On March 13 at 4 P.M, NFL free agency officially began. That means that any contract negotiated during the legal tampering period can now officially be submitted to the NFL to be finalized. It took no time for teams to start signing and trading players, including many notable veterans in the league. Lets take a look at some of this year’s most notable moves.
To start off the Free Agency buzz, the Philadelphia Eagles made a very impactful signing in the Giants’ former runningback Saquon Barkley. After finishing his season on the Giants with 1242 all purpose yards, coupled with 6 rushing and 4 receiving touchdowns, Barkley was given his desired contract by the eagles: three years, $37.75 million. There were many analysts projecting that Saquon would wind up on the Houston Texans roster, but the Eagles were able to out bid them. Heartbroken Giants fans took to social media to express their feelings about the signing. The hype around the acquisition created broken relationships between Barkely and a lot of Giants fans.
The next notable splash made in Free Agency was the signing of former Tennessee Tians runningback Derrick Henry to the Baltimore Ravens. This signing allows the ravens to open up their pass game, considering defenses will have to focus on Lamar Jackson (Most rushing yards by a QB since entering the league) and Derrick Henry (Most rushing yards by a RB since entering the league). They have stacked the offensive side of the ball in the last two years, making them contenders for the Super Bowl.
A lot of credit can be given to the Chicago Bears for the strides they have made in the offseason. After finishing the year 7-10, the bears have the first overall pick and the ninth overall pick in the NFL Draft this coming season. They have made a handful moves, including signing RB D’Andre Swift, trading for WR Keenan Allen, signing OT Matt Pryor, signing TE Gerald Everett, and trading QB Justin Fields to the Pittsburgh Steelers to clear the way for their projected number one overall pick in University of Southern California QB Caleb Williams. They were also able to pick up some defensive help in signing CB Jaylon Johnson, S Kevin Byrd, and S Jonathan Owens. NFL analysts have deemed the Bears capable of a deep playoff run in this years season.