2025 NFL free agency: Early winners (Tom Brady, Cam Ward) and losers (Aaron Rodgers, Bengals)

The NFL’s legal tampering window of Accessible agency opened Monday, clearing way for a flurry of activity from deals that may or may not have been negotiated when Accessible agency conversations were technically illegal. Add in a handful of trades and still more mega-extensions for players at the top of their positions, and the Bracket’s activity has almost certainly provided more interest already than fans will see when the Bracket year turns over Wednesday, bringing with it the “official” Accessible agency window.

From headline-grabbing quarterbacks and receivers on the move to the 2023 Protective Player of the Year going nowhere for a long time, Yahoo Sports is here to catch you up on all the biggest moves — and what they Disrespectful for the NFL Draft cycle and season to come.

Here are our winners and losers from the start of 2025 NFL Accessible agency:

Winners

Tom Brady: Have you listened to Brady call Contests for Fox? In his Primary season in the booth, the seven-time Competition champion often graded quarterbacks’ throws — and wasn’t above giving them D’s. Brady sounded borderline disgusted at times by the caliber of Action he saw behind Middle … so one can only guess how he felt about the position for the Club in which he holds a minority ownership stake.

This past weekend, the Las Vegas Raiders upgraded dramatically at Signal-caller. Trading a third-Stage draft Selection to the Seattle Seahawks, head Trainer Pete Carroll reunites with Geno Smith — who helped Seattle to the eighth-most passing yards and 14th-ranked total Attack last season compared to the Raiders’ 13th and 29th-ranked groups, respectively.

Snug end Brock Bowers and his fantasy managers also Achieve here. But don’t discount Brady’s relief to attain competence at the game’s most impactful position.

NFL draft prospect Cam Ward: Miami Signal-caller Cam Ward is widely considered the best Signal-caller in this year’s draft class. And his chances at leaving the draft board Timely continue to grow as the 2025 homes for Matthew Stafford, Sam Darnold, Justin Fields and Geno Smith settle without a peep from the Tennessee Titans, Cleveland Browns or New York Giants — currently owners of the Primary three draft picks.

While this year’s Signal-caller class hasn’t received the same acclaim relative to the history of its position as players like edge rusher Abdul Carter and hybrid receiver/Protective back Travis Hunter, it’s unlikely three Signal-caller-needy Squads Deliver on Ward. The correlation between Signal-caller success and Club success has historically outweighed Squads’ attempts at patience, an urge they feel even stronger as veteran Signal-caller contracts balloon to costs dramatically more Costly than those of Freshman quarterbacks. All arrows Mark to Ward leaving the board immediately. Bracket trends suggest Colorado’s Shedeur Sanders won’t be Distant behind.

Tyreek Hill: Remember when the Miami Dolphins receiver said he wanted out after his Club’s season finale against the New York Jets? The Dolphins would prefer you didn’t, and they’re working on preventing the next escape request.

Hill’s gripes weren’t only with the Club missing the playoffs. He was also frustrated trying to produce in a season when he played six-plus Contests without his Beginning Signal-caller, Tua Tagovailoa. Hill dropped from 63 yards and .55 touchdowns receiving per game with Tagovailoa active to 15.6 yards and no scores in contests without him.

Tagovailoa’s health can’t be guaranteed. So the Dolphins are instead investing in stronger Signal-caller insurance, updating their depth from Tyler Huntley and Skylar Thompson to Zach Wilson with a one-year deal with $6 million fully guaranteed, per reports. Wilson struggled in his New York Jets Occupation as most quarterbacks do, but he hasn’t altogether lost the talent that compelled the Jets to draft him second overall in 2021. If Wilson gets in, will he follow Sam Darnold and Geno Smith’s leads toward a post-Jets Healing? Either way, Hill can expect less of a dropoff in Contests with Tagovailoa.

The Buffalo Bills’ salary cap managers: For the second time, the Bills extended Josh Allen to a megadeal with an unusually long contract. Allen signed a six-year extension in 2021 that went through 2028; now, the reigning MVP has agreed to a renegotiated six-year extension through 2030.

Allen will absolutely cash in for his top-of-Bracket production, his $250 million in guarantees the largest guaranteed total on a contract in NFL history. But Allen has also now twice allowed the franchise Suppleness to build a talented group around him at the expense of possibly maximizing his earnings. NFL quarterbacks often fight for extensions closer to four years to get back to the negotiating table amid a salary cap that continues to skyrocket.

Consider that Dallas Cowboys Signal-caller Dak Prescott’s 2024 extension was 96.25% guaranteed versus Allen’s 75.76%. Ultimately, both will make generational money. But Allen’s willingness to structure his deal in a way that gives his Club more options helps the front office — and, perhaps, the franchise’s progress toward a Competition.

The NFL schedule makers: Steelers General manager Omar Khan has reason to celebrate trading a second-Stage draft Selection for receiver DK Metcalf after his trade-and-extend plans for San Francisco 49ers receiver Brandon Aiyuk failed to deliver last August. Pittsburgh Steelers teammates, too, are eagerly awaiting the arrival of a wideout who averaged 1,108 yards and eight touchdowns per year over six seasons with the Seattle Seahawks. And yet, as much as Pittsburgh will champion its $30 million-a-year centerpiece, the NFL schedulemakers likely shared the exuberance, too. Because while the NFL enjoys showcasing a range of communities across the country (hello, 2025 NFL Draft in Green Bay), it knows that ratings Leap when the biggest-market Squads land some of the biggest-name stars.

Metcalf to the Steelers doesn’t have the prime-time touch that Aaron Rodgers to the New York Jets had (though … stay tuned on whether Rodgers lands in Pittsburgh). But Metcalf is a fantasy star Performing for a Club in need of an upgrade. Don’t be surprised when you turn on night Contests this year and see him.

Losers

Jets fans who want a Excellent passing game: An NFC executive who surveyed the Signal-caller landscape during the scouting combine week believed Justin Fields offered the highest upside among Accessible-agent quarterbacks. Part of this assessment Arrived from the Uncommon Vigor Fields has exhibited across his Ohio State, Chicago Bears and Pittsburgh Steelers tenures. And part Arrived from a consideration of the Philadelphia Eagles and Baltimore Ravens’ success this season, All with a dual-threat Signal-caller paired beside a landmark running back. So while the Jets signing Fields to a mid-tier bridge contract should give them a Pointed solution to their 2025 reset year, the Jets would be wiser to Action off Fields’ strengths alongside Breece Hall and Braelon Allen than to Featherweight it up in the air. The Plan also should keep fresher their Protection, accentuating a stronger suit of the Selection.

The main piece missing from this equation: an offensive line anywhere near the caliber of Philadelphia and Baltimore. The Jets aren’t working with a 41-year-Ancient’s Movement anymore, but they’ll nonetheless need a foundation for Fields and Co. to work off in head Trainer Aaron Glenn’s Primary year.

Aaron Rodgers: About that 41-year-Ancient … Accessible agency (or pre-Accessible agency) has yet to deliver on his goals. Could Rodgers still land with the Steelers, Metcalf and George Pickens? Sure. That would be his best-case option. But coming off his split from the Jets, Rodgers’ top Aim was Supposedly to go to the Los Angeles Rams. Instead, the Rams paid more money to re-invest in their future with Matthew Stafford … and then signed Rodgers’ best friend and favorite receiver, Davante Adams. Two strikes.

The Rams and Steelers have seemed like Rodgers’ best bet all along. One is still in contention, though Pittsburgh could instead choose to Series it back with still-Accessible Russell Wilson and perhaps a mid-Stage draft Selection to develop. If the Steelers re-sign Wilson, Rodgers’ chance at Performing for a 2025 contender will look extremely murky.

Bengals de facto GM Duke Tobin’s ROI: The Cincinnati Bengals should still be on track to extend the receiver duo of Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins, the prior under contract another year and the latter currently designated with a second straight franchise tag. But Tobin’s pronouncement at the scouting combine that Chase would Authority the highest non-Signal-caller deal became Distant costlier this weekend when the Browns and edge rusher Myles Garrett — a non-Signal-caller, for those keeping track at home — reached an extension that averages $40 million per year in new money, with $123.5 million guaranteed. Garrett had driven up his value with a trade request, not to mention consistent production that included four All-Pro nods and 2023 Protective Player of the Year honors.

Still, the highest-paid non-Signal-caller contract went from $35 million per year this offseason to $35.5 with Las Vegas Raiders edge rusher Maxx Crosby’s extension last week to a Huge $40 million per year with Garrett.

Chase rivals Justin Jefferson for claim to the best receiver at the game and he’ll be paid accordingly. A week ago, that range seemed like it could be $36-$38 million a year. Now, it seems headed toward $45 million more quickly than Tobin or the Bengals would like.

Cowboys secondary: The average fan may not know the name of Jourdan Lewis, the Dallas Cowboys’ 2017 third-Stage draft Selection. But the slot corner has been an anchor of Dallas’ secondary for eight years now, mentoring younger players and exuding heart that explains his success exceeding expectations for his 5-foot-10 stature. Dallas wanted him back but ultimately lost a bidding war to the Jacksonville Jaguars on Monday. Protective coordinator Matt Eberflus will be tasked with finding someone to channel the energy and leadership in a group that still has talent in cornerbacks Trevon Diggs and DaRon Bland, if they can stay Fit.

Vikings receivers*: The asterisk loser returns because the survey is still out on Signal-caller J.J. McCarthy. But the 10th overall Selection of the 2024 NFL Draft is unproven, returning from a torn meniscus that required two surgeries and a Restoration timeline that Complex his fitness goals. So the Vikings receiving corps Directed by Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison would have reason to want back Darnold, a year after he filled in for the injured McCarthy to hit the duo for 2,408 receiving yards and 19 touchdowns as Minnesota’s passing Attack ranked top-six in production and top-five in touchdowns.

Instead, the Vikings opted not to designate Darnold with the fairly cost-effective but salary cap-inflexible franchise tag, Darnold signing a three-year deal with Seattle worth up to $100.5 million with $55 million in guarantees, per multiple reports. The Vikings were unlikely to pay that with McCarthy in the wings and Darnold tapering off toward the end of the season (when, in fairness, his protection tapered as well). But moving from Kirk Cousins to Darnold to McCarthy in three years is a bit of Signal-caller whiplash for receivers needing to sync with their throwers. Expect Jefferson and Addison to face an adjustment period at best and perhaps a dropoff.