Most Important Free Agent Target for NFL Teams With the Most Cap Space in 2025

The next big date on the NFL calendar is the 2025 NFL Scouting Combine. But after that comes one of the best times of the whole year for fans of many teams—free agency.

There are eight NFL teams (as of this writing) who have north of $50 million in salary cap space per Over the Cap. Over half the league has at least $30 million.

Sorry, Browns and Saints. You ain't on that list.

Now, some of that money should (and will) go toward re-signing their own players—adding two guys while losing four is not how to get to Santa Clara and Super Bowl LX. But quite a few teams have sizable war chests with which to add outside players. Improve the roster for the season to come.

There will be no shortage of speculation over the next month over who will land where—especially the big names atop free agency like quarterback Aaron Rodgers, wide receiver Tee Higgins and edge-rusher Josh Sweat. Once free agency opens, hundreds of millions of dollars will be spent in the blink of an eye.

But just because a team has a lot of cap space doesn't mean it should be thrown about willy-nilly. Every team in the league has a need bigger than all others. Something that must be addressed if the team is going to have success in 2025.

Combine that need with the overall roster and other holes to fill, and for every team that has a boatload of cap space, there's a primary target. A player they should take a hard run at.

Get your track shoes on.

Projected Cap Space: $119.8 million

Some may be surprised not to see a wide receiver listed here. And to be clear, the New England Patriots badly need to add better weapons around second-year quarterback Drake Maye.

But per Ben Rolfe of Pro Football Network, the Patriots fielded the worst offensive line in the league last year. So, while Maye needs weapons, they are of little good to him if he's running for his life or flat on his back.

Alaric Jackson is far from the biggest name at tackle potentially available in free agency this year. But as Zoltan Buday wrote at Pro Football Focus, the 26-year-old may be the most underrated tackle on the market in 2025.

"The former undrafted free agent earned a career-high 78.4 PFF overall grade, ranking 18th among all offensive tackles," he said. "His 79.2 PFF pass-blocking grade and 75.2 PFF run-blocking grade ranked 22nd and 19th, respectively. The Iowa product allowed pressure on 4.4% of pass plays in the regular season, which was the best rate of his career and ranked 20th among 80 qualifying offensive tackles. Given how much he improved in his fourth season, Jackson might not be done developing, which means he could become a true franchise left tackle for whoever signs him in free agency."

A quality left tackle just entering his prime won't come cheaply. But if the Patriots are truly building for the future, a tackle capable of covering Maye's blind side for years is worth the cheese.

The Patriots certainly have enough cheddar to go around.

Projected Cap Space: $92.5 million

Cue the groans and eye-rolls.

The Raiders have over $90 million in cap space with which to jump-start a rebuild. What they do not have is a high enough draft pick to land Miami's Cam Ward or Colorado's Shedeur Sanders.

So, it's either mortgage the future to trade up, or find a "bridge" quarterback who can hold down the proverbial fort for a year or two. Vincent Bonsignore of the Las Vegas Review-Journal made a case for Rodgers to be that bridge—despite what happened in New York last season.

"Should the Raiders be interested in a 41-year-old quarterback two years removed from an Achilles tendon injury and coming off the worst statistical season of his career? This is where the Brady factor could come into play," he said. "If he is convinced Rodgers is fully recovered and his down season resulted from rust and the dysfunction of the Jets, he could view Rodgers as an ideal bridge quarterback. Someone who can provide instant stability and competitiveness while a prospect develops behind him. Rodgers was scheduled to make $37 million with the Jets in 2025. A two-year deal at a similar price — with his 2026 salary vesting only if Rodgers is on the roster this time next year — could get the deal done."

Rodgers could be a good fit in Chip Kelly's offense, which features a lot of quick, short passes and emphasizes accuracy and the ability to read defenses in its quarterback.

Say what you will about Rodgers, but he does those things well. And while quarterback is hardly the team's only need on offense, none of the rest matters until Vegas has a capable signal-caller leading that offense.

Projected Cap Space: $75.2 million

The Washington Commanders are in something of an unexpected position entering 2025—not many expected the team to be coming off an NFC Championship Game appearance.

The Commanders have a window before quarterback Jayden Daniels gets a mega-deal in a couple years. It's win-now time in Washington. And that makes veteran players like Los Angeles Chargers edge-rusher Khalil Mack viable free agent targets.

The Commanders exceeded expectations in many ways last year. But the edge-rusher position was a weak spot. Dante Fowler Jr. surprised with 10.5 sacks But Fowler is a free agent in 2025, and no other edge on the team had more than five sacks a season ago.

PFF's Mason Cameron wrote that Washington's defense could benefit from the addition of Mack, who is set to become an unrestricted free agent for the first time in his stellar career.

"Although Dan Quinn’s defense may have finished in the top 12 in sacks this season, it came largely as a result of the scheme," he said. "Washington committed to a top-five blitz rate (32.8%) — the highest ever for a Quinn-led defense — and clocked the fewest snaps with four or fewer pass-rushers in the NFL during the regular season. With Dorance Armstrong finishing as the Commanders' only pass-rusher to exceed a 70.0 PFF overall grade and the contracts for Dante Fowler Jr. and Clelin Ferrell expiring, adding a force on the edge like Mack would allow Quinn to maintain balance."

Yes, Mack is 33. But he's been named to the Pro Bowl each of the past three seasons, and as recently as 2023 he recorded a career-best 17 sacks.

Mack can still play. And the Commanders can offer him the one thing that has eluded him to this point in his career—a chance to make a deep playoff run.

Projected Cap Space: $71.3 million

There isn't a player who made more money for himself in Super Bowl LIX than Philadelphia Eagles edge-rusher Josh Sweat. A compelling argument can be made that Sweat was the game's true MVP, with 2.5 of the Eagles' six sacks in the game.

Nate Davis of USA Today ranked Sweat as the No. 3 free agent available in this year's class.

"At 6'5", 265 pounds, he’s built to man the edge, whether as a base end or stand-up linebacker," Davis wrote. "Just 27, Sweat has averaged better than eight sacks and 26 pressures over the four seasons since he was named a Pro Bowler in 2021. And, unlike Darnold, Sweat, who already mans a highly coveted post, should get a postseason premium attached to his negotiations as a guy who’s played in two Super Bowls over the past three seasons."

The Arizona Cardinals have needed a high-end edge-rusher to anchor the pass rush for years. The likes of Zaven Collins and Dennis Gardeck cobbled together a respectable 41 sacks for the Redbirds as a team, but there's no alpha in the desert. No pass-rusher than inspires trepidation in the hearts of opposing offensive coordinators.

Sweat won't be cheap—not after his Super Bowl heroics in a crop of edge-rushers that's short on high-end talent.

But this is a position that has dogged the Cardinals for a long time—long enough that finally addressing it with an excellent two-way edge in the prime of his career is worth writing that whopper of a check.

Projected Cap Space: $63.4 million

The Los Angeles Chargers are in relatively good shape entering the offseason—fresh off a playoff trip and flush with over $60 million in cap space. But in the team's postseason loss to the Houston Texans, the interior of the offensive line was exposed somewhat—and Jim Harbaugh isn't about to let a deficiency in the trenches go unaddressed.

Trey Smith of the Kansas City Chiefs is the top guard available in free agency. But both he and Will Fries of the Indianapolis Colts should be highly coveted (and expensive) if they hit the open market.

In the opinion of Jason Reed of Bolt Beat, there's a wiser course of action—a short-term deal with veteran guard Kevin Zeitler, who played the 2024 season with the Detroit Lions.

"Zeitler is coming off a fantastic season with the Detroit Lions in which he was a key contributor in the team's offensive success," he said. "Zeitler has always thrived as a run blocker and his efforts in that area were a big reason why the Lions put together one of the best rushing attacks in the sport. The interior offensive line class is not very deep in the 2025 NFL Draft and the Chargers essentially have to replace two starters at right guard and center. Instead of using a weak class to fill two positions, the Chargers could sign Zeitler as a one-year stopgap who still plays at a high level with the intention of finding a long-term right guard next offseason."

Signing an interior lineman well past his prime might not appear that big a priority. But given the importance Harbaugh places on dominating the trenches and how well Zeitler played a year ago, it's a move the Bolts should make a priority when the "legal tampering" period opens.

Projected Cap Space: $63.0 million

As was already mentioned, Kansas City's Trey Smith is the best available interior lineman in free agency this year. Marcus Mosher of The 33rd Team expects Smith's talent, age and relatively shallow crop at the position to land the 25-year-old a deal that sails past $20 million a season.

"The top offensive lineman in free agency is none other than Smith, who fell to the sixth round in the 2021 NFL Draft due to some injury concerns," Mosher said. "Since being drafted, he has missed just one start in four years and played a total of 79 games, including 13 playoff starts. He made the Pro Bowl for the first time during the 2024 season and is just 25, which means his best football could still be ahead of him. Considering all of his experience, play, and age, it’s likely that Smith could end up being one of the highest-paid interior offensive linemen in the league after free agency. Smith should have plenty of suitors, as teams with young quarterbacks will be willing to overpay to solidify the middle of their offensive line. Expect him to have a robust market early in free agency."

Smith will likely be too expensive for the Chiefs to hang on to in free agency, and most of the teams who are at or near the top of the NFL in cap space will probably at least kick the tires.

But the Bears have to improve the pass protection for Caleb Williams, who was sacked a jaw-dropping 68 times as a rookie. If that means making Smith one of the NFL's highest-paid guards, so be it.

Projected Cap Space: $58.0 million

This target assumes that the Minnesota Vikings either extend quarterback Sam Darnold or (more likely) franchise tag him. That tag gives the Vikings all the leverage in any trade talks for the quarterback who led the team to 14 wins a season ago.

It's the wisest course of action for a team that enters the offseason with Super Bowl aspirations after Darnold's stunning 2024 campaign.

However, the Vikings have other needs, as well—chiefly a pass defense that ranked 28th in the league a year ago. The hole at cornerback could become that much bigger if Byron Murphy Jr. leaves the team in free agency.

In fact, as Tyler Reed wrote for The 33rd Team, the situation at corner could get pretty dire depending on how things play out.

"There probably isn't another team having to deal with more decisions at cornerback this offseason than Minnesota," he wrote. "Four of the team's top outside cornerbacks, Byron Murphy Jr., Stephon Gilmore, Shaq Griffin, and Fabian Moreau, are all set to hit the open market. Mekhi Blackmon and Dwight McGlothern are the only two outside cornerbacks currently on the roster. The good news for the Vikings is that they have $58 million in cap space and will likely bring back at least one of those corners, presumably Murphy. However, even if they do bring him back, there's still a major lack of depth outside of him at the position."

D.J. Reed of the New York Jets isn't a superstar. But the 28-year-old is a quality starter who hasn't allowed a passer rating against of 90 in any of the past five seasons.

The quarterback quandary in the Twin Cities may get the headlines this spring. But it's how the Vikings handle the secondary that will determine whether Minnesota can build on last year's surprise success.

Projected Cap Space: $53.3 million

This is admittedly anticlimactic. Fans of the Pittsburgh Steelers want to see the team make a splash move like signing wide receiver Tee Higgins, who is considered by many this year's No. 1 free agent overall.

It's true that the Steelers need a wide receiver. But the team needs a quarterback even more. And given Pittsburgh's deficiencies on the offensive line and at wideout, throwing $40 million a season at Sam Darnold or Aaron Rodgers is a disaster waiting to happen.

If Pittsburgh is going to make a run at a big-name free-agent pass-catcher, the team needs to hit the second tier under center. And there's one name there that sticks out—and it just so happens that he already knows the offense in the Steel City.

Despite being benched after winning four of six starts in 2024, Justin Fields hasn't ruled out a return to the Steelers—provided he's given a legitimate shot to start an entire season. During his season-ending press conference, Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin said that interest could be mutual.

“I think he took (the steps),” Tomlin said. “I think the way he managed his professional circumstance was really impressive. I thought he brought an urgency to his day-to-day work regardless of his role. I thought he got continually better within our system of ball throughout the process. I thought the way that he conducted himself makes that a legitimate thought or idea at this juncture.”

Fields offers the Steelers familiarity. He offers the ability to create his own offense with his legs. He has demonstrated that he can win games in Pittsburgh despite the roster's flaws.

Best yet, he offers a price tag well below the likes of Darnold and Rodgers.

Gary Davenport is an NFL Analyst at Bleacher Report. Yell at him on X at @IDPSharks.