Higgins rarely missed playing time over his first three seasons but has, unfortunately, been bitten by the injury bug in back-to-back contract years. That said, when Higgins suited up in 2024, he consistently produced at a high level. The fourth-ranked player in PFF's Free Agency Rankings last season, Higgins figures to be one of the most sought-after players on the market again in 2025.

Smith's 78.8 PFF overall grade in the regular season ranked 11th among all guards, and he will still be only 25 years old when free agency opens. That's a good combination for a big payday, given that multiple players at the position signed deals at or exceeding $20 million per year in 2024.

A second-round draft pick out of Oregon in 2021, Holland has ranked as one of the five highest-graded safeties in two of his first three seasons in the league. He earned a career-low 63.0 PFF overall grade in 2024, but his body of work more than speaks for itself.

Godwin has consistently displayed reliable hands, dropping fewer than 6% of catchable passes in seven of his eight NFL seasons. He maintained that standard in 2024, earning an 85.7 PFF receiving grade through nearly seven weeks without a single drop on 52 catchable targets. However, Godwin sustained a season-ending left ankle dislocation. He is no stranger to entering free agency with an injury, and hopefully, the recovery will be even quicker this time around.

Mack has enjoyed a late-career resurgence over the past two seasons, proving he can still be a force as a pass-rusher and a run defender. His 88 quarterback pressures in 2023 marked his highest total since 2016, and his 86.3 PFF pass-rushing grade was his best since 2020. Mack's situation entering free agency is eerily reminiscent of Von Miller‘s back in 2022, as his six-year, $120 million contract with the Buffalo Bills was more like three years and $52.5 million, in reality.

Reed is set to enter free agency after earning his sixth straight season-long 70.0-plus PFF overall grade. His 70.1 coverage grade in 2024 ranked 31st among qualifying cornerbacks. He excelled in PFF's advanced metrics, boasting a 51.28% lockdown percentage.

Even at 30 years old, Cooper will be an attractive option for teams looking to improve at wide receiver, having earned a PFF receiving grade above 70.0 in every full season he has been in the league. He struggled with drops in 2024, though, failing to bring in 15.4% of the catchable passes thrown his way in the regular season.

It's hard to argue that any player improved their free-agency stock more this season than the Ravens'left tackle. After a devastating ankle injury in 2021 seemed to stall his career, Ronnie Stanley was back to top form in 2024, posting an impressive 79.6 PFF pass-blocking grade through the first 12 weeks.

The debate surrounding Darnold in the 2025 offseason will likely focus on whether he can be more than just a bridge quarterback. While his raw regular-season stats were impressive - 35 touchdowns and 12 interceptions - his performance in key areas was more mixed, with 33 big-time throws balanced by 24 turnover-worthy plays.

Sweat signed an early extension with the Eagles in 2021 and then a revised one-year contract for 2024, which he made the most of to the tune of eight sacks in the regular season. With the departure of Haason Reddick and the unfortunate injury to Eagles legend Brandon Graham, Sweat had plenty of runway to boost his stock - and he did so on his way to a 75.7 PFF overall grade in the regular season.

Playing in an offense where he was no longer the top target didn't hinder Diggs' effectiveness. The star wideout was on pace to extend his streak of seasons with a PFF receiving grade above 75.0 and a drop rate below 10% on catchable passes before a season-ending ACL tear. That type of injury for an older player who wins with lateral agility will make for an interesting free-agent dance. Diggs' situation has shades of Odell Beckham Jr.'s free agency period in 2023, when he tore his ACL in the Super Bowl in 2021 and did not play in 2022 before signing a one-year, $15 million fully guaranteed contract.

Reddick's absence from the Jets to start the season leaves questions about how interested other teams will be in his services in 2025. His standout 2022 season featured career highs in both PFF overall grade and sack total, and he was a reliable pass-rusher from 2018 to 2023, earning a PFF pass-rushing grade of at least 65.0 each season, before logging a career-low 52.9 mark this year.

Ward struggled in 2024 and posted career lows in a number of PFF metrics, but his overall body of work will keep him as one of the top options on the market in 2025. Last year was his best in the NFL to date, with his 86.5 PFF coverage grade ranking third among all players at the position. With cornerback teammate Deommodore Lenoir receiving an in-season extension, the writing appears to be on the wall that Ward will be on the way out of San Francisco.

Douglas faced some challenges in 2024, but his knack for making plays on the ball ensures he'll attract significant interest in 2025. Heading into the 2024 campaign, he had recorded at least seven pass breakups in six of his seven years in the NFL and notched four or more interceptions in each of the past three seasons.

Odighizuwa is another interior pass-rusher with very strong underlying metrics that haven't quite translated to major sack production through nearly four seasons. While the Dallas Cowboys'season fell off the rails as injuries piled up, Odighizuwa stayed the course and played some of the best ball of his career over the second half of the campaign. The 2021 third-round pick is quietly one of the more underrated defenders across the NFL.

Bynum has made his fair share of game-changing plays through three and a half NFL seasons, with eight career interceptions and a career-best three in 2024. Add in the fact that Bynum's 104 solo tackles in 2023 led all safeties, and you have a trustworthy player on the back end to keep the offense in front of him and limit big plays.

Williams is already a candidate for the biggest riser on this list, and his stock only improved down the homestretch. His six sacks in the regular season are a career-best total. A rotational interior defender with serious pass-rush juice is often the profile of a player who does very well in free agency, and Williams has limited tread on his tires, given he's never eclipsed 50% of defensive snaps played in a season despite playing at least 36% in every year since his debut. Leave it to the Eagles to get a new deal done, but if not, don't be surprised when Williams makes a major splash in March.

Murphy signed a two-year, $17.5 million free agent contract with the Vikings in the 2023 offseason and certainly played up to that deal, looking like a good fit in defensive coordinator Brian Flores' uber-aggressive defense. His six interceptions in 2024 were tied for the most among cornerbacks.

If Koonce hadn't suffered a season-ending knee injury before 2024 began and instead carried over his momentum from the back half of 2023, he could've been squarely within the top 10 of our list. Perhaps the silver lining, if there is one, to getting injured so early in the year is that Koonce should be healthier entering the free agency period than if he got hurt during the season. A short-term deal where Koonce can hit the market again in 2026, or sign an extension one year into a two-year deal à la recent edge defenders like Uchenna Nwosu, could make sense.

Robinson was part of a Jaguars team that had a dismal start to 2024. But individually, he was a reliable option at left tackle before being acquired by the Vikings at the trade deadline. His 95.1 pass-blocking efficiency rating this regular season was the worst mark of his career, but if anything, that's a testament to his play over the past four years.

Greenlaw worked his way back from an Achilles injury he suffered in the Super Bowl last February but was shut down after only 34 snaps in 2024. He will still likely see a lot of interest in free agency. He excels in coverage, having earned PFF coverage grades of 82.6 and 79.5 over the past two seasons.

If there's a lesson to be learned from the recent resurgences of highly touted quarterback prospects like Baker Mayfield, Sam Darnold and others, it's that we probably shouldn't completely give up on a quarterback until they've had a shot with a quality coaching staff and supporting cast. While Fields did eventually cede duties to Russell Wilson this season, we already saw signs of improvement during his 4-2 run as the Pittsburgh Steelers'starting quarterback. The physical tools are still undeniable and offer value, even if he is solely deployed in certain packages as a juiced-up backup.

We seemingly write this blurb every year for the free-agent rankings, so stop us if you've heard this before: The Eagles bought low on a talented but under-utilized off-ball linebacker who went on to have a career year in Philadelphia. Will they extend Baun, the latest example, and keep him in the fold? That's the blurb we never write. Focusing on Baun, there was nothing fluky about his production in 2024 and little reason to think he can't continue to play at an extremely high level in a newer role, plus he'll always have some pass-rush chops to boot.

Jones took a one-year deal with the Vikings this offseason and looks set to be one of the top running backs available again in 2025. His 75.8 PFF rushing grade in the regular season ranked 22nd among running backs, and he brings consistent production as the owner of eight straight 75.0-plus PFF overall grades.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers traded Davis to the Lions in the offseason, and he provided immediate stability to a young Detroit secondary that badly needed it after the defense endured an unfathomable number of injuries in 2024, most notably to Defensive Player of the Year front-runner Aidan Hutchinson. Davis, too, suffered a season-ending injury - a fractured jaw that ended his season after Week 15.