The NFL offseason has moved through its two major phases -- free agency and the draft -- but that doesn't mean there's nothing left to discuss when it comes to personnel moves. There are still plenty of teams with holes to fill. There also are a number of high-profile veterans searching for new homes. This is the time of year when bargain-hunting becomes a way of life for every decision-maker hoping to upgrade a roster.
We all know Aaron Rodgers will dominate the spotlight as he decides whether to continue his career as the next quarterback of the Pittsburgh Steelers. Amari Cooper is the hottest name still available at wide receiver, and a handful of teams have been discussed as possibilities for him. Like every other player who will be mentioned in this column, these veterans have relied on patience and analysis of the market to see how best to move forward. The franchises obviously want to find experienced talent, but the players want their next team to work wonders for them as well.
That's why this edition of The First Read is devoted to the best fits for the remaining free agents. Rodgers has received enough attention already while Cooper's future was discussed on this site last week. Here are some more players that could benefit from the right marriage with their next teams. This is where one writer believes those players should land:
NOTE: Each player's listed age represents how old he will be on Sept. 4, when the 2025 NFL season is expected to kick off.
San Francisco makes sense for Samuel for two reasons. One is that he’s likely to be available at a very affordable price now that the draft has passed. The other is that the 49ers are thin at cornerback -- they lost Charvarius Ward, Rock Ya-Sin and Isaac Yiadom from last year’s team -- and play a zone-heavy system that could allow Samuel to flourish. The big knocks on Samuel after his four seasons with the Chargers were his tackling and lack of consistency in press coverage. He also dealt with a lingering neck/shoulder injury that limited him to four games last season (and continued to dog him earlier this offseason). If the 49ers could land Samuel on a one-year, prove-it deal, he might flourish under defensive coordinator Robert Saleh and create a chance for a massive long-term deal. Samuel is only 25 and one of the best remaining free agents on the market. This could be a win-win for both sides.
Chicago head coach Ben Johnson has gotten nearly everything he could ask for this offseason with one exception: There’s still a question as to whether he’ll be able to replicate the two-headed backfield monster he created when he was the offensive coordinator for the Detroit Lions. This is where Dobbins could help immensely. Johnson loved the idea of using the punishing David Montgomery with the electric Jahmyr Gibbs in the Detroit offense. That duo combined for 2,187 rushing yards in powering the league’s highest-scoring offense. As much as the Bears want to unleash quarterback Caleb Williams and a bevy of receivers this fall, improving the run game will go a long way toward making that happen. D’Andre Swift was a prized free-agent acquisition last year, a player who can thrive as a runner and receiver. Dobbins can do the exact same things, as long as he can stay healthy. He’s dealt with two knee injuries and an Achilles tear, but he played well in 13 games with the Chargers in 2024 (running for a career-high 905 yards and scoring nine touchdowns). Dobbins is also 26 years old, which means he would be more attractive than somebody like Nick Chubb, who is a more physical ball-carrier but also turns 30 in December. The Bears already have rebuilt their interior offensive line and loaded up on pass catchers in the draft (tight end Colston Loveland and wide receiver Luther Burden III were their first two picks). It’s time to solidify the backfield and think about all the ways their offense might explode this fall.
Detroit traded for Smith last season after a broken leg ended the season of star defensive end Aidan Hutchinson. Now the Lions can bring Smith back to Detroit to help create the pressure this team has sorely needed. The upside on Smith is that he played solidly last season in an emergency role. He generated 40 pressures in his nine games with the Lions and his pass rush win rate of 21.5 percent was third on the team (after Hutchinson and Marcus Davenport, who also was lost to an injury), per Pro Football Focus. Davenport is returning to Detroit on a one-year deal, but there’s nothing that says Smith can’t do the same thing. In fact, the Lions reportedly haven’t completely dismissed that idea. This is a team that saw its Super Bowl dreams crushed by injuries last season. Even though Smith is on the wrong side of 30 (he’s 32), adding more depth on the edge wouldn’t be a bad thing.
This one makes too much sense. Simmons is a two-time Pro Bowler and four-time second-team All-Pro who played some of his best football for the Denver Broncos when current Eagles defensive coordinator Vic Fangio was that franchise’s head coach (2019-2021). The Eagles also have an opening at safety after trading C.J. Gardner-Johnson following last season’s Super Bowl win over Kansas City. Gardner-Johnson’s ballhawking skills were an essential part of Philadelphia’s stellar defense. Simmons could bring the same talents to the Eagles, as he’s familiar with Fangio’s system and known for taking the ball away (his 32 interceptions rank tied for fifth among active players). It’s fair to say Simmons declined some in his lone year in Atlanta last season. It’s also exciting to think about how he could bounce back in a secondary that includes Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean at cornerback and Reed Blankenship at safety.
Cincinnati needs as much depth and experience as it can find in its secondary after fielding one of the league’s worst pass defenses last season. Even though he turns 35 in September, Gilmore could help with that cause. For one, he’s still proven to be a competent man-coverage cornerback, which is a skill set the Bengals will covet with new defensive coordinator Al Golden replacing Lou Anarumo (Golden relied heavily on man coverage as Notre Dame’s defensive coordinator last season). Cincinnati also is hoping that Daxton Hill can rebound from a torn ACL that limited him to just five games in 2024. Gilmore can provide depth in case Hill is slow to return to form. Gilmore also has done everything a cornerback can do in this league -- a list that includes winning a Super Bowl in New England and being named NFL Defensive Player of the Year in 2019 -- so his leadership would be invaluable for a team with so many young players at that position. Finally, Gilmore would be cheap. He played on a one-year deal valued at $10 million in Minnesota last season. For a team that just gave huge extensions to wide receivers Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins -- and continues to not be on the same page with star edge rusher Trey Hendrickson -- a bargain like this at cornerback would be ideal.
There are plenty of teams who need veteran help at wide receiver, but Allen fits in Arizona because the Cardinals must unlock all the potential in Marvin Harrison Jr., who was the fourth overall pick in last year’s draft. Arizona leaned on young players like Michael Wilson and Greg Dortch to work with Harrison at receiver in 2024. That’s not going to get it done, not for a team that displayed flashes of being closer to a playoff team than anybody imagined at this time last year. The 33-year-old Allen isn’t the same player he was in his prime -- he had four 100-catch seasons in the previous five years before being traded to Chicago in 2024 -- but he still knows how to operate from the slot. He delivered solid production with the Bears (70 receptions, 744 yards and seven touchdowns), and he can give quarterback Kyler Murray another dependable target to go along with tight end Trey McBride.
Tampa Bay came into this offseason needing to bolster its defense, and safety remains a position that Blackmon could help fix. There’s no doubt that Antoine Winfield Jr. is a star. The problem is what the Buccaneers are working with after that. Veterans Jordan Whitehead and Mike Edwards are no longer with the team, and there are only two other safeties on the depth chart with more than one year of experience (Christian Izien and Kaevon Merriweather). Blackmon, on the other hand, started 62 games in five years in Indianapolis. He played on a one-year deal with the Colts after testing free agency last season and displayed immense toughness while playing 16 games with a torn rotator cuff. That injury likely factored into some problems Blackmon had with missed tackles, but the overall numbers for his career are solid (300 tackles and 10 interceptions). The Bucs managed to make the playoffs last season despite weaknesses and injuries impacting their defense. Adding Blackmon would help them avoid having to do that in two consecutive years.
Hilton isn’t a huge name but he was a valuable slot cornerback for the Bengals when they evolved into championship contenders a few seasons ago. It just so happens that current Tennessee Titans coach Brian Callahan was the offensive coordinator in Cincinnati during those years, which is why advocating for this marriage isn’t a bad idea. The Titans obviously need help in multiple areas, which is why they held the first pick in this year’s draft. The secondary has been a concern because both of last year’s key acquisitions at cornerback disappointed (L’Jarius Sneed only played in five games while Chidobe Awuzie bombed so badly that the team released him in March). Hilton is feisty and a leader, which are two qualities the Titans need badly. The team does have a solid player in the slot already -- Roger McCreary has embraced that role after struggling as an outside corner -- but he’s also the only option at that position on the depth chart. Finding more able bodies in the secondary is a must.
Washington general manager Adam Peters has been aggressive in each of the past two seasons when it comes to free agency. The one thing he still needs to find for this team is more help in pressuring opposing passers. The team leader in sacks from 2024, Dante Fowler Jr., returned to Dallas this offseason, and Peters didn’t take any edge rushers in the draft. That leaves Judon as an intriguing option for a team that wants to make another power move in the NFC after reaching last year’s championship game. He has his flaws -- he turns 33 in August and only amassed 5.5 sacks in his one season with the Falcons last year -- but he also fits what Peters has been finding in free agency the last couple years. The Commanders received valuable contributions from older veterans like linebacker Bobby Wagner and tight end Zach Ertz in 2024. If Judon can give them a little boost in the pass rush, he would be just as beneficial to Washington’s hopes of reaching the Super Bowl.
There really aren’t a ton of great options for Chubb at this stage. The Texans are a possibility only because they aren’t that strong at running back after Joe Mixon, as backup Dameon Pierce has disappointed since rushing for 939 yards as a rookie three years ago. Pittsburgh would have made sense for Chubb if the Steelers hadn’t used a third-round pick on Iowa running back Kaleb Johnson. Chicago is intriguing as well, but there are younger backs to consider there outside of Chubb (one of whom already has been mentioned in this column). Even a return to the Browns seemed plausible if the team couldn’t find a better financial arrangement with Jerome Ford. Since Ford took a pay cut, that reunion feels like a non-starter now. So, we’ll go with Houston after a process of elimination. The Texans want to run the ball more consistently with new offensive coordinator Nick Caley, and it couldn’t hurt to have another proven veteran back on the roster.
