NFL Analysis
3/25/25
13 min read
2025 NFL Free Agency: Grading Every NFC Team's Early Haul
Everyone in the NFC is trying to catch up to the Philadelphia Eagles, and while not every team became a Super Bowl contender in free agency, they were all trying to trend in the right direction with a flurry of moves.
Even the Eagles had big shoes to fill in free agency, with Milton Williams, Darius Slay, and Josh Sweat all leaving this offseason. That's a first-world problem for a team coming off a Super Bowl victory, however, while other teams are simply trying to figure out how to become competent again.
With that in mind, let's break down free agency grades for all 16 NFC teams, focusing on whether or not the teams efficiently used their resources to get better this offseason.
NFC Free AGent Grades
Arizona Cardinals 
Grade: B+
The fact that the Arizona Cardinals finally addressed their pass-rushing woes with an established veteran in Josh Sweat is a massive win by itself.
After not having a 60-pressure pass rusher since 2019, the Cardinals are hoping Sweat can break that streak. Meanwhile, they also added a pair of starting-caliber defenders, defensive lineman Dalvin Tomlinson and linebacker Akeem Davis-Gaither, to bolster a competent defense that was lacking talent.
Kyler Murray didn't get much offensive help, but the Cardinals found some depth pieces to ensure the bottom doesn't fall out if players start getting hurt.
Atlanta Falcons
Grade: C+
The Atlanta Falcons don't feel like a team that got better in free agency, but they definitely avoided overpaying some of their aging veterans.
Grady Jarrett was cut and promptly signed with the Chicago Bears, as did center Drew Dalman. The two will be making a combined average of $28 million per year, and a team with a second-year quarterback probably shouldn't be splurging to overpay veterans, even if they've done a lot for the franchise in previous years.
Unfortunately, the Falcons didn't add many needle-moving players after letting those guys walk. Leonard Floyd could be a solid mercenary pass rusher, and Divine Deablo is an adequate starter at linebacker, but none of these players are likely to become long-term franchise stars.
Carolina Panthers
Grade: A-
The Carolina Panthers found a lot of really good value in free agency without having to spend a lot of money on any one player.
Carolina's best move might have been letting Miles Sanders walk to bring in Rico Dowdle, adding a 1,000-yard rusher to the backfield alongside Chuba Hubbard. The Panthers weren't done. They also added some underrated players like Tershawn Wharton, Trevon Moehrig, and Christian Rozeboom to bolster their defense.
After the glimpses last year, a more impatient general manager might have tried to fix everything at once this offseason. Instead, these are a lot of prudent moves to add competent starters while looking to find stars in the draft.
Chicago Bears
Grade: B
You have to hand it to the Chicago Bears, who came into free agency with a very clear plan to build out the trenches on both sides of the ball.
Key additions include Grady Jarrett, Drew Dalman, Dayo Odeyingbo, Joe Thuney, and Jonah Jackson. The plan was clearly to protect Caleb Williams and bolster the defense so that it could consistently rush the passer.
While all of these moves should rightfully get Bears fans excited, the bigger question is if the Bears tried to take too big of swings for too much money. Jarrett is already 31 years old and has seen his play decline in recent years, while Odeyingbo has been an unproven pass rusher who got paid like one of the top EDGEs on the market.
Still, the Bears' strategy was 100 percent justifiable. We'll have to wait and see if it works.
Dallas Cowboys
Grade: D+
The Dallas Cowboys no longer feel like a team trying to compete for a Super Bowl.
After paying so much to Dak Prescott and CeeDee Lamb, the Cowboys were forced to let legitimate contributors like Demarcus Lawrence, Jourdan Lewis, and Rico Dowdle walk in free agency.
The moves that Dallas made weren't exactly inspiring, either. Dante Fowler might be the most noteworthy move, but is a notorious one-year mercenary who has been bouncing around the league. Other additions like Miles Sanders and Kenneth Murray haven't lived up to expectations with their previous teams.
None of these moves feel like ones that made the Cowboys better, and with the way the rest of the NFC East is trending, they might be in tough shape for 2025.
Detroit Lions
Grade: B+
Detroit Lions fans were likely preparing for some big personnel changes after losing both of their coordinators to head coaching jobs. Instead, the Lions were mostly able to keep the band together with just a couple of moves going both ways.
Losing Kevin Zeitler stings, but the Lions were also able to potentially upgrade at cornerback after losing Carlton Davis by signing D.J. Reed, the perfect veteran CB2 to play opposite of last year's first-round pick in Terrion Arnold. They also added a stout nose tackle in Roy Lopez, who can make some splash plays up front.
After how good the Lions were when fully healthy in 2024, it's great that they can keep so many key players in the building while adding a couple of intriguing free agents to the mix.
Green Bay Packers
Grade: B-
The Green Bay Packers had money to spend this offseason, but general manager Brian Gutekunst just spent it in ways that fans weren't totally prepared for.
Aaron Banks became one of the highest-paid guards in the NFL after a solid start to his career in San Francisco. He'll add some much-needed size and depth to the team's interior offensive line, while Nate Hobbs provides some slot/outside cornerback versatility to a secondary that desperately needs cornerback help if they part ways with Jaire Alexander.
Those are two moves that definitely improve Green Bay's roster, but there are still holes that went unaddressed, most notably a premier pass rusher and a proven No. 1 receiver. The Packers will need to hit home runs at both spots in the NFL Draft to elevate themselves into legitimate Super Bowl contenders.
Los Angeles Rams
Grade: A
For a team that lost a handful of key veterans from the past few seasons, the Los Angeles Rams still feel like they improved this offseason.
Replacing a Cooper Kupp with Davante Adams feels like a major upgrade. While Adams is 32 years old, he's aging much more gracefully than Kupp and could play a versatile outside/slot role to make the Rams' offense even more unpredictable.
On the other side, Poona Ford is quietly one of the best signings of free agency, adding a veteran run-stopper to a young defensive front that is so focused on rushing the passer. Those two moves alone put the Rams in a much better position to compete in the NFC this year, even if some other starters like Jonah Jackson and Christian Rozeboom are gone.
Minnesota Vikings
Grade: A
After boasting such a strong roster in 2024, the Minnesota Vikings decided to take massive swings in free agency to try and build a contender around J.J. McCarthy.
Like the Bears, the Vikings built around the trenches, adding key starters on the offensive line in Will Fries and Ryan Kelly and defensive linemen in Jonathan Allen and Javon Hargrave. They also managed to keep Byron Murphy in the secondary and Aaron Jones in their backfield.
The only reason this free agency period doesn't get an A+ is that there's a lingering question about the quarterback position. If McCarthy isn't fully healthy or ready to lead a team built for Super Bowl contention, then this could all fall apart quickly.
Still, the Vikings now have a loaded roster on both sides of the ball that should take a lot of pressure off of their first-round quarterback.
New Orleans Saints
Grade: F
This grade has nothing to do with the talent that the New Orleans Saints brought in because the free-agent class is actually quite good.
Instead, they get an F because they flat-out refuse to take their medicine and embrace a rebuild with their financial situation. Instead of eating their dead cap and setting themselves up for future seasons, they keep tacking on void years to aging veterans and making their cap situation worse down the road.
One day, the Saints will be in true cap hell, which they'll be unable to get themselves out of. For now, they'll keep fielding a team that might not have the firepower to make a playoff run while kicking the can down the road.
New York Giants
Grade: A-
It may not look like it at first glance, but the New York Giants made some solid moves ahead of the 2025 NFL Draft.
Joe Schoen decided to bolster the Giants secondary with a pair of big names in free agency, signing Paulson Adebo and Jevon Holland. Those are excellent veterans to pair with a young secondary that features talented youngsters like Dru Phillips, Tyler Nubin, and Deonte Banks.
In addition, the Giants added a pair of solid players on their defensive front in Roy Robertson-Harris and Chauncey Golston. The defense now looks like it's in good shape while the Giants prepare to likely take a quarterback and build out the offense through this year's draft.
Philadelphia Eagles
Grade: C+
No one should ever doubt Howie Roseman's ability to build a Super Bowl-caliber roster. However, there might have been too many departures for the front office to replace through free agency, instead hoping to rely on finding key playmakers in the draft.
Milton Williams and Josh Sweat leaving puts a big dent in the team's pass rush, while Mekhi Becton's departure puts a hole in the team's offensive line. They're also going to be leaning even more on their rookie defensive backs from last year after moving on from Darius Slay and C.J. Gardner-Johnson.
Azeez Ojulari is an interesting pickup as an EDGE replacement, and Kenyon Green could be a nice reclamation project for a franchise notorious for developing offensive linemen. Still, the draft is going to have to be where Roseman finds real difference-makers to try to repeat as Super Bowl champions in 2025.
San Francisco 49ers
Grade: D
Talk about a nightmare offseason for a team that was so close to a Super Bowl ring just a couple of years ago.
The San Francisco 49ers experienced a mass exodus this offseason. Key players like Deebo Samuel, Aaron Banks, Dre Greenlaw, Talanoa Hufanga, Javon Hargrave, and Charvarius Ward are all gone. Even Trent Williams' successor, Jaylon Moore, is gone.
Those are all key pieces for the 49ers during the last few seasons, and they were unable to find any kind of difference-makers to replace those names. The financial situation is dicey with Brock Purdy's impending extension, to the point Brandon Aiyuk is already being mentioned in trade rumors again.
Kyle Shanahan is a very good coach and could still get this team into playoff contention. However, that kind of talent loss feels like way too much to overcome.
Seattle Seahawks
Grade: C-
The Seattle Seahawks looked like they were embracing a rebuild after trading away Geno Smith and DK Metcalf. Then, they gave out $100 million of max contract value to Sam Darnold and Cooper Kupp.
Those are downgrades to the departing veterans, and the Kupp acquisition makes even less sense when the only remaining star receiver the Seahawks kept is also a slot in Jaxon Smith-Njigba.
Other solid contributors like Roy Robertson-Harris and Dre'Mont Jones left in free agency, and the Seahawks made a few other signings to move the needle. This seems like a team content with coasting for a couple of years with Darnold under center until figuring out what the next era is going to look like.
Tampa bay Buccaneers
Grade: B+
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers being able to keep Chris Godwin for a hometown discount is a massive win for the franchise.
Godwin admitted that he was offered more money to play elsewhere but stays in an offense with Baker Mayfield, Mike Evans, and an emerging WR3 in Jalen McMillan. That alone is a job well done by Tampa Bay's front office.
There aren't many other big moves from the Buccaneers in free agency, but the addition of Haason Reddick is an intriguing one. It could go poorly, but if he returns to form, could quickly be Tampa Bay's top pass rusher.
Liam Coen's departure is the biggest question about this team, but the roster is still in good shape to run away with the NFC South.
Washington Commanders
Grade: A-
The Washington Commanders know that they have a legitimate Super Bowl window with Jayden Daniels on a rookie contract, so the front office wasn't shy about swinging for the fences.
A trade for Laremy Tunsil set the tone early for Washington, finding a veteran star at left tackle to protect their franchise quarterback. They also added a key slot weapon in Deebo Samuel, along with some defensive reinforcements in Jonathan Jones and Javon Kinlaw.
The Kinlaw deal's priceyness drops the Commanders' grade a bit, but the rest of the moves have put them in a great position to make another deep playoff run in 2025.
