The official start of the 2025 NFL season is quickly approaching. The league year and free agency will open at 4 p.m. on March 12. Teams will begin signing free agents, and any trades agreed to before the new league year will become official on that date.
Before the league year officially kicks off, there are a couple of other key dates to remember. Teams must designate franchise players by March 4. The NFL also has a legal negotiating window from March 10 to 12, during which teams can begin contacting and negotiating with the agents of unrestricted free agents. We’ll hear deals breaking during that window, even though they can’t become official until March 12.
It’s time to start breaking down the 2025 free agency class, including Sam Darnold, Justin Fields, and Russell Wilson at the quarterback position. This year’s free agents are loosely ordered based on talent, age, plus previous and expected future fantasy relevance. Be sure to follow Fantasy Points throughout free agency for in-depth breakdowns of every major (and minor) move. We’ll track every off-season transaction from a fantasy perspective through our “Free Agency Tracker” articles and Graham Barfield’s “Fantasy Fallout” pieces.
Be sure to check out the Free Agency Previews for Running Backs, Wide Receivers, and Tight Ends…This article is powered by Fantasy Points Data. Subscribe now to get our to take your research to the next level.
Potentially Available
Aaron Rodgers (NYJ, 41)
Rodgers’ disastrous two-year run with the Jets will end this off-season after the franchise announced in mid-February that it will part ways with the four-time MVP. He lasted just 4 snaps into his Jets debut in 2023 before tearing his Achilles and missing the rest of the season. He returned to the lineup in 2024 and played like a 40-year-old QB coming back from an Achilles injury. The Jets traded for his friend Davante Adams, but even that move couldn’t stop the Jets from imploding after firing Robert Saleh in Week 5 — Rodgers finished with a career-worst 5-12 record. He completed 368/584 passes (63%) for 3897 yards (6.7 YPA), 28 TDs (4.8%), and 11 INTs (1.9%) in 17 starts. He added 34/94/1 rushing to finish as the QB19 with 15.9 FPG.
Rodgers finished with career worsts in YPA (6.7), YPC (10.6), and passer rating (90.5), and his second-worst finishes in success rate (43.9%) and QBR (48.0). Rodgers will likely find a cold market this off-season after forcing his way out of Green Bay and taking the Jets on a ruinous ride the last two seasons. He told the Jets that his tentative plan was to play in 2025, but he’s not going to be the top option for QB-needy teams. He may have to wait until some of the other QB dominoes begin to fall at the start of the new league year before he finds a job — if he finds a job at all.
Kirk Cousins (Atl, 37)
Cousins landed a four-year, $180 million contract with $100 million guaranteed from the Falcons last off-season despite his recovery from an Achilles injury entering his age-36 season. The Falcons then selected Michael Penix with the eighth overall pick without notifying Cousins or his agent until they were on the clock. Before his injury in 2023, Cousins led the NFL in completions (216), attempts (311), and passing TDs (18) through eight weeks. He wasn’t the same player returning from his injury in 2024, lacking the same arm strength and looking like a statue in the pocket. Cousins completed 303/453 passes (66.9%) for 3508 yards (7.7 YPA), 18 TDs (4.0%), and 16 INTs (3.5%) in 14 starts. He added just 14/23 rushing to finish as the QB29 with 13.9 FPG.
Cousins’ play deteriorated so much that the Falcons benched him for the rookie Penix with three games to play, despite being in the middle of the playoff hunt. The benching was certainly deserved as he accounted for just 1 TD pass and 9 INTs in his final five games — the Falcons went 1-4 in those contests. The Falcons are expected to release him before his $10 million roster bonus is due March 17, but they’ll still be on the hook for $65 million in dead money, which can be spread over two seasons if they designate it as a post-June 1 release. Cousins will look to take a step forward with another year removed from his Achilles injury, but he won’t come close to sniffing the $100 million in guaranteed money he received from the Falcons last off-season. Cousins is due to make $27.5 million from the Falcons next season so he could play at close to the veteran minimum like Russell Wilson did with the Steelers last season after he was released by the Broncos. Cousins could be forced to compete for a starting job wherever he lands for the 2025 season, but he’ll at least be a much cheaper option than the other top QBs available this off-season.
Unrestricted Free Agents
An unrestricted free agent is a player with four or more accrued seasons and an expired contract who is free to negotiate and sign with any team. The age for each player is the age he’ll turn in the 2024 calendar year.
Fantasy Starter
Russell Wilson (Pit, 37)
The Broncos released Wilson last March despite having to absorb an $85 million cap hit over two years, which was the largest dead money charge for a single player in NFL history. The Steelers signed him to a one-year deal for the veteran minimum of $1.21 million since the Broncos owed him $38 million last year. The Steelers named him the starter over Justin Fields in late August, but a lingering calf injury from training camp kept him out of the lineup for the first six weeks of the season. Mike Tomlin controversially inserted him into the starting lineup once he was healthy in Week 7, despite Justin Fields opening the season with a 4-2 record.
Wilson initially gave the offense a spark, and he wouldn’t relinquish the starting job for the rest of the season. He led them to a playoff berth, but the Steelers also lost the final five games to be eliminated by the Ravens in the Wild Card Round. Wilson completed 214/336 passes (63.7%) for 2482 yards (7.4 YPA), 16 TDs (4.8%), and 5 INTs (1.5%). He added 43/155/2 rushing to finish as the QB16 with 16.5 FPG in 11 starts. Wilson ranked 38th in sack rate (8.5%) but fifth in turnover-worthy throw rate (1.8%) and sixth in checkdown rate (11.6%) among 43 QBs who attempted 150+ passes. Wilson is set to turn 37 years old but still showed he could be a low-end starting quarterback. He’ll at least be a stopgap option for a QB-needy team, but he’s unlikely to get anything more than a two-year deal.
Fringe NFL Starter/Top Backups
Jameis Winston (Cle, 31)
Winston won just two of his seven starts in his first season with the Browns, but he gave the franchise a much-needed infusion of energy in the second half of the season. The Browns slogged through the first seven games before Deshaun Watson went down with his season-ending Achilles injury, which opened the door for Winston to take over the offense. He propelled Jerry Jeudy to finally break out for his first 1000-yard season after the franchise traded away Amari Cooper. Winston completed 181/296 passes (61.1%) for 2121 yards (7.2 YPA), 13 TDs (4.4%), and 12 INTs (4.1%) in 12 appearances. He added 25/83/1 rushing to average 19.4 FPG in his seven starts, which would’ve been good for the QB8 for the entire season.
Winston ranked third in aDOT (9.4 yards), 42nd in highly accurate throw rate (43.9%), and last in turnover-worthy throw rate (6.1%) among 43 QBs who attempted 150+ passes. His gunslinger ways were on full display on Monday Night Football against the Broncos in Week 13. He set a Browns single-game record with 497 passing yards and 4 TDs, but his 3 INTs, including 2 pick-sixes, cost the Browns a chance at victory. Winston ended up throwing 8 INTs and 2 fumbles in Weeks 13-15, which resulted in his benching for the final three weeks. Winston will look to be a backup in a pass-happy attack, and he’ll be a volatile QB2 option when he starts in 2025.
Marcus Mariota (Was, 32)
The Commanders overhauled their QB room last off-season, which started by signing Mariota. They then traded Sam Howell to the Seahawks before completing their moves by selecting the eventual Offensive Rookie of the Year, Jayden Daniels. Mariota failed to make a single start for the second straight season after previously holding the clipboard for Jalen Hurts during 2023. Mariota completed 34/44 passes (77.3%) for 364 yards (8.3 YPA), 4 TDs (9.1%), and 0 INTs, adding 18/92/1 rushing in three appearances for the Commanders. He last started for the Falcons in 2022 when he finished as the QB17 with 16.0 FPG in 13 games. He easily finished with career highs in rushing YPG (33.7), attempts per game (6.5), and rushing FPG (5.2). Mariota’s days of competing for a starting job in training camp are over, but he still could be a low-end streaming option if he earns starts in the future because of his rushing ability.
Joe Flacco (Ind, 40)
Flacco shockingly led the Browns to the postseason in 2023 after being unemployed until mid-November, which earned him Comeback Player of the Year honors. Cleveland passed on bringing him back for Jameis Winston, but he landed on his feet as the backup to Anthony Richardson in Indianapolis. A-Rich struggled to stay healthy for the second straight year, and the Colts controversially benched him and reinstalled Flacco as the starter for two games in Weeks 9-10. Flacco completed 162/248 passes (65.3%) for 1761 yards (7.1 YPA), 12 TDs (4.8%), and 7 INTs (2.8%) in eight appearances. He added 9/26 rushing to average 15.8 FPG in his six starts. Flacco still has plenty of arm talent as he enters his 40s, and he ranked fifth in aDOT (9.0 yards) among 43 QBs who attempted 150+ passes. His next team will have to live with some turnovers from him as a backup QB, but he’s a viable mid-QB2 option when he’s in the lineup since he’s shown he’ll play aggressively.
Cooper Rush (Dal, 32)
Rush has spent most of his career as Dak Prescott’s backup in Dallas, and he’s been forced into 13 starts over the last three seasons. Rush jumped into the starting lineup in the second half of the season after Prescott suffered a hamstring injury in Week 9, which required surgery to repair it. Rush completed 187/308 passes (60.7%) for 1844 yards (6.0 YPA), 12 TDs (3.9%), and 5 INTs (1.6%) in 12 appearances. He added 26/18 rushing to average 13.2 FPG in 8 starts. He ranked 38th in completion percentage (60.7%), 39th in YPA (5.99), and first in average time to throw (2.20 seconds) among 43 QBs who attempted 150+ passes. The Cowboys benched him in the season finale to take a look at Trey Lance, which prevented Rush from collecting a playing-time contract incentive. Rush is still a good bet to return to Dallas as Dak’s backup for the eighth time in nine years unless he took offense to Jerry Jones’ stinginess at the end of last season.
Drew Lock (NYG, 29)
Lock signed with the Giants last off-season for the chance to compete against Daniel Jones for the starting job, who was recovering from ACL surgery. Lock never got that chance to compete for the QB1 spot in training camp, and the organization passed him over for Tommy DeVito after releasing Jones in late November. He eventually started five games, winning once, but he’s unlikely to be back in New York after they bypassed him for DeVito. Lock completed 107/181 passes (59.1%) for 1071 yards, 6 TDs (3.3%), and 5 INTs (2.8%) in eight appearances. He added 18/133/2 rushing to average 17.1 FPG in five starts. He ranked 40th in completion percentage (59.1%), YPA (5.92), and turnover-worthy throw rate (5.0%) among 43 QBs who attempted 150+ passes. Lock was in a terrible spot in one of the league’s worst offenses, but he still hasn’t lived up to the hype of being the 42nd overall pick in 2019. He’ll battle for a backup spot wherever he lands.
Tyler Huntley (Mia, 27)
Huntley failed to find any market in his first trip to free agency, settling for a depth job behind Deshaun Watson and Jameis Winston in Cleveland. He then couldn’t beat out Dorian Thompson-Robinson in training camp, so he signed back with the Ravens on their practice squad. The Dolphins eventually came calling after Tua Tagovailoa suffered another concussion, and he vaulted ahead of Skylar Thompson and Tim Boyle to earn five starts. Huntley completed 86/133 passes (64.7%) for 829 yards (6.2 YPA), 3 TDs (2.3%), and 3 INTs (2.5%) in five appearances. He added 26/135/2 rushing to average 13.1 FPG in his starts. Huntley has been a serviceable backup over the last four seasons, but his dual-threat style of play could once again limit his market. Huntley is on the radar as a streaming option when he’s slated to start since he’s averaged 36.4 rushing YPG in his 14 career starts.
