Everything's Already Done

NFL free agency is always weird.  We already know who's getting cut and who's singing or being traded where like a week beforehand, and it all becomes official within the first few hours of the league year starting.  (Meanwhile, baseball season starts in two weeks and Blake Snell, last season's Cy Young winner, remains unsigned.)  I get that it's all because of the salary cap and teams need to make their decisions before the Draft, but it really does take a lot of the suspense out of it.

Although, I guess the one good thing about it is that it keeps the conversation going and gives people a chance to start talking about some new-look teams and familiar faces in new places.  It seems inevitable that some of them won't work out (a la Russell Wilson to Denver).  While others were actually probably better for the player's former team.  And, let's not forget, every team knows what they want to do in the Draft next month, so this was all just setting the stage for that.

What's always fascinating, too, is how so many moves are interconnected.  One signing has such a trickle-down effect.  You sign someone, so you release the guy who's already on the roster, so he ends up going somewhere else, and they cut or trade their incumbent to make room.  We've already seen that a lot this offseason, starting with the aforementioned Russell Wilson.

Wilson in Denver didn't work out, so the Broncos released him after two dreadful seasons.  He's signing with Pittsburgh, which means Steelers quarterback Mason Rudolph needed a new home.  He's headed to Tennessee along with former Cowboys running back Tony Pollard and former Jaguars wide receiver Calvin Ridley.  The Jaguars, meanwhile, traded for Mac Jones to be Trevor Lawrence's backup, with Jacoby Brissett returning to the Patriots as the backup for whatever quarterback they end up drafting.

Jamies Winston has spent his entire career in the NFC South with Tampa Bay and New Orleans.  Now, he's off to Cleveland to backup DeShaun Watson.  Which, presumably, solves the Browns' quarterback situation.  Although, Joe Flacco, who resurrected his career in Cleveland, now heads to the QB Retirement Community that is Indianapolis.  How the guy from Florida the Colts drafted last year works into this equation, I don't know.

Tyrod Taylor is staying in New York, but going from blue to green.  Should the Jets go on a deep playoff run and Vice President Rodgers has to leave the team to begin his duties in Washington, it'll be Tyrod Taylor under center!  (Neither of those things will actually happen, but it's still funny to think about.)  Drew Lock is taking his place with the Giants, while Sam Darnold is off to Minnesota (more on that in a second) and Marcus Mariota will add the Commanders, who will almost certainly draft a quarterback No. 2 overall, to his list of teams.

Perhaps the biggest quarterback move of all, though, is one that very few people saw coming.  Kirk Cousins is headed to Atlanta on a four-year, $180 million deal with $100 million guaranteed.  He's since said that he can see himself ending his career with the Falcons.  Last season, they needed an elite quarterback desperately, so this could be the thing that puts them over the top in a crowded NFC South.  Likewise, the Vikings are suddenly nowhere near close enough to the Lions and Packers to be considered a serious contender in the NFC North.

Now, let's talk about the running backs.  One running back in particular.  After eight years in Tennessee, Derrick Henry is a Baltimore Raven.  Suddenly, the Ravens have a running game.  And they didn't just get one of the best running backs in football, they got a work horse.  Lamar Jackson doesn't have to do it all by himself anymore.  It sounds weird to be talking about the team that hosted the AFC Championship Game being flawed, but the Chiefs exposed those flaws, which the Ravens have now addressed.

With Jason Kelce retiring and the tush push likely being outlawed, Philadelphia figures to take a step back this season.  The Eagles did address their running game, though, going in-division to snag Saquon Barkley away from the Giants.  Giants fans weren't happy about Saquon's decision to leave, but the money they save was re-invested very well.  The much cheaper Devin Singletary is their new featured back.  They were able to bring in two offensive linemen.  And, to top it all off, they swung a trade with the Panthers for Brian Burns, giving them a second elite pass rusher to put opposite Kayvon Thibodeaux.

Joe Mixon wanted out of Cincinnati.  He got his wish and was traded to the Texans.  Austin Ekeler, meanwhile, signed with the Commanders, who are seemingly remaking their entire roster.  Washington is also bringing in longtime Seahawks linebacker Bobby Wagner to shore up their defense.  The Commanders are like the Bears.  It'll take a lot for them to become good again, especially in the NFC East.  But now that their ownership situation is settled, they're at least making the effort to put a competitive team out there this season.  Whether it'll work is an entirely different question.

Meanwhile, over in the NFC North, the interdivision inbreeding continues to run rampant.  The Packers upgraded at running back by signing former Raider Josh Jacobs to a four-year deal.  So, where did Aaron Jones, who's been Green Bay's starter for the past few seasons, go?  Minnesota!  And D'Andre Swift, who was jettisoned by the Eagles when they signed Barkley, is now in Chicago.

I haven't really touched on the defensive guys yet, and that's because there haven't been many big-name defensive players who've changed teams.  I've noticed a bit of a shift in philosophy over the past few seasons.  NFL owners and GMs are more willing to part with offensive talent.  It's not that they think they're expendable.  Rather, I think they just figure they can get similar production from a cheaper alternative, so it's not worth paying the massive contract.  On the defensive side, though, they're more willing to pay up and keep somebody they know can be a difference-maker.

Take the Chiefs.  The only things they've done so far are lock up Chris Jones (for five years) and Jrue Tranquill (for three), while tagging L'Jarius Sneed.  Now, I have no idea how much credence to put into those rankings that just came out that placed Clark Hunt towards the bottom as one of the worst owners in the league.  So, maybe free agents don't want to go there (which is a crazy thought in its own right because of the Chiefs' success and the chance to play for Andy Reid, but I digress).  But the guys who are already there are clearly happy, and Kansas City is happy with them, so why not continue the good thing you've had going for six years?

There are a lot of players in the NFL, and there's been a lot of movement in the first few days of free agency.  There figures to be more, too.  But the amount that gets done in early March truly is staggering!  It's a lesson that MLB could take.  Their season starts a lot sooner than football season!  There's no reason free agent football players should know where they're playing in 2024 before free agent baseball players.