As a whole, the 2025 NFL free-agent class has big names at the skill positions. Here is a look at the potential tight ends on the move and the dynasty impact of their free-agent status.
The tight end class is notably weak compared to wide receiver and running back. The best contract given if all of the below are true free agents might be a two-year construction with only the first season essentially guaranteed. The good news is the projected 2025 rookie class of tight ends is on the bullish side (except without a Brock Bowers prospect).
Current 2025 Free Agent TEs: Tier 1A
Mike Gesicki is the best combination of age and profile. However, Gesicki is coming off a one-year prove-it deal with Cincinnati that ultimately has not resurrected his career arc. Gesicki's combination of 1.51 yards-per-route run (YPRR) and 18% target-per-route-run (TPRR) are respectable but hardly inspiring. This is without much WR3 impact on the roster (Andrei Iosivas is averaging a meager 0.78 YPRR), and Cincinnati is one of the better passing games in the NFL. Gesicki is not a full-time player (24 routes per game) and is essentially a big slot. In short, Gesicki largely had his best shot to revive his career in 2024 and fell flat.
Current 2025 Free Agent TEs: Tier 1B
Some NFL could consider Zach Ertz as the TE1 of the free agent class, considering his 501 yards and four touchdowns through Week 13. His age is a significant detractor at 34 years old both for NFL and dynasty purposes. Also, Ben Sinnott has largely been on ice as a rookie despite Round 2 pedigree and flashing a few times in sporadic playing time. As expected, Ertz is one of the lowest after-the-catch tight ends in the NFL and, at best, is a late-career Jason Witten type to aggregate his way to a low-TE1 fantasy season if the full-time starter.
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Current 2025 Free Agent TEs: Tier 2
Juwan Johnson peaked in 2022 but has yet to push past 24 routes per game in his career. Also, Johnson's best YPRR is a middling 1.39 (also back in 2022). Johnson is a success story, considering his transition from a wide receiver prospect bust to a viable tight end, but this season has been graphically disappointing. Despite Chris Olave and Rashid Shaheed missing extensive time, Johnson has yet to elevate his play to fill the gap with 1.24 YPRR and 15% TPRR.
Tommy Tremble's best trait is his Round 3 pedigree. Yet to fulfill Day 2 expectations, the Panthers drafted Ja'Tavion Sanders last offseason and are likely to move on from Tremble in 2025. Tremble has yet to hit 200 routes in a season (still needs 46 more to hit the mark in 2024). He has progressed every year in YPRR, but still sits at a liability with 0.87 this season (1.40-1.60 is a respectable starting threshold).
Of all the options listed so far, Brevin Jordan is the most intriguing from a "What if?" standpoint. Jordan's peak was an encouraging 1.59 YPRR in 2023. Injuries have largely derailed any progress, and he has yet to surpass 17 routes per game in any season. Jordan was hyper-production in college but sagged in the draft due to his measured athleticism. Jordan has looked the part, however, at times in the NFL. Strangely, Jordan has yet to be used more than 31% of the time in the slot in any singular season.
Current 2025 Free Agent TEs: Best of the Rest
Hayden Hurst has bounced around heavily in recent seasons with five different teams in the past six seasons. He has dipped below 1.00 YPRR in each of the past two seasons. Soon, his Round 1 pedigree will wear off, and his opportunities will dry up. Tyler Conklin peaked in the 1.20-1.35 range for two of his NFL teams but has yet to earn targets at anything above a third or fourth target level for a passing game. Tanner Hudson, like Brevin Jordan, is a significant wild card as his peak over the past season or two (1.56-1.80 YPRR) rivals anyone on the list. The volume has been very low, however, averaging just 8.1 routes per game this season. John Bates had sporadic opportunities to earn a larger role in Washington but never did. He has not pushed higher than 1.00 YPRR in a season since his rookie year in 2021.
2025 TEs: Potential Cuts, Restructures, or Retirements
Still just 27 years old, Noah Fant has struggled to find a footing in production with Seattle. His cap hit jumps from $7.5 million this year to $13.5 million next year and the team can save $9 million by moving on from Fant.
Colby Parkinson has gone from potential streamer to start the season to invisible and playing behind Davis Allen by the end of November. Tyler Higbee is a lock to be on the roster in 2025 based on his contract and Parkinson jumps to $9 million in cap hit next year. While they can save only $3 million by moving on, Parkinson is returning zero value for the Rams this season and likely in the future.
Potential Incumbent Benefactors
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