The 2025 NFL offseason is underway, and soon, activity will kick into high gear. Already plenty of notable names have hit the open market (i.e. Davante Adams, Tyler Lockett, Joey Bosa) but plenty more are available via trade (i.e. DK Metcalf), and dozens of others will be free to negotiate with other clubs starting March 10.
One position group, in particular, might be underrated going into the veteran market: the safety spot.
Last offseason, several teams mined Pro Bowl-caliber safety production from free agency, with the Green Bay Packers adding Xavier McKinney from the New York Giants, and the Philadelphia Eagles reuniting with C.J. Gardner-Johnson. Both additions made instant impacts for their respective clubs, with McKinney logging a career-high eight interceptions and Gardner-Johnson helping lead the NFL’s top-ranked defense to a Super Bowl win.
So which safeties could draw the most attention this time around? Where could they end up? And what kind of money could they command once they’re free to talk numbers with all 32 teams? Here’s our rundown of top free agents at the position, plus logical team fits and projected contract values:
Note: Player ages are as of the start of the 2025 NFL season (Sept. 4).
Honorable mention
- Andre Cisco (Jaguars): Only 25, Cisco was once a high point of Jacksonville’s secondary, combining for seven picks from 2022-2023, but he was demoted in his contract year. He’s still young and experienced enough to warrant another shot at a top gig.
- Justin Simmons (Falcons): One of the game’s premier ballhawks at the height of his Denver Broncos run, Simmons is now on the wrong side of 30, coming off a so-so stint with Atlanta. His instincts should enable him to hang around as part of a safety rotation.
- Julian Blackmon (Colts): With seven picks in his last two seasons, he’s shown a knack for tracking the ball. Missed tackles and lingering injuries have been a concern, though. With more than 60 starts under his belt, he should still have a quality market.
- Jeremy Chinn (Commanders): The former Carolina Panthers standout finally stayed upright on a one-year, prove-it deal, doing a little bit of everything for Dan Quinn. He remains more of a quasi-linebacker than a true cover safety, but in the right role, he can help set the tone.
- Harrison Smith (Vikings): It seems unlikely Smith will want to play anywhere but Minnesota if he returns at 36, having spent his entire 13-year career in purple. His range and speed are obviously in decline, but even at his age, he remains a hard-hitting locker-room favorite.
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Cody Benjamin
Age: 25 | Current Team: San Francisco 49ers
Not too long ago, Hufanga looked like the next big thing on the back end, emerging as a tenacious ball hawk with four picks and nine pass breakups in 2022, his first season as a full-timer. Injuries have since rewritten his trajectory, costing him 17 combined games over the last two years. The former USC product is still just 25, though, and flashed All-Pro range when operating at full speed. He’s primed for more of a prove-it deal thanks to the durability concerns, but he offers major upside, especially if used in a rotation.
- Projected value: $8 million-$10 million per year
- Best team fits: Colts, Commanders, Jets, Steelers, Texans
Age: 27 | Current Team: Minnesota Vikings
Best known for orchestrating the Vikings’ elaborate defensive celebrations, Bynum isn’t necessarily an imposing presence as an open-field tackler, but all he’s done throughout his run in Minnesota is stay around the ball; since taking over as a full-timer in 2022, he’s combined for seven picks, seven forced or recovered fumbles and 25 pass breakups. Those numbers will likely price him out of Brian Flores’ defense. His size and play style suggest he’s best deployed as a true free safety, roaming in coverage.
- Projected value: $12 million-$15 million per year
- Best team fits: Bills, Colts, Dolphins, Raiders, Vikings
Age: 28 | Current Team: Kansas City Chiefs
If Hufanga is the splashy but volatile option of the top free agent safeties, then Reid is the safe and sturdy bet. While he hasn’t always been a big-play machine, he does just about everything well, bringing both fundamentals and physicality to the position. His situational reliability made him a perfect match for the Kansas City Chiefs, with whom he won two Super Bowls, but he was also a leader with the Houston Texans to open his career, making him a seamless plug-and-play projection for any contender.
- Projected value: $12 million-$15 million per year
- Best team fits: Dolphins, Falcons, 49ers, Jets, Vikings
2. Tre’von Moehrig
Age: 26 | Current Team: Las Vegas Raiders
Moehrig is somewhat of a tricky evaluation due to his playing on mostly dismal Las Vegas Raiders defenses, but the production and physical tools are solid. A second-round pick out of TCU in 2021, he’s improved every year at the NFL level, stepping up with a career-high 104 tackles and 10 pass breakups in 2024, when the Raiders lost fellow safety Marcus Epps to injury. Moehrig has also been durable, missing just two games in four seasons, making him ripe for a sizable payday as someone’s No. 1.
- Projected value: $12 million-$16 million per year
- Best team fits: Colts, Commanders, Jaguars, 49ers, Raiders
Age: 25 | Current Team: Miami Dolphins
The Ringer’s Sheil Kapadia suggested Holland could be this year’s Xavier McKinney, and the comparison makes sense: He’s been electric, if a little erratic, for an otherwise so-so team, but now has the chance to not only cash in but elevate his playmaking with a superior setup. He logged just one pick over his last two seasons, but Holland has shown at his peak to be a game-changer, with a 99-yard pick-six as evidence. It’s possible, going on 26, he’s yet to enter his prime, and odds are he’ll try to do so outside of Miami.
- Projected value: $15 million-$20 million per year
- Best team fits: Broncos, Colts, Dolphins, Jaguars, Panthers, Vikings
