The Pittsburgh Steelers are searching for a new starting quarterback, and it would appear they are in the Aaron Rodgers sweepstakes. However, they could opt for a rookie quarterback to pair with Mason Rudolph instead of the four-time NFL MVP.
Alabama quarterback Jalen Milroe is set to have his pro day in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, on Wednesday, and the night before, he reportedly had dinner with the Steelers brass — which included head coach Mike Tomlin, general manager Omar Khan and quarterbacks coach Tom Arth, per NFL Media.
Milroe is viewed as CBS Sports’ No. 6 quarterback in this class, and No. 118 overall prospect. He led the SEC with 71 total touchdowns over the past two seasons, but 32 of those scores came on the ground. Milroe’s greatest strength is probably his rushing ability, as he became just the fourth quarterback in SEC history to rush for 20 touchdowns in a season, joining Tim Tebow, Cam Newton and Johnny Manziel.
Milroe threw for 2,844 yards, 16 touchdowns and 11 interceptions in 2024, the most interceptions by an Alabama quarterback since John Parker Wilson in 2007. Milroe is not the most gifted thrower of the football in this class, but CBS Sports has compared him to Jalen Hurts as a prospect. NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein opted for a former Steeler in Kordell Stewart in his comparison.
The Steelers hold the No. 21 overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, but as of now, zero of CBS Sports’ NFL Draft experts have Milroe being selected on opening night. Milroe may be a Day 2 pick, but the problem with a potential Pittsburgh marriage is that the Steelers don’t select again until No. 83 overall. Milroe will certainly be an interesting prospect to watch come draft time, and it would appear the Steelers have some interest.
The NFC belonged to the Philadelphia Eagles last season, as they rolled through the conference by winning 16 of their last 17 games en route to the Super Bowl. The Eagles weren’t viewed as the best team in the conference until the Detroit Lions were eliminated in the divisional round by the Washington Commanders, who were the biggest surprise in the league last season.
The Eagles lost several key defensive starters in free agency. Milton Williams, Darius Slay, Josh Sweat and C.J. Gardner-Johnson departed via free agency or trade, as Philadelphia is left to pick up the pieces of its championship roster.
There are teams waiting to pounce on Philadelphia’s losses. Washington and Detroit are both active in free agency, while the Los Angeles Rams avoided trading Matthew Stafford and kept the core intact by giving Stafford a contract extension.
Of course, the Green Bay Packers and Minnesota Vikings are also in the picture as playoff teams from last season. Then there’s whoever comes out of the NFC South (usually ends up being the Tampa Bay Buccaneers).
So where do things stand after the first week of 2025 free agency? Are the Eagles still the top dog or did someone knock them off their throne? Let’s rank all 16 teams in the NFC after the first wave of free agency has concluded.
Philadelphia Eagles Players added: G Kenyon Green, RB AJ Dillon, TE Harrison Bryant, EDGE Joshua Uche, CB Adoree Jackson, EDGE Azeez Ojulari, TE Kylen Granson Players lost: DT Milton Williams, EDGE Josh Sweat, G Mekhi Becton, CB Darius Slay, S C.J. Gardner-Johnson, LB Oren Burks, CB Isaiah Rodgers, RB Kenneth Gainwell The Eagles knew they were going to be gutted of talent from their Super Bowl championship roster in free agency, losing five starters over the past week. They have been adding players to one-year deals that are mostly depth moves, as there could be a major move coming to bolster the defense.
The core of the Eagles is still in place, including 10 of 11 starters on offense. The Eagles are also replacing Kellen Moore at offensive coordinator, but this team is still equipped to make another Super Bowl run. If Jalen Hurts, Saquon Barkley, AJ Brown, DeVonta Smith and that offensive line stay healthy, the Eagles still are in the championship mix.
Detroit Lions Players added: CB D.J. Reed, DT Roy Lopez, QB Kyle Allen Players lost: CB Carlton Davis, G Kevin Zeitler, CB Kindle Vildor The biggest gain for the Lions are all the players they’ll get back on defense who were on injured reserve during their playoff loss. Aidan Hutchinson, Alim McNeill, Kyle Peko and Derrick Barnes will all be back as the defense ended up starting 30 players last season (the most for any team since the merger).
The Lions may have more talent than the Eagles when going through the overall roster (the core of their offense is still in place), but how will Detroit react toward losing both coordinators (Ben Johnson and Aaron Glenn)? Ask the 1995 49ers and 2023 Eagles how that fared for them.
Washington Commanders Players added: T Laremy Tunsil, WR Deebo Samuel, DT Javon Kinlaw, S Will Harris, DT Eddie Goldman Players lost: DT Jonathan Allen, S Jeremy Chinn, EDGE Dante Fowler Jr., T Cornelius Lucas, WR Olamide Zaccheaus, CB Benjamin St-Juste, WR Dyami Brown The Commanders are a conference title contender with Jayden Daniels at quarterback, and Washington took care of his blind side by acquiring Tunsil and added another dimension to the offense with Samuel. The offense is better than last year’s version, but what about the defense?
Washington needs a pass rusher who can consistently get to the quarterback, and Kinlaw doesn’t move the needle much on the interior. Keeping Bobby Wagner was massive for that unit. A tougher schedule in 2025 could also affect the Commanders in the early going, but this team has the talent to make a playoff run again.
Minnesota Vikings Players added: DT Javon Hargrave, DT Jonathan Allen, C Ryan Kelly, CB Isaiah Rodgers Players lost: QB Sam Darnold, C Garrett Bradbury, G Ed Ingram, S Camryn Bynum, EDGE Patrick Jones II The Vikings had a very good offseason despite the free agent loss of Darnold. They significantly improved the offensive line with the addition of Kelly at center. Hargrave and Allen are massive upgrades on the interior of the defensive line, which will significantly help Jonathan Greenard.
Minnesota is reportedly rolling with J.J. McCarthy, who will have a lot of talent to work with, and not pursuing Aaron Rodgers. Still, this team won 13 games for a reason last season, and the roster is better.
Los Angeles Rams Players added: WR Davante Adams, G Coleman Shelton, DT Poona Ford Players lost: WR Cooper Kupp, G Jonah Jackson, WR Demarcus Robinson, EDGE Michael Hoecht, LB Christian Rozeboom Stafford returning was the biggest offseason move for the Rams, who were just 13 yards away from defeating the Super Bowl champion Eagles in the playoffs. Adams is the Kupp replacement at wide receiver and the defensive line gets stronger with Ford as a run stopper.
The Rams are good, but is Ford enough for their defense to cure their problems against the run? Los Angeles could use some help at linebacker as well. Their top end talent is good enough to get to the Super Bowl.
Green Bay Packers Players added: G Aaron Banks, CB Nate Hobbs Players lost: CB Eric Stokes, RB AJ Dillon, C Josh Myers The Packers already had a lot of young talent, but had two smart moves in free agency with the Banks and Hobbs signings. They upgraded on the interior of the offensive line with Banks, which allows them to move Elgton Jenkins to center. Hobbs will slide into the slot corner role.
Green Bay can win games, but the Packers need to beat the elite teams in the league. Hence why they are ranked lower than they should be.
Seattle Seahawks Players added: WR Cooper Kupp, QB Sam Darnold, EDGE DeMarcus Lawrence, WR Marquez Valdes-Scantling, G Josh Jones Players lost: QB Geno Smith, WR Tyler Lockett, WR DK Metcalf, DT Dre’Mont Jones, DT Roy Roberston-Harris, G Laken Tomlinson A slight rebuild happened in Seattle, starting with the franchise moving on from Geno Smith and the signing of Sam Darnold. The Seahawks moved on from Metcalf and Lockett and signed Kupp to pair with Jaxon Smith-Njigba, changing up the key skill positions on offense.
Lawrence will assist Leonard Williams up front, and the Seahawks defense improved in Year 1 under Mike Macdonald. There’s still work to do, but Seattle is a team that could win 11-plus games next season if Darnold replicates his 2024 season.
Ranking AFC teams after first wave of NFL free agency: Chiefs lead way, Broncos improve after key additions Jordan Dajani Ranking AFC teams after first wave of NFL free agency: Chiefs lead way, Broncos improve after key additions
San Francisco 49ers Players added: WR Demarcus Robinson, QB Mac Jones, S Richie Grant, S Jason Pinnock Players lost: WR Deebo Samuel, DT Javon Hargrave, CB Charvarius Ward, EDGE Leonard Floyd, LB Dre Greenlaw, CB Isaac Yiadom, LG Aaron Banks, S Talanoa Hufanga No team was gutted in free agency more than the 49ers, who lost several key pieces on their defense. San Francisco has drafted well in recent years, which allowed the 49ers to move on. San Francisco also moved on from Samuel in favor of Ricky Pearsall, another young player the 49ers like.
The 49ers are banking on the young talent to back up the core of Brock Purdy, Christian McCaffrey, Brandon Aiyuk, George Kittle, Trent Williams, Fred Warner, and Nick Bosa. This team can still compete for an NFC title if the core players remain healthy.
Chicago Bears Players added: G Jonah Jackson, DT Grady Jarrett, G Joe Thuney, EDGE Dayo Odeyingbo, WR Olamide Zaccheaus Players lost: G Coleman Shelton, DT Byron Cowart, T Larry Borom The Bears significantly improved the interior of the offensive line for Caleb Williams by adding Thuney and Jackson via trade, making sure their sophomore quarterback is protected. They still need to figure out running back, but the skill positions are there for Ben Johnson to dial up his innovative offense in Chicago.
The defense should get back to a top-10 level with Dennis Allen as the new defensive coordinator. There will be expectations in Chicago, but they will be measured by how Williams develops in Year 2.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers Players added: EDGE Haason Reddick, CB Kindle Vildor, P Riley Dixon Players lost: LB KJ Britt, EDGE Joe Tryon-Shoyinka The best team in the NFC South is still the best team in the NFC South. The Buccaneers didn’t improve, but kept key players like Chris Godwin, Lavonte David and Ben Bredeson. Tampa Bay will end up getting a home playoff game and will be a tough out for any team.
This team is better than its ranking, but are the Buccaneers a Super Bowl contender? They’ll have to make a playoff run in 2025 for that to happen, but there’s plenty to like about this team in this division.
Arizona Cardinals Players added: EDGE Josh Sweat, QB Jacoby Brissett, LB Akeem Davis-Gaither Players lost: DT Roy Lopez, DT Khyiris Tonga Hard to tell if the Cardinals got better or not this offseason, as they significantly improved from 2023 to 2024. Head coach Jonathan Gannon was able to lure Sweat to bolster the pass rush, which is where the free agent money was spent.
The Cardinals have a star at tight end in Trey McBride and a future star at wide receiver in Marvin Harrison Jr. The offensive line is improving as well, starting with Paris Johnson up front. They’re an intriguing watch in 2025.
Dallas Cowboys Players added: LB Kenneth Murray, RB Miles Sanders, CB Kaiir Elam, EDGE Dante Fowler Jr., EDGE Payton Turner, DT Solomon Thomas, G Robert Jones, RB Javonte Williams Players lost: CB Jourdan Lewis, EDGE DeMarcus Lawrence, RB Rico Dowdle, EDGE Chauncey Golston The Cowboys were cautiously aggressive in free agency, improving at running back with Williams and Sanders after having just six touchdowns as a group last year. Dak prescott being healthy should help, but will this team be able to sign Micah Parsons?
Dallas had solid moves to make the team better, but how much better are the Cowboys? They still have to improve in the trenches for an opportunity to compete in the NFC East.
Atlanta Falcons Players added: EDGE Leonard Floyd, LB Divine Deablo Players lost: DT Eddie Goldman Usually one of the big spenders in free agency, this offseason has been quiet in Atlanta. The Falcons are moving forward with Michael Penix at quarterback, possibly trying to find a suitor for Kirk Cousins after their $180 million blunder.
Atlanta is the biggest threat to Tampa Bay for the NFC South on paper.
Carolina Panthers Players added: DL Tershawn Wharton, S Trevon Moehrig, LB Christian Rozeboom, RB Rico Dowdle, EDGE Patrick Jones II, DT Bobby Brown III Players lost: RB Miles Sanders, S Xavier Woods, CB Dane Jackson The Panthers spent big on shoring up the league’s worst defense last season, even though a few signings are to be desired. Carolina spent the most money of any NFC team.
The improvement of Bryce Young has the Panthers hopeful they can compete in 2025. Let’s see how Carolina improves, even though the Panthers need help at wide receiver.
New Orleans Saints Players added: S Justin Reid, DT Davon Godchaux, Players lost: S Will Harris, WR Marquez Valdes-Scantling, EDGE Payton Turner, CB Paulson Adebo Another offseason the Saints needed to get cap compliant, hindering their ability to improve the roster. There are still core players on offense in Alvin Kamara and Chris Olave, but not enough talent in New Orleans to compete week in and week out.
Let’s see how things change in Year 1 under Kellen Moore.
New York Giants Players added: S Jevon Holland, CB Paulson Adebo, DT Roy Robertson-Harris, EDGE Chauncey Golston Players lost: S Jason Pinnock The Giants still need to find a quarterback, and maybe looking in the draft if Aaron Rodgers declines to come to New York. None of the free agent options left are enticing as New York is still rebuilding.
There have been some good signings on defense, but the Giants aren’t good enough to score consistently. Could be another long season in New York.
Given that we’re into Week 2 of NFL free agency, we have more to look back on than we do to look forward. Most of the impactful signings happen during the first week (the first few days, really), which is obviously in the rearview mirror at this point.
This season, it seems like most of the true impact players changing teams in free agency were on defense. But that doesn’t mean there isn’t plenty to dig into on the offensive side of the ball. Plenty of notable players changed teams, including a couple of quarterbacks.
With that in mind, we want to take a look at some of the most interesting signings that happened on offense. The key word to keep in mind there is interesting, and that can be on a schematic level or some other level, but it doesn’t necessarily mean it has to include the most expensive or noteworthy players. (Although the list below obviously does include some of those players.)
In the space below, we’re touching on eight different signings, though a few of them come in pairs because there were several teams that double dipped in defensive free agency. Without further ado …
Seattle Seahawks player headshot team logo Sam Darnold SEA • QB • #14 View Profile player headshot team logo Cooper Kupp SEA • WR • #10 View Profile These might be the two most fascinating bets of the offseason. The Vikings seemingly did not try all that hard to bring Darnold back, if you look at the structure of the contract he accepted from the Seahawks. And the Rams paid a bunch of money to move on from Kupp and bring in Davante Adams instead. (More on him in a minute.) The Seahawks are clearly higher on both players than are their former teams.
They should theoretically fit in new offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak’s offense, which is similar to those run by Kevin O’Connell in Minnesota and Sean McVay in Los Angeles. But Darnold — who struggles with pressure — is going to play behind a very suspect offensive line, and Kupp — who has struggled to stay healthy and seemingly fell off over the second half of last season — is leaving the McVay and Matthew Stafford cocoon. How these two signings work out will go a long way toward determining how the NFC West shakes out.
Tennessee Titans player headshot team logo Dan Moore Jr. TEN • OT • #65 View Profile player headshot team logo Kevin Zeitler TEN • OG • #71 View Profile These signings are interesting less for what the players themselves will bring to the table than for what they signal about the NFL Draft. Many people thought the Titans would be in the veteran quarterback market, but that didn’t turn out to be the case. Instead, they beefed up their offensive line, seemingly setting the stage for them to draft Cam Ward with the No. 1 overall pick. And that’s certainly interesting.
Los Angeles Rams player headshot team logo Davante Adams LAR • WR • #17 View Profile We identified this signing as one we’d like to see when doing our NFC free agency matchmaker:
I debated between giving the Rams Adams and Chris Godwin, with the theory being that the latter could slide easily into Cooper Kupp’s old role. But the Rams probably want to have Puka Nacua do more of that stuff, and getting someone who has more inside-outside versatility (and a better track record of health, given the health concerns they already have with Nacua) might make more sense. Either way, giving Matthew Stafford two elite receivers is always fun, so let’s do it again.
Adams has played in this style of offense before during his time in Green Bay, and he can be both the prototypical X receiver and the guy who moves around the formation and forces defenses into uncomfortable situations. Pairing him with Nacua and giving Stafford a different kind of weapon than he had with Kupp is going to be really cool to watch.
Kansas City Chiefs player headshot team logo Jaylon Moore KC • OT • #76 View Profile The Chiefs going out and paying Moore — who has been a backup throughout his entire four-year career — to protect Patrick Mahomes’ blind side is, technically, really interesting. Maybe not in a good way. But it’s definitely something to which we need to devote a lot of attention. Mahomes got extremely frustrated with his left tackle play this past season, to the point that the Chiefs felt that they had to move one of the best guards in the NFL outside for the first time in his career. Moore has given up 36 pressures on 446 pass-blocking snaps, according to Pro Football Focus, an 8.1% pressure rate. That’s … not great. Kansas City is betting on some major improvement.
O’Connell has played fairly well since taking over and that has led some to think he could be a candidate to start in 2025, but he’s hardly a locked-in solution moving forward.
Las Vegas’ hopes of landing one of the highest picks in the 2025 NFL Draft to get its quarterback have gone by the wayside. Thanks to two straight wins, the Raiders have fallen from No. 1 in the draft order, to No. 8 entering Week 18.
That figures to be out of the range of the top signal-callers in this year’s class, and the Raiders could still fall further in the final week of the season, with No. 10 being their lowest possible landing spot.
It’s looking more and more like the Raiders will have to figure out a different way to get their quarterback of the future. One possible avenue that has been speculated about is a trade for Minnesota Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy, who was the No. 10 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft.
McCarthy suffered a knee injury in August that ended his 2024 campaign before it started, but he’s expected to make a full recovery. Since then, veteran quarterback Sam Darnold has been a revelation, and it remains very possible the Vikings will want to keep him around beyond 2024.
That has led to speculation that the Vikings could maybe trade McCarthy, although no reports have confirmed that to even be a possibility. Even still, ESPN’s Adam Schefter recently touched on what it would cost to trade for McCarthy.
“Now they may say [they] don’t and that’s the end of it, but do I think teams will explore that option,” Schefter said of a trade for McCarthy.
“Absolutely, 100 percent. Because J.J. McCarthy would’ve been a top, if not the top, quarterback prospect in this draft,” Schefter added. “If the Vikings decide that they wanted to trade him, which I don’t know that they will, I believe they would get back everything they put into him and then some. It would be a [first-round pick] and then some.”
Trading for McCarthy would give the Raiders the young, potential franchise signal-caller they need, but there is a ton of risk with the Michigan product.
Not only has he never played a down in a regular season game, he’s coming off a significant knee injury. There is no telling what the rookie would offer as a starter, and that fact is more troublesome when you consider it may take a first-round pick and more to acquire him.
Ideally, if the Raiders were to trade for McCarthy and a first-round pick and more is the actual cost, Las Vegas giving up a future first-rounder rather than the No. 8 overall pick would be the way to go. If the Raiders do give up this year’s first-rounder in a package, they better get Minnesota’s 2024 first-round pick back.
While this is all fun to talk about, there has been no indication that the Vikings are ready to deal McCarthy and stick with Darnold. But if the veteran quarterback helps Minnesota make a deep playoff run, it becomes much more possible.
Before they go home for the year, the Seattle Seahwks have one more game to play this season. On Sunday afternoon they’ll visit the division rival Los Angeles Rams, who just clinched an NFC West championship and ended Seattle’s playoff hopes. While the postseason is out of reach, that doesn’t mean there’s nothing to play for – even if the Rams are going to start Jimmy Garoppolo and the rest of their backups.
For one thing, there’s a lot of money on the line in potential bonuses for head coach Mike Macdonald and his players. Macdonald told reporters earlier this week he’ll be playing his starters in an effort to get that 10th win of the season. That means instead of seeing what Sam Howell can do with a full week as QB1 they’ll start Geno Smith, who has more on the line than anybody else.
Mia B shares the facts about Geno Smith’s number ‘NFL Slimetime’
Thanks to the structure of the three-year contract extension he signed, Smith stands to make up to $6 million in bonuses based on what happens in this one game. Here’s how it breaks down, according to Jack MaGruder at Forbes.
Geno Smith potential Week 18 bonuses
Seahawks 10th win of the season: $2 million payout
Total 186 passing yards: $2 million payout
Season completion rate over 69.755%: $2 million payout
All of these are well within reach, especially the first one with Garoppolo playing the part of Matt Stafford this week. Smith needs the 186 yards to bring his total on the year above his career-high 4,282 passing yards. He has averaged 256 per game on the year, so that’s easily obtainable as well. For the moment his completion rate is 70.2% on the year, so he’d have to miss a lot of passes to drop below the payout mark.
We’re sure Smith wants to play and earn these bonuses, but if it were our call we’d go a different route. The Seahawks should pay Smith all three (they can afford it) as a reward for his work these last three seasons. They should also sit Smith in favor of Sam Howell this week.
Resting Smith for the season finale has several advantages. For one thing, Seattle gets the value of self-scouting a full game for Howell – which could be critical for their long-term plans at quarterback. For another, the move protects Smith from injury while playing behind a shoddy offensive line. Sitting Geno also keeps him healthy for Week 1 of the 2025 season if they plan to keep him. It also protects Smith’s trade value, if that’s a route the Seahawks decide to consider.
Mitchell has put together one of the best seasons from a rookie cornerback we’ve ever seen, consistently locking down the opposing team’s WR1 for one of the NFL’s best defenses. The Pro Bowl can be a popularity contest, so a first-year corner with zero interceptions will always face an uphill climb. But Eagles fans have a serious gripe with Mitchell, who enters Week 18 with just 40 receptions allowed on 69 targets in 611 coverage snaps, per PFF.
The cornerbacks selected over Mitchell for the NFC roster include Jaylon Johnson of the Chicago Bears (4-12), Jaycee Horn of the Carolina Panthers (4-12), Bryon Murphy of the Minnesota Vikings (14-2), and Devon Witherspoon of the Seattle Seahawks (9-7). It’s possible that three of those guys won’t be playing in the playoffs this season, and Murphy has spent the majority of his reps inside, though he has picked off six passes for the Vikings.
With comparable coverage stats to all of these players, Mitchell has a case to be the biggest overall snub in the NFL this season.
LT Jordan Mailata The only case for leaving Mailata off the NFC roster this year is games played, as a midseason hamstring injury forced him to miss four weeks. But in the 12 games he’s been on the field this season, Mailata has been the best left tackle in football.
Mailata is PFF’s highest-graded tackle in 2024, and it isn’t even close. In 406 pass-blocking snaps, he has allowed just one sack and one QB hit. Philly’s offensive line was well represented (see the full NFC roster below), with right tackle Lane Johnson, center Cam Jurgens and left guard Landon Dickerson all selected to the NFC roster. Mailata not joining them is a major miss.
WR A.J. Brown Brown missed three games at the beginning of the season with a hamstring injury. Couple that with the most run-heavy offense in the NFL, and the stats just weren’t going to stack up for Pro Bowl voters this season. Dig a little deeper, though, it’s almost preposterous that Brown isn’t on the NFC’s Pro Bowl roster.
He was the MVP of Philly’s passing game, as the offense was a complete mess with him out of the lineup from Weeks 2 through 4. He’s only been targeted 97 times this season, tied for 37th in football, but he’s still managed to average 16.1 yards per reception, surpass 1,000 yards receiving and score seven touchdowns.
Brown has been among PFF’s highest-graded overall players this season, with a 90.9. He’s been a dominant force all season, has carried Philly’s passing game and has a legitimate case for the Pro Bowl, despite those missed games.
The guards in the NFC are Landon Dickerson, Chris Lindstrom and Tyler Smith. Dickerson and Smith are the starters. Jenkins was named as a first alternate according to The Athletic’s Matt Schneidman.
Jenkins is more than deserving of a roster spot in the Pro Bowl for the NFC. ESPN’s Bill Barnwell projected Jenkins to be a Second Team All-Pro. The two guards he selected for the First-Team All-Pro roster were AFC guards Joe Thuney of the Kansas City Chiefs and Quenton Nelson of the Indianapolis Colts.
Dickerson has a better run blocking grade than Jenkins, but has allowed four more sacks and committed just one less penalty. He is still a great player, but a case can be made that Jenkins is better than him. Tyler Smith has also allowed more sacks than Jenkins and has committed the same number of penalties.
There has been a ton of speculation about Glenn possibly being hired by the New Orleans Saints, a team he previously coached and played for. However, Charlie Campbell of Walter Football is hearing that Glenn has his eye on the New York Jets.
“Aaron Glenn is said to want the (Jets) job,” Campbell reported.
Glenn was a first-round pick (No. 12 overall) of the Jets in 1994 and spent eight years with the team, earning a pair of Pro Bowl nods in the process. Glenn was always well-liked in New York and is quite familiar with owner Woody Johnson.
While the Jets have a messy situation on their hands currently thanks to the Aaron Rodgers debacle, they are in a better spot than the Saints for the long term.
New York is projected to have $31.3 million in cap space in 2025, per Over the Cap, while the Saints are predicted to be $65.6 million OVER the cap. In 2026, the Jets’ projection goes up to $86.4 million, while the Saints come in at $52 million.
However, with the Saints having a lot of work to do to get under the cap in 2025, that number could go down if New Orleans is forced to push money into future years like it has been doing.
Having the kind of cap situation the Saints will have for next year and quite possibly beyond would create a steep mountain for Glenn to climb and it could derail his tenure there entirely.
Now, the Jets are the Jets and they inherently come with risk, but in this particular case, they are better positioned with talent and cap space than the Saints, making them a better landing spot for Glenn.
Fries was soon ruled out for the rest of the season, but Week 5 should not be the last time the Penn State alum puts on a Colts uniform if the Indianapolis front office has its priorities in check.
In Bleacher Report’s weekly analysis addressing all 32 NFL teams’ biggest needs, its scouting department wants to see the Colts re-sign Fries before he hits the open market.
“Will Fries’ injury was one of the most disappointing developments for the Colts. It wasn’t ideal for him, either. The 26-year-old guard was in a contract year and could have cashed in if he was able to put together another good season. Even so, he’s going to be able to secure a lucrative contract. He graded out as the fourth-highest-graded guard in the league by PFF and has plenty of prime left to come back from the broken tibia that cost him this season,” wrote Alex Ballentine of Bleacher Report. “The Colts would be wise to lock Fries in on a long-term deal before he actually hits free agency.”
Indianapolis’ front office will not be able to scrounge its cap space in 2025 if it wants to retain key free agents, such as Fries, Kelly, linebacker E.J. Speed, defensive end Dayo Odeyingbo and safety Julian Blackmon.
However, Fries should be among the chief priorities amongst all incoming Colts free agents. Although coming off a severe leg injury will not help Fries’ upcoming free-agent market, he has only been penalized 12 times in 31 career starts.
His youth, relative to the other Colts offensive linemen, should also put him in a prime position to secure a solid contract this offseason. While it could be a foregone conclusion that Indianapolis plans to let the soon-to-be 32-year-old Kelly walk in free agency, Fries has the best chance to provide longevity on the Colts’ offensive line.
He will only be 27 next season, which would make him the second-youngest starter for Indianapolis if the soon-to-be 24-year-old Matt Goncalves retains a starting role alongside Braden Smith (29 in 2025), Nelson (29 in 2025) and Bernhard Raimann (27 in 2025).
According to Over The Cap, the Colts are expected to have around $49.77 million in salary-cap space and $34.78 million in effective salary-cap space — both 17th in the NFL — entering the 2025 offseason.
