32 NFL players who need a change of scenery this offseason

Sometimes change is just needed, and NFL players are not exempt from this philosophy.

There are plenty of examples of players flourishing with new teams, with Saquon Barkley’s record-setting season and Sam Darnold’s resurgence in 2024 being some of the highlights.

Now, we turn to 2025, when the offseason is once again sure to bring change for several players. We asked our NFL Nation reporters to name one player from each team who might benefit from a fresh start and to explain why the move could benefit the player and/or team.

Who could be on the move? Here’s what our reporters had to say:

It just hasn’t worked out for Elam with the Bills. The 2022 first-round pick has largely served as a backup in his three seasons with the team. Though the Bills could be searching for a new starter at outside cornerback with Rasul Douglas set to hit free agency, Elam hasn’t shown enough on field to be in early contention for that role. It’s a sign that it may be time to move on.

Eichenberg is a versatile player who has played every position on the line for Miami in his four seasons with the team. But the jack-of-all-trades has been plagued by inconsistent and poor play. He ranked 60th out of 64 qualifing offensive guards last season in pass block win rate and allowed the 10th-most sacks of any guard. As the Dolphins look to rebuild their offensive line, the free agent Eichenberg could likely use a fresh start elsewhere — his versatility should keep him employed in the NFL

The well-traveled veteran, set to enter his 10th season, opened 2024 as the starter before passing the torch to rookie Drake Maye in Week 6. Brissett would seemingly like the chance to compete for a starting job once again, but that won’t happen in New England. Maye is locked in to the top spot on the depth chart and 2024 sixth-round pick Joe Milton III had a strong enough performance in the season finale to show he might be worthy of the No. 2 spot. Brissett is scheduled for unrestricted free agency.

Lazard, part of the FOR (Friends of Rodgers) who joined the team in 2023, is a likely salary-cap casualty ($13.2 million cap charge). Most of Lazard’s career production has come with Aaron Rodgers as his quarterback. Lazard himself admits he’s a better player when Rodgers is on the field. Now that Rodgers is gone, it makes sense to part ways with Lazard — and it’ll save $6.6 million in cap space

Williams went from being the Ravens’ highest-paid free agent in 2022 to becoming a healthy scratch midway through the 2024 season. In nine starts, quarterbacks recorded a 148.4 passer rating when throwing at Williams, averaging 18.4 yards per completion. Baltimore is expected to release Williams with a post-June 1 designation, “You never pin it on any one thing; there’s no way to pin it on any one thing,” Ravens coach John Harbaugh said at the end of the season. “You have to kind of look at it as a whole, and there are a lot of factors in there.”