It’s not too early to start thinking about next year.

After all, there are only four teams left standing in the NFL. The other 28 clubs are already thinking about the 2025 season.

Even with Super Bowl 59 in the way, one of the most NFL’s most exciting periods is around the corner: free agency. The NFL’s legal tampering period starts March 10, and the new league year kicks off at 4 p.m. ET on March 12.

There are several big-name free agents and impact players available that can help teams make the conference championship next year. Tee Higgins, Sam Darnold, Russell Wilson and Keenan Allen are among some of the most intriguing names that may hit the open market.

There are a lot of others who could start or provide depth for needy NFL rosters in just a few months. USA TODAY Sports ranks the top 25 free agents entering the 2025 season.

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NFL free agency: Top 25 players, ranked

1. Tee Higgins, wide receiver (2024 team: Bengals)

Higgins would be a No. 1 wide receiver on most teams outside of Cincinnati. He’s an X receiver with good hands and a nice catch radius. He’s 26 years old, so he’s likely just entering his prime.

2. Trey Smith, guard (2024 team: Chiefs)

One of the best guards in the NFL, Smith had a 75% run block win rate during the regular season, via ESPN. Smith didn’t allow a sack in the regular season in 1,115 snaps.  

3.Chris Godwin, wide receiver (2024 team: Buccaneers)

Godwin was one of the leading receivers in the NFL before he suffered a season-ending ankle injury in Week 7. Godwin’s produced four 1,000-yard seasons. He can be a No. 1 wideout or a high-end No. 2 option. He’ll be 29 years old when next season kicks off.

4. Jevon Holland, safety (2024 team: Dolphins)

Holland has a lot of range as a safety and is an anchor in the defensive backfield. He had somewhat of a down year in 2024 but many players wearing a Dolphins uniform did. The safety has 301 tackles, 25 passes defensed, five forced fumbles and five interceptions in 60 career regular-season games.

5. D.J. Reed, cornerback (2024 team: Jets)

Reed allowed a 57% completion percentage and two touchdowns when targeted this season. At 5-9 he’s a little undersized but has good coverage skills.

6. Ronnie Stanley, tackle (2024 team: Ravens)

Stanley is the top left tackle on the open market. He allowed two sacks and 35 pressures in 1,062 snaps at left tackle. He was a first-team All-Pro and Pro Bowler in 2019. He’s battled injuries in recent years, but started every game for Baltimore this year.

7. Stefon Diggs, wide receiver (2024 team: Texans)

Diggs’ first year in Houston was cut short because of a torn ACL. He had 47 catches, 496 receiving yards and three touchdowns in eight games. He’s primarily been a No. 1 receiver but could be better suited as a No. 2 receiver at this point of his career.

8. Khalil Mack, edge (2024 team: Chargers)

Mack told reporters that he’s contemplating retirement. The only reason he falls at No. 8 is because he turns 34 years old in February. The 2016 NFL Defensive Player of the Year is still a disruptive edge rusher. The nine-time Pro Bowler has been the Chargers’ best and most consistent pass rusher since his arrival in 2022.

9. Amari Cooper, wide receiver (2024 team: Bills)

The Browns traded Cooper to Buffalo in October. He hasn’t really established a connection on the field with Josh Allen. He had 20 catches, 297 receiving yards and two touchdowns in eight games with the Bills. He only has two catches for eight yards in Buffalo’s first two playoff games. He’s still a very good route runner despite being unproductive in Buffalo.

10. Zack Baun, linebacker (2024 team: Eagles)

Is Baun’s breakout 2024 season a blip or a trend? Baun enjoyed a career-best 151 tackles and 3.5 sacks in 2024. His performance awarded him his first ever Pro Bowl honor and he was named a first-team All-Pro. He had never had a year with above 30 tackles prior to this year. His next contract will likely be based off he upward trajectory in the aftermath of a banner year.

11. Sam Darnold, quarterback (2024 team: Vikings)

Sam Darnold posted career-highs in every major statistical quarterback category, including yards (4,319), touchdowns (35) and passer rating (102.5). However, he reverted back to his journeyman QB form in his final two games of the season. He had season-lows in completion percentage and passing yards in Week 18 and his first playoff game was a disaster.

12. Josh Sweat, edge (2024 team: Eagles)

Sweat produced a team-high eight sacks and tallied 54 pressures during the regular season. The edge rusher will turn 28 years old in March. He could climb up this list if he finishes the postseason strong.

13. Haason Reddick, edge (2024 team: Jets)

Unfortunately for Reddick, the most news he made during the season was because of his lengthy holdout. Reddick’s holdout didn’t result in an extension. Reddick made the Pro Bowl in each of his two seasons in Philadelphia before he was traded to New York. He had his streak of four straight seasons of at least 11 sacks snapped this year.

14. Nick Bolton, linebacker (2024 team: Chiefs)

Bolton wears the green dot for the Chiefs defense. The inside linebacker logged a team-best 106 tackles during the regular season. He’s registered at least 100 tackles in three of the last four seasons.

15. Justin Reid, safety (2024 team: Chiefs)

Reid is an anchor in the defensive backfield for the Chiefs. He led the team in tackles in 2023. He’s a reliable safety and a sure tackler. He’s tallied over 80 tackles in all three seasons in Kansas City.

16. Talanoa Hufanga, safety (2024 team: 49ers)

Hufanga suffered a torn ACL in 2023 and battled injuries this year. He’s a playmaker at safety when healthy. In 2022, he was named first-team All-Pro after tallying a career-best 97 tackles, four interceptions and two sacks.

17. DeAndre Hopkins, wide receiver (2024 team: Chiefs)

Hopkins turned into Kansas City’s top wide receiver in 10 regular-season games. If Hopkins wasn’t 32 years old, he’d be much higher on this list. He’s not the prolific receiver he once was but is still a productive X receiver with sure hands.

18. Charvarius Ward, cornerback (2024 team: 49ers)

Ward was a 2023 Pro Bowler and second-team All-Pro. He had his worst year in three seasons with the 49ers, but it was a down year all around in San Francisco. The 28-year-old corner allowed a 61% completion percentage and five touchdowns in 2024.

19. Cam Robinson, tackle (2024 team: Vikings)

The Vikings traded for Robinson to help stabilize their left tackle position after Christian Darrisaw went down. Robinson filled in nicely in Minnesota. He started in 10 games for the Vikings. At 29 years old, he still has plenty of productive years left.

20. Aaron Jones, running back (2024 team: Vikings)

Jones produced a career-high 1,138 rushing yards in his first season in Minnesota. He also added 51 catches for 408 yards. The 30-year-old running back still has plenty left in the tank.

21. Keenan Allen, wide receiver (2024 team: Bears)

Allen’s numbers declined after a career 2023 year with the Chargers. Allen will be 33 years old at the start of next season. Is he on the decline or was his 2024 performance a byproduct of a rookie quarterback in Chicago? The answer is probably a combination of both. But he’s still a savvy route runner.

22. Byron Murphy, cornerback (2024 team: Vikings)

Murphy registered career-bests in tackles (81) and interceptions (6). His interceptions were tied for third most in the NFL this season. His performance earned him his first Pro Bowl invitation.

23. Carlton Davis, cornerback (2024 team: Lions)

Davis could be a No. 1 corner on a lot of teams. Unfortunately for the Lions, Davis was part of the slew of defensive injuries Detroit endured. He ended the year on injured reserve due to a fractured jaw. He started in 13 games for Detroit and allowed a 55% completion percentage.

24. Drew Dalman, center (2024 team: Falcons)

Dalman allowed two sacks and 10 pressures in 554 snaps at center. He missed time because of an ankle injury but finished the year with six straight starts.

25. Russell Wilson, quarterback (2024 team: Steelers)

Wilson helped the Steelers get into the playoffs, but the team’s passing offense never really got going. Wilson averaged 225 passing yards per game. He still throws a pretty deep ball but has a propensity to turn down intermediate passes. Wilson can still be a capable starter in the right situation.

Follow USA TODAY Sports’ Tyler Dragon on X @TheTylerDragon.

Once again, Bills Mafia has created a positive out of a negative.

Over the last few days, the Bills fan community has come together to raise over $60,000 (at the time of writing) for Breakthrough T1D, a non-profit organization devoted to Type 1 diabetes research and advocacy and a charity that Baltimore Ravens tight end Mark Andrews has supported in the past.

Buffalo eliminated the Ravens in the divisional round of the playoffs on Sunday night, in part thanks to a couple of misplays – including a brutal drop – by Andrews. In the aftermath of the game, Andrews was the victim of online hate and vitriol for what Ravens fans (and bettors) perceived as a game-losing play.

In response, Bills fan Nicholas Howard launched a GoFundMe to raise money for Breakthrough T1D.

‘As many of you know Ravens TE wasn’t able to catch the the game-tying 2-point conversion and upset Ravens fans,’ Howard wrote in the fundraiser description. ‘On top of that the TE has been receiving death threats and nasty comments after his performance last night. We want Bills Mafia to donate to Mark’s charity for [type 1] diabetes. Let’s reach a goal of at least 5k.’

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As of Wednesday morning, the GoFundMe has raised over $63,000.

It received enough attention for the Ravens to respond from their official account on social media site X.

‘Shout out to Bills Mafia for showing support to our guy Mark Andrews and donating to the [Breakthrough T1D]organization,’ they post reads.

Breakthrough T1D also thanked Bills fans in a statement sent to ESPN.

‘Breakthrough T1D greatly appreciates the generosity of the Buffalo Bills community and the many fans who were compelled to donate after Sunday’s game,’ it said. ‘These donations will support research and advocacy on behalf of the 1.6 million Americans who, like Mark Andrews, live with type 1 diabetes.’

According to the Ravens’ website, the decision to make Breakthrough T1D the charity of choice for Bills Mafia’s generosity was a great one.

‘The organization is near and dear to Andrews, who was diagnosed with Type-1 diabetes at 9 years old and still deals with it every day,’ wrote Ravens Editorial Director Ryan Mink. ‘He checks his blood-sugar levels between each offensive series.

‘Andrews has been outspoken in his advocacy around the issue and served as a Breakthrough T1D youth ambassador.’

This fundraiser is only the latest example of Bills Mafia’s outpouring of charitable support.

In 2018, Bills fans donated over $100,000 Andy Dalton’s charity, the AJD Foundation, after the quarterback led the Bengals to a Week 17 win (coincidentally, over the Ravens) that helped the Bills clinch a playoff berth for the first time since 1999.

On Tuesday, UConn basketball coach Dan Hurley was scrutinized for berating an official in the Huskies’ 80-78 victory over Butler.

Following what he thought was a missed foul call on a defensive rebound attempt late in the first half, TV cameras caught Hurley telling an official, ‘Don’t turn your back on me; I’m the best coach in the (expletive) sport.’

After the game, Hurley took responsibility for his actions but also commented on the TV cameras following him too much and getting candid responses.

‘I just wish they put the camera on the other coach more,’ Hurley said. ‘… I just wish they would show these other coaches losing their minds at the officials in other Big East games that I’m coaching where … I’m not talking to officials; I see the other coaches as demonstrative as I am.

‘But the camera, obviously … I’ve created this for myself. I’m not the victim.’

Dan Hurley berates ref: ‘I’m the best coach in the (expletive) sport.’

Here’s the video of Hurley’s incident with a referee on Tuesday when UConn beat Butler

Wednesday night’s game between the Milwaukee Bucks and New Orleans Pelicans has been postponed due to an ongoing snowstorm in New Orleans, the NBA announced.

The league said the date for the rescheduled game will be announced at a later time.

Milwaukee is scheduled to play at the Miami Heat on Thursday, and the Pelicans have a road date with the Memphis Grizzlies on Friday.

This is the second game this month to be postponed due to a winter storm. The Jan. 11 game between the Houston Rockets and Atlanta Hawks at State Farm Arena was postponed because of hazardous icy conditions in the Atlanta area. That game was rescheduled for Jan. 28.

New Orleans is set to host Super Bowl 59 at the Caesars Superdome on Feb. 9, with Mardi Gras festivities scheduled for later in the month.

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Now that the college football season is over, it’s time to the attention to the court and the march toward the madness of the NCAA men’s tournament.

On Monday night, confetti fell from the rafters of Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta as Ohio State hoisted the College Football Playoff trophy as the champions of the 2024 season.

While the moment was meant to celebrate the Buckeyes, it inadvertently served another purpose. After the longest season in modern college football history, much of the college sports world will now shift its attention to college basketball.

There’s been plenty of storylines in the first half with expanded conferences, domination by the southeast and freshman sensations. If you haven’t been paying attention to what’s been going on in men’s college basketball, here are some of the key points this season with Selection Sunday only eight weeks away,

Who is the college basketball best team so far?

Auburn has separated itself as the top team in the country − the No. 1 team in the country has the best record in Division I at 17-1.

While the record is fantastic, it doesn’t tell the full story of how good the Tigers are. They emerged from the crowded Maui Invitational as champions and have played their best against quality opponents. Auburn has a 10-1 record against Quad 1 opponents while no other team has more than seven victories in the category. The only defeat Auburn suffered was a tough road contest at Duke (more on the Blue Devils later).

The Tigers were led by center Johni Broome, and even though he suffered an injury that has sidelined him for a few weeks, Auburn hasn’t skipped a beat during its 10-game winning streak. It certainly looks like a team headed toward being the top overall seed in the tournament.

SEC dominance

Auburn leads a pack of a conference that has dominated the first few months of the sport, proving that it does just mean more in hoops.

Before conference play began, SEC teams were a combined 185-23, with no team having more than three losses. It was an astounding start to the season that has led many to believe could send a record amount of teams to the tournament (the current best is 11 bids by the Big East in 2011).

Since conference play started, the SEC has started to cannibalize itself with some of those teams already struggling as a result of the difficulty. But it won’t be that harmful considering teams with losing SEC record will make the tournament. At the moment, 13 SEC teams are in the top 50 of the NET rankings, nine are in the Top 25 of the USA TODAY Sports men’s basketball coaches poll with five in the top 10.

The Cooper Flagg show rolls on

The 6-foot-9 Maine native is perhaps the most ballyhooed freshman since Zion Williamson was also turning heads for Duke six years ago. Already the No. 1 recruit in the 2024 class, Flagg boosted his profile the summer, when he competed on the United States select team and held his own in a scrimmage against the NBA’s best players on the men’s national team preparing for the 2024 Paris Olympics.

At Duke, he has largely lived up to his lofty billing and shown major improvement. He is averaging 23.4 points, 6.9 rebounds and 4.6 assists in his team’s past eight games, a run highlighted by an ACC-freshman-record 42 points in a win over Notre Dame. He even got a viral moment, too, when he threw down a transition dunk over Pitt seven-footer Guillermo Diaz Graham on Jan. 7.

If that progress continues, it’s possible that when he leaves Durham for the NBA after this season, he’ll do so after a run to the national title.

Connecticut looks vulnerable in quest for three-peat

Dan Hurley’s Huskies faced little resistance on their way to back-to-back national titles, winning each of its 12 tournament games by at least 13 points.

Nearly 20 games into this season, they haven’t looked nearly as invincible, with a 13-5 record that includes losses in two of their past three outings. UConn lost four of its top five scorers from last season’s championship team, including a pair of top-10 NBA draft picks – Stephon Castle and Donovan Clingan.

Still, there’s plenty of talent in Storrs, with Alex Karaban and five-star freshman Liam McNeeley, and it’s worth remembering that Hurley’s first title team, dominant as it was by the end of the season, was 15-5 this time two years ago.

The Big 12 is reliably entertaining

After it helped cannibalize the Pac-12, the Big 12 helped fill the void as the go-to league for chaotic late-night football. There hasn’t been a lack of drama in basketball, either.

In nine of the past 11 seasons, the Big 12 was rated by KenPom as the best conference in the sport and while it’s not quite to the level of the SEC so far this season, it remains the home to some of the best programs in the sport. Iowa State looks like the class of the conference so far, especially after a 17-point thumping of Kansas last Wednesday. The Jayhawks aren’t too bad themselves, lurking just outside of the top 10 of the coaches poll. Houston is yet again one of the country’s toughest teams. West Virginia has emerged from Bob Huggins’ messy exit with a superb first season under coach Darian DeVries. And after a rough start, newcomer Arizona has been one of the top teams in the nation over the past month.

How are new teams doing in new conferences?

For the most part, it’s been a tough start for the Power Four teams in new homes. Of the new additions, only four − Oregon, Arizona, SMU and Stanford − have winning records in conference play, with the Ducks the only team ranked in the coaches poll.

As for the others, UCLA cooled off from a solid start with four-game losing skid as nearby Southern California has also struggled in the Big Ten. Utah is middling, and California, Washington, Arizona State, and Colorado are at the bottom of their new leagues. Meanwhile, Oklahoma and Texas are learning just how tough the SEC is with each at 1-4 in league play. If you want to see just how tough it’s been for these teams, just look at any postgame press conference from UCLA head coach Mick Cronin.

Oregon and Arizona are the best chances for the respective Big Ten and Big 12 newcomers to win their conference, but it’s been a rocky start in some new places for the majority of newcomers.

Veteran coaches off to fast starts

What’s old is new again with veteran coaches − Tom Izzo, Rick Pitino and Dana Altman − having successful seasons well into their careers.

After years mixed tournament results, Izzo has Michigan State relevant again with a 16-2 start that has the Spartans at the top of the Big Ten and ranked No. 8, its highest ranking this late in the season since 2020. Pitino has St. John’s at 16-3, and the Red Storm have an early lead in the Big East with a 7-1 mark, the best conference start since 1998-99. Then there’s also Altman and Oregon, which went perfect in non-conference play and its seven Quad 1 wins is second-most in the country.

All of the aforementioned coach’s have their teams on the way to the tournament, and experience is one of the greatest qualities a coach could have in March.

Who has disappointed?

While there’s been some impressive play, some squads aren’t living up to expectations are face the danger of not seeing their names in the bracket unveiling.

The biggest disappointment has been the arrival of John Calipari at Arkansas. The Razorbacks have been beaten up badly since conference play began and are off to an 0-5 start in the SEC that has them trending toward being one of the few in the league to miss the tournament. North Carolina is another squad that can’t capitalize against quality opponents. The Tar Heels, a preseason top 10 team, struggle to put together complete games are just 1-6 in Quad 1 contests, and coming off a bad loss to Stanford at home.

Other teams that started with high hopes and haven’t lived up to them include Gonzaga and Baylor − both teams that had losing weeks − and Indiana with a fanbase that is ready to fire Mike Woodson since the highly touted transfer haul hasn’t impressed.

The trend of hiring former NFL players as college coaches continued as Terrell Buckley was named the head coach at Mississippi Valley State University.

The 53-year-old Buckley was a decorated cornerback during his days at Florida State, winning the Jim Thorpe Award as the nation’s best defensive back. He was drafted in the first round of the 1992 NFL draft by the Green Bay Packers and played for the Miami Dolphins, Denver Broncos, New York Jets, and New York Giants, and won a Super Bowl title with the New England Patriots in 2001.

He spent 14 seasons in the NFL and finished with 50 interceptions.

‘We’re going to build a culture of accountability, hard work, and belief – because winning starts with the standards we set and the mindset we bring every single day,’ Buckley said in a statement.

Buckley replaces Kendrick Wade, who was fired after two seasons and a dismal 2-21 record. His only head coaching experience was one season with the Orlando Guardians of the XFL in 2023. The Guardians had a 1-9 record that season and folded after they were not part of the new UFL merger.

Buckley follows several high-profile former NFL players who have been hired at HBCUs, including Deion Sanders at Jackson State, who then moved on to Colorado; Eddie George, who is at Tennessee State; Michael Vick, who took the reins at Norfolk State and DeSean Jackson who was hired at Delaware State.

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