The Philadelphia Eagles’ 40-22 victory over the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LIX on Sunday night ended the NFL’s 2024 season, leaving all 32 teams able to turn their full attention to preparing for the 2025 campaign.

That team building will include free agency, which starts with the NFL’s 2025 business year on March 12.

Any NFL player with at least four seasons of experience and an expiring contract will become a free agent at 3 p.m. CDT March 12 if he doesn’t sign a contract extension or his team doesn’t use its franchise tag on him before then.

The players headed toward unrestricted free agency at that time could include 35 from Alabama high schools and colleges who were on NFL active rosters or reserve lists at the end of the 2024 regular season.

The potential unrestricted free agents include five-time Pro Bowl wide receiver Amari Cooper (Alabama) and four-time Pro Bowl center Ryan Kelly (Alabama).

But according to the sports financial web site spotrac.com, the players with Alabama football roots who will command the largest contracts in free agency this spring will be offensive tackle Cam Robinson (Alabama) and cornerback Carlton Davis (Auburn).

Spotrac.com estimates Robinson’s market value as a three-year, $42.035 million contract and Davis’ market value as a three-year, $41.308 million contract.

The player headed toward free agency with the highest annual value, though, according to spotrac.com’s market-value estimates, is wide receiver Darius Slayton (Auburn), at $15.861, or a two-year, $31.721 million contract.

Among the 2021 draft choices whose four-year rookie contracts are expiring is first-round pick Najee Harris (Alabama). The Pittsburgh Steelers could have kept the running back under contract for 2025 by picking up their fifth-year option last offseason for $6.79 million. Spotrac.com estimates Harris’ market value as a three-year, $27.45 million contract, or $9.15 million per season.

The players from Alabama high schools and colleges on NFL active rosters or reserve lists at the end of the 2024 regular season who are eligible to become unrestricted free agents at 3 p.m. March 12 include:

• Ameer Abdullah, running back, Homewood
• Kwon Alexander, linebacker, Auburn
• Bradley Bozeman, center, Handley, Alabama
• K.J. Britt, linebacker, Oxford, Auburn
• Tony Brown, cornerback, Alabama
• Amari Cooper, wide receiver, Alabama
• Byron Cowart, defensive lineman, Auburn
• Zach Cunningham, linebacker, Pinson Valley
• Marlon Davidson, defensive tackle, Greenville, Auburn
• Carlton Davis, cornerback, Auburn
• Jack Driscoll, offensive lineman, Auburn
• Da’Shawn Hand, defensive lineman, Alabama
• Najee Harris, running back, Alabama
• Ronnie Harrison, safety, Alabama
• Chris Hubbard, offensive tackle, UAB
• Noah Igbinoghene, cornerback, Hewitt-Trussville, Auburn
• Michael Jackson, cornerback, Spain Park
• Jonathan Jones, defensive back, Auburn
• Mac Jones, quarterback, Alabama
• Ryan Kelly, center, Alabama
• Carl Lawson, defensive end, Auburn
• Nick Mullens, quarterback, Spain Park
• Siran Neal, cornerback, Eufaula, Jacksonville State
• Jarran Reed, nose tackle, Alabama
• Cam Robinson, offensive tackle, Alabama
• JK Scott, punter, Alabama
• Trent Scott, offensive lineman, Lee-Huntsville
• Jamien Sherwood, linebacker, Auburn
• Darius Slayton, wide receiver, Auburn
• Irv Smith Jr., tight end, Alabama
• Tremon Smith, cornerback, Saks
• Jarrett Stidham, quarterback, Auburn
• C.J. Uzomah, tight end, Auburn
• Jedrick Wills Jr., offensive tackle, Alabama
• Jameis Winston, quarterback, Hueytown

Five other NFL players from Alabama high schools and colleges are eligible to become restricted free agents on March 12:

• Lester Cotton, guard, Central-Tuscaloosa, Alabama
• Josh Jobe, cornerback, Alabama
• Velus Jones Jr., wide receiver, Saraland
• Christian Matthew, cornerback, Samford
• Anthony Schwartz, wide receiver, Auburn

A restricted free agent is a player with three NFL seasons and an expiring contract. Like unrestricted free agents, restricted free agents can negotiate with any interested teams, but their original teams can tender restricted free agents with qualifying offers from four tiers. All the tenders give the original teams the ability to match any contract offer before losing a player and some carry draft-pick compensation if a player signs elsewhere.

Yet another type of NFL free agent is the exclusive-rights free agent. An ERFA is a player with fewer than three seasons and an expiring contract. If his original team offers the ERFA a contract, he cannot negotiate with other teams.

The NFL’s pending exclusive-rights free agents include five with Alabama football roots:

• Grant DuBose, wide receiver, Park Crossing, Miles  
• Jeremiah Moon, linebacker, Hoover  
• LaBryan Ray, defensive tackle, James Clemens, Alabama  
• Kadeem Telfort, offensive tackle, UAB  
• Chandler Wooten, linebacker, Auburn  

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Mark Inabinett is a sports reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on X at @AMarkG1.