The dust has settled on the NFL's Free Agency as most of the top free agents have already signed with new teams. An exciting week of players switching teams seems to have altered the landscape of the NFL immensely. Some of these signings will be great and help immensely while others will be not so great and set teams up for failure. What better way to recap free agency thus far than grading each of the biggest signings?
RB Saquon Barkley to the Philadelphia Eagles
3 years, $37.75 Million
Grade: A
You don’t need me to tell you that Saquon Barkley is an electric playmaker and one of the most talented players in the league. Saquon has a chance to take this offense to a new level, especially in the passing game, where Jalen Hurts will have one of the best checkdown options in the league. The Eagles needed a running back badly especially after D’Andre Swift signed with the Bears. This has the potential to fix the Eagles offense and make them a true contender once again.
QB Kirk Cousins to the Atlanta Falcons
4 years, $180 Million
Grade: B
This is the most impactful signing of free agency as Kirk can take this team from a perpetually mediocre 7-10 team, into one of the NFC's best. The Falcons should easily win the NFC South if Kirk stays healthy. The question will be, can he stay healthy, as the soon-to-be 36 year old Cousins tore his Achilles in Week 8, after playing some of his best football for the Vikings. If he can stay healthy they should walk into the playoffs as they have a crazy skill position group with potential superstars Bijan Robinson, Drake London, and Kyle Pitts paired with recent free agent additions, WR Darnel Mooney and WR Rondale Moore. This group finally has a QB to get these playmakers the ball, and if he recovers fully from the Achilles injury, this offense should be electric. The Falcons are betting on Kirk with a long term contract, which is a huge risk, but it is one they needed to make considering how dire their QB room has been the last few seasons.
RB Derrick Henry to the Baltimore Ravens
2 years, $16 Million
Grade: A+
Henry is a perfect fit for the Ravens. He is the most dominant runner in the league, and even at 30 years old, he is still producing at a high level. The Ravens have been dealing with injury after injury at the RB position, but now it could all be solidified with King Henry. Not locking him into a long term deal is also a huge win, as we’ve seen many long term RB contracts be regretted by the teams a few years after signing. A Lamar Jackson and Derrick Henry combo at the goal line seems impossible to defend, and honestly feels too good to be true. It is a pairing of superstars that should only be able to be created on Madden. With Henry, the Ravens could be poised to dethrone the Chiefs in the AFC.
EDGE Danielle Hunter to the Houston Texans
2 years, $49 Million
Grade: A-
The Texans are in the dream situation for an organization, as they have a superstar quarterback on a cheap rookie contract. This gives them the freedom to spend big elsewhere on the roster, and their defense needs some help. Signing the 29 year old Hunter to a two year deal allows them to help support the roster now while also maintaining future flexibility for when Stroud becomes more expensive. Hunter gives them a great edge rusher opposite 2nd year Edge Will Anderson Jr. Together, they form one of the deadliest duos in the league. The Texans continue to make sound moves and if they continue this course, don’t be surprised to see them in a Super Bowl very soon.
EDGE Brian Burns traded to the New York Giants
5 years, $150 Million
Grades: B+ Giants, F- Panthers
Trade: Giants trade 2024 2nd rounder (39th overall), 2025 5th rounder and moving down from pick 141 to pick 166 for Edge Rusher Brian Burns.
Burns is a fantastic player who is worth this contract and worth much more than a 2nd round pick and some change. In fact, the Panthers famously turned down the Rams offer for Burns in 2022 that would have given them two 1st round picks and a 2nd rounder. This is yet another desperate move for the Panthers who need talent on offense so badly that they were forced to get rid of one of their best players, yet again. The Giants offense is also in pretty tough shape as they don’t have a true number 1 receiver, their offensive line was the worst in the league last year, they lost their best offensive player to the rival Eagles, and their QB is not only bad, but he is also overpaid and coming off a torn ACL. The 39th pick would have been a great spot to improve their offense, but it is rare a player of Burns' talent comes available for this little compensation, so the Giants had to do this, and are much better off because of it.
OG Robert Hunt to the Carolina Panthers
5 years, $100M
Grade: D+
From one desperate Panthers move to another. The Panthers massively overpaid Robert Hunt. They definitely needed offensive line help, but paying Hunt, an above average guard, like a top tier interior offensive lineman is just bad business. Sure Hunt is a very good run blocker, but he isn’t as good a pass protector as this contract would have you believe. The Panthers were quite easily the worst team in the league and after this free agency period, it’s hard to see them being much better in 2024.
DT Christian Wilkins to the Oakland Raiders
4 year $110M
Grade: A+
The Raiders seemed to have something real at the end of the year under interim HC Antonio Pierce. Their team, while devoid of much talent outside of their top players, EDGE Maxx Crosby, WR Davante Adams, and OT Kolton Miller, still managed to go 5-4 under Pierce. Wilkins is one of the five best interior defensive lineman in the league and a true disruptor. He should be an amazing fit with Maxx Crosby and immediately help shore up their DL. The Raiders got the best player in free agency, and adding Wilkins to a team that really produced well at the end of the year, should have them competing for a playoff spot this season.
QB Russell Wilson to the Pittsburgh Steelers
1 year $1.21M
Grade: C+
Russell Wilson to the Steelers is a good signing. The Steelers had very little cap space to work with heading into free agency and Russ signed to a veteran minimum deal. They can do this because the Broncos are paying him $38M this year, after cutting him. While Russ was horrible in 2022 under HC Nathaniel Hackett, in 2023, before getting benched, he was actually playing much better under Sean Payton. Russ has definitely lost a step or two in terms of movement skills, but he is still at least a serviceable QB, something the Steelers haven’t had in quite some time. This is definitely an improvement, but if he is the starter next year, it’s hard to get too excited about this team’s ceiling.
QB Justin Fields traded to the Pittsburgh Steelers
Grades: A+ for Steelers, D- for Bears
Trade: Bears trade QB Justin Fields to the Steelers for a 2025 conditional 6th round pick that becomes a 4th round pick if Fields plays at least 51% of the Steelers offensive snaps this season.
What a steal for Pittsburgh. The Steelers get a 24 year old who has the potential to be a top 10 QB in the league. Although Fields was not a good QB with the Bears, he wasn't always surrounded with a good supporting cast, and still he showed many flashes that would have anyone excited about his ceiling. Fields might not start right away, but I have a hard time believing that Tomlin and the Steelers coaching staff won’t eventually turn to the higher upside player in Fields. Given the cost of acquiring him, this is a no brainer for the Steelers as they possibly found their QB of the future for a 4th round pick, and if he doesn't develop, then they can part ways and only have given up a late round pick.
As for the Bears, how could they not get more than a conditional 6th round pick for Fields? At the beginning of the offseason much of the talk was that they could fetch an early 2nd round pick from the Patriots or the Falcons or another QB needy team. This is an incredibly underwhelming return, but at least they are making the right decision by deciding to draft a QB with their number 1 overall pick, likely USC's Caleb Williams. He could end up being a top 5 QB in the league very early into his career, and then this trade will be forgotten completely. This is definitely bad value for Fields, but it could end up not mattering in the long run.
Photos by USA Today Sports (Jay Biggerstaff), AP Photo (Doug Murray, David Zalubowski), Getty Images, NJ Advance Media (John Munson)
Comments