Winners and losers from NFL free agency

The opening week of NFL free agency is in the books. It was a positive few days for some but not for others. Let's dive into the biggest winners and losers from the first five days of the offseason.

Winner: Vikings

The beginning of the J.J. McCarthy era meant this would be the time for the Vikings to get aggressive. They've completely knocked it out of the park.

Adding Will Fries and Ryan Kelly to the interior offensive line addresses a problem area from last year. As a result, McCarthy should get much more consistent pass protection than Sam Darnold received. The run game should take a step forward, too.

The Vikings also made sure to load up on the defensive side. Veteran free-agent signees Jonathan Allen and Javon Hargrave provide the kind of interior rush value this team hasn't rostered over the last few years. That could be a game-changer for a Brian Flores defense that has typically created its pressure with exotic blitz packages.

Re-signing Byron Murphy Jr. for $18 million per year - a figure that falls well short of the initial reported maximum value - was another key move after he contributed nine interceptions over the last two campaigns. While Camryn Bynum is a hit at safety, the Vikings tending to other needs opens the door for them to fill that spot early in the draft. Georgia standout Malaki Starks could be an interesting fit at No. 24 overall.

Minnesota doesn't have many weaknesses at this point. If McCarthy can hit the ground running, there's a real opportunity for this group to be even better than last year's 14-win team.

Loser: 49ers

Is this the beginning of the end of an incredible era of 49ers football?

It's still a well-coached team with superstar talents on both sides of the ball, so we probably can't count them out. But it's difficult to see how San Francisco competes at the level it has for the better part of the last six years with so much talent walking out the door.

The 49ers are now in a world where they need to plan for life with a big-money quarterback contract on the books. It's only a matter of time before Brock Purdy gets his extension, and the deal will likely be upwards of $50 million per year.

Whether he's worth such an investment is a debate for another day. San Francisco gutting the roster to this degree reflects the reality that this team now has to find a way to sustain success by building through the draft. If the 49ers' recent history is any indication, that might not go so well.

Winner: Bears fans

Is anyone enjoying this offseason more than fans in Chicago?

Landing Ben Johnson as their new head coach was the Bears' first step in setting the organization in the right direction. Next, Chicago overhauled the offensive line, nearly completing the job by the first day of the free-agent negotiating period.

Trades for Jonah Jackson and Joe Thuney, a back-to-back first-team All-Pro with the Chiefs, immediately solidified the two guard spots. A big-money deal for former Falcons center Drew Dalman rounded out the interior, suddenly turning one of the league's worst position groups into a strength. Braxton Jones may emerge as the long-term left tackle opposite promising right tackle Darnell Wright, but the Bears could choose to upgrade that spot with the No. 10 pick in the draft.

Either way, this group now has the potential to provide the kind of foundation that Johnson had up front in Detroit. That's great news for Caleb Williams, who was beat up throughout his rookie season. And with Grady Jarrett and Dayo Odeyingbo satisfying a pair of needs on the defensive front, the Bears could be in a position to compete right away.

Loser: C.J. Stroud

If only the Texans could have mirrored the Bears' offseason. Unfortunately for Stroud, it's mostly been the opposite.

Major issues on the offensive line contributed to the 2023 Offensive Rookie of the Year taking a bit of a step back last season. Houston is hoping that a change in offensive coordinator takes care of shortcomings with the overall protection plan, but it's tough to be excited about how the personnel is shaping up.

Trading five-time Pro Bowler Laremy Tunsil to Washington creates a massive hole at left tackle for what was already an otherwise underwhelming group. The Texans added a pair of guards in Laken Tomlinson and Ed Ingram, but expectations should be minimal here. Tomlinson surrendered 38 pressures in 2024, the fourth-most among all guards, according to PFF. Ingram allowed 24 despite playing in nine games.

Adding Christian Kirk provides a meaningful upgrade to the receiving corps. And the defense, bolstered by a savvy move to acquire C.J. Gardner-Johnson, can continue to do much of the heavy lifting. However, addressing the offensive line was key to capitalizing on what remains of Stroud's rookie contract, and it feels like the Texans have gotten worse in that all-important area.

Winner: Offensive linemen

It's not easy to find offensive line talent in today's NFL. Most college offenses don't put their big guys in a position to make a smooth transition to the pro level, and practice restrictions make it more challenging than ever to develop a group that needs all the reps it can get in pads.

So, in the rare situation where a starting-caliber offensive lineman becomes available in free agency, teams are more than happy to pay up. And the price tags tend to get a little out of control.

Take Dan Moore Jr., for example. The former Steelers tackle hit the free-agent market after a 2024 campaign in which he surrendered 41 pressures and a league-worst 12 sacks, according to PFF. Maybe the Titans attributed those numbers to the Steelers quarterbacks more than anything else. Or perhaps they see a player who could blossom under legendary offensive line coach Bill Callahan.

Even so, Moore parlaying that kind of season into a four-year, $82-million deal - becoming the NFL's sixth-highest-paid left tackle - is the latest sign of desperate times at the position. And he wasn't alone. Aaron Banks is a decent enough starter, but Green Bay making him the league's third-highest-paid left guard is a pretty jarring investment.

This trend isn't going anywhere, and you won't hear any complaints from offensive linemen.

Loser: Anthony Richardson

Chris Ballard revealed earlier this offseason that the Colts intended to have an open competition at quarterback. Daniel Jones' addition confirms he wasn't messing around.

The former Giants first-round pick certainly isn't the most spectacular pickup, but the contract tells you everything you need to know here. Jones got a $14-million base salary and another $3.7 million in possible incentives. That's bridge quarterback money.

In an ideal scenario, Richardson finally puts it all together and holds off Jones to keep the starting role. The Colts will surely give him every opportunity to do so. But the move and Ballard's transparency about needing their former top pick to earn the job is an ominous sign just two seasons into his career.

Talented as he may be, Richardson hasn't been good enough. Indy can only wait around so long before it has no choice but to make a change. A fresh start and an improved supporting cast could make Jones more of a threat to his job than most realize.

Winner: Justin Fields

It was tough to get a feel for what Fields' market would look like after a season in which the Steelers benched him despite a 4-2 start. As it turns out, the league is still intrigued by his potential.

Fields evidently generated enough interest that he didn't have to wait for Pittsburgh to figure out what it would do at quarterback. Getting $40 million over two years with the Jets seems like the perfect price tag for Fields' current value, and he could cash in with an extension next year if all goes well.

More important than the money, the Jets provide Fields with a great opportunity to get his career on track. He now has the foundation of a solid offensive line in place and reunites with his former Ohio State teammate Garrett Wilson to give him a reliable No. 1 target. New York's commitment is also significant enough that he'll get an extended look as the starter.

We've seen late breakouts from Geno Smith, Sam Darnold, and Baker Mayfield in recent seasons. Fields, one of the league's most athletic players and only 26 years old, has a chance to follow a similar path.

Loser: Russell Wilson

Wilson was a pleasant surprise for much of his first season in Pittsburgh. The offense took a step forward when the veteran quarterback returned from injury to step into the starting role, with his patented moon ball providing a big-play element that had long been missing.

For a while, it seemed like Wilson was putting himself in a position to earn a long-term deal in Pittsburgh. That could still happen, as the Steelers have yet to make a decision at quarterback. But the one-dimensional passing game fizzling out down the stretch has clearly changed the equation.

The Steelers, like the Giants, seem to be waiting on Aaron Rodgers. Wilson being the backup plan for whichever team strikes out on the 41-year-old is probably difficult to swallow. He's even visited with the Browns as he waits out the process. Yikes.

Wilson will almost certainly find a job somewhere this offseason; there aren't enough quarterbacks to fill the open spots around the league. But this can't be how he envisioned free agency after helping the Steelers get to the playoffs on a veteran minimum contract.

Winner: Sean Payton

The Broncos are quietly having a really nice offseason.

Dre Greenlaw and Talanoa Hufanga both come with risk due to their recent injury history, but the pair of former 49ers standouts raise the ceiling of what was already an outstanding defense. Greenlaw should provide a major upgrade in coverage at linebacker, while Hufanga brings playmaking traits and physicality to address a pressing need at safety.

Denver also found a player to fill the "joker" role that Payton discussed earlier in the offseason, landing Evan Engram following his release from the Jaguars. The veteran tight end has the versatility to be moved all over the formation and create favorable matchups in the passing game.

After successfully rebuilding the offensive line last year, Denver continues to make smart moves to build around its young quarterback without breaking the bank. Bo Nix taking another step forward this year could influence the Broncos to go all-in next offseason when they project to have $108 million in cap space, according to Over The Cap.

Loser: Jerry Jones

Stephen Jones had said the Cowboys would be "selectively aggressive" this offseason, which would be an interesting characterization of what we've seen so far.

Most notably, extension talks with Micah Parsons are dragging on for no apparent reason. Dallas handled things the same way with Dak Prescott and CeeDee Lamb. Ultimately, both those deals cost the Cowboys more than they would have if the team had been the least bit proactive.

But that's not the way Jerry Jones does business. Maxx Crosby's big-money extension pushed the top of the edge market to $35.5 million. Myles Garrett beat that just days later, opting to stay with the Browns for an annual average of $40 million. Any Parsons negotiations now have to start there.

We could overlook the inaction on this front if the Cowboys were busy improving the roster in other meaningful ways. As is so often the case, that's not happening, either. Trades for Kaiir Elam and Kenneth Murray, a pair of first-rounders who could've been cut by their former teams just as easily, don't seem like a wise way to spend draft capital. And while the running back room could look a lot different after the draft, would anyone be surprised if Dallas is content to roll with a pair of uninspiring additions in Javonte Williams and Miles Sanders?

The Cowboys do things differently than other teams. More often than not, it's in ways that make them worse.