2022 NFL Free Agency Thread

[spiderfan]

It's that time of the season for money and lots of it. NFL Free Agency is here and with an interesting class of free agents it should be well, interesting to see what happens. I know there has been MASSIVE news on the trade front that I haven't covered, primarily because I waiting for them to become official. They now are. I'll also talk about some interesting extensions that effect the league also. 

Aaron Rodgers stays with Packers

Quick thoughts: I am totally shocked by this. I've said for a long time that I thought he was going to the Broncos and to see him stay with the Packers blows my mind. I really thought that his feud with Packers management was bad enough that he would leave no matter what. It would appear that all it took to resolve the dispute was a very very very large sum of money. Money does fix everything, at least in football. At this point I would expect the Packers to trade Jordan Love. Although, I've been wrong about the Packers before so, take that prediction with a grain of salt. 

Broncos trade for Russell Wilson

Quick thoughts: Pete Carroll didn't retire, but my prediction that Russell Wilson would be traded was correct. With Rodgers staying put, the Broncos had to turn to plan B at QB, which it would seem was Russell Wilson. Wilson had a statistically good year last year, although it was clear (at least to me) that he is on the decline. Maybe a new team will revitalize him and he'll return to his elite status. 

What I do know is that the Seahawks got a great haul for him and have the potential to retool their team. That is what high quality assets give you the opportunity to do. Can the Seahawks capitalize on said opportunity? We'll see. As a Seahawks fan, I sure hope so. 

Commanders trade for Carson Wentz

Quick thoughts: This has to be one of the worst trades I've ever seen. Not only did the Colts end up trading a 1st round pick and more for someone who was benched and who's team immediately played better after he was benched, not only did he keep the Colts (who have a have a solid roster with a whole bunch of Pro Bowlers on it) out of the playoffs almost single handedly, there was talk that he was going to get cut. Instead of waiting for him to get cut and get for him pennies on the dollar, the Commanders decided to trade actual assets for him. In my opinion Wentz is not an upgrade over Taylor Heinicke. In fact he isn't even an upgrade over the likely 1st round QBs for even Mitch Trubisky (who we will get to later). 

The Washington Commanders will not make the playoffs in 2022. Calling it now. 

Chargers trade for Khalil Mack

Quick thoughts: In one of the better trades I've seen in a while, the Chargers got Khalil Mack from da Bears. Teaming him up with Joey Bosa is going to make the Chargers defense genuinely scary and if Mack stays healthy, I think he will be what the Chargers need to finally make the playoffs in the Justin Herbert era. 

Tom Brady unretires

Quick thoughts: With the Buccaneers on the cusp of moving on and Brady having retired on a sour note with a poor playoff performance, he left the door open for a possible return. It is now official that Brady is back. The game of football is better for it. 

Kirk Cousins stays with Vikings

Quick thoughts: Usually I wouldn't talk about an extension for someone like Cousins, except this year is different because of the QB carousel. There was talk that Cousins would be traded and the Vikings would look for a new QB. That will not be the case. If I was the Vikings, I would have moved on, because I've said for years that Kirk Cousins is not a franchise QB. This is an example of "new coach thinking he can fix something that is broken" syndrome. It wouldn't surprise me if they trade him next year. 

Amari Cooper traded to Browns

Quick thoughts: Word got out that the Cowboys were going to cut Amari Cooper because the Jones' decided for the upteenth time that they overpaid someone who they had less than zero problem giving said contract. The Browns decided to trade a metaphorical bag of peanuts for Cooper to beat the free agent market that was going to exist for him, which was a smart move by the Browns because Cooper is talented. He'll be an upgrade over Jarvis Landry, and if he stays healthy I could see him doing well for the Browns. 

Jaguars sign Brandon Scherff and Christian Kirk

Quick thoughts: The Jaguars needed to upgrade on the wide receiver front and especially on the offensive line. They have done just that. Scherff has numerous Pro Bowls under his belt and will no doubt be a quality protector for Trevor Lawrence. Christian Kirk is a dynamic weapon on offense and in the return game, and is the type of player the Jaguars need to add juice to their offense and special teams. Great signings by Trent Baalke.

Mitch Trubisky to Steelers

Quick thoughts: The Steelers needed a new QB after Big Ben retired and now they have it. As was well publicized, Trubisky's tenure in Chicago was not good. Due to Matt Nagy's tenure crashing and burning in spectacular fashion, the blame for Trubisky's poor play has been put on Nagy retroactively. From the Bears games I've seen, I personally am skeptical about that retroactive thinking, considering it appeared that both Nagy AND Trubisky weren't good enough for the respective jobs. 

Regardless, the theory will be put to the test with the Steelers in the tough AFC North division. The Steelers are a talented team, and considering Big Ben was in rapid decline and they still made the playoffs, I don't think Trubisky will hold them back from the playoffs. Can he be a championship QB? We'll have to wait and see. If he is, there will be some extremely sour grapes in Chicago. 

[spiderfan]

J.C. Jackson to Chargers

Quick thoughts: Jackson is coming off a Pro Bowl and All-Pro season with the Patriots and he will join Derwin James in the Chargers secondary. Great signing by the Chargers to continue a great offseason for them. 

[spiderfan]

Von Miller to Bills

Quick thoughts: One of the top free agents in this class joins one of the better teams in the NFL. Miller had a revival of his career in Los Angeles and if he continues to play as well as he did with the Rams, the Bills have made an excellent signing. Miller helped get the Rams over the top and finally win a Super Bowl after all.

[spiderfan]

Davante Adams traded to Raiders

Quick thoughts: This is one of the more crazy things to happen this offseason IMO. With Rodgers coming back, it seemed inevitable that Adams would return and play alongside him. Instead, Adams is going to be best receiver the Raiders have had in years. The question has been asked "Would Rodgers have resigned with the Packers if he knew Adams was gone?" Which is a dumb question considering that Adams leaving has not affected Rodgers decision to say. The better question to ask is, why is Rodgers cool with Adams leaving? Right now, there isn't a definitive answer, just more questions. Were Rodgers and Adams not as close as previously thought? Does Rodgers know about a replacement that we don't know about (i.e. Julio Jones, Ju-Ju Smith Schuster just to name a couple of free agent examples)? Was Rodgers concern about getting paid and he never actually cared about the quality of team he was on? Sooner or later we'll find out. Right now, what we do know is that the Packers are much worse and the Raiders are much better. 

[spiderfan]

Chandler Jones to Raiders

Quick thoughts: Chandler Jones has been one of the best defensive players in football for a long time. The Raiders have now taken another star player from a NFC contender, and with Jones now playing for them, I see the Raiders making noise in the postseason. 

[spiderfan]

JuJu Smith Schuster to Chiefs

Quick thoughts: JuJu has had an up and down career with the Steelers and is coming off a significant injury. With that said, the Chiefs offense is very receiver friendly and with his speed and Patrick Mahomes' arm I think there will be some highlight plays. Nice signing by the Chiefs. 

[spiderfan]

Yannick Ngakoue to Colts

Quick thoughts: With the Raiders signing his replacement in Chandler Jones, Ngakoue became expendable. Nonetheless with Ngakoue coming off a solid year, the Colts pass rush will certainly improve. Good move by the Colts. 

[spiderfan]

Deshaun Watson traded to Browns

Quick thoughts: After a year of waiting the football world finally got the answer to the question: Where is Deshaun Watson going to play? The Cleveland Browns. It was initially reported that the Browns were out of the running for Watson, but he changed his mind and secured a record 5 year fully guaranteed 230 million dollar contract for his decision. In return the Texans got THREE first round picks and some mid round picks. Is Deshaun Watson worth the draft and financial compensation that the Browns gave up? Unless the Browns find themselves getting to or winning a Super Bowl, or heck even an AFC title game, it isn't worth it. Not necessarily because Watson is bad in a vaccum, but because the AFC is a tough conference and the AFC North is an even tougher division with 3 playoff (and arguable championship) contenders in it. Add on that Baker Mayfield already won the Browns their first playoff game since the Belichick era in '94 and you realize that what the Browns gave up may end up turning out to bite them. I'm inclined to think that this won't pan out the way the Browns hope it will. After all, they are the Browns and the Browns can't have nice things. 

[Monika]

My quick thoughts on a couple of these points:

-The Packers duped Rodgers. That's all there is to is. I expect Julio Jones to sign with the Bucs by noon on Sunday, so Rodgers is really going to have to earn that bonus without whom I consider as the only top receiver left. They have very little else.

-The Browns always seem to have a lot of draft picks, but what they gave up for a slightly above-average quarterback is ridiculous. Watson is overrated and the Browns will find that out soon enough.

-Not sure what happens to Baker Mayfield. He's going to another team or he's going to sit out. For no other reason that watching all this, I think Baker is sitting out (if he can).

[spiderfan]

Mar 19, 2022 1:37:44 GMT -8 Monika said:

My quick thoughts on a couple of these points:

-The Packers duped Rodgers. That's all there is to is. I expect Julio Jones to sign with the Bucs by noon on Sunday, so Rodgers is really going to have to earn that bonus without whom I consider as the only top receiver left. They have very little else.

-The Browns always seem to have a lot of draft picks, but what they gave up for a slightly above-average quarterback is ridiculous. Watson is overrated and the Browns will find that out soon enough.

-Not sure what happens to Baker Mayfield. He's going to another team or he's going to sit out. For no other reason that watching all this, I think Baker is sitting out (if he can).

-I think Rodgers just wanted more money this whole time and was smart in hiding that from everyone by acting like he cared about the quality of the team. With his new contract in place, Love will probably get traded and Rodgers will have officially gotten everything he wanted. 

-I agree with you Deshaun Watson is good. He isn't THAT good. 

-At this point I think Baker is going to traded either to the Colts or Seahawks. He wants to go the Colts, but the Browns (allegedly) don't like the idea of trading him in conference, so the Seahawks seem more likely than the Colts at this point. That is of course unless the Colts blow the browns away with their trade offer, which as we have seen in recent weeks, is certainly possible. 

[spiderfan]

La'el Collins to Bengals

Quick thoughts: Collins has been a solid lineman with a Cowboys and considering the Bengals O-line is less than solid, this is a great signing by the Bengals in my opinion. 

[spiderfan]

Matt Ryan traded to Colts

Quick thoughts: After their failed pursuit of Deshaun Watson, the Falcons looked like they were going to keep Matt Ryan. Instead, they traded their aging franchise cornerstone for a third round pick. The Falcons have never been the same since their playoff loss to the Eagles, and with them being in a rebuild it makes sense for them to move on from Ryan. As for the Colts, they finally get a competent QB and with Ryan as their QB, the playoffs seem likely. 

[spiderfan]

Marcus Mariota to Falcons

Quick thoughts: With Matt Ryan in Indianapolis, it was time for the Falcons to find a replacement. Instead of trading for Baker Mayfield or Jimmy GQ, the Falcons signed free agent QB Marcus Mariota. Mariota once was a young up and comer with the Titans before becoming a backup in recent years. Mariota has shown potential of greatness before, albeit with a better roster than the Falcons currently have. I hope that Mariota can show his stuff and turn out to not be a draft bust. 

[spiderfan]

Tyreek Hill traded to Dolphins

Quick thoughts: Whoa! Was the first word that came out of my mouth after I saw this news.

Obviously from the Dolphins angle this was a great trade. They have a bunch of draft capital and used it to get one of the best WRs in the NFL. With a new offensive minded coach in Mike McDaniel and Tua needing a rebound season, I think Hill is going to do wonders for the Dolphins.

From the Chiefs angle this trade is interesting. The Chiefs already lost Demarcus Robinson and Byron Pringle to free agency, and now with Hill gone the Chiefs are going to have a virtually new receiving corps. The only guys left are Travis Kelce at TE and Necole Hardman who if you remember was drafted by the Chiefs because they were scared about allegations against Tyreek Hill that later turned out to not be true. Maybe Hardman takes up the mantle from Hill, or maybe JuJu does. Either way, the Chiefs are going to be different than they have been in recent years. Will that result in a less quality on-field product? Only time will tell. 

[spiderfan]

Bobby Wagner to Rams

Quick thoughts: The reigning champions sign arguably the best linebacker in all of football to join their already championship caliber defense. Somehow, the Rams find ways to keep making themselves better and this signing does just that. Excellent signing by the Rams. 

[spiderfan]

Todd Bowles hired by Buccaneers 

Quick thoughts: After reports of discontent with Tom Brady and Bruce Arians came out after Brady's retirement, they were met with skepticism. Not too long after Brady comes out of retirement, Arians retires and is succeeded by Todd Bowles. I agree with others that is not a coincidence. Bowles has had a successful run as Bucs DC and has improved his resume after his tenure as Jets HC was unsuccessful (although in hindsight it was still better than the tenure of Adam Gase and Adam Saleh's first year). After Bowles choked the NFC Divisional Round, I said he didn't deserve a HC job, but with Arians being forced out by Brady, hiring someone from outside would have been ridiculous. 

[spiderfan]

Indianapolis Colts sign Stephon Gilmore

Quick thoughts: When healthy, Gilmore is one of the best CBs in the NFL, injuries have hid that from view for the most part. I think this a great signing by the Colts.