Subscribe
Follow Us
With the 2025 NFL Draft now in the rear-view mirror, front offices are now able to turn their attentions back to free agency. While most of the previously available talent is already off the market, many high-profile players are still currently without a job.
The 2025 NFL Draft sent 257 new players to offseason rosters. Ideally, teams address all their needs in the draft, but many are often forced to turn back to the list of available free agents on the market.
The majority of teams have their pre-training camp rosters mostly figured out, with a few noteworthy exceptions. The Pittsburgh Steelers continue to wait on Aaron Rodgers' impending retirement decision, while many fans find it hard to imagine Week 1 kicking off without Von Miller or Amari Cooper on an active roster.
With a healthy mix of veterans — including Stephon Gilmore, Brandon Scherff and Kendall Fuller — and young talents looking for a second contract, the NFL free agency market is never dry. Organized team activities (OTAs) and minicamps lurk just around the corner, providing a makeshift deadline for both the jobless veterans and desperate general managers.
OG Brandon Scherff
The numbers suggest Brandon Scherff is past his prime, but the five-time Pro Bowler has yet to show signs of slowing down. The 2024 season was his third consecutive starting all 17 games, and he continued to hold down the Jacksonville Jaguars' offensive line. Scherff earned a 64.7 player grade from Pro Football Focus — ranking in the top 40 percent of all guards — including a 74.5 run-block grade, which ranked in the top 15 percent. Teams might not want to break the bank on a 33-year-old guard, but Scherff is still as durable and reliable as they get.
CB Kendall Fuller
Stephon Gilmore has the biggest name of any cornerback still available, but Kendall Fuller is still the most talented. Fuller, who just turned 30 in February, received an above-average grade from PFF in every category and ranked in the top 35 percent of all cornerbacks with a 66.2 player grade. Allowing just 29 receptions in 2024, quarterbacks had just an 88.2 passer rating when targeting Fuller. That ranked 24th in the league, clearly showing he is still a top-30 cornerback.
WR Amari Cooper
With just 547 total receiving yards, Amari Cooper certainly looked like a player on the decline in 2024. Cooper is evidently not a clear-cut WR1 anymore and did not live up to the hype following his trade to the Buffalo Bills. However, with four 1,000-yard seasons in the past six years, Cooper is still a high-end complementary target who still has the crisp route running that made him a perennial Pro Bowler. His handling of the situation in Buffalo shows he is more than willing to accept a reduced role, making him a solid addition to any young receiving room.
OLB Matthew Judon
Like Cooper, the 32-year-old Judon did not live up to the expectations the Atlanta Falcons had hoped for when they traded for him ahead of the 2024 season. His 5.5 sacks were his fewest in a full season since his rookie year. Still just two seasons removed from a 15.5-sack campaign in 2023, there is still hope that 2024 can be chalked up to more of a down year than a signal of his decline. Regardless, even if his days as a top-five edge rusher are over, Judon's speed on the outside would still take any defense to the next level. Teams like the Washington Commanders, in dire need of pass-rush help, should already be on the phone with his manager.
OLB Von Miller
When Von Miller ended 2023 with zero sacks, it looked like he could retire right then and there. But after bouncing back with a respectable six-sack effort in 2024, Miller voiced his desire to continue being a top edge-rusher for any potentially contending team. Although he is purely a pass-rushing specialist at this point in his career, Miller's 82.4 PFF player grade ranked 15th among the 211 eligible edge rushers. Even if he does not start, a 36-year-old Miller is still enough of an asset to elevate any pass-rushing rotation.
OT Joe Noteboom
He has never made a Pro Bowl roster, but Joe Noteboom is still looking for his next team after seven years with the Los Angeles Rams. Though he is still just 29, Noteboom comes with injury concerns, appearing in just 24 games over the last three seasons. He received just a 60.0 PFF player grade in 2024, slightly below league average, but ranked in the top 25 percent with a 70.6 pass-blocking grade. His run-blocking is an issue, but Noteboom has been one of the most underrated tackles in pass protection his entire career.
WR Keenan Allen
One day after the 2025 NFL Draft concluded, Keenan Allen celebrated his 33rd birthday. That will do him no favors in finding his next team, but the sure-handed slot receiver proved to still have some left in the tank with 70 receptions, 744 receiving yards and seven touchdowns in 2024. He was the safety blanket for rookie Caleb Williams all year long, ending the year as the Chicago Bears' second-leading receiver. Nobody should expect Allen to make another Pro Bowl, but his consistency in the slot is still valuable. Concerns about his durability have waned recently, with Allen playing 13 or more games in seven of the last eight years.
OG Shaq Mason
The Houston Texans' notorious offensive line struggles in 2024 led to wholesale changes in the offseason. That left Shaq Mason without a job through the 2025 NFL Draft. While Mason has never been anything flashy in his career, he has been nothing if not consistent, starting all but five of his 152 total games. He has been even more reliable lately, starting 15 or more games in three straight seasons. Sacks are becoming a huge issue — he allowed eight in 2024, the second-most among guards — but he is otherwise a calming veteran presence for any young position room.
S Justin Simmons
Two seasons removed from his last All-Pro season, Justin Simmons is now on his second job hunt in as many years. His efficiency has taken a nosedive from his typical standards, but Simmons still recorded 62 tackles, seven pass breakups and two interceptions in 2024. He is not the game-changing safety he once was, but Simmons is still an above-average starter who would elevate nearly every secondary in the league. Any team that can pair him with an elite free safety while mentoring a young teammate would receive hefty benefits.
LB C.J. Mosley
After five years as the anchor of the New York Jets' defense, C.J. Mosley received his walking papers in March. With his 33rd birthday coming up in June, the five-time All-Pro's best days are firmly in the past. But despite various injuries limiting him to just four games in 2024, Mosley is still the best linebacker in free agency following the 2025 NFL Draft. Linebackers hardly perform well into their thirties, but Mosley has yet to show any sign of slowing down. Perhaps the injuries finally catch up with him, but aside from his two shortened campaigns, he surpassed 100 tackles in seven of his eight full seasons.
