With NFL free agency slowing down after a hectic month, there’s a lot to look back on. Check below for a rundown of some of the top signings and trades through free agency so far. Some of these surprise signings even impacted what the current Super Bowl odds landscape looks like.
2024 NFL transactions & trades
Stefon Diggs to the Houston Texans
The Houston Texans added four-time Pro Bowl wide receiver Stefon Diggs to the mix on Wednesday afternoon, trading a 2025 second-round pick to the Buffalo Bills in exchange for Diggs and two late-round picks. The Texans were heavily linked to Diggs throughout the early portion of the offseason and finally landed their man.
Despite success in 2023 with the trio of C.J. Stroud, Nico Collins, and Tank Dell, the Texans still saw it wise to add a talented veteran receiver into the mix. His play declined towards the end of last season, but Diggs still caught 107 passes for 1183 yards and eight touchdowns in 2023. He’ll be asked to shoulder less of the load than in Buffalo this season under the talent around him, but the Texans offense could look like a league-beater in 2024.
Kirk Cousins to the Atlanta Falcons
Cousins signed a four-year $180 million contract with the Falcons at the start of free agency, bringing an end to his successful six-year stay with the Minnesota Vikings where he won 50 games as a starter and threw for over 23,265 yards and 171 touchdowns.
Atlanta, meanwhile, is looking for consistency at quarterback as the team enters a new era under head coach Raheem Morris after two years of Marcus Mariota and Desmond Ridder at QB.
Danielle Hunter to the Houston Texans
The Texans splash on the defensive side of the ball, adding veteran pass rusher Danielle Hunter on a two-year $49 million contract. Hunter had a career-high 16.5 sacks and a league-leading 23 tackles for loss in 2023 en route to the fourth Pro Bowl nod of his career. Now, he’s paired with Defensive Rookie of the Year Will Anderson to potentially create one of the most devastating pass rush duos in the NFL for the next two years.
Christian Wilkins to the Las Vegas Raiders
One of the biggest dominoes of the free agent market was Christian Wilkins. The former Dolphins’ defensive tackle signed a four-year, $110 million contract with the Raiders this offseason. The deal improves a defense that found its groove under Antonio Pierce in the second half of the 2023 season. Wilkins had a career-high nine sacks in 2023 and elevated himself to the status of one of the league’s best interior defenders.
Saquon Barkley to the Philadelphia Eagles
After parting ways with the New York Giants this offseason, Barkley was the top running back on the market and promptly signed a three-year, $37.75 million contract with the Giants’ NFC East rival, the Philadelphia Eagles. The Eagles’ ground game has been among the NFL’s best for the last few seasons with Jalen Hurts under center, but the team hasn’t had a true every-down running back in that time span.
Calvin Ridley to the Tennessee Titans
Ridley looked poised to return to the Jaguars after an up-and-down first season in Jacksonville but swerved at the last moment and signed a four-year, $92 million contract with the Tennessee Titans. Ridley’s best work last season came against the Titans, catching 13 passes for 209 yards and three touchdowns in two games, so Tennessee got to see what he could do up close and personal.
There were question marks about Ridley’s consistency. Whether or not he could contribute as a No. 1 receiver, with Treylon Burks and DeAndre Hopkins on the roster, Ridley will likely have the freedom to move around the line of scrimmage and align in different spots.
Josh Jacobs to the Green Bay Packers
Jacobs to the Packers came as a surprise considering that Aaron Jones and A.J. Dillon were still on the roster, but Green Bay still took the gamble of signing Jacobs to a four-year, $48 million contract. The dominoes fell shortly after, and the team released Jones. Jacobs had a down year with the Raiders in 2023, averaging 3.5 yards per carry and rushing for 805 yards, but that could improve behind the Packers’ offensive line.
Derrick Henry to the Baltimore Ravens
There aren’t many running backs who have been able to stave off Father Time quite like Derrick Henry. The two-time rushing champion has rushed for over 1,000 yards five times in his career and has 93 career touchdowns in 88 starts. He now starts a new chapter with the Baltimore Ravens, forming a potentially potent rushing combination with Lamar Jackson.
Jerry Jeudy to the Cleveland Browns
After a season of speculation about Courtland Sutton and Jerry Jeudy, it’s Jeudy who finds himself in new pastures. The former first-round receiver was traded to the Cleveland Browns for a fifth- and sixth-round pick in the 2024 draft and promptly received a three-year extension with $41 million in guaranteed money. Jeudy has the potential as a shifty route-runner, but he has yet to eclipse 1,000 yards in a season.
Russell Wilson and Justin Fields to the Pittsburgh Steelers
The Steelers signed Wilson to a one-year deal prior to free agency after the Denver Broncos cut him, ending Kenny Pickett’s tenure with the team. Wilson isn’t the quarterback he was three or four years ago, but he’s a veteran presence who could help lead a team that won 10 games with Pickett and Mason Rudolph at quarterback in 2023.
A few days later, the Steelers traded a 2025 conditional Day 3 pick to the Chicago Bears for Justin Fields, and Wilson’s presence could help mentor the former first-round pick.
Arik Armstead to the Jacksonville Jaguars
The San Francisco 49ers released Armstead at the start of free agency to soothe their cap needs. The Jacksonville Jaguars promptly signed him to a three-year, $51 million contract. The defensive lineman has played in just 21 games in the last two seasons but is one of the best interior linemen when healthy.
Brian Burns to the New York Giants
The Giants splashed early in free agency, trading second- and fifth-round picks for Panthers edge rusher Brian Burns. The former 16th-overall pick has been an impact player off the edge since day one and has never had fewer than 7.5 sacks in a season while watching his total pressures rise. The Giants can now pair Burns with Kayvon Thibodeaux.
Bryce Huff to the Philadelphia Eagles
There weren’t many more productive pass-rushers on a per-snap basis than Bryce Huff last season. The former Jets edge notched 67 pressures and 10 sacks on just 334 pass-rushing snaps in 2023 per PFF. His reward? A three-year, $51.1 million contract with the Philadelphia Eagles. Huff’s role as a pass-rushing specialist could work nicely for the Eagles’ stacked defense.
Keenan Allen to the Chicago Bears
The Bears were active throughout the first week of free agency and also made a big move in the trade market, dealing a 2024 fourth-round pick to the Los Angeles Chargers for wide receiver Keenan Allen. The veteran receiver caught a career-high 108 passes for 1,243 yards and seven touchdowns but was a likely cut or trade candidate in the offseason because of his contract. The Bears needed a receiver to pair with D.J. Moore, and Allen is an ideal complement. There’s also the likely impending arrival of Caleb Williams, and the Bears will want to put him in the best position to succeed.
NFL coaches on the move
Several NFL teams have new coaches this season, including some that are near the top of the NFL Coach of the Year odds, including Jim Harbaugh of the Los Angeles Chargers.
The new head coaches this season:
- Raheem Morris, ATL
- Dave Canales, CAR
- Jim Harbaugh, LAC
- Jerod Mayo, NE
- Mike Macdonald, SEA
- Brian Callahan, TEN
- Dan Quinn, WAS
- Antonio Pierce, LV (Pierce was previously the interim coach)
