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Monday marked the beginning of the NFL’s legal tampering period, a two-day window before the start of the league year for teams to make deals with free agents.
There were a flurry of deals to kick things off before a steady stream of top free agents signing big-time deals. The night before free agency saw multiple trades and key signings, including wide receiver DK Metcalf’s move from the Seahawks to the Steelers as well as fellow wideout Davante Adams signing with the Los Angeles Rams.
Monday featured lots of movement for top names and teams. Some players and teams already look like winners from the first day of the legal tampering period while others aren’t in as good of shape.
Here are our winners and losers from the first day of the legal tampering period:
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NFL legal tampering window winners
New England Patriots
The Patriots were armed with the most cap space in the NFL entering the offseason and they went to work, especially on defense. They signed one of the top talents available in free agency with defensive tackle Milton Williams. Though it required the most guaranteed money for an interior defensive lineman in the league, that bolsters up the trenches for years to come.
Behind Williams, New England signed cornerback Carlton Davis, linebacker Robert Spillane and edge rusher Harold Landry, who Vrabel coached in Tennessee. Those are building blocks to improve that side of the ball and allows the team to invest in offense during the 2025 NFL draft.
Caleb Williams
The Bears spent via trade to improve at both guard spots with Joe Thuney and Jonah Jackson. Their deal with top free agent center Drew Dalman Monday means the offensive line will not rely on any rookie starters to protect Williams in his sophomore season. In Year 1 with head coach Ben Johnson, Williams should have the protection to build on his rookie season and improve. The Bears now have more flexibility with their three top-50 selections in the 2025 NFL draft.
Jacksonville Jaguars
The Jaguars entered free agency with more money than most teams and went to work. Jacksonville addressed holes on the offensive line and secondary to improve on multiple needs.
Center Robert Hainsey isn’t a marquee signing but is familiar for new head coach Liam Coen due to their time together in Tampa Bay. Guard Patrick Mekari didn’t break the bank and brings experience at both guard and tackle from his time with Baltimore, a perennial playoff contender.
After ranking last in the league in pass defense, Jacksonville signed safety Eric Murray from Houston and cornerback Jourdan Lewis from Dallas to shore up the secondary. The latter deal came at a high price but provides a baseline level of improvement for Coen’s staff to build upon in year one.
Rookie contract cornerbacks
Right before the tampering period began, the Carolina Panthers signed cornerback Jaycee Horn to a deal making him the highest-paid defensive back in NFL history. Carlton Davis earned a three-year, $60 million deal with the Patriots before Jourdan Lewis re-set the nickel cornerback market with a three-year, $30 million contract.
This increase in the market is a good sign for young cornerbacks nearing the end of their rookie deals like Houston’s Derek Stingley, Kansas City’s Trent McDuffie and the New York Jets‘ Sauce Gardner. All three are slated to play on their fifth-year option in 2026 and could command more than $20 million per year on extensions.
Cam Ward
With Sam Darnold signing with Seattle, it looks more and more likely the Titans will spend the No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 NFL draft on the top quarterback in the class. That’s not a bad situation for Ward after the first day of moves.
The Titans signed former Steelers tackle Dan Moore Jr. to play left tackle alongside 2023 first-round pick Peter Skoronski. That allows 2024 first-round pick J.C. Latham to move over to his familiar spot at right tackle. With Lloyd Cushenberry III at center, that’s a solid group of blockers to give Ward a clean pocket should he be selected No. 1 overall. There’s still room for improvement in the skill position group but they’re now more able to invest in that during the draft.
NFL legal tampering window losers
Houston Texans
The Texans didn’t have much cap space to make big moves on Monday and instead traded away their best offensive lineman by sending Laremy Tunsil to the Commanders. There weren’t many offensive tackles on the free agency market in the first place and Houston missed out on some of the better options in Moore Jr. and Morgan Moses. Their draft position won’t be high enough to get a ready-made starter at tackle that way, either.
They made small moves to improve the defense but for a team looking to contend in a competitive AFC, they’re in worse shape at a weak point from last season. They’ll have a lot riding on new offensive coordinator Nick Caley’s leadership to improve the in-house talent.
LAREMY TUNSIL TRADE: Grading the deal between the Texans and Commanders
San Francisco 49ers
The Los Angeles Rams made a huge move to bring in Adams before the legal tampering period began. On Monday, Seattle signed the biggest name at quarterback in free agency (Sam Darnold) and Arizona got the top edge rusher on the market this offseason in Josh Sweat.
Over the course of a few hours, San Francisco lost starting guard Aaron Banks to the Packers, safety Talanoa Hufanga to the Broncos, cornerback Charvarius Ward to the Colts and even backup tackle Jaylon Moore to the Chiefs. Their biggest move at time of publishing is signing tight end Luke Farrell, formerly of the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Farrell’s more of a blocking tight end than a receiving threat (36 catches and zero touchdowns in four years) but San Francisco gave him a three-year deal worth up to $20.25 million. Considering a deep tight end class in the 2025 NFL draft, the 49ers’ bevy of picks and their needs on offensive and defensive line, this seems like a frivolous use of valuable cap space for a team trying to contend again in 2025.
New York Giants
The Giants couldn’t get a deal done for Matthew Stafford and it looks less likely Ward will fall to them in the draft. At time of publishing, Tommy DeVito is the only quarterback under contract on their active roster. Free agents Sam Darnold and Justin Fields have both signed elsewhere leaving the likes of Aaron Rodgers and Russell Wilson as the likely best options for the position in 2025.
Cornerback Paulson Adebo was a good signing for an upgrade opposite Deonte Banks but that’s the lone bright spot for a quarterback-needy team entering a crucial year for the coaching staff and front office.
Jevon Holland
This year’s free agent class features good veteran options at safety. Former Las Vegas safety Tre’von Moehrig signed with the Carolina Panthers on a three-year deal that makes him the fifth-highest paid player at the position by annual value per OverTheCap. Free agent safeties Camryn Bynum and Talanoa Hufanga each earned top-10 money by annual value in their deals with the Colts and Broncos, respectively.
Holland, arguably the top safety in the class, remains unsigned at time of publishing. He does have some injury concerns after missing seven games combined over the last two seasons but is an impact starter whose played for a different coordinator in every year of his career. At 25 years old, there’s plenty of room for improvement but teams just may not be willing to pay him near top-market money.
New York Jets
The Jets lost tackle Moses to division rival New England for a relatively inexpensive deal (three years, $28.5 million). That leaves the Jets with 2022 fourth-round pick Max Mitchell and 2023 fourth-rounder Carter Warren as potential options currently signed to play left tackle unless 2024 first-round pick Olu Fashanu moves over from right tackle.
They shelled out a two-year, $40 million deal for Justin Fields with $30 million guaranteed. Given the thin offensive line, he may struggle as the team’s starter in 2025.
The team also dished out a three-year, $36 million deal for cornerback Brandon Stephens. New York had just one returning starter in the secondary (Gardner) and decided to give top-20 money to Stephens, who Pro Football Focus ranked 100th out of 116 qualifying cornerbacks in 2024. New York will be banking on new head coach Aaron Glenn to develop Stephens into a better contributor than he was last season.
