The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
With free agency looming, last year offers hope, caution
One sobering fact: Six teams that spent the most all missed playoffs this past season.
NFL teams are set to dole out billions in free-agent contracts in the coming weeks, hoping that bold moves in March will pay off with wins on the field this fall.
But in a league with a sharp aging curve and specific systems that don’t suit all players, those dollars spent don’t guarantee success.
The Spotrac website says NFL teams handed out more than $3.3 billion in contracts last offseason, with nearly half of that money fully guaranteed at signing.
The biggest spenders were far from the biggest winners in the season, as signing expensive free agents typically is not the best way to turn around a team. The six biggest spenders last offseason missed the postseason, led by Denver committing more than $250 million in contracts. The Broncos went 8-9 in coach Sean Payton’s first season and missed the playoffs for the eighth consecutive season.
The other five biggest spenders — New Orleans, Atlanta, Chicago, Las Vegas and Carolina — also missed the postseason. Meanwhile, the Los Angeles Rams got into the postseason after spending only $10.2 million in free agency.
Green Bay, Baltimore and Dallas were among the other teams that spent less than $50 million in free agency last offseason and made the playoffs.
Here’s a look at some of the best signings from a year ago, as well as some big misses:
Free-agent bargains
■ QB Baker Mayfield, Tampa Bay: The Buccaneers viewed last season as a chance to reset the roster after going all-in during Tom Brady’s three-year run. Tampa Bay took on more than $80 million in dead money and went cheap at quarterback, signing Mayfield to a one-year, $4 million deal. Mayfield delivered with a career-high 28 TD passes to lead the Bucs to a division title and a playoff win. He earned about $2.85 million in incentives but still was a bargain.
■ DE Jadeveon Clowney, Baltimore: The Ravens became the latest team to give Clowney a one-year prove-it deal when they signed the 2014 No. 1 overall pick in August. Clowney earned just more than $4 million for his one season with incentives after matching his career high with 9½ sacks for the NFL’s stingiest defense.
■ LB Drue Tranquill, Kansas City: The Chiefs added depth at linebacker when they made a low-profile move of signing Tranquill to a one-year, $3 million deal. He was a key part of a defense that helped carry Kansas City to a Super Bowl title. He had 4½ sacks and 78 tackles in the regular season, then added 21 more tackles during the playoff run.
■ TE Dalton Schultz, Houston: The Texans were looking for a veteran to help rookie quarterback C.J. Stroud and found one in Schultz. Houston signed him to a one-year, $6.25 million deal and got 59 catches for 635 yards and five TDs in the regular season and another TD in the playoffs from Schultz.
■ G Isaac Seumalo, Pittsburgh: The Steelers went into last offseason looking to bolster the offensive line and did a good job with the addition of Seumalo, who signed a three-year, $24 million deal. Seumalo allowed no sacks and was the 10th-rated guard in the NFL, according to Pro Football Focus.
Free-agent busts
■ QB Jimmy Garoppolo, Las Vegas: The Raiders needed a replacement after moving on from Derek Carr and hoped Garoppolo would be a good fit with his former offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels as coach in Las Vegas. But Garoppolo missed much of the offseason recovering from foot surgery after signing a threeyear, $72.75 million contract. He struggled once he got on the field, throwing nine interceptions in six starts before being benched. His suspension for performance-enhancing drugs will get the Raiders out of $11.25 million in guarantees this season. McDaniels is gone, too, as he was fired during the season.
■ QB Derek Carr, New Orleans: The Saints’ deal for Carr didn’t work out a whole lot better for New Orleans. Carr signed a four-year, $150 million deal and was expected to lead the Saints to the playoffs in the NFL’s weakest division. New Orleans couldn’t take advantage. Carr got off to a shaky start to the season, and the Saints missed the playoffs.
■ RT Mike McGlinchey, Denver: The Broncos gave him the second-biggest contract in free agency when they signed him to a five-year, $87.5 million deal. But the same issues that led to San Francisco moving on from its 2018 first-round pick still were evident in Denver. McGlinchey struggled at times in pass protection, with his 49 pressures allowed ranking sixth most among all tackles last season, according to PFF.
■ WR Allen Lazard, New York Jets: The Jets brought in one of Aaron Rodgers’ receivers from Green Bay in hopes the familiarity would lead to success in New York. But Rodgers lasted only one series, and Lazard didn’t live up to his four-year, $44 million deal. Lazard had 23 catches for 311 yards and one TD; he had just four catches in the final nine games of the season.
■ WR JuJu Smith-Schuster, New England: The Patriots let Jakobi Meyers leave for Las Vegas in free agency and signed Smith-Schuster to a slightly cheaper deal instead. While Meyers had his third consecutive season with at least 800 yards, Smith-Schuster had 29 catches for 260 yards and one TD after signing a three-year, $27 million deal.