NFL free agency 2025: Winners and losers from the first week of moves

Every team in the NFL is currently 0-0 in the standings, but we all know there’s more to it than that. The first week of free agency saw more big trades and extensions than signings. Some of the smarter squads invested more in their own talent than in outsiders. It also shuffled the deck on some well-known but far from sure-thing quarterbacks. After all the activity, here is a look at a few of the teams that came out of the process better off than they were . . . and a few who still have work to do.

WINNERS

COMMANDERS

Technically they weren’t free-agency signings, but trading for Deebo Samuel and Laremy Tunsil, two impact-making starters who will help the entire offense function better around a more experienced Jayden Daniels at quarterback, was a nice way to get around the general feeling that this was a weak year for talent on the open market. Washington also brought back some would-be free agents in Zach Ertz and Bobby Wagner along with veteran backup quarterback Marcus Mariota, who clearly played a large role in Daniels’ development as the hands-down Offensive Rookie of the Year.

BEARS

Chicago is another team with a promising second-year quarterback that eschewed traditional free agency and went straight to the trading post. In their case they fortified the interior of their offensive line by acquiring guards Joe Thuney and Jonah Jackson. They also grabbed center Drew Dalman on the market, reportedly at a cost less than some other teams were offering just so he could play for new coach Ben Johnson. Oh, they also added Grady Jarrett and Dayo Odeyingbo to play alongside Montez Sweat on the defensive line. A year after landing their quarterback, the Bears are clearly looking to dominate both sides of the line of scrimmage.

JA’MARR CHASE

He got richer without doing a single thing this week. The Bengals publicly stated their intentions to make their All-Pro receiver the highest-paid non-quarterback in the league just a few weeks ago and already that standard has gone up considerably. It stood at $35 million a year when they made the vow (Justin Jefferson with the Vikings) and now is at $40 million per thanks to Myles Garrett's new contract with the Browns. The Bengals better hurry up and ink him there before Micah Parsons and Jerry Jones get to talking!

BILLS

At least we know who Buffalo’s quarterback will be for the rest of the decade. Rather than dole out bucks to make splashy purchases, the Bills instead decided to invest in the most important position in the sport and extended reigning MVP Josh Allen on a six-year, $330 million extension that includes $250 million guaranteed. He’s still making less than Dak Prescott’s league-best $60 million per season and will likely feel like a bargain as the salary cap keeps going up in the coming years. It also left them with enough money to add Joey Bosa as a replacement for Von Miller and sign Josh Palmer as a wide receiver.

SAUCE GARDNER & DEXTER LAWRENCE

Neither of them are free agents yet, but the two cornerstone players for New York's football teams saw the market value for their respective positions skyrocket during this offseason. It leaves them underpaid for now but should provide them with some nice dividends later on. Gardner is still on his rookie contract but if he returns to his All-Pro form this season he should get a juicy extension. Considering the $18 million-a-year deals swung by the likes of some moderately productive players (Bryon Murphy, Paulson Adebo and Carlton Davis), Gardner could be looking at north of the $25 million per season record just set by Jaycee Horn in his extension with the Panthers. Lawrence, meanwhile, finds himself as the 11th highest-paid defensive tackle in the league, a ranking far from commensurate with his production. He still has three more years left on the extension he signed in 2023 but at some point soon his salary will have to be brought more in line with his value.

LOSERS

GIANTS

Joe Schoen actually made some nice moves to remake the secondary. Adding Jevon Holland and Paulson Adebo to last year’s draft picks of Dru Phillips and Tyler Nubin gives them a good young nucleus. But this offseason is all about getting the quarterback position fixed and so far nothing has happened. The Giants whiffed on Matthew Stafford, may find themselves boxed out on Aaron Rodgers and Russell Wilson, and, worse yet, still have the third overall pick in what most analysts believe is a two-quarterback draft where the Titans and Browns still have the very same need at the position. Until they get someone who can run the offense, nothing else matters.

SAM DARNOLD

He got the $100-million bag so it’s hard to call him a loser, but in three years when the deal expires is Darnold going to be commanding an even bigger payday? Or will he be back in the NFL’s recycling bin looking for backup jobs again? That may be a toss-up because he is going from Quarterback Nirvana in Minnesota where he had Justin Jefferson and Aaron Jones, not to mention a great defense and play-calling guru Kevin O’Connell as his coach, to a Seattle team that has a far worse offensive line than the Vikings. The Seahawks won 10 games last year with Geno Smith at quarterback so that’s a pretty high bar to maintain or exceed. In the long run, Darnold may have made more money by looking for a better landing spot rather than cashing in so quickly this time around.

COLTS

Good news for all the Daniel Jones apologists who always blamed his poor production on the awful Giants' offensive lines: The Colts’ blocking may be worse! It certainly didn’t improve after losing center Ryan Kelly and guard Will Fries, who both went to the Vikings as free agents in a sort of interior lineman package deal. Indianapolis did improve its secondary (safety Camryn Bynum and cornerback Charvarius Ward were signed) but it’s hard to see the Colts coming out better from that quarterback battle between Jones and Anthony Richardson that they are staging.

TEXANS

They had one reliable offensive lineman last year. They traded him away. Without Laremy Tunsil, it could be a long year for C.J. Stroud and a longer year for the Texans, whose window to win with their quarterback on his rookie contract is starting to close. Houston did add Christian Kirk for Stroud to throw to and they still have the draft to improve up front, but they’re supposed to be building around their young star passer, not making life more difficult and dangerous for him.

49ERS

It’s the end of an era for a team that had been a perennial Super Bowl contender for most of this decade and a fire sale for the rest of the league. Through the first four days of free agency, other teams spent $321 million on free agents from the 49ers, the most on players coming from one team in NFL history, according to CBSSports.com. The 49ers have lost almost half of their starters this offseason, including core culture players such as Deebo Samuel, Charvarius Ward, Dre Greenlaw and Leonard Floyd . . . all because they need to clear space to finally start paying quarterback Brock Purdy a decent wage rather than his Mr. Irrelevant rate.

By Tom Rock

tom.rock@newsday.com@TomRock_Newsday

Tom Rock began covering sports for Newsday in 1996 and became its NFL columnist in 2022. He previously was Newsday's Giants beat writer beginning in 2008.