One thing remains mostly normal in this most unusual time: the blinding speed with which NFL teams maneuver to improve through trades and free agency signings as the new league year approaches.
That new year officially starts at 4 p.m. on March 18, but word of significant signings has already leaked, and the trade market has been robust.
We don’t yet know where the most intriguing free agent, Tom Brady, will land, only that it won’t be back in New England. As we wait for one of the greatest players in NFL history to make a decision — Chargers? Bucs? Wild card? — here’s a look at other significant deals.
More grades: DeAndre Hopkins trade | Calais Campbell trade | Ryan Tannehill contract | Josh Norman | D.J. Humprhies | Greg Olsen
Amari Cooper signs 5-year, $100 million ($60 million guaranteed) deal with Cowboys
This is why you don’t drag your feet when you have a blue-chip player at an important position nearing the end of his contract. Cooper is a bona fide No. 1 receiver who deserves to be paid like one … I just don’t know if he’s worth Julio Jones money. But Dallas focusing its attention of Ezekiel Elliott (rather than doing the prudent thing and just trading him), preventing them from working out a long-term deal with Cooper before he hit the open market. That allowed Washington to reportedly drive up his asking price. If this deal gets done a year ago (or even two years ago) it’s a lot more palatable.
If you’re going to overpay, you might as well overpay for good players, and that’s what the Cowboys are doing here. Cooper is an A-plus route runner who can get open all over the field. He’s just not a coverage-dictating threat on the outside like some of the bigger names at the receiver position.
Dallas didn’t have a lot of options for replacing Cooper on the roster — maybe they should have given Bill O’Brien a call — so Jerry Jones was forced to give him a nine-figure deal. Sometimes, patience doesn’t pay off.
Grade: C+
The Vikings trade Stefon Diggs and a 4th-round pick to the Bills for first-, fifth- and sixth-round picks
Fans in Buffalo were clamoring for a bigger target who could win in the red zone. They aren’t getting that in Diggs but they’re getting a much more valuable player who can get open anywhere on the field. Between Diggs, John Brown and Cole Beasley, Buffalo now has a little bit of everything in its receiving corps. If Josh Allen takes another step forward, this could be one of the more fun passing attacks in the league. Giving up a first-round pick is always tough, but the Bills don’t have a lot of pressing needs and have plenty of draft capital left over after the deal. Buffalo would have probably drafted a receiver in the first round; where they were drafting, they’d be hard-pressed to find a player as good as Diggs.
Bills grade: A
Getting rid of an elite talent at a valuable position is rarely a good thing, but Diggs was fed up in Minnesota so I’m not sure the Vikings had much of a choice in the matter. At the very least, they didn’t pull a Houston and give away a stud receiver for a bag of stale potato chips. Diggs leaves a gaping hole at receiver, but now the Vikings have an extra first-round in a draft loaded with receiving talent. It could have been a lot worse, Vikings fans.
Vikings grade: B-
James Bradberry signs 3-year, $45 million ($32 million guaranteed) deal with Giants
Some people may balk at that number, but Bradberry is a good corner who’s had some difficult coverage assignments in the NFC South. The Panthers routinely asked him to shadow the likes of Julio Jones, Michael Thomas and Mike Evans. That Bradberry was able to survive those matchups proves his worth. The Giants aren’t getting a top-tier man corner, but Bradberry is reliable in man and one of the smarter zone corners in the league.
Grade: B
Blake Martinez signs 3-year, $30 million ($19 million) deal with Giants
Blake Martinez can’t cover and can get lost when fitting against the run. But if there’s a tackle to be made in front of him, he’s usually up to the task. The Giants probably fell in love with Martinez’s high tackle count, but those numbers are mostly empty. The one smart thing that Dave Gettleman did here is front load the contract with a big roster bonus, meaning the Giants can get out of this deal sooner rather than later.
Grade: D
Byron Jones signs 5-year, $82.5 million ($57 million guaranteed) deal with Dolphins
Brian Flores is following Bill Belichick’s blueprint and prioritizing coverage players in Miami. In Byron Jones, the Dolphins have found their own version of Stephon Gilmore. He’ll join an already solid cornerback group in Miami, with Xavien Howard and Nik Needham, who is coming off an impressive rookie campaign.
Jones is now the league’s highest-paid corner but that will change in the near future and with a new TV deal coming, the salary cap will take a massive jump by next offseason. By Year 3 of this deal, Jones may be considered a bargain. If his play falls off by that point, the Dolphins can cut ties without taking a big cap hit.
Grade: B
Cory Littleton signs 3-year, $36 million deal with the Raiders
I was fully expecting Cory Littleton to reset the linebacker market. That the Raiders were able to woo him without breaking any records has to be considered a win. Paying a premium for an off-the-ball linebacker is rarely a smart move, but Littleton is one of the few players at his position who is worth that kind of money. He is arguably the best coverage linebacker in the league right now. With less versatile linebackers like Blake Martinez and Joe Schobert getting similar deals, Las Vegas is getting exceptional value.
Grade: B+
The 49ers trade DeForest Buckner to the Colts for a first-round pick (13th overall)
This was quite the heel turn for media darling Colts GM Chris Ballard — at least for the analytics community who have stressed the importance of not overpaying for pass rush. DeForest Buckner is a tremendous player who will make things easier for that entire defensive line (as he did in San Francisco), but Indy is giving up both a first-round pick AND a large chunk of cap space after inking their new star to a big extension that averages $21 million a season. Dominant pass rushers just don’t move the needle nearly enough to justify such a commitment.
Here’s what I do like: Ballard frontloaded the deal with roster bonuses instead of the standard signing bonus, which, for cap purposes, are prorated across the length of a contract. The Colts have a lot of cap space and were never going to use it all this offseason, so Ballard leveraged the available cap space in order to keep Buckner’s future cap hits low.
Colts grade: C-
I can’t decide whether I like this deal or not from San Francisco’s perspective. In terms of value, the 49ers did as well as we could have reasonably expected, and that first-round pick can now be used to add another threat at receiver, which would tie this roster together nicely.
But this trade wasn’t made in a vacuum. It came after the 49ers committed a lot of money to Arik Armstead, who enjoyed a breakout season in 2019. It looks like they chose Armstead, and his short track record of elite play, over Buckner, who has been better for longer. Maybe the 49ers felt like they couldn’t afford an extension for Butler, or maybe moving Armstead for a similar trade package wasn’t a possivility. Either way, the 49ers may have paid the wrong guy. That’s the only thing keeping me from giving them an A for this move.
49ers grade: B+
Robert Quinn signs 5-year, $70 million ($30 million guaranteed) deal with Bears
Welp, I listed Quinn as a cheaper option for teams looking for pass rushers this offseason, so I’m a little shocked by that number. From an ability standpoint, it makes sense that Chicago covets a player like Quinn, who has consistently put pressure on opposing quarterbacks over the last few seasons. There’s no doubt he’ll be a productive player. At the same time, smart teams do not typically overpay for sacks, and that’s what the Bears are doing here. Furthermore, giving a 30-year-old with a history of injuries can backfire in a hurry.
Grade: C-
Kirk Cousins signs 2-year, $66 million extension with Vikings
Given their cap situation, working out an extension that lowered Cousins’ cap number for 2020 was always in the Vikings’ best interest. The alternative would have been a soft rebuild and a reset at the quarterback position. Now Minnesota is committed to two more years of Cousins at a reasonable price. Cousins could have easily demanded more money or just waited to re-enter free agency next offseason, but he did the team a solid by not demanding a significant raise over his original deal.
Don’t get me wrong, the Vikings probably would have been better off, in the long run, starting their search for another quarterback sooner rather than later; but there’s an alternate reality in which Cousins demands more money over a longer period of time and the Vikings front office caves. Trust me, this is better.
Grade: C+
The Ravens trade Hayden Hurst and a 4th-round pick to the Falcons for second- and fifth-round picks
The Falcons didn’t waste any time finding a replacement for Austin Hooper and they may have upgraded the position while saving some money. With Baltimore on the hook for all of Hurst’s guaranteed money, the Falcons will be paying him just under $4 million for the next two seasons combined. That’s about a fifth of what Hooper will make over that time.
I’m not a huge fan of giving up a second-round pick for a 27-year-old tight end who is just entering the third year of his career, but Hurst has flashed plenty of ability and has put up some impressive efficiency metrics as a backup. His biggest problem in Baltimore was earning playing time with Mark Andrew quickly emerged as the Ravens’ TE1. Hurst will see more of the field (and the ball) in Atlanta. If he can maintain his per-snap production in a full-time role, the Falcons will not miss Hooper.
Falcons grade: B-
Baltimore is taking the L on their first pick in the 2018 draft, but that shouldn’t affect how we grade this deal. Hurst was never going to play a full-time role in Baltimore, so flipping him for a second-round pick was an easy decision. The Ravens are set at tight end but could use some extra help at receiver. That Day 2 pick could go a long way. The $3 million dead cap charge does pull the grade down a bit.
Ravens grade: B
Michael Brockers signs 3-year, $30 million ($21 million guaranteed) deal with Ravens
An overreaction to the playoff loss to the Titans? Maybe, but the Ravens defense, which employs a lot of nickel and dime personnel, needs gap cloggers and Brockers can certainly do that. Brockers may not provide consistent pressure on his own, but he’ll occupy blockers and provide openings for Baltimore’s more athletic pass rushers. I don’t know if that’s quite worth $10 million a year, but there are more wasteful ways to spend that kind of money.
Grade: C+
Mario Addison signs 3-year, $30.5 million ($15.25 million guaranteed) deal with Bills
The Bills’ love affair with former Panthers continues. Sean McDermott must rally have a soft spot for Addison, who will be 33 when the new season starts. He can still get after the passer, as evidenced by his 9.5 sacks in 2019, but his pressure rate dropped from the previous season and his tackles for loss were cut in half, suggesting that he might be losing some explosiveness. Buffalo will be able to get out of the deal after one year. In all likelihood, that will be the outcome.
Grade: C-
Quinton Spain signs 3-year, $15 million deal with Bills
The Bills are running it back with Spain after signing him to a one-year deal last offseason. While he may not be a road grader in the run game, he’s a reliable pocket protector who will keep pass rushers out of Josh Allen’s face. It’s hard to find that for only $5 million a season.
Grade: B+
Jimmy Graham signs 2-year, $16 million ($9 million) deal with Bears
I suppose the Bears aren’t taking too big of a financial risk here, but what’s the point? Ryan Pace already has a billion tight ends on his roster (that’s a slight exaggeration) and Graham was a bust in Green Bay. He’s never been a capable blocker and he’s lost the athleticism that once made him a mismatch terror for defenses. At this point in his career, Graham is little more than a plodding wide receiver.
Grade: D
Jack Conklin signs 3-year, $42 million ($30 million guaranteed) deal with Browns
The Browns’ top priority this offseason was finding some pass protection for Baker Mayfield. Throwing a bunch of cash at a run-first blocker doesn’t exactly help in that regard. But, with Kevin Stefanski installing his Gary Kubiak-inspired scheme, it does make sense to give the rookie head coach a player who can secure the edge on those outside-zone running plays we’ll be seeing in Cleveland. Here’s the problem: Conklin required a lot of help in pass protection during his time in Tennessee, and it’s naive to expect things to change all of a sudden. Mayfield’s pocket isn’t any safer as a result of this deal, but he will have a more productive run game to lean on.
Grade: C
Austin Hooper signs 3-year, $44 million ($23 million guaranteed) with Browns
If the Browns think they are getting a game-changing tight end, they’re going to be disappointed with this signing. Hooper is a good (not great) tight end, but he can struggle to separate from man coverage and does most of his damage as an emergency outlet for the quarterback.
Like his new teammate David Njoku, Hooper isn’t much of a blocker, which might reduce the effectiveness of the 12-personnel sets that Stefanski leaned on so heavily in Minnesota. When defenses can match those 12-personnel sets with nickel packages, their effectiveness drops off in a big way.
Productive tight ends are hard to find so it’s not a surprise that Hooper was able to land a big deal. He’s only 25 and could develop into a more well-rounded player. But if the Browns are getting the same tight end we saw in Atlanta, they’ll regret this one.
Grade: C-
Graham Glasgow signs 4-year, $44 million ($25 million guaranteed) deal with Broncos
With question marks across the interior line, the Broncos are paying for Glasgow’s versatility. He’s solid both in pass protection and in the run game and can play either guard spot or center, which will come in handy if Connor McGovern leaves in free agency. It’s looking like $11 million per year is the base rate for competent guard play, so the Broncos are getting solid value here.
Grade: B-
Arik Armstead signs 5-year, $85 million ($48.5 million guaranteed) deal with 49ers
The 49ers did a good job of structuring this deal to keep cap space open in the short term (which is hardly a surprise with cap wizard Paraag Marathe in the front office) but it’s hard to shake the feeling that the 49ers overpaid here. Armstead’s cap hit for 2020 will be just $6.5 million before jumping up to $20 million in 2022. With the signing and option bonuses, this essentially works out to a three-year, $50 million deal. A year ago, I don’t know how many 49ers fans would have been comfortable committing that kind of money to Armstead. If 2019 wasn’t a fluke, this will look like a solid bit of business for the 49ers in hindsight, but Armstead’s job just got a lot harder with DeForest Buckner headed to Indy.
Grade: C
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