The NFL free agency period hasn’t even officially started, but it’s already hot. The period officially starts with the new league year on Wednesday, March 12, at 4 p.m. Eastern time, but the NFL’s “legal tampering period” started on Monday, March 10, and runs until Wednesday, March 12, at 12:59 p.m., so things are happening.
Right now, many of the big changes are related to the quarterbacks in the NFL. It’s been an action-packed few hours for these guys.
Quarterback Changes in 2025 Free Agency
One of the earliest moves was the Steelers trading for wideout DK Metcalf, and the Las Vegas Raiders taking Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith to address their quarterback woes. Other quarterback moves included Sam Darnold agreeing to a contract to take Smith’s role in Seattle and Justin Fields landing a huge contract with the New York Jets. Meanwhile, Daniel Jones left Minnesota and signed with the Colts as competition for Anthony Richardson.
Got that? It’s a lot of quarterback talk.
Regarding Darnold, NFL expert and reporter Andrew Greif of NBC News notes, “Multiple teams entered the offseason needing help at quarterback, but the question they faced was whether Darnold’s largely resurgent 2024 season was replicable in 2025. He completed 66% of his passes for 4,319 yards with 35 touchdowns — all career highs — and 12 interceptions in the offensive scheme of Vikings coach Kevin O’Connell, who was voted the NFL’s coach of the year.”
Follow NFL expert and analyst Mike Florio of Pro Football Sports says, “With Darnold agreeing to terms on a three-year, $100.5 million contract in Seattle, he’ll be expected to start — and to pick up where he left off. It’s the highest bar he’s experienced since entering the league as the third overall pick in the 2018 draft.”
Florio adds, “And that didn’t end well. Was last year an aberration? Or were his early-career experiences a direct result of being forced to play for a perennially dysfunctional team?”
Seahawk fan and ESPN NFL analyst Mina Kimes adds, “As good as Sam Darnold was last year, you saw he is, what I’d call it – a pressure-sensitive quarterback… The Seahawks offensive line has been a problem now for the better part of a decade.”
Kimes continues, “The interior offensive line to me has to be significantly improved for this bet to pay off, and I think that’s what Seattle has to focus on now, knowing that this is the quarterback they’re building this offense around.”
Regarding Jones, Tyler Sullivan of CBS Sports notes, “The Colts had been one of the more notable suitors for Jones, and the quarterback was reportedly deciding between joining them or sticking with the Minnesota Vikings, who he signed with in the middle of last season. With this deal now being finalized, Jones will join a Colts team where he is slated to compete with incumbent starter Anthony Richardson.”