2025 NFL Free Agency: The 10 Best 25-and-Under Players in This Year's Class

Super Bowl LIX is complete, the Philadelphia Eagles are NFL champions, and the 2025 offseason has officially begun. Over the next few months, the league's other 31 teams will try piecing together rosters capable of getting to where the Eagles currently are.

Free agency will be a big part of that process. The 2025 salary cap is expected to rise to as much as $275 million, and a number of potential difference-makers are expected to be available. Franchises hoping to find long-term success, however, may look to skew younger this offseason.

The good news is that several of this year's top impending free agents are only entering their playing primes. Whether they actually reach free agency remains to be seen, but a number of proven playmakers who should still have long careers ahead of them are scheduled to hit the open market.

Here, we'll rank the top 10 impending free agents who will be 25 or younger when free agency officially opens on March 12. Factors like past production, player upside, health and positional value were all considered.

New Orleans Saints cornerback Paulson Adebo will carry some questions into free agency. The 25-year-old (26 in July) suffered a broken femur seven games into the 2024 season—though he was already back to running by early February.

Adebo also has a tendency to hold, which can lead to multiple penalties in a single game.

That said, Adebo has been one of the NFL's most underrated cornerbacks when at his best. He has recorded 10 interceptions and an impressive 43 passes defended in 52 career games. He allowed an opposing passer rating of just 71.9 in coverage this past season and a rating of 62.7 in 2023.

Adebo has also improved as a tackler. He was credited with 19 missed tackles over his first two seasons but only nine over the last two—though, as noted, his 2024 campaign was cut short.

Teams may have to accept the reality that Adebo's aggressive style of play will lead to penalties, and they may not be eager to offer a long-term contract because of his latest injury. However, good, young perimeter corners aren't easy to find, and Adebo can be a legitimate difference-maker in the secondary.

It might be a bit surprising to learn that pass-rusher Chase Young won't turn 26 until April. The 2020 second overall pick and Defensive Rookie of the Year is already on his third franchise, having signed a one-year with the Saints last offseason.

Young spent his first three-and-a-half seasons with the Washington Commanders but was traded to the San Francisco 49ers ahead of the 2023 deadline.

While Young flashed a tremendous amount of potential during his rookie campaign, his stock took some major hits in the ensuing years. He suffered a torn ACL in 2021 and missed the majority of the 2022 season while recovering. Washington then declined the fifth-year option on his rookie contract and flipped him to San Francisco the following season.

However, Young managed to revitalize his career in New Orleans, despite playing for a team that struggled overall. He appeared in all 17 games and finished with 5.5 sacks, 21 quarterback hits and 34 QB pressures.

Young players who can get after opposing quarterbacks will always have value. And while Young hasn't played up to his draft status just yet, there's still time for him to emerge as an NFL force.

Teams will undoubtedly have questions regarding the ability of Ernest Jones IV to stick with a team. The 25-year-old (26 in November) has been traded twice within the last calendar year.

Jones was a full-time starter for the Los Angeles Rams in 2023 but was traded to the Tennessee Titans in the offseason. Tennessee then flipped him to the Seattle Seahawks for linebacker Jerome Baker ahead of the 2024 trade deadline.

However, Jones has been productive wherever and whenever he's been given an opportunity. His quick emergence with Seattle this past season should sit well with teams seeking a linebacker who can make an instant impact.

Jones was an immediate starter in Seattle and finished with 94 tackles, an interception and a forced fumble in 10 starts with the franchise. He's topped 100 tackles in each of the past four seasons and has been more than adequate in coverage—he allowed an opposing passer rating of just 81.0 with the Seahawks this past season.

While Jones only offers limited value as a pass-rusher, he will be one of the top off-ball linebackers in this year's free-agent class. That's if he doesn't sign an extension with Seattle first.

"We’re going to get it done," Jones said in January, per Gregg Bell of The News Tribune. "I’m going to be a Seahawk. I firmly believe that."

Los Angeles Chargers cornerback Asante Samuel Jr. probably would have been more coveted if he was able to hit the market last offseason. The 25-year-old (26 in October) appeared in only four games this past season because of a shoulder injury and didn't seem to mesh with new defensive coordinator Jesse Minter.

Samuel has also yet to address his penchant for missed tackles—he was credited with 12 in 2023.

However, Samuel was mostly reliable in coverage when healthy during his first three seasons in the NFL. He allowed an opposing passer rating of 87.4 in coverage last season and has allowed an opposing passer rating below 100.0 in all four seasons.

The 2021 second-round pick should be healthy for the start of 2025, and he's proved to be a starting-caliber defensive back—Samuel has started 47 of 50 career games. While his fit with Minter remains a question mark, Samuel has expressed a desire to return to Los Angeles.

"I love this team,” he said, per The Athletic's Daniel Popper. “I love this city. And I love everybody around here."

If Samuel makes his way to free agency, he should draw interest early. Cornerbacks with his combination of coverage skills and youth don't become available often.

It'll be interesting to see just how other teams value Eagles guard Mekhi Becton. A 2020 first-round pick of the Jets, Becton battled through injuries and poor play in four seasons as a tackle in New York.

However, Philadelphia moved the 25-year-old (26 in April) to guard, and he flourished. Becton started 15 games in the regular season, graded as the league's 21st-ranked guard—according to Pro Football Focus—and finished his redemption arc with a Super Bowl ring.

"I was in those dark days for a good little minute. It just feels good to actually cry tears to joy," Becton said after Philly's latest victory, per Mark Cannizzaro of the New York Post.

Was Becton's turnaround a product of him being miscast in New York, or was it a product of Philadelphia's strong offensive line and renowned line coach Jeff Stoutland? That's what teams will likely look to answer ahead of free agency.

Regardless, guard is becoming a more premium position in the NFL, due, in part, to the league's rushing resurgence and the rise of talented interior pass-rushers. Tackles are still more highly valued, but guards like Chris Lindstrom and Landon Dickerson cracked the $20 million-per-year mark within the last year.

By opening holes for Saquon Barkley and helping the Eagles win their latest Super Bowl, Becton has proved he can be a quality guard in the NFL.

Super Bowl LIX was a bit of a mixed bag for Chiefs linebacker Nick Bolton. He drew an unnecessary roughness penalty that erased a would-be 3rd-and-26 opportunity for the Eagles in the first half. However, he also recorded nine total tackles and two tackles for loss.

Throughout his Chiefs career, Bolton has been mostly reliable in his role. He isn't a top-tier coverage linebacker, and he's a bit undersized at 5'11" and 237 pounds. However, he's a terrific downhill defender who can be a verifiable force against the run.

Bolton, who will turn 25 when the legal-contact window opens on March 10, has been a full-time starter for Kansas City since early in his 2021 season. He can rack up tackles in bunches, disrupt plays in the backfield and had a huge hand in the Chiefs' last three Super Bowl runs.

In 2023, Bolton missed half of the regular season after undergoing wrist surgery but returned to record 40 tackles in four postseason games. This past season, he tallied 106 tackles, three sacks, 11 tackles for loss and a forced fumble.

While Bolton won't be a fit for every team because of his size and playing style, he's unquestionably one of the most talented young defenders scheduled to hit the market.

Teams interested in a young pass-rusher who may be far away from reaching his ceiling should be very interested in Azeez Ojulari.

Ojulari, who won't turn 25 until June, flashed a lot of potential as a rookie in 2021, finishing that season with eight sacks, 27 QB pressures and 13 quarterback hits. He also had a 5.5-sack campaign in 2022. However, New York used a first-round pick on Kayvon Thibodeaux in 2023, which pushed Ojulari out of a prominent role.

This past season, though, Thibodeaux's wrist injury allowed Ojulari to step back into the spotlight. He started five games and appeared in 11 contests, finishing the year with six sacks, seven tackles for loss and 10 quarterback hits.

Though he missed the final six games of the season with a toe injury, it wasn't an injury that required surgery, according to Dan Duggan of The Athletic.

Though he hasn't been a regular starter since his inaugural campaign and only started 30 games in four seasons, he logged 22 sacks, 21 tackles for loss and 37 quarterback hits during his time with the Giants. With Thibodeaux and 2024 trade acquisition Brian Burns now the headliners in New York, Ojulari's time with the Giants may be over.

Yet Ojulari's 2024 campaign should serve as a reminder of the 24-year-old's upside. He could be a long-term building block for a defense and a potential star if offered a full-time starting role. At worst, he could be a high-end rotational pass-rusher for a team that already has an established star.

Yes, we're giving Milton Williams a bit of a Super Bowl bump here. The Eagles defensive lineman was simply superb against the Chiefs on Sunday, finishing with four tackles, two sacks and a forced fumble.

However, Williams was a steady riser throughout the 2024 season. The 2021 third-round pick flew under the radar a bit early in his career but fully blossomed into a disruptor this past season.

The 25-year-old (26 in April) recorded seven tackles for loss, five sacks, 10 quarterback hits and 12 QB pressures during the regular season. Playing alongside Jalen Carter and Jordan Davis certainly helped, but Williams has become an impactful front-line defender in his own right.

At 6'3" and 290 pounds, Williams has the size needed to play on the end or along the interior, depending on the defensive alignment. He'll interest teams, regardless of whether they run three- or four-man fronts, because he can help generate a pass rush without the need to blitz.

The Eagles didn't bring more than four rushers a single time in Super Bowl LIX and still managed to pressure Patrick Mahomes consistently throughout the game. Williams' ability to bull rush and twist his way into the backfield played a huge role in that performance.

Last offseason, veteran safeties like Justin Simmons lingered on the open market. However, younger safeties did command serious interest.

Xavier McKinney, who was 25 at the time, was snapped up by the Green Bay Packers during the legal-contact window. He landed a four-year, $67 million deal to sign with Green Bay.

Miami Dolphins safety Jevon Holland, who will turn 25 in March, has a good chance to surpass McKinney's price point.

Holland missed time in 2023 with a pair of knee sprains and suffered a broken hand this past season. However, he was still on the field for 15 games in 2024 and played well. He started all 15 of those games, tallied 62 total tackles and allowed an opposing passer rating of just 89.0 in coverage.

While Holland isn't the turnover machine that McKinney has become, he can provide the occasional impact play—he's recorded five interceptions and five forced fumbles in 60 career games.

While running backs returned to the spotlight in 2024, the NFL is still a passing league. Young safeties who can provide security on the back end, like Holland, will continue to be valued highly.

The stock of Chiefs guard Trey Smith likely took a hit during Super Bowl LIX, as Kansas City's offensive line, as a unit, struggled mightily.

However, this doesn't change the fact that Smith was arguably the Chiefs' most reliable lineman leading up to the title game and one of the best interior players in the NFL. An elite run-blocker who can impact plays at the point of attack or on the move, Smith would be a fine addition to any rushing attack.

The 25-year-old, who won't turn 26 until June, is also a capable pass protector. According to Pro Football Focus, Smith didn't allow a sack during the regular season and was ranked 14th overall among all guards.

As previously noted, interior linemen are becoming increasingly valued in the NFL, and Smith has been performing at a high level since he entered the league as a 2021 sixth-round pick. He's been a full-time starter since his rookie season, rarely comes off the field and has never missed significant time due to injury.

With the rest of the offensive line being an obvious need for Kansas City, it'll be a mild surprise if Smith actually reaches free agency.

"The Chiefs will make Smith the highest-paid guard in football, beating out the four-year, $84 million deal the Eagles gave to Landon Dickerson last season with a five-year, $110 million deal of their own," ESPN's Ben Solak recently predicted.

If Smith does become available, there will be no shortage of teams vying for his services.

*Contract information via Spotrac. Advanced statistics from Pro Football Reference unless otherwise noted.