Free agency's legal tampering period has already provided us with plenty of transactions to chew on and there's still more to come once things officially start at 4 p.m ET on Wednesday, March 12.

Until then, we decided to go ahead and pick the best free agency move for each AFC team. Our selections are made through the process of player and position value, contract structure, and the other necessary factors that help us evaluate and analyze the decision.

So, let's stop wasting time and get things started.

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AFC South

Tennessee Titans – Signing Dan Moore

Dan Moore is a controversial signing for the Titans, and if I'm totally honest, I think this was a massive overpay from Tennessee. But at the same time, you have to overpay for quality talent in free agency when you finish 3-14.

The Titans needed to solve the offensive tackle issue in 2025. If they do end up drafting a quarterback with the first overall pick, protection will be key to the young QB's success. Moore should give Tennessee average play on the left side of the line while allowing JC Latham to move back to right tackle and thrive. It’s a “two birds with one stone” signing. 

Indianapolis Colts – Signing Charvarius Ward

Indy desperately needed a facelift to the secondary, and adding Charvarius Ward on a three-year, $54 million deal does just that. Ward has missed just 5.6% of his tackle attempts since entering the league in 2018, the lowest missed tackle rate in the NFL. He was also a first-team All-Pro as recently as 2023 and can succeed in both man and zone coverage.

I like this value more than what the Colts gave Cam Bynum. Ward was beloved in San Francisco and now brings his veteran presence to a defense in Indianapolis that desperately needs it.

Houston Texans – Getting C.J. Gardner-Johnson for Kenyon Green

The Kenyon Green experiment has been a total flop in Houston. Green missed the entire 2023 season with a shoulder injury and was one of the worst offensive linemen in football for the 12 games he was available for in 2024.

Change felt inevitable. Houston needs something new and Green needs a change of scenery. But color me shocked that the Texans were able to land a player like C.J. Gardner-Johnson for him in a trade. With six interceptions in 2024, Gardner-Johnson was not only a pivotal player for the Eagles defense on the field, he was considered one of the locker room leaders of a team that just won the Super Bowl. Nick Caserio really cooked with this deal.

Jacksonville Jaguars – Signing Dyami Brown

I'll admit it. I’m drinking the Dyami Brown Kool-Aid. $10 million for one year of Brown seems to be an outlier in a market where Demarcus Robinson, Nick Westbrook-Ikhine, DeAndre Hopkins, and Mack Hollins are all getting less than $5 million per year…But I don’t really care.

I’m intrigued enough by the upside of Brown that he showed in the playoffs for the Commanders, and with more opportunity as the WR3 in Jacksonville, this could be a really fun breakout candidate in 2025. Liam Coen got an up close look at Brown’s ability in the playoffs with the Bucs. I think Coen will find some interesting ways to use him. 

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AFC North

Baltimore Ravens – Keeping Ronnie Stanley in town

Yes, Lamar Jackson could always use some top weapons, but protection is even more important, especially when it comes to his blindside. 

Plus, having a good offensive line is key regarding how Todd Monken and Co. like to do business on that side of the ball. Stanley is still an elite tackle when healthy and getting him for $20 million per year is a great deal.

Pittsburgh Steelers – Trading for D.K. Metcalf

In explicit terms of the trade and not including the extension – it was a great move by the Steelers. Metcalf is a Pro Bowl talent and one of the NFL's best receivers and will immediately provide a spark to the Steelers' passing game. Sure, there's a question of how two guys who thrive in vertical elements will mesh (yes, we're talking about George Pickens), but Arthur Smith should be able to figure out a way to make it work.

A second-round pick for a proven receiver that's more than capable of logging 1,000 receiving yards and 7-8 receiving touchdowns per year is a steal. Now the Steelers just need to find him someone that can throw him the ball.

Cleveland Browns – Joe-Tryon Shoyinka may surprise some people in 2025

I'm not saying he'll make a Pro Bowl or anything, but he could develop into a useful, all-around player who provides some big plays from time-to-time. 

The former first-rounder is a long, athletic pass rusher who can drop back into coverage and play the run at an OK level. He's also a good guy to have in the locker room.

At one-year, $4.75 million, there isn't much that can go wrong with this signing and a lot that can go right.

Cincinnati Bengals – B.J. Hill's extension gives the Bengals an anchor on defense

The Bengals defense is undergoing changes from the top-down, so it's a good deal if an effective foundational piece sticks around and that's the case with Hill, who agreed to a three-year, $33 million deal. 

He's 30-years-old, but he can still play good football and he's a big locker room presence. The Bengals defense is going to be a young unit in 2025, so that will be worth its own weight in gold.

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AFC West

Los Angeles Chargers – Signing Najee Harris

JK Dobbins and Gus Edwards provided the Chargers with an exciting ground attack in 2024 that complimented Justin Herbert nicely. The one thing that duo was missing was consistent availability. With both backs hitting free agency, Jim Harbaugh has found a reliable replacement in Najee Harris.

Harris has never missed a game in his NFL career and has totaled over 1,000 rushing yards in each of his four professional seasons. I love this fit, and I love it even more at the $5.25 million price tag the Chargers are paying in 2025. 

Las Vegas Raiders – Letting guys walk

The Raiders haven’t done very much in free agency…But maybe that’s a good thing. Looking at the contracts that Robert Spillane ($33 million), Nate Hobbs ($48 million), and Trevon Meorhig ($51 million) got, the best thing Vegas could have done was set boundaries and let those guys walk.

There are still moves to be made if improvement is to be expected in 2025, but the Raiders are still in the top half of the NFL in remaining cap space. They're nowhere close to done.

Kansas City Chiefs – Bringing back Nick Bolton

Kansas City hasn’t been all that active after coming up short of a three-peat in Super Bowl LIX. The team’s best move up to this point is bringing back LB Nick Bolton on a three-year, $45 million contract.

Since entering the NFL in 2021, Bolton has stuffed opposing rushers at or behind the line of scrimmage on 4.7% of his run defense snaps. That’s first among all linebackers with at least 1,000 snaps logged. Bolton is a huge piece of Steve Spagnuolo’s defense, which should continue to be a top unit in 2025. 

Denver Broncos – Signing Dre Greenlaw

There’s no other way to say it. Dre Greenlaw is a beast. He changes the complexion of a defense with his pass coverage from the linebacker position. In 2023, he had a league-leading -7.9 receptions allowed over expected and the 49ers defense allowed 1.7 fewer yards per attempt on passes to the middle of the field with Greenlaw on the field.

He’s a true difference maker that lands in Denver at a bargain price of $11.6 million per year. 

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AFC East

New England Patriots – Milton Williams is a risk worth taking 

Williams' tape shows that he can be the guy for a team's pass rush, but he still has to actually prove he can do it on a consistent basis. That's the big question for him after benefitting from the NFL's deepest and most effective defensive line rotation in Philadelphia. 

$26 million per year is a ton of money, but it's about what the Patriots thinks Williams can do moving forward and there's logic behind that. The defense will see immediate improvement if it all works out as planned, which the odds say it will.

Buffalo Bills – Josh Palmer is a sneaky signing that could really boost the Bills offense

Palmer has good size and can make plays at all three levels of the field. He'll likely play the Z position in Joe Brady's offense and he can eat up yards, as evidenced by back-to-back seasons in which he averaged 15.0 yards or more per catch.

He's also a willing run blocker, which completely fits what the Bills are looking for in their receivers these days. Overall it's a really good signing that doesn't break the bank at $12 million per year.

New York Jets – Andre Cisco is a great fit for Aaron Glenn's defense

Cisco had a down year in 2024, but the entire Jags team imploded, so I wouldn't put much stock into that. Before last season, he recorded a combined seven interceptions, 15 pass break-ups, and 1.5 sacks over the 2022-2023 seasons. He's the exact ballhawk Glenn is looking for at centerfielder. He'll turn just 25 this year, too, meaning he's entering his prime.

Glenn put Lions safety Kerby Joseph in a spot where he became one of the NFL's best safeties in 2024 and there's a good chance he can do the same for Cisco.

Miami Dolphins – Getting reliable Tua Tagovailoa insurance is the Dolphins' best move

Signing Zach Wilson to a one-year, $6 million deal gives the Dolphins a capable quarterback of keeping things on track if Tua were to go down. At this point, without Tagovailoa, it's clear the Dolphins are incapable of winning games. They need someone who can step in for the oft-injured quarterback.

Wilson's reputation is shaky in itself, but the word is his year under Sean Payton has really helped him in terms of growth and understanding how to properly prepare att he position. He's also a really good fit for Mike McDaniel's offense. 

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