Breaking down the teams poised to lose notable talent in the coming weeks
The NFL offseason moves fast and furious, and we are quickly closing in on the first major event centered around player movement: free agency. The legal tampering period begins Monday, March 10 at noon ET, and the free agency signing period officially begins two days later on March 12 at the start of the new league year (4 p.m. ET).
There are plenty of storylines to get excited about. What will the Cincinnati Bengals do with Ja’Marr Chase, Tee Higgins and Trey Hendrickson? Is Sam Darnold a lock to return to the Minnesota Vikings? Who will want Aaron Rodgers? What are the New England Patriots going to do with all of that projected money? As is the case every year, teams will lose talent, while others will throw money around. It all starts next month.
Which contenders will lose key pieces? Below, we’ll take a look at the top five NFL teams that could be hit the hardest in free agency for one reason or another. Let’s begin with a team that has almost as much cap space as decisions it needs to make.
5. Minnesota Vikings
Following their impressive 14-3 campaign, the Vikings have free agents at almost every position. Sam Darnold made himself some money with a career campaign in which he threw for 4,319 yards, 35 touchdowns and 12 interceptions, running backs Aaron Jones and Cam Akers are free agents, starting offensive linemen Cam Robinson and Dalton Risner are looking for new deals, and then Minnesota has plenty of free agents in the secondary with Byron Murphy, Stephon Gilmore, Shaquill Griffin and Camryn Bynum, who recorded a career-high three interceptions in 2024.
Unlike the majority of teams you will find on this list, the Vikings are projected to have plenty of available cap space ($63.3 million). However, the first important decision Minnesota will make is at quarterback, and that could affect how GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah handles some of his other free agents.
Vikings’ unrestricted free agents
- OT Cam Robinson
- QB Sam Darnold
- CB Byron Murphy
- CB Stephon Gilmore
- RB Aaron Jones
- OG Dalton Risner
- TE Johnny Mundt
- WR Brandon Powell
- OT David Quessenberry
- RB Cam Akers
- S Camryn Bynum
- CB Shaquill Griffin
- DT Jerry Tillery
- DE Jonathan Bullard
- QB Nick Mullens
- C Dan Feeney
- WR Trent Sherfield
- DE Jihad Ward
- LB Kamu Grugier-Hill
- LB Patrick Jones II
- CB Fabian Moreau
- QB Brett Rypien
- QB Daniel Jones
4. Kansas City Chiefs
I’m not trying to claim the Chiefs’ Super Bowl window is closing, but they have some tough decisions to make this offseason. Not only does Pete Prisco consider Kansas City having five of the top 100 free agents hitting the market next month, but the Chiefs also have less than $8 million in available funds, according to Over The Cap.
I wouldn’t worry too much if the Chiefs have to again revamp their wide receiving corps with DeAndre Hopkins, Marquise Brown, Justin Watson and JuJu Smith-Schuster looking for new deals. Where the concern comes in is with starters at other positions. Right guard Trey Smith has the potential to reset his respective market and it doesn’t appear he will be tagged in any way, linebacker Nick Bolton is an important piece of the defense who’s expecting a pay raise and the same can be said for safety Justin Reid. Then on the defensive line, Tershawn Wharton is a free agent after he notched a career-high 6.5 sacks this past season, veteran Mike Pennel is looking for a new deal as are Josh Uche and Derrick Nnadi.
Retaining talent is just as important as some of the improvements Kansas City will look to make. Both objectives will not be easy.
Chiefs’ unrestricted free agents
- WR DeAndre Hopkins
- S Justin Reid
- DE Charles Omenihu
- WR Marquise Brown
- QB Carson Wentz
- EDGE Josh Uche
- DE Tershawn Wharton
- OT D.J. Humphries
- DT Derrick Nnadi
- WR Justin Watson
- RB Samaje Perine
- LB Nick Bolton
- LS James Winchester
- DL Mike Pennel
- WR JuJu Smith-Schuster
- RB Kareem Hunt
- WR Mecole Hardman
- TE Jody Fortson
- DT Marlon Tuipulotu
- P Matt Araiza