NFL free agency unofficially kicked off Monday with a flurry of deals and most of the big names finding new homes, including Saquon Barkley, Kirk Cousins and Christian Wilkins. In fact, Minnesota Vikings edge rusher Danielle Hunter is the only top-12 player still available from Randy Mueller’s rankings of the top 150 free agents.
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Deals can’t officially be signed until Wednesday, but The Athletic’s Mike Sando, Kalyn Kahler and Dan Pompei don’t have to wait till then to share their biggest takeaways from the first wave of moves.
Live updates: Free-agent news from across the NFL
FA tracker: New teams and contract details for the top 150 free agents
Best available players: Who’s still on the market?
Grades: Best and worst of free-agent deals
Saquon Barkley, Josh Jacobs, Austin Ekeler, D’Andre Swift, Tony Pollard, Gus Edwards and Devin Singletary found new homes Monday. Are you surprised running backs were so in demand? Which fit do you like the best?
Sando: Yes, I was surprised to see the flurry of running backs reaching agreement right away. I do think it’s notable these deals did not change the top of the market at the position, however. As for the deals that were done, Edwards’ agreement with the Los Angeles Chargers stands out for the value (a modest two-year deal) and fit (Chargers offensive coordinator Greg Roman coached him in Baltimore). Edwards is 28 years old but has only 699 career carries. He has averaged 4.9 yards per carry for his career and fills a big need for the Chargers at a reasonable price.
Kahler: Yes, that was a departure from the recent norm. Barkley to Philadelphia is really interesting to me because if Barkley can stay healthy, he joins an offense loaded with other star playmakers in Jalen Hurts, A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith. Can you picture Barkley and his incredibly strong quads pushing Hurts on a tush push? They won’t even notice Jason Kelce is gone.
Pompei: The rush to sign rushers seems counterintuitive, certainly. Especially looking at some of the preliminary numbers. The running backs who agreed Monday all have been inconsistent producers, but they all have considerable potential if they can stay healthy. Jacobs in Green Bay is very intriguing. He is as gifted as any running back in football. The only question is if coach Matt LaFleur will give him 340 carries, as Jacobs had in 2022 with the Las Vegas Raiders when he led the league with 1,653 ground yards. The most handoffs a Packers running back has had under LaFleur was 236.
Kirk Cousins was the best QB available, but he’s 35 and coming off a torn Achilles tendon. The Falcons locked him up for four years with $100 million guaranteed. Does this end up brilliant or boneheaded for Atlanta and why?
Pompei: He was the best quarterback on the market and a player who can lift a team. The Falcons should contend with Cousins as long as the rest of the team doesn’t fall apart. So from that standpoint, it’s a good move. But the flip side is this isn’t 2018 Kirk Cousins who went from Washington to Minnesota. Now, Cousins is 35 (36 in August!) and coming off an Achilles tear. He may be diminished from the injury, and his skills could begin to show deterioration if he’s like most quarterbacks. That’s why the Vikings didn’t want to commit as fully as the Falcons did.
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Sando: It makes the Falcons better right away, and gives them the best option in the veteran market this offseason at a decent price in relation to the increased salary cap. This seems like a sensible signing for the Falcons based on where they’re at from a roster standpoint and based on where they sit in the draft with the No. 8 pick.
Kahler: This was the best move they could make. Atlanta desperately needed a quarterback, and despite the speculation Justin Fields could wind up there, Cousins is a much better option for a team that needs a reliable starter. Yes, he’s coming off a serious injury, but he isn’t rushing back from it like Aaron Rodgers, so that doesn’t concern me much. We know who Cousins is as a quarterback, and for Atlanta to sign him for three years while the new coaching staff can figure out what’s next is a smart move.
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Christian Wilkins got a huge deal with the Raiders. How do you see his teaming up with Maxx Crosby impacting the Las Vegas defense?
Sando: The only question surrounds the price the Raiders paid, which seemed steep, based on initial reports. Purely from a football standpoint, Wilkins upgrades the defensive front considerably. His new defensive coordinator, Patrick Graham, held the same job with Miami when the Dolphins drafted Wilkins in 2019. That familiarity would seem to help as well.
Pompei: It’s still difficult to believe the Dolphins were willing to let him go. He’s a rare talent with ability to impact the pass and the run. He was one of the reasons the Dolphins were able to generate pressure even through injuries to other players last season. By pairing him with Crosby, the Raiders will force opponents to double one or the other, meaning it’s likely one of them will create havoc.
Kahler: I’m with Dan, I know Miami has to save money for a Tua Tagovailoa extension, but I’m still surprised they declined to tag Wilkins. He was a captain and a core piece of the defense, the type of player you want to build around. Wilkins had his best year in 2023, with career highs in sacks (nine), QB pressures (61) and QB hits (23), and I expect him to continue that dominance in Vegas, making that defensive front something even more difficult to block next to Crosby.
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With free-agent guards getting so much money on Day 1, does this suggest they’re becoming more important and appreciated pieces of the offensive puzzle? Or are teams simply paying a premium because there are so few talented guards available?
Kahler: I think it’s probably more of the latter. We’ve seen guards push for big-money deals recently, like Kevin Zeitler signing with the Cleveland Browns for a record amount for the position in 2017, so I’m not surprised to see big numbers at the position again this season. Football is won in the trenches and the reality is, there aren’t enough talented and experienced big men to go around.
Sando: Three of the higher-ranked guards agreed to terms on contracts early in the negotiating period. I’m not ready to say this constitutes a change in how the league is thinking. If you look at the teams that prioritized the position — New York Giants, Carolina Panthers, Los Angeles Rams — it might say more about these teams than it says about the league at large. These teams are trying to protect quarterbacks who are vulnerable for different reasons.
Pompei: Guards are perceived as less important until you don’t have at least one good one. And a lot of teams don’t have one good one. They will likely remain third-class citizens on the offensive line after tackles and centers, but teams can’t function without decent guard play. The Kansas City Chiefs are the team every team is trying to emulate. They made Joe Thuney one of the highest-paid guards in the NFL in 2021 when they signed him as a free agent from the New England Patriots.
There were plenty of high-profile agreements Monday, but what’s an under-the-radar move that you really like so far in free agency?
Sando: Beyond the Gus Edwards deal mentioned above, Houston adding defensive end Denico Autry reportedly for $10 million over two years caught my attention. Autry is 33 years old but remains a productive player. He ranks 15th in sacks over the past three seasons (28 1/2). By staying in the AFC South, he’ll face two of his former teams, Indianapolis and Tennessee, a total of four games per season.
Pompei: I liked the Cincinnati Bengals signing Geno Stone from the Baltimore Ravens. Inconsistent safety play cost them last season after losing Jessie Bates and Vonn Bell in free agency, and they needed more talent at the position. Stone is young (24), productive (led NFL safeties with seven interceptions) and not terribly expensive (he reportedly signed for $15 million over two years). He also comes from one of the Bengals’ primary rivals.
Kahler: I liked Dallas Cowboys center Tyler Biadasz following Dan Quinn to Washington. The Commanders’ offensive line, and particularly center, struggled with injuries last season, and Biadasz brings consistency to the important role. He started 49 games over the last three years in Dallas, and with Washington likely to be drafting a rookie quarterback, this is a good move to strengthen the offensive line at center.
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Howe: A peek behind the scenes of the Kirk Cousins, Russell Wilson, Baker Mayfield deals
(Top photo of Saquon Barkley: Sarah Stier / Getty Images)