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The 2025 NFL Draft class of tight end prospects is among the strongest since ... well, 2023. That was the year of Dalton Kincaid, Sam LaPorta, and Tucker Kraft, among others.
This year's group is headlined by Tyler Warren from Penn State and Colston Loveland from Michigan. Is it enough for NFL front offices to essentially ignore those tight ends available this spring? Maybe, but part of that has to do with the players who actually become available.
The free-agent list of available veteran tight ends isn't very exciting. It's led by Zach Ertz, who just had his best year in half a decade.
It's the list of tight ends who might become available that could draw some interest across the league. Not that there's a sure-fire 1,000-yard guy in the group, but as reputable players go, there are some names who can help patch the position through a year or two. That might be enough for teams to deal with so as to not reach for a tight end on Draft Day.
So naturally, I'll include the top potential cap casualties alongside the free agents-to-be. These are the players who could be on new teams in 2025.
- Fantasy Football players who could be on the move: QB | RB | WR | TE
Jacksonville can create as much as $15.8 million in salary cap space by designating Engram as a post-June 1 cut, something they'd have to do soon after the start of the new NFL year in March if they wish to avoid paying him an extra $1.5 million bonus. He could also get traded. All of Engram's receiving metrics were either flat or down from the year prior despite leading the Jaguars in target per route run rate. He's coming back from a torn labrum and will be 31 years old, making him unlikely to be worthy of a restructured contract that keeps him in Florida for more than a year. With the offense changing under new coach Liam Coen, Engram could quickly find himself on a new team and thus an uncertain top-10 Fantasy tight end.
It would be fairly shocking if the Ravens moved on from Andrews this offseason, but it wouldn't be shocking if they renegotiated his contract and brought him back with the design of shrinking his role. Andrews, who will be 30 years old, has a cap number of nearly $17 million, $11 million of which would be saved if they release him before a March roster bonus is due. On the surface, it's ludicrous to think the Ravens would dump Lamar Jackson's most reliable weapon, but his receiving metrics declined in a number of areas including a thin 9.1% avoided tackle rate. And 4.1 targets per game isn't exactly a signal that he's as big of a part of the offense as he used to be. Frankly, a move to an offense with a track record of having a good tight end (Denver, as an example) might help Andrews bounce back.
Ertz posted a five-year high in catches and receiving yards and an eight-year high in touchdowns with the Commanders. Expecting him to match that in what will eventually be his age-35 season is borderline nuts. The Commanders could easily promote Ben Sinnott to a larger role while adding another receiver to their offense, rendering Ertz a free agent looking for any place he can contribute anything -- and not something Fantasy managers would want.
Mike Gesicki: There were flashes from Gesicki last year, mainly whenever the Bengals didn't have Tee Higgins on the field. He might be a discount option for a team looking for a receiving tight end for the 2025 season, but a track record of disappointing production should weigh heavily on Fantasy managers' minds.
Taysom Hill: The Saints would save $10 million against the salary cap if they designate Hill a post-June 1 cut. As a soon-to-be 35-year-old coming off of a torn ACL, that seems to be a likely scenario. Hill would have to recover without issue while also finding a team before being considered again in Fantasy. Knowing our luck, that'll happen and he'll somehow matter again in 2025.
Other TEs who could be on the move: Juwan Johnson, Noah Fant (cap casualty), Tyler Higbee (cap casualty), Tommy Tremble, Tyler Conklin
Players entering a contract year in 2025:
| Trey McBride | George Kittle |
| David Njoku | Kyle Pitts |
| Isaiah Likely | Jake Ferguson |
| Dallas Goedert | Jonnu Smith |
| Chigoziem Okonkwo | Cade Otton |
