The 2025 league year in the NFL officially starts on Wednesday, March 12. The two day negotiating period of free agency commences on Monday, March 10, and it is then when we would typically get first knowledge of the largest contracts to be signed. With those contracts signed come the assignment of some players as compensatory free agents (CFAs), and thus the generation of compensatory picks for the 2025 NFL Draft. Now that we know which players will be effectively taken out of free agency via tags (only two, the fewest ever), thus it’s time to take a look at what comp pick potential teams might be looking at.
Buffalo Bills
The Bills traded for Amari Cooper in what was mostly for a 3rd round pick. Any comp pick that Cooper generates would be capped at the 5th round due to having 10 accrued seasons, but it seems plausible that he could get the approximate $8 million APY needed to value his contract in the 5th round. Besides Cooper, Damar Hamlin and Rasul Douglas are a pair of defensive backs that should get comp pick worthy contracts, and Mack Hollins always seems to find a way to get one year contracts that barely qualify for the formula. But with only 11 pending UFAs, they might have to hold off from signing CFAs of their own, and the question will be if they instead want to take more aggressive free agency shots in their quest to finally get over that hump into the Super Bowl. Potential: Low
Miami Dolphins
Miami’s pending UFA count is very numerous at 26, and that include multiple players that played many snaps for the Dolphins last season. Jevon Holland leads that pack by avoiding the franchise tag, along with his fellow safety Jordan Poyer, two starting offensive linemen in Robert Jones and Liam Eichenberg, and waiver wire claimee Tyrel Dodson. Add on to this a salary cap crunch the Dolphins find themselves in, and this could equate to many Dolphins becoming former Dolphins as CFAs. Potential: Very High
New England Patriots
The Patriots have only nine pending UFAs, and there could be a few CFA worthy contracts within: Jacoby Brissett, Deatrich Wise, Jonathan Jones, Daniel Ekuale. But with a league leading amount of money to spend, the priority likely should instead be to take advantage of free agency as appropriate while Drake Maye is on his rookie contract. Potential: Very Low
New York Jets
Major change is in the air in Florham Park as the era of Joe Douglas, Robert Saleh, and Aaron Rodgers is decisively over, and beginning is the era of Darren Mougey, Aaron Glenn, and a TBD QB. This turnover could be assisted by not bringing back most of their 22 pending UFAs. Among them include DJ Reed, Haason Reddick, and Jamein Sherwood, players that could become decently valued CFAs. The question will be whether Mougey and Glenn want to sign plenty of CFAs of their own to put their mold on the roster quickly. Potential: Moderate
Baltimore Ravens
The Ravens should remain diligent in prioritizing getting comp picks, even if their slate is not as prominent as usual. Their diligence was proven again when they claimed Diontae Johnson off waivers during the playoffs, a player that they had traded for during the regular season. Brandon Stephens and Patrick Mekari are two other high snap players with expiring contracts to watch. Never count out the Ravens even if they have to hold back a bit in unrestricted free agency. Potential: Moderate
Cincinnati Bengals
Tee Higgins was tagged again, but with 17 other pending UFAs, the Bengals still have a handful of possible CFAs out there, including Mike Hilton, Joseph Ossai, Vonn Bell, Cody Ford, BJ Hill, and Akeem Davis-Gaither. Cinicinnati may also be prioritizing their upcoming money to spend to make sure that Higgins and Ja’Marr Chase stay with Joe Burrow in the long haul, which could limit their free agency spending. Potential: Moderate
Cleveland Browns
The Browns will have to continue to navigate tight finances as they continue to suffer through the worst contract in NFL history that Deshaun Watson still holds, and that gets tighter if they end up incurring more dead money on their current salary cap by acquiescing to the trade demand of Myles Garrett. That might provide an avenue for the likes of Jedrick Wills or Jameis Winston or Elijah Moore to generate a comp pick or two if they hold off on signing other players due to the bind they’re in. Potential: Moderate
Pittsburgh Steelers
All eyes will be on where Russell Wilson and Justin Fields go. Almost any standard backup QB contract will be comp pick eligible, and even a contract that falls in the massive gap between starter and backup pay, such as a minimum of $25 million APY, should be enough to generate a 3rd round comp pick. Beyond the quarterbacks, starting left tackle Dan Moore Jr., running back Najee Harris, receivers Van Jefferson and Mike Williams, and linebacker Elandon Roberts, are also on the list. There’s plenty to work with here for the Steelers if they want to prioritize comp picks for 2026. Potential: High
Houston Texans
The Texans continue to churn through signing many low level veterans to one year contracts, most of who contribute, but few of who end up being big contributors. Among their UFAs this season, only Eric Murray and Mario Edwards Jr. logged more than 40% of the snaps. Should this churn continue, perhaps the Texans find themselves with a low comp pick in the end, but it’s nothing to rely upon. Potential: Low
Indianapolis Colts
The Colts have a pair of starting offensive linemen in Ryan Kelly and Will Fries hitting free agency, along with a trio of defensive contributors in Julian Blackmon, Dayo Odeyingbo, and EJ Speed. That can form the base of a comp pick return to work with if the Colts are limited in spending on external CFAs, even if the comp picks returned aren’t of the highest value. Potential: Moderate
Jacksonville Jaguars
The Jaguars have only 10 pending UFAs, and other than Andre Cisco and Brandon Scherff, or perhaps Mac Jones on a backup contract, there is not much else of note here. The Jaguars are renowned for spending much and often in free agency, and it shouldn’t take much of such spending for them to stay off the comp pick list. Potential: Very Low
Tennessee Titans
The Titans don’t have many UFAs of note (Dillon Radunz? Nick Westbrook-Ikhine?), and with a new GM with a roster that still needs plenty of work, this seems like a good time as any for the Titans to pounce and to use unrestricted free agency to fill out the depth chart. Potential: Low
Denver Broncos
The Broncos were very preemptive in getting their work done for 2025 and beyond in recent months. This of course includes extending Patrick Surtain, Quinn Meinerz, Jonathon Cooper, and Garett Bolles. But it also includes getting a draft pick now for Baron Browning departure by trading him to the Cardinals for a 6th round, instead of having to play the comp pick game to get it. Free agents like DJ Jones, Javonte Williams, and Cody Barton could get CFA worthy deals, but Denver may instead decide to pounce on some CFAs of their own to make use of Bo Nix’s rookie contract. Potential: Very Low
Kansas City Chiefs
Even with Trey Smith receiving the franchise tag, Kansas City will have plenty of other CFA worthy players to consider. Nick Bolton, Justin Reid, and Tershawn Wharton are among the leading defensive players hitting the market. The Chiefs have also collected many veteran wide receivers with expiring contracts: Marquise Brown, DeAndre Hopkins, Mecole Hardman, Justin Watson, and JuJu Smith-Schuster. The Chiefs may need to make some key signings at places like offensive tackle to remain near the top, but even then that should leave some comp picks left over. Potential: High
Las Vegas Raiders
The Raiders pose a bit of a fascinating case for watching where their participation in free agency will go. On the one hand, they have a numerous amount of notable players hitting unrestricted free agency–especially on defense: Malcolm Koonce, Tre’von Moehrig, Nate Hobbs, Robert Spillane, Divine Deablo. But on the other hand, this is a team that just started over again at GM and head coach, does not have an obvious answer at quarterback, and that same number of notable UFAs is creating one of the least deep charts in the league. Add in plenty of money to spend and the Raiders’ comp pick ledger might end up lengthy on both sides, which is no guarantee that picks will result from it. Potential: Low
Los Angeles Chargers
The Chargers have a very lengthy list of pending UFAs at 26, and plenty of them should be CFA worthy too. This includes Khalil Mack (albeit capped at a 5th rounder), Kristian Fulton, Bradley Bozeman, JK Dobbins, Poona Ford, Josh Palmer, and Asante Samuel Jr. Even if the Chargers re-sign a few of them, or even if they sign CFAs of their own, they should be in good shape to expand their draft capital for 2026. Potential: High
Dallas Cowboys
With Osa Odighizuwa now extended, on the one hand there aren’t many notable UFAs that could also become notable CFAs. Jourdan Lewis? Eric Kendricks? Rico Dowdle? Or perhaps Brandin Cooks, in his very first journey into free agency at age 31 after being traded four times? But on the other hand, the Cowboys always prioritize extending their own, and letting those they don’t extend walk. They also have a megacontract for Micah Parsons on the horizon. Never count the Cowboys out for comp picks, but it may not be as abundant as in most seasons. Potential: Low
New York Giants
The Giants might be able to see a comp pick materialize by letting someone like Darius Slayton or Jason Pinnock leave. Having 21 total pending UFAs also helps them prioritize their higher CFAs that do leave. But with a roster that still has plenty of work to do in order to be competitive, so too may there need to be plenty of work to do in unrestricted free agency. Potential: Low
Philadelphia Eagles
The Super Bowl champions have a trio of defenders in Milton Williams, Zack Baun, and Josh Sweat that’ll have a strong market if they aren’t retained. Mekhi Becton could also see a good contract after the Eagles resurrected his career by moving him inside. The Eagles also structure their contracts in a manner in which they are very confident in who they have on the roster for the long haul. They should be well suited for high quality comp picks if they so choose. Potential: Very High
Washington Commanders
The Commanders will be one of the most fascinating teams to watch in free agency this season. On the one hand, they have an excellent quarterback with several rookie contract seasons left to go, along with one of the highest number of snaps hitting free agency, and plenty of money to spend. That would indicate a moment to not prioritize come picks. But on the other hand, they do have a league leading 28 pending UFAs. Even if the quality of those players aren’t top tier, the sheer quantity of such players could see them ending up with a few comp picks, even if they are late ones. Potential: Moderate
Chicago Bears
The Bears have 21 pending UFAs, but none of them very notable. This includes Keenan Allen, who at 12 accrued seasons will have any comp pick attached to his contract capped at the 5th round. This is also another team that has a rookie quarterback contract to work with. Chicago always seems to find a way to cut it close with barely missing out on comp picks–will they even come close to cutting it close when they might want to get the players for Ben Johnson and his offense? Potential: Very Low
Detroit Lions
The Lions have 23 pending UFAs, so that’s the base for at least a possibly high quantity of CFAs to work with. They also have one of the deepest rosters in the league, so they might not need to retain many of them. On the other hand, they might make some targeted strikes in free agency to get over the hump as one of the leading Super Bowl contenders. Even if there’s no obvious high level CFA caliber players here, they should have the flexibility to work free agency if they want. Potential: Moderate
Green Bay Packers
The Packers have only 9 pending UFAs, shrunken very recently by the extensions of Isaiah McDuffie and Brandon McManus. But there is still Eric Stokes, Eric Wilson, Tedarrell Slaton, Josh Myers, and AJ Dillon to consider. Because the Packers have a long history of prioritizing comp picks, they can never be ruled out in getting some, even if the quantity of candidates they have to work with is low. Potential: Moderate
Minnesota Vikings
By not tagging Sam Darnold, the Vikings are poised to once again get the top 3rd round comp pick should they decide to let him walk and roll with JJ McCarthy instead. Cam Bynum, Byron Murphy, Cam Robinson, and Aaron Jones also provide much more beyond Darnold. Then add onto that the shrewd move of signing Daniel Jones to the practice squad, and activating him during the playoffs just in time for him to be eligible to become a CFA. The Vikings do have a high number of snaps from 2024 entering free agency, and like last season they may add CFAs of their own. But the presence of Darnold hitting the market alone makes them a big player for comp picks in 2026. Potential: Very High
Atlanta Falcons
The Falcons ahave 22 pending UFAs to provide a base to work with. Within that, Drew Dalman leads the list of players that could get a big deal elsewhere. Atlanta should be able to plot out a way where they can protect a high comp pick for Dalman’s departure, while still seeing enough other CFAs leave to sign a limited number of CFAs of their own. Potential: Moderate
Carolina Panthers
The Panthers have a couple high snap defensive backs hitting free agency in Xavier Woods and Mike Jackson to keep an eye on, but not much more beyond that. Carolina is likely in a position to continue to try to fill more holes on their roster right away while they still have Bryce Young on his rookie contract. Potential: Low
New Orleans Saints
It’s the same story for the Saints again: push to the brink on cap dollar allocation. This could result in another situation where the both the number of CFAs that leave and sign are low, and that can sometimes result in a comp pick since the difference is close. Paulson Adebo, Juwan Johnson, Will Harris, and Chase Young are some players to look for if the Saints do end up falling into a comp pick or two. Potential: Moderate
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The Bucs are another team that has a high number of pending UFAs at 22, and one of them in Chris Godwin that’s set to get a sizeable contract somewhere. If the Bucs don’t retain him, they should be in good shape to preserve a comp pick for his departure, even if there are other CFAs from other teams they’d like to sign. Potential: Moderate
Arizona Cardinals
The Cardinals have no real notable UFAs out there, and a solid base of draft picks in the past couple of seasons should be able to set a base for some action in free agency to give help to Kyler Murray and continue to improve upon a defense that still needs improvement. Potential: Very Low
Los Angeles Rams
With Alaric Jackson off the board due to getting extended, the next players to watch for potential Rams comp picks would be Michael Hoecht, Christian Rozeboom, Bobby Brown III, and Neville Gallimore. Even Jimmy Garoppolo could still fetch a comp pick worthy deal if he’s not retained. The Rams are the most skilled at finding gems in the mid to late rounds of the draft, and having comp picks to bolster that skill has been a big contributor to their success. Potential: Moderate
San Francisco 49ers
The 49ers have a decent amount of CFA caliber UFAs with some questions to them. Dre Greenlaw and Talanoa Hufanga have established talent but also injury concerns. Charvarius Ward will be an older corner looking for a third contract. Aaron Banks would be looking to find a fit outside the Shanahan scheme. There’s enough for San Francisco to work with here, particularly if they want to save their spending for extending Brock Purdy. Potential: Moderate
Seattle Seahawks
Seattle has only 10 pending UFAs, and only one of them is of note: Ernest Jones, who they traded a 4th round pick to get on the final season of his contract. If Jones is not extended, it would likely take a complete abstention from compensatory free agency in order to recoup the draft capital that they gave up to get him for 2024, and to get the exclusive negotiating window that they have for a few more days. Potential: Very Low