The biggest news of the third day of free agency, and the first official day, wasn’t a done deal. It was Aaron Rodgers finally breaking his silence on yet another off-season saga involving his future by announcing his intentions to play with the New York Jets in 2023. It’s not yet complete, as the Jets and Packers still need to agree on compensation. But it’s happening.
Not to detract from what else happened on Wednesday, though, because some interesting moves were made all around the league.
Orlando Brown Jr.: Signed with the Bengals (4 years, $64M, $43M guaranteed)
The best tackle on the market finally finds a new home. Once the Chiefs signed Jawaan Taylor to a long-term deal with the intention of him playing at left tackle, it was pretty apparent that Brown was on his way out. Still only 27 years old when the 2023 season starts, Brown has the opportunity to become Joe Burrow’s blindside protector for the next four years, or more if he plays his cards right.
There might have been push back from certain teams about where Brown wanted to line up. He began his career as a right tackle with the Ravens before Ronnie Stanley was injured in 2020 and he finished the season as the Ravens’ left tackle. Since then, Brown has played exclusively at the left tackle spot for the Chiefs. His performances have varied, though he is still one of the better left tackles in the NFL. Some might argue that his best position is on the right side, but fair play to Brown wanting to stick on the blindside.
Getting him at this price, around $16M a year, is a steal for the Bengals. Jonah Williams will provide competition to Brown, but the spot is his for now.
Juju Smith-Schuster: Signed with the Patriots (3 years, $33M, XXM guaranteed)
After losing Jakobi Meyers, arguably the top free agent receiver on the market, to the Las Vegas Raiders on the second day of free agency, the Patriots’ starting receiver trio looked like this: Devante Parker, Kendrick Bourne, and Tyquan Thornton. That doesn’t inspire much confidence, especially with Mac Jones behind a shaky offensive line. Adding a receiver like Smith-Schuster isn’t exciting, and his off-field persona will likely grate people the wrong way, but it’s a necessary addition.
Despite being known as more of a bigger slot receiver, Smith-Schuster was split out wide 57 percent of the time for the Chiefs in 2022, the most time spent outside in his career. His impact with the Chiefs varied, but he’s still just 26-years-old and offers a big-bodied frame and some YAC-ability.
What’s interesting, though, is that this deal works out to be nearly the same money that the Raiders gave Meyers. So, the Patriots were willing to pay that for Smith-Schuster, but not Meyers, who is arguably the superior receiver? That’s something.
Baker Mayfield: Signed with the Buccaneers (1 year up to $8.5M)
With the Tom Brady era firmly in the rearview mirror, the Buccaneers’ options at quarterback were limited. They’re not blessed with heaps of cap space nor do they have a high draft pick to take one of the top four quarterbacks in the draft, but they needed a quarterback beyond just Kyle Trask on the roster.
So, the Bucs went out and signed Baker Mayfield to a one-year deal worth up to $8.5M to provide insurance and a likely starter for the 2023 season. Does it make them exponentially better? No, but it makes them better than they would have been with Trask at the helm. While the NFC South is currently in flux, that’s enough to put them back into playoff contention depending how the draft and the rest of free agency shapes up.
Mayfield will have a little more time to prepare than last year, and with a good trio of receivers and a decent offensive line, he has more to work with than perhaps ever before. Does that mean we’ll get the best out of him? Who knows, it’s hard to even know what his best is after a rough couple of years.
Jacoby Brissett: Signed with the Commanders (1 year up to $10M, $8M guaranteed)
Hats off to Brissett. This deal is well-earned. After a short stint as the backup in Miami, Brissett was brought in by the Browns to be their stop-gap starter while Deshaun Watson served an 11-game suspension. There to steady the ship and knowing full well that this was nothing more than a short-term gig, Brissett was a consummate professional amidst all the chaos off the field in Cleveland.
On the field, he looked as good as he ever had. Brissett completed a career-high 64 percent of his passes for 2608 yards and 12 touchdowns. You could even argue that the Browns offense functioned better with him on the field than it did with Watson.
Despite it being just a one-year deal, Brissett will have every chance to win the starting job from Sam Howell, who is the presumed starter in 2023. The Commanders have banged Howell’s drum and made it clear that they want to give him a fair shot, but he still has a lot of growing to do and there might just not be a long-term outlook. Brissett could well be the starter the Commanders have been looking for.
Ezekiel Elliott: Released by the Dallas Cowboys
It’s the end of an era in Dallas. After seven seasons with the Dallas Cowboys, the team announced that they’re designating running back Ezekiel Elliott as a post-June 1st cut to save $10.9M against the cap. Elliott’s contract stays on the books until June 1st, but he’s free to negotiate and sign with another team at any time.
Elliott’s production slowed down over the last three seasons, averaging just four yards per carry compared to 4.6 yards across his first four years in the league, which made his 6-year, $90M extension look ugly early on. At his best, Elliott was the premier running back in the NFL. He was an excellent downhill runner with a measured running style, but he was a plus-weapon as a pass catcher and one of the best pass-blocking backs in the league.
The question now is, can Elliott be a useful addition for a team in search of running back help? No question. He’s still an elite pass-blocker and has 22 touchdowns in his last two seasons as a Cowboy. He knows how to find the endzone in short yardage situations. The burst is likely gone, but in the right scenario he can still prove effective.
-Thomas Valentine
Twitter: @tvalentinesport
Photo: All-Pro Reels. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic license.