Given the amount of NFL player movement yesterday, let me continue commentary on NFL free agency today. Yesterday’s rumor about Kirk Cousins leaving Minnesota to sign on with Atlanta came true; his contract with the Falcons is for 4 years and a potential total of $180M with $100M guaranteed. Let me summarize this move as objectively as I can:
- The Kirk Cousins who played for Washington and then Minnesota prior to his Achilles injury last year would be a huge upgrade at QB for the Falcons.
- Cousins will be 36 years old when the 2024 season starts and will be 10 months removed from his injury last year.
- Simple question here – – are the Falcons getting the pre-injury QB or something else?
Another free agent QB changed teams yesterday and this move might be seen as “returning to the fold”. Jacoby Brisset signed on with the Pats where he began his NFL career as the #3 guy behind Tom Brady and Jimmy G. Brisset’s deal is only for 1 year so my reading there is that the Pats will indeed be taking at QB with the third overall pick in the Draft next month.
The Raiders signed Gardner Minshew yesterday and this is an interesting move on their part. Minshew was basically the starter for the Colts last year taking over after Anthony Richrdson’s injury early in the season. He represents an upgrade over the Raiders’ starter from last year, Aidan O’Connell, but he is not exactly a “home-run signing”. Minshew’s deal is for 2 years so I think the Raiders’ plan now is to draft a QB and use Minshew as the mentor and the transition piece to the draftee. We shall see …
The Eagles lost RB D’Andre Swift to free agency and the Bears but “replaced” Swift at RB with Saquon Barkley. In no way would I want to demean D’Andre Swift; he is an excellent RB; and at the same time, Saquon Barkley is possibly a tad better.
Another “running back “cha-cha” happened in Green Bay when the Packers signed Josh Jacobs and released Aaron Jones. I don’t know if the Packers upgraded or downgraded much here but Jacobs is 4 years younger than Jones which is always something to consider regarding running backs.
Running back, Austin Eckler is changing time zones for next year. He left the Chargers to sign on with the Commanders. That should be a positive move for the Commanders.
When news came about these three running back signings – – in addition to Tony Pollard going to the Titans – – I was a bit surprised that Derrick Henry’s name did not come up. I understand that there are lots of miles on those tires, but I still think Derrick Henry can play in the NFL.
The Eagles made another potentially important free agent move yesterday. Edge rusher Hassan Reddick is unhappy in Philly and had been given permission to seek a trade. Yesterday, the Eagles signed Bryce Huff who is a competent edge rusher and that seems to say that a trade for Reddick could be on the horizon.
The Packers also made a potentially significant defensive addition yesterday signing S Xavier McKinney away from the Giants. McKinney is a solid defender and will only be 25 years old at the start of the 2024 season.
In terms of defensive line signings, the Seahawks re-signed Leonard Williams; the Niners signed Leonard Floyd and the Raiders added Christian Wilkins. I think Williams and Wilkins make a lot of sense for their new teams; I am not sure that the Niners needed to sign a 32-year-old DE to add to their defense. However, the Niners’ personnel moves in the past several years have been outstanding so I will reserve judgment there.
Interestingly, no team fell all over itself to sign Chase Young as a free agent yesterday. The former overall #2 pick in the draft has certainly not played up to that level of expectation but he is still very young so some coach will take him in thinking that this new coach is just the guy to coax all that potential talent out into the open. We shall see …
Switching gears and switching sports, the Boston Red Sox have a minor league prospect that they felt was good enough to send to the Arizona Fall League last season. Infielder Brainer Bonaci is 21 years old, and he did not finish his stint in Arizona last year because he was “sent home” and placed on the restricted list for “violating the joint domestic violence, sexual assault and child abuse policy” in place for minor-league baseball. Now comes news that Bonaci will miss all of the 2024 season stemming from whatever caused him to be “sent home” last Fall. None of the particulars regarding the actions that led to this suspension from minor-league baseball have been released but I bring this up for this reason:
- Brainer Bonaci seems to have invited the nickname “No-Brainer”.
Finally, since I began today with a comment about the Atlanta Falcons making a potentially important free agency signing, let me close with these words about free agency from Falcons’ owner, Arthur Blank:
“My job when it comes to free agency, trades, is not to pick players, but support the personnel department and the coaching staff. We have to have the financial resources to make things happen and that’s my job.”
But don’t get me wrong, I love sports………
Three comments:
1. I hope rhe Colts have a quality back-up because Anthony Richardson is VERY FRAGILE. He was that way at UF, too.
2. Kirk Cousins is not worth the money. He is an example of a good quarterback being paid like a great quarterback.
3. Chase Young is a dud. Too often, he runs upfield past the quarterback and takes himself out of the play. Other times he seems to lose interest and fails to pursue the ball carrier. He even did this in the Super Bowl.
4 All indications are that Drake Maye will be drafted by the Patriots.
Gil:
1. The Colts had a quality backup in Minshew and lost him to free agency.
2. Kirk Cousins is nowhere near a Hall of Fame QB; but unless his injury leaves him totally immobile, he is a significant upgrade for Atlanta over Desmond ridder and/or Taylor Heinicke.
3. Agree with you about Chase Young. Lots of hype and lots of TV ads and photo-bombing but not much of a DE.
4. I think the Pats’ signing Brisset to a 1-year deal indicates they will take a QB at #3 in April and that Brisset will either be the mentor/backup for that draftee or Brisset will be the bridge QB in 2024 so that the draftee can learn the position for a year.