NFL Free Agency Analysis: Team Winners and Losers From Day 1

The first day of NFL free agency in the 2025 offseason has passed, and a flurry of moves were made by a variety of teams. But a few teams emerged as clear winners and losers after just one day of transactions.

Not every team can address all of their needs this quickly, especially those with a lot of roster holes. Nonetheless, bolstering certain areas of their rosters, combined with the upcoming 2025 NFL Draft, can give teams a significant leg up heading into 2025.

Some of these squads made moves that will make them desperate regarding certain positions on their roster, while some filled in serious needs and are well on their way to improving their records for 2025. So let's break down which NFL teams are the biggest winners and losers of the first day of free agency!

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Free Agency Winner: New England Patriots

New head coach Mike Vrabel already presents a massive upgrade over the now-fired former HC Jerod Mayo. Mayo's tenure with the Pats lasted just one year, and he really did nothing to elevate his team, instead opting to throw his players and even coaches under the bus. The team languished with one of the worst rosters in the NFL and incompetent leadership that decided to start quarterback Jacoby Brissett for the first few games of the season before it became obvious that they couldn't get away with it any longer. But with Vrabel in charge, the Patriots immediately made moves to bolster the defense.

They first picked up former Tennessee Titans outside linebacker Harold Landry at a discount, compared to his previous seasons' pay, by signing him to a three-year, $43.5 million deal. Landry will reunite with his former head coach in Vrabel and will be intimately familiar with his old HC's defensive system. It's a great match for him. Then, the Pats convinced former Las Vegas Raiders linebacker Robert Spillane, one of the most underrated LBs in the league and the heart and soul of the Raiders defense in 2024, to a three-year, $33 million deal, which is a great price for a leader and player of his caliber.

They also managed to woo Philadelphia Eagles defensive end Milton Williams, one of the team's breakout stars of 2024 and a big part of their Super Bowl dominance over the Kansas City Chiefs, with a four-year, $105 million deal. If he lives up to expectations, he'll be a massive steal at that price. Additionally, NE signed former Tampa Bay Buccaneers cornerback Carlton Davis to a $54 million contract over the next three seasons.

So the team has completely revitalized their defense and should make major strides on that side of the ball in 2025, helping the team to establish an identity and laying the groundwork for achieving a much better record next year. Things have gone well for Vrabel already, and the season hasn't even started.

Free Agency Winner: Los Angeles Rams

The Rams addressed one of their biggest issues -- that the fall-off of WR Cooper Kupp left the team without a consistent, reliable, and overall excellent WR2 to draw coverages away from WR Puka Nacua. In the playoffs, it became an issue -- against great defenses, teams can't get away with having just one great pass-catching option. Ask the Los Angeles Chargers, who were crushed by the Houston Texans in the playoffs, largely because they could rely solely on WR Ladd McConkey to consistently separate and make plays for them.

Kupp is likely to be released now that Los Angeles signed former New York Jets WR Davante Adams to a two-year deal. Adams gets an ideal landing spot in head coach Sean McVay's offense with quarterback Matthew Stafford throwing to him, and L.A. gets an aging, yet still highly effective, WR to immediately put major stress on defenses that try to double-cover Nacua. Adams' short 2024 stint with the Raiders wasn't reflective of his current abilities, as separation stats showed that he massively improved later in the season, and even outperformed Nacua there.

Not a huge surprise that he didn't put out much effort in Las Vegas, since they were still a dumpster fire of an organization last year. The Rams are the opposite. The passing offense will likely be massively concentrated on Adams and Nacua, and the majority of the receiving work should be handled by those two, considering that the team's next best options are WRs Jordan Whittington, an inconsistent player as a rookie, wideout Demarcus Robinson, who will turn 31 years old in late September, and tight end Tyler Higbee, who is now 32.

Free Agency Winner: Pittsburgh Steelers

The Steelers were one of a handful of teams absolutely desperate for help at the wide receiver position. So as soon as a talented wideout became available, namely former Seattle Seahawks WR DK Metcalf, Pittsburgh jumped at the chance to acquire him, trading a second-round pick to the 'Hawks in exchange for him, and signing him to a four-year, $132 million contract. Previously it was reported to be a five-year, $150 million deal, so who knows? It sounds like a massive deal, but big jumps in the league's salary cap make it much more reasonable in comparison.

And receivers with Metcalf's talent rarely become available. While he's struggled with physicality at times, and has a history of losing his temper on the field, he's one of the world's most absurdly talented athletes. At 6-foot-4 and 235 pounds, he has track star speed, having exceeded 22 miles per hour on the field during a long touchdown catch in 2023. That alone will draw coverages away from other receivers and make him a threat to take any reception to the end zone on long runs. Steelers WR George Pickens, the clear No. 1 pass-catcher for the team for multiple years now, probably isn't too happy about it.

But he'll have to learn to live with the fact that the team has more options in the passing game now. And while the team's quarterback situation is far from being figured out, he'll have a much easier time finding holes in the coverage and moving the ball down the field with Metcalf and Pickens on either side of him. It will be interesting to see how one of the most run-happy offensive coordinators in the league, Arthur Smith, will use his new weapon, though. I'm not super optimistic. He's probably raving to himself about his newest WRs' size and how it will help with the team's run-blocking.

Free Agency Loser: Houston Texans

The loss of star left tackle Laremy Tunsil, who has been one of the best pass-protecting offensive linemen in the NFL over the past few seasons, is a big one for Houston. While there were rumors of him being somewhat of a poor locker-room presence, some beat writers have refuted those claims, instead pointing to contract issues as the main reason for the team shipping him off. It's somewhat inevitable that they had to offload him, though.

Especially on defense, the team has some massive contracts it will have to hand out soon and over the next few seasons. Star pass-rusher Will Anderson Jr. will likely receive a market-resetting extension when he's due for one. It could be north of $40 million per year. Cornerback Derek Stingley Jr. The level of play of wide receiver Nico Collins could cause him to re-negotiate his deal, as he's currently playing at a steep discount. And the team will obviously have to pay quarterback C.J. Stroud a massive deal at some point, given how few good QBs there are in the NFL.

But Stroud played extremely poorly under constant pressure in 2024, and they're losing depth along the line with the departures of both Tunsil and offensive guard Kenyon Green, as poorly as he played. The Texans picked up WR Christian Kirk, but he'll just be a temporary replacement for wideout Tank Dell, who they lost in the 2024 season due to a multi-ligament knee injury. WR Stefon Diggs also won't be coming back. The roster will be in rough shape on offense in 2025 without getting substantial steals in the 2025 NFL Draft.

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