NFL free agency is one of the most exciting moments of the offseason for football fans every year, and this year definitely did not disappoint… that is unless you’re a Dallas Cowboys fan, in which case you are probably quite disappointed after all.
Major pieces from most teams were shifted around, so let’s look at this year’s most significant moves, going in order by division and what they mean for their teams in the 2024 season. I’m not going to be discussing a handful of teams that didn’t do anything particularly noteworthy, which are the Indianapolis Colts, Los Angeles Chargers, Miami Dolphins, Dallas Cowboys, Detroit Lions, Minnesota Vikings, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, New Orleans Saints, San Francisco 49ers and Seattle Seahawks.
Starting with the AFC East, the Buffalo Bills are an interesting team to begin with. They lost many key defensive players this offseason, including Micah Hyde, Tre’Davious White and Jordan Poyer. However, they managed to snag a couple of players for their offense: backup quarterback Mitch Trubisky and wide receiver Curtis Samuel, who will be a valuable target for Josh Allen. Overall, I see this offseason as a net negative for the Bills.
The only moves I see as significant for the once mighty New England Patriots are signing quarterback Jacoby Brissett to replace Mac Jones and signing wide receiver K.J. Osborn. Nothing too exciting, but probably wise moves overall.
The New York Jets, on the other hand, seem to be making all of the right moves this offseason. For starters, they finally upgraded their pathetic offensive line with some solid acquisitions from last year’s Baltimore Ravens lineup, as well as all-pro tackle Tyron Smith. These moves seemingly set their quarterback, Aaron Rodgers, up for a much more successful second season in New York as long as his political ties don’t lead him away from the field.
Moving into the AFC North, the Baltimore Ravens hit the jackpot in getting running back Derrick Henry. However, they also lost three of their starting offensive linemen and star linebacker Patrick Queen, to their rivals, the Pittsburgh Steelers. Their losses are significant, but bringing in Henry is a massive deal.
The Cincinnati Bengals didn’t do a whole lot this offseason. They replaced their running back, Joe Mixon, with Zack Moss and brought back their former safety, Vonn Bell, but the rest of their moves are pretty insignificant. The biggest news for the Bengals is in franchising wide receiver Tee Higgins, despite his request to be traded away. Could this be a disaster in the making? Very possibly. It will definitely be interesting to keep an eye on.
The Cleveland Browns are in a similar boat. They re-signed some key players, lost the 2023 comeback player of the year, quarterback Joe Flacco, and acquired Jameis Winston to backup Deshaun Watson. It seems to me like the Browns will remain as stagnant as always for another season.
The Pittsburgh Steelers made some of the most surprising moves of the offseason, losing their competing quarterbacks, Kenny Pickett and Mason Rudolph, and bringing two more with Justin Fields, who has the potential to become the pillar of their offense long-term and controversial player, Russell Wilson, who the Denver Broncos are basically paying the Steelers to take from them, which I’ll get back to momentarily. They lost their controversial wide receiver Diontae Johnson but also snagged linebacker Patrick Queen, who should prove to be a massive piece in the Steelers’ defense. This series of moves is borderline unheard of for Pittsburgh, who have historically never participated much in big free agency moves, preferring to raise young talent out of the draft instead. This is the second season in a row where they’ve diverted from that mentality, so perhaps this is the turning of a new leaf for their management team.
Now, let’s get back to the Russel Wilson move. In the AFC West, the Denver Broncos seem to be trying to reset their team under the new head coach, Sean Peyton. Wilson clearly was not a good fit in Denver, as evidenced by the fact that they’re paying $39 million out of his $40 million contract with Pittsburgh just to wash their hands of him and start over. They also lost safety Justin Simmons and wide receiver Jerry Jeudy. This hurts big time for the Broncos this season but may prove to be a wise move in the long run in seasons to come instead of trying to play with a hand that they know can’t win.
The Kansas City Chiefs retained all of their significant players, as well as bringing in wide receiver Marquise “Hollywood” Brown, who will undoubtedly be a substantial asset for them this season. Andy Reid continues to work his magic in Kansas City, doing exactly what the Chiefs needed to do once again.
Closing out the AFC West, the Las Vegas Raiders brought in a new quarterback, Gardner Minshew. They also made some big moves for their defense, obtaining defensive tackle Christian Wilkins and defensive end Maxx Crosby. These might be the changes they need for a wild card run in 2024.
Within the AFC South, the Houston Texans acquired defensive end Danielle Hunter, linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair, defensive lineman Denico Autry and running back Joe Mixon. Honestly, I don’t know how much these changes will improve where they ended last season.
The Tennessee Titans made a lot of moves, more to compensate for losing their key players Ryan Tannehill and Derrick Henry than anything. They brought in running backs Calvin Ridley and Tony Pollard, wide receiver C Lloyd Cushenberry, cornerback Chidobe Awuzie and linebacker Kenneth Murray.
Moving into the NFC, the New York Giants brought in defensive end Brian Burns and upgraded their offensive line, but the biggest story for the Giants is losing Saquon Barkley. In my head, this loss kills their chances of success in the near future.
The Philadelphia Eagles may have been the biggest winners this offseason, becoming the new home for Barkley, much to the Giants’ chagrin. They made many other moves, most notably getting wide receiver DeVante Parker.
The Washington Football Team were playing offensively against their division rival, stealing four players from the Dallas Cowboys, most notably defensive end Dorance Armstrong. They made countless moves this offseason, including getting linebacker Frankie Luvu, quarterback Marcus Mariota, wide receiver Jamison Crowder, tight end Zach Ertz and running back Austin Ekeler, among others.
In the NFC North, the Green Bay Packers, who, like the Steelers, have often refrained from making big moves in free agency, went out and acquired running back Josh Jacobs and safety Xavier McKinney. Of course, it’s sad to see the Packers lose running back Aaron Jones, but overall, I think this is going to prove to be a net positive for them in the long run.
The Chicago Bears shocked the world by letting go of Justin Fields, and doubly so by obtaining wide receiver Keenan Allen and running back D’Andre Swift. These pieces could be absolute game-changers for the Bears. All they need is to pick a franchise quarterback with their number one draft pick and they could be legitimate contenders in their division in 2024.
In the NFC South, the Carolina Panthers took a couple of massive losses in Frankie Luvu and Brian Burns. They spent way too much boosting their offensive line. They traded for wide receiver Diontae Johnson, but their other moves aren’t all that impressive. I wouldn’t be surprised to see the Panthers flounder like they have in their previous handful of seasons.
The Atlanta Falcons made a big move in obtaining quarterback Kirk Cousins, who’s coming off of an Achilles injury. They also got wide receiver Darnell Mooney. Sure, they had a handful of painful losses, but imagining Cousins, Bijan Robinson, Mooney, Drake London and Kyle Pitts on the same offense should strike fear into the hearts of their division rivals.
Finally, in the NFC West, the Arizona Cardinals signed some key players with defensive tackles Justin Jones and Bilal Nichols, cornerback Sean Murphy-Bunting and right tackle Jonah Williams. This offseason was more-or-less nothing but upside for the Cardinals.
The Los Angeles Rams made some important, although not particularly exciting, moves with guard Jonah Jackson, tight end Colby Parkinson and backup quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo. However, their most noteworthy change is the retirement of future hall-of-fame defensive lineman Aaron Donald.
The Seattle Seahawks lost a lot of players this offseason but also acquired quarterback Sam Howell.
Overall, this was an interesting shake-up of talent in the league. It should make this 2024 season very exciting to keep an eye on.
NFL Free Agency
NFL free agency is one of the most exciting moments of the offseason for football fans every year, and this year definitely did not disappoint… that is unless you’re a Dallas Cowboys fan, in which case you are probably quite disappointed after all.
Major pieces from most teams were shifted around, so let’s look at this year’s most significant moves, going in order by division and what they mean for their teams in the 2024 season. I’m not going to be discussing a handful of teams that didn’t do anything particularly noteworthy, which are the Indianapolis Colts, Los Angeles Chargers, Miami Dolphins, Dallas Cowboys, Detroit Lions, Minnesota Vikings, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, New Orleans Saints, San Francisco 49ers and Seattle Seahawks.
Starting with the AFC East, the Buffalo Bills are an interesting team to begin with. They lost many key defensive players this offseason, including Micah Hyde, Tre’Davious White and Jordan Poyer. However, they managed to snag a couple of players for their offense: backup quarterback Mitch Trubisky and wide receiver Curtis Samuel, who will be a valuable target for Josh Allen. Overall, I see this offseason as a net negative for the Bills.
The only moves I see as significant for the once mighty New England Patriots are signing quarterback Jacoby Brissett to replace Mac Jones and signing wide receiver K.J. Osborn. Nothing too exciting, but probably wise moves overall.
The New York Jets, on the other hand, seem to be making all of the right moves this offseason. For starters, they finally upgraded their pathetic offensive line with some solid acquisitions from last year’s Baltimore Ravens lineup, as well as all-pro tackle Tyron Smith. These moves seemingly set their quarterback, Aaron Rodgers, up for a much more successful second season in New York as long as his political ties don’t lead him away from the field.
Moving into the AFC North, the Baltimore Ravens hit the jackpot in getting running back Derrick Henry. However, they also lost three of their starting offensive linemen and star linebacker Patrick Queen, to their rivals, the Pittsburgh Steelers. Their losses are significant, but bringing in Henry is a massive deal.
The Cincinnati Bengals didn’t do a whole lot this offseason. They replaced their running back, Joe Mixon, with Zack Moss and brought back their former safety, Vonn Bell, but the rest of their moves are pretty insignificant. The biggest news for the Bengals is in franchising wide receiver Tee Higgins, despite his request to be traded away. Could this be a disaster in the making? Very possibly. It will definitely be interesting to keep an eye on.
The Cleveland Browns are in a similar boat. They re-signed some key players, lost the 2023 comeback player of the year, quarterback Joe Flacco, and acquired Jameis Winston to backup Deshaun Watson. It seems to me like the Browns will remain as stagnant as always for another season.
The Pittsburgh Steelers made some of the most surprising moves of the offseason, losing their competing quarterbacks, Kenny Pickett and Mason Rudolph, and bringing two more with Justin Fields, who has the potential to become the pillar of their offense long-term and controversial player, Russell Wilson, who the Denver Broncos are basically paying the Steelers to take from them, which I’ll get back to momentarily. They lost their controversial wide receiver Diontae Johnson but also snagged linebacker Patrick Queen, who should prove to be a massive piece in the Steelers’ defense. This series of moves is borderline unheard of for Pittsburgh, who have historically never participated much in big free agency moves, preferring to raise young talent out of the draft instead. This is the second season in a row where they’ve diverted from that mentality, so perhaps this is the turning of a new leaf for their management team.
Now, let’s get back to the Russel Wilson move. In the AFC West, the Denver Broncos seem to be trying to reset their team under the new head coach, Sean Peyton. Wilson clearly was not a good fit in Denver, as evidenced by the fact that they’re paying $39 million out of his $40 million contract with Pittsburgh just to wash their hands of him and start over. They also lost safety Justin Simmons and wide receiver Jerry Jeudy. This hurts big time for the Broncos this season but may prove to be a wise move in the long run in seasons to come instead of trying to play with a hand that they know can’t win.
The Kansas City Chiefs retained all of their significant players, as well as bringing in wide receiver Marquise “Hollywood” Brown, who will undoubtedly be a substantial asset for them this season. Andy Reid continues to work his magic in Kansas City, doing exactly what the Chiefs needed to do once again.
Closing out the AFC West, the Las Vegas Raiders brought in a new quarterback, Gardner Minshew. They also made some big moves for their defense, obtaining defensive tackle Christian Wilkins and defensive end Maxx Crosby. These might be the changes they need for a wild card run in 2024.
Within the AFC South, the Houston Texans acquired defensive end Danielle Hunter, linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair, defensive lineman Denico Autry and running back Joe Mixon. Honestly, I don’t know how much these changes will improve where they ended last season.
The Tennessee Titans made a lot of moves, more to compensate for losing their key players Ryan Tannehill and Derrick Henry than anything. They brought in running backs Calvin Ridley and Tony Pollard, wide receiver C Lloyd Cushenberry, cornerback Chidobe Awuzie and linebacker Kenneth Murray.
Moving into the NFC, the New York Giants brought in defensive end Brian Burns and upgraded their offensive line, but the biggest story for the Giants is losing Saquon Barkley. In my head, this loss kills their chances of success in the near future.
The Philadelphia Eagles may have been the biggest winners this offseason, becoming the new home for Barkley, much to the Giants’ chagrin. They made many other moves, most notably getting wide receiver DeVante Parker.
The Washington Football Team were playing offensively against their division rival, stealing four players from the Dallas Cowboys, most notably defensive end Dorance Armstrong. They made countless moves this offseason, including getting linebacker Frankie Luvu, quarterback Marcus Mariota, wide receiver Jamison Crowder, tight end Zach Ertz and running back Austin Ekeler, among others.
In the NFC North, the Green Bay Packers, who, like the Steelers, have often refrained from making big moves in free agency, went out and acquired running back Josh Jacobs and safety Xavier McKinney. Of course, it’s sad to see the Packers lose running back Aaron Jones, but overall, I think this is going to prove to be a net positive for them in the long run.
The Chicago Bears shocked the world by letting go of Justin Fields, and doubly so by obtaining wide receiver Keenan Allen and running back D’Andre Swift. These pieces could be absolute game-changers for the Bears. All they need is to pick a franchise quarterback with their number one draft pick and they could be legitimate contenders in their division in 2024.
In the NFC South, the Carolina Panthers took a couple of massive losses in Frankie Luvu and Brian Burns. They spent way too much boosting their offensive line. They traded for wide receiver Diontae Johnson, but their other moves aren’t all that impressive. I wouldn’t be surprised to see the Panthers flounder like they have in their previous handful of seasons.
The Atlanta Falcons made a big move in obtaining quarterback Kirk Cousins, who’s coming off of an Achilles injury. They also got wide receiver Darnell Mooney. Sure, they had a handful of painful losses, but imagining Cousins, Bijan Robinson, Mooney, Drake London and Kyle Pitts on the same offense should strike fear into the hearts of their division rivals.
Finally, in the NFC West, the Arizona Cardinals signed some key players with defensive tackles Justin Jones and Bilal Nichols, cornerback Sean Murphy-Bunting and right tackle Jonah Williams. This offseason was more-or-less nothing but upside for the Cardinals.
The Los Angeles Rams made some important, although not particularly exciting, moves with guard Jonah Jackson, tight end Colby Parkinson and backup quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo. However, their most noteworthy change is the retirement of future hall-of-fame defensive lineman Aaron Donald.
The Seattle Seahawks lost a lot of players this offseason but also acquired quarterback Sam Howell.
Overall, this was an interesting shake-up of talent in the league. It should make this 2024 season very exciting to keep an eye on.