Biggest hits and misses of Week 1 in NFL free agency

The first week of 2025 NFL free agency saw the Patriots, Vikings, Panthers, Bears, and Falcons reinforce their backline successfully, but they had to overpay on some of the players, resetting the market.

Biggest hits and misses of Week 1 in NFL free agency

Milton Williams and Grady Jarrett (Image via IMAGO)

The 2025 NFL free agency kicked off with a bang. With the NFL increasing the salary cap from $255.4 million to $279.2 million, a $23.8 million jump, handing teams extra money to bring in players to create a strong roster.

The New England Patriots had the most cap space, followed by the Las Vegas Raiders, the Minnesota Vikings, the Chicago Bears, the Washington Commanders, the Los Angeles Chargers, and the Arizona Cardinals.

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On the other side of the stick are the teams with cap crunch. The New Orleans Saints, the Cleveland Browns, the Kansas City Chiefs, the Buffalo Bills, the Atlanta Falcons, the Dallas Cowboys, the Houston Texans, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the Seattle Seahawks, and the Baltimore Ravens.

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Hit: Patriots sign Milton Williams

There were lots of positives in a rather abysmal 2024 season for the New England Patriots. Drake Maye emerged as the quarterback of the future, but general manager Eliot Wolf had the biggest task of fixing the defensive line and the receiver corps.

Biggest hits and misses of Week 1 in NFL free agency
Milton Williams (Image via IMAGO)

Wolf went to work and signed former Raiders’ linebacker Robert Spillane to a three-year, $37 million deal, which followed multi-year deals for veteran offensive tackle Morgan Moses and stud cornerback Carlton Davis. However, the biggest name they picked up from the market has to be Milton Williams.

The defensive tackle was arguably the best free agent defensive lineman available. Williams signed a four-year, $104 million deal ($26 million per year). The 25-year-old became the backbone alongside Jalen Carter and Zack Baun at the heart of the Eagles’ 2024 Super Bowl-winning team. He recorded receiving an 89.6 and 90.9 PFF grade in the NFC Championship game and Super Bowl, respectively.

Hit: Bears sign Drew Dalman

The Bears have Heisman Trophy winner Caleb Williams as quarterback, DJ Moore, Rome Odunze, and signed Olamide Zaccheaus from the Commanders. However, the Bears boasted the 17th worst offensive line in the league, according to Pro Football Network, which isn’t bad, but they allowed Williams to be sacked 67 times (most).

Biggest hits and misses of Week 1 in NFL free agency
Drew Dalman (Image via IMAGO)

The Bears went to work and signed former Falcons first-round pick Drew Dalman to a three-year, $42 million deal, with $28 million guaranteed. Dalman had other options, including a better deal from the Falcons to stay in Atlanta, but he opted to play for the Bears because of new head coach Ben Johnson and Williams.

The Bears pulled off a great signing. Dalman is only 26 and can cover for Williams for the next five or six years. More importantly, he will have veteran presence around him, especially multiple Super Bowl winner Joe Thuney, whom the Bears acquired by trading a 2026 fourth-round pick to the Chiefs.

Teams have tried their best to work with the money in the bank, but not every signing can be team-friendly. There’s always a team that will overpay for a player.

Miss: Carolina Panthers missing out on Milton Williams and overpaying for Tershawn Wharton

The Panthers had the worst defense in the NFL in 2024, ending at the bottom of the pile for rushing, scoring, and third down coverage. They gave up an average of 404.5 yards per game and conceded 61 touchdowns in 17 games.

Biggest hits and misses of Week 1 in NFL free agency
Tershawn Wahrton (Image via IMAGO)

Dave Canales’ team just had over $32 million in cap space to work with. They began the free agency market by re-signing defensive back Jaycee Horn to a four-year $100 million deal (the largest for a corner in NFL history), followed by signing safety Tre’Von Moehrig for a three-year, $51 million deal and edge rusher Patrick Jones II for a two-year, $20 million deal.

Both Horn and Moehrig can be considered overpays, but the Panthers agreeing to a three-year, $54 million deal with defensive end Tershawn Wharton sticks out like a sore thumb considering they missed out on Milton Williams.

Matt Verderame of Sports Illustrated called the Panthers giving Wharton an $18 million/year deal a massive overpay.

The Carolina Panthers came close to landing Milton Williams, and then circled back to fill a pressing need on their defensive interior. It’s an enormous payday for [Tershawn] Wharton, who had a career year with 6.5 sacks in 2024. While Wharton deserved a significant bump, this is enormous money for a player who has enjoyed one above-average campaign and only once has exceeded 50% of the defensive snaps in a season.

Matt Verderame wrote

Wharton can easily prove the doubters wrong by taking charge in the middle of the park next season.

Miss: Cowboys missing out on Cooper Kupp

The Cowboys struggled big time last year, finishing with a 7-10 record. Only CeeDee Lamb crossed 1100 yards, but it was miles off his tally in 2023 with 1749 yards. The next best for the Cowboys in 2024 was Jalen Tolbert, who is on the cusp of losing his place on the roster.

Biggest hits and misses of Week 1 in NFL free agency
Cooper Kupp (Image via IMAGO)

Lamb is among the best route runners in the league, and a veteran receiver, especially as a slot man, would help take the load off the Sooner. The perfect player for the role was former Super Bowl MVP, Cooper Kupp. The Cowboys were reportedly among the favorites to sign Kupp until they heard he wanted around $15 million, so they backed off. Kupp signed a three-year, $45 million deal with the Seahawks.

There’s still time for the Cowboys to make smart additions. Stefon Diggs, ex-Cowboys WRs Amari Cooper, Michael Gallup, and Diontae Johnson are still waiting to be picked by a team.

Related: Brett Favre urges Aaron Rodgers to sign with the Vikings after Jets fallout