Black Friday is considered the biggest shopping day of the year. Depending on where you are in the country, customers brave outside frigid temperatures to be first through the door and get the best deal. For the 32 NFL Franchises, March 13 is the equivalent of black Friday. Teams have been planning and plotting all off-season who they will target in free agency and making contingency plans in case things go array. At times, trades are executed that bring elite-level talent to a contender. In this article, we discuss the five biggest trades, and signings after day one of free agency.
1. Chicago Bears trades the number 1 pick to the Carolina Panthers- on Friday, March 10, before free agency officially got underway, the big bombshell news was that the Panthers were finalizing a trade to acquire the No. 1 overall pick. In exchange, Carolina is giving up receiver D.J. Moore, the No. 9 and No. 61 overall picks in this year’s draft, a first-round pick in 2024, and a second-rounder in 2025. At this point, I think Chicago won this trade because the Panthers gave up their best receiver in Moore, and Justin Fields was desperate to get an elite wide receiver. The team will be better for the future by acquiring two first-round picks for 2023 and 2024. It feels like Carolina Panthers better hope Bryce Young or C.J. Stroud delivers on their potential because this could set them back another decade.
2. Jalen Ramsey traded to Miami Dolphins- the Miami Dolphins have been one of the more aggressive teams in the past few years. Last season, the franchise had a breakthrough year after finishing 9-8 and narrowly losing in the wild-card round to the Bills. The team is taking it up another notch by trading Hunter Long and a 2023 third-round pick for the All-Pro cornerback. The Dolphins addressed a critical need by acquiring Ramsey because their secondary was an area of weakness last season. The acquisition of Tyreek Hill and Jalen’s arrival means that Miami is building a core talent of talented players on both sides of the ball.
3. Other Secondary Players get sweet deals-the NFL in 2023 is all about throwing the ball down the field, scoring touchdowns, and racking up points on the scoreboard. For teams to slow down the opposition, they must have excellent players in the secondary to cover the best of the best. On the first day of free agency, teams are placing a value on these positions. One of the first deals announced was the return of Jonathan Jones to the New England Patriots on a 2yr deal worth 20 million dollars. Another massive contract was the signing of safety Jessie Bates who secured a 4-yr deal worth 64 million dollars. Jones is an emerging talent at the cornerback spot, and Bates is considered the best safety on the mark. Cameron Sutton and Patrick Peterson are two other secondary players that the Lions and Steelers picked up in order to bolster their defense.
4. Offensive Linemen getting paid-another early trend on day 1 of free agency is the willingness of teams to pay for premium offensive line talent. The Atlanta Falcons signed their All-Pro guard Chris Lindstrom to a monster 5-year $105M extension that will pay him $21M yearly. The sum is the highest per-year value for any inside O-lineman in the NFL. The Broncos signed former 49ers’ right tackle Mike McGlinchey to a 5yr, 87.5-million-dollar deal while the Chiefs signed former Jaguar Jawaan Taylor to a 4-yr 80-million-dollar contract. Yes, teams are paying a premium to protect their quarterback and the ability to create holes in the running game.
5. Quarterback carousel-every year feels that the quarterbacks in the middle to lower half of the tier system either get cut, traded, or end up on a different team. Last week, Derek Career was cut and signed by the Saints while the Seahawks extended Geno Smith. After just 1 day, we see this exact prediction play out in front of our eyes. Case Keenum moved from backup in Buffalo to sign with the Houston Texans. Another high-profile quarterback is Jimmy Garoppolo, who signed a 3-year, deal worth 67.5 million dollars to reunite the former Patriot with his offensive coordinator, Josh McDaniels. The Dolphins signed former Jets backup quarterback, Mike White, to a 2-yr 16-million-dollar deal, and the 49ers signed Sam Darnold, to a-1 year deal. We still have to wait to see whether Aaron Rodgers or Lamar Jackson will get traded and where Baker Mayfield will land, and it may trigger another spin on the carousel.