Super Bowl LIX is finally behind us — all beers have been shotgunned and the light poles conquered — which means we can begin the long lookahead to Super Bowl LX.

One NFL team can now feel legitimately great about its situation (after the hangover clears), while the other 31 search for answers and upgrades.

Today, our mission is to flag the players who will define the 2025 offseason in fantasy football. The scouting combine is only two weeks away and free agency opens in just one month, so we actually have very little time to consider the arrangement of pieces on the board before they move.

We need to begin, of course, with a pending free agent receiver capable of making a seismic impact if he relocates …

Tee Higgins

Higgins is the greatest individual needle-mover of the offseason in terms of other people’s fantasy value. If he returns to Cincinnati — which might very well be his preferred scenario — then Joe Burrow is a locked-in top-five fantasy QB with real-life MVP potential. Higgins is the sort of physically dominant technician who’s going to elevate whichever offense and quarterback he chooses. His next QB is likely to jump a tier or two after he’s on the squad.

Every team in the league would obviously welcome a prime-of-his-career talent like Higgins, so the bidding is gonna be spirited if the Bengals can’t or won’t bring him back. The Patriots, Commanders and Chargers are all among the receiver-needy teams with zillions in available cap space. It’s not difficult to imagine Higgins landing in a spot that effectively guarantees him a workload unlike any he’s seen in Cincy. If we’re projecting 140-plus targets for this man, he’ll rank among the WR1s in fantasy.

Deebo Samuel

Coming off a disaster season statistically (which was largely health-related), Samuel requested a trade from the Niners and his agent has been granted permission by the team to find new potential homes. It feels as if this relocation is probably happening. Even in a poor season by his standards, Samuel still handled 93 touches and saw 81 targets; his departure would clearly help keep Jauan Jennings fantasy-relevant and lead to additional opportunities for Ricky Pearsall.

Stylistically, Samuel just seems like an ideal fit for the Denver Broncos, a team in search of a multi-purpose joker. If Deebo is interested and Denver is open to extending him, that move should happen.

Tyreek Hill

Hill seemed to treat Super Bowl media week as an apology/retraction tour, telling pretty much every outlet he spoke with that his preference was to remain in Miami. And maybe that’s true. And maybe the Dolphins are all-in (or mostly-in) on Tyreek.

Still, this is a complicated player who turns 31 in a few weeks and he was plainly unhappy at the end of the regular season. Let’s not assume Miami won’t be listening to offers. Hill should be a tempting consolation prize for every team that whiffs on Higgins.

Sam Darnold

It’s not entirely clear whether Darnold is the league’s best bad quarterback or its worst good quarterback, but we have at least learned that he can support a pair of excellent fantasy receivers (before face-planting in a dramatic and terrible way in the season’s most important weeks). If he returns to Minnesota, then Justin Jefferson’s status as a top-five overall fantasy selection is secure, Jordan Addison is a rock-solid WR2 and Darnold himself is a playable QB with upside.

If instead Darnold lands in a less talent-rich environment, then he’s likely a Superflex-only quarterback and Minnesota’s receivers will be tied to an interesting-yet-unproven 22-year-old passer coming off multiple knee surgeries. As much as we might like the general concept of a J.J. McCarthy-led offense, he’s very much an unknown at this stage. Darnold, on the other hand, just produced a 35-touchdown season for a 14-win team.

Aaron Rodgers

Rodgers is far from elite at this point in his career, but he is also not entirely washed. At 41, he’s presumably still interested in playing professional football, but we know that won’t be with the Jets.

A massive game of quarterback musical chairs is about to take place across the league involving Rodgers, Darnold, Kirk Cousins, Russell Wilson, Jameis Winston and others. When the music ends, Rodgers could find himself someplace moderately exciting — potentially with the Steelers or Giants — or he may land in a less appealing spot, such as the Titans or Browns. Or it’s possible the music will stop and Rodgers will be floating in a sensory deprivation chamber, rocked on toad venom, disinterested in continuing his NFL career. We’re dealing with a free spirit here, unburdened by traditional paradigms or cultural norms. Shrug.

Davante Adams

Adams and Rodgers keep finding their way back to one another, but that’s hardly guaranteed this offseason. After a year in which Adams delivered 1,063 yards and eight touchdowns over 14 games, he’s certain to draw interest if or when he’s released by the Jets. He’s reportedly eyeing the Rams and Chargers, destinations that would preserve his fantasy value while complicating the projection for either Puka Nacua or Ladd McConkey.

Adams is entering his age-32 season, but he’s nowhere near cooked. Every contending team with receiving needs will at least get a price-check.

Chris Godwin

Let’s please remember that when Godwin suffered his season-ending ankle injury back in Week 7, he’d been challenging for overall WR1 status on the year. At the time, he was one of the absolute right answers in fantasy. We probably shouldn’t be too pessimistic about his recovery, either, because he and the Bucs were making noises about a potential return in the postseason if the team made a deep run.

Godwin is entering free agency at 29, coming off a half-season in which he averaged 82.3 receiving yards per game and caught 80.6% of his targets. He’s been one of the most reliable players at his position since he entered the league in 2017. A return to Tampa should be of interest to all parties, but it would definitely squash much of the recent Jalen McMillan enthusiasm.

Assuming good health, Godwin is clearly the sort of receiver who can elevate his QB’s fantasy profile.

Ashton Jeanty

Yeah, sure, there are a few serviceable, semi-dusty veteran running backs who will be available in free agency, but this year’s draft class is definitely not last year’s draft class. Jeanty is the back most likely to shake up fantasy draft boards this offseason. No matter where Aaron Jones or Najee Harris end up, we aren’t going to be considering those guys at the back end of the first round.

As for Jeanty … well, maybe.

Jeanty just delivered one of the greatest individual seasons in college football history, rushing for an absurd 2,601 yards while averaging 7.0 YPC and reaching the end zone 30 times. He also caught 80 passes for 862 yards over three collegiate seasons, so he’s fully approved for receiving use. If Jeanty finds his way to Dallas — where he is commonly mocked — or if he lands in Chicago — where he is literally pleading to go — then someone in every fantasy draft will be targeting him inside their draft’s first two rounds.

Matthew Stafford

On the one hand, it makes little obvious sense for the Rams to deal a quarterback who just led the team to the divisional round, where they gave the eventual Super Bowl champs their toughest test of the playoffs. But maybe this is a case of a ruthless team attempting to offload an aging legend while his value remains high. There’s been too much recent noise about a potential Stafford trade to simply ignore it.

Stafford remains a weapons-grade arm talent and one of the game’s most inventive (and also immobile) QBs. If he’s indeed a trade chip, then he’s the best available option for 2025. Malik Nabers has already registered interest on behalf of the Giants.