The first week of free agency is officially in the books, so where do things stand in the NFL today? We saw Milton Williams sign the biggest deal in free agency with a $104 million contract from the New England Patriots, the quarterback carousel took an aggressive spin with Geno Smith being traded to the Las Vegas Raiders while Sam Darnold took his spot with the Seattle Seahawks and DeAndre Hopkins teamed up with Lamar Jackson in Baltimore.
How would you rank the AFC if the 2025 season began today? Are the Kansas City Chiefs still the top dog, or did another contender like the Buffalo Bills overtake them? Let’s rank the AFC from 16-1 after the first wave of free agency.
16. Cleveland Browns
Key additions: DT Maliek Collins, QB Kenny Pickett
Key losses: DT Dalvin Tomlinson
The Browns went 3-14 last year and may be without Deshaun Watson for the 2025 season. Watson clearly has struggled since leaving H-Town, but Pickett probably isn’t the long-term answer in Cleveland, either. The Browns finding a way to keep Myles Garrett was the headline of their offseason thus far, but he doesn’t make the Browns a Super Bowl contender by himself. The big question for Cleveland is who will play quarterback this year? Is it Russell Wilson, or Shedeur Sanders? Kirk Cousins?!
15. Tennessee Titans
Key additions: LT Dan Moore Jr., LB Cody Barton, S Xavier Woods, OG Kevin Zeitler
Key losses: EDGE Harold Landry, WR Nick Westbrook-Ikhine, LB Kenneth Murray
The Titans weren’t expected to be active in free agency after their 2024 spending spree landed them the No. 1 overall pick in this upcoming draft. Tennessee made the interesting decision to sign Moore away from Pittsburgh, and push former No. 7 overall pick JC Latham over to right tackle. Even if you hate the Moore contract, landing veteran Zeitler should make Titans fans feel better about the offensive line as a whole.
14. Jacksonville Jaguars
Key additions: OL Patrick Mekari, CB Jourdan Lewis, WR Dyami Brown, S Eric Murray
Key losses: TE Evan Engram, S Andre Cisco, WR Christian Kirk
The Jaguars have made some nice moves in free agency, landing Mekari to boost Trevor Lawrence’s protection, while Lewis and Murray will be immediate contributors in the secondary. The Brown contract was pretty surprising to me, but Jacksonville had to do something to help that wide receiving corps.
Further Rankings
Further rankings continue from 13 to 1, examining the competitiveness of teams across the AFC in depth.
