If you count the beginning of the “legal tampering” period as the beginning of free agency (and you should, because it is), we’re about three weeks into free agency in 2024. Scores of players have changed teams. Big names got even bigger contracts—defensive tackle Christian Wilkins and quarterback Kirk Cousins both received new deals in excess of $100 million.
In Cousins’ case—well in excess of $100 million.
However, after all this time, there are still some big names in search of work. Want a record-setting safety? One is available. The NFL’s pre-eminent ballhawk at his position since 2016? Also available. A two-time Super Bowl winning tackle? Yep. Available. A former No. 1 overall pick and a quarterback who led his team to within one win of the Super Bowl?
Available and available. Never mind one of the most mercurial wide receivers of the
Now, they may have to accept short-term “prove it” deals to do so, but these veterans will soon find work, either by finding a new home or landing back in their old one.
The question here isn’t where those vets will continue their careers in 2024. It’s what teams would be the best fit for them to do so for.
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This first one may well be moot—per Jeremy
Fowler of ESPNthe recent meeting between Odell Beckham and the Miami Dolphins
went well. There is mutual interest on both sides to get a deal done—provided the
price is right.
“Odell Beckham met with the Miami Dolphins this past week and I was told the Dolphins are definitely interested,” Fowler said on SportsCenter. “It’s probably going to be at a price point that they’re going to have to figure out. So, they’re not willing to overspend at this point. They don’t have a lot of cash. They got Tyreek Hill, they got Jaylen Waddle, but they want to pair those two with a veteran receiver. So, some mutual interest.”
Price may well be the only reason Beckham remains unsigned. The 31-year-old got $15 million in guarantees from the Baltimore Ravens, only to post pedestrians numbers outside a career-best 16.1 yards per catch. That kind of payday isn’t coming again. Not in 2024, anyway.
But there are a couple locales outside South Florida where
Beckham would also fit well in 2024.
If the deal with the Dolphins falls through, there’s another AFC East team that could use Beckham’s services. The Buffalo Bills signed Curtis Samuel and Mack Hollins to replace the departed Gabe Davis, but those receivers are slot guys. The Bills need a big body outside opposite Stefon Diggs, and Beckham would fit that bill—and have a real shot at a second Super Bowl.
If Beckham’s more interested in the kind of big numbers that might get him one more bag, A return to Los Angeles could work. The Chargers wide receiver corps right now is headlined by a second-year pro in Quentin Johnston who was a massive disappointment and Joshua Palmer. Justin Herbert needs a “go-to” wideout.
The question is whether Beckham can be that at this point in
his career.
Best Fits: Buffalo Bills, Los Angeles Chargers, Miami
Dolphins.
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Since 2016, when he entered the NFL, there isn’t a cornerback in the NFL who has more interceptions than Xavien Howard. Now 31, Howard told Udonis Haslam and Mike Miller of the OGs podcast that at this point, he’s more interested in a deep playoff run than another big contract.
“I’d rather take a pay cut to go to a team that’s going to go further in the playoffs,” Howard said. “I got my money and stuff like that. I’m to the point, like, ‘How much money do you really need?’ My goal is always to try to win a Super Bowl. Don’t let the money get in the way of winning a Super Bowl. Some people get paid, and some people win a Super Bowl. Some people do both. You do both, you’re different. I want to be different. I want to win a Super Bowl now. I already got paid, so now (a Super Bowl) is what I’m looking forward to.”
While on that podcast, Howard mentioned the Houston Texans as a team he’d have interest in playing on. The Texans have certainly been aggressive adding pieces on defense, and adding Howard to a cornerback corps that already includes Derek Stingley Jr. and Steven Nelson would create a formidable trio.
The cornerback position was already something of a weak spot
for the Detroit Lions, and the recent release of Cameron Sutton following domestic
battery charges in Florida just makes the need all the more pressing.
Depending on how big a pay cut Howard is willing to take, the Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs could also be a fit. After trading L’Jarius Sneed to the Tennessee Titans, the Chiefs need help at the position, and inking Howard to a one-year deal while grooming a youngster for the future would be just about a best-case scenario for both Howard and the Chiefs secondary.
Best Fits: Detroit Lions, Houston Texans, Kansas City
Chiefs
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Ryan Tannehill has started over 150 NFL games for the Miami
Dolphins and Tennessee Titans. He led the Titans to the AFC Championship Game
in 2019. But almost three weeks into free agency, the 35-year-old is still
looking for a new home.
On some level, that’s understandable. Tannehill’s 2023 campaign was an injury-marred mess—he barely threw for 1,600 yards, tossed three more interceptions than touchdown passes and posted a passer rating of less than 80. But as this year’s quarterback carousel slows, Tannehill is probably the best veteran option left—and there are still teams with shaky situations under center in 2024.
One of those is in Denver, where Russell Wilson’s release left both the largest dead cap hit in league history and a gaping hole at quarterback. The Broncos are a trendy pick to trade up in the 2024 draft, but Cody Benjamin of CBS Sports mentioned Tannehill as a low-cost stopgap if that doesn’t come to pass.
Denver has yet to add a quarterback this offseason, and while an early draft investment would be logical, Tannehill offers an experienced arm best suited to play within a system — just as Sean Payton desires,” he said. “At 35, he’s a low-ceiling rental, sure, but the best alternative in Denver right now is Jarrett Stidham.”
The Las Vegas Raiders are in an eerily similar situation. Last year’s 8-9 season leaves the Raiders too far down the draft to grab an elite arm without an expensive trade. And arguing whether Aidan O’ Connell or Stidham is the better NFL starter is equal parts depressing and pointless.
The Chicago Bears have the first overall pick in 2024—a pick that will all but certainly be used on USC quarterback Caleb Williams. But there is precious little experience behind Williams in the Windy City. Tannehill’s experience over 11 pro seasons could come in handy as Williams learns the NFL ropes.
Best Fits: Chicago Bears, Denver Broncos, Las Vegas
Raiders
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Jadeveon Clowney has become quite a vagabond in recent seasons, playing for four teams over the last five years. He played the 2023 season with the Baltimore Ravens, where he tied a career-high with 9.5 sacks and piled up 78 total pressures–the 12th-most among edge defenders according to Kyle Newman of Jets X-Factor.
There’s a reason why Jets writers are pouring over Clowney’s stats. Per Bleacher Report’s Jordan Schultz, the 31-year-old met with the Jets recently, and the two sides have remained in contact since.
It’s not hard to see why the Jets would have interest in Clowney. The team’s most effective pass-rusher on a per-snap status last year (Bryce Huff) left in free agency. Will McDonald and Jermaine Johnson are long on potential but short on experience. If the Jets are as serious about a Super Bowl run as they seem to be, adding pop to the pass rush would be a big plus.
Of course, the best thing for Clowney might actually be playing a second season for the Ravens. Clowney’s tackle and sack numbers last year for the AFC’s No. 1 seed in the 2023 playoffs were his best since his last Pro Bowl season in 2018.
Do not fix that which is not broken.
There wouldn’t be any Super Bowl possibilities with the Panthers in 2024—Carolina posted the league’s worst record last year and is a team with holes on both sides of the ball. That includes the edge, where the projected 2024 starters are an OK but unspectacular D.J. Wonnum and a wildly disappointing as a pro K’Lavon Chaisson.
Clowney would become the team’s best edge-rusher the moment the plane hit the ground in Charlotte.
Best Fits: New York Jets, Carolina Panthers
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Most years, capable offensive linemen are gobbled up like
power pellets by Pac Man (What? I really am that old.). Left tackles who have
won a pair of Super Bowls (including a year ago) go that much faster—if they
ever hit free agency at all.
For whatever reason though, Donovan Smith has yet to find a home despite allowing just two sacks over 749 snaps last year per Pro Football Focus. Perhaps it’s a matter of financial demands. Perhaps it’s a perception that Smith is an average player whose resume has been buoyed by playing with Tom Brady and Patrick Mahomes. But as ESPN’s Bill Barnwell wrote, Smith was quietly solid for the Kansas City Chiefs in 2023.
“Smith posted a pass block win rate just under 91% during his lone season with Kansas City, suggesting he did a sound job of protecting Mahomes during the first 2.5 seconds of plays,” Barnwell said. “That mark ranked 18th among all tackles.”
That sort of effectiveness should appeal to any number of teams, from contenders to rebuilders. Given what the Chicago Bears are about to invest in Caleb Williams and the expectations that will come with being the first overall pick, an upgrade on his blind side certainly isn’t a bad idea.
The Pittsburgh Steelers haven’t had a losing season since 2003, but they also haven’t had even an average offensive line in years—Dallas Robinson of Pro Football Network recently ranked Pittsburgh’s front 27th in the league. If the Steelers want to take the next step and be more than a fringe contender, Smith would be a welcome add.
Then there are the Washington Commanders, who will all but
certainly draft a quarterback at No. 2 overall and have Cornelius Lucas as their
de facto starter at left tackle right now. The Commanders also have over $49 million in cap space—more
than enough to afford Smith.
Best Fits: Chicago Bears, Pittsburgh Steelers,
Washington Commanders
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There was a time when Jamal Adams was considered one of the
best safeties in all of the NFL. Back in 2020, Adams was traded from the New York
Jets to the Seattle Seahawks for a package that included a pair of first-round
picks. In his first season in the Pacific Northwest, Adams set a new NFL record
for sacks by a defensive back in a season with 9.5.
The following year, Adams got a four-year, $72 million
extension from the Seahawks. However, since signing that whopper of a deal. Adams
has exactly as many NFL sacks as John Quincy Adams. Injuries have wreaked havoc
on his career as well—over the past three campaigns, Adams has played in just
21 of 51 possible games.
The Seahawks released Adams in a cap cutting move before free agency opened, and there’s a genuine possibility a reunion could be in the works. Well sort of, anyway—Seattle general manager John Schneider mentioned on a recent radio spot that the team could look to bring back Adams in a changed role.
The Atlanta Falcons were one of the NFL’s most aggressive teams in free agency, including the addition of quarterback Kirk Cousins on a $45 million a year pact. But the Falcons need to add pop to the pass rush and physicality up the middle. Box safety Richie Grant also regressed substantially playing next to Jessie Bates in 2023.
There could also be some appeal from the Dallas Cowboys. Dallas (and other NFL teams) have run a lot of three-safety looks in recent seasons, and while the addition of veteran Eric Kendricks brought some badly-needed stability at linebacker, there’s not much certainty behind him. Adams could be an interesting add in a “hybrid” role—and he’d help satiate a fanbase that has groused of late about the lack of a “splash” addition in free agency this year.
Best Fits: Atlanta Falcons, Dallas Cowboys, Seattle
Seahawks
2024-03-24 13:17:40
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