The first day of NFL free agency has been nothing short of hectic.
Some of the biggest available names have found new homes, massive trades have been made, and positions thought to be devalued have seen some of the biggest cash spent in recent years. This has left the start of the 2024 free agency as one of the craziest in recent memory.
Let’s recap some of the biggest moves made over the last 12 hours.
NFL Free Agency Day 1 Recap
Kirk Cousins Finds New Home
If the quarterback position is the most important in the league, then Kirk Cousins’ free agent signing with the Atlanta Falcons is the biggest news of the day.
Cousins signed a four-year, $180 million deal with $100 million guaranteed. The former Viking is coming off a torn Achilles but has completed over 66% of his passes, close to 40,000 yards, and 270 touchdowns in his 12-year NFL career.
The move should catapult the Falcons into one of the contenders in the NFC and a favorite for the NFC South crown. Atlanta will ask Cousins to lead an offense with skill players like wide receiver Drake London, running back Bijan Robinson, and a quality offensive line.
Philadelphia Hits Hard at New York
The Eagles entered Monday afternoon with the 10th most salary cap space in the NFL. Most analysts and fans expected general manager Howie Roseman to be a major player for some of the top available players.
Boy were they right!
Philadelphia struck early in the legal tampering window with the signing of New York Jets pass rusher Bryce Huff. The three-year, $51 million deal for the 10-plus-sack rusher was just a few more million than the organization gave Haason Reddick in the 2022 offseason for a player younger than Reddick when he got there.
Huff and his high-pressure rate is expected to help an Eagles pass rush that ranked 26th in the league in sacks.
Roseman wasn’t done attacking New York players, though, and the last player struck a chord with their biggest rival.
When the Eagles signed running back Saquon Barkley to a three-year, $37 million deal, the move not only sent shockwaves around the New York Giants franchise but was the most money spent at the running back position since LeSean McCoy commanded the halls in 2014.
MORE: NFL QB Rankings 2024
The Eagles were also in on safety Xavier McKinney, but the former Giant chose the Green Bay Packers.
Still, Philadelphia has plenty of room, has pissed off its biggest rival, and improved two major points to its roster.
Giants Respond With Massive Trade
Outside the feud that Barkley has begun with former Giant Tiki Barber, New York turned away from the Barkley and McKinney negotiations to have a strong first day in free agency.
Whether it was the signing of John Runyan Jr. (three years, $30 million), Devin Singletary (three years, $16 million), and Jermaine Eluemunor (two years, $14 million) to contracts that solve major needs at each position.
New York wasn’t done, though.
The Giants agreed to a trade with the Carolina Panthers for pass-rushing dynamo Brian Burns for a 2024 second-round pick and a 2025 fifth-round pick. On top of trading for Burns, New York is giving him a five-year, $150 million deal — second-most by an edge rusher in the NFL.
Despite losing two of its stalwarts from the last few seasons, New York has responded in a big way.
Running Back Contracts Strike Back
For many years, the belief was that the running back position had devalued due to its demand for offensive schemes.
The start of free agency has been a different case.
Outside of the new deal that Barkley received in Philadelphia, Josh Jacobs signed a four-year, $48 million deal with the Green Bay Packers — a move that resulted in the release of Aaron Jones. Jacobs becomes the second-highest-paid running back of this class with an average of $12 million.
It wasn’t just Barkley and Jacobs that got big deals, though.
D’Andre Swift received a three-year, $24 million deal with the Chicago Bears, Tony Pollard got the same deal with the Tennessee Titans, and Austin Ekeler received a new deal with the Washington Commanders.
There are still some running backs available — particularly former 2,000-yard rusher Derrick Henry, J.K. Dobbins, and the recently released Jones — but the running back room has received some solid boosts in their contract pockets.
Las Vegas Raiders Swing Big
Before the Burns trade and new contract with New York, it was the Raiders who opened free agency with a massive acquisition on the defensive end.
Christian Wilkins, the former defensive star with the Miami Dolphins, signed a massive four-year, $110 million to play for Antonio Pierce’s Raiders. Wilkins is coming off a nine-sack season and is among the best interior defenders in the NFL.
The Raiders also brought in Gardner Minshew II on a two-year, $25 million deal to compete for a starting job with Aidan O’Connell and a potential quarterback drafted in the 2024 NFL Draft class.
Guard Market Shoots Past Projections
Before free agency began, the offensive line group, particularly at guard, was expected to get some pretty big contracts.
After just a few hours, the projections have been completely blown past.
Whether it was Robert Hunt signing a five-year, $100 million deal with the Carolina Panthers, Jonah Jackson linking up with Los Angeles for three years and $51 million, or Runyan’s deal with the Giants, the guard position has gotten a plethora of guaranteed money that could alter the remaining available players on the open market.
KEEP READING: NFL Free Agency Tracker 2024
There are still plenty of teams that need interior offensive line help, but the remaining players could get massive deals too.
Top players like Kevin Zeitler, Andrus Peat, Damien Lewis, and Michael Onwenu haven’t been signed yet, but that won’t be for long.
Every move. Every team. Don’t miss a thing with PFN’s NFL Free Agency Tracker.
