Top Five NFL Free-Agent Signings: Rams Earn High Marks for Davante Adams

Los Angeles hope Adams's proven veteran presence will be the missing piece for a young roster on the cusp of championship contention.

Adams notched 85 catches for 1,063 yards and eight touchdowns with the Raiders and Jets last season. / Bryan Bennett / Getty Images

Creating a list for best free-agent signings wasn’t easy because of the minimal talent that hit the open market this year.

Most teams opted to re-sign their own—even the economical Cincinnati Bengals splurged to retain star wideouts Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins. The cap-restricted Kansas City Chiefs decided to slap the hefty franchise tag on guard Trey Smith instead of taking their chances with a suspect group of free-agent guards.

Other teams justified giving up draft capital for proven players on the trade markets, including the Las Vegas Raiders and Pittsburgh Steelers in the deals for Geno Smith and DK Metcalf, respectively.

But there were a handful of deals executed for external free agents that could pay off for teams in the 2025 season. We decided to challenge ourselves by avoiding sign-and-trade moves and contract extensions for this list of the five best free-agent signings.

5. Mekhi Becton, OG, Los Angeles Chargers

Becton helping the Philadelphia Eagles win a Super Bowl with his stellar run blocking wasn’t enough for teams to forget about his injury history and shaky play with the New York Jets to start his career. But it’s all about the right fit and it made too much sense for the Chargers to take a chance on Becton, 25, who reportedly signed for a two-year, $20 million deal. That’s a bargain price compared to what Will Fries (five years, $88 million) and Aaron Banks (four years, $77 million) got from the Minnesota Vikings and Green Bay Packers, respectively.

Perhaps it’s a bad sign that the Eagles passed on retaining Becton, but they decided to use their money elsewhere because they’re stacked on the offensive line and are capable of plugging in a cheaper option at right guard (Philadelphia traded for Kenyon Green). The Chargers aren’t as loaded on their offensive line, but Becton could thrive playing next to stud right tackle Joe Alt. Becton doesn’t need to be perfect in pass protection playing with Alt and Rashawn Slater blocking on the opposite end for Justin Herbert.

Becton’s tenacity in the running game will open up lanes for fellow newcomer Najee Harris. He’s the kind of lineman that will quickly gain respect from coach Jim Harbaugh, who prefers to have a stout rushing attack instead of having Herbert drop back 40 times per game.

4. Drew Dalman, C, Chicago Bears

No team needed Dalman’s services more than the Bears, who allowed Caleb Williams to get sacked 68 times in his rookie season. Dalman, a 2021 fourth-round pick, delivered three consecutive seasons of stellar play as the Atlanta Falcons’ starting center, excelling in run blocking and providing steady pass protection.

Sure, Dalman benefited from playing next to stud guard Chris Lindstrom and an Atlanta offensive line featuring tackles Jake Matthews and Kaleb McGary. But Dalman will play on a Chicago offensive line that suddenly has plenty of talent after the trades for guards Jonah Jackson and Joe Thuney. Dalman has already proven he’s capable of being the glue that holds it all together on game days. He’ll likely be worth every penny on his three-year, $42 million deal that made him the second-highest paid center in the league behind Kansas City’s Creed Humphrey.

Holland made 57 starts in four years with the Dolphins. / Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

3. Jevon Holland, S, New York Giants

While the Giants continue to wait for a starting quarterback, they already found their signal-caller on the defensive side. Holland ascended with the Miami Dolphins as one of the best safeties in the league because of his ability to patrol multiple positions.

Holland, however, struggled last season with a Dolphins’ defense that played most of the year without their top edge rushers. Holland, a 2021 second-round pick, could return to being a Swiss Army knife behind a Giants’ defensive front featuring Dexter Lawrence II, Brian Burns and Kayvon Thibodeaux. Also, the Giants didn’t need to break the bank to land Holland, signing the standout safety to a three-year, $45 million deal.

Last year, New York made the mistake of letting safety Xavier McKinney walk to Green Bay on a four-year, $67 million deal, only to watch him rack up eight interceptions. Now, the Giants could have one of the better defenses in the league after adding Holland and cornerback Paulson Adebo last week.

2. Josh Sweat, Edge, Arizona Cardinals

You could argue that the Cardinals overpaid for an edge rusher who has reached double-digit sacks only once in seven NFL seasons. But it was slim pickings for the Cardinals on the open market, and it’s hard to fault them for doing whatever it took to land the best pass rusher available to fill their biggest need.

The move to sign Sweat to a four-year, $76.4 million contract isn’t as risky when you consider the fact that he already has familiarity with coach Jonathan Gannon, who helped Sweat reach 11 sacks when he was the Eagles’ defensive coordinator in 2022. Sweat might not fit the bill as a No. 1 edge rusher, but he often made clutch plays and consistently applied pressure on opposing quarterbacks during his time in Philadelphia.

Now, Gannon is hoping Sweat can continue making impact plays for an Arizona defense that has somewhat overachieved the past two seasons, despite the lack of talent on the defensive line. Perhaps the Cardinals take the Eagles’ approach and prioritize depth over star power when it comes to the defensive front. The Cardinals are well on their way to achieving that with the signings of Sweat, defensive tackle Dalvin Tomlinson and 2024 first-round pick Darius Robinson.

1. Davante Adams, WR, Los Angeles Rams

The last time the Rams splurged on a veteran free agent for a team they viewed as a Super Bowl contender, they ended up getting one subpar season from Allen Robinson II before losing 12 games in 2022.

Three years after that bad signing, the Rams again view themselves as being a player away after rebuilding the roster through the draft. They’re banking on Adams to aid a young core in Los Angeles for what could be Matthew Stafford’s final season with the Rams. There’s plenty of risk here with signing a 32-year-old wide receiver to a two-year, $46 million deal, but Adams proved last season with the New York Jets and Las Vegas Raiders that he’s still capable of making dynamic plays, recording 85 catches for 1,063 yards and eight touchdowns. He’s certainly a better player than what Robinson had to offer heading into his lone season with the Rams in 2022. And he’s an improvement over Cooper Kupp, whom Adams is replacing as Los Angeles’s No. 2 wide receiver.

Adams should be a dangerous perimeter player for Stafford, especially with 50/50 balls. But what truly could make this one of the best free-agent signings in the league is how much this could help Puka Nacua, the do-it-all receiver in Sean McVay’s offense. Nacua generated plenty of plays the past two seasons, despite opposing defenses not needing to account for another big-play threat. They now can’t pay him as much attention with the 6'1," 215-pound Adams playing in the role of X receiver.