Day 1 of NFL Negotiations saw a flurry of moves being made from front offices, whether it be trades, signings, or extensions. As the NFL offseason continues, so will the number of transactions. Continue to catch the action throughout the NFL offseason here on Toronto Sports Blog.
Falcons Sign First Franchise QB Since Matt Ryan
The Atlanta Falcons finally found their franchise quarterback in QB Kirk Cousins, who agreed to a 4-year, $180 million deal with ATL. Cousins had his 2023 season cut short due to a torn achilles with the Minnesota Vikings, but he was still one of the more productive quarterbacks in the NFL during his first 8 contests. According to playerprofiler.com, Cousins finished the season 8th in deep ball completion% at 46.2, along with a 2nd-ranked 72.7 completion% with a clean pocket. Atlanta was in the bottom-half for sacks allowed in 2023, which is good news for the pocket-passing Cousins.
The veteran QB will serve as the Falcons’ first franchise signal-caller since Matt Ryan. TE Kyle Pitts and WR Drake London have been plagued by inconsistent QB play since 2022. Pitts’ first year, 2021, saw the young tight end surpass the 1,000 yard mark at 1,026. However, Pitts’ combined marks from the last 2 seasons are less than his amount of receiving yards in 2021, and that issue can be attributed to poor QB play. As for London, the former first-round pick has yet to pass 1,000 yards in a season, despite playing at least 16 contests in each campaign.
The signing of Kirk Cousins should allow Drake London and Kyle Pitts to return to form, especially in terms of stretching the field with a talented deep-ball quarterback.
Vikings Sign Former First-Round Pick as Bridge QB
With the departure of QB Kirk Cousins, the Minnesota Vikings were forced to look into a weak quarterback class and sign former first-round pick Sam Darnold. Darnold hasn’t exactly had an opportunity to perform with an adequate supporting cast. Last time the 26-year-old played a relatively full season in 2021, his receivers were unable to consistently get open. Darnold’s targets only had 1.71 yards of separation, which placed 40th for quarterbacks. With a talented receiver group with Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison, and T.J. Hockenson, the journey man should be able to have a plethora of options on each passing play.
To add onto this, Sam Darnold can serve as a solid bridge quarterback for a potential rookie in 2024 with his 1-year, $10 million deal. If the Vikings were to trade up for a QB, specifically Drake Maye out of UNC or JJ McCarthy out of Michigan, Darnold could be used to start the first 7-8 weeks until that rookie quarterback is comfortable enough to perform against NFL talent. Either way, the signing of the 6th-year QB allows for the Vikings to decide what their long-term plans are at the quarterback position.
Packers Sign Former-Raiders Running Back
The Green Bay Packers made a stunning move on March 11th, signing RB Josh Jacobs to a 4-year, $48 million deal. Jacobs had many career-lows in 2023, including in the rushing yards (805) and yards per attempt (3.5) categories. However, the absence of a consistent passing attack left the Raiders offence one-dimensional. Jacobs faced an average of 7.2 (!!!) defenders in the box during the 2023 campaign, which was the most in the NFL among any RB. With a more consistent passer in Jordan Love, the Packers offence shouldn’t have any issues running the football with Josh Jacobs.
Ex-Packers RB Signs With Division Rival
Josh Jacobs in, Aaron Jones out.
The Green Bay Packers announced that they had released long-time RB Aaron Jones. Jones had another injury-plagued season in 2023, recording only 656 rushing yards last campaign. However, in his final 5 games of the season (including playoffs), the 29-year-old tallied a grand total of 653 total yards, carrying a young Green Bay squad to a playoff victory in AT&T Stadium against the Dallas Cowboys. Jones continued to be an effective route runner as well, placing 2nd in the NFL in yards per route run for an RB.
Jones ended up signing a 1-year, $7 million deal with the Minnesota Vikings. The RB is still on the right side of 30-years-old and still has talent. After it was clear that Alexander Mattison was unfit for the RB1 job, Minnesota received quality performances from Ty Chandler in 2023. Chandler averaged 4.5 yards per carry last season. Adding a healthy Aaron Jones to complement the developing running back in Ty Chandler should make the Vikings a much more well-rounded offence.
Eagles Sign Arguably Best RB Available
The Philadelphia Eagles announced that they had signed superstar Saquon Barkley to a 3-year, $37.75 million deal. Like Josh Jacobs, Barkley was also a participant of a one-dimensional offence, resulting in the box being stacked consistently (6.7 defenders on average, 44th-worst in the NFL). With inconsistent QB play from Daniel Jones, Tyrod Taylor, and Tommy DeVito, Barkley was unable to reach his potential. However, the 27-year-old was still able to maintain a solid mark of 3.9 yards per carry. With an Eagles offensive line that is filled with stars, Barkley could have a highly impactful campaign in 2024.
Giants Stack DLine After Blockbuster Trade
After many rumours in regards to where EDGE Brian Burns would end up, the NFL community finally has their answer. Burns is headed to MetLife Stadium to play for the New York Giants. GM Joe Schoen sent a 2nd-round pick and a 5th-round pick in order to acquire the talented pass-rusher. Burns has played a heavy role in both the running-game and passing-game. The 24-year-old ranked 8th in tackles for loss and 13th in run stuffs in 2023. The 2x Pro Bowler also tallied 8.0 sacks in 16 contests throughout last season. Burns joins IDL Dexter Lawrence and EDGE Kayvon Thibodeaux on a loaded Giants defensive line.
Packers Fill Gaping Hole By Signing Safety
The Green Bay Packers, after losing S Darnell Savage to the Jacksonville Jaguars, went out and signed ex-Giant S Xavier McKinney to a 4-year, $68 million deal. McKinney was the main star in New York’s secondary in the 2023 season. The 24-year-old was all over the field, tallying 116 total tackles, 0.5 sacks, 2 fumble recoveries, and 3 interceptions throughout last season.
McKinney has been relatively injury-prone throughout his career, but when he’s on the field, he is a quality player in the secondary. McKinney also led the NFL in pass-breakups during the 2021 season with 14. The free-safety will fill a gaping void in Green Bay’s secondary as that defence continues to develop.
Other Notable Moves Around the NFL
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers trade CB Carlton Davis III and 2 6th-round picks to the Detroit Lions in exchange for a 3rd-round pick
- Las Vegas Raiders sign QB Gardner Minshew to a 2-year deal
- Cincinnati Bengals release RB Joe Mixon
- Cincinnati Bengals sign S Geno Stone to 2-year, $15 million deal
- Philadelphia Eagles sign DE Bryce Huff to a 3-year, $51.1 million deal
- Green Bay Packers release long-time OT David Bakhtiari
- Los Angeles Chargers sign RB Gus Edwards to a 2-year deal
- Buffalo Bills re-sign DE A.J. Epenesa to 2-year deal
- Buffalo Bills re-sign DT DaQuan Jones to 2-year, $16 million deal
- Minnesota Vikings sign OLB Andrew Van Ginkel to 2-year, $20 million deal
- Washington Commanders sign RB Austin Ekeler to 2-year deal
- New York Giants sign RB Devin Singletary to 3-year, $16.5 million deal
- San Francisco 49ers sign DE Leonard Floyd to 2-year, $20 million deal