The Cleveland Browns enter the 2025 NFL offseason over the league’s salary cap, and the franchise will need to shave more than $30 million from its payroll before the upcoming season.
That’s a sticky situation for the Browns to navigate, especially with several Cleveland players entering free agency.
Some of those players will be among the most sought-after free agents this cycle, according to PFF.
Currently, three players rank among the top 100 free agents for 2025 as offensive tackle Jedrick Wills Jr., quarterback Jameis Winston, and running back Nick Chubb can test the free-agent waters in March.
Wills ranks 70th on the PFF list, and the Browns are not expected to retain his services.
“Wills had a very unceremonious end to his Cleveland Browns tenure, battling nagging injuries for the second year in a row that caused him to miss more than half the season. He was also effectively benched to close out another ugly individual season despite the Browns’ struggles at the tackle spots all year long. Nonetheless, a top-10 pick pedigree at offensive tackle always goes a long way in free agency,” according to PFF.
PFF noted that Winston “injected some life into the league’s worst offense.”
Still, the 31-year-old veteran has not been re-signed by the franchise after his one-year, $4 million expired in January.
Winston is one of four quarterbacks to make PFF’s list, ranking 85th overall among available free agents.
Chubb was the 90th-ranked free agent, but the Browns are projected to re-sign the running back as the franchise hopes he can return to his pre-injury form.
NEXT: Browns Predicted To Make Blockbuster Trade With 49ers“Chubb was not his usual elusive and bruising self in 2024, ceding some work to Jerome Ford after being given a fairly large role upon his return, but it’s entirely possible he just needs another full offseason to get his body right for an NFL game workload,” according to PFF.
