With the big wave of free agency over and the NFL slowing down for a minute, it’s time to take a brief look at how each team did during the first period of free agency.
Teams still have plenty of time to improve their team – pro days are just around the corner, and the NFL draft will be upon us before we know it. That will be followed by another wave of free agency as training camps get closer, but what the teams did (or did not do) with their cap space over the past few days will ultimately shape how management will proceed with the rest of the offseason.
Some assumptions will be made with what teams will do with their upcoming picks – for example, we aren’t going to dock the Commanders for not signing a quarterback, as they almost certainly be drafting one in April, but for the most part, these grades are solely based on the free agent signings and how the contracts will affect the team going forward.
Arizona Cardinals
- Re-signed: EDGE L.J. Collier (one year, TBD)
- Signed: CB Sean Murphy-Bunting (three years, $25.5M)
- Signed: DI Bilal Nichols (three years, $21M)
- Signed: DI Justin Jones (three years, $30.1M)
- Signed: LB Mack Wilson (three years, $12.75M)
- Signed: RB DeeJay Dallas (three years, $8.25M with upside to $10.5M)
- Extended: C Keith Ismael
- Re-signed: C/G Trystan Colon-Castillo (one year, $1.75M)
- Acquired via Trade: QB Desmond Ridder
While the Cardinals entered free agency with the 5th most cap space available ($56.6 million), they didn’t do much to significantly improve their team. They secured their interior offensive line by re-signing Trystan Colon-Castillo, PFF’s 18th ranked guard, for a measly $1.75M which is impressive considering the amount of money that got thrown at interior linemen this free agency period.
Head Coach Jonathan Gannon mostly focused on getting more weapons for his defense – DL Justin Jones led the Bears in QB hits and tackles for loss in 2023, while veterans Mack Wilson and Sean Murphy-Bunting give Gannon some solid veteran starters at positions of need.
Thanks to some smart trades last year, the Cardinals currently have 7 of the top 103 picks in the 2024 draft, including the 4th overall pick, where they’re likely to be able to rebuild their wide receiver corps – especially after moving out depth receiver Rondale Moore for QB Desmond Ridder.
Overall, the Cardinals didn’t make any great improvements in free agency, and that hurts their grade, but their improvements will be done in April
Free Agency Grade: C
Atlanta Falcons
- Released: TE Jonnu Smith
- Re-signed: LB Nate Landman (TBD)
- Signed: QB Kirk Cousins (four years, $180M)
- Signed: TE Charlie Woerner (three years, $12M)
- Signed: WR Darnell Mooney (three years, $39M)
- Acquired via trade: WR Rondale Moore
Falcons Owner Arthur Blank has had enough of watching the team struggle to replace longtime starter Matt Ryan at quarterback and set his sights firmly on getting the biggest fish in the quarterback pond. He landed Kirk Cousins on a massive 4 year, $180M deal that includes $100M guaranteed. Cousins is already 36, and is coming off of a torn achilles, but is no doubt the best quarterback to suit up for Atlanta in years. The deal also sounds massive, but with the way the cap is rising in the NFL, if they need an out after year two they can cut Cousins for just a $25M cap hit, and that number gets cut in half for the final year of the deal.
Atlanta’s offense is loaded with talent. While Cousins only led the Vikings to a top 10 finish in offensive DVOA once during his six year tenure, he’ll do enough to bring this team to the playoffs and a potential divisional title. Whether he can step up in the postseason is another question
I would like the addition of Darnell Mooney to be a WR2/3 in this offense if they were just throwing a flier on him, but the numbers for a receiver who had one decent season years ago are a little absurd. I don’t think there was a big enough demand for Mooney that the Falcons had to give him $26M guaranteed.
It’s impressive that they were able to get anything at all for Desmond Ridder, and while it’s best to keep expectations low for Rondale Moore, he’s shown he can be used in some gimmick type playcalls in the past and could be a viable weapon for the Falcons.
Atlanta has a top 10 pick to keep improving their team, and they earn high marks for using free agency to take a big step forward.
Free Agency Grade: A
Baltimore Ravens
- Re-signed: WR Nelson Agholor (one year, $3.75M)
- Re-signed: DI Justin Madubuike (four years, $98M)
- Re-signed: LB Malik Harrison (one year, TBD)
- Signed: RB Derrick Henry (two years, $16M)
The Baltimore Ravens have rarely invested in the running back position, but the marriage of their heavy run first mentality and bruiser Derrick Henry was just too good to pass up. Henry’s market was tempered largely due to the fact that he’s already 30 years old and is coming off of his second consecutive season where he led the league in rushes. But the Ravens still locked him up for $8M a season with $9M guaranteed. The fall from grace is just around the corner for Henry, but he’s worth the risk to elevate this offense to a whole other level.
Defensively, the Ravens used the franchise tag to give them extra time to work out a massive extension for DT Justin Madabuike, who is a key cog of their unit. They lost two key defenders in LB Patrick Queen and S Geno Stone, but the Ravens develop defensive players as well as anyone in the league, so there’s a belief that they can weather those losses.
Upgrading their receiver room has to now be a priority entering the draft. But there weren’t many high end options in free agency so it’s understandable that they opted to wait until April.
While it wasn’t a busy free agency period, the Ravens just created one of the scariest backfield pairings with Henry and QB Lamar Jackson, which is worthy of a high grade.
Free Agency Grade: B+
Buffalo Bills
- Re-signed: G David Edwards (two years, $6M)
- Re-signed: P Matt Haack (one year, TBD)
- Released: S Jordan Poyer
- Released: CB Siran Neal
- Released: C Mitch Morse
- Released: RB Nyheim Hines
- Released: WR Deonte Harty
- Released: CB Tre’Davious White (post-June 1)
- Signed: QB Mitch Trubisky (two years, $5.25M)
- Re-signed: S Taylor Rapp (three years, $10.625M)
- Extended: T Dion Dawkins (three years, $60.5M)
- Re-signed: CB Cam Lewis (two years $4M)
- Re-signed: EDGE A.J. Epenesa (two years, $12M)
- Re-signed: DI DaQuan Jones (two years, $16M)
- Signed: LB Nicholas Morrow (one year, TBD)
- Signed: WR Curtis Samuel (three year, $24M)
The Buffalo Bills will look very different next year as they released 6 players prior to the opening of free agency to open up over $37M in cap space. With the extra flexibility, they were able to extend Josh Allen’s blindside blocker Dion Dawkins for another three years, and re-signed guard David Edwards to an extremely reasonable two year deal in comparison to the money being thrown at guards in free agency.
Late in the week the Bills got some depth at receiver by signing former Commander Curtis Samuel, who’s a reliable pass catcher that can line up anywhere on the offense and should really fit in with Buffalo. Bills GM Brandon Beane did what he could with the limited cap space that he had, but in the grand scheme of this losing key players on defense like Jordan Poyer, Tre’Davious White and Leonard Floyd without any real way to replace them isn’t a great way to start the offseason.
Free Agency Grade: C
Carolina Panthers
- Released: C Bradley Bozeman
- Traded: EDGE Brian Burns
- Released: TE Hayden Hurst
- Re-signed: LS J.J. Jansen (one year, TBD)
- Signed: G Robert Hunt (five years, $100M)
- Signed: G Damien Lewis (four years, $53M)
- Released: S Vonn Bell
- Signed: DI A’Shawn Robinson (three years, $22.5M)
- Signed: LB Josey Jewell (three years, $22.75M)
- Acquired via trade: WR Diontae Johnson
- Re-signed: WR Ihmir Smith-Marsette (one year, TBD)
The Panthers are starting over with GM Dan Morgan and Head Coach Dave Canales, but some of the old Panthers warts still shine through. The new regime can’t be fully blamed for the mishandling of the Brian Burns situation as a whole, but the return for the elite edge rusher is laughable. They would have been much better off holding onto him on the franchise tag and waiting to see if a better deal materialized closer to the draft.
The Panthers also targeted fixing the interior of their offensive line, snagging Damien Lewis and Robert Hunt on four and five year deals respectively. Hunt could be a great signing, as he was PFF’s 8th ranked guard last season and only allowed one sack and three quarterback hurries, but the sticker price of the deal is pretty shocking. It makes sense, as Carolina was tied for the second most sacks in the league last season (65), so getting some established lineman to help give Bryce Young some time in the pocket is crucial.
The Diontae Johnson trade immediately turns him into this team’s WR1, but the offense still needs a lot of work to reach NFL caliber. Johnson’s specialty is getting open right off the line of scrimmage and getting the ball out of Young’s hands quickly should be a priority this coming season, so the fit does make sense.
I like the investment in the offensive line, and the fact that they’re finally showing awareness that they just don’t have enough talent on their roster to be competitive.
None of these moves are needle movers, however, and the return for Burns is a disaster. Failing grade.
Free Agency Grade: F
Chicago Bears
- Released: G Cody Whitehair
- Released: S Eddie Jackson
- Acquired via trade: G Ryan Bates
- Re-signed: CB Jaylon Johnson (four years, $76M)
- Signed: S Tarvarius Moore (TBD)
- Re-signed: LS Patrick Scales (one year, $1.21M)
- Signed: S Kevin Byard (two years, $15M)
- Signed: RB D’Andre Swift (three years, $24M)
- Signed: TE Gerald Everett (two years, $12M)
- Signed: S Jonathan Owens (two years, TBD)
- Acquired via trade: WR Keenan Allen
- Traded: QB Justin Fields
The Bears have had a very confusing free agency period. The signing of Swift was the first deal announced after the legal negotiating window opened, so they clearly targeted him from the get go. But there’s no way anyone was predicting he would earn $8M a season, or that his guaranteed money ($15.3M) would be more than what Josh Jacobs received. Running back wasn’t a major position of need for Chicago as they still have Khalil Herbert and Roschon Johnson under contract for 2024. Johnson, who many people still believe in, has a very similar skillset to Swift, which makes the move all the more befuddling.
The Everett signing was equally as mystifying, as the Bears just signed Cole Kmet to a massive 4 year $50M deal ($32.8 guaranteed) last offseason, so it’s not like there’s a major opening at TE1.
Overpaying for a safety in Kevin Byard (especially considering his age and his rapid decline over the past few seasons) is also just bad business as safety isn’t a premium position to be investing in.
Then Chicago got on the phone and made a huge addition by trading just a 4th round pick to the cash-strapped Chargers for Keenan Allen. Allen paired with D.J. Moore gives the Bears a legitimate 1A/1B scenario at wide receiver that can match up against any defensive backfield in the league. With a rookie quarterback coming in, they’re doing it right by surrounding him with reliable pass catchers to get the most out of whoever they select first overall.
The Bears also were able to lock up Jaylon Johnson, who’s a key piece of their defensive structure, for the next 4 years after retaining him with the franchise tag.
The return for Justin Fields was underwhelming to say the least. Chicago obviously wants whomever they select first overall to be “the guy” in the Windy City from the word go, but Bears fans can’t be happy about a conditional 6th rounder.
The early questionable signings had the Bears at a D grade, but the move for Allen bumps them up a bit for proactively insulating their future franchise quarterback.
Free Agency Grade: C-
Cincinnati Bengals
- Franchise-tagged: WR Tee Higgins
- Re-signed: G Cody Ford (one year, $1.35M)
- Re-signed: RB Trayveon Williams (one year, TBD)
- Re-signed: TE Drew Sample (three years, $10.5M)
- Signed: S Geno Stone (two years, $15M)
- Signed: RB Zack Moss (two years, $8M)
- Signed: TE Mike Gesicki (one year, $2.5M)
One of the early rumours to come out on Monday morning was that Bengals’ franchise tagged wide receiver Tee Higgins had officially asked for a trade after not receiving a legitimate contract extension offer since last offseason. Not a great start for a team that’s looking to bounce back into the playoffs after a cascade of injuries wasted their 2023 season.
The Bengals stuck to their business though, and made a series of nice signings.
Geno Stone strengthens their defensive backfield while also taking away from their divisional rivals in Baltimore.
Pass catching tight end Mike Gesicki is an upgrade over the departing Irv Smith Jr (as in he can actually stay on the field), and the team got slightly younger but much cheaper at running back by trading away Joe Mixon and signing Zach Moss. Mixon hasn’t averaged over 4.1 yards per carry since 2018, while Moss has exceeded that in four of his five seasons. The Bengals already have the pieces in place to make a run, so free agency for them now is about complementing their high end starters. They earned a good grade for what they were able to do, with the caveat that it can still change greatly depending on how the Higgins situation turns out.
Free Agency Grade: B-
Cleveland Browns
- Acquired via trade: WR Jerry Jeudy
- Signed: EDGE Za’Darius Smith (two years, 23.5M)
- Signed: LB Jordan Hicks (two years, $8M)
- Signed: QB Jameis Winston (one year, $4M)
- Signed: RB Nyheim Hines (TBD)
- Re-signed: G Michael Dunn (TBD)
- Re-signed: DI Shelby Harris (TBD)
- Re-signed: P Corey Bojorquez (two years, TBD)
Browns GM Andrew Berry is taking another low risk swing at a high potential wide receiver in free agency. He struck gold with Amari Copper a few years back, landing him for only a 5th round pick, and gave Elijah Moore an escape from New York in 2023. This year, Berry is taking a chance on the former 15th overall pick Jerry Jeudy for a fifth and sixth round pick.
By no means do I expect Jeudy to live up to his draft capital, but perhaps he can unlock something within him in a new location working as a WR2/3 with Cooper, Moore and Njoku.
Jameis Winston gives the Browns some insurance for Deshaun Watson, and, while heavily flawed, Winston could actually fit into Stefanski’s offense quite well. The offense will rely heavily on the run with some deep shots off of play action thrown in, something Winston is all too comfortable letting loose. Jordan Hicks still has some juice left as a versatile linebacker, and Hines, who is returning from a major injury, potentially gives them a reliable pass catcher out of the backfield if he is back to full health.
Solid day all around for Berry and the Browns.
Free Agency Grade: B+
Dallas Cowboys
- Re-signed: DI Carl Davis Jr. (one year, $1.37M)
- Re-signed: LS Trent Sieg (one year, $1.29M)
- Signed: LB Eric Kendricks (one year, TBD)
Well, at least they have their long snapper back.
Dallas was the only team in the NFL to not sign anyone on Monday, a stark contrast to how owner Jerry Jones has worked free agency in the past. They sat back while RB Tony Pollard (Tennessee) and C Tyler Biadasz (Washington) signed deals elsewhere, and don’t have viable options for either within their system to replace them.
The running back depth chart is particularly shallow, as they currently only have Malik Davis, Deuce Vaughn and Snoop Conner on the roster. Not one of those players should be seriously considered to take starter’s snaps for the team in 2024.
The Cowboys are pressed right up against the cap and also have to start worrying about the next contract for QB Dak Prescott. Dallas has absolutely zero leverage in those negotiations, as they gave Prescott a full no trade and no tag clause on his last deal in 2021. Prescott has had no problem betting on himself before if contract talks aren’t reaching the number he expects (well north of $50M per season), so don’t be surprised if Prescott tables the conversation completely and plays out the final year of his contract. Watching holes opening up on Dallas’ roster with no immediate pathway to ensuring their future at quarterback and no leverage to solve any of their current problems gives them the second failing grade of the free agency period.
The Cowboys eventually signed LB Eric Kendricks to get on the free agency board after he was reportedly about to agree to terms with the 49ers. Unfortunately this move isn’t enough to give them a passing grade.
Free Agency Grade: F
Denver Broncos
- Released: QB Russell Wilson (post-June 1)
- Released: S Justin Simmons
- Released: TE Chris Manhertz
- Re-signed: S P.J. Locke (two years, $7M)
- Signed: S Brandon Jones (three years, $20M)
- Re-signed: K Wil Lutz (two years, $8.4M)
- Re-signed: FB Michael Burton (TBD)
- Signed: DI Malcolm Roach (two years, $8M)
- Re-signed: TE Adam Trautman (two years, TBD)
Sean Payton is set to put his stamp on the Broncos for real this offseason, and convinced the ownership group that it’s better to eat an $85M cap hit over the next two seasons than have Russell Wilson continue to play on the five year, $245M extension signed right after they traded for him in 2022.
The team is already feeling the ripple effects of this decision, as four time second team all pro safety Justin Simmons was released to save $14.5M. Simmons isn’t washed by any means – he was an all pro and pro bowler in 2023, so losing a team captain on what has already been a depleted defense hurts. Their wide receiver room also gets thinner with the Jeudy trade, and they don’t have the flexibility to make any major improvements to their roster due to the cap implications. Oh, and they also need a quarterback as the depth chart is currently Jarrett Stidham and Ben DiNucci.
Free Agency Grade: F
Detroit Lions
- Released: S Tracy Walker
- Re-signed: K Michael Badgley (one year, $1.292M)
- Re-signed: LB Jalen Reeves-Maybin (two years, $7.5M)
- Re-signed: RB Zonovan Knight (one year, $985K)
- Re-signed: TE Shane Zylstra (TBD)
- Re-signed: CB Emmanuel Moseley (one year, $1.125M)
- Re-signed: G Graham Glasgow (three years, $20M)
- Signed: EDGE Marcus Davenport (one year, $6.5M)
- Acquired via trade: CB Carlton Davis III
- Signed: CB Amik Robertson (two years, $9.25M)
- Re-signed: G Dan Skipper (TBD)
- Signed: DT D.J. Reader (two years, TBD)
- Extended GM Brad Holmes and HC Dan Campbell (through 2027).
The Detroit Lions are pretty much running it back on offense for 2024. And with how explosive they’ve been over the past couple of seasons, there’s absolutely nothing wrong with that. Re-signing depth players in running back Knight and tight end Zylstra gives them players who understand their roles and how the team operates, and bringing back Glasgow ensures the majority of their dominant offensive line is back for another deep playoff run.
Their major additions (and subtractions) came on the defensive side of the ball.
Safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson returned to the Eagles in free agency, but he was only able to start 2 games for the Lions in 2023 due to injury, so there is no real drop off there.
Acquiring Carleton Davis III fills a huge need as the Lions secondary is still a work in progress. Davis isn’t elite, but he’s more than serviceable, and held opposing quarterbacks to a 76.3 passer rating in 2023. Finding Aiden Hutchinson a running mate is also a crucial need for this defense to take the next step, as he accounted for 11.5 of the team’s 40 sacks last season.
Marcus Davenport has never lived up to the draft hype, but he’s a solid rusher who at least demands attention. There’s no downside to the signing as he only costs them $6.5M on a one year prove it deal, so he’ll be a good pairing for now with Hutchinson.
Late in the week the Lions were able to come to terms with 29 year old D.J. Reader, a big strong defensive tackle who excels in run defense. Reader would have been signed much earlier if he wasn’t coming off of a torn quad suffered in 2023. But prior to that injury he was having an excellent season in Cincinnati. Reader tore his other quad back in 2020, so he knows the rehabilitation process well and came back from that injury without any major problems. The Lions took their time to look over the medicals for Reader, but if he’s back to form by week 1 he’ll be their move of the offseason. He’s a high level player that fills a desperate need for the team.
When GM Brad Holmes and HC Dan Camplell were introduced to the media in their new roles in 2021, they both made a point to say that teams that consistently win in the NFL are built through the draft, and not free agency. They’ve done an excellent job of sticking to those principles, but now that the team is consistently in the Super Bowl contenders conversation, it’s time for them to push their chips in the middle in free agency and get this team over the hump. The Reader signing definitely helps in that regard, but one more elite defensive player would have boosted the Lions grade and given them top marks.
Free Agency Grade: B
Green Bay Packers
- Released: LB De’Vondre Campbell (post-June 1)
- Signed: RB Josh Jacobs (four years, $48M)
- Released: RB Aaron Jones
- Signed: S Xavier McKinney (four years, $68M)
- Re-signed: CB Keisean Nixon (three years, $18M)
- Re-signed: CB Corey Ballentine (TBD)
- Re-signed: TE Tyler Davis (one year, $1.835M)
- Re-signed: RB A.J. Dillon (one year, $2.74M)
The Packers were the youngest team in 2023, and, if nothing else, they’re gunning for that title again in 2024.
Gone are stalwarts LT David Bakhtiari (32), G Jon Runyan (26), S Darnell Savage (26), S Jonathan Owens (28) and RB Aaron Jones (29).
The signing of Josh Jacobs and subsequent release of Jones was the shocker of the day. While Jones had an injury plagued regular season, he was dominant in the team’s final 5 games (including playoffs) and has always been a good soldier for the organization. Rumours indicate that he was asked to take a 50% pay cut to stay with the team, and after refusing, the club opted to get younger by signing Jacobs. While the deal for Jacobs looked massive at first glance, the Packers were somehow able to guarantee only $12.5M of the $48M, meaning they’re in no way tied to Jacobs past this season. Jacobs didn’t live up to expectations in 2023 after leading the league in rushing in 2022, but he’s younger and larger (5 ’10”, 223 pounds) than Jones, and still gives them a pass catching element out of the backfield.
Xavier McKinney is a huge upgrade at safety over Savage, and is only 24 years old. He was PFF’s best safety in coverage in 2023, totaling 3 interceptions without allowing a single touchdown.
While you can have some qualms about how they handled the Jones situation, from a purely business/football aspect, the Packers had an excellent first few days of the 2024 campaign.
Free Agency Grade: A
Houston Texans
- Re-signed: TE Dalton Schultz (three years, $36M)
- Re-signed: K Ka’imi Fairbairn (three years, $15.9M)
- Re-signed: CB Kris Boyd (one year, TBD)
- Re-signed: S Eric Murray (one year, $1.75M)
- Re-signed: CB Desmond King II (one year, $2.2M)
- Re-signed: DI Khalil Davis (one year, TBD)
- Signed: DI Foley Fatukasi (one year, TBD)
- Signed: S Lonnie Johnson Jr. (one year, $2M)
- Signed: CB Jeff Okudah (one year, $4.75M)
- Signed: EDGE Denico Autry (two years, $20M)
- Signed: CB Mike Ford (two years, $4.5M)
- Re-signed: WR Noah Brown (one year, TBD)
- Signed: LB Azeez Al-Shaair (three years, $34M)
- Signed: P Tommy Townsend (two years, $6M)
- Signed: LB Del’Shawn Phillips (one year, TBD)
- Acquired via trade: RB Joe Mixon (extended three years, $27M)
- Signed: EDGE Danielle Hunter (two years, $49M)
The Houston Texans entered free agency thinking three words – defense, defense, defense.
Losing a young, still improving DE in Jonathan Greenard hurts, but the Texans signed eight shiny new toys for head coach Demeco Ryans to work into his unit in 2024.
Danielle Hunter is by far the biggest name, switching places with Greenard who signed early with the Vikings. Pairing Hunter with Will Anderson Jr, the 2023 3rd overall pick, gives the Texans one of the best pass rush duos in the entire league.
Edge/DL Denico Autry and LB Azeez Al-Shaair give the team two high end defenders who are also strong run stuffers up front – something the team lacked in their playoff loss to the Baltimore Ravens last postseason.
On offense, the team let Devin Singletary walk, and patiently waited to see where the running back carousel would end. When the dust cleared, they saw an opportunity and shipped a 7th round pick to Cincinnati for veteran back Joe Mixon. Mixon is on the back end of his career, but is extremely reliable and can have an excellent season in Houston while defenses worry about the passing offense of Stroud. Not too sure that the extension was necessary for Mixon, but they have so many rookie contracts on their roster that it shouldn’t be an issue going forward.
The Texans won’t be catching anyone by surprise next season – they’re definitely in the playoff conversations early for the 2024 season.
Free Agency Grade: B+
Indianapolis Colts
- Extended: C Jack Anderson (one year, TBD)
- Extended: LB Zaire Franklin (three years, $31.26M)
- Re-signed: WR Michael Pittman Jr. (three years, $70M)
- Re-signed: EDGE Tyquan Lewis (two years, $12M)
- Re-signed: DI Grover Stewart (three years, $39M)
- Re-signed: P Rigoberto Sanchez (three years, $7.5M)
- Re-signed: CB Kenny Moore II (three years, $30M)
- Signed: DI Raekwon Davis (two years, $14M)
- Signed: QB Joe Flacco (one year, $8.7M)
Michael Pittman is an excellent possession receiver, but it really feels like this was a big opportunity to have him play on the franchise tag and just see how things go with Anthony Richardson.
2023 was Pittman’s first 100 plus catch season (at 26 years old), but his yards per catch average was a disappointing 10.6. I could be totally wrong and Pittman proves to be worth every penny, but if it were my money, I would want more assurances that he’s worthy of becoming the 8th highest paid receiver in the NFL (AAV) before locking him up to term.
Pittman wasn’t the only re–signing, as the Colts retained all of their key defensive free agents.
Grover Stewart is a nice player, but Indianapolis overpaid to keep him in the building. The same can be said for Kenny Moore – making him the highest paid nickel corner in the NFL is a bit excessive.
However, both these players have had success in this system and are good glue guys, so there’s no real harm in throwing them a few extra bucks to keep some continuity within the organization.
While I thought the Colts would be a good landing spot for Justin Fields to back up Anthony Richardson, Indianapolis instead signed comeback player of the year winner Joe Flacco to a one year deal. Flacco was productive for the Browns down the stretch in the regular season, helping them reach the playoffs, but his high risk-high reward throws ultimately sank Cleveland against Houston in the wild card round. Flacco threw ten interceptions in his six starts, so the Colts are hoping they have better injury luck with Richardson this season as asking Flacco to replicate what Gardner Minshew was able to do last year might be a little too much for the 39 year old veteran.
The Colts get marks for organizational stability, but it’s another offseason where they have an overabundance of cap space and don’t land a single impact player.
Free Agency Grade: C
Jacksonville Jaguars
- Released: DI Foley Fatukasi
- Released: CB Darious Williams
- Released: S Rayshawn Jenkins
- Franchise-tagged: EDGE Josh Allen
- Re-signed: G Ezra Cleveland (three years, $28.5M)
- Re-signed: S Daniel Thomas (two years, $4M)
- Re-signed: DI Jeremiah Ledbetter (TBD)
- Acquired via trade: QB Mac Jones
- Signed: C Mitch Morse (two years, $10.5M)
- Signed: WR Gabe Davis (three years, $39M)
- Signed: S Darnell Savage (three years, $21.75M)
- Signed: WR Devin Duvernay (two years, $8.5M)
- Signed: CB Ronald Darby (two years, $8.5M)
- Re-signed: RB D’Ernest Johnson (one year, TBD)
- Signed: DL Arik Armstead (three years, $51M)
The Jacksonville Jaguars took a major step back in 2023 as Trevor Lawrence dealt with injuries and some shaky offensive line play.
They’re taking measures to address this by re-signing Ezra Cleveland (who they acquired via trade in October of 2023) and signing veteran center Mitch Morse.
WR Gabe Davis gives them a much needed big bodied receiver (6’2”, 225 lbs) who isn’t afraid to get his hands dirty in the blocking game, but he’s inconsistent as a receiver and won’t be able to replace the production they’re losing with the departure of Calvin Ridley.
While the Packers got younger and better by replacing safety Darnell Savage with Xavier McKinney, the Jags got younger by replacing Rayshawn Jenkins with Savage, although that isn’t quite as big of an upgrade.
The Jags biggest need right now is to figure out what they’re doing with franchise tagged Josh Allen, after he set a franchise record with 17.5 sacks in 2023. With limited cap space at their disposal, they need to figure out where they will be getting the money to pay their all-pro edge rusher.
Jacksonville got a big boost when the 49ers were unable to get Arik Armstead to agree to a pay cut, leading to his release. It took a few days, but the Jags locked him up for the next three seasons. Armstead immediately improves that defensive line and will help take some attention off of Josh Allen while he does his thing on the edge.
Outside of the Armstead signing though, it seems like the Jags just rush out and sign third tier free agents to overvalued deals. It worked out for one season with Christian Kirk two years ago, but hasn’t exactly pushed them into real Super Bowl contender status. This offseason seems like the Jags are once again trying to fix bullet holes with bandaids.
Free Agency Grade: C
Kansas City Chiefs
- Released: WR Marquez Valdes-Scantling
- Franchise-tagged: CB L’Jarius Sneed
- Re-signed: LB Drue Tranquill (three years, $19M)
- Re-signed: DI Chris Jones (five years, $158.75M)
- Signed: TE Irv Smith Jr. (one year, $1.3M)
- Re-signed: S Deon Bush (one year, TBD)
- Signed: WR Marquise Brown (one year, $7M)
When you win back to back Super Bowls, it’s not expected for you to be active in free agency.
The Chiefs did their best work last week, working out a new deal with DL Chris Jones. Jones is already 30, and has shown in the past that he isn’t afraid to take some plays (or series) off when it suits him. But he’s still an elite interior rusher that gives DC Steve Spagnola so much freedom to scheme his defense around. The deal itself is a little absurd – five years, $158.75M with $95M guaranteed means that the Chiefs are tied to Jones, likely into his age 33 campaign.
Kansas City also needs to figure out what they’re doing with star CB L’Jarius Sneed, who’s currently on the franchise tag. With the massive money being spent on Jones, it’s likely that Sneed will be a cap casualty and gets traded at some point.
The Chiefs are lucky that the NFL draft is chalk full of receivers, because they desperately need one after striking out on Marquez Valdes-Scantling, Kadarius Toney and Skyy Moore (just to name a few) over the past couple of seasons. They were able to sign Marquise Brown for a cheap one year prove it deal, but after flaming out in both Baltimore and Arizona, expectations should be tempered. Brown’s greatest strength is drawing pass interference calls on deep balls, but like many Chiefs receivers of the past, drops and separation are concerns.
KC can easily get an A if the Sneed trade yields them a legitimate NFL receiver (or another pick to draft one), but for now they get a solid B for locking up their most important defensive piece and for being the reigning two time Superbowl champs.
Free Agency Grade: B
-Devon Gallant
Twitter: @DevGallant
Photo: All-Pro Reels. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic license.