We are now officially more than 24 hours into NFL Free Agency, aka the closest thing the league has to a high-stakes poker table. Teams push chips into the middle, betting millions on players they believe can change the trajectory of a franchise while trying to bluff other teams into stealing their players. Some front offices walk away looking like geniuses, filling roster holes, finding value, and setting themselves up for a deep playoff run. Others… well, they convince themselves a splashy signing equals progress, only to realize later they just paid premium prices for average production.
So with the dust starting to settle on this year’s frenzy, it’s time to separate the smart moves from the questionable ones. These are the biggest winners and losers of NFL free agency.
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The Winners
Winner: Jeremiyah Love’s draft stock
This one’s simple. Love was already expected to go top 10. But then the Chiefs (picking 9th) signed Kenneth Walker. Then the Saints (picking 8th) signed Travis Etienne. CLEARLY… they know Love isn’t going to be there when they’re making their selection on draft night.
It’s down to two teams: the Titans at 4, and the Commanders at 7. Both situations would be great for Love, getting paired up with talented young QBs and either way, he is going to get PAID.
Winner: The Rams Secondary
The Rams are all-in. And when I say all-in, I mean like they should instantly be the Super Bowl LXI favorites after turning arguably their biggest weakness into a certified strength. First, they resigned safety Kam Curl. Second, they made a classic Rams move in trading one of their two first round picks for Chiefs all-pro cornerback Trent McDuffie. Third, they capped it all off by signing McDuffie’s former running mate in Jaylen Watson. This secondary is now loaded, and playing behind one of the best defensive lines in the NFL.
Winner: The Interior OL Market
$81 million over 3 years used to be insane money for anybody other than quarterbacks. Now, after the Raiders gave Linderbaum that deal, agents everywhere are going to be leveraging it to get the next wave of centers and guards that kind of elite money. Win for the big fellas.
The Losers
Loser: The Bills
The Bills defense struggled all year in 2025, then gave up 33 points in their season-ending loss to the Denver Broncos, and then GM Brandon Beane decided to fix it by doing… nothing?
Like, seriously nothing. I guess former Falcons CB Dee Alford could be a solid pickup for the secondary, and Kyle Allen is one of Josh’s best friends and a decent backup QB, but after losing guard David Edwards and questionably giving up a vital 2nd round for Bears outcast DJ Moore, I think there’s no doubt the Bills got worse this summer. Ugh.
Loser: Baker Mayfield
Losing franchise icon and future Hall of Famer Mike Evans was a tough blow for the Buccaneers – but then Evans landing one final punch on his way out. NFL Insider Adam Schefter saying “It came down to a desire for a new challenge as Evans enters the last years of his career.”
It doesn’t take a genius to read into that meaning that Evans doesn’t believe he had a chance to compete for a Super Bowl in Tampa, and while many have speculated that his relationship with Head Coach Todd Bowles had going south, it’s clear this was also indirectly a shot at Baker.
Loser: Cardinals Fans
It just feels like the Cardinals lack direction right now – and therefore they lack excitement. They didn’t lose enough games to get Fernando Mendoza in a weak QB draft, and now they’re stuck with 33-year-old Jacoby Brissett at QB for the second straight year after moving on from former #1 pick Kyler Murray. And to make matters worse, they lost the bidding war for intriguing rebound candidate Malik Willis, and instead settled for an incumbent representation of mediocrity in Gardner Minshew (and his elite mustache).
The Cardinals have plenty of exciting talent, like Trey McBride and Marvin Harrison Jr, but without any semblance of a franchise QB and playing in arguably the best division in football, it’s going to be another looonngggg year in the desert.
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