NFL Free Agency: Weekend Roundup

The 2024 free agent period is nearly settled, with teams and players still free to move around but few of either still looking to do so. This article will recap some of the weekend's otherwise sparse developments and probably put a bow on our free agency news coverage. Following the news blurbs this article will quickly list some of the biggest headlines to occur over this free agency period, taking quick inventory of the biggest stories from the past week.

MIKE WILLIAMS STILL IN THE WIND

As of Monday morning Mike Williams still had not signed with a team, though the list of suitors is at least coming into view somewhat. ESPN's Adam Schefter reported that Williams will visit Carolina, Pittsburgh and the Jets this week, perhaps clarifying Williams' most likely 2024 options. Not wish ill on Carolina or Pittsburgh, but it would be a dreary outcome for Williams' fantasy purposes if he landed with either team, especially Carolina. With the Jets there would at least be the chance that Williams benefits from the play of a future Hall of Fame quarterback, albeit one over 40 years old whose third-eye spiritual journeys might lead him to participate in a doomed third-party presidential ticket instead of the 2024 NFL season. And that's before you get to the Achilles' tendon detail.

The sad reality is that Williams is staring down the prospect of sharp imminent decline with age-30 coming up Oct. 4. Particularly given his injury history and his current recovery from a torn ACL, Williams' age-related decline might hit hard when it does arrive. He was never an especially fast player, either, and any receiver will struggle if they're only running a 4.65 or some such number on the boundary. Meanwhile, it's unlikely that Williams has the short-area movement necessary to rebrand as a slot receiver, like Adam Thielen successfully did last year.

Hopefully some cushy role awaits Williams from a surprise buyer aside from the three named previously, but the party might mostly be over.

QUARTERBACK CAROUSEL IN PITTSBURGH

For most of the offseason it looked like the Steelers might try to solve their quarterback situation by selecting a rookie quarterback with the 20th overall selection, but they've probably put that question to rest after acquiring Justin Fields by trade. The Steelers quickly announced that, despite acquiring Fields, free agent signing Russell Wilson would be the starting quarterback. It's a fast and cruel descent for Fields, but Fields' lack of market is not a measurement of his abilities per se, but rather a reflection of the fact that he was caught in the bad part of a market cycle. It also reflects how many NFL coaches are ideologically opposed to utilizing a non-traditional quarterback – to the extent that they'll willingly choose an alternative who isn't even as good of a passer as Fields – truly prioritizing aesthetic over substance.

Fields has largely been rejected, yes, but he has been rejected by the same people who rejected Lamar Jackson. The people who rejected Lamar Jackson insist to this day that they were never wrong, that Jackson's success is basically illegitimate because he ran too much doing it. Players like Fields are always at risk of marginalization in a league that is basically crooked with interest conflicts, but the NFL is comically bad at evaluating quarterbacks and you know, maybe it's a mark of honor to be rejected by the same fraternity of minds who valuated Daniel Jones at $40 million per year.

All of that said, Fields' 2024 fantasy outlook is bleak and at the very best he'll need to wait a year before his next serious opportunity. Fields will be a free agent after this year, so his market should widen once his current contract is up.

As far as Wilson goes, he might or might not have fantasy value in a Pittsburgh offense that figures to run as much as possible. The Steelers should do a good job of protecting Wilson and playing to his strengths, but Wilson's abilities as a passer don't scale up, limiting his volume upside, and it's not clear how much he might be given the greenlight to run in Pittsburgh. If Wilson can come through as a fantasy bargain in 2024 it might require a substantial rushing output. That's all before you get to accounting for the departure of the since-traded Diontae Johnson – Pittsburgh's wideout crew figures to be among the thinnest in the NFL.

KJ OSBORN TO NEW ENGLAND

The Patriots fought hard to sign Calvin Ridley but ultimately could not match the sky-high offer from Tennessee. To go from Ridley to Osborn is less than a consolation prize – players like Osborn are nearly pointless, but especially to a bad team. Osborn is a wily blocker who can function as a WR4 type in an offense with other productive players leading the way. In New England there's pretty much just Demario Douglas and maybe the running game to draw attention away from Osborn, who previously struggled even with defenses ignoring him to focus on Justin Jefferson.

As much as the Patriots are trying to move past Bill Belichick, they might not have the present means to do more than play a run-heavy, defensive style of football again in 2024.

TYLER HUNTLEY TO CLEVELAND

The Pro Bowl was always probably a silly game, but at least back in the day a Pro Bowl nod really meant something. Here we are in 2024 and Tyler Huntley – an admirable and fully likable backup – has a Pro Bowl credit to his name. If the Ravens had allowed their "Pro Bowl" quarterback to walk to the Browns 20 years ago it would have been a cataclysmic event. When Huntley left the Ravens for the Browns over the weekend, though, hardly anyone could have cared.

Indeed, the Ravens didn't care either, as they unceremoniously replaced Huntley with Josh Johnson and Malik Cunningham while Huntley walked for peanuts to a division rival. Huntley will compete with Jameis Winston to back up Deshaun Watson. If Watson is expired for whatever reason (he sure has looked it) then the backup quarterback in Cleveland could become fantasy-relevant in 2024. It just seems much more likely to be Winston than Huntley, who quite simply can't throw the ball.

QUICK RECAP

-Lots of running backs moved around and shook up the fantasy rankings as a result.

Saquon Barkley left the Giants and might deal some payback from his new offense in Philadelphia.

The previous starting Philadelphia runner, D'Andre Swift, has left the division to start for the Bears.

Derrick Henry headed northeast and figures to look intimidating in Ravens purple and black.

Josh Jacobs joined the Packers, who cut Aaron Jones to create the room and funding. The Vikings added Jones almost immediately afterward.

Joe Mixon was traded to the Texans.

Tony Pollard left Dallas to split reps with Tyjae Spears in Tennessee.

Austin Ekeler signed with Washington, presumably to function as a passing-down specialist.

Even guys like Gus Edwards (Chargers), Devin Singletary (Giants) and Antonio Gibson (New England) could pop up as fantasy-relevant in their new locations.

-Calvin Ridley signs with Tennessee, Gabe Davis signs with Jacksonville

These two events occurred in opposite order, but Ridley grabs more headlines so he leads. Jacksonville GM Trent Baalke is one of earth's premier clowns and he managed to let Ridley sign with a divisional rival out of a silly attempt to save one round of draft pick equity. The Jaguars could have signed Ridley earlier and trade a second-round pick to Atlanta, but by waiting for the league year to start (and thus open Ridley to competing bidders) the Jaguars were to 'save' by only trading a third-round pick to Atlanta. Now they traded a third and have nothing!

Davis was signed before Ridley's departure to Tennessee was made official, but now Baalke will have to pretend that Davis is a suitable replacement. Perhaps Davis was misused by Buffalo (he was), but Davis is no Ridley and now Trevor Lawrence will pay for Baalke's negligence.

-Keenan Allen traded to Chicago

Presumed first overall pick Caleb Williams will have a much better supporting cast than Justin Fields ever did in Chicago, inheriting a top-three pass catcher rotation of Allen, DJ Moore and Cole Kmet. Moore and Kmet were already hyper-efficient with Fields, so adding Allen gives the Bears a fully-realized group of plus pass catchers. Again, that is something the Bears were very careful to never give Fields. Oh well!

Meanwhile, Justin Herbert is left with neither Allen nor Mike Williams. Josh Palmer and Quentin Johnston is not gonna cut it, no matter how many yards the Chargers run for in 2024.

-Kirk Cousins signs with Atlanta

Even with age-36 on the horizon as he attempts to rehab an Achilles' tendon tear, Cousins' arrival in Atlanta understandably has hopes higher than they've been in something like five years. It would be a godsend if Cousins could somehow come out at 100 percent, especially to the fantasy prospects of Kyle Pitts and Drake London. The Vikings, however, presumably were not as excited by this.

-Tee Higgins and Michael Pittman franchise tagged; Pittman gets extended

Both Tee Higgins and Michael Pittman were initially tagged by their respective teams, but the Colts were able hammer out a three-year extension with their star receiver whereas the Bengals find themselves in a difficult position with less money to spend. Higgins has since demanded a trade – who knows what might come of it.

-Diontae Johnson traded to Carolina

What can you say? Brutal.