As minicamps and OTAs come to a finish around the league, it’s time to look at which teams got better, and which got worse during NFL free agency. Some teams overspent, and some forgot they had money to spend at all. Here are our 2025 NFC free agent grades.
Arizona Cardinals: C+
Josh Sweat is in, Baron Browning is re-signed, Calais Campbell is back. The Cards absolutely reinforced their defensive line. This is a team that is built on defense, I liked these moves.
Atlanta Falcons: D
Another offseason where I am shocked at what the Atlanta Falcons are doing. They need a legit pass rusher. They need a guy who can go out and give them 10 sacks and they continue to ignore it.
Carolina Panthers: A
The Panthers focused on offense last offseason. This offseason it was defense, and they went out to get them 4-5 starters. Money seemed to be no obstacle, and it was impressive to see them be so aggressive.
Chicago Bears: A+
From an offseason output including trades, the Bears aced everything. The free agent moves are what I am grading here, and I still love what they did. Grady Jarrett is a big signing, and they got a legit center in Drew Dalman who was one of the most sought-after free agents.
Dallas Cowboys: D
This is a franchise that looks to be in disarray. The Cowboys continue to swing and miss. If you think Miles Sanders and Javonte Williams will turn it around for Dallas, then you can rank this grade much higher, but I won’t be.
Detroit Lions: C-
Detroit had to be careful about their finances this offseason. DJ Reed is a solid signing, but after losing Carlton Davis, there isn’t much net positive by replacing him.
Green Bay Packers: D-
The Packers basically just let a bunch of guys who wanted to continue to play with Aaron Rodgers walk away which is a tough pill to swallow for the fans. They added minor guys like Matt Orzech and Tarvarius Moore.
Los Angeles Rams: B-
The Rams handled their business. They brought back Matthew Stafford despite multiple teams showing interest. On top of that, they brought in Davante Adams. If they can get just a little bit of his vintage play, they will be in good shape.
Minnesota Vikings: A+
Minnesota doesn’t have to pay much for a QB right now, so they were able to spend big. They made major upgrades to their offensive and defensive lines, getting two starters on each side. They also brought back Byron Murphy and Aaron Jones.
New Orleans Saints: F
Yikes, yikes, yikes. The Saints have almost no money to spend, they lost their starting QB to medical retirement, and they certainly overspent on their one big addition of Chase Young.
New York Giants: D+
I am a little confused over what the strategy was for the Giants at the QB position. They brought in Jameis Winston AND Russell Wilson. Oh, and they brought back Tommy Devito before they drafted Jaxson Dart.
Philadelphia Eagles: D-
The Eagles had a tough time this offseason retaining many of their starters. Josh Sweat is gone, Milton Williams is gone, Oren Burks is gone. They have so many stars that this will happen at times, but these were big losses.
San Francisco 49ers: C-
The 49ers did a few things well, extending Brock Purdy, George Kittle, and Fred Warner. However, they had to lose eight starters to make way for those moves. They added tons of depth.
Seattle Seahawks: B
The next two years will grade this free agent class but the Seahawks going out and getting Sam Darnold and Cooper Kupp is typically a very positive sign of things to come.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers: B+
The Bucs somehow got Chris Godwin back despite him being offered way more money around the league. Lavonte David returns, Ben Bredeson returns and they got a good price on Haason Reddick.
Washington Commanders: B
The Commanders were busier in the trade market than the free agency market, but what they did well was retaining their leaders like Bobby Wagner and Zach Ertz.