NFC Free Agency 2025: Cowboys Chaos, Seahawks Glory, and Everything in Between
Wade and Ryan wade through the entire NFC — from Jerry Jones’ gambling addiction to the real reason the Eagles are about to fall apart — in the latest episode of the NFL in London Podcast-Spree Agency-2.
NFL in London Podcast
It’s the NFL offseason, which means one thing: the games have stopped but the chaos absolutely hasn’t. In the latest episode of the NFL in London Podcast, hosts Wade and Ryan pick up where they left off on AFC free agency and turn their attention to the NFC — all sixteen teams, all the moves, and all the hot takes your timeline can handle.
Before diving into the football, though, the lads can’t help themselves. Tiger Woods has apparently collected more DUIs in the past 25 years than the Cowboys have playoff wins. As Wade put it bluntly: “Tiger, how you’ve fallen.” Ryan, for his part, noted that this is at least the third time Woods has flipped a car — in the same Jupiter, Florida neighbourhood — which is a staggering feat for someone whose entire career is supposedly built on precision.
Other pre-game nonsense includes the NFL’s flag football experiment humbling a few egos, Tom Brady hovering around team ownership like a man who simply cannot leave a party, Caleb Williams trying to trademark “Iceman” despite — as Ryan correctly pointed out — never having been called that by anyone, and the state of Florida repealing the Rooney Rule.
Okay. Onto football.
NFC East: Cowboys, Giants, Eagles & Washington
Dallas Cowboys
The Cowboys had a rough 2024 — but they’ve loaded up the receiver room with George Pickens (franchise tagged), CD Lamb, and Ja’Vonte Williams. The defence, however, remains a question mark without Micah Parsons, and Ryan wasn’t pulling punches about the man in charge.
“Do you trust Jerry Jones as a talent evaluator at this point in his age? I don’t think he’s grinding tape. He loves the gambler moniker. He’s got to keep straight fourth-round picks for terrible receivers in the offseason.”— Ryan
The feeling is that Dallas will essentially try to outscore everyone — CD Lamb, Pickens, and a fragile hope that Dak Prescott stays healthy. The defence still needs serious work, and Jerry being Jerry means the draft remains anyone’s guess.
NFC East Prediction: Dallas finishes second in the division. Explosive offence, porous defence, one spectacular Dak injury, and another year of “next year” energy from Jerry Jones.
New York Giants
Ryan is surprisingly bullish on Big Blue. With Jim Harbaugh now running the show and Jaxon Dart at quarterback, the Giants could be the sneaky team nobody’s talking about.
“I think Harbaugh is going to do a good job. This team has just been going through bad coach after bad coach — Joe Judge, Dable — it just needs an adult in the room to stabilise the ship.”— Ryan
Giant Prediction: Watch for the Giants to be a spoiler team. If Jackson Dart makes the leap and the draft delivers at fifth overall, they could sneak into the wild card conversation.
Philadelphia Eagles
Here’s where things get spicy. Ryan is not high on Philly. At all. Jalen Hurts looks isolated, the AJ Brown drama hasn’t fully resolved, Nick Sirianni is polarising at best, and if the Eagles do trade Brown to New England, the receiving corps suddenly looks very thin.
“I could just see like Saquon didn’t look the same,” Ryan said, “and I just don’t see the offense being that dynamic.” He went as far as predicting the Eagles might not even make the playoffs — which, in Philadelphia, is the kind of statement that gets you banned from the city.
Eagles Prediction: Ryan’s bold call is that Philly misses the postseason. Sirianni’s seat gets hotter by Week 8. AJ Brown gets traded. Chaos reigns.
Washington Commanders
Big moves on defence for Washington, but the whole season hinges on keeping Jayden Daniels in one piece. Ryan’s concern is simple and very physical: “He’s just not big. He can’t take those hits.” If Washington can’t protect their quarterback and establish a run game, nothing else matters — and Marcus Mariota as your backup is only so reassuring.
NFC North: Bears, Lions, Packers & Vikings
Chicago Bears
Both hosts — particularly Wade as a Bears fan — are excited about what Ben Johnson is building in Chicago, but they’re not delusional about what’s missing: a true number-one running back. D’Andre Swift just doesn’t scream “franchise back,” and the loss of their starting centre is a genuine blow to continuity.
“Ben Johnson just needs his Gibbs. The way Jammyr Gibbs was to him in Detroit — he needs that kind of home run hitter. He just doesn’t have it with Swift.”— Ryan
Bears Prediction: Chicago has at least one more significant move left in the offseason. Caleb Williams takes a step forward. If they land a pass rusher and a starting running back, they’re a real playoff contender.
Detroit Lions
Dan Campbell got a little too honest in the offseason, dropping the quiet part out loud about whether Detroit’s Super Bowl window has already passed. The loss of Ben Johnson to Chicago hurt. The loss of Amon-Ra St. Brown’s offensive coordinator hurt more. And the eternal question lingers: is Jared Goff actually that guy?
“He’s not Josh Allen. He’s not Mahomes. He’s not Burrow,” Ryan said. “He’s solid when all the pieces are there and he has the play caller.” Translation: if things don’t click in Detroit, it could be an ugly autumn in the Motor City.
Green Bay Packers
The Packers got absolutely decimated by injuries last year — Tucker Kraft, Michael Parsons (Green Bay’s on-field leader), and essentially their entire receiver room at various points. Ryan gives them some benefit of the doubt, but remains worried about whether Christian Watson can stay healthy for a full season, and whether Matthew Golden takes that next jump.
Minnesota Vikings
Sam Darnold’s ghost still haunts the building in Minnesota, but the Vikings went out and got Kyler Murray on a one-year deal to compete with JJ McCarthy. Ryan’s take is that Murray was essentially handed the keys — there’s no real competition — and that the organisation desperately needed a quarterback capable of getting the ball to Justin Jefferson. The training camp storylines alone make this the most entertaining roster in the summer.
NFC South: Falcons, Buccaneers, Panthers & Saints
The NFC South was genuinely unhinged last year. Teams had losing records and still competed for the division title. Carolina won it. Carolina! Ryan’s verdict: they won a terrible division, went all-in at the poker table, and might have confused luck for quality.
“They saw that they won the division and went a bit nuts. I think they just went all in on everything and I think we’re amazing. I’m like… I don’t know about that.”— Ryan, on the Carolina Panthers
Atlanta Falcons
NFC South Prediction: Ryan’s pick to win the division in 2025 is the Atlanta Falcons. With Tua Tagovailoa starting in a dome, weapons at every skill position, and Stefanski calling plays, the Falcons could finally put it together — provided the defence holds up.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Tampa lost Mike Evans to San Francisco and that’s a big deal. Ryan believes this could be Todd Bowles’ last stand — if the Buccaneers don’t string together a competitive season, expect the head coaching seat to get very uncomfortable, very fast. Baker Mayfield is gritty and gameable, but Ryan isn’t confident the surrounding cast is strong enough without that Evans-shaped hole in the offence.
New Orleans Saints
The surprise team of the episode. Tyler Shuck came in mid-season and was genuinely fun to watch. Ryan was downright charmed: “He almost won rookie of the year by missing half the season. You could argue he should have been offensive rookie of the year.” Kellen Moore gets credit for building something watchable out of very little in New Orleans, and with Travis Etienne and some new pieces, the Saints could be one of those teams that sneaks up on you in Week 5 when you’ve forgotten to roster their running back.
NFC West: Rams, 49ers, Seahawks & Cardinals
Los Angeles Rams
The Rams are going all in. Stafford for (likely) one more year. Devante Adams for one more year. McVeigh for one more year. They’ve addressed the secondary — their biggest weakness — with a massive Trent McDuffie signing from Kansas City, and Ryan thinks there’s another in-season trade coming. His theory? AJ Brown ends up in LA before the trade deadline.
“I think they know they got Stafford for one more year. They got Devante Adams for one more year. So I think they’re going to go all in this year… maybe they trade for AJ Brown and just go with the ultimate offence. They’re going to go nuts.”— Ryan
San Francisco 49ers
The 49ers opened the season in Australia against the Rams — talk about a statement game — and have been quietly rebuilding around Brock Purdy. The Mike Evans signing is the key move. As Ryan explained: “If you’re Brock Purdy, you cannot just let Brock Purdy win us this game. He’s great when he has weapons.” Add a healthy Christian McCaffrey and Kyle Shanahan calling plays, and San Francisco’s offence will move the ball. The question is whether the defence — which lost Bosa, Warner, and seemingly a new starter each week last year — can hold up.
Seattle Seahawks — Super Bowl Champions
Defending champions face one enormous question: how do you replace an offensive coordinator? Losing Kubiak hurts, and the offence that got them to the top is now going to look different. JSN signed a mega deal and should anchor the passing game. Kenneth Walker’s Super Bowl performance was special, and his departure is felt. But as long as Mike McDonald is running that defence and keeping it healthy, the Seahawks should hover around ten wins.
NFC West Prediction: The Seahawks remain the team to beat, but the Rams are the most dangerous challenger. The 49ers are a dark horse if the defence heals up. The Cardinals? Playing for 2027.
Arizona Cardinals
“They’re the Jets of the NFC,” Ryan declared, and honestly, that’s not even an insult — it’s a strategic positioning. The Cardinals know they’re in the toughest division in football. They’ve brought in Jacoby Brissett and Gardner Minshew. Marvin Harrison Jr. hasn’t quite taken that next step yet. The thinking in Arizona is simple: accumulate picks, stay healthy, and emerge competitive when the draft brings a franchise quarterback. Whether that’s noble or just depressing depends entirely on your tolerance for rebuilding.
Final Thoughts
If there’s one thread running through this entire episode, it’s that the NFL offseason is equal parts strategy, gambling, and delusion — and every team, from the Cowboys to the Cardinals, has a little of all three baked into their 2025 plans. Wade and Ryan cover it all with the kind of forensic enthusiasm that only comes from people who genuinely love this sport and have absolutely nothing better to do in the dead zone between free agency and the draft.
New episodes drop weekly. If you’re an NFL fan in London — or just an NFL fan who appreciates someone who’ll call Caleb Williams’ nickname grab “trademarking fake nicknames” with zero hesitation — this is the podcast for you. Subscribe, rate, and come back next week when hopefully someone commits a violation of the NFL Code of Conduct to give them something extra to work with.
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