Winners & Losers of Free Agency

While the games end after the Super Bowl every year, the NFL has become a 365-day, seven-day-a-week entertainment endeavor. It’s technically called the “offseason”, but there’s a lot going on. In this piece, we’ll be looking at one of the biggest factors of entertainment and team-building that hits us early: Free Agency. Some teams are inviting an influx of new talent, while many are letting go of players wanting big contracts or a fresh start.

Let’s take a look at the biggest winners and losers of 2024 Free Agency:

WINNERS

Bijan Robinson, Kyle Pitts and Drake London, Atlanta Falcons

Of Course, Bijan Robinson, Kyle Pitts and Drake London didn’t go anywhere this offseason, but the signing of Kirk Cousins was an immense upgrade for the offensive skill players in Atlanta. Yes, Cousins is coming off a major injury (Achilles), but he’s a steep upgrade over anything the Falcons have had at QB over the last couple of years. Cousins may not be one of the best QBs in the NFL, but he’s been one of the best fantasy distributors of the last decade, creating a bunch of top-end fantasy finishes for his RBs, WRs, and TEs. The Falcons have been one of the most frustrating fantasy teams over the last couple of years because we know they have the talent to put up special numbers, and now they have the guy who can optimize the results.

Saquon Barkley, Philadelphia Eagles

New York Giants fans don’t want to hear this (or maybe they will openly acknowledge this as well), but Barkley has wasted away a large part of his professional career on teams that didn’t matter. He’ll finally get a chance to play on a playoff-caliber team with a great supporting cast for the first time in his pro career in 2024. While Barkley has had issues of his own (injuries) that have limited his career so far, but many of the games I watched have involved stacked boxes to stop solely him, bad QB play and very limited skill players on the outside. Safe to say that Barkley is going to get the complete opposite of that with the Eagles, and while Jalen Hurts may steal a rushing touchdown or two at the goal-line, there’s going to be WIDE OPEN spaces for Barkley compared to what he’s used to. We saw D’Andre Swift put up a career in this offense in 2023, and with the main case and crew back for another go, I’d expect Barkley to build an even more impressive fantasy resume. Barkley could certainly get hurt again, but as of today, he’s arguably the biggest winner of free agency.

Derrick Henry, Baltimore Ravens

I wanted this. You wanted this. Everyone wanted this. Derrick Henry is a Raven, and we finally get to see what he can do next to Lamar Jackson. Sure, Henry is no longer in his prime, but he has never had an offense setup like this before. Henry will never be the main focus of opposing defenses as long as Jackson is on the field, which will be a first for him since he became a full-time start in 2018. While many RBs are long gone or very limited by their late 20s, Henry didn’t look completely broken down in 2023, and I’d argue his numbers being worse had much more to do with his team environment. I do think a top 10 fantasy RB finish is possible for Henry in 2024.

Marquise Brown, Kansas City Chiefs

Many are skeptical of Brown at this stage in his career, and for good reason. Despite being in some very good offensive systems, with some solid QBs, Brown’s actual production has never matched his fantasy perception through five seasons. Perhaps this isn’t all Brown’s fault, as expectations were high with Lamar Jackson despite it being a very run-heavy system in Baltimore, and while technically he played with Kyler Murray, most of his Cardinals run was with backup QBs on teams that were not in a position to be successful or win games. Brown does have a 1,008-yard career to his name, but even that year, expectations were much higher than what he produced. Brown’s stock is now very low, and he’s jumping onto an offense that’s had comically bad deep-threat options since Tyreek Hill left the team. Sure, Patrick Mahomes can make it work, and some of the guys made some plays in big games, but Brown is a steep upgrade here and could have a big season on his hands if he stays healthy.

Losers

Russell Wilson, Pittsburgh Steelers

If we did this article the day after Wilson signed in Pittsburgh he’d be in the Winners section. However, the signing of Wilson… followed by the immediate trade for Justin Fields shows me there’s not a whole lot of confidence. Wilson was certainly in less than ideal circumstances in Denver over the last couple of years, but you could make a strong argument that he was a big part of the problem for that offense as well. If Wilson can win the starting job in training camp AND sustain the starting role throughout 2024, then he has some nice weapons in George Pickens and Pat Freiermuth, who he could do well with. But again, I’m skeptical this is going to work, and that he’s better than Fields at this point in his career.

Tony Pollard and Calvin Ridley, Tennessee Titans

When I say the names Tony Pollard and Calvin Ridley, that’s supposed to bring positive thoughts about them being additions to an NFL offense. While I do think they can improve the Titans depth, but we could be careening towards a fantasy faceplant. Nothing against Pollard and Ridley, but this feels like Duct tape trying to patch a busted tire. Maybe it works for a few miles (weeks), but I don’t think we’re making it on a cross country trip (season). Beyond these two that offense is looking treacherous, and unless Will Levis (I suppose it’s possible!) progresses in a significant manner, this offense could be one of the worst in the league. Rooting for both, but it’s hard to find optimism.