Sure, 2024 NFL free agency isn't even over yet -- players like Xavien Howard are still out there looking for new deals -- but we're already taking an early look at the potential of the 2025 class. If you didn't land the playmaker you wanted this year, the good news is there should be plenty of options next March.
I say "should" because a lot can change before we reach 2025. The majority of the top players currently primed for free agency will sign contract extensions well before next March. Another handful will end up with the franchise tag. Consider that guys like Jalen Hurts (extension), Nick Bosa (extension), L'Jarius Sneed (tag), Mike Evans (new deal before free agency) and even Lamar Jackson (new deal after getting tagged last March) were all on my early 2024 list at this time last year. So take this with a grain of salt because the free agent class will look very different next spring.
Even so, we broke down the best of the best currently slated to hit the open market across a few different categories, including big-name quarterbacks and impact players on both sides of the ball. Each player's age, positional value, expected future production and scheme versatility are factored in here, and restricted and exclusive free agents are not included. And one more important note: Players who are eligible for a fifth-year option for 2025 -- first-round picks from the 2021 draft class -- are not included. That includes quarterback Trevor Lawrence, wide receiver Ja'Marr Chase and cornerback Pat Surtain II, among others.
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QBs to know | Offensive stars
Defensive stars | Tagged players
Best quarterbacks on expiring contracts
Dak Prescott, Dallas Cowboys
The postseason wins are missing from Prescott's résumé, but I fully expect the Cowboys to re-sign him to a deal that resets the quarterback market. So he shouldn't be on this list for long. Prescott, who will turn 31 this summer, posted big-time numbers in 2023, including a Total QBR of 72.7 (second in the NFL), 4,516 passing yards (third) and 36 touchdown throws (first). Dallas recently restructured his contract to reduce his 2024 salary cap hit, and the team is reportedly still working toward an extension.
Jordan Love, Green Bay Packers
A rapidly ascending player at 25 years old, Love finished his first season with 4,159 passing yards and 32 touchdown throws. The arm talent jumps off the tape, the field vision is there in Matt LaFleur's passing game and his mobility allows him to extend plays. Love should cash in with a new contract extension in Green Bay before the start of free agency next March, as the Packers appear set at the quarterback position once again.
Jared Goff, Detroit Lions
The 2016 No. 1 pick has improved his pocket strength and movement, and it's easy to see the great fit in Detroit's offensive structure. Goff's 1,427 passing yards on play-action throws ranked second in the NFL last season, and his overall completion percentage of 67.3 was seventh best. He sees it fast and delivers the ball with location. Goff -- who turns 30 in October -- is yet another quarterback who could land a contract extension well before free agency, as the contending Lions will want to be set at the position.
Tua Tagovailoa, Miami Dolphins
In Miami coach Mike McDaniel's heavily schemed passing game, 26-year-old Tagovailoa operates as a timing and rhythm thrower, distributing the ball with accuracy to explosive play targets at multiple levels of the field. His Total QBR of 60.8 ranked 10th in the NFL last season, and he led the league with 1,599 yards off play-action throws. With the 2020 first-rounder now entering the fifth year of his rookie contract, I anticipate a multiyear extension with the Dolphins -- who are in a position to compete to win the AFC East -- after Tagovailoa started all 17 games last season.
Other notable quarterbacks on expiring contracts: Russell Wilson, Sam Darnold and Drew Lock
Offensive players who will get paid
Justin Jefferson, WR, Minnesota Vikings
Jefferson is the league's best route runner and has the explosive play ability to stretch defenses, averaging 107.4 receiving yards per game last season in Kevin O'Connell's offense. And over four seasons, he has already totaled 30 touchdown catches. Even with the Vikings going through a transition at the quarterback position this offseason, look for the club to ink Jefferson (who turns 25 this summer) to a record-breaking extension.
CeeDee Lamb, WR, Dallas Cowboys
Lamb posted career-best numbers in 2023, logging 135 receptions for 1,749 yards and 12 touchdowns. He's a playmaker with the ball in his hands, displaying the open-field vision and juice to create after the catch. Lamb's 29 explosive-play receptions (catches of 20 or more yards) also tied for the league lead with Tyreek Hill. He should land top-level money, either in Dallas or elsewhere.
Amon-Ra St. Brown, WR, Detroit Lions
One of the most consistent players in the league, St. Brown has at least 90 receptions in each of his first three NFL seasons. He has the physical play demeanor to work the middle of the field, along with the catch-and-run numbers -- 44.1% of his 1,515 receiving yards last season came after the catch. St. Brown will turn 25 in the middle of this coming season.
Brandon Aiyuk, WR, San Francisco 49ers
Aiyuk had a huge 2023 season with 1,342 receiving yards (seventh most in the league) and seven touchdowns. He's a sudden mover in the route tree and shows the ability to shift gears instantly after the catch. That sells in Kyle Shanahan's offensive structure. The 2020 first-rounder is 26 years old and could help any team's offense.
Nico Collins, WR, Houston Texans
Collins' production skyrocketed last season in Houston with the arrival of quarterback C.J. Stroud and offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik. After a total of 70 receptions and 947 yards receiving over his first two years in the league, he had 80 catches for 1,297 yards and eight touchdowns in 2023. Collins, 25, has the physical tools at 6-foot-4 and 215 pounds to win at the second and third levels of the field.
Tristan Wirfs, OT, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The 13th pick in the 2020 draft, Wirfs made the move to left tackle in 2023, where he registered a pass block win rate of 89.5% (23rd among offensive tackles). He has the power, lower-body movement traits and finishing ability as a blocker to command top money as potentially the best tackle available. Plus, he just turned 25 years old.
Creed Humphrey, C, Kansas City Chiefs
Humphrey's pass block win rate of 98.4% ranked first among centers and second among all offensive linemen last season. Since coming into the league in 2021, he has allowed only seven sacks. So at age 25, Humphrey is clearly already one of the league's best at the position. I would expect a multiyear contract that will make him the highest paid center in the league (which is currently Frank Ragnow, who signed a four-year, $54 million deal in 2021 with Detroit).
Quinn Meinerz, G, Denver Broncos
After seeing the money given out to interior blockers in free agency this year, Meinerz will surely be paid next March if he hits the market. He's a powerful people-mover who can deliver a strike on contact and use his strength to anchor in pass protection. Meinerz has a 92.6% pass block win rate since entering the league in 2021, which ranks 25th among guards over that time, and the 25-year-old has more upside.
Sam Cosmi, G, Washington Commanders
Cosmi's pass block win rate of 93.6% ranked 14th among guards last season. He's a positional blocker with the movement ability to mirror in pass protection and the tools to open daylight in the run game. Washington would be smart to talk extension with Cosmi this season, but if the 25-year-old reaches free agency, he will have suitors.
Other notable offensive players on expiring contracts: Marquise Brown, Amari Cooper, Jedrick Wills Jr. and Pat Freiermuth
Defensive players who will get paid
Christian Barmore, DT, New England Patriots
Interior disruptors get paid, so look for Barmore to cash in if he makes it to free agency. He had a career-high 8.5 sacks last season, using his quicks off the ball and some well-developed countermoves to create pressure. And Barmore also added 64 tackles and six batted passes up the middle. The arrow is pointing up on the 2021 second-round pick from Alabama, who turns 25 before the 2024 season.
Derrick Brown, DT, Carolina Panthers
A powerful and explosive interior defender, Brown plays an enforcer role against the run and provides pocket-pushing ability to generate pressure on quarterbacks. In 2023, Brown's run stop win rate of 47.1% was the best in the NFL. The soon-to-be 26-year-old added 103 tackles, 20 pressures and two sacks on the inside, too.
A.J. Terrell, CB, Atlanta Falcons
Heading into his prime playing years and turning 26 early in the 2024 season, Terrell has the physical traits and coverage ability to command top-of-the-market money at the cornerback position. While I'd like to see more takeaways from Terrell (only four career interceptions), he has 36 pass breakups over his four pro seasons.
Charvarius Ward, CB, San Francisco 49ers
Ward will turn 28 years old this spring, but with another season of high-level production, I expect the veteran to land a multiyear, high-money contract. In 2023, Ward picked off five passes, returning one for a score. He added 14 pass breakups, too. With his man coverage ability and zone vision, he fits in multiple NFL defensive schemes.
Asante Samuel Jr., CB, Los Angeles Chargers
Samuel will turn 25 years old this coming season, and he has the coverage skills to rise up free agent boards across the league. In three seasons with the Chargers, Samuel has six interceptions and 24 pass breakups. He is sticky in man coverage and plays with field awareness as a rolled-up corner in Cover 2 looks.
Talanoa Hufanga, S, San Francisco 49ers
An All-Pro in 2022, Hufanga was limited to 10 games this past season due to a torn ACL in his right knee. The 24-year-old playmaker fits best in a system that allows him to drive top-down on the ball, as Hufanga has seven interceptions and a defensive TD in his three pro seasons. If he bounces back from the injury, I expect him to create more on-the-ball production this season and command good money in free agency if he doesn't return to San Francisco.
Jevon Holland, S, Miami Dolphins
Holland, 24, has the multidimensional traits to get paid on the market. He's a disruptor at the safety position, with the ability to pressure, match in coverage and make plays on the ball. In three pro seasons, Holland has five interceptions, four sacks and 14 pass breakups.
Andre Cisco, S, Jacksonville Jaguars
Safeties with post range get drafted high -- and ultimately paid in free agency. Cisco might have been a third-round pick in 2021, but he's looking at good money when his contract with Jacksonville is up, if not extended. He notched four interceptions this past season, and he has a total of seven over his first three years in the league. Another year of third-level ball production could put Cisco -- who turns 24 this month -- in a position to cash in next spring.
Other notable defensive players on expiring contracts: Malcolm Koonce, Dre Greenlaw, Tyson Campbell, Nick Bolton and Chase Young
2024 franchise- and transition-tagged players
If these players do not sign extensions before the to-be-determined midsummer deadline, they would be eligible for free agency in 2025.
Josh Allen, EDGE, Jacksonville Jaguars
The Jags tagged Allen after he had 17.5 sacks last season, which tied for second most in the league. The No. 7 overall pick in 2019 also added 51 pressures and two forced fumbles to his stat line. Allen fits as a base 3-4 outside linebacker thanks to his closing speed and ability to rush in multiple subfronts. But given his versatility as a 6-foot-5 edge rusher who can drop into coverage, I'd expect Jacksonville to get a long-term deal done with the 26-year-old.
Tee Higgins, WR, Cincinnati Bengals
Higgins has requested a trade since the Bengals tagged him before the start of free agency, and an acquiring team would likely try to extend him, keeping him off the market next spring. At 6-foot-4 and 219 pounds, Higgins can work all three levels of the field, and he has produced 24 career touchdowns. With inside/outside flexibility, the 25-year-old pass-catcher has No. 1 receiver traits.
L'Jarius Sneed, CB, Kansas City Chiefs
In four pro seasons, the 27-year-old Sneed has 10 picks and 6.5 sacks. With the skills to either match and challenge on the perimeter or play in the slot, Sneed is a scheme-versatile defender with an aggressive demeanor in coverage. Like Higgins, he is also a potential trade candidate before the 2024 draft next month.
Antoine Winfield Jr., S, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
A true impact defender who is entering his prime years, Winfield has 15 sacks, 11 forced fumbles and seven interceptions over his four-year career. He turns 26 before the 2024 season, and while he is a perfect fit for Todd Bowles' system in Tampa Bay, he has the skill set to play in any defensive scheme.
Kyle Dugger, S, New England Patriots
The Patriots used the transition tag of Dugger, a safety with position versatility at 6-foot-2 and 220 pounds. Dugger, who turns 28 this month, has the ability to play from depth or roam underneath as a hybrid defender in subpackages. He is a scheme-specific player, but he can create impact plays in a system that maximizes his traits, especially one that uses a lot of dime personnel. Dugger has nine interceptions, two forced fumbles and 2.5 sacks over his four pro seasons.