At 16:00 EDT on Wednesday, the 2021 NFL season really started. At that moment, teams can officially sign free agents after two days of legal tampering. And although many players agreed on contracts during the toddler period, more than half of the players on Pete Prisco’s top 100 list for free players were still available on the first day of the new league year.
The Patriots were the unofficial winner of the league’s two-day toddler period. And just when it became clear that the Pats would one day go without making a splash, New England brought back linebacker Kyle Van Noy, the same player for whom the team was given a compensatory choice in 2021 after losing him last season has.
Apart from the Patriots, look here for the (other) winners and losers of the first day of the new league year.
The Panthers address their passion with the acquisition of Haason Reddick, the best available pass roster at the start of the day. In Reddick, the Panthers get a player who had 12.5 pockets last season and had six forced fobbles. To top it off, Carolina bought Reddick for a reasonable $ 8 million salary. The Panthers also agreed with Denzel Perryman, a veteran linebacker who spent his first six seasons with the Chargers.
Fitzgerald is a ‘loser’ only because it relates to his chances of staying with the Cardinals after Arizona signed former Bengals AJ Green to a one-year deal. If he continues to play in 2021, Fitzgerald will probably have to get a new team. One option could be the Steelers, who could decide to add a veteran to their receiving corps with the expected departure of JuJu Smith-Schuster.
The eight-time Pro Bowler became the best-paid linebacker in league history when he and the 49ers reached a $ 138 million six-year deal. The deal also includes $ 55.1 million guaranteed and a $ 30.1 million bonus. After a one-year hiatus, the 32-year-old Williams proved last season that he is still one of the best left-backs in football.
In a perfect world, the Chiefs would have paired the new guard Joe Thuney with Williams or Rodney Hudson. But after not getting any of the players, Chiefs linebacker Kyle Long agreed for a year. While Long has been a good player for the Bears, he has not played a year and has suffered injuries during his last four years in Chicago. Long is a decent addition, but the Chiefs missed a chance to hit a home game on offense.
Winners: Curtis Samuel / Washington Football Team
Washington needed a No. 2 receiver across from Terry McLaurin, and Samuel was looking for a big payday. Both parties got what they wanted after the former Panther reached a three-year, $ 34.5 million contract. And while some Washington may criticize Samuel’s overspending, that would not be the case if Samuel helped the soccer team win a second consecutive NFC East title in 2021.
Losers / Winners: Giants / Bengals
It’s going to come down to which team Kenny Golladay can secure. The two teams are reportedly looking for Golladay, which is probably the best available receiver yet on the market. Golladay is the perfect complement to Giants receivers Darius Slayton and Sterling Shepard. He would also be an ideal target for Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow. Golladay is a winner no matter how it shakes, and it turns out he could be in the middle of a bid war.