Top NFL Dominoes Left to Fall Between Super Bowl LIX and 2025 Free Agency

Super Bow LIX is nearly here, which means two important things for NFL fans. Firstly, the Philadelphia Eagles and Kansas City Chiefs are about to play the most important game of the 2024-25 season. Secondly, NFL fans are on the doorstep of the offseason and a period of relative inactivity.

The next big event on the NFL calendar is free agency, which will unofficially open with the legal-contact window on March 10. This means fans will have a full month without meaningful NFL games or the excitement of new players joining their favorite teams.

This doesn't, however, mean that fans will have nothing to follow. A few significant dominoes are likely to fall between Super Bowl LIX and the start of 2025 free agency. We'll examine the biggest here.

Seven NFL franchises entered the 2025 offseason looking to hire new head coaches. Six of them—the Chicago Bears, Dallas Cowboys, Jacksonville Jaguars, Las Vegas Raiders, New England Patriots and New York Jets—have their new coaches in place.

This leaves the New Orleans Saints as the lone NFL team without a head coach entering Super Bowl Sunday. With the game being in New Orleans, there's a chance that the Saints' next head coach is already in town and will simply stick around after the Big Game.

According to ESPN's Adam Schefter, Eagles offensive coordinator Kellen Moore is set to become the Saints coach soon after Super Bowl LIX.

"The Saints are doing everything they can to obey the rules and make sure they don't do anything illegal or that the Eagles could come after them on," Schefter said on NFL Live. "But barring a change of heart, it is shaping up for Kellen Moore to be the next head coach of the New Orleans Saints."

New Orleans' hiring of Moore will be an important development for a couple of reasons. For one, it'll end the coaching cycle and leave head coaching hopefuls waiting until 2026 for opportunities. Secondly, it'll leave the Eagles searching for a new offensive coordinator for the third straight offseason.

Of course, that's assuming that New Orleans does indeed get a deal done with Moore. Nothing will be official until both parties put pen to paper, so expect the Saints' coaching situation to be a big post-Super Bowl storyline.

Myles Garrett isn't the only notable player who could end up on the 2025 trade market, but he's undoubtedly the biggest name. The 29-year-old is a four-time first-team All-Pro, the 2023 Defensive Player of the Year and, barring a surprise, a future Hall of Famer.

Pass-rushers of Garrett's caliber simply don't become available while still in their playing prime very often. There's no guarantee that Garrett will, but he's made it clear that he'd prefer a trade away from the Cleveland Browns.

Garrett made his trade request official early this week and has been making the media rounds since to further vocalize his stance.

"I have a lot of love for Cleveland, but it's always for me been about [competing] for championships, winning those big games and winning Lombardis," Garrett told The Rich Eisen Show (h/t NFL.com's Kevin Patra). "We haven't had the opportunity to do that. That's all I'm asking for."

The Browns have said that they won't trade Garrett, but the standoff is only likely to get uglier the longer it goes on. Cleveland is likely to either cave and make Garrett available or find some way to smooth things over and convince him to stay—at least, those are the two most favorable outcomes. Doing nothing could lead to a situation where the Browns move past the draft while Garrett refuses to report or play in 2025.

"I think the Cleveland Browns know that they've got a mess on their hands here," The Athletic's Dianna Russini wrote on Wednesday.

Ideally, Cleveland will find a way to resolve things quickly. If so, it'll be huge for numerous reasons. Garrett will be a prime target for any team in need of pass-rushing help, and he would likely bring a massive haul that could help the Browns reload their roster and, potentially, find their next quarterback.

At the same time, however, trading Garrett could officially signal another tear-down project in Cleveland. Pro Bowl cornerback Denzel Ward, for example, told Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com that he may have to question his own Browns future if Garrett is dealt.

Garrett isn't the only notable player who may be traded in the early offseason. The Minnesota Vikings certainly aren't the only team with a critical decision to make ahead of 2025 free agency.

However, Minnesota's decision on quarterback Sam Darnold could have a significant ripple effect on the quarterback market. While Darnold may not be an elite signal-caller, he was a Pro Bowler in 2024 and won't turn 28 until June.

Under other conditions, the Vikings would probably be quick to offer Darnold an extension or give him the franchise tag—the deadline to do so is March 4. However, Minnesota used a 2024 first-round selection on Michigan quarterback J.J. McCarthy.

McCarthy missed his entire rookie season with a knee injury, so the Vikings haven't gotten an extended look at the former Wolverine. They must soon decide whether they're ready to hand over the offense to a player who has never seen a regular-season star or whether they'd prefer to keep Darnold as a veteran bridge.

Most likely, Minnesota will choose to tag Darnold or allow him to hit the market, and things could go either way.

"So he's earned the right to be a free agent, but we will continue to have ongoing dialogue and discussions with him and his representation," Vikings head coach Kevin O'Connell said, per ESPN's Kevin Seifert.

If Darnold does reach free agency, he'll be the top quarterback available. He may also be viewed as a superior alternative to the 2025 draft class, which lacks depth at the position.

Colorado's Shedeur Sanders and Miami's Cam Ward are the only QB prospects who have received a first-round grade from the Bleacher Report Scouting Department.

There are never enough quality quarterbacks to go around in the NFL. Darnold can fill a starting role, and he'll be paid handsomely to do so—he has a projected market value of $40.1 million annually—if he doesn't spend another year in Minnesota.

The Pittsburgh Steelers may be among the teams in the 2025 quarterback market, and as a 2024 playoff participant, they loom large.

The Steelers opened the season with Justin Fields behind center but pivoted to Russell Wilson once Wilson was recovered from his preseason calf injury. The duo combined to get Pittsburgh to 10 wins and into the postseason as a wild-card team.

It's highly unlikely, however, that both quarterbacks will be back in 2025. Both are impending free agents, and the Steelers are reportedly divided on whether to retain Wilson or Fields.

"Right now, I'm not sure if they are 'clearly' leaning one way or another because I know there is something of a split sentiment," Gerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette wrote on Thursday.

The Steelers could choose to keep one of the two incumbents—either with an extension or the franchise tag—target a free agent like Darnold or Jameis Winston, or throw their hat into the draft ring. They'll likely choose a route well ahead of free agency, and it could have a big impact on how the rest of the offseason unfolds.

For starters, Pittsburgh is always a playoff-relevant team. If it believes it has its quarterback—or can find one—it'll probably look to load up for another postseason push. Secondly, Wilson and Fields could both draw significant interest on the open market.

Fields played some quality football for the Steelers (93.3 QB rating, 4-2 record) and will turn only 26 in March. Wilson could be viewed as a top bridge option for another franchise looking to win soon.

Wilson struggled late in the season for Pittsburgh, but he was hindered by a lackluster supporting offensive cast and did get the Steelers into the playoffs.

The free-agent market won't only be impacted by players who may or may not reach it. Contracts signed before March 10 could heavily influence the price point of premium positions.

This is one reason the Cincinnati Bengals' ongoing extension talks with Ja'Marr Chase are important. The reigning receiving triple crown champion (receptions, yards, TDs) has been extension-eligible since last offseason and is widely expected to top Justin Jefferson's market-leading deal, worth $35 million annually.

While another receiver isn't likely to surpass Jefferson's deal before Chase agrees to an extension, the Bengals are looking to reach an agreement and do view Jefferson's deal as a starting point.

"It's a priority for us," director of personnel Duke Tobin said, per Kelsey Conway of the Cincinnati Enquirer. "It's something we feel like there's a framework to work off of. Should be a pretty easy framework to work off of."

What's unknown is just how high Chase's price point might climb. If he surpasses Jefferson's contract by only a few dollars per year—enough to make him the league's highest-paid receiver but little more—it might not impact the receiver market much. If, however, Chase lands a deal worth, say, $40 million annually, it could raise the financial floor of impending free-agent receivers substantially.

Players like Tee Higgins and Chris Godwin aren't going to command $40 million on the open market. However, they could command more than the $25-30 million second-tier receivers like DeVonta Smith and Brandon Aiyuk got last year if the top of the market sees another jump.

Chase's price point could also heavily impact the futures of Bengals like Higgins, who is an impending free agent, and pass-rusher Trey Hendrickson, who is entering a contract year.

Dallas Cowboys pass-rusher Micah Parsons faces a contract situation very similar to Chase's. The four-time Pro Bowler has been contract-eligible since the 2024 offseason and is widely expected to supplant Nick Bosa as the league's highest-paid defensive player.

Bosa's contract is worth $34 million annually. Like Chase, Parsons could be eyeing a deal in the $40 million range. Cowboys franchise owner and general manager Jerry Jones seemed to hint recently that an extension with Parsons could be in the works.

"Well, we spent the most money of anybody in the NFL on a player last year," Jones said, per Nick Harris of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. "If we can do that again, that'd be pretty good."

Jones, of course, is referring to the league-leading deal to which he signed Dak Prescott last September—a deal worth $60 million annually. Waiting to sign Prescott likely cost the Cowboys millions, as quarterbacks like Jared Goff, Tua Tagovailoa and Trevor Lawrence all signed extensions during the 2024 offseason.

As is the case with Cincinnati and Chase, the Cowboys are unlikely to see another pass-rusher become the league's highest-paid defender before Parsons agrees to an extension. However, it would be unwise to wait, as a rising salary cap and inflated free-agent contracts could further escalate Parsons' asking price.

Presumably, the Cowboys and Parsons will reach an agreement before March, and the details of that agreement could raise the going rate for pass-rushers.

Impending free agents like Azeez Ojulari and Khalil Mack will be watching the situation closely. So will sack artists eligible for extensions in 2025, like Aidan Hutchinson and Nik Bonitto, and pass-rushers entering contract years, like Hendrickson and T.J. Watt. So could Garrett, who will likely receive an extension shortly after landing with a new team if he is dealt by the Browns.

The price of edge-rushers is only going to increase. Parsons' looming extension will play a role in determining how quickly it does and by how much.

One notable NFL event will take place between Super Bowl LIX and free agency. Though it may not hold a marquee spot on the calendar of casual football fans, the scouting combine will take place between February 27 and March 2, and it will play a big role in the pre-draft process.

Little may actually be settled during the combine since fewer and fewer top prospects have chosen to work out in recent years. However, teams will get to interview players, share notes and gather other valuable intel about NFL hopefuls. By early March, we should have a clearer idea of who the top quarterback prospect in 2025 will be.

As previously mentioned, the 2025 quarterback class isn't viewed as a deep one. However, Sanders and Ward are both expected to be early first-round selections. This is both because of the NFL's need for starting-caliber signal-callers and due to the early draft order.

Of the top nine teams in the draft order, six—the Tennessee Titans, Browns, New York Giants, Las Vegas Raiders, Jets and Saints—are in need of a long-term quarterback plan. Right now, though, neither Ward nor Sanders has solidified himself as the clear-cut top quarterback.

Ward is the top QB on the B/R Scouting Department's board and could be gaining momentum as Tennessee's preferred choice at No. 1.

"In a draft that projects to be defined by the Cam Ward vs. Shedeur Sanders debate for QB1, the building sentiment from scouts and executives this week was Ward is likely to be the No. 1 pick," ESPN's Pete Thamel during the Senior Bowl.

Others, including ESPN's Mel Kiper Jr., have Sanders as the draft's QB1.

Ideally, teams will have an idea of how Ward and Sanders are being valued—and whether either QB is worth taking over prospects like Travis Hunter, Abdul Carter and Mason Graham.

If a top quarterback prospect does emerge before March 10, it could heavily impact how teams like the Titans, Browns and Giants approach the free-agent and trade markets. It could also affect other quarterback-needy teams who no longer believe they have a shot at landing a starting-caliber signal-caller in the draft.

Of course, there's always a chance that the quarterback intrigue will last all the way until the draft's opening night on April 24.

*Contract information via Spotrac.