NFL Analysis
3/24/25
14 min read
2025 NFL Free Agency: Grading Every AFC Team's Early Haul
With the dust starting to settle on NFL free agency, teams have a much better idea of where they stand, whether they got better or worse, and what they need to do in the 2025 NFL Draft to keep trending in the right direction.
It's important to remember that the teams that spend the most money in free agency aren't always the biggest winners of the offseason. Some of those top deals can wind up being massive disappointments, while bargain deals for other teams can completely turn things around for franchises that were much more strategic in free agency.
With that in mind, let's grade every AFC team's free agent haul, with a focus on whether or not they're better positioned to be successful in future seasons.
AFC Free AGent Grades
Baltimore Ravens 
Grade: B-
The biggest move for the Baltimore Ravens was keeping left tackle Ronnie Stanley in the building, and that alone should be enough for a successful offseason for the franchise.
Outside of the Stanley move, none of the other transactions were inspiring. Letting a versatile offensive lineman like Patrick Mekari sign elsewhere was unfortunate but inevitable, and bringing in DeAndre Hopkins is exciting, but how much does a 32-year-old version of D-Hop have left in the tank?
Ravens fans shouldn't be worried about free agency with the way this team has built through the draft. Keeping Stanley should be celebration enough for a team still in the mix as a Super Bowl contender.
Buffalo Bills
Grade: A
After being a game away from the Super Bowl, the Buffalo Bills are putting all their chips into the 2025 season to try and get over the hump.
Josh Allen received a record-breaking extension to start things off, and the team retained key free agents like Matt Milano and Damar Hamlin. Meanwhile, the Bills took some big swings on players like Joey Bosa, who is a dominant pass rusher when healthy but has also consistently dealt with injuries in recent seasons.
A healthy Bosa feels like an upgrade over an aging Von Miller, but there are another couple of smart, cost-effective moves that give the Bills an A grade. Larry Ogunjobi has flashed as a dominant interior disruptor (he is suspended for the first six games of the season, though), while cornerback Dane Jackson feels like a depth upgrade over the departing Kaiir Elam.
Cincinnati Bengals
Grade: B
The Cincinnati Bengals kept their stars together by agreeing to deals with Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins, but at what cost?
This becomes more of an ideological debate about whether a team can be a sustainable contender with so much money being invested into offensive weapons over the defense. The Bengals deserve some credit for managing to get Higgins to agree to a very team-friendly deal.
That contract might allow the Bengals to give Trey Hendrickson an extension, but the trade rumors haven't gone away for the star pass rusher. There's still some work to be done for this team, but if they can keep Hendrickson and hit some home runs on defensive prospects in the draft, this could end up being a massive offseason for the Joe Burrow era in Cincinnati.
Cleveland Browns
Grade: C
Managing to keep Myles Garrett with a record-breaking extension feels like a miracle for the Cleveland Browns, but the rest of the offseason was pretty quiet for a team still stuck with the Deshaun Watson contract.
Kenny Pickett has been the team's biggest acquisition. It acquired him in a trade that offloaded Dorian Thompson-Robinson. He might be in the running to be the Week 1 starter unless the Browns go all in on a rookie quarterback with the second overall pick.
That's not the most inspiring quarterback plan, and the rest of free agency featured depth pieces leaving for new teams. Keeping Garrett is a massive part of their offseason, but the Browns haven't done much of anything else outside of that.
Denver Broncos
Grade: A+
If you want to look at a team being so confident in their quarterback on a rookie deal that they threw big money at free agents, then look no further than the Denver Broncos.
Denver spent significant resources on both sides of the ball, but its defensive acquisitions are exciting. Dre Greenlaw and Talanoa Hufanga fill key holes in a defense that was already fourth in defensive DVOA in 2024.
Meanwhile, Bo Nix gets another weapon in the passing game with Evan Engram. The Broncos took big swings on proven players without totally breaking the bank, putting them in great shape to not feel like they have to reach in the 2025 draft and keep building a sustainable playoff contender around Nix instead of trying to go all in right away.
Houston Texans
Grade: C-
The biggest concern for the Houston Texans heading into the offseason was building out an offensive line to protect C.J. Stroud. That makes the trade to ship off Laremy Tunsil downright stunning.
Houston saved its grade from being a D or F by having a backup plan at left tackle by signing Cam Robinson. Still, that's a pretty significant downgrade and one that could drastically backfire.
Other moves were solid outside of the offensive line, including trades for C.J. Gardner-Johnson and Christian Kirk while signing guys like Sheldon Rankins and Ronald Darby to add competition across multiple positions. Still, if Tunsil ends up having a dominant season for Washington while Stroud is constantly under duress, this offseason is going to look really bad.
Indianapolis Colts
Grade: B+
After a few seasons of trying to figure out their secondary, Indianapolis Colts general manager Chris Ballard got tired of being patient.
The Colts took big swings to upgrade their secondary, signing Cam Bynum and Charvarius Ward as potential stars for their defense. Even Corey Ballentine provides nice depth at cornerback while adding a key special teams contributor.
Those big swings could make the defense a scary unit with new defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo. Losing Will Fries and Ryan Kelly hurts on the offensive line, but the Colts have a pair of young players with real promise, such as Tanor Bortolini and Matt Goncalves, who can fill in for those losses.
The Daniel Jones decision is a hotly-debated one, but a surprisingly good schematic fit that also puts pressure on Anthony Richardson to lock in and take a big step forward in his third NFL season.
Jacksonville Jaguars
Grade: C+
New Jacksonville Jaguars general manager James Gladstone decided to completely gut the roster of former GM Trent Baalke's picks in favor of trying to rebuild something from the ground up with his guys.
That has meant some big-name departures all offseason, including players like Evan Engram, Christian Kirk, and Ronald Darby. The Jaguars haven't tried to make big swings but found solid value at positions with acquisitions like Patrick Mekari, Jourdan Lewis, and Eric Murray.
It's hard for Jaguars fans to get too excited about all of these moves, but Gladstone seems content with a long-term approach to rebuilding a team that's struggled to find consistent success.
Kansas City Chiefs
Grade: C
It's hard to be critical of a team that consistently goes to Super Bowls, but the Kansas City Chiefs haven't improved this offseason, at least so far.
In fact, the Chiefs lost multiple key starters in free agency, starting with a trade that sent veteran guard Joe Thuney to the Chicago Bears. Other departures included Justin Reid, Tershawn Wharton, Derrick Nnadi, DeAndre Hopkins, and Justin Watson, with few incoming moves to replace all of that talent.
One of the Chiefs' biggest concerns going forward is their lack of offensive line depth, and losing a key starter like Thuney doesn't improve that situation. Patrick Mahomes will always give the Chiefs a chance, but they really need a strong 2025 draft class to stay the favorites in the AFC going forward.
Las Vegas Raiders
Grade: B
Pete Carroll and John Spytek have wasted no time making moves to try to turn the Las Vegas Raiders around, and they're doing so with solid self-awareness about how much ground the team can cover in the AFC West in 2025.
Trading for Geno Smith gave them a competent veteran starting quarterback who doesn't have to be the franchise guy forever and could even be a mentor if they take another quarterback in this year's draft. Meanwhile, extending Maxx Crosby while signing solid free agents like Alex Cappa and Jeremy Chinn gives them solid depth pieces that don't break the bank.
Losing established veterans like Robert Spillane isn't ideal, but at least the Raiders made the kind of moves a team trying to build with a long-term vision would make instead of trying to fix everything all at once with desperation signings.
Los Angeles Chargers
Grade: A-
Jim Harbaugh's vision was clearly a big factor in the Los Angeles Chargers' personnel decisions, and that vision was executed effectively through a handful of exciting moves.
The acquisitions of Najee Harris and Mekhi Becton will give the Chargers offense a much more balanced offensive attack by enabling them to establish the run. Meanwhile, Justin Herbert reunites with one of his old targets, Mike Williams.
On defense, the Chargers kept Khalil Mack while letting Joey Bosa walk. After spending most of their cap space on offense, they'll have to lean on younger players on that side of the ball, but the draft can address some of those needs and help round out what should be a playoff-caliber roster for 2025.
Miami Dolphins
Grade: B-
The Miami Dolphins are in a weird holding pattern with left tackle Terron Armstead (he's not likely to return next season after taking a pay cut) but managed to maneuver through a difficult free agency period while still fielding a competitive roster.
Miami added plenty of depth through free agency on decent-value contracts. Players like Ifeatu Melifonwu, Ashtyn Davis, James Daniels, Willie Gay Jr., and Nick Westbrook-Ikhine could all contribute this coming season without breaking the bank.
All of those value deals could be bargains, and the Dolphins will need that to be the case to keep up with the rest of the AFC.
New England Patriots
Grade: A
Anyone wanting to argue that the New England Patriots overpaid for a certain player needs to understand that even with all of their signings in free agency, they still have $80 million in cap space for 2025.
With so few long-term players on their roster before free agency, the Patriots found tons of instant upgrades on both sides of the ball. The defense, in particular, could be the team's strength in 2025 after adding immediate starters like Milton Williams, Robert Spillane, Carlton Davis, and Harold Landry.
Morgan Moses will bolster the offensive line, but the Patriots likely aren't done yet with so much cap space to still work with. The lack of an impact receiver in free agency hurts their grade slightly since they couldn't find a No. 1 target for Drake Maye, but it was still a very strong run of free-agent signings.
New York Jets
Grade: B
Most of the free agent moves for the New York Jets were departures, but that might ultimately be a good thing for a team trying to rebuild from the Aaron Rodgers era.
The Jets cleared tons of future cap space by parting ways with multiple veterans, including Rodgers and Davante Adams. Meanwhile, the Jets found the perfect bridge quarterback with Justin Fields on a two-year deal to either prove he can be a long-term starter or do enough for the time being before the team takes a swing on a rookie.
While the rest of the Jets' additions seem more like veteran stop-gaps than anything, this is the perfect way for the new regime to evaluate the roster in 2025 and make long-term moves from there.
Pittsburgh Steelers
Grade: Incomplete
So much of the grade for the Pittsburgh Steelers is hanging on what they decide to do at the quarterback position.
After trading for DK Metcalf, the Steelers have a chance to have one of the most dangerous vertical passing attacks in the NFL. The problem is that Justin Fields and Russell Wilson are no longer in Pittsburgh, and the remaining quarterback options aren't exactly the most inspiring.
The Steelers also lost a significant number of veterans to other teams in free agency, and it's unclear what kind of long-term vision the team has until fans can figure out what exactly they want to do at the most important position in the sport.
Tennessee Titans
Grade: B+
After such a rough season in the trenches for the Tennessee Titans, new general manager Mike Borgonzi made that a priority in free agency.
Dan Moore Jr. got a massive deal to play left tackle. They also added a proven veteran at guard in Kevin Zeitler. Those two moves alone suggest that the Titans want to build out an offensive line to protect their next quarterback, presumably a rookie with the No. 1 overall pick.
Even the defense got a nice boost with the addition of Dre'Mont Jones up front, while Cody Barton is a solid off-ball linebacker to clean things up at the second level.
These aren't superstars, but they're nice additions to address positions of need and start steering the Titans in the right direction.
