This past Tuesday marked the beginning of the new NFL year, and with it, the start of free agency.
Thanks to a legal tampering period, teams are allowed to speak with free agents prior to the official start of free agency, and while they are technically not allowed to discuss financials, all 32 teams essentially ignore that rule.
This development, which allowed for quick action immediately, paved the way for an exhilarating opening to the free agency period.
One of the first major dominoes to drop this offseason was a blockbuster trade between the Philadelphia Eagles and the Buffalo Bills a couple of days before free agency began that framed both teams’ offseason needs.
In that trade, the Eagles sent running back and former Offensive Player of the Year LeSean McCoy to the Bills in exchange for the 2013 Defensive Rookie of the Year, linebacker Kiko Alonso.
The trade adds significant firepower to the Bills offense, re-unites Alonso with his coach at Oregon, Chip Kelly, and gives the Eagles a budding star to anchor their linebacker unit.
It also represents a retooling of the Eagles’ strategy, who have not quite lived up to many expectations under Coach Chip Kelly (who coached Hopkins football in the early 1990’s).
The big names moving were not restricted to trade as the Miami Dolphins signed former Detroit Lions defensive tackle Ndamakong Suh to a six-year $114m deal, making him the highest paid defensive lineman in NFL history.
The former No. 2 overall pick has made the Pro Bowl every season he’s been in the NFL, and while he is infamous for his dirty play, Suh should help bolster the Miami defense as they attempt to close the gap in the division between them and defending Super Bowl Champions, the New England Patriots.
Suh, who is notorious for injuring opponents, likely will be relentlessly going after superstar Patriots quarterback Tom Brady all season.
The New York Jets also attempted to close the gap in the AFC East by bringing in CB Darelle Revis, who spent last season in New England, back to the Meadowlands on a five-year, $70m deal that makes him the highest paid defensive back in NFL history. This will also directly weaken their division rival.
The Patriots have their work cut out for them in free agency since the team did not resign their behemoth at nose tackle Vince Wilfork.
Two big trades also happened Tuesday with the Seahawks acquiring superstar Tight End Jimmy Graham and a fourth round pick in April’s NFL Draft from the New Orleans Saints in exchange for Center Max Unger and a first round pick.
The trade allows the Saints to shed some salary while giving the 2013 Super Bowl Champions a deadly weapon on offense to help out Russell Wilson.
Perhaps the deal was influenced by the Seahawks’ heartbreaking loss in the Super Bowl this year in which a potentially game-winning pass from Russell Wilson was intercepted on the goal line.
The Eagles struck again, sending quarterback Nick Foles to St. Louis for former No. 1 overall pick quarterback Sam Bradford. In the same deal, the Eagles sent out their fourth round pick this year and second-rounder next year and got back a 2015 fifth-rounder.
The move gives the Eagles a talented but injury-prone player to start as quarterback while allowing the Rams to cut salary and add to their arsenal of draft picks.
Still, with the Eagles picking early in the draft and with potential to move up and select a young quarterback, this move is considered by many to be one of the biggest head scratchers of the offseason so far.
Nick Foles has shown potential in flashes to be one of the game’s finest gunslingers, and Bradford suffered season-ending injuries in game seven in 2013 and game three in 2014.
Many analysts have questioned the Eagles’ thinking, especially with exciting college quarterbacks like Jameis Winston and Marcus Mariota available for drafting.
Other big names to move teams on the first day of free agency include HB Frank Gore to the Colts, DB Byron Maxwell to the Eagles, TE Julius Thomas to the Jaguars and WR Torrey Smith to the San Francisco 49ers.
A huge controversy in Chicago was put to rest when the Bears announced that much-maligned quarterback Jay Cutler would in fact be returning to the team. With so many other big names left on the market, there is still a lot more to play out. Stay tuned, NFL fans!
