The seven most impactful NFL free agent moves
NFL free agency began this week, with several stars from around the league up for grabs after departing their previous teams.
Some big-name players who have hit the free-agency sweepstakes remain available. Aaron Rodgers has interest from the New York Giants and the Pittsburgh Steelers and Russell Wilson is still unattached after his contract with the Steelers expired.
But there have been several seismic switches made already during the 2025 free-agency period.
Here are the seven most impactful movers so far.
Sam Darnold – QB – Seattle Seahawks
Sam Darnold
Sam Darnold
After leading the Minnesota Vikings to a 14-3 regular season record in 2024, Sam Darnold was the hottest free agent on the market this year.
The former New York Jets and Carolina Panthers quarterback’s options – and financial compensation – would likely have been even greater, too, were in not for a couple of sub-par displays in his last two outings, a Week 18 loss to the Detroit Lions and a playoff reverse at the hands of the Los Angeles Rams.
In the end, it was the Seahawks who won the race for Darnold.
Seattle had just traded away longtime starting signal caller Geno Smith to the Las Vegas Raiders in exchange for a third-round pick. So Darnold, who is still only 27 despite having played seven seasons in the NFL, landed a three-year, $100.5 million contract to take control of the offense at Lumen Field.
However, it remains to be seen whether Darnold – a notoriously pressure-sensitive quarterback – can reproduce his career-resurrecting Vikings form behind the Seahawks’ leaky offensive line and without Coach of the Year Kevin O’Connell drawing up plays.
Milton Williams – DT – New England Patriots
The Patriots have been big spenders during free agency, with cap space to burn and a roster full of holes to fill.
Milton Williams – fresh off winning Super Bowl LIX with the Philadelphia Eagles – was the top defensive tackle in the class and the Patriots have paid a serious sum to secure his services.
The $26 million-per-year deal he has penned at Gillette Stadium makes him the third highest-paid defensive tackle in the league.
At age 26, Williams has the talent and time to justify that outlay. But the Patriots’ expenditure is based more on a projection of what Williams can become, rather than the player he has thus far proven to be.
Last year, he played only around half of the defensive snaps for the Eagles, registering a modest five sacks and 10 quarterback hits. He also benefitted from playing alongside outstanding second-year tackle Jalen Carter, who was routinely double-teamed by opposition offensive lines.
Now, in New England, Williams will be the one singled out for such special treatment.
Davante Adams – WR – Los Angeles Rams
Las Vegas Raiders wide receiver Davante Adam
Las Vegas Raiders wide receiver Davante Adam
Jevone Moore/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
Davante Adams is 32 years old and his Green Bay Packers peak is very much in the rear-view mirror, but the three-time All-Pro wide receiver is still an effective weapon.
Despite spending the last three campaigns on sub-par teams in the Las Vegas Raiders and the Jets, Adams has kept alive a streak of consecutive 1,000-plus receiving-yard seasons that now stretches five years.
In the Rams, he has joined a team who suffer none of the drama of his past two stops. Plus, he will play under Sean McVay, perhaps the best coach in the NFL.
Adams’ arrival at So-Fi Stadium coincides with the release of 2021 Triple Crown winner and Super Bowl LVI MVP Cooper Kupp.
Despite being slightly younger that Adams at 31, Kupp has looked a shadow of the elite receiver he has been in years past. Adams gives the Rams a true X receiver to threaten on the outside, while Kupp vacating the slot will allow for a more varied use of impressive 2023 draft pick Puka Nacua.
Justin Fields – WB – New York Jets
fields-20210821-getty-ftr
Rodgers’ exit from the Jets left a gaping quarterback vacancy on the white and green side of New York.
The Jets had been rumoured potential trade partners with the Tennessee Titans for the No.1 draft pick, as well as being a reported possible destination for upcoming rookie QB Shedeur Sanders with their own seventh pick.
But their acquisition of Justin Fields – whom they will pay $20 million a year after the former 11th overall pick spent most of last season backing up Wilson in Pittsburgh – means they can keep their powder dry in the rookie quarterback market this year.
Fields is a flawed quarterback, lacking dependable passing accuracy. But he is also hugely talented. One of the most athletic players the league has ever seen in his position, he is an electric rusher who possesses a powerful arm.
If he can he refined, there is plenty of upside in the 26-year-old former Chicago Bear.
Joey Bosa – Edge – Buffalo Bills
Joey Bosa #97 of the Los Angeles Chargers
Joey Bosa #97 of the Los Angeles Chargers
David Jensen/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
When former Defensive Player of the Year Myles Garrett was publicly campaigning for a trade away from Cleveland earlier this year – prior to becoming the highest-paid non-quarterback in NFL history when he renewed his commitment to the Browns – the Buffalo Bills were said to be extremely interested in acquiring the star edge rusher.
Joey Bosa – older brother of San Francisco 49ers ace edge Nick Bosa – is not Myles Garrett. But he is a solid consolation prize. And he is a much cheaper alternative, signing a one-year, $12.6 million deal, compared to the $40 million a year Garrett will now earn.
The Bills clearly feel they need to improve their pass rush if they are to finally overcome the Chiefs in the AFC. And Bosa – who had 72 sacks in nine seasons with the Los Angeles Chargers – can fulfil that need, provided he can overcome the injury issues that too often held him back in LA.
Daniel Jones – QB – Indianapolis Colts
Daniel Jones NY Giants_September2024
Daniel Jones NY Giants_September2024
Nic Antaya/Getty Images
The Indianapolis Colts have already made it clear that they have signed former New York Giants quarterback Daniel Jones to compete with Anthony Richardson for the top position under centre at Lucas Oil Stadium.
Jones’ true level is likely as a high-end back-up rather than a solid starter in the NFL – he has only once thrown more than 15 touchdown passes in a season, and that was in his rookie year in 2019.
But at around $16 million for the season, he offers value to the Colts as a veteran whose strengths and weaknesses align well enough with Richardson’s – both are athletic runners with questionable passing accuracy and processing capabilities – that he will not necessitate any major system tweaking if he comes in and starts.
Yet at the same time, Jones is not a player Richardson should fear in their quarterback battle. The challenge of overcoming the ex- Giant could galvanise the inconsistent former No.4 draft pick in his third NFL season.
Read next | NFL free agency frenzy: Breaking down the winners and losers so far
Jaylon Moore – OT – Kansas City Chiefs
The way the Eagles hassled and harried Patrick Mahomes throughout their 40-22 Super Bowl triumph back in February laid bare the Chiefs’ desperate need to improve their offensive line.
And so far this offseason, they’ve taken a curious approach to addressing that issue.
First, they traded veteran All-Pro guard Joe Thuney to the Chicago Bears. And then they gave Jaylon Moore a two-year, $30 million deal in free agency.
Moore previously spent four seasons with the 49ers, where he was the back-up to star left tackle Trent Williams.
The 6ft 4ins 27-year-old started just 12 games in that time, a scant level of experience for the outlay the Chiefs have splurged and the responsibility of protecting Mahomes’ blindside.
The Kansas City front office must believe that have seen something in Moore that others have missed.
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