The NFL's 2025 new league year is nearly upon us.
At 12 p.m. ET Monday, the league's "negotiation period" will open and allow teams to contact and enter contract negotiations with the 2025 class of unrestricted free agents. On Wednesday at 4 p.m. ET, they can put pen to paper.
Some of the best players in this year's class come on the defensive side of the football. Here are the top five due to hit free agency in 2025, pulled from list of the top 50 free agents compiled by Matt Verderame and Gilberto Manzano:
5. Charvarius Ward, CB, San Francisco 49ers
After going undrafted out of Middle Tennessee State in 2018, Charvarius Ward spent his inaugural NFL offseason with the Dallas Cowboys before a trade in late August sent him to the Kansas City Chiefs. He took the opportunity and ran with it and over four seasons in KC, tallying 222 tackles, 29 passes defensed, and four interceptions while winning Super Bowl LIV with the club in 2019.
Ward entered unrestricted free agency in the spring of 2022 and went on to sign a three-year, $42 million contract with the San Francisco 49ers. In 2023, he led the NFL with 23 passes defensed while also bringing down five interceptions—earning himself a second-team All-Pro nod.
Set to become a free agent for the second time, the 28-year-old will again look to cash in on the open market.
4. Byron Murphy Jr., CB, Minnesota Vikings
Byron Murphy Jr. was drafted by the Cardinals in the second round (pick No. 33) of the 2019 NFL draft and spent his first four seasons in Arizona before hitting free agency in 2023. He went on to sign a two-year, $17.5 million deal with the Minnesota Vikings, and after a down first season, came back strong in 2024 with a career-high six interceptions—earning a Pro Bowl nod.
He and the Vikings agreed to push back the void date on his contract until March 11, indicating that they'd like to come to terms on a new deal before free agency begins. Wherever he lands, Murphy—at 5'11" and 190 pounds—has the versatility to play both in the slot and on the outside as a perimeter cornerback.
3. Jevon Holland, S, Miami Dolphins
Dolphins defender Jevon Holland is among the top—if not the top—safeties in the NFL, and expected to be handed a big bag of cash next week when free agency opens up.
A 6'1", 200+ pound do-it-all safety, Holland can roam the box and lay the boom while also having the ability to be sticky in coverage—as evidenced by his 20 career passes defensed and five interceptions. The Dolphins have just over $12 million in salary cap space heading into 2025 and are pretty tied up with the contracts of Tua Tagovailoa, Tyreek Hill, and Jaylen Waddle. After drafting him in the second round of the 2021 NFL draft, they'll likely have to let their 25-year-old star walk away.
2. Milton Williams, DT, Philadelphia Eagles
Defensive tackle Milton Williams burst onto the scene for the Eagles in 2024, notching a career-high five sacks over 17 regular games while playing a huge role in the team's Super Bowl LIX win—taking down Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes 2.5 times.
Philadelphia has made several moves of late to free up some salary cap space, but also inked linebacker Zach Baun to a three-year, $51 million contract extension on Wednesday. Whether they have enough room for Williams remains to be seen. Either way, the 25-year-old is set up for a massive payday.
1. Josh Sweat, edge, Philadelphia Eagles
Speaking of the Eagles' salary cap restraints, edge defender Josh Sweat is set to be the top free agent on the market—and he'll have plenty of suitors.
Sweat was drafted by Philadelphia in the fourth round (pick No. 130) of the 2018 NFL draft, and over the course of his seven-year career has logged 43 sacks, 237 total tackles, and helped the Birds win Super Bowl LIX over the Chiefs in February.
The former Florida State Seminoles star has a lot of ball left in front of him at just 27 years old, and will make life easier for just about any defensive coordinator you put him in front of next season.
