Piece by: Tyler Deakin
What a great NFL Free Agency Frenzy Week! Despite the shrinking salary cap in 2021, NFL teams came out swinging for the fences in free agency. In particular, the New England Patriots & the Tampa Bay Buccaneers made impressive moves this week. Teams like the Jacksonville Jaguars, Houston Texans, & New York Jets were also active this week. Meanwhile, the San Francisco 49ers, Buffalo Bills, & Los Angeles Chargers upgraded their offensive lines. Alternatively, teams like the Kansas City Chiefs, Green Bay Packers, & Las Vegas Raiders made questionable decisions this week. Finally, teams like the Chicago Bears, Indianapolis Colts, & Atlanta Falcons didn’t make impact signings. Without further ado, let’s dive right into the action!
The Patriots are all in for 2021
“Rome wasn’t built in a day, but the New England Patriots might be.” – Tom Peliserro of NFL Network. This quote explains that the Patriots were the most active team on day one this week, and a very active team overall as well. The following impact players signed with the Patriots this week: QB Cam Newton (re-signed), TE Jonnu Smith, TE Hunter Henry, WR Nelson Agholor, LB Matt Judon, and others. ESPN Insider Adam Schefter reported on Monday night that the Patriots, “spent their most guaranteed money on free agents in any offseason over the last decade.” The Patriots are back on the radar as a playoff contender in the AFC this year.
The Buccaneers keep the band together
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers, fresh off their Super Bowl LV victory, came into the offseason with several players on expiring contracts. Their main objective was to keep the core players of their team together for another Super Bowl run, an objective which they successfully accomplished. DE Shaq Barrett, LB Lavonte David, TE Rob Gronkowski, WR Chris Godwin (franchise tag), & K Ryan Succop were re-signed by the Bucs this week. It’s always tough to repeat as Super Bowl champions in the NFL, but the Bucs look well positioned to do so in 2021.
Jaguars, Jets, Bengals, Texans, Washington have active weeks
The Jaguars signed impact players in WR Marvin Jones, OT Cam Robinson (tag), & CB Shaquill Griffin; similarly, the New York Jets signed WR Corey Davis, DE Carl Lawson, & S Marcus Maye (tag). Meanwhile, the Cincinnati Bengals signed DE Trey Hendrickson, CB Mike Hilton, & OT Riley Reiff. Finally, the Texans signed an NFL-high 22 players. These were 4 of the worst teams in the NFL last year, so these moves were necessary to support lackluster rosters. The Washington Football Team made splashy signings in QB Ryan Fitzpatrick, WR Curtis Samuel, & OG Brandon Scherff (tag). They look ready to defend their NFC East title next year.
49ers, Bills, Chargers bolster their offensive lines
Super Bowl LV taught us that stellar offensive line play is paramount in today’s NFL. Those of us who watched the game saw QB Patrick Mahomes running for his life the entire night. That being said, the San Francisco 49ers made OT Trent Williams the highest paid offensive lineman in NFL history, while also signing C Alex Mack. Meanwhile, the Buffalo Bills re-signed OT Daryl Williams & OG John Feliciano. Finally, the Los Angeles Chargers signed C Corey Lindsley to be the highest paid center in the NFL. Offensive linemen signings aren’t always sexy or splashy; however, these signings are absolutely necessary in today’s NFL.
Chiefs, Packers, Raiders have questionable offseasons
The Kansas City Chiefs took a questionable approach to this week coming off the heels of their Super Bowl LV loss where they were dominated in the trenches. Instead of upgrading their offensive line through free agency, they released starting OTs Mitchell Schwartz & Eric Fisher to save money. They then made their free agency week even more puzzling when they signed OG Joe Thuney, OG Kyle Long, & backup OT Mike Remmers. Meanwhile, the Las Vegas Raiders overhauled their entire offensive line in trading OT Trent Brown, cutting OG Richie Incognito, trading C Rodney Hudson, & trading OG Gabe Jackson this week. In other news, the Green Bay Packers re-signed RB Aaron Jones to a contract extension after drafting his replacement (RB AJ Dillon) in the 2nd round last year. They could’ve used the money from the Jones deal to instead re-sign C Corey Lindsley, who left for the Chargers.
Bears, Colts, Falcons, Seahawks, Eagles disappoint & closing remarks
The Chicago Bears are the most disappointing team of the week after signing QB Andy Dalton instead of trading for QB Russell Wilson. They successfully re-signed WR Allen Robinson (tag); however, they failed to land Wilson despite offering a great trade package (three 1st round picks, one 3rd round pick, 2 starters) for him. The Indianapolis Colts entered the week with the 3rd most cap space in the NFL, yet failed to make any impact signings. Meanwhile, the Atlanta Falcons, Seattle Seahawks, & Philadelphia Eagles were inactive this week as they were broke. Most other NFL teams were active this week; however, few of their signings moved the needle very much. Teams receiving honorable mention this week include the Titans (LB Bud Dupree), Cardinals (C Rodney Hudson, WR AJ Green), & Vikings (CB Patrick Peterson).