NFL’s Free Agency is officially here, and the first day of legal tampering was full of surprises. Some teams made great decisions while others were a little more questionable. Who were some of the biggest winners and losers from day one?
The Raiders went on a spending spree in the opening hours of NFL free agency. They dropped over $280 million in total contract value to address several positions of need.
Center Tyler Linderbaum- Three years, $81 million with $60 million guaranteed
Linebacker Nakobe Dean- Three years, $36 million
Linebacker Quay Walker- Three years, $40.5 million with $28 million guaranteed
Defensive end Kwity Paye- Three years, $48 million with $32 million guaranteed
Wide receiver Jalen Nailor- Three years, $35 million with $23 million guaranteed
Cornerback Eric Stokes- Returns on a three-year, $30 million deal with $20 million guaranteed
Vegas pulled two of the best linebackers available in this Free Agency class, along with arguably the best center in the NFL. Linderbaum is now the highest-paid interior offensive lineman in the league.
The Raiders are loading up for projected first overall pick, Indiana QB Fernando Mendoza. They also hold the 14th overall pick in the NFL Draft after trading defensive end Maxx Crosby to the Baltimore Ravens.
This is the best possible outcome for Vegas on the first day of Free Agency. They could finally be turning a corner in a stacked AFC West division.
It’s no surprise the Eagles lost several key players. It didn’t help that general manager Howie Roseman seemed to be asleep at the wheel all day. It’s a good thing they usually draft well, considering the talent they lost.
Edge Jaelan Phillips– Four years, $120 million, including $80 million guaranteed with the Carolina Panthers
LB Nakobe Dean- Three years, $36 million, including $20 million guaranteed with the Raiders
Safety Reed Blankenship- Three years, $24.5 million, including $16.5 million guaranteed with the Houston Texans
WR Jahan Dotson- Two years, $15 million, including $10 million guaranteed with the Atlanta Falcons
Losing Dean, Phillips, and Blankenship this offseason was expected. Their contract value was always going to be high, and Philly has a track record of not overpaying for players.
The Eagles did reach an agreement on a three-year, $78 million extension with defensive tackle Jordan Davis. It was head-scratching that they opted not to sign any new faces on day one. Roseman is typically more aggressive than that.
The Giants didn’t make a ton of moves, but the ones they did make were extremely important. It’s a new era under head coach John Harbaugh.
Tight end Isaiah Likely- Three years, $40 million, with a potential value up to $47.5 million
LB Tremaine Edmunds- Three years, $36 million, including $23.7 million guaranteed
Punter Jordan Stout- Three years, $12.3 million
Offensive tackle Jermaine Eluemunor – Re-signed for three years, $39 million, including $26 million guaranteed and a $12 million signing bonus
New York did lose Wan’Dale Robinson, Cor’Dale Flott, and Daniel Bellinger. With Likely being signed, Bellinger was unlikely to stay. Robinson and Flott are ascending stars, but their price tags were just too high for New York.
The Texans didn’t completely lose in Free Agency. They signed Blankenship to strengthen an already dominant defense. The losing end of this is their offense. They traded right tackle Tytus Howard to the Cleveland Browns for a fifth-round pick. They then traded offensive lineman Juice Scruggs and a 2026 fourth-round pick to the Detroit Lions for running back David Montgomery.
Offensive guard Ed Ingram- Re-signed for three years, $37 million.
OT Trent Brown- Re-signed one-year extension worth up to $7 million
DE Dominique Robinson- One year, $4 million
While Houston managed to keep Ingram around, the rest of the line is still not where it needs to be. Montgomery is a great pickup, but he’ll struggle if the team is weak in the trenches.
C.J. Stroud is one of the most sacked QBs in the NFL over the last three seasons. He’s been taken down 113 times in 46 career games. The Texans need to address this in the Draft if they want to win the AFC South again.
The last team I wanted to list here is the Chicago Bears. They didn’t make “splashy” moves, but they made smart ones. Head coach Ben Johnson is looking to capitalize on an insane first year and is making perfect steps toward that.
S Coby Bryant- Three years, $40 million
LB Devin Bush- Three years, $30 million, including $21 million guaranteed
DT Neville Gilmore- Two years, $12 million
OT Braxton Jones- One year, $10 million
QB Case Keenum- Re-signed for two years, $5.5 million, with a max value up to $8 million
LB D’Marco Jackson- Two years, $7.5 million
DE Daniel Hardy- Two years, $5 million
The additions of Bryant and Bush will immediately elevate Chicago’s defense. Bryant is coming off a dominant Super Bowl win with the Seattle Seahawks, and Bush just arguably had a career year with the Browns.
The Bears will be looking to add offensive line depth and defensive pass rush, likely in the Draft. They could still make moves in Free Agency before that, but they’ve done a great job of not overpaying to this point.
NFL Free Agency is a whirlwind. Even now, as this article is being written, moves are still being made. The Raiders and Giants are looking to turn their fortunes around, and the Bears are building off a successful 2025. Chicago has four picks in the top 100 of this year’s NFL Draft.
If you love sports, download Stadium Rant from the Apple App Store and join one of the fastest-growing social sports communities. Be sure to follow us on socials too — you can find all our profiles on our Linktree.
