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Key to the Jets is the O line, it wasn't good in '22, didn't improve in '23. AR is older, moves less and has always played with decent O lines. There is the rumor mill having Bakhtiari go to the Jets, not sure about it though.
One thing about the Packers, O line always is a priority, get the big guys most drafts.
Last edited by susancruzs; 02-24-2024 at 05:30 PM..
I heard Baker could be hitting free agency. Where does he land? He could be a big upgrade for about a third of the teams out there IMO.
I'm not a believer in the Eagles. I think somehow they have been duped twice now into thinking they had their guy at QB. First Wentz and now Hurts. Yes, they likely won't finish the season losing 6 of their final 7 games including that wild card game. But I also don't see them starting the season anywhere close to 10-1. Split the difference, give them a 7-4 start and 4-2 finish, they are a 11-6 team battling for a wild card spot again.
Bengals are an obvious choice to make a big rebound.
Browns probably overachieved. They take a small step back this year.
Texans should easily win their division.
Jets will be much better IF Rodgers can stay healthy and play well behind one of the worst o-lines in the league. Can the Jets improve that o-line in one offseason?
Packers and Lions both look like they could be top three teams in the NFC.
Dallas will be good, I just don't see them being better than they were this year. But if they just hold steady that is still a good team.
Totally agree that Detroit and GB will duke it out for the NFC North title. GB is going to have a lot of hype going into the 2024 season. LaFleur, Love and the offense found its groove at the end of the year and they had the best pass rush in football during that time.
Another possibly dangerous team is the Atlanta Falcons. Minus a top-tier QB and what amounted to a one-dimensional offense they came within a game of going to the playoffs. If they find a QB who can get the ball to their elite receivers like London and Pitts and an O-line that protects adequately, their RBs (namely Bijan Robinson) and offensein general could reign terror on other teams. Their team defense is among the top-tier in the league and will only improve when kept off the field longer. Much discussion about who they'll go after for a QB, my hope is Drake Maye or Michael Penix versus a retread from another team.
They've had a few years of light drafts as well. If anyone could make a case to take their medicine, get right financially, fall into some high draft picks, and go for 2026 it would be them (ok and the Saints...).
But that's not in most teams' DNA. That suggests deferring some salary via restructures, drafting the #4 or #5 QB (because they can't afford any decent free agent), and keeping most of their high salaries. That's risky because QBs are so hit-and-miss but they'll try. If the QB is a home run (or the current guy surprises) maybe they'll win eight games. It's looking like it might need to be #5 since McCarthy is rising in mock drafts.
Really maybe they should've gotten a coach that fits Wilson. He was pretty decent last year, and would do well in some situations.
They could also trade up for a top QB, but that seems unlikely. They'd have to give up too much. The new QB would be coming to a team with two years of salary cap issues and a lack of talent, not just this year but next, AND probably a couple years after that due to more light drafts. Or they could trade Surtain (with lesser picks) and give up two years on his rookie deal, damaging their defense.
Mind boggling that cap hit! Wrote on Broncos thread this a.m., about a Conor Orr, SI article, The Ultimate Illusion that is Russell Wilson. I'm not convinced their move for HC was any better than their move for Wilson. On GMFB this a.m., they came up with the Falcons for Wilson.
I need to edit my last post: In the last paragraph, I meant they could trade up in the draft for a top QB.
And I think they're likely to draft a QB at some level. Maybe a 50-60% chance it's in the first round. They don't have a second rounder, so even Nix/Penix (the X-factor types who have questions but could start as rookies if things go well) would need to be Rd 1 or a trade.
Mind boggling that cap hit! Wrote on Broncos thread this a.m., about a Conor Orr, SI article, The Ultimate Illusion that is Russell Wilson. I'm not convinced their move for HC was any better than their move for Wilson. On GMFB this a.m., they came up with the Falcons for Wilson.
Name a QB who is a FA or suspected to be traded/released that is NOT rumored to be going to the Falcons.
That being said.. I do think Atlanta could be a good fit for Wilson.. But.. He'd have to take a pretty significantly smaller contract, both in terms of money and length.
He's, what? 35 now? And after the past two seasons, deserved or not.. Is viewed as damaged goods.
NFL free agency starts Monday, 11 March 2024. Some transactions have already occurred. My morning email from the NY Times reports this:
Quote:
Cornerbacks = valuable. The Bears and cornerback Jaylon Johnson agreed to a four-year, $76 million contract extension, and Johnson deserves every cent. The $19 million average annual value puts him at No. 7 among corners. Outside of elite pass rushers, CBs are the most valuable defenders. This has been true for many years.
Safeties? Unclear. As Jeff Howe writes in an illuminating story today, more than $100 million in safety salary has been cut by NFL teams this offseason, nearly $40 million more than any other position.
Most notable on that list: the Broncos’ Justin Simmons, who made the Pro Bowl last season and the All-Pro list in four of the last five years. It’s easy to write off Simmons’ release as fallout from Russell Wilson’s contract (the safety was due $14.5 million this year), but the problem is a little deeper.
As teams have opted for pass-heavy offenses, premiums have been placed on quarterbacks, pass rushers and corners. So higher-paid safeties like Simmons, Quandre Diggs, Jordan Poyer, Kevin Byard and Jamal Adams are looking for jobs. The top end of safety salaries still skews around $20 million per year, but expect that number to come down over the next few years.
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Quandre Diggs has started to decline. Jamal Adams has had a long series of injuries and there are real holes in his game, like "coverage." This wasn't a pure salary dump by the Seahawks.
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