Super Bowl championships.
Smith has earned himself a life-changing contract. So don’t be surprised if he signs the biggest deal in free agency by a country margin.
