One major move for every AFC team to make

Free agency, the NFL Draft and rookie mini-camps are in the rearview. Training camps won't begin until deep into the summer. But team building continues. 

With that in mind, Yardbarker NFL writers identify one major move each team in the AFC should make.

AFC East

BUFFALO BILLS | Extend RB James Cook | With delays surrounding the completion of its $2B stadium and HBO’s “Hard Knocks” setting up shop with the Bills for the preseason, Buffalo doesn't need a holdout from one of its star players. After rushing for 1,009 yards and tying Baltimore’s Derrick Henry and Detroit’s Jahmyr Gibbs with a league-high 16 touchdowns in 2024, Cook has a reported asking price of $15M per season. Pay the man.

MIAMI DOLPHINS | Trade CB Jalen Ramsey | The three-time All-Pro cornerback has not ask to be moved, but he and Miami’s front office mutually agreed to explore trade options in the offseason. With roughly $14M in available cap space for 2025, per Over The Cap, the Dolphins are among the NFL’s most cash-strapped teams. A post-June 1 trade of Ramsey would save the Dolphins $9.9M against next year’s cap. 

NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS | Sign LB Jadeveon Clowney | New head coach Mike Vrabel was Clowney’s position coach in Houston and head coach in Tennessee and new defensive coordinator Terrell Williams served as his position coach with the Titans. The 32-year-old edge-rusher had 5.5 sacks for Carolina last season and 9.5 sacks for Baltimore the year before, and would be perfect for a team that had the fewest sacks (28) in 2024.

NEW YORK JETS | Strike a deal with Garrett Wilson | The 24-year-old wide receiver hasn’t missed a game in three losing seasons with New York, which is why the Jets should lock him up before what promises to be another down year. "I'm hopeful I'm a Jet for life and we get this thing rolling," Wilson recently told reporters, but a fourth straight 1,000-yard receiving season with Justin Fields at QB could make him unaffordable in 2026. — Bruce Ewing

AFC West

DENVER BRONCOS | Extend WR Courtland Sutton | The Broncos solidifying their future with Sutton — who’s entering the last year of his contract this season — would certainly make QB Bo Nix happy. In 17 regular-season games last season, Sutton, 29, had 81 receptions for 1,081 yards and eight touchdown catches. 

KANSAS CITY CHIEFS | Sign WR Keenan Allen | Giving QB Patrick Mahomes another reliable target would be smart after he averaged a career-low 245.5 passing yards per game in 16 regular-season starts in 2024. Six-time Pro Bowler Allen was still productive last season, logging 70 receptions for 744 yards and seven touchdown catches in 15 games with the Chicago Bears. 

LAS VEGAS RAIDERS | Sign DT Linval Joseph | DT Christian Wilkins is still rehabbing from a left foot injury he suffered in October 2024. If Wilkins isn’t ready for the start of the regular season, the Raiders should consider signing Joseph, a Super Bowl champion and two-time Pro Bowler. 

LOS ANGELES CHARGERS | Extend left tackle Rashawn Slater | Slater — who’s entering the last year of his rookie contract in 2025 — skipped the team’s first OTA on May 27, per The Athletic’s Daniel Popper. Instead of dragging out contract negotiations, the Chargers should show the two-time Pro Bowler the money.  — Clark Dalton

AFC North

BALTIMORE RAVENS | Extend center Tyler Linderbaum | One of the more surprising moves of Baltimore’s offseason was declining Linderbaum’s fifth-year option, meaning he’s set to become a free agent in 2026. The Ravens can’t afford to lose a player so pivotal to their offensive success, so they should lock Linderbaum into an extension before Week 1. 

CINCINNATI BENGALS | Extend DE Trey Hendrickson | It doesn’t seem like Hendrickson will return to play on his current contract, and the Bengals have been stingy with trade offers all offseason. The star defensive end deserves a pay raise after leading the NFL with 17.5 sacks last season, and Cincinnati still has roughly $55M in cap space in 2026 (h/t: Over The Cap) after extending WRs Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins. 

CLEVELAND BROWNS | Sign LB Kyzir White | White is still a free agent despite ranking second on the Cardinals in total tackles (137) last season, and the Browns need help at linebacker after Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah announced he won’t play in 2025. A veteran ball-hunter who can cover sideline to sideline is exactly what Cleveland needs. 

PITTSBURGH STEELERS | Sign QB Aaron Rodgers | The Steelers are on Rodgers’ time with this decision, but the blood pressure in Pittsburgh's building must be on the rise now that OTAs have begun. If Pittsburgh doesn’t find a way to persuade Rodgers to sign, it’ll be stuck with the QB trio of Mason Rudolph, Will Howard and Skylar Thompson for the 2025 season. — Jack Dougherty

AFC South

INDIANAPOLIS COLTS | Name a starting quarterback ASAP | The Colts are holding an open QB competition between Daniel Jones and Anthony Richardson, but they should be careful not to carry that competition too deep into the offseason. With a new offense that could feature rookie tight end Tyler Warren as its focal point, first-team reps will be key for the Week 1 starter. Head coach Shane Steichen should decide during or shortly after training camp which player is going to run his offense.

JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS | Sign OT Shaq Mason | The Jaguars had a big need at offensive tackle heading into the NFL Draft, and many expected them to address it with the No. 5 overall pick. They instead traded up to draft CB/WR Travis Hunter and selected two interior offensive linemen in Wyatt Milum and Jonah Monheim. Mason
had a rough year with the Houston Texans in 2024, but he could still bring needed experience to Jacksonville.

TENNESSEE TITANS | Trade quarterback Will Levis | The Titans have insisted that Levis and No. 1 overall pick Cam Ward are competing for the Week 1 starting quarterback job, but hardly anyone believes that. Tennessee expects Ward to be a franchise cornerstone, which leaves no room for Levis. Unless Levis is satisfied with being locked into a backup role for the foreseeable future, the Titans should move on.

HOUSTON TEXANS | Sign WR Keenan Allen | The Texans traded for WR Christian Kirk this offseason and then drafted two Iowa State wide receivers (Jayden Higgins and Jaylin Noel), but they still have room for a veteran wideout. Allen had a down season in Chicago last year by his lofty standards, but he still finished with 70 catches for 744 yards and seven TD catches in an offense run by a rookie quarterback. If Houston feels they need another proven option for C.J. Stroud, they should look no further. — Steve DelVecchio