NFL Analysis
3/14/25
10 min read
2025 NFL Free Agency: Ranking 9 Worst Early Moves
Free agency is always a fun and exciting time of the year as all 32 teams work to improve their rosters.
However, a majority of the signings around the league end up not working out for a variety of reasons. Every year, there are always a handful of deals that get made that look bad right away and end up failing by the time the games start being played.
Here are the nine worst early 2025 NFL Free Agency moves that teams will soon regret.
Ranking 9 Worst 2025 NFL Free Agency Moves
9. Javonte Williams, RB, Dallas Cowboys
Contract: 1 year, $3.5 million (guarantees unknown)
It’s hard to be too upset about any one-year deal worth less than $5 million. It’s such a small percentage of the cap, and there is no long-term commitment from the team. In fact, even if the player were to be released at any point during the one-year contract, it’s no big loss.
However, the Cowboys misread the running back market this offseason, and they ended up with a lesser player at a more expensive cost. Dallas expected Rico Dowdle, their leading rusher from the 2024 season, to command a contract of $6 million per year or more. But that didn’t happen, and he ended up signing a one-year, $2.5 million contract with the Carolina Panthers.
Before letting the market develop, Dallas jumped in and signed Javonte Williams to a one-year, $3.5 million deal. Williams is younger than Dowdle, but he was one of the league’s least-efficient runners last season, and his explosiveness is gone after a major knee injury in 2022.
Williams is the type of player that can be signed after the NFL Draft or closer to training camp. However, the fact that Dallas paid him on Day 1 of free agency and wound up paying more for him than Dowdle was a mistake. The Cowboys will draft their starting running back in April, but they made an early mistake in free agency.
8. Donte Jackson, CB, Los Angeles Chargers
Contract: 2 years, $13 million (Guarantees unknown)
If you were to just look at his raw counting stats, it sure seems like the Chargers got a steal with Donte Jackson. He had a career-high five interceptions in 2024 and recorded eight pass deflections. However, several of his interceptions were fluky (tipped passes, etc.), and he was one of the league’s most inefficient cornerbacks.
Jackson allowed 8.2 yards per target in 2024, which was similar to his 8.3 yards per target allowed in 2023 with the Panthers. The Steelers did their best to hide him in the defense, but because he doesn’t play in the slot, he was easily picked on by the better offenses.
Jackson is now on his third team in three seasons, and there is a reason why he keeps being let go. He is one of the worst man coverage cornerbacks in the league, and as he ages, it continues to get worse. His game has always relied on his overwhelming speed, and now that he's lost some of it, he's not a productive player.
The Chargers didn't pay him a ton of money, but this isn't the type of player ascending teams should you be targeting in free agency.
7. Darius Slay, CB, Pittsburgh Steelers
Contract: 1 year, $10 million (Fully guaranteed)
Pittsburgh had a big hole at cornerback with Donte Jackson leaving in free agency, so it wasn’t a surprise they were aggressive in targeting Darius Slay. However, Slay is 34 and has been at his best in a zone-heavy scheme.
Pittsburgh plays more man coverage under Teryl Austin, and it’s fair to wonder how that will fit Slay’s game at this stage of his career.
It’s also interesting that Pittsburgh didn’t pursue a long-term option at cornerback. Slay only signed for one year, and it’s hard to imagine he’ll be back in 2026 for his age-35 season. The Steelers had the cash to spend to get a long-term option opposite Joey Porter Jr., but they opted for the stop-gap player instead. That’s usually not a wise move for a team that isn’t in a Super Bowl window.
6. Aaron Banks, OG, Green Bay Packers
Contract: 4 years, $77 million ($27 million guaranteed)
It was a surprise to see the Packers get into the guard market, especially after selecting Jordan Morgan in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft. However, that’s what happened, and they paid a ton to Aaron Banks, a full-time starter for the 49ers during the last three seasons.
Banks was a good player in San Francisco, but now he is being paid as a top-10 guard in the NFL. That seems a bit rich for a player that has never garnered Pro Bowl consideration. Maybe the Packers feel like he’ll be better in their scheme, but this sure doesn’t feel like a $19 million-per-year player.
5. Talanoa Hufanga, S, Denver Broncos
Contract: 3 years, $45 million ($20 million guaranteed)
Safeties were paid left and right in free agency, so it’s not surprising that Talanoa Hufanga inked a new deal. After all, he was an All-Pro selection during the 2022 season after recording four interceptions, two forced fumbles, and two sacks.
However, since that season, Hufanga has played just 17 games, missing time with serious injuries, including a torn ACL. He’s not been durable, and his play style certainly impacts that. Denver wanted to get a more dynamic safety, and Hufanga is a playmaker. Still, he can be exposed in coverage and isn’t the most technically sound player.
For someone who has had as many serious injuries as he’s had during the years, $20 million guaranteed sure seems like a lot of cash. The Broncos are betting on his health improving as he ages. That’s always a tough bet, but here is to hoping he can stay on the field.
4. Larry Ogunjobi, DT, Buffalo Bills
Contract: 1 year, $8.3 million ($8 million guaranteed)
The Pittsburgh Steelers released Larry Ogunjobi on Tuesday despite having a ton of cap space, which usually isn’t a good sign for a player. However, it didn’t take long for Ogunjobi to find his next home, signing a deal with the Bills early on Wednesday morning.
Ogunjobi has been a declining player for years and he’s always been a poor run defender. He can be an adequate pass rusher at times, but even that part of his game has fallen off after recording just six sacks in the past three seasons.
The Bills are paying Ogunjobi to be a starter, and that’s a mistake at this point in his career. He should be a rotational defensive tackle who gets paid near the veteran minimum. This was a clear overpay for a not-very-good player.
3. Dan Moore, OT, Tennessee Titans
Contract: 4 years, $82 million ($50 million guaranteed)
Dan Moore Jr. is an average left tackle. We will start with that. And that’s not a knock on him! He was a fourth-round pick by the Pittsburgh Steelers during the 2021 NFL Draft, and he has started 66 games since being selected. Moore has incrementally improved each season and has been one of the league’s most durable players since being drafted.
Young and durable players get paid in free agency, especially at a position like left tackle. However, the Titans making him one of the league’s highest-paid offensive tackles still feels a bit weird. Tennessee had to improve its offensive line, and Moore was the best tackle out on the market.
However, it’s going to take some time to get over the sticker shock here, especially when you consider Ronnie Stanley signed a much smaller deal just days before free agency started. But that’s free agency. B players get paid A+ money. And that’s the case for Moore and the Titans here.
2. Harold Landry, EDGE, New England Patriots
Contract: 3 years, $43.5 million ($26 million guaranteed)
The Patriots needed to spend money in free agency and they did so by locking up Milton Williams, Carlton Davis, Robert Spillane, and Morgan Moses. Those were all reasonable deals for good players.
However, Harold Landry has been a declining player for a few years and was recently released by the Titans. And yet, the Patriots gave him a $43.5 million with $26 million in guarantees. Landry has never been an elite pass rusher, but he’s a solid run defender with below-average size. But now, the Patriots are paying him like an elite edge rusher, and we know that he won’t ever be that.
Landry will reunite with Mike Vrabel, and maybe he can get the most out of whatever is left. Still, this felt like a major overpay for New England, given where Landry is at this point in his career.
1. Javon Kinlaw, DT, Washington Commanders
Contract: 3 years, $45 million ($30 million guaranteed)
The most shocking contract was the Washington Commanders signing Javon Kinlaw to a $45 million contract with $30 million in guarantees. Kinlaw has missed a lot of time in the NFL, as he played just 24 games in the first three years of his career. He has played all 17 games in each of the last two seasons, so hopefully, he is putting those injury concerns behind him.
Kinlaw has become a decent pass rusher, totaling eight sacks in the last two seasons, but he is a poor run defender and should be relied upon as a backup rather than a starter.
Washington released Jonathan Allen this offseason and replaced him with Kinlaw, and that sure seems like a downgrade. Kinlaw is significantly younger, but he just isn’t the same caliber of player. Here's hoping that Dan Quinn and Joe Whitt Jr. know how to deploy him better than the 49ers or the Jets.
