Five veteran NFL players who might not be back in 2025

Cooper may catch on with a team looking to add a veteran presence to their locker room, but at 31 years old, his 10-year NFL career could be over. 

CB Rasul Douglas

Douglas won a Super Bowl as a rookie with the Philadelphia Eagles in 2017. He spent time with the Carolina Panthers and Green Bay Packers before being traded to Buffalo, where he had four interceptions and a pick-six in 2023. Last year, he had no interceptions and five passes defended in 15 games with the Bills.

Pro Football Focus ranked Douglas 102nd overall among cornerbacks in 2024, which could explain why Buffalo took Kentucky’s Maxwell Hairston to replace him in the first round of this year’s draft. 

According to Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald, the veteran defender turned down an offer from the Miami Dolphins in the offseason. Time will tell if Douglas, who turns 31 at the end of August, will regret not signing with the Dolphins. 

RB Gus Edwards

Edwards signed a two-year, $6.5M contract with the Los Angeles Chargers last offseason but was released after rushing for a career-low 3.6 yards per carry in 2024. Before that, Edwards averaged 4.9 yards per attempt in five seasons with the Baltimore Ravens, rushing for 3,395 yards and 26 touchdowns.

If Greg Roman, Edward’s offensive coordinator with the Chargers and Ravens, can’t find a spot for the 30-year-old running back, it’s doubtful another team will.

CB Stephon Gilmore

Gilmore made five Pro Bowls, earned two All-Pro nominations and was named the NFL Defensive Player of the Year in 2019, but the soon-to-be 35-year-old remains a free agent.

"I want to play this year, it's just got to be the right situation," he said on "The Money Down" podcast. "I still love the game. I still can contribute. It's just got to be the right place."

Gilmore played with Dallas in 2023 and visited the Cowboys in the offseason, but a reunion seems unlikely at this point. If he finds a suitor for 2025, it will be his fifth team in as many seasons.