If Week 1 is the equivalent to Christmas on the NFL calendar, then free agency is Thanksgiving as we get served a lot of new deals for players on new teams, and the occasional pumpkin pie dessert of a blockbuster trade.
There are a select number of teams that will have a particularly close eye on them in terms of the moves they make, but all 32 teams will be active and make moves with an eye towards the future.
In terms of who goes where, that’s what I’m here for. So without any further analogies, let’s go through every NFL team and predict one free agent they will land or trade they will make.
Daniels is coming off a season-ending injury that he sustained in Week 4, so there is likely some concern there. However, he has the versatility to play guard and center, and the Cardinals need to get better on the interior of their offensive line.
Death, taxes, and the Falcons needing an edge rusher. It feels like they are always at the bottom of the league when it comes to bringing down the quarterback, and they were again last season finishing 31st in sacks.
Remember that Thursday Night game where every third play, Joe Burrow would find Ja’Marr Chase in a separate county than every member of the Ravens secondary? Yeah, they can’t not address the need at cornerback if they want to prevent that from happening again.
The Ravens could also look to land a higher-tier edge rusher, but they need another boundary cornerback opposite of Nate Wiggins while Marlon Humphrey remains in the slot.
Buffalo Bills: EDGE Myles Garrett (Trade)
Wow, how original – someone predicting the Bills will trade for Myles Garrett. Yes, I know, but man if any team makes sense to send a king’s ransom of the finest blue cheese and broken tables this side of the Mississippi to the Browns, it’s Buffalo. For starters, they don’t draft well in the early portions of the draft and won’t miss the pair of first round picks and likely a second-round pick that it would take to land the former Defensive Player of the Year. On top of that, what else do they need outside of a dominant pass rusher? With Dion Dawkins flat out saying he wants Garrett to come to Buffalo, this feels like too much smoke for there to be no fire.
I had to legitimately look up who the Panthers’ starting safeties were, which tells you all you need to know about their defense (they’re starting safeties are Xavier Woods and Demani Richardson for those wondering) . They need help everywhere, and I would fully expect them to add an edge rusher as well, but kicking off the offseason by adding Holland would be a good first step.
Good Odin’s Raven the Bengals’ secondary was bad in 2024. They allowed the fourth-most touchdown passes in the league and it was routinely bombs away for opposing offenses. They need a true No. 1 cornerback, and Reed would provide that.
Ben Johnson and Ryan Poles are one infinity stone away from completely rebuilding the interior of the Bears’ offensive line (by the way, Ashont Jeanty is such a Bear it isn’t even funny). Kelly is a multiple-time Pro Bowler, and would give the unit, and team as a whole, a veteran leader.
The Browns just need a capable left tackle for the immediate future. All they need right now is a guy who isn’t a swinging door. They can draft a long-term answer and sign Moore to a short-term deal.
Spoiler alert – this isn’t the only time I’ll be uniting brothers. Yeah, this just makes sense on all fronts. Outside of CeeDee Lamb, Dak Prescott is set to throw to you and I at receiver. Add Diggs, unite him with his brother, Trevon, and give the Cowboys’ offense a legit No. 2 guy opposite of Lamb.
Kupp would fit the Sean Payton scheme like a glove. An underneath slot demon that can still separate and get yards after the catch while being the easy button for Bo Nix is a no-brainer addition for Denver.
Detroit Lions: EDGE Trey Hendrickson (Trade)
Aaron Glenn should be given a Nobel Prize for keeping the Lions’ defense afloat while they were practically a MASH unit with all their injuries. Entering this new era, the Lions should do all they can to create a deadly pass rush tandem of Aidan Hutchinson and another star. With Hendrickson on the trade block, and Cincinnati likely preferring to send him to an NFC team, Detroit should make this happen.
The emergence of Edgerrin Cooper as a rising star was a great development for Green Bay. Now, they should add another pass rusher. Mack may not be as good as he once was, but he’s as good once as he ever was, RIP Toby Keith.
The Texans’ wide receiver room in 2024 was like a sad One Direction song talking about how a relationship had so much potential but inevitably failed. Stefon Diggs and Tank Dell suffering season-ending injuries really lowered their ceiling. Add a big-bodied power slot receiver in Allen and draft a receiver in the first round.
Now now, Colts fans, put your pitchforks down and leave my family out of this, just let me explain. If anything, Jones is a living, breathing litmus test for Anthony Richardson. Throughout OTAs, mini-camp, and training camp, if you can’t definitively say that Richardson is better than Jones, you know he isn’t the future.
The Jaguars practically had a scarecrow that they put in a teal uniform playing opposite of Tyson Campbell last year, and every one of their opponents knew it. Adebo is one of the more underrated cornerbacks in the NFL and pairing him with Campbell would give Jacksonville their best secondary since the days of Jalen Ramsey and A.J. Bouye.
Kansas City Chiefs: S Talanoa Hufanga
With Justin Reid likely leaving in free agency, the Chiefs will need to replenish the safety position. And what better way to do that than sign a former All-Pro and probably revert him back to playing elite football while the rest of the NFL falls to their knees and asks God what they did to deserve this?
Well, they are already Seahawks south, they may as well continue the bit. The built-in chemistry with Geno Smith makes sense to add Lockett opposite Jakobi Meyers.
Justin Herbert’s receiving corps is comprised of NBA players from the 1950s. Get him D.K. Metcalf as a deep ball option while Ladd McConkey eats underneath and give the Chargers a balanced, dangerous passing attack.
Much like their SoFi brethren, the Rams receiving corps is slow and needs a top-level compliment to their young star. Adams is still capable of being a dominant receiver at all three levels, and Puka Nacua is one of the finest receivers in the game. Matthew Stafford returning to be the point guard of the offense with Adams thrown in would get them one step closer to returning to the Super Bowl.
The Dolphins’ defense, frankly speaking, is soft – especially up front. Add Williams to be an interior wrecker to open things up outside for Bradley Chubb and Jaelan Phillips.
Minnesota Vikings: CB Rasul Douglas
Byron Murphy hitting the open market leaves a hole in the secondary. Douglas is north of 30 and can’t fill that void himself, but he is a more than capable veteran that Minnesota can pair with a rookie to add to their defensive backfield.
The Patriots need to improve in the trenches to help improve their run game and keep interior pressure off Drake Maye. Fries is one of the better guards available to do that.
The hardest part of this was finding players that would want to go to New Orleans right now. They are in cap hell, as is tradition, they have few, if any, true impact players, and the immediate future is grim. One thing they need to do is get younger on defense, and Jones could help them do that.
The Giants’ game plan last season was “Malik Nabers get open. Ready break.” They need a good No. 2 to compliment the superstar receiver for whomever the quarterback will be.
With D.J. Reed likely leaving, pairing Sauce Gardner with Samuel would be a very enticing thought to keep an elite cornerback duo in place.
The Eagles are never shy when it comes to bringing in recently-released and/or veteran defenders (Devin White and Shaq Leonard anyone?) With Josh Sweat and other defenders potentially on the way out, they should bring in a reliable veteran.
It’s actually impressive how bad the Steelers’ receiving corps was in 2024. Van Jefferson was their WR2, insert meme of Ralph from The Simpsons saying “I’m in danger.” The Steelers reached out to Denver twice last offseason about trading for Sutton, but were turned away both times. However, Denver didn’t give him a new deal and he’s entering the final year of that deal. Send him to Pittsburgh and get some draft capital in return while the Steelers get another legitimate receiver.
Alright, let’s think of a tandem name for the Bosa brothers.
- Capitol (Pass) Rush
- Storming The Quarterback
- Sacking The Snowflakes
Okay, I’m done.
Jokes aside, this feels like such an obvious signing for the 49ers. Give Bosa an incentive-filled contract that is easy on the cap and (hopefully) get a pass rusher that is on the field a lot opposit his brother.
Becton emerged as a very capable guard after switching positions upon joining the Eagles in 2024. Now that he is a free agent, the Seahawks could bring in the 25 year old and hopefully find a guard for the long haul.
The Bucs’ defense needs help at all levels, but their secondary especially needs attention after allowing the fourth-most passing yards per game in the league. A young star like Murphy being put in Todd Bowles’ defense would be a great signing.
Some may not want to hear it, but Rodgers to Tennessee makes sense for both parties. You can still draft a quarterback if that’s what you want to do at No. 1 overall, but not feel the need to play him right away. Or you can take Travis Hunter or Abdul Carter, go through 2025 with Rodgers, take a quarterback in 2026 and go from there. Either way, he gives you a sizeable upgrade over Will Levis and Mason Rudolph.
The Commanders took a swing last season by trading for Marshon Lattimore at the trade deadline, but he had more pass interference penalties than notable plays. Not to say Lattimore can’t play, but he needs another upper-level cornerback playing on the opposite boundary. The Commanders have more money than the GDP of the DELMARVA area this offseason and Davis should be at the top of their wish list.
