Ranking top 10 NFL offseason moves by how much they’ll impact 2025, plus explaining Shemar Stewart’s situation

Between free agency, trades and the draft, there were a lot moves made by the NFL’s 32 teams this offseason. And since Tyler Sullivan is crazy, he decided to go through EVERY single one of those moves this week so he could rank the 10 best ones based on how they might impact the 2025 season. 

With that in mind, let’s check out the top three moves on his list: 

• Matthew Stafford restructures his contract with the Rams. “With Stafford, L.A. is in the Super Bowl conversation thanks to the continued presence of Sean McVay, along with an emerging defense. Without him, the Rams likely would’ve been forced to look at other options like Jimmy Garoppolo, Aaron Rodgers, or some draft prospect. Regardless of who would’ve been under center, Los Angeles would’ve been categorically worse and nowhere close to the Super Bowl ceiling it currently possesses.”
• Lions lose both coordinators. “Both Ben Johnson and Aaron Glenn left the organization this offseason after being hired as head coaches by the Bears and Jets, respectively. While Detroit still has Dan Campbell at the helm as head coach and the vast majority of its core roster intact, their departures are a big variable, as they were each sensational on their respective sides of the ball.”
• Bengals keep Tee Higgins and Mike Gesicki, but do nothing on defense. “Instead of signing Higgins and/or Gesicki, there was a strong case to be made for Cincinnati to use that capital to bolster the defensive side of the ball, even if that meant taking a small step backwards offensively. After all, the Bengals had six losses when the offense scored 25 or more points last season, which tied an NFL record.”

We’ve got Sullivan’s full list, and you can check it out here. 

2. There’s only one unsigned first-round pick left: Breaking down the Shemar Stewart situation

For the second straight year, there are 31 first-round draft picks signed by July 16, and for the second-straight year, the Bengals are the one team that has yet to get their first-rounder under contract. The team is currently in a contract stalemate with Shemar Stewart, and since it’s hard to get details on the situation, we asked former NFL agent Joel Corry to break things down. 

Here’s what you need to know: 

• This is a situation we haven’t seen in seven years. Since rookie contracts are slotted — for instance, Stewart knows his four-year deal is going to be worth $18.97 million — there’s not usually much negotiation involved in these deals. In this case, the two sides are haggling over “language in Stewart’s contract that would trigger the voiding of his salary guarantees with a breach or default by him.” This kind of dispute hasn’t been seen since Roquan Smith negotiated his rookie deal with the Bears in 2018. Smith ended up missing the first two weeks of training camp before signing his deal. 
• What the Bengals are trying to do. As Corry notes, “Most teams have language stating that all guarantees void with any breach or default by a player.” The Bengals are trying to add that language, but Stewart’s camp is against it because the Bengals didn’t ask any of their past three first-round picks to sign a deal with that specific language. (If you want to know what can cause of breach of contract, you can read the specific language from a player contract in Corry’s story.)
• How Corry would fix things. Since the amount of money can’t be changed, Corry suggests upping Stewart’s signing bonus. It’s currently scheduled to be $10.44 million (with the other $8.53 million coming in base salary). If the Bengals upped that to $12 million, then there would only be $6.97 million of Stewart’s money that would be subject to the contract voids that the Bengals are trying to implement. 

If you’re a Bengals fan (or if you love reading about the minutiae in contracts), then Corry’s full story is a must-read and you can check it out here. 

3. Ranking rookies under the most pressure to succeed in 2025

For most rookies, there’s not a ton of pressure on you during your first year in the NFL, because you’re not necessarily expected to contribute right away. But that’s not the case for everyone. Chris Trapasso made a list of five rookies who will be facing the most pressure this year, and we’re going to check out his top three: 

1. DT Mason Graham, Browns (fifth overall pick). “The Browns had the opportunity to pick Travis Hunter, but they passed on him. More specifically, they accepted a trade offer from the Jaguars to move back from that second pick to No. 5 overall and ultimately picked Graham. Think there’s added pressure on the young interior rusher? Yeah, I’d say so.”

2. Ashton Jeanty, Raiders (sixth overall pick). “Jeanty was the most hyped running back prospect since at least Saquon Barkley in 2018. … Short but ultra-stocky with incredible contact balance and breakaway speed, Jeanty will instantly be the focal point of Chip Kelly’s new offense in Las Vegas.”

3. Tetairoa McMillan, Panthers (eighth overall pick). “McMillan was the first pure receiver off the board — not counting Hunter — and he was picked to further the developmental process of 2023 No. 1 overall pick Bryce Young.”

You can see Trapasso’s full list here. 

4. Robert Kraft and Bill Belichick don’t seem to like each other

It’s been just over 18 months since the Patriots parted ways with Bill Belichick as their head coach, and although they say that time heals all wounds, it seems like Belichick isn’t quite over being let go. 

Here’s what you need to know: 

• Patriots owner Robert Kraft said hiring Belichick was his best move, but also his riskiest. During a podcast conversation with Julian Edelman and Rob Gronkowski, Kraft broke down why hiring Belichick was his riskiest decision. “The one that got questioned the most was in [1999],” Kraft said. “I gave up a No. 1 draft pick for a coach who had only won a little over 40 percent of his games. … Getting Bill Belichick to come to the Patriots in 1999 was a big risk, and I got hammered in the Boston media, but he was with us for 24 years, and we did OK.”
• Kraft’s comments seemed like a compliment. The Patriots owner definitely didn’t take a shot at Belichick with his quote. At best, it was a compliment that recognized Belichick’s highly successful 24 years in New England. At worse, it was a back-handed compliment with Kraft kind of crediting himself for making a risky move that ended up paying off. So how did Belichick react? 
• Belichick didn’t seem happy about Kraft’s comment. Belichick was so upset with Kraft’s remark that he went out of his way to send a statement to ESPN to rebut what Kraft said. According to Belichick, he was actually the one who took the risk. “As I told Robert multiple times through the years, I took a big risk by taking the New England Patriots head coaching job,” Belichick said. “I already had an opportunity to be the Head Coach of the New York Jets, but the ownership situation was unstable.” 
• Belichick said he had actually been told to NOT take the Patriots job. “I had been warned by multiple previous Patriots’ coaches, as well as other members of other NFL organizations and the media, that the New England job was going to come with many internal obstacles,” Belichick said. 

It seems that Belichick still has some bitter feelings toward Kraft and the Patriots. If you want the full details on the feud, we’ve got them here. 

5. Five teams that need to bring their throwbacks out of retirement

The 2025 season is turning into the year of the new uniform. There are at least 15 teams that will be unveiling a new alternate or throwback look this year, including the Saints, Chargers and Buccaneers, who have already unveiled their uniforms. 

There are still a few iconic throwback uniforms out there that haven’t been brought out of retirement, so Jeff Kerr thought he would rank the top five throwback uniforms he wants to see. 

Let’s check out the top three on his wish list: 

1. Bills (1987-2001 home uniforms): “The Bills haven’t brought back the red helmet yet, although Josh Allen has teased it a few times. They need an alternate helmet, and the red throwback with the 1990s home jersey and pants would be the perfect touch.”

2. Eagles (1985-95 road uniforms): “The Eagles ‘Kelly Green’ jerseys are immensely popular, so much so that more people at Lincoln Financial Field wear the ‘Kelly Green’ over the home ‘Midnight Green.’ Since the Buccaneers unveiled the road version of the ‘orange Creamsicle’ uniforms, why don’t other teams do the same? The white jerseys would fly off the shelves and look great on the field.”

3. Patriots (1995-99 home uniforms): “The uniforms the Patriots wore in the late 1990s were everything 90s, from the ‘Flying Elvis’ on the helmet and sleeve to the futuristic numbers. Incredible these jerseys only lasted five years, but they resembled a fun decade of uniforms.”

Kerr has two more throwbacks on his wish list, and you can see those uniforms here. 

6. Extra points: Commanders expected to sign former Super Bowl MVP

It’s not the busiest time in the NFL, but there’s still a lot happening, so I went ahead and put together a small roundup for you. 

• Chiefs‘ Rashee Rice sentenced to 30 days in jail. Rashee Rice has officially been sentenced for the role he played in a six-vehicle crash last March. According to ESPN, the Chiefs receiver has been given five years probation and 30 days of jail time. The jail time can be served at any point over the five-year period of his probation. The expectation now is that Rice will be given a multi-game suspension by the NFL and that the punishment will start at the beginning of the 2025 season. 
• Von Miller says he’s signing with Washington. The eight-time Pro Bowler took to social media on Wednesday night to announce that he plans on signing with the Commanders. According to ESPN, the 36-year-old Miller is expected to sign a one-year deal. You can read more about Miller’s signing here. Will an aging Miller actually be able to contribute in Washington? Jared Dubin tried to answer that question here. 
• 49ers second-round pick signs rookie deal. Going into this week, there were only two second-round picks who had signed their rookie deal, but that number is now up to three after San Francisco’s Alfred Collins signed his deal on Wednesday night. Collins was taken with the 43rd overall pick, and now that he’s under contract, that could pave the way for players taken behind him to get their deals done. There are still 31 unsigned draft picks, and if you want to see the full list, we’ve got that here. 
• Najee Harris to start training camp on the non-football injury (NFI) list. Harris won’t be on the field for the Chargers’ first practice of training camp. Instead, the running back is expected to start camp on the NFI list due to the “superficial” eye injury he suffered on July 4. That being said, Chargers general manager Joe Hortiz admitted that team doctors still haven’t gotten a chance to see Harris, so no decision will be made until that happens. You can read more about Harris here. 
• Former Super Bowl champion dies at 38. Former NFL player Bryan Braman, who won a Super Bowl with the Eagles in 2017, passed away Thursday morning, his agent confirmed. Braman had been diagnosed with a rare and aggressive form of cancer back in February. Several of his former teammates offered their condolences on social media, including JJ Watt. Braman spent seven years in the NFL with three coming in Houston (2011-13) and four coming in Philadelphia (2014-17). You can read more about his life here. 

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Author: John Breech
July 17, 2025 | 1:25 pm

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