Re-Grading The 20 Biggest NFL Free Agent Signings From The 2025 Season
This article was originally published on Total Pro Sports.
The 2025 NFL free-agent market saw four Super Bowl MVPs switch teams. It wasn’t the biggest class for quarterbacks, but offensive linemen, pass-rushers, and defensive backs certainly cashed in with mega deals.
So, how do the big-ticketed free agent signings look one year later? It’s time to hand out our final grades for the top 20 NFL free agent signings of 2025.
Which 2025 NFL signings have the best grades?
Sam Darnold: A+++++++
Drew Brees joining the New Orleans Saints is the consensus greatest quarterback free-agent signing ever. He gave them 15 seasons of excellent quarterback play, after all.
The next tier is Peyton Manning in Denver and Tom Brady in Tampa Bay. They didn’t spend too long with those clubs, but they each won a Super Bowl. And perhaps it won’t be long until Sam Darnold adds his name to the second tier with these guys of all-time great QB signings.
After a career year in Minnesota, Darnold signed a three-year deal worth $100.5 million with the Seattle Seahawks. He was the perfect upgrade they sought over Geno Smith, throwing for 4,048 yards and 25 touchdowns.
Darnold led Seattle to a 14-3 record and their first trip to the Super Bowl since 2014. Already, this could go down as one of the greatest signings in NFL history.
Stefon Diggs: A+
Many thought it was an overpay when the New England Patriots gave Diggs a three-year deal worth $63.5 million in free agency. Well, joke’s on the Buffalo Bills, Houston Texans, and all the doubters!
Diggs caught 85 passes for 1,013 yards and four touchdowns, becoming the first Patriots receiver to hit 1K receiving yards since Julian Edelman in 2019. Oh, and he helped Drake Maye become an MVP candidate. And he got the Patriots to the Super Bowl, as Darnold did in Seattle.
Milton Williams: C+
Williams cashed in big-time after playing a significant role in the Philadelphia Eagles’ dismantling of the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl 60. He signed a mammoth four-year deal worth $104 million with New England, the biggest free agent deal in franchise history.
The contract was always going to be an overpay, but it’s hard to complain about team success. He had 3.5 sacks in 12 games and had a “meh” 65.0 grade per Pro Football Focus, ranking 43rd among interior defensive linemen.
He didn’t live up to his contract in year one, but his big-game experience helped the Patriots to a surprise AFC Championship and return to the Super Bowl. So there can’t be any regrets on New England’s end this 2025 NFL season.
Josh Sweat: A+
After leading the Eagles to a Super Bowl 59 title, Sweat left to take a four-year, $76.4 million offer from the Arizona Cardinals. As bad as the Redbirds were this year, Sweat proved to be worth every penny. At least in year one.
Sweat had 12 sacks and four forced fumbles, both career highs. According to ESPN, Sweat’s 18 percent pass-rush win rate ranked him ninth among edge rushers. That mark was higher than Brian Burns, Maxx Crosby, and Aidan Hutchinson, just to name a few.
Davante Adams: B+
After his release from the New York Jets, Adams signed a two-year deal with the Los Angeles Rams worth $44 million. He was a fine No. 2 to Puka Nacua, but Adams didn’t exactly look like his old All-Pro self, either.
Adams caught 60 passes for 789 yards and a league-leading 14 touchdown receptions. But he also averaged just 56.4 yards per game, his lowest since 2015. But he was tremendous in the postseason, with 11 catches for 185 yards and a touchdown as the Rams reached their first NFC Championship Game in four years.
Will Fries: C
Signing the former Indianapolis Colts’ stalwart was supposed to strengthen an already-strong Minnesota Vikings’ offensive line. Somehow, the additions of Fries and Ryan Kelly didn’t help at all.
Fries garnered a “meh” PFF grade of 61.8, allowing three sacks and taking as many penalties. We know the Vikings’ horrendous QB play didn’t make things easier for the o-line, but Fries wasn’t given $87.72 million over five years to be a replaceable-level starter in the 2025 NFL season.
Aaron Banks: C-
The Green Bay Packers don’t usually spend big in free agency, so it was a surprise when they handed the ex-San Francisco 49ers guard a four-year deal worth $77 million. Woof, did Banks’ 2025 NFL season here leave a lot to be desired.
Banks had a total PFF grade of 53.0, ranking 66th among guards. His best attribute was his run-blocking, and even that only garnered a 54.6 grade. The good news: It can’t get much worse in 2026.
Camryn Bynum: A
It felt like a massive overpay when the Indianapolis Colts gave the former Vikings safety a four-year deal worth $60 million. As much hate as Colts GM Chris Ballard gets, he sure knew what he was doing here.
Bynum had four interceptions, eight pass breakups, a forced fumble, and one sack while allowing just a 77.6 passer rating when targeted, per Pro Football Reference.
Charvarius Ward: A
Not to be outdone by Bynum, Ward was even better for Indy. To strengthen his secondary, Ballard also signed Ward on a three-year deal worth $54 million.
Unfortunately, multiple concussions limited Ward to seven games with the Colts. But he was a big-time difference-maker on the field, recording seven pass breakups. He finished with a PFF grade of 77.1, which placed him eighth among all cornerbacks.
Justin Fields: D-
After releasing Aaron Rodgers, the New York Jets rolled the dice on Fields after a decent six-game stint with the Steelers. The new-look Jets handed him a two-year deal worth $40 million, believing new head coach Aaron Glenn would fully unlock his potential.
Injuries limited Fields to just nine starts in the 2025 NFL season. But he was hardly productive in those contests, finishing with 1,259 passing yards, seven touchdowns, and one interception. He threw for under 50 passing yards four times and had one game with multiple TD passes. Now, trade rumors about him are heating up.
At least he made some plays rushing the ball, and at least he didn’t turn it over a bunch. But in hindsight, the Jets shoulda have just drafted Jaxson Dart, Tyler Shough, or Shedeur Sanders, no?
Dan Moore: F
Nobody understood the Tennessee Titans’ decision to hand Moore a four-year deal worth $82 million. This was a middling starter for the Steelers, who never once looked like a guy worth All-Pro-level money.
Sure enough, the contract looks disastrous after one year.
Moore allowed eight sacks and committed seven penalties, per PFF. They graded him at 61.9, 62nd among 89 offensive tackles. Yeah, definitely not worth $20.5 million annually.
Jonathan Allen: D
After his release from the Washington Commanders, Allen was picked up by the Vikings on a three-year deal worth $51 million. It felt like a fair deal for a two-time Pro Bowl defensive tackle in his prime, but Allen’s first season in Minny left a lot to be desired.
Allen had three sacks in eight games last year. In 2025, he had 3.5 sacks in 17 games this season. His lackluster 53.2 PFF grade also ranked 86th among interior defensive linemen. According to our calculations, that’s not worth $51 million.
Carlton Davis III: C+
Another one of New England’s expensive free agent pickups, the longtime Tampa Bay Buccaneer got $54 million over three years. Just like that, the Pats had another stud cornerback to line up opposite rising star Christian Gonzalez.
A well-known ball-hawker in Tampa, Davis didn’t have any interceptions in the regular season but had 10 pass breakups. He allowed a career-low 5.3 yards per target, albeit a 90.7 passer rating and four TDs in coverage.
Still, his big-game experience proved vital and helped the Pats return to the Super Bowl. The good far outweighed the bad here.
Javonte Williams: A+
Not much went right for the Dallas Cowboys in 2025, thanks to Jerry Jones’ questionable decision to trade away defensive MVP Micah Parsons to the Packers.
On the bright side, Jones’ gutsy decision to lead 1,000-yard rusher Rico Dowdle walk and replace him with former Bronco Javonte Williams proved to be a stroke of genius. Williams agreed to a one-year deal worth a modest $3 million.
Williams rushed for 1,201 yards and 11 touchdowns, both career highs by a country mile. He finished with 1,338 yards of offense and 13 total touchdowns. He extended Dallas’ streak of having a 1,000-yard rusher to five years, too.
Harold Landry: A
Oh look! Another lucrative Patriots free agent pickup that worked out nicely in the 2025 NFL season.
After six seasons with the Titans, Landry reunited with Mike Vrabel and signed a three-year contract worth $43.5 million. It was as if Landry and Vrabel never spent a day away from one another.
Landry led the Patriots with 8.5 sacks and tackles for a loss with 10. He shored up their leaky run defense, too, a unit that ranked sixth in that department.
D.J. Reed: A
The veteran cornerback was overlooked with the Jets, since All-Pro Sauce Gardner got all the love on that defense. Reed looked for a bigger role and took a three-year, $48 million offer from the Lions. And what a home run this proved to be.
If Reed didn’t miss six games, the Lions might have made the playoffs. He was lights-out with two interceptions, seven pass breakups, and just a 72.8 passer rating allowed. Reed yielded only a single touchdown on 56 targets, too.
The signing of Reed especially looks great for Detroit, since 2024 first-round pick Terrion Arnold has been a total bust up to this point.
Drew Dalman: A+
After Caleb Williams was sacked a league-high 68 times in his rookie season, the Chicago Bears moved quickly to reshape the offensive line. They traded for Joe Thuney and Joe Jackson and signed ex-Atlanta Falcons center Drew Dalman to a three-year deal worth $42 million.
The move couldn’t have gone any better for Chicago. Dalman earned his first Pro Bowl selection and allowed just a single sack on 687 pass-blocking snaps. His 79.0 PFF run-blocking grade was seventh among all centers, too.
Williams was sacked just 24 times and led the Bears to a surprise NFC North division crown, and was one play away from getting them to the conference championship game. Take a bow, Mr. Dalman.
Cooper Kupp: C+
After his release from the Los Angeles Rams, Kupp returned to his home state to sign a three-year, $45 million contract with the Seattle Seahawks. It felt like an overpay for an oft-injured receiver entering his age-32 season, but again, it’s hard to argue with team results.
Kupp had just 47 receptions for 593 yards and two touchdowns. But he didn’t have to go off with Jaxson Smith-Njigba leading the NFL in receiving anyway. And Kupp was money in the playoffs, helping the Seahawks win their first NFC Championship in 11 years.
His big-game experience, winning pedigree, and leadership proved vital for a young Seattle team.
Aaron Rodgers: B+
Say what you want about Rodgers, but it’s hard to consider the 2025 NFL season a “failure” in Pittsburgh. I mean, he brought above-average quarterback production and led the Steelers to their first AFC North division crown in five years.
It only cost them $13.65 million on a one-year deal, too. Rodgers threw for 3,322 yards, 24 touchdowns, and seven picks for a 94.8 passer rating.
We know Pittsburgh got crushed by the Houston Texans in the Divisional Round, but can you complain about a division title? Their thrilling Week 18 win over Baltimore to clinch the division will go down as a highlight of the Mike Tomlin era.
Daniel Jones: A
The Indianapolis Colts handed “Danny Dimes” a one-year deal worth $14 million, providing some QB competition for Anthony Richardson. Surprisingly, Jones beat Richardson for the QB1 job.
Jones exceeded expectations and would have run away with Comeback Player of the Year honors if not for a season-ending Achilles tear. He went 8-5 as a starter with a 68.0 percent completion percentage, 3,101 yards, 19 touchdowns, eight interceptions, and five rushing scores.
If not for that injury, Jones would have had the Colts in the playoffs, too. It was a brutal way to end his career year, but the Colts nonetheless got their money’s worth and have an easy decision to bring him back in 2026.
