What we've learned during the start of NFL free agency

I came up with a few takeaways, without trying to rush to judgment.

If your head is spinning from the flurry of signings, trades, and rumors this week in the NFL, you’re not alone. As I’m writing this, I currently have 24 tabs open on my laptop (only one, the NY Times’ Spelling Bee game, isn’t football-related). 

The start of free agency is always overwhelming but exciting too. Even so, I try not to overreact to anything that happens this week. As with every free agency period, time will tell which teams really “won” or “lost.” For example, the Falcons look like a winner after landing Kirk Cousins, a quarterback who can lead them back to the playoffs. But they’re also the Falcons, who have been allergic to competency for most of their existence (and Cousins has his own cursed history).

With that caveat in mind, I still managed to put together a few general takeaways from the first part of free agency. More additions and subtractions will follow in the coming weeks, but here’s what I think about the moves that have happened so far.

Loyalty isn’t anyone’s No.1 priority in the NFL

The NFL is a business, and loyalty only goes so far — that goes for both the players and teams. It’s a two-way street, as we witnessed when many long-tenured guys were released before the new league year. 

That’s also why it’s not unusual to see free agents end up with a divisional rival. Still, I can’t recall a year when such a signing has happened this frequently.

Let’s take a look at the ones I rounded up, though it’s probably not a complete list (and doesn’t include players like D’Andre Swift, who started his career with the Lions and is now with the Bears):

Saquon Barkley: Giants to Eagles

Marcus Mariota: Eagles to Commanders

Dorance Armstrong and Tyler Biadasz: Cowboys to Commanders 

Patrick Queen: Ravens to Steelers 

Geno Stone: Ravens to Bengals

Aaron Jones: Packers to Vikings

Jonathan Owens: Packers to Bears

Azeez Al-Shaair and Denico Autry: Titans to Texans

Foley Fatukasi: Jaguars to Texans

Calvin Ridley: Jaguars to Titans

Jordan Poyer: Bills to Dolphins

DeeJay Dallas: Seahawks to Cardinals

A few of them were called out for their “treachery.” Lamar Jackson said that Stone and Queen were now “dead to me,” but it was clear that the reigning MVP was joking. Tiki Barber used the same phrase when talking about Barkley, and he was also laughing when he said it. Despite that, Barkley was not too happy with his fellow ex-Giants running back. And Barkley’s response to Barber was a reminder of why players sometimes cross enemy lines: He got a better contract, i.e. more guaranteed money, than the Giants would have given him. 

I’m sure there are other reasons Barkley chose the Eagles, like that they’re a Super Bowl contender, and he’s a good fit for the offense. Yet even if money was the sole motivating factor in his decision, he shouldn’t be criticized for that, nor should anyone else. This is the NFL, where every franchise is worth billions of dollars, and these men sacrifice their health and can see their careers end in a flash. Let them get paid when they can!

Ridley’s now-former teammates in Jacksonville seemed to agree. Travis Etienne — also invoking the name of the Christina Applegate/Linda Cardellini series — and Christian Kirk both publicly told Ridley that they were proud of him for securing the bag. Probably because they know, as do all players, what they put on the line for this game. 

Timing is everything

Speaking of Ridley, Jaguars GM Trent Baalke only has himself to blame for not being able to retain the team’s 2023 leading receiver. Rather than work out an extension with pass rusher Josh Allen, Baalke put the franchise tag on him and therefore couldn’t use it on Ridley, who then became a free agent. 

The Jags also didn’t want to re-sign Ridley until the free agency window officially began at 4 p.m. on Wednesday. If they had signed him before then, they would owe the Falcons a second-round pick instead of a third-rounder. Although reports hinted that Ridley would stay in Jacksonville, that extra wait gave his agent more time to negotiate a more lucrative deal, which the Titans delivered to the tune of $92 million ($50 of which is guaranteed). 

It’s a little too soon to tell if the Bears also screwed the pooch by not trading Justin Fields yet. I’ve seen a few reactions that are akin to “no one wants Justin Fields! They know he sucks!” which is both untrue and way too simplistic. 

First of all, we don’t know what the Bears want in exchange for Fields. It’s definitely more than the sixth-round pick that the Patriots received for offloading Mac Jones to the Jaguars. Jones had struggled mightily in New England last season and was kind of a toxic locker room figure, though. Fields is beloved by his teammates, and while he has lacked consistency in the NFL, he’s still a supremely athletic quarterback who just turned 25. I refuse to believe there’s no market for him. 

But, it’s also true that not many teams are looking for starting quarterbacks, at least not before the draft. And Fields’ contract complicates matters. He’s affordable for the 2024 season, but any team that trades for him will have an immediate decision to make about his $25+ million fifth-year option. If they don’t pick it up, then he’s basically a one-year rental before hitting free agency next year. 

The most logical landing spots for Fields— Atlanta, Pittsburgh — signed Kirk Cousins and Russell Wilson, respectively. The Vikings might make sense, if only they resided in a different division. The Bears won’t send Fields to an NFC North rival. The Broncos could potentially be a suitor because they have an opening at QB1 and their pick at No. 12 might not be high enough to draft a sure-fire rookie starter. 

Otherwise, Chicago might have to hold off even longer to send Fields elsewhere — like, say, when another team loses a QB to injury — or let him serve as a backup in a place like Seattle, Philadelphia, or Baltimore. For now, we’ll just have to wait and see. 

For the Bears’ sake, they better hope they didn’t miss their window like the Panthers did with Brian Burns. Before the trade deadline during the 2022 season, the Rams made a huge offer to Carolina for the pass rusher: two first-round picks and a second-round pick. The Panthers turned it down, and then had a difficult time trying to extend Burns this offseason. 

They ended up using the franchise tag on him, which was set to cost them $24 million for the 2024 season. Without much hope that both sides could agree to a new long-term deal, Carolina shipped Burns off to the Giants, who were happy to oblige by inking him to a five-year, $150 million contract. Unfortunately for the Panthers, they were only able to get back a second-rounder and a fifth-rounder, a much paltrier haul than the Rams were willing to give them just 17 months ago. 

To put it another way, that was less than they had to part with to trade for Sam Darnold a couple of years ago. No wonder Panthers fan Luke Combs is so frustrated!

The markets for RBs and LBs have been lively (WRs, not as much)

This year’s crop of free agent running backs had a decent amount of star power, but as I mentioned in my previous newsletter, I was worried that most of them would have to settle for cheap deals. Instead, there was a ton of movement at the position and quite a few surprises:

Saquon Barkley to the Eagles, who deny there was illegal tampering. The Packers releasing Aaron Jones, who was a monster late in the season, in favor of Josh Jacobs. Jones getting a little revenge by immediately going to the Vikings. Human bulldozer Derrick Henry joining the Ravens, who better not forget to run the ball in the playoffs again. 

And shockingly, all of them, so far, have earned a respectable contract. Though I was correct that no one hit the $14 million average that Jonathan Taylor got last year, a couple backs came close (Barkley, Jacobs). That speaks to both the strength of this free agent class, as well as what the teams think of the incoming RB draft class (apparently, not much). 

On that same note, it’s a weak year for linebackers in the draft, which explains why many of the top free agents were off the board by day two of the tampering period. However, there are a couple of LBs still available — Jerome Baker, Devin White — who are worth signing for any team that needs one.

Running backs and linebackers getting good money in the year 2024. Who’d have thought?

Conversely, the wide receiver market has been relatively quiet, outside of a handful of signings. The biggest splash in the past couple of days — Calvin Ridley’s unexpected deal with the Titans — may or may not have been an overpay. The Jags agreed to a three-year, ​​$39 million contract with Gabe Davis, which may or may not have been an overpay. The Panthers also traded for Diontae Johnson, giving Bryce Young at least one receiver who can gain separation. 

A long list of serviceable receivers remain available, but with a stacked class awaiting teams in the draft, many of those free agents will continue to be free agents until May or so. 

The busiest, and least busy, teams are the ones you’d expect

Overall, the most active teams at the start of free agency were the ones with the most money to spend. The Commanders and Patriots were the busiest. Not only did they have the cash on hand, but they’re both breaking in new head coaches and are in the rebuilding phase. Both also made solid, if not headline-grabbing, additions.

The Patriots prioritized bringing back players who flashed last year despite a down season for New England. That includes tight end Hunter Henry, offensive lineman Mike Onwenu, and receivers Kendrick Bourne and Jalen Reagor. Pass rusher Josh Uche, who is looking to rebound under Jerod Mayo, also re-signed on a team-friendly deal. 

There will be one more familiar face in Foxborough: Jacoby Brissett is returning to the franchise that drafted him in 2016 to, presumably, back up whichever quarterback is selected at No. 3.

The Commanders’ biggest move was reuniting Dan Quinn and Bobby Wagner, but don’t sleep on the Quinn-Dorance Armstrong partnership either. Quinn also lured center Tyler Biadasz to Washington, as well as LB Frankie Luvu and RB Austin Ekeler. About an hour into the official start of the new league year, the Commanders had signed 13 external free agents.

After those two, I’d peg the Texans and Eagles as the most aggressive in free agency. They had a sufficient amount of money to spend, but unlike the Commanders and Patriots, they’re not rebuilding. They’re reloading in an attempt to turn their playoff rosters into Super Bowl contenders. 

DeMeco Ryans beefed up his defense with the likes of Danielle Hunter, Denico Autry, and his one-time 49ers linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair. All three are immediate upgrades to a defense that struggled against the run last season. The Texans haven’t added as many new faces on offense — trading for Joe Mixon after they missed out on Barkley was their main move — though they did re-sign Dalton Schultz and Noah Brown, both of whom had chemistry with C.J. Stroud this past season. It’s still early, but the Texans just might be the most improved team so far this offseason. 

As usual, Howie Roseman is a master at navigating free agency (and, spoiler alert for next month, the draft too). Whether or not you think the Eagles paid too much for Barkley and edge rusher Bryce Huff, those are two impact players at positions of need. So is the secondary, where C.J. Gardner-Johnson returns. He excelled two seasons ago in Philadelphia before a shortened season in Detroit, but the hope is that he bounces back in 2024. 

Although it’s possible that some or none of those swings work out, at least the Eagles are trying. The same can hardly be said about the Cowboys, who were the last team to sign an outside free agent this week. And that free agent, Eric Kendricks, was originally going to join the 49ers before deciding to reunite with Mike Zimmer. 

Before Cowboys fans panic — who am I kidding, they’re already panicking — this is not much of a plot twist. Dallas doesn’t have a lot of cap space to work with right now and has looming extensions with CeeDee Lamb, Dak Prescott, and Micah Parsons to figure out. That said, what happened to Jerry Jones’ “all-in” promise about this offseason?!

The Seahawks have also taken a laid-back approach to free agency, though that’s been GM John Schneider’s M.O. in most years. Without Pete Carroll having a say, he’s again chosen to concentrate on the draft rather than the rush of free agents. That’s been a successful path for the Seahawks in the past, and maybe it will be again.