NFL Free Agency primer: Aaron Rodgers, Russell Wilson, Sam Darnold to make big decisions on next teams

The NFL's escaped bureau negotiating model opens Monday astatine noon successful the lead-up to the commencement of the caller league twelvemonth connected Wednesday, arsenic immoderate of the league's biggest players person immoderate large decisions to make. 

Big-name quarterbacks Aaron Rodgers, Russell Wilson and Sam Darnold volition beryllium among the biggest stories of escaped agency, arsenic each 3 volition trial the unfastened marketplace successful hunt of their adjacent teams. Justin Fields is the different backmost successful this escaped cause people that volition besides punctual curiosity from teams, arsenic they find whether helium tin beryllium a starter successful 2025. 

Outside of quarterbacks, prima borderline rushers Joey Bosa, Kahlil Mack and Josh Sweat, antiaircraft tackle Milton Williams, and wide receiver Josh Godwin volition beryllium the highly-coveted presumption players that teams volition bid for this week. 

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Los Angeles Chargers linebacker Joey Bosa, #97, during the archetypal 4th against the Carolina Panthers astatine Bank of America Stadium. (Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images)

For respective teams, the upcoming week volition beryllium nether dense scrutiny by the media and fans. The New York Giants, New England Patriots and Cincinnati Bengals are among the teams that volition person the astir eyeballs connected them arsenic they look to navigate a consequential escaped agency. 

The Giants, aft finishing with their worst grounds of the modern era, are successful hunt of a caller backmost aft moving connected from Daniel Jones successful the mediate of past season. Despite holding the 3rd wide prime successful the upcoming draft, the Giants person been linked to imaginable veterans similar Rodgers and Wilson. ESPN's Jordan Ranaan adjacent reports that it is "likely" the Giants extremity up with Rodgers. The Giants lone person $47.6 cardinal successful headdress abstraction to enactment with. 

The Patriots person the imaginable to beryllium the league's biggest spenders this offseason, with the astir wage headdress abstraction among each teams astatine astir $130 million. The Patriots are looking to get backmost to the playoffs for the archetypal clip since 2021 and lone the 2nd clip since the departure of Tom Brady, and volition look to enactment the pieces astir second-year backmost Drake Maye and caller caput manager Mike Vrabel. 

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New England Patriots caput manager Mike Vrabel, left, smiles portion posing with squad proprietor Robert Kraft during an availability connected Monday, Jan. 13, 2025 successful Foxborough, Massachusetts. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)

The Bengals volition beryllium looking to bounce backmost from back-to-back seasons of missing the playoffs arsenic they look to support their violative halfway intact astir Joe Burrow. The squad placed the franchise tag connected wide receiver Tee Higgins for the 2nd twelvemonth successful a row, arsenic it looks to fastener up its violative weapons successful Higgins and Ja'Marr Chase with semipermanent deals. The Bengals person $62 cardinal successful headdress abstraction to enactment with. 

Meanwhile, the Minnesota Vikings person 1 of the biggest decisions successful the league, and 1 that is apt to impact the options and strategies of different teams. After Darnold led Minnesota to the playoffs this past play but played poorly successful their playoff nonaccomplishment and their part title-deciding nonaccomplishment the week prior, the Vikings volition request to determine whether to re-sign the seasoned quarterback. 

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Minnesota Vikings backmost Sam Darnold, #14, and Minnesota Vikings caput manager Kevin O'Connell and fullback C.J. Ham, #30, look connected earlier the crippled against the Detroit Lions astatine U.S. Bank Stadium successful Minneapolis connected Oct. 20, 2024. (Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images)

The Vikings drafted erstwhile Michigan National Champion J.J. McCarthy successful past year's draft, and galore assumed McCarthy would beryllium the team's backmost of the future. However, aft a amazingly bully play from Darnold, it mightiness not beryllium that simple, and if Minnesota does bring the seasoned back, it could mean McCarthy becomes disposable for a trade. 

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