NFL Free Agency Rolls On …

The Romans called today the Ides of March.  In honor of a momentous event on this day in 44 BC, remember to enjoy a Caesar Salad with your dinner this evening…

The frenzy of NFL free agent signings has calmed down a bit since early this week, but over the past day or two there has been some potentially important player movement:

• Derrick Henry signed with the Ravens.  When you pair Henry with Lamar Jackson, the Ravens now have a certified “thunder and lightning” running game.  I think this signing is a big deal making a very good team (Ravens) even better.

[Aside: Having said that, the Ravens are approaching a team category similar to the Cowboys.  They are very good; they will win double-digit games every season; they then flub in the playoffs.  The Ravens need to “finish” a lot stronger than they have recently.]

• Aaron Jones was released by the Packers once the Packers signed Josh Jacobs as their featured running back.  Jones remained on the market for about an hour and a half before staying in the NFC North Division and signing with the Vikes.
• Gus Edwards signed with the Chargers.  In his career, he has averaged about 5 yards per carry and given the degree to which Jim Harbaugh’s teams tend to run the football, this could be an important addition for the Chargers.
• Jameis Winston signed with the Browns where he will be the backup to Deshaun Watson once Watson’s shoulder injury is completely healed.  This addition will allow the Browns another year to see if Dorian Thompson-Robinson can become an NFL QB.
• Tyrod Taylor signed with the Jets where he will backup Aaron Rodgers.  Taylor may not even need to relocate his family with this decision since he played for the Giants for the last two seasons.
• Drew Lock signed with the Giants seemingly to replace Taylor as the #2 QB on the depth chart.  The Giants also have Tommy DeVito under contract as a developmental project.
• Mason Rudolph signed with the Titans.  My guess is that he will be listed at #2 on the depth chart for QBs behind Will Levis but could compete for the starting job if Levis falters in his sophomore season.
• Sam Darnold signed with the Vikes presumably to replace Kirk Cousins who went to Atlanta.  I say “presumably” because the other two QBs on the Vikes’ roster now are Nick Mullens and Jaren Hall.  That is not a great “depth chart” for the Vikes at QB; it has all the depth of a parking lot puddle.
• Joe Flacco signed a one-year deal with the Colts for a guaranteed $4.5M with a total potential value with incentives of $9M.  This makes sense; the Colts need a backup since Gardner Minshew left for the Raiders and Flacco showed he could still play at a reasonable level in 2023.  However, at age 39, Joe Flacco is no one’s “QB of the future”.
• Irv Smith, Jr. signed with the Chiefs as a backup/insurance policy for Travis Kelce at Tight End.  Smith has been in the NFL for 4 years and has only produced modest stats in his days with the Vikes and then the Bengals.  However, it is never a “bad thing” for a pass catcher to be in a situation where Patrick Mahomes is the guy throwing the ball to you.
• Patrick Queen signed with the Steelers staying in the AFC North and adding a quality player to an already very good defensive unit.  Queen was a second team All-Pro last year and was selected for the Pro Bowl; he will only be 25 years old when the season starts, and he has started every game in his four-year NFL career.
• Calvin Ridley signed with the Titans to a 4-year contract worth up to $92M with $50M of that money guaranteed.  I mentioned above the Mason Rudolph signed with the Titans and might compete with will Levis for the starting job.  Whoever starts for the Titans will have two quality WRs to throw the ball at in Ridley and DeAndre Hopkins.

Those are the free agent signings that I think are worthy of mention at this time but there were also two trades this week that have interesting aspects:

• Joe Mixon was traded by the Bengals to the Texans in exchange for a 7^th round pick in this year’s Draft.  Obviously, this is a trade motivated by cap space and cap savings; Mixon was the featured RB for the Bengals over the past couple of seasons.
• Diontae Johnson – – WR Steelers – – was traded to the Panthers for CB Donte Jackson.  Johnson has been a mercurial presence in Pittsburgh; he has led the team in receiving yards and TDs in his time with the Steelers since being drafted in 2019.  At the same time reports said that he had confrontations with teammates over the years including Mitchell Trubisky and Minkah Fitzpatrick.  The Panthers get another pass-catcher for Bryce Young which was a serious team need and the Steelers get a serviceable CB which is important for the defense.  This could be one of those trades that benefits both sides.

Finally, today has been all about NFL players signing contracts and getting paid.  So, let me close with this note from Mae West along similar lines:

“Keep a diary and one day it will keep you.”

But don’t get me wrong, I love sports………