Paying top dollar in free agency can be crippling
Just over a week away from the NFL draft, NFL free agency has basically ground to a halt. While there are a few big-name players like Ryan Tannehill, Tyler Boyd, Odell Beckham Jr. and others still left on the market, free agency has seen almost all of the splash moves come and go.
This offseason, Chris Jones, Kirk Cousins, Brian Burns, Josh Allen, Christian Wilkins and many others cashed in with big deals. While the NFL draft loses some of its value due to the salary cap boom, spending money at the top of the market isn’t guaranteed to work for teams.
Right now, the names listed above seem like very good players who will make their teams better. The same was true back in 2022 with Terron Armstead, Von Miller, JC Jackson, Chandler Jones and Carlton Davis at the top of the free agent class. While that group doesn’t seem to have the upside of this year’s class, they were all paid handsomely.
Now, just two years later, only one of the top 11 players from CBS Sports’ free agent list is still with his team or hasn’t taken a salary reduction: Baltimore Ravens S Marcus Williams:
Ravens S Marcus Williams is now the only player left on this list of 11 who hasn’t taken a paycut (3), been traded (2) or cut (5). Again, it’s been two years, and shows what free agency is—a chance to use short-term fixes to plug holes. https://t.co/PYXeGYxi6M
— Albert Breer (@AlbertBreer) March 12, 2024
There are many factors into why the above 10 haven’t worked out as their teams would have liked. It could be as simple as this: Very good players don’t make it to free agency very often as their teams look to lock them up early.
This year’s top 11 players according to CBS Sports is full of really solid names but how many will be with their teams going into the 2026 NFL draft?
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For the Cleveland Browns, Za’Darius Smith received the biggest contract in free agency while Jerry Jeudy’s extension was the largest contract given out. Jeudy wasn’t a free agent and Smith’s deal is only for two years, minimizing the risk for Cleveland.
While the Browns didn’t spend big this offseason, over half the league spent over $140 million during free agency. Based on the results from two years ago, many of those teams will regret their decisions this offseason.
Are you surprised by the results of free agency from just two years ago?
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