With Day 1 of the NFL‘s legal tampering period in the books, it’s time to hand out NFL free agency grades. Which teams made out the best on Monday, and which clubs might come to regret the deals they handed out in the opening hours of the free agent period?
NFL Free Agency Grades | Day 1
Atlanta Falcons | QB Kirk Cousins
Terms: Four years, $180 million, $90 million guaranteed.
The Falcons went all-out in their pursuit of Cousins, luring him away from the Minnesota Vikings with a deal that includes a full no-trade clause and $62.5 million in Year 1 cash. While the contract figures may seem massive on their face, Atlanta didn’t necessarily have to pay through the nose to land a top-12 quarterback.
Cousins won’t be cut after 2024. His new pact will likely become a de facto two-year deal worth $100 million or a three-year deal worth $135 million. Cousins will earn $45 million annually in the latter scenario, a more-than-equitable price for a QB of his caliber.
The Falcons, of course, are assuming some risk. Cousins is 36 years old, coming off an Achilles injury, and has never experienced success in the postseason. There’s a chance Atlanta will top out as a Wild Card round participant, even with Cousins under center.
However, few teams were better constructed and more prepared to drop in a veteran quarterback than the Falcons, who already boast RB Bijan Robinson, WR Drake London, TE Kyle Pitts, and an underrated offensive line. Cousins was easily Atlanta’s best option on the market.
Grade: A-
Las Vegas Raiders | DT Christian Wilkins
Terms: Four years, $110 million, $57.5 million guaranteed.
The free agent waters parted nearly perfectly for Wilkins before the legal tampering period. Fellow defensive tackle Chris Jones re-signed with the Kansas City Chiefs, while the Baltimore Ravens franchise-tagged then extended Justin Madubuike.
With Wilkins at the top of the DT market, there was no doubt he’d get paid once contracts started getting handed out. His $27.5 million average annual salary (AAV) ranks third among interior defenders, behind only Jones and Aaron Donald.
Wilkins is an excellent player, but he’s not quite the pass rusher that Jones, Donald, Madubuike, or even other DTs like Quinnen Williams and Jeffery Simmons are. Las Vegas desperately needed interior line help, but it paid full freight for a very good — not great — contributor.
Grade: C
New England Patriots | OL Mike Onwenu
Terms: Three years, $57 million, $38 million guaranteed.
Onwenu was the top offensive lineman on the free agent market and offers tackle/guard versatility. And yet, guards like Robert Hunt somehow collected a higher AAV and more guarantees than Onwenu, who re-signed with the Patriots on Monday.
The Patriots had one of the weakest offensive lines in the league entering free agency and couldn’t risk letting Onwenu get away. A $19 million annual salary is a relative bargain for the 26-year-old, a key building block along New England’s front five.
Grade: A
Indianapolis Colts | WR Michael Pittman Jr.
Terms: Three years, $70 million, $46 million guaranteed.
Sure, Pittman is probably more of a high-end WR2 than a true WR1. But he averaged an 84-915-4 line over four seasons with the Colts. Think about the QB play Pittman has dealt with in Indy, and his track record becomes even more impressive.
An initial franchise tag created leverage for the Colts, but a $23.3 million price point is a fair cost for both sides. Pittman will earn $100,000 more per year than the Washington Commanders’ Terry McLaurin, which feels like his proper range.
The Colts had more than enough cap space to bring back their key players this offseason. Rewarding a draft pick and leader like Pittman was the right call.
Grade: B+
Green Bay Packers | S Xavier McKinney
Terms: Four years, $68 million.
No team needed safety help more than the Packers this offseason. Antoine Winfield Jr. wasn’t on the board after being franchise-tagged, so Green Bay went with McKinney, the next-best available option.
Adjusted for this year’s salary cap, McKinney’s $17 million salary is less than what Jessie Bates received from the Falcons this year. McKinney probably needs to keep ascending to search Bates’ tier, but he’s precisely the sort of young defender the already-youthful Packers should have taken a chance on.
Grade: B
Seattle Seahawks | DT Leonard Williams
Terms: Three years, $64.5 million.
As with McKinney, we’re still waiting on full guarantee numbers on Williams’ new deal with the Seahawks. But suffice it to say we’re not as bullish on Seattle’s most recent contract as we are on Green Bay’s.
While Williams is a great run defender, he’s not a dominant pass rusher. He’s also entering his age-30 campaign. But Williams is still being paid on a Dexter Lawrence level.
The Seahawks’ November trade for Williams — which cost them the 47th pick in the 2024 NFL Draft — was the real crime. But Williams’ new deal isn’t much better.
Grade: D+
Philadelphia Eagles | EDGE Bryce Huff
Terms: Three years, $51.1 million.
Huff is a designated pass rusher, but $17 million isn’t a bad price for that specific skill. He’s never played 500 snaps in a season, but the Eagles have the edge depth to put Huff in a specialized role.
He’s finished first or second in pressure rate in each of the last two seasons. Huff comes with so much upside that it’s tempting to overvalue his addition. He won’t turn 26 until April.
Grade: A
Minnesota Vikings | EDGE Jonathan Greenard
Terms: Four years, $76 million, $42 million guaranteed.
The Vikings paid a little more for Greenard than the Eagles did for Huff, but we like this signing, too. Greenard had never topped 500 snaps until this past season, as injuries had stopped the former third-round pick from truly ascending.
His 12.5 sacks in 2023 tell some of the story, but Greenard also posted solid underlying metrics, ranking sixth among edge rushers with a 22% pass-rush win rate. Young, productive edge rushers don’t typically hit the open market, and it’s not surprising the analytically-included Bikings took the plunge.
Grade: A
Washington Commanders | LB Frankie Luvu
Terms: Three years, $31 million, $19.125 million guaranteed.
Effective against the run, in coverage, and as a blitzer, Luvu can do just about everything in Dan Quinn’s Commanders defense.
Washington also needs locker-room leadership after years of turmoil. Luvu is a former undrafted free agent who spent the first four years of his NFL career as a backup. He’s now earned two NFL extensions.
Grade: B+
Philadelphia Eagles | RB Saquon Barkley
Terms: Three years, $37.75 million, $26 million guaranteed.
Barkley’s deal isn’t all that large, especially when you factor in changes in the NFL salary cap. But it’s still undeniably strange to see GM Howie Roseman and the Eagles paying market rate for a running back.
Barkley will never live up to his draft pedigree, but that’s not his fault. He’s a talented runner, an above-average receiver, and a willing pass blocker.
MORE: Tiki Barber’s Fury at Saquon Barkley’s Move to Eagles
But he might never again become the player he was at Penn State or early in his NFL tenure. With so many other running backs available in free agency, it’s hard to justify Philadelphia handing out the top contract at the position.
Grade: C-
Carolina Panthers | G Robert Hunt
Terms: Five years, $100 million, $63 million guaranteed.
Few saw Hunt as a likely candidate to receive nine figures this offseason, although he was one of the best interior linemen on the market. Carolina needed to revamp its offensive line in front of Bryce Young, but this might be another case of paying high-end money for a good, not great, free agent.
Hunt is a better run blocker than pass protector, which should have driven his price down a little bit — but it didn’t. He wasn’t the only big-money guard the Panthers signed on Monday, as they also added ex-Seahawk Damien Lewis on a four-year, $53 million pact.
Grade: C-
Green Bay Packers | RB Josh Jacobs
Terms: Four years, $48 million, $12.5 million guaranteed.
Jacobs’ deal is technically four years in length, but the Packers could turn this into a one-year, $14.8 million pact if things don’t work out. That’s a lot of money to put up for a chance on a running back, especially when Green Bay could’ve retained Aaron Jones at a cheaper rate.
MORE: 2024 NFL Free Agents by Position
But getting younger in the backfield is always a plus. Jacobs just turned 26 years old, while Jones will hit 30 in December. It makes sense for the Packers to add Jacobs to what was already the league’s youngest offense.
Grade: C+
Tennessee Titans | RB Tony Pollard
Terms: Three years, $24 million.
Like Jacobs, Pollard is also fresh off a disappointing campaign. Unlike Jacobs, Pollard has never posted a full season of dominant production.
Pollard was at his best for the Dallas Cowboys when playing alongside Ezekiel Elliott. His efficiency dropped when Elliott departed last season, and it’s hard to imagine the Titans viewing Pollard as a true lead back.
Instead, he’ll likely rotate snaps with Tyjae Spears, whom Tennessee selected in Round 3 of last year’s draft. We haven’t seen the structures or the guarantees on Pollard’s deal, but $8 million is high for a back with a light track record.
Grade: C-
Miami Dolphins | LB Jordyn Brooks
Terms: Three years, $26.25 million.
Brooks tore his ACL near the end of the 2022 campaign but recovered in time to start in Week 1. He’s a tackling machine, but he can do everything — cover, blitz, read-and-react — at an above-average level.
Brooks is a better player than fellow LB Jerome Baker, whom the Dolphins released before free agency, and his contract came in below the $10 million or so range most were expecting.
Grade: B
Cincinnati Bengals | S Geno Stone
Terms: Two years, $14 million, $6 million guaranteed.
Stone earned a raise after playing nearly 1,000 snaps for the Ravens and finishing second in the NFL with seven interceptions. His addition allows the Bengals to move struggling safety Dax Hill to cornerback (or deploy three-safety looks).
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Cincinnati signed safety Nick Scott last offseason, hoping to buy low on an ascending defensive back. Stone has already displayed more high-end talent than Scott and should work out a bit better.
Grade: A-
Jacksonville Jaguars | WR Gabe Davis
Terms: Three years, $39 million, $24 million guaranteed.
Davis reportedly had a similar offer in hand from the Chicago Bears but decided to return to his native Florida.
The Jaguars needed a vertical element; Davis can add that at his best. One of the league’s most mercurial wideouts, Davis scored 27 touchdowns over four seasons with the Bills. But he’s nearly as likely to go without a catch — something that happened five times in 2023 — as he is to enter the end zone.
Jacksonville may come to regret this deal, depending on what Calvin Ridley receives elsewhere and what receiving options are available to the Jaguars in the upcoming draft.
Grade: C
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