NBA Postseason Best Bets (5/3)
Alex Christenson
The 2024 NFL season is already underway, with free agency and trades already shaking things up for fantasy football. FTN Fantasy is here to analyze every move from a fantasy angle to get you ahead of the competition.
Below, we’re offering our thoughts on every fantasy-relevant offseason move. Smaller moves will get analyzed here, and we’ll link to our full writeups for the bigger moves. Bookmark this page, as it will be updated all offseason.
2024 NFL Transaction Tracker – Free Agent Moves and Trades
D’Onta Foreman Signs with Browns (March 20)
After very interesting seasons in Tennessee and Carolina as the successful handcuff to Derrick Henry and Christian McCaffrey, respectively, Foreman had more of a down year in Chicago last year, splitting time with Khalil Herbert and Roschon Johnson and missing the last month of the season. Still, he’s a handy back in a pinch, with three games of 80-plus yards on the ground last year, including a 3-score game in Week 7 where he finishes as the overall RB1. He doesn’t offer much as a receiver. In Cleveland, he’ll serve as the backup/handcuff to Nick Chubb, though there is enough concern about Chubb’s return from his devastating injury in 2023 that Foreman and 2023 replacement Jerome Ford could carry the load early in the year. Foreman sets up as a handcuff with upside yet again.
Mike Williams Lands in New York (March 19)
The former Charger immediately slides in as the No. 2 to Garrett Wilson on a one-year deal.
Alexander Mattison Heads to Las Vegas (March 18)
After losing his job in Minnesota and ultimately being benched for Ty Chandler, Mattison was cut loose this offseason. He now finds his way to Las Vegas, where he’s likely to serve as the backup/handcuff for new starter Zamir White. Mattison was the platonic ideal of a handcuff early in his career backing up Dalvin Cook, so maybe that’s just his perfect role, but unless we see he can produce more than he did as the Vikings starter in 2023, it will be hard to draft him like the exciting handcuff he used to be.
49ers Sign Joshua Dobbs (March 18)
Dobbs resuscitated his career in 2023 with good-enough performances in Arizona and Minnesota. He lost his job in both places, but he proved to be professional and competent enough to take over on short notice and keep a team competitive, which is just about the ideal set of traits for a backup quarterback. The 49ers lost Sam Darnold in free agency and definitely needed to address the position. Dobbs might not be the QB2 to open the season, but having him in place means the 49ers don’t have to find someone.
Patriots Add a Receiver in K.J. Osborn (March 17)
New England badly needed to improve its receiver room this offseason. Re-signing Kendrick Bourne and Jalen Reagor and now signing Osborn probably accomplishes that, but only at the barest level. Osborn, who never topped 655 yards in a season in Minnesota, has an argument for now being the team’s WR1, but that’s more a point about the futility of the New England offense than it is about Osborn’s abilities. Expect more movement at the position for the Patriots this offseason.
Browns Add Another Quarterback, Sign Tyler Huntley (March 17)
Cleveland has Deshaun Watson and signed Jameis Winston, but they kept the QB train rolling Sunday by adding former Raven (and, ahem, Pro Bowler) Tyler Huntley. The Browns cycled through quarterbacks last year after Watson’s injury, starting PJ Walker, Dorian Thompson-Robinson (who remains on the roster), Joe Flacco and Jeff Driskel in the wake of the starter going down. They don’t want such a mess in 2024, and so have signed two backups with real starting experience. If Huntley ever sees the field in Cleveland it’ll be an upset.
Bears Find Justin Fields Taker, Sending Former Starter to Pittsburgh (March 16)
The market for Fields was drier than expected, but Chicago found a buyer in the Steelers.
Donovan Peoples-Jones Re-Ups with Detroit (March 16)
Peoples-Jones was essentially a nonfactor in 2023, with 97 receiving yards in Cleveland and 58 in Detroit after a midseason trade. That was a far cry from his 2022, when he broke out for 839 yards. Entering his fifth season, the former sixth-rounder is no guarantees in 2024, but the fact that the Lions haven’t added any receivers this offseason and lost Josh Reynolds could give him an opportunity, especially if Jameson Williams doesn’t fulfill his process.
Steelers Add a Receiver, Sign Van Jefferson (March 15)
Jefferson never followed up on his big 802-yard season in 2021 with the Rams, putting up 369 yards in 2022 and then 209 in 2023 split between the Rams and Falcons. He now heads to the Steelers, where at least for now he’ll slot in as the No. 2 wide receiver behind George Pickens, now that Diontae Johnson has been traded to Carolina. That puts Jefferson at best third in the target order (also behind TE Pat Freiermuth), and the backfield duo of Najee Harris and Jaylen Warren will command targets as well. The Steelers will be heavily connected to receivers in the draft, so the chances Jefferson is fantasy-relevant in 2024 are slim.
Rams Sign Jimmy Garoppolo (March 15)
After having to roll Brett Rypien out for a game last year and signing Carson Wentz off the street late in the season, the Vikings tried to address the backup quarterback position in free agency, signing ex-Patriots/49ers/Raiders QB Jimmy Garoppolo. Garoppolo is facing a two-game suspension to open the season, but the team certainly hopes that doesn’t matter. Matthew Stafford is firmly entrenched as the starter in Los Angeles, but Garoppolo should at least be a functional backup if and when it’s needed.
Steelers Trade Kenny Pickett to Eagles (March 15)
After Pittsburgh signed Russell Wilson, surely with a promise that he’d at least be the heavy favorite to start in 2024, there wasn’t room for former first-rounder Pickett, and reports out of Pittsburgh indicated Pickett was none too happy about that. Now, he’ll get a chance to beat out Tanner McKee for the backup job to Jalen Hurts in Philadelphia, a battle Pickett should win. He’s been a failed first-rounder, but there was enough potential in Pickett as recently as last year’s training camp that he might get another shot in the league. For now, he’ll be a backup for an Eagles team that hopes to almost never use him.
Chiefs Get Their Receiver, Sign Marquise Brown (March 14)
We knew Kansas City would add a receiver, and that’s just what they did in Brown.
Chargers Continue Shedding, Send Keenan Allen to Chicago (March 14)
Allen now pairs with DJ Moore to form a powerhouse combo for the Bears’ new quarterback.
Cedrick Wilson Heads to New Orleans (March 14)
Wilson was a popular mini-breakout candidate when he left Dallas for Miami two years ago coming off a 602-yard season with 6 touchdowns, but then the Dolphins added Tyreek Hill and that idea all but vanished. Wilson only managed 432 yards and 3 touchdowns in two years in Miami, and now he heads to New Orleans on a two-year deal. With Michael Thomas out in New Orleans, there’s room for a third receiver along with Chris Olave and Rashid Shaheed, which is a low-ceiling role but not one without some minor value.
Packers Re-Sign AJ Dillon (March 14)
It appeared all along that the Packers would let Dillon walk in free agency this offseason and retain Aaron Jones. Instead, it was Jones who was sent packing in the wake of the Josh Jacobs signing, and now Dillon returns. Dillon’s best season was in 2021, when he put up 1,116 scrimmage yards, including 803 on the ground. He was a popular breakout pick each of the last two years, but his results have come up short, particularly in 2023, when he managed only 613 yards on 3.4 yards per carry and scored only twice. Jacobs will be the bell cow in Green Bay in 2024, but Dillon will be a popular handcuff pick, even if his numbers the last couple years don’t support that.
Bills Replace Gabe Davis, Sign Curtis Samuel (March 14)
The veteran heads to Buffalo from Washington and could rise into the WR2 role in 2024.
Seattle Gets Backup QB in Sam Howell Trade (March 14)
With Drew Lock leaving in free agency, the Seahawks needed a new backup quarterback for incumbent starter Geno Smith, and they got that by trading for 2023 Commanders starter Sam Howell. Howell was the fantasy QB12 in his first year as a full-time starter, but as a real-life quarterback he was a good bit worst than that, failing to reach 4,000 passing yards despite a league-leading 612 attempts and offering up a 1:1 TD:INT ratio, with 21 of each. He did display some running ability, with 5 scores on the ground. Howell won’t see the field in Seattle absent a Smith injury, but if he does step into a starting role, he could be an interesting weekly flyer in fantasy. The Seahawks sent a third and fifth to Washington in exchange for Howell, a fourth and a sixth.
Hayden Hurst Heads to Chargers (March 14)
The Chargers already signed Will Dissly in free agency, but they’re adding the 30-year-old Hurst as well. Los Angeles will be Hurst’s fifth team, including his fourth in the last four years. He struggled last year in Carolina, putting up only 184 yards and a score while dealing with a scary head injury that cost him half the season. Hurst has had productive years, though, including a 56-571-6 line in Atlanta in 2020 and a 52-414-2 in Cincinnati in 2022. Battling Dissly and incumbent Donald Parham for touches means none of the three of them is likely to pop on the fantasy radar at all, though the release of Mike Williams and the departure of Austin Ekeler definitely opens up a lot of work in Los Angeles.
Falcons, Cardinals Agree to Rondale Moore-Desmond Ridder Trade (March 14)
The arrival of Kirk Cousins in Atlanta clearly made Ridder expendable, and he now lands in Arizona as the backup to Kyler Murray. Murray has only played 33 of a possible 51 games the last three years, so Ridder could see the field again in Arizona, where they haven’t had much in the way of a competent backup in recent years. Still, the Cardinals certainly hope not to see much of Ridder; he’s just an insurance policy. Meanwhile, Rondale Moore heads to Atlanta after averaging almost 500 scrimmage yards per season during his three-year career, never putting up more than 530 in a season. Moore will be the slot receiver in Atlanta, but with Cordarrelle Patterson leaving in free agency, he’ll likely get a handful of carries as well, with 52 carries in three years. Cousins, getting a new weapon, is the biggest beneficiary of this move.
Joe Flacco Parlays Comeback into Colts Deal (March 13)
Fresh off a late-season hot streak that earned him the Comeback Player of the Year Award, Joe Flacco’s career will continue in Indianapolis, as the 38-year-old agreed to a deal to be the backup to Anthony Richardson for the Colts. If all goes well, he won’t see the field much in 2024, but given Richardson suffered two different injuries as a rookie (one that cost him most of the season), there are no guarantees. Flacco’s game is nothing like Richardson’s, but he can be ready in a pinch and that’s valuable.
Titans Make a Splash, Sign Calvin Ridley (March 13)
Tennessee gives QB Will Levis an elite duo at wide receiver entering his second season.
Mason Rudolph Leaves Pittsburgh for Tennessee (March 13)
Rudolph might have salvaged his career by going 3-0 down the stretch last year, because he parlayed that level of success (with 719 passing yards and 3 touchdowns against 0 interceptions) into a one-year deal in Tennessee, where he’ll likely serve as the backup to second-year QB Will Levis. Levis didn’t show that much as a rookie, and there’s a new coaching staff in place for the Titans, so the leash might not be that long. Rudolph obviously has no value right now, but he has a shot at some playing time if Levis struggles.
Harrison Bryant Signs with Las Vegas (March 13)
The 2020 fourth-rounder joins the Raiders on a one-year deal, continuing the trend of second- and third-tier tight ends shuffling around the league this offseason. Bryant had 791 yards and 10 touchdowns over four years in Cleveland, but 2023 was his worst year, with only 81 yards on 13 receptions as starter David Njoku had his breakout year. Njoku’s emergence rendered Bryant expendable, and now he catches on with a Raiders team that saw Austin Hooper leave in free agency. 2023 second-rounder Michael Mayer should open the year as the TE1 in Las Vegas, but he only had 304 yards and 2 scores as a rookie, so if he fails to develop there could be room for Bryant.
Mack Hollins Heads to Buffalo (March 13)
With Gabe Davis gone to Jacksonville, the Bills had a need at wide receiver, and they filled it Wednesday with Hollins. It’s Hollins’ fourth team in the last four years. His best season came in 2022 in Las Vegas, where he caught 57 passes for 690 yards and 4 touchdowns – he’s never had even 20 receptions in a season otherwise. In Buffalo, he’ll slot in behind Stefon Diggs, Khalil Shakir and TE Dalton Kincaid in the target pecking order, and RB James Cook will command targets as well. In other words, Hollins might have the occasional big game, but he’s not a fantasy factor.
Seahawks Sign Pharaoh Brown (March 13)
The former Patriots tight end heads to Seattle, where he will serve as the backup to the re-signed Noah Fant. Brown only has 686 yards and 3 touchdowns across seven seasons, bouncing around four teams in that time, but he had a career-high 208 yards in 2023 in New England and had four different weeks with weekly PFF grades of 89.0 or higher. He’s almost certainly a non-factor in free agency, but it’s worth monitoring in case his limited play in New England was the sign of a blossoming.
Patriots Sign Austin Hooper (March 13)
Even with Bill Belichick gone, the Patriots are addicting to having two names at tight end, signing Hooper after re-signing Hunter Henry earlier in the offseason. Hooper is reunited with Patriots OC Alex Van Pelt, who he worked with during his Cleveland days. Hooper had some very fantasy-relevant seasons early in his career in Atlanta (660 yards and 4 touchdowns in 2018, 787 and 6 in 2019, Pro Bowls each season), but he’s struggled to recreate that since, playing two years in Cleveland and a year each in Tennessee and Las Vegas. Turning 30 in October, Hooper isn’t likely to offer much fantasy value outside of injury to Henry, and even if that happens, this New England offense doesn’t offer a lot of upside.
Adam Trautman Re-Ups with Broncos (March 12)
Trautman only put up 204 yards and 3 touchdowns in his first year in New Orleans despite playing all 17 games. A Sean Payton favorite, he’s sticking around for 2024, but he’s very likely to be behind Greg Dulcich, assuming Dulcich can remain healthy.
Diontae Johnson Traded to Panthers (March 12)
The star Steelers now becomes the No. 1 receiver for 2023 first overall pick Bryce Young.
DeVante Parker Signs with Eagles (March 12)
The former Patriot is joining Philadelphia on a one-year deal. Parker isn’t likely to command huge targets with the Eagles given the presence of A.J. Brown, DeVonta Smith, Dallas Goedert and (now) Saquon Barkley, but him being in Philadelphia should allow Smith to line up in the slot more often, where he can do more damage. Parker hasn’t topped 600 yards since 2020 or 800 since 2019, and he has only 9 total touchdowns across the last four seasons, so he doesn’t offer much in the way of fantasy appeal.
Bears Add a TE, Sign Gerald Everett (March 12)
Chicago has a new No. 2 tight end behind Cole Kmet with the addition of Everett, who turns 30 in June. Everett has topped 400 receiving yards in each of the last five years (split between the Rams, Seahawks and Chargers) but only topped 500 in one of those years (555 in 2022). He won’t threaten Kmet’s role as the No. 1 in Chicago, but if Kmet were to go down with injury, Everett is capable of filling in as a starting-level tight end. Absent injury, though, Everett’s days as a fantasy-relevant player appear to be over.
Drew Lock Heads to New York (March 12)
With Tyrod Taylor leaving the Giants to sign with the Jets, the Giants had an opening at backup quarterback, and Lock fills that role. Lock spent the last two years in Seattle, although he didn’t see the field in 2022. He got two starts last year, losing to the 49ers in Week 14 and beating the Eagles in Week 15. For his career, Lock has 5,283 yards and 28 touchdowns against 23 interceptions in 28 games (23 starts) between Denver and Seattle. In New York, he’ll serve as the backup to incumbent starter Daniel Jones, and with Jones working his way back from a 2023 torn ACL, Lock could see some playing time early.
Irv Smith Lands in Kansas City (March 12)
After a disappointing one-year stopover in Cincinnati, Smith heads to the Chiefs in free agency. He once looked like a future star at tight end, breaking out from Kyle Rudolph’s shadow in Minnesota to score five touchdowns in 2020, but Smith has totaled only 297 yards and 3 scores in three years since, missing 31 of a possible 51 games in that time. In Kansas City, he’ll obviously be the backup to Travis Kelce, but maybe lower expectations and a TE-friendly gameplan can help him show some of the flashes he displayed earlier in his career. Clearly no fantasy value right now, but if anything were to happen to Kelce (who turns 35 in October), perhaps Smith could pop.
Derrick Henry Finds New Home in Baltimore (March 12)
Darnell Mooney Heads to Atlanta (March 12)
It’s a different Bears offensive player going to the Falcons than many thought at the start of the offseason, with Darnell Mooney (and not Justin Fields) going to Atlanta. He gets a three-year deal with the Falcons worth up to $39 million. Mooney had a breakout year in 2021, putting up 1,055 yards and 4 touchdowns and taking over for Allen Robinson as the No. 1 receiver in Chicago. He’s struggled since, though, coming in under 500 yards each of the last two years and only scoring 3 combined touchdowns. In Atlanta, he’ll get an upper-tier quarterback in Kirk Cousins, but he’ll be behind Bijan Robinson, Drake London and Kyle Pitts in the pecking order, battling for targets after that elite group.
Joe Mixon Not Released After All, Traded to Houston (March 12)
Nyheim Hines Signs with Cleveland (March 12)
Hines heads to Cleveland after a year and a half in Buffalo, though he missed all of the 2023 season after a lake accident cost him the year. It’s a high-potential landing spot for Hines, who is a good pass-catcher when healthy and joins a Browns team that will have to work Nick Chubb back from a gruesome injury that cost him almost all of the 2023 season. Hines is still a longshot to be relevant, given he’s missed an entire year himself and wasn’t exactly breaking down fantasy managers’ doors when healthy, but if he wanted a shot at some relevance in 2024, he found it.
Jameis Winston to Cleveland on Backup Deal (March 12)
After spending the last four years primarily as a backup in New Orleans, Winston is on the move, signing a one-year deal to back up Deshaun Watson in Cleveland. The Browns cycled through backup quarterbacks last year, with Dorian Thompson-Robinson, P.J. Walker, Joe Flacco and Jeff Driskel all starting games after Watson was injured. Only Flacco played competently during that time (and even then he had 8 intereceptions in 5 games), so the Browns needed to address the position by adding a quarterback who could potentially, given Watson’s injuries and ineffectiveness in Cleveland. In 21 games (10 starts) over four yards in New Orleans, Winston passed for 20 touchdowns against 11 interceptions. He also has a 33-touchdown season on his resume, back in 2019 in Tampa Bay. Of course, that season was famously accompanied by 30 interceptions. The Browns will hope to not have to use Winston in 2024, but he’s an upgrade on their former backups if he does come into play.
Mike Gesicki Lands in Cincinnati (March 12)
The Bengals have their latest one-year stopgap at tight end, signing Mike Gesicki to a one-year deal. Gesicki had 244 yards and 2 touchdowns in his lone year in New England, mostly playing behind Hunter Henry. In Cincinnati, he joins Drew Sample as the only other tight end on the roster so, barring more additions at the position, Gesicki could have some touchdown upside in 2024. That upside climbs even further if the Bengals do end up trading Tee Higgins, as the receiver has requested. Still, Gesicki’s ceiling is probably something like a high-end TE2.
Marcus Mariota Signs with Commanders (March 12)
The Commanders are widely expected to be using the second overall pick in next month’s draft on a quarterback, but Mariota’s addition on a one-year deal could mean 2023 starter Sam Howell will be on the move. Mariota was the starter for most of the season in Atlanta in 2022 before being benched for Desmond Ridder, but other than that he hasn’t started a game since he played for the Titans in 2019. If Mariota is in Washington as a veteran leader to help guide a rookie, that could be a signal Washington has his eye on Jayden Daniels, whose game most closely resembles Mariota of this year’s QB draft class, but that’s a wild guess. There’s no guarantee Howell will be sent packing either, but Mariota’s addition does increase the likelihood, as the current decision makers in Washington had no part in bringing Howell to town.
Aaron Jones Signs with Vikings (March 12)
Sam Darnold Lands in Minnesota (March 12)
With Kirk Cousins signing with the Falcons, the Vikings had a gaping opening at quarterback. They started to fill that overnight on the first day of the legal tampering period, reportedly agreeing to a deal with former Jets/Panthers/49ers quarterback Sam Darnold on a one-year deal worth $10 million. Darnold attempted only 46 passes in his year in San Francisco last season, with 26 coming in a meaningless Week 18 game. The former third overall draft pick has struggled over his six years in the NFL, with brief periods (late in his rookie year, early in his Panthers tenure) offering some hope that he might figure it out. There’s a chance this move smacks of “Mitchell Trubisky spent a year backing up Josh Allen in Buffalo and is now ready to start for Pittsburgh,” but there’s also a chance Darnold, who is still only 26, can put it together. Still, definitely expect the Vikings to continue poking around other quarterbacks – they’re one of the favorites to attempt to trade up in the draft to get one of the high-profile rookies.
Tyrod Taylor Signs with Jets (March 12)
A year after struggles at backup quarterback doomed the team’s season, the Jets took strides to fix that problem for 2024, signing the 34-year-old to a two-year deal worth up to $18 million. Taylor joins his seventh franchise, including his sixth in the last eight years. Taylor has spent only three years as a full-time starter, in Buffalo in 2015-2017, when he averaged 2,952 passing yards a year with 51 total touchdowns against 16 interceptions and made the Pro Bowl in 2015. He’s been an occasional starter since, most recently for five games last year with the Giants, during which he had three top-11 weekly finishes. The Jets certainly don’t want to have to use Taylor in 2024, with Aaron Rodgers due back from his torn Achilles, but if they do have to turn to the backup, Taylor is a clear step or two ahead of the Zach Wilson/Tim Boyle/Trevor Siemian combo they had to roll out in Rodgers’ absence in 2024. Taylor is an elite insurance policy.
Bengals Sign Zack Moss, Release Joe Mixon (March 11)
Jacoby Brissett Returns to New England (March 11)
Eight years later, Brissett returns to the Patriots on a one-year deal worth $8 million. Brissett has bounced around in his career, playing for the Patriots in 2016, then the Colts 2017-2020, then a year each with the Dolphins, Browns and Commanders the last three years. He shined in 2022 in Cleveland starting during Deshaun Watson’s suspension. He immediately jumps to the top of the depth chart in New England, with Mac Jones traded to Jacksonville and only Bailey Zappe and Nathan Rourke left on the roster. Still, Brissett’s arrival certainly doesn’t preclude the team doing more work at the position.
Noah Fant Returns to Seattle (March 11)
Fant re-signed with the Seahawks Monday on a two-year deal worth a reported $21 million. Fant didn’t have great success over his two years in Seattle, not topping 500 yards in either season and scoring only 4 total touchdowns (none in 2023), but he was splitting time at tight end with Will Dissly and Colby Parkinson, both of whom are gone for 2024. Fant had at least 500 yards in each of his three seasons in Denver prior to joining the Seahawks. Working against him is the Seahawks’ receiver room, which is intact with DK Metcalf, Tyler Lockett and Jaxon Smith-Njigba all returning. It’s a low-ceiling role Fant inherits, but given he’s the only trustworthy TE option in Seattle now, the floor is at least raised a bit.
Will Dissly Heads to Chargers (March 11)
The six-year veteran landed a three-year deal in Los Angeles worth up to $14 million. Dissly scored 13 touchdowns in his six years in Seattle, but he never topped 350 receiving yards in a season. He was squeezed in a Seahawks offense that used three tight ends (Dissly, Colby Parkinson and Noah Fant) the last two years and then was cut in a cap move before the new league year started. The Chargers have a big opening at tight end with Gerald Everett hitting free agency, and Dissly and Donald Parham will get the first crack at the No. 1 role. There’s minimal fantasy value here, but if the team goes with one starter, whoever it is might find his way to bye week value.
Austin Ekeler Signs with Commanders (March 11)
Gardner Minshew Heads to Las Vegas (March 11)
Minshew played 2023 on a one-year deal in Indianapolis and made good on it, taking over as the starter when Anthony Richardson went down and leading the team to a 7-6 record with 3,305 passing yards and 15 touchdowns against 9 interceptions, with the Colts coming just a hair short of the AFC South title. Minshew parlays that into a two-year deal with the Raiders, where as it stands he’ll battle with 2023 rookie Aidan O’Connell for the starting job. Neither Minshew nor O’Connell is enough to ensure a team doesn’t look further for a starter, either on the market or in the draft, so Minshew isn’t locked in as a 2024 starter, but this was probably his best chance at one.
Gus Edwards Signs with Chargers (March 11)
Devin Singletary signs with Giants (March 11)
Singletary had a successful single year in Houston, supplanting Dameon Pierce as the team’s RB1 and running for a career-high 898 rushing yards. Now he heads to the Giants, where he stands to be the RB1 after Saquon Barkley’s departure, pending what else New York does this offseason. If the Giants go into the season with the backfield as currently constructed, Singletary will have RB2 fantasy value. That said, don’t be surprised if the Giants bring in either another free agent or an interesting rookie in the draft.
Antonio Gibson Joins the Patriots (March 11)
The former Commanders becomes the backup in New England.
Saquon Barkley Signs with Eagles (March 11)
The former Giants first-rounder stays in the division, heads to Philadelphia.
Kirk Cousins Heads to Atlanta (March 11)
The Falcons landed the biggest quarterback on the market by signing Cousins away from the Vikings.
Josh Jacobs Lands in Green Bay (March 11)
The former Raider back sets up to be part of a 1-2 punch along with Aaron Jones with the Packers.
Colby Parkinson Signs with Rams (March 11)
Parkinson spent his first four years in Seattle, totaling 618 yards and 4 targets, mostly over the last two seasons. With Tyler Higbee suffering a torn ACL during the postseason, Parkinson lines up to be the team’s No. 1 tight end, at least to open the season.
Gabe Davis Leaves Buffalo for Jacksonville (March 11)
Tony Pollard Lands with the Titans (March 11)
Pollard replaces Derrick Henry in Tennessee to run alongside Tyjae Spears.
D’Andre Swift Heads to Chicago (March 11)
Michael Pittman Remains in Indianapolis (March 11)
Though expected, the Indianapolis Colts officially retained their No. 1 wide receiver Michael Pittman after agreeing to a three-year, $71.5 million contract extension with $46 million guaranteed. Pittman put together a stellar 2023 campaign, snagging 109 balls for 1,152 yards and 4 touchdowns, and will now be in Indy for the foreseeable future. The team will still likely look to add another wide receiver this offseason to assist in the development of quarterback Anthony Richardson.
Russell Wilson Chooses Pittsburgh (March 11)
The former Seahawk and Bronco joins the Steelers on a veteran minimum deal.
Kendrick Bourne Returns to New England (March 10)
After missing half of the 2023 season to a torn ACL, Bourne re-upped with the Patriots on a three-year deal worth up to $33 million. Bourne’s only had one career 100-yard game, but the best season of his career came in his first year in New England in 2021, when he finished second on the team in receptions (55), receiving yards (800) and receiving scores (5). New England also re-signed TE Hunter Henry over the weekend and brings back 2023 rookie DeMario Douglas, but there’s still work to be done in this stable of pass-catchers.
Baker Mayfield Re-Signs with Buccaneers (March 10)
Mac Jones Traded to Jacksonville (March 10)
The former first-round pick finds a new landing spot behind Trevor Lawrence.
Jerry Jeudy Traded to Cleveland (March 9)
The receiver gets a fresh start as the No. 2 receiver for the Browns.
Hunter Henry Stays in New England (March 8)
An already light tight end free agent market is vanishing before the new league year even opens. After Zach Ertz and Jonnu Smith found jobs earlier in the week, Hunter Henry agreed to terms with the Patriots to stay in New England Friday. Henry, who just turned 29 in December, spent the last three years in New England, putting up a combined 1,531 receiving yards and 17 touchdowns. He has been second or third on the team in receiving yards each of his three years with the Patriots and led the team in receiving scores in 2023 and 2021. The Patriots will certainly be doing more to address the receiving corps this offseason (as well as quarterback), but Henry shapes up as a good red-zone/end-zone option again. Meanwhile, teams that are TE-needy are seeing their options dry up. Noah Fant, Will Dissly, Gerald Everett and Logan Thomas are the top remaining options on the market.
Jonnu Smith Lands with Dolphins (March 7)
After a year in Atlanta, TE Jonnu Smith heads further south, signing with Miami on a reported two-year deal. Smith is one of the fastest tight ends in the NFL, so landing on the speed-themed Dolphins offense makes sense. It also makes sense for Miami, who was overly reliant on its top two pass-catchers (Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle) in 2023, with TE Durham Smythe’s 366 yards the only other player on the team to top 300 receiving yards. Smith won’t threaten Hill or Waddle, but he’ll be a competent No. 3 pass-catching weapon for a team that didn’t have one. Smith also brings a versatile skillset – his 127 career rushing yards make him the only tight end (non-Taysom Hill division) to top 100 this century. Smith in Miami won’t be a starting tight end, but he’ll have weekly upside as a bye week/injury replacement.
Zach Ertz Signs with Commanders (March 6)
The three-time Pro Bowler heads to Washington on a reported one-year deal after two and a half seasons in Arizona and a week in Detroit where he wasn’t activated for the team’s final playoff game. His last Pro Bowl was in 2019, and he hasn’t topped 800 yards or 5 touchdowns in a year since then. Zach Ertz’ best days are behind him, but on a Washington team that just cut Logan Thomas, Ertz will enter the new league year as the No. 1 tight end. The team probably isn’t done at the position, but on the off change it is, Ertz could have occasional flex value in the 2024 season.
Franchise Tag Fallout (March 6)
Nine players received franchise tags before the league’s March 5 deadline, setting up a situation where they could play on the tag, sign a long-term deal, or get tagged-and-traded.
