Tag: 2024 Free Agents

Jimmy Graham is not opposed to returning to football, and the Saints may need him

Jimmy Graham is not opposed to returning to football, and the Saints may need him with a significant injury to Juwan Johnson:

The New Orleans Saints have been put in a tough position with the injury to Juwan Johnson during the offseason. While there is hope he could return by week 1, there is also the chance that he does not or is not fully into the new scheme by then. This leads to the Saints having to make a decision quickly, and with Jimmy Graham still on the free agent market, he could be someone they look to consider.

According to Katherine Terrell of ESPN, Graham “hasn’t closed the door on football yet” and that “when he does retire, it’s going to be as a Saint.”

Graham played in 13 games for the Saints last season, grabbing only six receptions but four of which scored touchdowns. He previously shared his plan to row across the Arctic Ocean during the offseason, and later during the process posted on Instagram regarding the Saints and his appreciation for everyone. At the time it almost felt like a retirement speech, but now with the Saints down a tight end and in need of someone they can rely on for red zone touches, Jimmy Graham could be the guy they call on in the coming weeks.

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Report: Chargers to meet with free agent Marquez-Valdes Scantling

The Chargers could be looking to possibly sign another wide receiver.

Per Ari Meirov, the Chargers have a meeting lined up with free agent wide receiver Marquez-Valdes Scantling on Monday.

The Chargers met with wideout Tyler Boyd last week before signing D.J. Chark. Prior to the draft, Chark met with the team in Los Angeles, as well. Jeremy Fowler reported Los Angeles’ preliminary interest in Valdes-Scantling about a month ago.

The Chiefs cut their former Super Bowl-winning wideout in Valdes-Scantling due to a cap crunch. Over the last two seasons in Kansas City, he had 63 receptions for over 1000 yards and three touchdowns.

Valdez-Scantling is still a burner deep threat and it’s clear the Chargers don’t necessarily have that skillset post-draft. While Chark will be more of a contested catch boundary receiver with some speed, the idea of MVS on the Chargers feels like a Jalen Guyton replacement.

For his regular season career, Valdes-Scantling’s drop rate is around 10%. He was infamously on the receiving end of some backlash after his drop vs. Philadelphia last season.

However, the drop problem seems slightly overstated when looking at the data. Valdes-Scantling had a 12.5% drop rate last year with three dropped targets. But combining his 2021 and 2022 campaigns, Valdes-Scantling had just an average drop rate of 5.3% between seasons, with five drops in total. On 38 postseason targets, he has zero drops in his career.

It’s clear that there is a skillset that the savvy veteran can still provide. After acquiring four non-UDFA receivers this offseason, will the Chargers make it five? Time will tell, but that would be rather stiff competition for everyone on the roster.

David Quessenbery contract terms revealed

The Star Tribune’s Ben Goessling reveals the terms of David Quessenbery’s contract as he re-signs with the Minnesota Vikings

One of the more fun exercises in free agency is figuring out how these free agency contracts are structured and how the money is allocated to the player.

The Star Tribune’s Ben Goessling gives an in-depth look at the one-year contract given to David Quessenberry to re-sign with the Minnesota Vikings. According to Goessling, Quessenberry’s deal is a one-year, $1.885 million deal, with $1.375 million guaranteed.

The contract also comes with a $625,000 signing bonus, a $1.210 million base salary ($750,000 guaranteed) and a $50,000 workout bonus with up to $200,000 in incentives.

Minnesota’s offensive line was one of the more stout in the NFL last season, ranking as the tenth-best offensive line at the end of the season, according to Pro Football Network. One of the concerns for the unit heading into this season was the depth behind the starting five. Re-signing both Quessenberry and Blake Brandel was a major step in fortifying the interior and keeping continuity along the line.

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Kirk Cousins to the Atlanta Falcons is building steam

Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio wrote that there are “very credible indications: that Kirk Cousins could be headed to the Atlanta Falcons

For weeks now, the race for Minnesota Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins has been a two-horse race: the Vikings and the Atlanta Falcons. With the NFL Scouting Combine in the rearview mirror and the start of free agency looming, Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio mentioned in his latest piece that there are “very credible indications” that Cousins to Atlanta is more than just a rumor.

We can’t get into the specifics, for now. But we’re getting very credible indications that Cousins is seriously considering moving his family to Atlanta. Which would mean, obviously, that he’d be signing with the Falcons.

The Falcons have always been the top alternative to the Vikings for Cousins, who becomes an unrestricted free agent next Wednesday. And for good reason. His wife, Julie, grew up in nearby Alpharetta, Georgia. Her parents still live there.

The Vikings have, by all appearances, decided they want to keep Cousins, but only at their price. They seem to think he won’t get a better offer elsewhere. If he does, they seem to be content to let him go.

While there isn’t much new information to add to the situation, the talks about Minnesota moving on from the 35-year-old quarterback are getting louder. Vikings fans may have to start getting used to the idea that a new quarterback may be under center in 2024.

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Projected market value for Patriots’ top pending free agents

The Patriots have multiple in-house free agents they might want to re-sign. Here’s what it could cost them.

Big decisions loom on the horizon for the New England Patriots heading into free agency.

They’re sitting pretty right now with roughly over $100 million in available salary cap space, but they are also a team bogged down with various holes and upgrade needs on their roster.

Free agency isn’t just about paying big money to load up on outside talent. It’s also about keeping the talent you already have to ensure some continuity. Not everything was bad with the 4-13 Patriots, and this isn’t a situation where the organization is looking to throw the entire team away.

There were pieces that stood out as potential parts of an eventual solution in New England. and it now falls on Patriots executive Eliot Wolf and the front office to figure out ways to keep those pieces intact.

Today, we’re taking a closer look at the Patriots’ top free agents and their projected market values, according to PFF.com and Spotrac.com.

Projected market value for Saints’ top pending free agents

Here’s a quick look at projected market value for some of the New Orleans Saints’ top pending free agents, including complicated cases like Michael Thomas and Jameis Winston:

We’re just a few weeks away from the start of free agency, and the New Orleans Saints have a couple of players who could hit the open market — including several starters and some ascending backups hoping for larger roles in 2024.

But could the Saints get priced out of their services? Different outlets have projected market values for some of New Orleans’ pending free agents, so let’s take a look at the numbers from Pro Football Focus, Spotrac, and Over The Cap:

Projected market value for Vikings’ top free agents

With NFL free agency less than two weeks out, we took a look at the market values for different Minnesota Vikings free agents

Minnesota Vikings fans have heard it over and over again, but it can’t be overstated how important this off-season is for the franchise’s future. One of the first dominoes to fall is the free agency period, and Minnesota has a lot of difficult decisions to make regarding the franchise’s direction.

Will Kirk Cousins and the front office find common ground on a deal? Can the long-term Viking Danielle Hunter stay in purple for another contract? What will it take to keep K.J. Osborn in the fold?

In this exercise, we find a few examples of what their market value is projected to be from experts in the industry.

Market projections courtesy of Spotrac

Kirk Cousins to the Atlanta Falcons gaining buzz at NFL Scouting Combine

The buzz around the NFL Scouting Combine is Atlanta will do whatever they can to acquire Kirk Cousins

According to reporter Zach Klein of WSB-TV in Atlanta, the buzz around Indianapolis is that the Atlanta Falcons are going to focus a lot of attention to acquiring quarterback Kirk Cousins.

Klein went on “Dukes & Bell,” an Atlanta sports radio station, and explained the extent of the Falcons’ interest in the 35-year-old pending free agent, who has spent the last six seasons with the Minnesota Vikings.

“Everybody I’ve talked to says the logical thing is a veteran move, all eyes, all arrows, everything points to Kirk Cousins. [Falcons owner] Arthur Blank has basically told his front office staff, ‘Do what you got to do, pay what you got to pay, get it done.’ Everybody that I’ve talked to, agents, other coaches and scouts, guys around the league, that’s the feeling and that’s what they are hearing. The Falcons are putting all their attention on Cousins.”

You can hear the full audio here:

If Cousins were not to return to Minnesota, the most likely destination from the start was Atlanta. With the Falcons being a quarterback away from contending in a weak NFC South, landing one of the NFC’s best quarterbacks is a tantalizing option.

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25 best free agent targets for the Patriots in 2024

Here are the 25 best free agent options for the Patriots

The New England Patriots are expected to be aggressive in free agency this offseason in an effort to fill multiple holes on their roster.

It’s no secret that the onus for the 4-13 finish in 2023 falls predominantly on the offensive struggles. There’s a need to fill at every offensive position for New England, most notably at quarterback, wide receiver and offensive tackle.

However, don’t think for one second that the defense will go ignored. That unit was one of the best in the NFL last season, and it kept the team in games that would have otherwise turned into blowouts.

If the Patriots hope to remain competitive in 2024, they’ll need to continue adding defensive playmakers to keep games close. In no particular order, here are the 25 best potential free agent targets for the Patriots:

Patriots 2024 offseason guide ahead of free agency and NFL draft

Cam Garrity’s handy guide to get you ready for the Patriots’ 2024 offseason

With the Super Bowl now over—and the Kansas City Chiefs and Patrick Mahomes one ring closer to threatening the New England Patriots’ dynasty—it’s time to shift focus to the 2024 NFL offseason.

This offseason has seen the Patriots clear house offensively, and add some outside voices to their defense and front office to help Jerod Mayo and Eliot Wolf regain control of the building post-Bill Belichick.

This offseason is an important one, and the Patriots hold the third overall pick of the 2024 NFL draft in what should be an offense-heavy draft.

Without further ado, let’s get into this offseason guide for the Patriots with key updates and information surrounding the team.