Whew. What a day of offseason goodness in the NFL.
We got everything a fan would want: wild trades, humongous contracts that ignited debate, and some teams whose stocks went up and down. And in the middle of a time without sports, we needed that.
Although there are plenty of other league-changing moves to be made (hello, Tom Brady, Philip Rivers and Jameis Winston, we’ll get to that), there are still plenty of transactions to rate, as we’ve been doing throughout the offseason.
So let’s declare who’s won so far and who can be called a loser. Here’s a breakdown:
Winners
Baltimore Ravens
A really good team that just got better. They kept pass rusher Matt Judon, signed DT Michael Brockers, traded a fifth-rounder for Calais Campebell, and dealt tight end Hayden Hurst — a talented player, but at a position of strength for the Ravens — for a second-rounder.
Miami Dolphins
You knew they were primed for a big offseason between the haul of draft picks and cap space. Now, the defense can boast a top cornerback in Byron Jones, a game-changing linebacker in Kyle Van Noy and Shaq Lawson, who might have proved last season he’s getting better at rushing quarterbacks. The offensive line will have Ereck Flowers, who might not be the best of signings, but if he shows last season wasn’t a fluke, it’s a positive.
Arizona Cardinals
Anytime you can make a trade for a top wideout that even Madden would reject, you do it 100 times out of 100.
San Francisco 49ers
A Super Bowl team who traded what ended up being a very highly-paid defensive tackle in DeForest Buckner for the 13th overall pick is a move that doesn’t look great on paper for the 2020 squad. But they saved money they’ll need later, paid Arik Armstead and will have an extra first-rounder for their troubles.
Marcus Mariota
He loses his job in Tennessee and presumably now gets a chance to compete for a starting job in Las Vegas with the Raiders if/when Jon Gruden sours on Derek Carr.
Big-name wide receivers
Stefon Diggs got his wish and got out of Minnesota thanks to a whopper of a trade to the Buffalo Bills. Amari Cooper got a humongous deal. DeAndre Hopkins might be the happiest that he got away from what could be a big mess in Houston and joins a team on the rise with the Cardinals.
Cleveland Browns
I’m on the fence with them. Grabbing Austin Hooper seems like a luxury when David Njoku is still around, despite the latter’s struggles last season. But they needed help on the offensive line and will get it with Jack Conklin. So I’ll say they win.
NFL fans
It was so good to have some sports to focus on, wasn’t it?
Losers
Houston Texans
Ugh. Bill O’Brien trades Hopkins for David Johnson, who looked awful while battling injuries last year. Then, he compounds that by giving a lot of money to an aging Randall Cobb.
Dallas Cowboys
Yes, they’ll retain Dak Prescott and Cooper, and that’s important for the contenders. But they’ve made a mess of their contracts and loss Jones, a vital defender. Not great.
Tom Brady and other QBs
Brady’s market has mostly dried up, maybe a sign that acquiring the GOAT might not be all it’s cracked up to be. And it feels like he might be holding up the QB dominoes. After he goes, the floodgates will open with Jameis Winston, Philip Rivers and Andy Dalton.
Chicago Bears
Why are they throwing money at Jimmy Graham, a shell of his former star self, when they already have Trey Burton? And Adam Shaheen? And Demetrius Harris? What the heck???
Teams who gave a lot of money to offensive linemen
Halapoulivaati Vaitai got $50 million from the Lions! Flowers got $30 million from the Dolphins! Graham Glasgow got $44 million from Broncos! Get the idea? Those teams were desperate for help and probably overpaid for talent that doesn’t match the contracts. I get that you need a good O-line in the NFL. But maybe wait until the draft and roll the dice that way?
