In free agency, no guarantees
Last year’s deals can offer teams both hope, caution
NFL teams are set to dole out billions in free agent contracts in the coming weeks as teams around the league hope that bold moves in March will pay off with wins on the field once the season starts.
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.
According to the Spotrac website, 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 is typically not the best way to turn around a team.
The six biggest spenders last offseason all missed the postseason led by the Broncos committing more than $250 million in contracts only to miss the playoffs for the eighth straight season after going 8-9 in coach Sean Payton’s first season.
Other big spenders such as the Saints, Falcons, Bears, Raiders and Panthers also were back home when the playoffs started, while a team such as the Rams got into the postseason after spending only $10.2 million in free agency.
The Packers, Ravens and Cowboys were among the other teams that spent less than $50 million in free agency last offseason and got into the playoffs.
Here’s a look at some of the best signings from a year ago, as well as some big misses:
Bargains
QB Baker Mayfield, Buccaneers: The Bucs went cheap at QB, signing Mayfield to a oneyear, $4 million deal. Mayfield delivered with 28 TD passes to lead the Bucs to a division title and a playoff win. He earned about $2.85 million in incentives — still a bargain.
DE Jadeveon Clowney, Ravens:
Clowney got his latest one-year prove-it deal. He earned just over $4 million for his one season with incentives after matching his career high with 9 ½ sacks.
LB Drue Tranquill, Chiefs:
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 to a defense that helped carry the Chiefs to a Super Bowl title with 4 ½ sacks and 78 tackles in the regular season and 21 more tackles in the postseason.
TE Dalton Schultz, Texans: The Texans were looking for a veteran pass catcher to help rookie QB C.J. Stroud and found one in Schultz. They 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, Steelers: Looking to bolster the offensive line, the Steelers added Seumalo on a three-year, $24 million deal. He allowed no sacks in the season.
Busts
QB Jimmy Garoppolo, Raiders: The Raiders needed a replacement after moving on from Derek Carr and hoped that Garoppolo would be a good fit with his former OC Josh McDaniels as head coach. But Garoppolo missed much of the offseason recovering from foot surgery after signing a three-year, $72.75 million contract. He struggled once he got on the field, throwing nine INTs 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.
QB Derek Carr, Saints:
The deal for Carr didn’t work out a whole let better for the Saints. Carr signed a four-year, $150 million deal with the hopes of leading the Saints to the playoffs in the NFL’s weakest division. But Carr got off to a shaky start and they narrowly missed the playoffs.
RT Mike McGlinchey, Broncos:
The Broncos gave the second-biggest deal in free agency when they signed him to a five-year, $87.5 million deal. But the same issues that led to the 49ers moving on from their 2018 first-round pick were still evident. McGlinchey allowed 49 QB pressures.
WR Allen Lazard, Jets: The Jets brought in one of Aaron Rodgers’ receivers from the Packers. But Rodgers lasted only one series, and Lazard never lived up to the four-year, $44 million deal he signed. He had just 23 catches for 311 yards and one TD with just four catches in the final nine games.
WR JuJu Smith-Schuster, Patriots: The Patriots let Jakobi Meyers leave and signed Smith-Schuster to a slightly cheaper deal. While Meyers had his third straight season with at least 800 yards, Smith-Schuster had just 29 catches for 260 yards and one TD after signing a three-year, $27 million deal.