NFL Free Agents 2025: Top Rumors and Predictions Before Playoff Bracket is Set

Week 18 of the 2024 NFL season should be fascinating to watch as it puts the final touches on the playoff bracket.

It won't hold that excitement for everyone, though.

That's because 15 teams have already been knocked out of the field, meaning they—or at least their front offices—are already operating in offseason mode.

The rest of the league will reach that point over the following month, so decision time is almost here. That's why there's are already buzz about some top players on the market. We'll get into the latest rumblings and predict where these players will land.

Joe Burrow might know and appreciate the value of Tee Higgins better than anyone.

That's why Burrow is already applying some pressure on the Cincinnati Bengals' decision-makers to figure out how to extend Ja'Marr Chase and pay Higgins, who might be the best player entering free agency.

"Whenever a great player leaves you wish you could have found a way to keep him," Burrow told reporters. "You don't want to make a living out of letting great players leave the building. And I think that's why you gotta do everything you can to get those deals done early."

There are, of course, challenges in paying top-dollar for both pass-catchers, particularly when there are other problem areas with this roster. On the other hand, this receiver combo helps bring out the best in Burrow, and that's more or less what every team is looking to do for its franchise quarterback.

Sports Illustrated's Albert Breer opined it could take "around $120 million" to have Higgins and Chase with Burrow all on the books next season, while also noting that Cincinnati's stretch run has him "moving to the do-whatever-it-takes-to-keep-both camp."

Higgins won't be cheap to keep, but the Bengals will heed Burrow's advice and find a way to pay Higgins.

The Minnesota Vikings enter Week 18 one win away from capturing the NFC North crown and securing the conference's No. 1 seed. That one win will be a super challenging one—a road triumph over the Detroit Lions—but the fact the stakes are this high speaks to the special kind of season the Vikings have put together.

One might assume, then, that the quarterback responsible for this run, Sam Darnold, would have already cemented his spot in the organization's long-term plans. Executives aren't so sure that will happen, as only a "slight majority" of those polled by ESPN's Jeremy Fowler believe the Vikings will keep Darnold.

Minnesota initially intended Darnold to be a placeholder while first-round rookie J.J. McCarthy found his footing, but basically none of that plan has come to fruition. While McCarthy lost his rookie season to a meniscus tear, Darnold spent the campaign putting together an MVP candidacy while throwing for 4,153 yards and 35 touchdowns (so far).

The Vikings would now like Darnold to extend his stay in the Gopher State, but what happens if he's met by an aggressive market? Plenty of teams need quarterbacks, and the 2025 draft doesn't seem like the best place to find them. There is almost certainly a world in which a team—or multiple teams—is willing to pay Darnold more than Minnesota can stomach.

Then again, there might even be a universe in which the Vikings have already seen enough from Darnold to lock him into a long-term deal and start fielding offers for McCarthy. Quarterback-needy clubs who are less than enthralled with the 2025 prospects will make calls on McCarthy, and if Minnesota believes Darnold can quarterback this team into the future, it has to at least field those inquiries.

In the end, though, the Vikings probably need to see more from Darnold, who'd previously been a draft bust and a backup to this point of his career, before making that kind of commitment to him. A franchise tag might be best for all involved, allowing Darnold to get a big raise (roughly $41 million) and Minnesota to get another season with him before making a major long-term decision at football's most important position.