We’re on to Day 2 of free agency and tons of moves have already been agreed to around the NFL. We’ll be breaking down some of the biggest moves here with grades and what they mean in our 2025 NFL Free Agency Live Grades.
All signings and trades must wait until the start of the new league year on Wednesday at 4 PM EST to become official — and usually there’s at least one deal a year that falls through so this is an important distinction.
Keep checking back here for updates throughout the day as free agency gets underway!
2025 NFL Free Agency Live Grades
Colts Sign QB Daniel Jones, One Year $14M
Grade: B
This deal will get dunked on by fans on social media and by some analysts, but for what the Colts were trying to accomplish at quarterback this offseason, it’s a solid fit. Indianapolis has been open about adding competition for first-round QB Anthony Richardson after a rocky first two years that didn’t look how the team envisioned when it picked him No. 4 overall in 2023. Richardson played just four games as a rookie, then was benched last year and put up some rough stats, like an 8/12 TD/INT ratio and a 47 percent completion rate.
The Colts say they’re not throwing in the towel on Richardson and that they still believe in his potential as a franchise quarterback. But they want him to earn it. The word out of Indy is that the team liked how Richardson responded to the benching, redoubling his work behind the scenes. People with the team described Richardson as a great kid, just somewhat naive as to what is entailed from a franchise starter. They want him to prove to the team he deserves the starting quarterback job, hence the move to sign Jones.
Jones has come under a lot of fire over the years for failing to live up to the draft capital and money the Giants invested in him — and I’ll raise my hand as someone who has been critical. But he’s also not as bad as the Giants have made him look. In a more positive environment with less going wrong around him, Jones is capable of being a steady game manager who brings a unique element as a runner.
The former Giants starter gives the Colts a more viable alternative if something happens to derail Richardson again. He’s far more mobile than former backup QB Joe Flacco and would allow the Colts to keep the QB run game concepts incorporated into the offense, making life easier for whoever is under center. It’s also easy to see Jones having a positive impact on Richardson as an example of what a professional quarterback’s work habits look like. There’s plenty to criticize about Jones but his work ethic and locker room impact drew frequent comparisons to Eli Manning in New York.
Giants Sign S Jevon Holland, Three Years $45M
Grade: B+
It didn’t get nearly as much publicity as their decision to let RB Saquon Barkley walk, but the Giants made another blunder by declining to re-sign S Xavier McKinney, who signed a lucrative deal worth more than $16 million per year with the Packers. McKinney picked off eight passes, was named first-team All-Pro and was in the conversation for Defensive Player of the Year for part of the season. But New York didn’t want to pay up for a player at a position it didn’t consider to be a premium.
This year, it seems like Giants GM Joe Schoen wanted to rectify that mistake, leading to the deal for Holland. There are a lot of parallels to draw between Holland and McKinney from when both entered free agency. Both have experience moving around the defense but might do their best work at free safety. Both battled some injuries, and both didn’t have any honors recognition going into Year 5. It would go a long way for Schoen if Holland has a season like the one McKinney just put up.
Vikings Sign DT Jonathan Allen, Three Years $51M
Grade: B+
One team’s trash can be another team’s treasure this time of year. Allen was cut by the Commanders who wanted the money for other purposes and didn’t want to try to wait out a trade market. Minnesota swiftly pounced, bringing Allen in for a visit and signing him to a deal that was initially billed as $20 million a year. The actual value is significantly less but still equal to the cash Allen was scheduled to make from the Commanders this year and with $23 million in guarantees.
Washington thought Allen was a declining player at 30 who didn’t merit a significant investment. The Vikings see him as a major upgrade on a previously thin defensive line and an established starter at a premium position. Allen missed a significant chunk of last year with a torn pec that was supposed to be a season-ending injury, yet he returned and was an impact performer for the Commanders during their postseason run. If he’s got that kind of gas left in the tank still, this is a high-upside move for the Vikings who are trying to build up the rest of the roster around a young quarterback on a rookie contract.
Vikings Sign G Will Fries, Five Years $88M
Grade: C
Minnesota has pledged tons of money to players in the past 24 hours, with Fries the second addition to the interior of the offensive line after the signing of veteran C Ryan Kelly. The Vikings didn’t get a cheap deal for either player, though, as competent offensive linemen have become even more prized following the success of the Eagles last season. The structure and guarantees aren’t public yet but we do know the Vikings had to fend off significant competition to sign Fries, resulting in the nearly $18 million per year price tag.
Fries started just five games last year before going down with a season-ending injury. He was excellent in those starts, notching a PFF grade of 86.4 which would have been No. 4 at the position had he maintained that pace. However, he played just 268 snaps. In the over 1,700 snaps in the two years before that in which Fries started 26 games, he had a grade below 60. The Vikings are making a huge bet that Fries is closer to the player he was the last time he was on the field rather than the preponderance of the tape over the last three years. It’s an expensive bet.
Eagles Traded S C.J. Gardner-Johnson For Texans G Kenyon Green
Eagles grade: B+
Texans grade: B
While I like the Eagles side of this trade a little bit more, this could actually be a solid win-win trade for both sides. On the surface, it doesn’t seem to make a lot of sense for the Eagles to trade a starting safety who had six interceptions last year to lead the team for a former first-round bust at guard. But it should be telling that Philadelphia has had Gardner-Johnson on the roster for two out of the past three years, both resulting in trips to the Super Bowl with six picks apiece from the player, and still have decided to move on. Gardner-Johnson is an infamous trash talker who gets under the skin of opponents — and probably a good chunk of his own teammates’ too.
The Eagles aren’t getting back peanuts either. They shed $20 million in cash spending over the next two years, move up a pick into the fifth round and get to roll the dice on a former first-round pick at a higher-value position than safety. Philadelphia has a good track record with these sorts of reclamation projects and OL coach Jeff Stoutland is a real edge for them. If he gets Green’s career back on track and he becomes a starter, this is a big win for the Eagles. Oh, and the cherry on top is that Houston is paying $1.5 million of Green’s salary in 2025.
This is still a quality deal for the Texans, as they turn a player who wasn’t working out for them and a pick swap into a starting safety who is a perfect fit for what HC DeMeco Ryans is looking for on defense. The Texans still have a lot of work to do to fix the offensive line but Green wasn’t likely to be a factor there. At minimum, they’ll be nasty to play on defense yet again.
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