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Things started to settle down a bit during the fourth day of the 2025 NFL free agency season. But while Thursday didn’t generate the same buzz as the previous three days did, there was still plenty of notable signings that will undoubtedly impact what happens this season.
The Washington Commanders re-signed two of their veteran receivers a day after the Commanders re-signed veteran backup Marcus Mariota. The defending Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles signed a veteran rusher. The Las Vegas Raiders acquired former Pro Bowl running back Raheem Mostert, while the New England Patriots had to say goodbye to a franchise icon. Those were just a few of the transactions that occurred on Thursday.
Of course, we can’t talk free agency without discussing Aaron Rodgers, who has yet to make a decision on who he plays for this season. While they (along with the New York Giants) continue to wait for an answer, the Pittsburgh Steelers signed another quarterback who could serve as a bridge option in the event that Rodgers doesn’t come to Pittsburgh.
Here’s a rundown of the Thursday’s winners and losers, starting with one of the teams that is still trying to resolve its quarterback situation.
Winners: Steelers and Mason Rudolph
It’ll be one of the ironic situations in recent NFL history if Rudolph is now called to lead the Steelers offense after Pittsburgh initially drafted him to possibly be Ben Roethlisberger’s successor back in 2018. The Steelers reportedly came to terms with Rudolph (who spent the 2024 season with the Titans) on a two-year, $8 million deal on Thursday.
The signing of Rudolph accomplishes two things for the Steelers. It gives them a backup plan if the Rodgers’ deal falls through. The Steelers could then start Rudolph in 2025 while drafting a quarterback next month. If Rodgers does come to Pittsburgh, Rudolph can reprise his previous role as a reliable backup who has an 8-4-1 record as the Steelers’ starting quarterback.
Losers: Patriots and David Andrews
To be clear, the Patriots and Andrews are only “losers” from the sense that their highly successful partnership is coming to an end, an unfortunate circumstance for both parties.
Andrews, a 10-year veteran, eight-time captain and a starter on the Patriots’ two most recent Super Bowl championship teams, was released on Thursday as he continues to recover from shoulder surgery that limited him to four games in 2024. Andrews may decide to continue playing, but if he does elect to retire, the Patriots are expected to honor his career and his numerous contributions to the franchise over the past decade.
Winners: Commanders
A day after bringing back Mariota, Washington re-signed offensive guard Trent Scott (who started in January’s NFC title game at right guard), Noah Brown (the recipient of Jayden Daniels‘ game-winning Hail Mary last year against the Bears) and fellow receiver KJ Osborn, who caught 15 touchdowns during a three-year span during his time with the Minnesota Vikings.
These signings serve as evidence that the Commanders are prioritizing Daniels’ comfort level by retaining receivers he’s familiar with while also bringing back a quarterback who has served as a positive mentor for the young quarterback. On top of that, Mariota is a quality backup who threw four touchdowns (and no interceptions) while completing 77.3% of his 44 pass attempts during his first season in Washington.
Losers: Texans O-line
While change can be a good thing, it isn’t if it’s done solely just for the sake of doing something different. That appears to be the case with the Texans and how they are rebuilding an offensive line that wasn’t very good last year and could be even worse in 2025 given their recent moves.
After parting with Kenyon Green, the Texans acquired two guards who also struggle to pass protect in one-on-one situations after signing Laken Tomlinson and trading for former Vikings second-round pick Ed Ingram. Ingram and Tomlinson, respectively, owned the first- and third-worst success rates in those situations in 2024 (via Yahoo Sports).
Tomlinson is 33, so the odds of him getting significantly better next year is not great. And while Ingram is just 26, Houston shouldn’t necessarily bank on him making big strides, especially not at C.J. Stroud’s expense.
Winner: Bears and Olamide Zaccheaus
Chicago’s strong offseason continued on Thursday with the reported signing of Zaccheaus, who will now catch passes from last year’s No. 1 overall pick (Caleb Williams) after having a career year in 2024 with the No. 2 overall pick (Daniels) throwing him the ball. Zaccheaus, 27, caught a career-high 45 passes last year while helping the Commanders reach the NFC title game. He became expendable after Washington’s signings of Brown and Osborn.
Losers: Eagles
It’s hard to call the defending champs “losers,” but the Eagles nonetheless made a questionable signing on Thursday. After losing Josh Sweat to Arizona and with Brandon Graham’s future uncertain, the Eagles signed veteran Josh Uche in an effort to bolster their pass rush.
A five-year veteran, Uche has had just one productive season, when he tallied 11.5 sacks back in 2022 as a member of the Patriots. He had just two sacks last year and didn’t record any during his six games in Kansas City after he was traded from New England.
Making this signing more confusing was the fact that there are better pass rushers still out there, including Dante Fowler, who recorded 10.5 sacks last year in Washington.
Winner: Gardner Minshew
It’s hard to find jobs right now if you’re a veteran quarterback, which is one of the reasons why Minshew was tabbed as a “winner.” Not only is Minshew employed again, he’s going to Kansas City and will get the chance to work with Patrick Mahomes and Andy Reid. Not a bad spot to be in.
Minshew has also had playmaking abilities, but in Kansas City, Reid will likely try to work with him on cutting back on turning the ball over, which has been his Achilles’ heel.
Losers: Russell Wilson
It was a long shot that Wilson’s visit with the Browns on Thursday was going to end with a new contract, but the fact that that’s how things went down surely didn’t feel good for a 10-time Pro Bowl quarterback who is still looking for a job. Wilson will now meet with the Giants on Friday after New York reportedly met with Joe Flacco, another former Super Bowl champion quarterback looking for work.
