NFL Free Agency 2025: Tracking the Biggest Offseason Moves

When it comes to professional sports in North America, the NFL is king. Even during the offseason, the NFL dominates sports headlines. On Wednesday, March 12th at 4:00 EST, NFL free agency officially opened for the 2025-2026 season. Unrestricted free agents are free to sign with any team they wish. We also tend to see more trades happening at this time of the year as teams look ahead to the NFL Draft and the start of training camps in August.

Key free agent signings can make the difference between a successful and unsuccessful season. One only has to look at last year’s marquee free agent signing Saquon Barkley to realise how important that final piece can be. Barkley left the New York Giants and went to the Philadelphia Eagles where he won the Offensive Player of the Year Award and led the Eagles to a Super Bowl.

So who is on the move during this year’s NFL free agency window? This article will discuss who has already signed with a new team, who could be on the move, and how these transactions can impact the 2025-2026 NFL betting market.

What is NFL Free Agency?

NFL free agency is the period in which free agents who are no longer committed to any team with a legal contract can seek to sign with any team in the league. In 2025, this period started on March 12th at 4:00 EST and will continue until the start of the season in September. Free agents can even sign with a team mid-season if they don’t sign with a team during the offseason.

To qualify as an NFL unrestricted free agent, a player has to have accrued four or more years of service and be no longer under contract with an NFL team. Often, free agents will choose to re-sign with their teams. This can be out of loyalty to the organization that drafted them, the ownership group, the coach, or even their teammates. If they have a family, it can also be hard to move them to another city or state.

What is the Franchise Tag in the NFL?

If you’re reading about NFL free agency, you’ve probably come across the term “Franchise Tag”. Have you ever wondered what the franchise tag is?

It is a negotiating tool that NFL teams can use to keep a player under contract by issuing a one-year tender. There are three different types of franchise tags in the NFL, each with their own specific rules and guidelines.

The non-exclusive franchise tag allows the free agent to sign an offer sheet from another NFL franchise. If the original team that the player was on chooses to match the offer sheet, they will sign that player to the offered contract. If not, they will receive two first-round draft picks from the team who signed the player away.

The exclusive franchise tag binds the player to the team and does not allow them to see any offer sheets from another franchise.

Finally, the transition franchise tag is similar to the non-exclusive tag except that the original team does not get any draft pick compensation if the player leaves.

When a player is franchise tagged, they have until July 15th to sign a long-term contract with the team. If they fail to sign one, they will play out the year and re-enter free agency the following season. While one-year franchise tag contracts can be a lot of money, it is nothing compared to what the player would earn for a long-term deal with guaranteed money.

NFL Free Agency 2025: Which Players Have Already Signed New Deals?

There has been quite a bit of movement already this offseason but the largest deals that were signed were back with the players’ original teams. Here’s a quick rundown of some of the biggest names who have signed new deals during 2025 NFL free agency.

Sam Darnold – Seattle Seahawks

Darnold has never quite lived up to his draft pedigree as the third overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft. He’s spent most of his career as a backup but an injury to first round pick JJ McCarthy catapulted Darnold into the starting gig in Minnesota last year. While many wrote the Vikings off, Darnold led the team to an impressive 14-3 record before losing in the Wildcard Round to the Los Angeles Rams.

In March, Darnold signed a fresh three-year contract with Seattle worth $105 million. The Seahawks made a ton of changes in the offseason including trading starting quarterback Geno Smith to the Las Vegas Raiders and wide receiver DK Metcalf to the Steelers.

Justin Fields – New York Jets

The Aaron Rodgers experiment is over after two seasons with the Jets, one of which he missed completely with a ruptured achilles. Former Chicago Bears first round pick Justin Fields finally gets another chance to start and signed a two-year $40 million contract with the Jets. The dual-threat quarterback has had his fair share of criticism in the past but now gets a bonafide number one wide receiver in Garett Wilson and a superstar running back in Breece Hall.

Davante Adams – Los Angeles Rams

For years, Adams was the premier wide receiver in the NFL. It’s been a roller coaster since he left Green Bay though and even a reunion with Aaron Rodgers in New York couldn’t help Adams reclaim his former self. Now, Adams hopes to resurrect his career with the Rams catching passes from Matthew Stafford. Adams signed a two-year $44 million contract with Los Angeles and replaced long-time ram Cooper Kupp.

Cooper Kupp – Seattle Seahawks

Speaking of Kupp, he signed a three-year $45 million contract with the division-rival Seattle Seahawks to team up with new quarterback Sam Darnold. Kupp was born in Yakima, Washington and at age 31, could choose to play out the rest of his career in the Pacific Northwest. The receiver will join Jaxon Smith-Njigba and will attempt to replace the production of the departed DK Metcalf and released Tyler Lockett.

Milton Williams – New England Patriots

The top new contract handed out to a free agent so far this offseason goes to defensive tackle Milton Williams. Fresh off of a Super Bowl victory with the Philadelphia Eagles, Williams secured a four-year $104 million contract. Williams had two sacks and a forced and recovered fumble in the Super Bowl and is now the highest paid New England Patriot in history.

Joey Bosa – Buffalo Bills

The long-time Charger was rumoured to be looking to join his brother Nick Bosa in San Francisco this offseason. Instead, Bosa received a one-year $12.6 million deal with the Buffalo Bills. Bosa joins a strong defensive line that will be without the recently released all-pro defensive end Von Miller. The Bills are tied with the Baltimore Ravens with the third-best odds to win the Super Bowl in 2026 according to Bet Victor Canada’s NFL Outright Winner odds board.

NFL Free Agency 2025 Betting Impacts

A quick scan of the Bet Victor NFL Outright Winner odds board shows that the free agent moves haven’t had a substantial impact on the betting market. The Philadelphia Eagles and Kansas City Chiefs remain in the first two spots, while the Baltimore Ravens and Buffalo Bills are tied for third.  

Teams that have made significant changes like the Seahawks and Rams are still considered longshots to win and are not even the favourites to win their own division. There are still quite a few teams who are looking for their quarterback and we could see a bit more action on the odds market since the NFL Draft was completed at the end of April.

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