Month: April 2024

Poll: Which Team Has Been The Biggest Winner In Free Agency?

With March drawing to a close and many of the game’s top free agents already inked to deals with their new teams, it’s time to take a look at the winners of free agency so far.

Entering the period, the focus was solely on Kirk Cousins and where the former Redskins signal-caller would sign and likely become the highest-paid player in the league. He expressed interest in wanting to win and followed through with his word, selecting the Vikings over a host of other suitors that included the Jets, Broncos and Cardinals. Landing a top quarterback on the open market is a rarity, which makes Minnesota easily one of the top beneficiaries of the early free-agent period. 

The team wasn’t done there, however, and added an impact defensive tackle in Sheldon Richardson to a defensive unit that was already arguably the best in the league. Coupling Richardson with Linval Joseph in the middle of the front four will make for one of the most impenetrable run defenses in the league. Minnesota also added Trevor Siemian to back up Cousins, re-signed kicker Kai Forbath and tabbed Kendall Wright to replace Jarius Wright, who the team released shortly after free agency opened.

Adding Cousins to an offense that already includes Stefon Diggs, Adam Thielen, Dalvin Cook and Kyle Rudolph, and slotting Richardson into the fray on the other side of the ball left the Vikings as one of the top Super Bowl favorites in 2018.

While the Vikings swung for the fences with a pair of big moves, no team has had a more active few weeks than the Rams. Just this week, the team added five-time Pro Bowl selection and 2010 Defensive Player of the Year Ndamukong Suh to a defensive front that already featured arguably the game’s most dominant defender in Aaron Donald. Needless to say, that pairing is sure to cause plenty of chaos for opposing offensive lines.

Despite losing Sammy Watkins to the Chiefs and trading Alec Ogletree to the Giants, the team did retain safety Lamarcus Joyner by placing the franchise tag on him. It also retained center John Sullivan to maintain some continuity up front on offense.

Where the Rams were the most active was not in signing players, but trading for them. In late February, the team traded for Chiefs cornerback Marcus Peters and then later dealt for Broncos star cornerback Aqib Talib. The pairing, coupled with the Suh signing, gives the Rams a defense that is just as good on paper as the team’s high-powered offense.

The Browns entered the free-agent period with tons of cap space and they didn’t wait long to get to work. In one day, the team traded for Tyrod Taylor from the Bills, dealt DeShone Kizer to the Packers for Damarious Randall and used another trade to snatch up Jarvis Landry. All those moves were accomplished with the team still holding onto a majority of their stockpiled draft assets. The move of Taylor provided the team with a more than capable quarterback who can serve as a bridge to the signal-caller the team is expected to draft with either the No. 1 or No. 4 pick in the upcoming draft.

Though the team did lose Joe Thomas to retirement and a big contributor in Isaiah Crowell, Cleveland did also secure the services of Carlos Hyde to serve as the team’s workhorse. After addressing the offense in free agency, the team is set up to pursue top defensive talent in the draft after it nabs its quarterback of the future. 

The Bears made it a point to surround 2017 first-round pick Mitch Trubisky with plenty of weapons in his second season under center. They did just that by tabbing Allen Robinson, Super Bowl-hero Trey Burton and Taylor Gabriel, giving the team a steady group of pass catchers for new head coach Matt Nagy’s dynamic offense. On defense, it retained the services of breakout cornerback Kyle Fuller, who the team had to match an offer for from the Packers.

One under-the-radar signing was the deal to bring in veteran quarterback Chase Daniel. A longtime backup in New Orleans, Kansas City and Philadelphia, the former Missouri gunslinger should help Trubisky in the film room while also serving as a capable fill-in if need be.

The Buccaneers invested heavily in their offense early in free agency, re-signing wide receiver Mike Evans and tight end Cameron Brate to long-term deals. Where they made the biggest splash, however, was the signing of center Ryan Jensen from the Ravens. After just one season at the position, Jensen signed the largest deal for a center in NFL history, a four-year deal for $42MM with $22M in guaranteed money.

Tampa Bay didn’t ignore the defense, however, bringing in the likes of Jason Pierre-Paul in a trade and signing Vinny Curry. If things fall right, the Buccaneers could even add the top defensive end in the draft in Bradley Chubb, should a run on quarterbacks happen early in the first round.

Among the other teams with notable additions include: The Texans (Tyrann Mathieu), 49ers (Richard Sherman), Raiders (Jordy Nelson), Jaguars (Andrew Norwell) and Giants (Nate Solder).

So who has had the best offseason so far? Is it a team that made a flurry of moves or one who made one notable addition? Take PFR’s latest poll and weigh in with your thoughts in the comments section.

Lions Unlikely To Sign Ansah To Long-Term Deal?

Some teams use the franchise tag to buy some time to negotiate with their players on a long-term deal. That doesn’t appear to be the case in Detroit with Ezekiel Ansah. Appearing on PFT Live, general manager Bob Quinn alluded to taking a wait-and-see approach with the fifth-year defensive end. 

“We’re hoping he stays healthy, has a productive year and we go from there,” Quinn said.

Quinn said it is about new head coach Matt Patricia being able to get to know Ansah through the off-season program before the team makes a decision about a long-term deal. The fact that Ansah has been inconsistent early in his career — sandwiching a pair of double-digit sack seasons in 2015 and 2017 with a two-sack campaign in 2016 — also surely factors into the decision to wait.

Though he wants Patricia to become familiar with the defensive end through the offseason program, Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio also writes Ansah isn’t likely to attend the offseason program with a long-term deal.

The 2015 Pro Bowl selection has until July 16 to sign his franchise tender, which will pay him an expected $17.14MM.

Vikings Inquired About Marquette King

It might not take long for punter Marquette King to find a new home after being released by the Raiders earlier today. The Vikings have reportedly already reached out to him according to Chris Tomasson of the St. Paul Pioneer Press (Twitter link). 

If it wasn’t already apparent, the Vikings are all in on going for it this season. Though punter Ryan Quigley, who is still under contract for 2018, did down 29 of his 71 punts inside the 20-yard line, the Vikings also ranked last in the league in yards per punt in 2017 (42.2). So it makes sense for Minnesota to kick the tires on one of the best in the league the last few years.

King was in the midst of a five-year, $16.5MM contract signed in March of 2016 before being released on Friday.

The sixth-year pro led the NFL in punting yards in 2014 and earned a second-team All-Pro nod two years later. Last year, King’s 47.4 yards per punt average was the sixth-highest mark in the NFL and his net average of 42.7 per try was third.

Ravens Work Out WR Willie Snead

The Ravens auditioned wide receiver Willie Snead on Friday, Field Yates of ESPN.com (on Twitter). Snead participated in the same workout as fellow wideout Michael Floyd

Snead is a restricted free agent of the Saints at the lowest level tender, meaning that New Orleans has the option to match any offer sheet he signs. If the offer sheet is not matched, the team will not have to forfeit any draft compensation.

Snead, 26 in October, didn’t do much last season. However, in the previous two campaigns, he averaged 70 catches for 940 yards and four touchdowns. The Saints’ decision to not use a second-round tender on Snead may be an indication that they won’t go far to retain him.

Last year, as an exclusive rights free agent, he pushed for an an new big money contract and didn’t get it. Snead is unlikely to hit the jackpot this time around, but he could position himself for a bigger payday if he does well on a one-year deal elsewhere.

Chiefs Sign QB Matt McGloin

The Chiefs have signed quarterback Matt McGloinaccording to a team announcement. The club also added wide receiver Nelson Spruce

McGloin spent time with the Eagles and Texans in 2017 but never saw the field. Before that, “Moxy” spent four years with the Raiders and made seven starts.

The Penn State product currently slots as the team’s No. 3 QB behind starter Patrick Mahomes and backup Chad Henne. There’s still a long way to go between now and the start of the season, however, so there’s no guarantee that McGloin will make the final cut.

Ravens Work Out WR Michael Floyd

The Ravens tried out former Vikings wide receiver Michael Floyd, Field Yates of ESPN.com tweets. The Ravens are the first known suitor for Floyd in free agency. 

Late last year, Floyd expressed a desire to return to Minnesota. But, so far, we haven’t heard much on that front.

“I would like to stay here, for sure,” Floyd said in December. “I love this place.” 

Once regarded as the heir apparent to Larry Fitzgerald, Floyd slipped down the depth chart in Arizona. When he was cuffed for a DUI in December of 2016, that proved to be the last straw for the Cardinals. He was claimed off of waivers by the Patriots, but didn’t see much in the way of playing time. Last offseason, he hooked on with Minnesota, but was not much of a factor in their offense.

On the plus side, Floyd says he’s on the straight and narrow.

The partying stopped,” he told Chris Tomasson of the Pioneer Press. “I was going out all the time and having fun. Now, I’m mostly focused on work and hanging out with my teammates. … I go out now, but I don’t drink.”

Raiders Release Punter Marquette King

The Raiders announced that they have released punter Marquette King. King has been a longtime fan favorite, but new head coach Jon Gruden will seek out a different fourth-down solution. He was in the midst of a five-year, $16.5MM contract signed in March of 2016.

The charismatic King, who led all punters in Pro Bowl fan voting this year, was the NFL’s punting yards leader in 2014 and earned a second-team All-Pro nod in ’16. Last year, King’s 47.4 yards per punt average was good for sixth in the NFL and his net average of 42.7 per try was third behind only Brett Kern (Titans) and Johnny Hekker (Rams).

Hekker is widely regarded as the best punter in the game today, but King has a similarly strong reputation. He is now free to find work elsewhere while the Raiders save $2.9MM against $150K in dead money.

Colby Wadman, 22, now stands as the only punter on Oakland’s roster. The team may bring in some competition for him between now and camp.

Jets Meet With C Travis Swanson

The Jets announced that free agent center Travis Swanson visited with the team. To this point, Swanson has spent his entire four-year NFL career with the Lions.

Swanson has been the Lions’ full-time starter at center for the last three seasons. This marks his first reported visit of the free agency period, however, and his late-season concussion might have something to do with that. For what it’s worth, Swanson’s representatives say he didn’t actually suffer a concussion in 2017, despite what was on the injury report. Instead, they claim his symptoms were cause by a bad reaction to medicine he was given.

The 27-year-old has 42 games worth of starting experience, but he’d be a backup behind free agent pickup Spencer Long if he signs with the Jets. The Dolphins also expressed preliminary interest in Swanson earlier this month.

The Lions and Jets could effectively swap centers this offseason. Earlier this week, Detroit signed former Jet Wesley Johnson.

Jets Sign RB Thomas Rawls

The Jets announced the signing of running back Thomas Rawls. Terms of the deal are not yet known, but it’s likely an inexpensive one-year pact. 

Rawls first entered the league as an undrafted free agent in 2015 with the Seahawks. He broke out in his first NFL season when Marshawn Lynch was sidelined with an abdomen injury. In his first start, Rawls amassed 104 yards off of 16 carries and later turned in a 209-yard game. Things trailed off after that, however. He missed significant time in 2016 with a fractured fibula and became an afterthought in 2017.

If Rawls can return to his old form, he could serve as a complementary piece behind new addition Isaiah Crowell and Bilal Powell.