The first day of the NFL’s “legal tampering period,” aka the unofficial start of free agency, has been full of fireworks.
The biggest deal of the day is QB Kirk Cousins jumping from the Minnesota Vikings to the Atlanta Falcons on a four-year deal. But were either of those teams winners or losers in the deal?
We’ve selected some of our biggest winners and, unfortunately, losers, too, on the first day of what should be a wild offseason.
Check out our grades for some of the biggest free-agent moves so far here.
Winners
Falcons Skill Players’ Fantasy Value
With the big news that Cousins is taking his talents to Magic City, the passer’s bank account is, of course, a massive winner in the move, but so are the Falcons’ underutilized skill players in Bijan Robinson, Drake London and Kyle Pitts.
No offense will have a bigger upgrade than going from Arthur Smith and Desmond Ridder to Zach Robinson and Cousins. Expect all three of the Falcons’ former top-10 picks to rise in ADP almost instantly as they should get plenty of opportunities in an offense that should accentuate their strengths.
Outside of that, the Falcons now look like legit NFC contenders in a weaker conference — especially at signal-caller — than the loaded AFC.
Maxx Crosby
Crosby has been practically a one-man wrecking crew on a rebuilding Raiders defense, but now that Las Vegas inked former Miami Dolphins DL Christian Wilkins to a massive contract, the pass rusher should have a lot more room to work.
Crosby and Wilkins will combine to be one of the most feared defensive line duos. Not to mention, the Raiders have Malcolm Koonce and Tyree Wilson still developing.
If the Raiders want to compete in the AFC West, they’ll have to slow down Patrick Mahomes and Justin Herbert. Adding to the defensive line sure helps in that quest.
Saquon Barkley
Typically, running backs aren’t winners when it comes to the financial side of the NFL. However, former New York Giants RB Saquon Barkley was able to emerge victorious in his first foray into free agency.
The former No. 2 overall pick inked a contract with the Giants NFC East divisional rival Philadelphia Eagles. Philly usually doesn’t spend big money on running backs, but it’s not often that a talent like Barkley becomes available.
Barkley should be a huge upgrade over D’Andre Swift, who signed with the Chicago Bears. He might lose out on some touchdowns to QB Jalen Hurts, but, behind that stellar offensive line, Barkley should have a lot more room to roam. And he won’t have to be the sole engine of an NFL offense like he was with the G-Men.
Bryce Young’s Mental and Physical Well-Being
The Panthers haven’t found a No. 1 WR for former No. 1 pick Bryce Young … yet. They did help shore up their interior offensive line by signing OL Robert Hunt to a five-year, $100 million contract.
Young, as you may have heard, isn’t the tallest or thickest QB in the league, so the Panthers must keep him well-protected. Hunt should do just that as he should help fortify the interior offensive line, which is more important with a diminutive signal-caller under center.
Expect the Panthers to upgrade on offense more this offseason so they can properly evaluate their potential franchise QB.
Losers
Justin Fields’ Starting Prospects
The music for the QB musical chairs is already starting to wind down.
Chicago Bears QB Justin Fields, who has reportedly had a slow trade market, is running out of potential starting spots in 2024. With the Falcons signing Cousins and the Raiders adding Gardner Minshew, Fields lost out on two potential trade partners who were reportedly interested in adding the former Ohio State QB.
There are still options for Fields for next season, but it may be as a bridge QB or as a backup.
He could join the once-celebrated 2021 NFL Draft class as the next signal-caller to be relegated to a reserve.
Tyjae Spears Trade Window
Ever since the Titans selected Tyjae Spears in the third round of the 2023 NFL Draft, the former Tulane RB has been anointed as the heir apparent to future Hall of Famer Derrick Henry in the Music City. But everything changed on Monday.
The Titans struck a pact on a three-year deal with former Dallas Cowboys RB Tony Pollard to be the team’s potential starting RB and replace Henry. With Pollard earning starting RB money, that could doom Spears to a secondary role again. That’s terrible news for dynasty fantasy football players who failed to sell high on Spears.
Spears could still turn out to be the better running back in Tennessee, but he’ll probably never get the workhorse role that many envisioned,
Roschon Johnson & Khalil Herbert
The only running backs who might be bigger losers in the first day of the legal tampering period than Spears are the former two-headed monster in the Windy City.
Khalil Herbert and Roschon Johnson were once envisioned as potential starters in a run-heavy offense with Fields. Now it appears neither of those three will get a chance to be the star in Chicago in 2024.
The Bears signed the first running back in free agency in former Philadelphia Eagles RB D’Andre Swift. He’s expected to start alongside potential No. 1 pick Caleb Williams in the Bears’ new-look offense. Herbert and Roschon will be stuck fighting it out for scraps, or, if they’re lucky, compete in a running back by committee. That’s bad news for fantasy and in real life.
