The NFL Free Agency period for legal player tampering opened up on March 11th with official free agency starting March 13th and there’s a handful of teams who were quick to make signings and plenty of players who ended up on the move. This list will go through a few teams who should be labeled as winners through 2024 NFL Free Agency so far.
NFL Free Agency Winners
Houston Texans
Danielle Hunter
The Houston Texans have active through NFL free agency and that is credited to them having over 62 million in cap space at the start of the tampering period and building their team through the draft the last few years. With their success last season led by offensive rookie of the year, Cj Stroud, they felt the need to add pieces to their roster to make an even bigger push in the playoffs this upcoming season.
Their big splash signing being Danielle Hunter, will provide another key piece on the defensive side of the ball to pair with coming off a strong rookie season last year, Will Anderson. Hunter signed a 2 year, 49-million-dollar deal and with a guy in Hunter coming off a 16 sack season and former All Pro, he and Will Anderson will be one of the top edge duos in the NFL in 2024.
On top of gaining one of the top edge rushers on the market, the Houston Texans also added the likes of former Lions and Falcons corner, Jeff Okudah who can give them a different look at one of the starting cornerback spots, starting 31 games in 4 seasons. Alongside Okudah, a deal was made to bring in linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair for 3 years, 34 million dollars. Al-Shaair played under Texans coach, Demeco Ryans in San Francisco (2019-2023). Both departed in 2023 and now both have reunited, as Al-Shaair will start in the middle of the defense as he recorded 163 tackles, which was the fifth most in the NFL for the Tennessee Titans last year.
Pittsburgh Steelers
A little before the clock struck midnight on March 10th, quarterback Rusell Wilson had no hesitation to sign with the Pittsburgh Steelers. He officially signed his contract on March 13th, and the Steelers have their new quarterback in 2024. Pittsburgh struggled the last couple years at the position with getting a total of 24 combined touchdowns from their quarterbacks. They knew something needed to change and even though Russell Wilson isn’t the Wilson of old, he still managed to throw for 26 touchdowns in Denver last year.
Patrick Queen
Another thing the Pittsburgh Steelers have had a hard time finding is a star linebacker. Ever since Ryan Shazier went down with injury the team hasn’t been able to get his replacement. They drafted Devin Bush in the 2019 NFL draft and he’s already on his third team. The signing of Patrick Queen, 24, is one the Steelers haven’t done in the past. But under new front office management led by general manager, Omar Khan, they weren’t afraid to give their largest free agent signing in franchise history to the stud linebacker. And the kicker, they took him from long rival, the Baltimore Ravens.
Queen received a 3 year, 41-million-dollar deal, On a side note, Queen had a career high in 2023 with 133 tackles, nine tackles for loss, three and a half sacks, an interception, and one of each, with a forced fumble and fumble recovery. A player who has started every game since he was drafted, is the type of guy Steelers head coach, Mike Tomlin wants. Which seems to be a perfect match given Queen saying, “That man standing right there,” when asked why he wanted to go to Pittsburgh. The Steelers defense led by Tj Watt, Cam Heyward, and Minkah Fitzpatrick, now adding Queen to the mix should make for one of the best groups in the NFL.
Thirdly, the Steelers signed safety Deshon Elliott. Elliott, 26, coming from the Miami Dolphins, finished 2023 with 82 tackles and an interception. Elliott playing over 250 snaps in the box each of the last two seasons should give Minkah Fitzpatrick the ability to move back to being a true free safety and patrol in the secondary.
Justin Fields
Lastly, as a trade was made yesterday for Bears Quarterback Justin Fields, the Pittsburgh Steelers go from one of the worst quarterback rooms the last two years to a room consisting of the former first round pick and Russell Wilson, a room the Steelers hope will give them much more production this season and beyond. The Steelers acquired Fields for a 2025 sixth round pick which could turn into a fourth given Fields’ play time. This move gives the Steelers the opportunity to develop Fields with a high upside and for him to learn under veteran Russell Wilson.
A decision will have to be made on Fields’ fifth year option in 2025. Time will tell what the Steelers do, but getting Fields for a sixth-round pick was too sweet for them to pass up and should make for a very exciting quarterback room for the Steelers.
Philadelphia Eagles
The Eagles were one of the first teams to start NFL free agency with a bang, signing former New York Giant’s running back, Saquon Barkley. The Eagles decided not to resign running back, De’Andre Swift and decided they needed more of a playmaker in their backfield. Barkley signed on for three years, 37.75 million dollars that could be $46.75M and includes $26M fully guaranteed. A two-time pro bowler will get to play against his former team twice a year and in an already bolstered offense, quarterback Jalen Hurts will be happy to have the multi-talented back in his offense.
Shortly after, Philadelphia and Howie Roseman did not decide to stop there either, they resigned (DE) Josh Sweat and retained guard, Landon Dickerson to a multi-year extension. One name that found his way back to the Eagles was safety CJ Gardner Johnson.
Johnson left there in the 2023 offseason not on the best terms but is embracing his return. “I want to be here, so — started something here, started a legacy here, and I want to finish it here, so why not hop back on the train and get back to work,” Gardner-Johnson said on returning to the Eagles. Philadelphia has added star power to its offense and has made sure to keep its defense intact while adding to it with Johnson and former Jet, Bryce Huff.
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