By Adam Kerr
Even through just the first few days of NFL Free Agency, there have been tons of player movement.
There’s still a large amount of Free Agents remaining, but most Pro Bowl-caliber players have agreed to move to a new home. This ranks players who signed to a new team, not those who re-signed. Before the list begins, some honorable mentions are:
- RB Austin Ekeler to the Washington Commanders (two-year, $11.43M)
- S Jordan Poyer to the Miami Dolphins (one-year, $2M)
- EDGE Brian Burns to the New York Giants (via trade, then signed to a four-year, $13.54M contract)
- RB Aaron Jones to the Minnesota Vikings (one-year, $7M)
- WR Calvin Ridley to the Tennessee Titans (four-year, $92M)
7. QB Russell Wilson to the Pittsburgh Steelers – One-Year, 1.21 Million
After objectively underplaying the massive payday the Denver Broncos gave him after trading their future for the former All-Pro, being the reason why they cut him in early March. Yes, the $40 million that Denver would pay them this season would have been a massive overpay. However, the Pittsburgh Steelers are paying him slightly north of one million, around the league minimum.
On top of the salary, most people looked at their record in 2023 and never acknowledged Wilson’s well-above-average play. Wilson threw for 26 touchdowns and only eight interceptions last year, giving him a great chance to be the starting QB for Pittsburgh this season. Overall, however, this deal is a minimum-risk, maximum-reward signing for the Steelers. Best case, Wilson plays great and brings them back to the days of being playoff contenders. Worst case, they bench him for Kenny Pickett and pay him less than they would’ve paid Mason Rudolph – or any other backup in the league.
6. DT Christian Wilkins to the Las Vegas Raiders – Four-Year, $110 Million
One of the more surprising deals made so far was the Raiders signing Christian Wilkins to a four-year contract. Maxx Crosby was one of – if not the best – defensive player in football last season, and now he is getting another star to pair with him on the Vegas defensive line. Wilkins was a beast last year for the Miami Dolphins, putting up career-highs in QB hits, sacks, pressures, and more. Now, Wilkins is taking his talents to Vegas, where he isn’t even the best defensive lineman on his team. The newly formed duo of Wilkins and Crosby will create more opportunities for both, and opposing offensive lines might just find it impossible to guard both stars.
5. LB Patrick Queen to the Pittsburgh Steelers – Three-Year, $49 Million
Patrick Queen has an argument to be the best player in the 2024 Free Agency class. Anyway, he’s not a part of that class anymore, as the Steelers picked him up on a three-year mega-deal. Queen was proposed to land with practically every team in the NFL. In fact, it seemed like Pittsburgh was one of the few teams that nobody mocked him up to sign with. Of course, now he’s with the Steelers and joins a scary defense with T.J. Watt, Minkah Fitzpatrick, and many other stars that contribute to their stifling defense year in & year out. On top of this, Queen is still only 24 years old and will be under contract until he is well into the prime of his career (even though he is already a top linebacker in football). With this deal, the rest of the AFC North is shaking at the thought of Mike Tomlin getting yet another superstar on defense.
4. RB Josh Jacobs to the Green Bay Packers – Four-Year, $48 Million
One signing that most people are forgetting is that the Packers signed Josh Jacobs to a long-term deal on Monday. This was probably due to Saquon Barkley making his decision shortly after, but it doesn’t change the fact that not enough people know that the former league leader in rushing has signed with one of the best-rushing teams in the NFL. For years, Aaron Jones was the focal point of Matt LeFleur’s run game, and now he gets to plug in the dynamic Josh Jacobs. The dual threat of Jordan Love and Josh Jacobs will be very tough for opposing defenses to stop, and the Packers squad that made the divisional round only gets better.
3. RB Saquon Barkley to the Philadelphia Eagles – Three-Year, $37 Million
The Saquon deal was undoubtedly the biggest of Monday’s reported agreements. Barkley has left the New York Giants and is heading over to their rivals out in the City of Brotherly Love. He now joins Jalen Hurts, A.J. Brown, DeVonta Smith, and the loaded Eagles offense. With the retirement of Jason Kelce, the Philly offensive line takes a massive hit, and it may be tough to do the “Brotherly Shove” without one of the stars of the play on the field. If that does have any truth, adding Saquon should really stop them from ever being in the position where they need to run the infamous tush-push. D’Andre Swift was amazing in Coach Nick Sirianni’s offense last year, and there’s no limit to what Barkley might do in Eagles Green.
2. QB Kirk Cousins to the Atlanta Falcons – Four-Year, $180 Million
Kirk Cousins is one of the few players in the NFL that everybody loves. On top of his character, he is an astounding football player. He has been a top-ten quarterback for the past few years, and now he is heading down south to a Falcons team that is loaded with potential. Atlanta is adding Cousins to an offense with young stars Bijan Robinson, Drake London, and Kyle Pitts. This team finished 7-10 in 2023, nearly winning the division. They did this despite having a mix of Desmond Ridder and Taylor Heinicke at QB, and with a Head Coach who wanted Jonnu Smith and Cordarrelle Patterson to get more touches than Kyle Pitts and Bijan Robinson. Now, first-year HC Raheem Morris has a very promising offense in his hands to go along with his quality defense. The Falcons don’t make at least one NFC Championship appearance during Cousins’ contract, this deal isn’t a success – that’s how much they jump by having a stable quarterback position.
1. RB Derrick Henry to the Baltimore Ravens – Two-Year, $16 Million
Coming off of an AFC Championship appearance, the Ravens clearly aren’t satisfied. They agreed to terms on a two-year deal with Derrick Henry on Tuesday, further making them the most star-studded roster in football. The run game wasn’t a weakness by any means for the Ravens in 2023, but some injuries along with a carousel of RB1 led to some inconsistency in the backfield. Now, Baltimore has a freak of nature in Henry who can quite literally run through other freaks of nature. King Henry embodies Ravens culture, and he will finally get a real chance at a Super Bowl victory along with Lamar Jackson on John Harbaugh’s squad.
