A $20 million-dollar deal was struck between running back Derrick Henry and the Baltimore Ravens with his eyes set on winning his first Super Bowl.
Henry who is entering his ninth season in the league has spent eight seasons with the Tennessee Titans, racking up an impressive 90 touchdowns for 9,502 yards over 2030 carries.
Being one of the leagues most dominant ball carriers due to his durability and power since being draft back in 2016, there’s no question why the Ravens wouldn’t look to add the veteran to their roster.
In addition to this, Baltimore being in a successful window with their extremely talented roster after an AFC Championship appearance last year really emphasises that John Harbaugh and his franchise are more ready than ever to get their hands on the Lombardi trophy.
However, fierce competition in the AFC such as the Kansas City Chiefs, Houston Texans and New York Jets will make this feat even more challenging for the Ravens who haven’t lifted the trophy since 2013.
Being tied seventh for the highest paid running back in the NFL, this move which sees the Alabama graduate playing in the AFC North at face value provides the Ravens with a lot of upside. John Harbaugh obtains one of the most reliable and dominant runners of the football, who has averaged 306 carries over the past five seasons.
Building on this, last years MVP winner Lamar Jackson will further his shelf life with Henry keeping him out of situations where he could get injured on the run.
Kirk Cousins - Minnesota Vikings to Atlanta Falcons
The previous Washington Commanders and Minnesota Vikings quarterback has received his third big money contract of his career. Putting pen to paper with the Atlanta Falcons on a $180 million-dollar five year contract where $150 million is fully guaranteed.
The 35-year-old was holding out for a new contract from Minnesota where he’s spent his last five seasons, but once the project and figures of the deal were presented by the NFC South side it seemed like an offer he couldn’t refuse.
Over his 11 years in the NFL Cousins has thrown for 39,471 yards with a 66.9% pass completion rate. His consistent output clearly shows why the Falcons saw him as the missing piece for their offence.
Upon his arrival one player Cousins will be looking to unlock is Tight End Kyle Pitts; the 2021 first round pick has struggled with his output since his rookie season where he racked up 1,026 yards from 68 receptions out of 110 targets.
His inconsistency over the past two seasons has gone hand in hand with the lack of a solid quarterback at the helm. Since Pitts was draft the Falcons have had spells of Matt Ryan, Marcus Mariota, Desmond Ridder and Taylor Heinicke at the wheel; during this time the 23-year-old has caught for 1,023 yards over his past two campaigns merely matching his productivity in his rookie season.
Other offensive pieces which make Atlanta one of the more dangerous teams in the NFC this year is their 2023 first round pick Bijan Robinson as well as wide-receivers Drake London and Darnell Mooney. If cousins can efficiently use these pieces to his advantage the NFC North could be wrapped up early.
A major risk with the acquisition of Cousins is his glooming achilles tear he suffered last year in week 8 versus the Green Bay Packers. This set back was the first major injury of his career but now raises eyebrows as to where the veteran quarterback can bounce back.
As well as the recent injury to worry about in the 2024 draft Atlanta took Michigan quarterback Michael Penix Jr. in the first round. Seen as a shock to many, if Cousins does have another long-term injury not only will the $150 million-dollar guaranteed seem wasted but the newly drafted 24-year-old will be eager to solidify a starting role in the offence if he can impress.
Saquan Barkley - New York Giants to Philadelphia Eagles
The ex-Penn State graduate is seen league wide as a top 5 running back when at the top of his game; and having offered the 27-year-old $37.75 million over three years, the Eagles are hoping to see Barkley display similar production to his rookie campaign where he averaged 5 yards per carry and scoring 11 touchdowns for 1,307 yards.
As well as one of the leagues best rushers of the football, Barkley too is a magnet for receiving the ball down field. His previous side the New York Giants saw him contribute to 86 first downs for 2,100 yards in the passing game alone. Proving he is one of the most consistent dual-threat attacking pieces in the league.
His explosiveness and block shedding ability will be a great asset within this Philadelphia offence for the upcoming season; giving quarterback Jaylen Hurts little to no excuses (with the aid of Barkley, A.J. Brown, Devonte Smith and Dallas Goedhart) to make sure the NFC East side retake their divisional title after falling short to a 12-5 Dallas Cowboys last time round.
The 27-year-old could see a slight dip in his production for the upcoming 2024 season due to the highly illusive Hurts but when there are many mouths to feed in one setup reps will reluctantly have to be shared and Barkley can only put on show his skills if the ball is handed to him.
However the only real concern with this free agency move for their future cornerstone running back is his injury history. During the 2020 season Barkley suffered a grade three ACL tear ending his third year short and since then no rekindling of the potential season ending injury has occurred. However if this issue does arise for a second time in four years Philadelphia could be losing out on a large sum of money and greatly damage their chances to make a deep run in the playoffs.
Steffon Diggs - Houston Texans
Seen as one of the league best route-runners, veteran wide-receiver Steffon Diggs has been traded to the Houston Texans ending his four year relationship with quarterback Josh Allen. As part of the deal the Buffalo Bills receive a second-round pick for the 2025 draft (via Minnesota).
This one year deal is fully guaranteed earning the 30-year-old $22.5 million dollars and allows the Texans to become a true competitor for the Super Bowl this time round, last year Houston suffered a humbling 34-10 defeat to Baltimore during the AFC divisional round ending their season.
Head coach DeMarco Ryans and his staff will be hoping to breakdown opposition with their wide variety of offensive weapons, including: Diggs, Tank Dell, Nico Collins, Dalton Schultz, Dameon Pierce and Joe Mixon.
The trade for Diggs shows Houstons true hunger with the added experience of the wide-out. Last year Dell and Collins displayed very promising performances, now with the added gusto of the veteran their rather raw talent can now be moulded into what quarterback C.J. Stroud truly needs in order to steer his franchise towards greatness.
Since being drafted back in 2015, Diggs has recorded an impressive 9,995 yards whilst averaging 12.3 yards per catch for 67 touchdowns.
The key to this impressive record is down to Diggs’ footwork, he’s able to slickly create separation between his opposing cornerback thus allowing himself to receive the ball with time and space on his side.
A slight concern for this trade is the potential to miss out on a truly great rookie in next year’s draft which is touted to contain a significant amount of talent.
Another potential hiccup is the reduced production by the Maryland graduate, Diggs would have to have to accept the even distribution of targets between stars such as Schultz, Dell and Collins down field.
Going back to the trade as a whole if the Texans can make the AFC Championship or better, general manager Nick Caserio and Ryans will feel their draft sacrifice was worth while.
Patrick Queen - Pittsburgh Steelers
A divisional move from Baltimore to Pittsburgh sees linebacker Patrick Queen join Steelers coach Mike Tomlin and his well-oiled machine. Queen was persuaded to switch purple for yellow with a deserved 3-year $41 million dollar contract.
Since his arrival in the NFL Queen has produced 454 total tackles and 13.5 sacks across 67 games.
Previously partnering one of the leagues best in Roquan Smith, the linebacker will have to create a new dynamic connection with current Steeler Alex Highsmith to truly compete for the AFC North in 2024.
An impressive season of piercing offensive lines, swatting passes and providing crunching tackles earned the LSU graduate his first first-team all-pro inclusion of his career.
The 24-year-old will be joining star defensive-end T.J. Watt, cornerback duo Joey Porter and Minkah Fitzpatrick, along with the previously mentioned Highsmith who were ranked the seventh best defence
Despite their abundance of talent on defence, Tomlin’s side face a real challenge to qualify for next years playoffs against the Ravens who remain one of the strongest teams in the entire NFL; a Cincinnati Bengals side who look forward to their star quarterback Joe Burrow returning from injury, and the heavily slept on Cleveland Browns.
This offseason move to secure the highly experienced linebacker proves Pittsburgh are definitely one to watch going into 2024 but their offence may hold back their expectations for the season, nevertheless this shouldn’t take away from the brilliant offseason poach the Steelers have made.
Calvin Ridley - Tennessee Titans
A whopping $92 million dollar four-year deal was offered to the ex-Jaxonville Jaguar wide-out raising eyebrows as a potential overpay for the Alabama graduates services.
The 29-year-old marked his return to the NFL with a 1,016 yard season, scoring eight touchdowns from 136 targets, Ridley was suspended due to breaching the leagues gambling regulations putting him out of action across the 2021 and 2022 seasons.
Starting quarterback Will Levis will look to combine with Ridley as his main outlet down field, putting less emphasis on the aging De’Andre Hopkins to shine for the entire regular season. In addition to this head coach Brian Callahan and co. will feel their new wide-receiver still has plenty of years left in the tank having missed out on a hefty amount of football.
Tennessee will look to deploy their new wideout in areas where he can use his sharp cuts and acceleration to break free from the tight man-to-man coverage, across the 2023 season Ridley averaged more yards per catch than receivers for Detroit Lions Amon-Ra St. Brown, Bengals Ja’Marr Chase and Cowboys CeeDee Lamb with 13.4.
General manager Ran Carthon and Callahan picked up additional veteran free agents to help lead this rather youthful team. These signings include: slot-receiver Tyler Boyd from the Bengals, ex-Cowboys running back Tony Pollard and Lloyd Cushenberry the ex-Denver Broncos centre.
Building on these additions the Titans were also extremely active improving their defensive side of the ball, picking up two-time Super Bowl champion L’Jarius Sneed on a four year $76 million dollar deal.
Having used a large sum of money going into the 2024 season the Titans will be looking to get back into the playoff mix having missed out the pass two seasons, however this job may sound easier than expected with all three division rivals also aiming to reach the playoff picture come January next year.
With the Titans still in a transitional period there isn’t much pressure for Levis’ and Ridley’s connection to hit the ground running but the fans will want to see glimpses of a partnership which can lead the franchise forward for years to come.
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