2024 NFL free agency: Top 10 moves of the offseason so far, including QB gambles by Falcons, Steelers
The 2024 NFL offseason has already brought dozens and dozens of moves, from splashy signings and surprise trades to lucrative contract extensions. But which of free agency’s transactions resonate as the best of the best so far?
The answer is more complicated than you might expect; sometimes the biggest deals also happen to be the most enticing, and other times the bargain bets register as more reasonable. Below, in identifying 10 of this year’s top moves, we’ve incorporated a bit of both, from low-cost gambles at quarterback to expensive bets at pass rusher:
10. Commanders sign LB Frankie Luvu
Bobby Wagner is the bigger name joining new coach Dan Quinn’s defense in Washington, but Luvu has the makeup of a real building block. The former Carolina Panthers standout is going on 28 but appears to be just entering his prime, emerging as a fast, physical, downhill pocket disruptor. He’s got the potential to be a tone-setter for a franchise in transition.
9. Rams sign OG Jonah Jackson
The Rams are paying big bucks for Jackson, giving the former Detroit Lions veteran roughly top-five money for an interior blocker, but coupled with the re-signing of Kevin Dotson, the investment signals a much-needed prioritization of the trenches for Los Angeles. Jackson can play basically anywhere up front for an offense that rediscovered its groove in 2023.
8. 49ers sign DE Leonard Floyd
There probably isn’t a more underrated plug-and-play pass rusher than Floyd, whose 39.5 sacks over the last four seasons rank ninth among all players — better than big-money names like Brian Burns, Montez Sweat and Josh Allen. At just a $10 million per-year clip, he could be a steal lined up next to Nick Bosa, Javon Hargrave and fellow newcomer Maliek Collins.
7. Bears acquire WR Keenan Allen
Will Chicago be ready to compete before Allen — soon to be 32 — slows down? Perhaps not. But he’s a tremendous value, even at his age, in exchange for a fourth-round pick. Nicks and bruises are to be expected, but the longtime Los Angeles Chargers weapon remains a Grade-A possession target who should help the Bears’ new quarterback opposite D.J. Moore.
6. Texans sign DE Danielle Hunter
Will Anderson Jr. just won NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year headlining DeMeco Ryans‘ front four, but Hunter is the kind of imposing quarterback-chaser who can take a defense over the top. A physical freak with the Minnesota Vikings, he’ll cost a pretty penny but only for two years, helping maximize the rookie-contract window of the C.J. Stroud era.
5. Ravens sign RB Derrick Henry
Turns out paying decent money to a 30-year-old workhorse running back can be good in the year 2024. Henry may be older, but his supersized frame has enabled him to outlast peers as a pile-pushing, chain-moving featured back, and his job should only get easier in Baltimore next to the electric Lamar Jackson. The fit feels absolutely seamless.
4. Chiefs sign WR Marquise Brown
On just about any other team, Brown would register as more of a No. 2-type pass catcher. But that’s basically what the Chiefs are paying him to be on a one-year, $7 million prove-it deal. And with elite speed, he should have plenty of opportunities to boost his stock catching bombs from Patrick Mahomes, while elevating/deepening Kansas City’s rotation of wideouts.
3. Chiefs tag CB L’Jarius Sneed
Playing the short game with Sneed enabled K.C. to keep All-Pro Chris Jones in place as the anchor of Steve Spagnuolo’s title-winning defense. And no matter what happens next, it’s a win for the Chiefs: either they get a physical, ascending cover man for another year; or they get what figures to be a solid return for him via trade, leaving Trent McDuffie to lead the position.
2. Falcons sign QB Kirk Cousins
Cousins’ exit from the Vikings feels like the rare case of everything going well for all parties involved. Minnesota finally gets a chance to focus on the long term (and a higher-upside passer) under center. Atlanta, meanwhile, gets much-needed stability at the most important position on a growing roster that could compete for an NFC South title immediately.
1. Steelers acquire QB Justin Fields
This is the definition of a low-risk, high-reward bet, and the potential reward is so high at such a vital position that it’s hard not to give the Steelers credit, even if their pivot from Kenny Pickett to Russell Wilson (and subsequent exile of Pickett) felt uncharacteristically hurried. Is it possible both Wilson and Fields are not viable long-term starters? Sure. But Fields has already proven to have NFL-caliber electricity, is still just 25, and at least stylistically fits into the run-first model they’ve so long prioritized. To get him in exchange for a conditional late-round pick is absurd value, even if he fizzles out or stays seated behind Wilson. In other words, the Steelers may well need another quarterback reset after 2024, but for now they’ve at least made a real play for developmental dynamism, and they barely had to pay anything to do it.
