Top 5 Best NFL Free Agents Remaining After Aaron Rodgers Signing

With Aaron Rodgers officially signing with the Pittsburgh Steelers, the biggest name in free agency left is off the board. We’ll be ranking the top 5 remaining free agents and the best fit for each of them. 

#5: Julian Blackmon, S

He might not have the best stats or the flashiest plays, but Julian Blackmon is a solid safety. He’s only 26 years old, but he has a lot of experience for someone so young. Blackmon was 6th in snap count among all safeties in 2024. He’s a slightly above average safety that somehow still has not landed back on his feet after spending the first 5 years of his career with Indianapolis. 

With being one of the youngest free agents remaining and someone who can plug in as a starter on a lot of teams, we expect him to land on his feet before preseason kicks off. The best landing fit for Blackmon would be the Cincinnati Bengals. They have a rather weak secondary and could use someone with experience. The area that Blackmon could improve upon is breaking up passes, while playing for a team like Cincinnati where a lot of shoot-outs occur, this would be a necessary improvement. 

#4: Amari Cooper, WR

The 5-time Pro Bowler, Amari Cooper has found himself without a job. This is an unfamiliar place for Cooper as he has been with 4 different teams in his career. This past stint with the Bills was by far his worst as he only managed 37.1 yards per game, the lowest of his career. Cooper has managed 7 seasons above 1,000 yards, but we don’t expect him to come anywhere near that anytime soon. Cooper will be entering his age-31 season, with likely the 5th team of his career. Cooper’s days as a WR1 and WR2 are over, but there’s a lot of teams that could use him for a WR3. Several teams like the Los Angeles Chargers, New England Patriots, or New York Giants could benefit from a bridge receiver while they are rebuilding. This would be a good sendoff to a great career for Cooper. 

#3: Rasul Douglas, CB

Despite not recording an interception in 2024, Rasul Douglas still made an impact in coverage. He finished in the top quarter of cornerbacks in receptions allowed in 2024. Outside of that, his stats were a bit down compared to what we’re used to seeing from the veteran cornerback. He might not have made a Pro Bowl in his career, but Douglas still is someone that can make an immediate impact as a second / 3rd cornerback on a team. A good landing fit would be a reunion with a team he played with in his early days in Green Bay.

#2: Asante Samuel Jr, CB

An injury that sidelined him for most of 2024 is why the Chargers decided to not keep Samuel Jr around longer. He’s still only 25 years old and really only has 3 years of playing under his belt. We expect him to recover from his neck injury, but he’s still not going to be in top shape until at least the start of the regular season. A team like the Dolphins who need secondary help could benefit from someone on a cheap deal. The Dolphins defense has been depleted in recent years and a two-year deal for someone that’s coming off an injury and trying to prove themselves is the perfect situation. 

#1: J.K. Dobbins, RB

It’s been a rough career riddled with injuries for J.K. Dobbins so far. He’s been in the league for 4 years and has 2 season-ending injuries and then a smaller injury in his 4th year. We don’t know how much more his body can endure, but he’s going to fight as much as he can to play while he still can. When he does play, he’s a force to be reckoned with and a dangerous playmaker. He put up 800 yards in his rookie season and over 900 in his bounce back campaign with the Chargers. The injuries is what’s been scaring teams off from signing him which is understandable, but they don’t need to have him be the RB1 on the team. With more teams opting to have running back committees, this would be perfect for Dobbins to join and take some of the pressure off of him & his legs. A couple teams that could use a committee are the Dallas Cowboys, the Denver Broncos, or the Chicago Bears. All would instantly benefit from having an explosive talent on their team, all while having a decent backup in their place if things go awry.