5 Best and Worst NFC Free Agency Moves

Five Best NFC Free Agency Moves

• Tampa Bay Buccaneers Sign Wide Receiver Russell Gage to three-year, $30 million contract with $20 million guaranteed.
  • Though Mike Evans and Chris Godwin already provide Tampa with top receiver options, a team can never have enough weapons for newly unretired quarterback Tom Brady. Gage has also been productive recently, catching eight touchdowns to go along with 1,556 receiving yards in his last two years with Atlanta.

• New York Giants Sign Guard Mark Glowinski to three-year, $20 million contract with $11.4 million guaranteed
  • The Giants have needed help on the offensive line, and Glowinski adds a solid veteran presence. With the Colts, the guard helped provide openings for running back Jonathan Taylor, and Glowinski is coming off one of his stronger seasons, allowing just two sacks and eight quarterback hits in 843 snaps. Though some may not like the price, Glowinksi has remained healthy, only missing one game the past three seasons.

• Los Angeles Rams Sign Wide Receiver Allen Robinson to three-year, $46.5 million contract with $30.7 million guaranteed
  • The Super Bowl champions got stronger, adding a solid wide receiver option in Robinson. During his four years in Chicago, Robinson has garnered three 1,000- yard seasons and caught 18 touchdowns so his production shouldn’t be a question receiving from quarterback Matthew Stafford.

• Detroit Lions Sign Wide Receiver DJ Chark to one-year, fully guaranteed $10 million contract
  • The Lions needed to provide another weapon to quarterback Jared Goff alongside Amon-Ra St. Brown and although Chark is coming off an ankle injury, the deal is favorable for Detroit. When healthy, Chark is a quick receiver who went for 1,714 yards and 13 touchdowns the previous two seasons. The signing will give the young receiver a chance to prove his value for a longer contract.

• Philadelphia Eagles Sign Linebacker Haason Reddick to three-year, $45 million contract with $30 million guaranteed
  • Reddick has been productive these past two seasons, racking up 23.5 sacks and eight forced fumbles the past two seasons. Philadelphia landing a younger edge rusher who doesn’t appear to be slowing down is good for the Eagles’ defense, however Reddick does come at a higher price point. He also played college ball at Temple so this is a homecoming.

Five worst free agency moves of NFC

• San Francisco 49ers Sign Cornerback Charvarius Ward to three-year, $42 million contract with $26.7 million guaranteed
  • The 49ers needed a cornerback after their injury issues last season and they lost two to free agency. However, San Francisco paid a steep price to get Ward, who has played in 56 regular-season games and started in 43 of them to account for only four interceptions in his career and one forced fumble.

• Chicago Bears Sign Defensive Lineman Larry Ogunjobi to three-year, $40.5 million contract
  • Although Ogunjobi set career highs in sacks, tackles for loss and quarterback hits last season, the Bears are paying a high price. The lineman graded in the 50s on Pro Football Focus the past three seasons and sustained a foot injury in the Wild-Card round this past season, and the Bears could use more investment on the offensive line before pouring so much into defense.

• New Orleans Saints Sign Safety Marcus Maye to three-year, $28.5 million contract with $15 million guaranteed
  • After the Saints lost Marcus Williams to the Ravens, they were in need of another safety. When Maye is healthy, he’s a solid safety, with three interceptions and 13 pass breakups in 2019-20. However, in 2021, he suffered a season-ending Achilles injury, and the Saints may have overspent on a player they don’t know the recovery logistics of.

• Carolina Panthers Sign Wide receiver Rashard Higgins to one-year contract
  • The Panthers already have two wide receivers in DJ Moore and Robby Anderson, and when Christian McCaffrey is healthy, he offers another option in the passing attack. Though having another option at wide receiver is a good move, I’m not sure Higgins was, as his best season came in 2020, when he caught 37 passes for 599 yards and four touchdowns.

• Seattle Seahawks Sign Center Austin Blythe to one-year, $4 million contract
  • Blythe was a solid option at center in the beginning of his career, starting 47 times in the three seasons he was with the Rams. However, he appeared to regress last season with the Chiefs, playing in four games. The upside here is Seattle got Blythe at a relatively cheap price and he also has experience with Seahawks offensive coordinator Shane Waldron.