Well, it’s been over a month since the Eagles captured a well-earned victory in Super Bowl LIX over the Chiefs, but now, next season can truly begin. NFL Free Agency opened, and there have been some wild moves. This has been a crazy couple of weeks, and if you follow any social media accounts run by media members in the league, your phone surely has blown up with alerts of trades, free agency signings, and other NFL news. I’ll recap some of these moves, and give them a grade.
Quarterbacks
QB Sam Darnold MIN -> SEA
Grade: C+
Contract: 3 yr, $100.5 Million
Minnesota Receives: 2025 3rd Round Pick
Reasoning: As I’ll mention under this, the Seahawks released QB Geno Smith, who eventually signed with the Raiders. That left Seattle without a QB, or at least a decent starting QB. Sam Darnold’s performance in the 2024-25 season for Minnesota was spectacular considering he wasn’t supposed to play nearly as much as he did. J.J. McCarthy’s pre-season injury put Sam Darnold in the spotlight, and he performed. He led the Vikings to the playoffs, and made a decent run. He fell short of greatness, but he put the league on notice and obviously, the Seahawks were interested. Seattle will have Darnold until 2027.
QB Geno Smith SEA -> LV
Grade: D+
Contract: 3 yr (1 remaining), $75 Million + $16 Million bonus with LV
Seattle Receives: 2025 3rd Round Pick
Reasoning: For the last few seasons, the Raiders haven’t been a winning organization. They went 4-13 last year, and seemingly don’t have the progress needed, but this is a start. For Geno Smith, this is a 50/50 situation. He’ll either pull the team together and have a winning season, or this is where his career will go to die. I’m not too optimistic for Geno, especially because he has one year left on his contract coming into a new organization. I don’t expect Smith to do too well, nor the Raiders. Las Vegas has Geno Smith until the end of this season, pending an extension.
QB Justin Fields PIT (F/A) -> NYJ
Grade: A-
Contract: 2 yr, $40 Million
Free Agent
Reasoning: This is exactly what the Jets needed after a nightmare last two seasons. They released Aaron Rodgers over the offseason, and Justin Fields could very well be what they need. A franchise quarterback who delivers results. Rodgers had the worst two seasons of his career in New York, and it’s unsure where he will go next, or if he even takes the field again. Justin Fields was better than decent in his starting stint in Chicago, and his backup position in Pittsburgh
QB Jameis Winston CLE (F/A) -> NYG
Grade: A-
Contract: 2 yr, $8 Million
Free Agent
Reasoning: Saquon Barkley knew his stuff. When Winston interviewed Barkley, he asked where he should go next year. Barkley replied, “I hear New York [Giants] need a quarterback.” This is what the Giants need. Quarterback who we know isn’t bad. If he can perform better than Daniel Jones did, he’ll have no problem staying in New York.
QB Daniel Jones MIN (F/A) -> IND
Grade: C-
Contract: 1 yr, $14 Million
Free Agent
Reasoning: Giants fans don’t really like Daniel Jones. They celebrated when he went to Minnesota. For good reason. He wasn’t the best quarterback that the Giants had had in recent years. This is obviously a back-up position for Jones, as I doubt he will start over Anthony Richardson. If he sees the field, I hope he does well. However, especially because he’s on a one year deal, I doubt Jones will do well.
QB Zach Wilson DEN (F/A) -> MIA
Grade: B-
Contract: 1 yr $6 Million
Free Agent
Reasoning: Miami is nearing a quarterback crisis. Tua Tagovailoa isn’t playing like he used to, nor is he staying healthy. This is a good signing not only for Zach Wilson, but the Dolphins organization too. Should Tua be out, Zach Wilson is the perfect fit to take the field, and possibly even win the starting spot, should he stay with Miami or sign an extension. I think Wilson can do better in Miami than he did in Denver.
QB Kenny Pickett PHI -> CLE
Grade: B+
Contract: 4 yr (1 yr remaining) $24 Million
Philadelphia Receives: QB Dorian Thompson-Robinson, 2025 5th Round Pick
Reasoning: Cleveland got themselves a Super Bowl-winning quarterback. Not exactly what fans had in mind, but it’ll do. Pickett is a good enough QB to fight for a starting spot on the Browns’ roster. He did fine in his stint in Philly, backing up Jalen Hurts, and did technically lead the Eagles to a Super Bowl. I think Cleveland’s situation has been patched with a band-aid, not fixed. Pickett has one year to prove himself in Cleveland.
QB Dorian Thompson-Robinson CLE -> PHI
Grade: B-
Contract: 3 yr (1 remaining) $4.18 Million
Cleveland Receives: QB Kenny Pickett
Reasoning: I think this trade actually was worse for the Eagles than the Browns. Kenny Pickett had moments of sub-optimal performance, but usually he did okay. Thompson-Robinson was a backup, and so was Pickett. This was essentially an eye for an eye kind of trade. I think Cleveland will do more with Pickett than Philadelphia will with Thompson-Robinson, but we’ll just have to wait and see.
Other Offensive Players
WR DK Metcalf SEA -> PIT
Grade: B+
Contract: 4 yr, $132 Million n
Seattle Receives: 2025 2nd Round Pick, 2025 7th Round Pick
Reasoning: Pittsburgh has now gotten a good Wide Receiver. They have made serious moves this offseason, and DK Metcalf is the final piece of the puzzle. Could 2025 be the year the Steelers advance through the playoffs? I think so. Look for DK Metcalf to do good in Pittsburgh.
WR Deebo Samuel Sr. SF -> WSH
Grade: D-
Contract: 3 yr (1 remaining) $76 Million ($20 Million remaining)
San Francisco Receives: 2025 5th Round Pick
Reasoning: Deebo Samuel isn’t the player he used to be. This is proven by the fact that the 49ers accepted a trade for a fifth round pick. I think he’ll be an okay addition to the Washington offense, but nothing revolutionary. I still think Washington is a great team, and they got a decent deal, but holy cow the 49ers stooped so low trading a once-great player for a late-round pick.
Defensive Players
S CJ Gardner-Johnson PHI -> HOU
Grade: A+
Contract: 3 yr (2 remaining), $27 Million
Philadelphia Receives: LG Kenyon Green, 2026 6th Round Pick
Reasoning: As an Eagles fan, it hurts me to grade this as high as I did. Gardner-Johnson is an elite safety, and he’ll do wonders for the Texans’ defense. He was a vital part of the Eagles’ secondary last season, and will surely perform the same way in Houston. The Texans have CJ for two more years.
EDGE Joey Bosa LAC (Released) -> BUF
Grade: B+
Contract: 1 yr, $12.6 Million
Released by Chargers
Reasoning: Big brother to San Francisco’s top DE Nick Bosa, Joey Bosa hasn’t always been the better brother even if he’s older. Joey has always been second fiddle to Nick, and the 49ers have done better than the Chargers over the Bosa brothers’ careers. However, with a move to the annual AFC Championship contender Buffalo Bills, Joey has a chance to shine. The reason this isn’t an A grade is because it’s only a one year deal. If Joey does good, he can solidify his claim as the top Bosa brother.
CB Darius Slay Jr. PHI (Released) -> PIT
Grade B+
Contract: 1 yr, $10 Million
Released by Eagles
Reasoning: It hurts me to write this after seeing my team release or trade the defense that won us Super Bowl LIX. But, that’s just how it goes. Slay is a great corner, and one that will do wonders for Pittsburgh. With the moves they’ve been making this offseason, I’m genuinely scared for the season the Steelers are going to have. Look for Slay and the Steelers to make a deep playoff run this season.
Those were only a few of the many transactions and free agency signings that have happened so far. There will be more happening, and some that I cannot cover. Overall, this has been a big offseason for many teams.
