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ESPN Writer- Matt Bowen is a fantasy football and NFL writer for ESPN. He joined ESPN in 2015, writes regularly for ESPN+ and spent multiple years on "NFL Matchup." After graduating from the University of Iowa, Matt played safety in the NFL for St. Louis, Green Bay, Washington and Buffalo over seven seasons.
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senior NFL national reporter- Jeremy Fowler is a senior national NFL writer for ESPN, covering the entire league including breaking news. Jeremy also contributes to SportsCenter both as a studio analyst and a sideline reporter covering for NFL games. He is an Orlando, Florida native who joined ESPN in 2014 after covering college football for CBSSports.com.
As we hit the second-half stretch of the 2023 NFL season, many teams will soon start thinking about their 2024 offseason plans. And part of that, of course, is how they will approach the free agent pool. The negotiation period set to begin on March 11, with free agency officially opening two days later on March 13 -- is just four months away now.
NFL analyst Matt Bowen looked at the current group of players primed to hit unrestricted free agency -- because of expiring contracts or deals in line to void -- and ranked the top 25 who might end up available, starting with two defensive stars. Only two quarterbacks make the list, but multiple playmakers on both sides of the ball could be out there for teams to sign to lucrative deals. Factors in the ranking include age, positional value (the pair of QBs get a boost), expected future production and scheme versatility.
But a lot can change, and our final free agent ranking in March will look much different. Remember, Jalen Hurts, Nick Bosa and Jonathan Taylor were all on our way-too-early lookahead eight months ago but all signed big new deals since then -- and they won't be the last to do so. Many of the players listed below will re-up with their current franchises before March. So senior NFL reporter Jeremy Fowler also weighed in with the latest buzz on each player and whether they might be re-signed or franchise-tagged by their 2023 team.
More 2024 offseason prep from 
:
Biggest team needs | Draft rankings
