Since the last time we gazed upon the free agency class of 2024 in PML, a few of our guys on the list got a new contract:
#1 Derrick Henry RE-SIGNED 3 Years 36 Mil – Philly couldn’t just let the king walk, but paying the 30 year old back 12 mil a year has put the Eagles close to the cap limit and locks them out of free agency.
#3 Antoine Winfield Jr FRANCHISE TAGGED 18.2 Mil – The Bucs front office wasn’t ready to just let a young stud walk. They’ll tag him and we’ll see how the next contract talks go next season. This leaves the Bucs with about 17 million to play with, enough to fill out a few roster holes by going bargain shopping.
#4 Logan Wilson FRANCHISE TAGGED 20.8 Mil – As mentioned previously, the sign and trade is on the table. But this puts the Bengals at 46 million of cap space with still a few names entering free agency now. And the Joe Bros contract talks coming soon to a Jungle near you…
#5 Cameron Jordan RE-SIGNED 1 Year 25.7 Mil – The no-brainer decision here, the only question is who did Cam Jordan hold at gun point to get THAT much money. Nonetheless, the Saints still have more than enough cap space entering free agency.
Ok, now with those guys returning, let’s update the top 10 upcoming FAs with some new editions!
1. David Montomery 91 OVR SSXF 27 Year Old HB
Well, it looks like the Bears really don’t want to pay DMont. Someone will though.
2. Clyde Edwards-Helaire 83 OVR SS 25 Year Old HB
The Chiefs aren’t calling CEH’s bluff and are letting him walk it seems, without the cap space to bring their SS HB back without locking in their roster. He’ll be an intriguing name to watch, 86 speed is crippling. But a new HB ability? Hmmm
3. AJ Dillon 85 OVR S 26 Years Old HB
To the surprise of at least the Green Bay front office, Aaron Rodgers has announced his return for his 20th NFL season. Unfortunately for Packers fans wanting to see AJ Dillon return, that means the Packers are still negative on cap space. And tagging Dillon would put them in a huge negative hole. Dillon is going to to walk it looks like.
4. Leighton Vander Esch 82 OVR S 28 Year MLB
The Cowboys made a re-signing today, but it wasn’t LVE. Dallas can’t stop talking about 62 OVR LB De’Rickey Wright, which more than likely is writing on the wall that LVE’s time is up in Big D. With about 16 mil of cap space left, LVE re-signing would lock the Cowboys into their squad.
5. Micah Hyde 86 OVR S 33 Year Old FS + Xavier McKinney 83 OVR S 26 Year Old FS
Ahh, the ol 2 for 1 special in Buffalo. Von Miller did retire, shocking Bills Mafia and freeing up a 21 million dollar cap hit. Despite that, Buffalo has no cap space still and would have to go negative to tag just one of these guys. These 2 are free agency bound.
6. John Johnson 84 OVR S 28 Year Old FS + Grant Delpit 78 OVR S 25 Year Old SS
Short and simple, the Browns are still heavily negative in cap space, so these 2 are still going to be looking for new homes very soon.
7. Robby Anderson Normal 79 OVR 31 Year Old WR
Robby is still 6’3. He’s still 96 speed. Those physical traits are hard to come by. There will be an exciting bidding war for the veteran’s services upcoming. The Eagles are all but done with making moves after re-signing Derrick Henry, Donovan Smith, and Anthony Barr in the past 24 hours. The Eagles will also be releasing Fletcher Cox and James Bradberry into the wild.
8. Carl Lawson 85 OVR S 29 Year Old RE
I don’t expect there to be a huge bidding war here for a veteran pass rusher, but someone is going to catch themselves a nice fish with 90 finesse move here. The Jets do not have the cap to re-sign him, and there’s no shot they use the tag to go negative on someone they don’t have future plans for.
9. DJ Reader 85 OVR S 30 Year Old DT
The old DT free agency market usually never draws the eyes of many, but this vet is one you’ll want to circle. With 90 block shed, Reader can be the perfect plug-gap for a year or 2 for a franchise looking to turn around their run defense. The Bengals as mentioned before are being very careful about not committing too much money to their roster with the Joe Bros extensions upcoming, and it’s looking like Reader will be a casualty of that.
10. Tom Brady 87 OVR S 74 Year Old QB
Ok, Brady is actually 47 years old. But Tommy is still locked out of the house by Giselle and still feigning for more football. I have to squeak the GOAT onto the list, because what a story it’ll be to see who takes a chance on Brady. There’s a chance Brady slides into FA2 or 3, when someone tries to sign him to a cheaper contract. But someone will grab him. The idea of Brady returning home to New England and mentoring their new QB has been rumored for months now, and the Patriots have the cap space to make noise. The Bucs on the other have neither the cap space nor the interest in bringing Tom back.
Now there’s still a chance some guys on this list still re-sign, but. with free agency under 7 hours away we’re starting to see the class come together.
