We are about to venture into another new cycle of NFL free agency, and this offseason should offer just as much excitement as we've witnessed in recent years. The league is coming off a 2025 season that included tremendous parity and intrigue. Some traditionally dominant franchises spent the winter watching the playoffs from home. On the other hand, an assortment of fresh faces exploded onto the scene, including the Seattle Seahawks, who walked away with the Lombardi Trophy in Super Bowl LX.
That much competitive balance should tell you one thing about the potential for aggressive moves this offseason: There are few reasons for most teams to be passive when some smart wheeling and dealing could result in rewarding outcomes in December and January. The Seahawks wouldn't have won a championship without signing quarterback Sam Darnold, wide receiver Cooper Kupp and edge rusher Demarcus Lawrence in free agency last offseason -- they might not have even made the playoffs, given how difficult the NFC West ultimately became.
There are several other franchises who should be thinking about what they can do with a strong offseason of their own. It is true that free agency is only one part of the puzzle, and the draft and salary-cap saving cuts in June will offer more options for roster-building. But that stuff also is down the road. Free agency is right around the corner, with the negotiating window -- when teams are allowed to contact and enter into contract talks with pending free agents (via their agents) -- opening at noon ET on March 9, and the signing period beginning at 4 p.m. ET on March 11.
So let's focus this edition of The First Read on the teams that need to make the splashiest moves this year.
NOTE: All salary cap figures were sourced from Over The Cap and were current as of 12 p.m. ET on Tuesday, March 3.
The Rams must have been kicking themselves while watching the Seahawks whip the New England Patriots in Super Bowl LX. If a handful of things had gone differently in the NFC Championship Game or even throughout the regular season, then Los Angeles players might have been the ones hoisting the Lombardi Trophy, while head coach Sean McVay claimed his second championship. That disappointment should convince the Rams that this is the year to revive the formula that worked in their Super Bowl-winning season of 2021: It is time to go all-in again. General manager Les Snead already has told local reporters that he plans to make the most of the final years of quarterback Matthew Stafford. Even though Stafford turned 38 last month, he's coming off the best year of his career, one that ended with him winning his first league MVP award. He led one of the best offenses in the game, as well, so there is not a need for major upgrades to that side of the football.
The Rams do have a decent amount of projected cap space to play with (a little over $40 million, per Over The Cap), so it does make sense for Snead to think about taking a big swing at improving a cornerback position that turned into a weak spot by season's end, especially since they have a few pending free agents at that spot, including Ahkello Witherspoon, Cobie Durant and Roger McCreary. Snead must decide whether to retain any of those players, though there will be some interesting names on the open market. Kansas City's Jaylen Watson, Tampa Bay's Jamel Dean, New Orleans' Alontae Taylor, Jacksonville's Greg Newsome II and Seattle's Riq Woolen are all real possibilities for teams with real championship aspirations. It wouldn't be surprising to see any of those players in a Rams uniform next season.
It's hard to imagine the Patriots pulling off their successful one-year franchise turnaround in 2025 without the help of key players acquired through free agency last offseason. The contributions new head coach Mike Vrabel received from those additions -- including veterans like defensive end Milton Williams, right tackle Morgan Moses, wide receiver Stefon Diggs, cornerback Carlton Davis and linebacker Robert Spillane -- created a culture that led to an AFC championship. Now comes the next step, which involves building on that success. Executive vice president of player personnel Eliot Wolf still has a nice cap situation to work with heading into this free agent cycle (the Patriots are projected to have just under $40 million in available space). He would be wise to stick with the same philosophy that morphed New England into an instant winner.
The obvious concerns coming off that Super Bowl loss to Seattle involved the supporting cast around quarterback Drake Maye. The Patriots had real issues protecting him throughout the postseason (he was sacked 21 times, including six sacks in the Super Bowl), and the lack of threats at wide receiver became glaring, as well (not one Patriots player topped 80 receiving yards in a single playoff game). New England also could use some help at edge rusher, with K'Lavon Chaisson set to become an unrestricted free agent after a breakout year that included 7.5 sacks. There has been a ton of speculative chatter about Wolf possibly executing a blockbuster trade for a star like Las Vegas defensive end Maxx Crosby or Philadelphia wide receiver A.J. Brown, who played for Vrabel in Tennessee. It's more realistic that the Patriots will stick to a more conservative plan like the one that benefited them last season, when players with lower profiles signed and filled important roles.
Given that Vrabel and Wolfe have openly supported left tackle Will Campbell, who struggled with top edge rushers in the playoffs while dealing with the lingering effects of a knee injury, let's assume the Patriots will be more focused on bolstering other areas. There are some market-bound wide receivers that seem like worthwhile acquisitions, such as Indianapolis' Alec Pierce, Green Bay's Romeo Doubs or the New York Giants' Wan'Dale Robinson. On defense, a veteran edge rusher like Philadelphia's Jaelan Phillips or the Los Angeles Chargers' Odafe Oweh would be nice fits, as would a versatile linebacker like Kansas City's Leo Chenal (whose traits are similar to what Vrabel possessed as a player). The same would be true of safeties like Seattle's Coby Bryant and the Los Angeles Rams' Kam Curl, since Jaylinn Hawkins is set to be an unrestricted free agent. The Patriots obviously had the look of a team that blossomed a year earlier than expected. With Maye moving into the third year of his rookie deal -- and, thus, not eligible for an extension until next offseason -- they should have the flexibility to sustain that momentum.
The Commanders currently rank in the top five in the league in projected salary-cap space, with over $70 million available. They also have one of the most complicated roster situations, as 29 players from last season's 5-12 team are set to become unrestricted free agents, while a handful of other key starters are entering the final years of their contract in 2026. Washington reached the NFC Championship Game two years ago with quarterback Jayden Daniels winning NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year honors, then fell back to the pack while Daniels missed 10 games with injuries. This franchise needs to make a slew of savvy moves to regain the look of a title contender. Once GM Adam Peters decides how to address aging veterans with expiring contracts (including wide receiver Deebo Samuel, linebacker Bobby Wagner and tight end Zach Ertz) and how best to approach potential extensions (with left tackle Laremy Tunsil and defensive tackle Daron Payne looking like obvious candidates), there are plenty of holes to fill on this roster. The offense needs more weapons at running back, wide receiver and tight end. The defense must improve at edge rusher, linebacker, safety and cornerback.
Some obvious names worth considering on offense are Seattle running back Kenneth Walker III, Baltimore tight end Isaiah Likely and Indianapolis wide receiver Alec Pierce (although Peters, a former member of the 49ers front office who brought Samuel over from San Francisco last year, might also be interested in another free agent from his old workplace, Jauan Jennings, or even a trade for disgruntled wideout Brandon Aiyuk). Some intriguing names on defense are Philadelphia's Jaelan Phillips, Green Bay linebacker Quay Walker, Jacksonville linebacker Devin Lloyd and Kansas City Chiefs safety Bryan Cook. Peters hasn't been shy about making splashy moves in the past, both in free agency and via high-profile trades. It's safe to assume he'll take some huge swings in the coming weeks.
This is an interesting franchise to include in a list like this because general manager Joe Hortiz is not a big fan of relying heavily on free agency. He built his career while working with the Baltimore Ravens, an organization that believes in drafting well, developing talent and retaining it. The problem is, the Chargers have some major holes in their offensive line that can't entirely be filled with draft picks. Center Bradley Bozeman retired last month, and there are real questions at both guard positions (one starter, Zion Johnson, is about to become a free agent, while the other, 2025 signee Mekhi Becton, was a major disappointment in his first season with the team). This isn't an ideal situation for the Chargers, since head coach Jim Harbaugh wants his offensive line to be the tip of that team's spear.
Hortiz will have plenty of money to play with, as Los Angeles has roughly $84.5 million in projected cap space. Given Hortiz's ties to the Ravens, there has been ample speculation about him being interested in Baltimore center Tyler Linderbaum if Linderbaum reaches free agency next week. Other potential targets at that position could include Buffalo's Connor McGovern and Tyler Biadasz, whom the Commanders recently released. As for possible options at guard, the Ravens have another outgoing free agent who could interest Hortiz, Daniel Faalele, while Buffalo's David Edwards and two New York Jets (Alijah Vera-Tucker and John Simpson) could be good fits, as well.
The Chargers have reached the postseason in both of Harbaugh's first two seasons with the franchise. However, last season was made especially challenging by the absence of injured offensive tackles Rashawn Slater and Joe Alt, with quarterback Justin Herbert suffering through 54 sacks (which was the second highest number in the league). The Chargers have built a solid foundation in a relatively short time. Opening up the pocketbook in free agency will help them keep a good thing going.
The Bengals surely thought they would be contending for championships annually after they reached Super Bowl LVI and then the AFC title game in 2022. But that has been far from the case over the past three seasons, all of which ended with Cincinnati missing the playoffs completely. Quarterback Joe Burrow's injury woes -- he missed seven games in 2023 and nine in '25 -- have played a major role in those issues. So has a defense that has consistently failed to deliver when the team has needed it most. The good news in Cincinnati is that the franchise has $47.7 million in projected salary-cap space to work with to improve key positions on that side of the ball. The Bengals did play better defense in the second half of the season, while adjusting to a new system implemented by first-year coordinator Al Golden. The next step is finding a way to continue that momentum with the players taking the field this fall.
Of course, the largest question that still looms is what the team is going to do with defensive end Trey Hendrickson , who was unable to force his way out of town during contentions contract talks over the past two years. There's no telling how this situation will play out after all this time, though we now know Hendrickson won't be franchise-tagged. Regardless of what happens with the four-time Pro Bowler, it is safe to assume that Cincinnati will be eyeing help on defense when free agency starts, because as director of player personnel Duke Tobin said at the combine, this team has "the resources to go out and do some things."
Versatility and leadership are high on the list of characteristics the Bengals covet in new additions. If you're looking for potential free agents that could fill those needs, think about defenders like Denver defensive tackle Jonathan Franklin-Myers, linebackers like Kansas City's Leo Chenal and Jacksonville's Devin Lloyd and safeties such as Seattle's Coby Bryant and the Rams' Kam Curl. The Bengals have some promising young talent that they've spent high draft picks on in recent years, including edge rushers Myles Murphy (selected 28th overall in 2023) and Shemar Stewart (17th overall in 2025) and defensive backs Dax Hill (31st overall in 2022) and DJ Turner II (60th overall in 2023). It's now time to fortify this unit with more playmaking ability. If last year proved anything about the AFC North, which was decided in a Week 18 battle between the 10-win Steelers and eight-win Ravens, it's that this division has never been more up for grabs. The Bengals could legitimately get back into the mix again if they spend their money the right way.