NFL FREE AGENCY EARLY WINNERS

CHICAGO BEARS 

JOE THUNEY OFFENSIVE LINE 

JONAH JACKSON OFFENSIVE LINE 

DREW DALMAN CENTER 

GRADY JARRETT DEFENSIVE LINE

DAYO ODEYINGBO EDGE 

Every year during this time the Chicago Bears seem to be the champions of the off-season and this year may be no different. GM Ryan Poles and HC Ben Johnson identified the trenches as their biggest need to they did so in by way of both trades and free agency starting with the trade for former Rams G Jonah Jackson. Shortly after, Poles used his Kansas City connections and made a trade for All-Pro G Joe Thuney essentially securing both G spots before free agency even began.  

When the legal tampering period opened, they wasted little time securing the middle of their OL with C Drew Dalman which is exactly what the team needed for QB Caleb Williams. Now that the OL was addressed, Poles looked to the defense and got DC Dennis Allen a high potential pass rusher Dayo Odeyingbo and followed up with a game time DL in veteran Grady Jarrett after his release from Atlanta. Chicago made it known that they have a plan of attack to get as much talent as possible and did so in a big way so far this off-season. 

MINNESOTA VIKINGS 

JONATHAN ALLEN DEFENSIVE LINE 

JAVON HARGRAVE DEFENSIVE LINE

RYAN KELLY OFFENSIVE LINE

WILL FRIES OFFENSIVE LINE

The Bears werent the only NFC North team making a big splash this free agency period as the Minnesota Vikings followed suit by nabbing multiple big time starters on both sides starting with former Commander DL Jonathan Allen. The veteran lineman will pair up nicely with fellow free agent signing DL Javon Hargrave who will form a dangerous duo for DC Brian Flores who already has one of the league’s best offenses. 

Once the additions were made on defense, GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah shifted to the offensive side to get some protection for QB JJ McCarthy headlined by two established veterans, G Will Fries and C Ryan Kelly. Both Fries and Kelly came from the same team in Indianapolis which should only be a positive when they play this year for the Vikings. The team recently traded G Ed Ingram making way for Fries to step in and it looks like C Garret Bradbury will soon be on his way out as well for Kelly as the teams' newest interior linemen get acquainted.  

NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS 

MILTON WILLIAMS DEFENSIVE LINE 

HAROLD LANDRY EDGE 

ROBERT SPILLANE LINEBACKER

CARLTON DAVIS CORNERBACK

MACK HOLLINS WIDE RECEIVER

New England is in a bit of a rebuild mode with new HC Mike Vrabel who will be looking to bring his culture and mentality to the team and that started this year with the addition of pass rusher Harold Landry. The former Titan has a relationship with Vrabel during their time in Tennessee and should bring a proven pass rush to the Patriots defense that they sorely need. Playing alongside Landry will be their big prize free agent, DL Milton Williams, after signing one of the best contracts this off-season making him one of the faces of the Patriots defense for the next few years. 

Some other notable names brought in by New England include CB Carlton Davis from Detroit who will help form one of the best CB rooms in the AFC alongside Christian Gonzalez, and LB Robert Spillane from Las Vegas who will bring great experience and production to the LB group. Rounding out the list is WR Mack Hollins who may not be a household name or be the team’s top target but at this rate, they need all the help they can get for QB Drake Maye and at the very least Hollins will give Maye a big target downfield and in redzone situations. 

LAS VEGAS RAIDERS  

GENO SMITH QUARTERBACK

RAHEEM MOSTERT RUNNING BACK

JEREMY CHINN SAFETY

The Raiders are a team in search of an identity for the last several years and may’ve found it by bringing in HC Pete Carroll. While they havent made many notable moves to date, they certainly started off on a big foot rebuilding their identity by securing their future QB in Geno Smith in a trade with Seattle. The former Pro Bowler is one of the more underrated passers in the league and his relationship with Carroll makes this one of the better trades so far this off-season. The team also added a veteran RB in Raheem Mostert who was a stable force during his time in Miami and should be a fun addition for OC Chip Kelly and will provide a veteran presence to a young, inexperienced RB room.  

Vegas also added a fun defensive chess piece in S Jeremy Chinn who had a good year with Washington and should make up for the departure of Tre’von Moehrig. While its not a free agency signing or trade but the other notable move Vegas made was securing their face of franchise Maxx Crosby to one of the biggest contracts for a defensive player in league history and giving the Raiders hope that they are headed in the right direction for the future. 

DENVER BRONCOS 

TALANOA HUFANGA SAFETY

DRE GREENLAW LINEBACKER

EVAN ENGRAM TIGHT END

Denver had a surprising season headlined by the development of QB Bo Nix but they also showcased one of the league’s best defenses and it only got better this off-season with two big additions. GM George Paton added to their already lethal secondary by signing 49ers S Talanoa Hufanga who is coming off a down season due to injury but when healthy is one of the better S in the league. Pairing Hufanga with Defensive Player of the Year CB Patrick Surtain II should give the Broncos one heck of a secondary for 2025. Along with Hufanga, the Broncos also added one of the league’s underrated LBs and fellow 49er Dre Greenlaw who will bring experience and leadership to the defense and once again makes the Broncos defense that much better. Most recently the Broncos also got HC Sean Payton another weapon on offense in TE Evan Engram from Jacksonville who will be a fun target for Nix and will hopefully bring another dimension to the Broncos offense.