Why the Browns win:
We’re talking about the offseason (for now), but Cleveland’s maneuvering for Odell Beckham Jr. and others puts it in position to win big. Plus, other offseason winners and losers.
A few notable names remain available — and Josh Rosen is still a Cardinal — but NFL free agency seems to have largely run its course.
Who came out on top (and who didn’t?) among an avalanche of signings and trades? Read on ...
WINNERS
Browns: They’re clearly the sexy team entering the 2019 season after adding DE Olivier Vernon, DT Sheldon Richardson, RB Kareem Hunt and that OBJ fella. The trade for WR Odell Beckham Jr. was the story of the free agency period, given his relatively cheap price tag (two picks, only one a first-rounder, and S Jabrill Peppers) and reunion with BFF Jarvis Landry, not to mention the apparent regression of the Ravens and Steelers. It seems highly likely the league’s longest playoff drought will end at 17 years, at minimum, but this team might even challenge for a first-round bye and more.
Safeties: The lottery began with Washington’s decision to give Landon Collins an eye-popping, six-year, $84 million deal ($44.5 million of it guaranteed) — the same Landon Collins whom the Giants deemed unworthy of an $11 million franchise tag. The pattern continued with Kansas City’s Tyrann Mathieu landing his own deal averaging $14 million, while Baltimore’s Earl Thomas came in just shy of that at $13.8 million per, though his guarantees at signing ($32 million) surpassed others at the position. Denver’s Kareem Jackson, Oakland’s Lamarcus Joyner, Green Bay’s Adrian Amos and Tennessee’s Kenny Vaccaro also did their part to ensure safeties no longer reside in the bargain bin — and just a year after quality players like Eric Reid and Tre Boston had to wait months to find work in a Charmin-soft market.
Jets: Now more than a halfcentury removed from their lone championship, they’ve been prominent free agent players many times before ... with no hardware to show for it. This might be GM Mike Maccagnan’s last opportunity to take a big swing at a solution, and he paid handsomely for ILB C.J. Mosley (5 years, $85 million) and slot WR Jamison Crowder (3 years, $28.5 million) but added RB Le’Veon Bell (4 years, $52.5 million) and G Kelechi Osemele (swap of Day 3 draft picks with Oakland) at reasonable cost.
The slot: NFL defenses have spent about 70 percent of their time in the nickel package (five defensive backs) for years, even while many league observers still obsess over the distinction of 4-3 and 3-4 fronts as it pertains to base defenses. Simultaneously, most offenses predominantly deploy three wide receivers. Even so, it’s taken a while for No. 3 receivers and nickel backs to be regarded as starters. However, that perception is apparently changing. Slot receivers Crowder and Adam Humphries (Titans) came in just shy of averaging eight figures per season while Cole Beasley (Bills) will get $7.3 million per year over the next four. On the flip side, Justin Coleman (Lions), Tavon Young (Ravens) and Denver’s Jackson and Bryce Callahan — all of these defensive backs predominantly make their living matched up against inside receivers — are also earning serious financial compensation for their unique skill sets.
Packers fans: So welcome to free agency ... what do you think? Things have clearly changed under new-ish GM Brian Gutekunst, who is obviously willing to open the checkbook in a way predecessor Ted Thompson wouldn’t (although we are still not sure about four years and $28 million for G Billy Turner). Amos and OLBs Za’Darius Smith and Preston Smith are all excellent, if underrated, players — which Green Bay fans quickly deduced given their trio of four-year contracts total $154 million.
New Jag: Nick Foles pulled down $88 million over four years, vaulting him into the top 10 among quarterbacks in terms of total value (ahead of Russell Wilson, Ben Roethlisberger and many others). Quite a coup for Foles given there didn’t appear to be a robust demand for him outside of northern Florida.
Old Jags: DT Malik Jackson (3 years, $30 million from Philadelphia), S Tashaun Gipson (3 years, $22.6 million from Houston) and OLB Dante Fowler (1 year, $12 million from the Rams) all landed on their feet after being prematurely shown the door in Jacksonville over the past six months.
Josh Allen: The Bills didn’t go after blue chippers, but they did reinforce the offensive line in front of their second-year passer, notably adding C Mitch Morse, while giving him a shortrange target in Beasley and a home-run threat by snatching speedy WR John “Smokey” Brown.
Josh Allen: Not a whole lot of premium pass rushers on the market, especially to desperate teams like Oakland, so the Kentucky star still appears like a virtual top-five lock in next month’s draft.
Raiders: They might not be ready to dethrone the Chiefs in the AFC West, but WR Antonio Brown, OT Trent Brown, WR Tyrell Williams and Joyner should immediately restore the Silver & Black to relevance. And given new GM Mike Mayock didn’t have to surrender any of the four picks he owns in this draft’s top 35 selections in order to pry Brown out of Pittsburgh, there’s still plenty of talent yet to arrive in Oakland this year.
Kwon Alexander’s agents: Rosenhaus Sports somehow got the 49ers to pony up a four-year, $54 million deal for a one-time Pro Bowl inside linebacker who tore his ACL last October. San Francisco has an escape hatch for 2020 if Alexander doesn’t rebound physically, but it still feels like he came out on the winning end of this negotiation.
Steelers ... in the long run: The Antonio Brown situation had become untenable. And history will show Pittsburgh tried to give Bell a deal above market value in 2018, not lowball him while seeking some hometown discount. The organizational compass — it points to continuity, loyalty, principled dealings and the like — remains true and should keep a flagship franchise largely contending as long as the Rooneys rule.