Beating the Clock, Building a Bully, and Staring Into the Neuralyzer | 4 Downs

Going deep on some of the biggest moves from a big first week of NFL Free Agency

After just one week of NFL free agency, we’ve already seen bold moves, calculated risks, and front offices trying to reshape their teams for both the short and long term.

As of Friday, teams had already signed players to $4.88 billion worth of deals, including $2.19 billion guaranteed at the time they put pen to paper, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter.

So, I guess that agent wasn’t kidding when he told me that “this was the first time in 30 years teams didn’t pretend to be poor.”

Some teams are fighting to extend their Super Bowl windows, others are desperately trying to open one, and a few might just be throwing money at problems that can’t be solved overnight.

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Father Time remains undefeated, but Cooper Kupp is doing his best to outrun him. The Chicago Bears have gone from rebuilding to reloading in the trenches. Several teams have already positioned themselves as winners of free agency. And in Philadelphia, some fans seem to have just woken up from a coma, forgetting just how well Howie Roseman plays the long game.

Let’s dive in.

First Down: NFL Executives on Seattle Seahawks’ Cooper Kupp Signing

The Seattle Seahawks aggressively overhauled their offense in the span of a week, in hopes of tailoring their personnel to offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak’s system and the strengths of their new quarterback.

Over the course of 72 hours, the Seahawks traded quarterback Geno Smith to the Las Vegas Raiders, shipped dynamic wide receiver DK Metcalf to the Pittsburgh Steelers, and signed resurgent quarterback Sam Darnold before capping their whirlwind week by winning the Cooper Kupp sweepstakes on Friday evening.

These moves didn’t just reshape Seattle’s offense—they also created significant spending flexibility and cap space, trimming roughly $20 million against the cap by moving off Metcalf’s contract.

As a result, the Seahawks now have $60.8 million in cap space this season, third most in the NFL, and are projected to have a league-high $169.5 million in cap space in 2026, and $250.5 million as the third-most spending flexibility in 2027. So, general manager John Schneider has set Seattle up with a bounty of cap space to continue building out the roster over the next three years.

But, in 2025, these aren’t going to be your older brother’s Seahawks. Nor will these Seahawks look much like the explosive passing offenses of recent years.

In order to understand Kupp’s potential fit in Seattle’s scheme, and the impact these moves make on the Seahawks’ future, it’s worth examining some key metrics, and his fit with Darnold’s skill set. Additionally, I spoke to four current NFL executives and scouts to get their take on Kupp’s impact in 2025, and beyond.

Kupp arrives in The Emerald City on a three-year contract worth up to $45 million, and will likely serve a very specific purpose in his new offense, after amassing 7,776 receiving yards and 57 touchdowns through his first eight seasons.

“He’s their slot receiver,” an AFC Scouting Director tells me, of how Kupp fits the Seahawks’ offense. “Sam Darnold needed an outlet catcher.”