The 104th NFL season came to an end with the Kansas City Chiefs winning Super Bowl 58 in Las Vegas. This was after an incredible 18-week regular season and 5 playoff weeks, including the Pro Bowl, creating a 23-week football season for fans to enjoy. The Super Bowl week was capped off with the Chiefs winning the Super Bowl rematch from four years ago in OT with a score of 25-22. The Chiefs are the first team to win back-to-back Super Bowls since the ‘03-’04 New England Patriots.
Though the next season doesn’t kick off until September, on March 13, 2024, the new league year officially begins. What this means is that contracts that are expiring, officially expire. At 4 pm EST, players can sign a contract with whatever team offers them. The offseason is always interesting, and the QB market usually dominates the headlines. This year can prove that theory true. Some veteran QBs could be on their way out and head to another team. Russel Wilson might as well be one of those veterans, as he was benched the final two weeks of the season by the Denver Broncos. His time with Denver has been rocky since he was traded in 2022 from the Seattle Seahawks. The team came into the 2022 season with playoff expectations but fell flat on their face at the end. They brought in Sean Payton to coach and take the team to the playoffs, but they didn’t make it yet again and benched Wilson when they still had playoff hopes. After the benching, it seemed all but likely his time in Denver was all but over.
Another veteran QB who could be on his way out is Kirk Cousins, who signed with the Minnesota Vikings in
2018 and has been starting for the past six years. He’s 35 years old and is coming off an Achilles tear. Before his injury in week 8, he led the NFL in passing yards with 2331. Cousins has led the Vikings to two playoff berths in 2019 and 2022. Though Cousins didn’t lead Minnesota to the playoffs his first year, one QB who is on the market this year is Baker Mayfield.
Mayfield, the number one pick in the 2018 draft, signed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers last offseason to replace Tom Brady, who had just retired. Many thought he would be one and done in Florida but he proved them all wrong. Baker led Tampa to the playoffs and won the weak NFC South. In the playoffs, they beat the defending NFC champion, Philadelphia Eagles in a blowout, and then went to Detroit and put up a fight but lost in the end.
While these three QBS are veterans with experience, one QB that could be on the move is the Chicago Bears, Justin Fields. The third-year QB has struggled in his time in the windy city, and with the Bears having the number 1 pick, for the second straight year, his bags may have been packed already. Though he isn’t a free agent he could be traded in the offseason. Many experts have the Bears taking USC QB Caleb Williams and trading Fields. It would be a smart money move as Fields is playing on an expiring contract next year and if they draft Williams, they would start with a fresh QB with a rookie contract.
Though the QB market dominates the league, some big-name free agents remain. Chiefs DE Chris Jones, Cincinnati Bengals WR Tee Higgins, EDGE Josh Allen of the Jacksonville Jaguars, Carolina Panthers EDGE Brian Burns, and WR Micheal Pittman of the Indianapolis Colts are some of the top free agents this year. The bigger question is not who are the top free agents, but where will they go?
Based on reports from NFL insiders, these are where some of the top free agents/ players are on the trading block. Let’s start with Fields. The 24-year Ohio State product will end up with the Atlanta Falcons this offseason in a trade. The Falcons are the best choice for Fields as they have young weapons for him and a rookie head coach. Falcons fan Jagger McCredie ’27 said “I wouldn’t be mad if Fields comes to Atlanta since he’s a young QB that’s proven”
While Fields is on the move, Baker is staying in Tampa. Mayfield has publicly stated that he wants to remind a Buc for another season. It wouldn’t be such a bad move to re-sign Mayfield to a two-year contract and see what comes of it. Other free agents who aren’t on the move are Jones since he just won back-to-back Super Bowls, Allen, Pittman, and Burns. Tee Higgins leaves the Bengals and goes to the Carolina Panthers, whose WR room is dry since trading star D.J. Moore to the Bears for the number 1 overall pick in last year’s draft.
A surprising move that could happen is Cousins staying with the Vikings. The Vikings have the 11th pick in the draft and aren’t in a position to draft a top QB, so a two-year deal would be ideal for both sides.
For the other 35-year QB who could be out, Wilson might be headed to the Pittsburgh Steelers. The Steelers have been plagued with terrible QB play for the past few years, and a veteran QB might be the way to change it. Wilson can still play at an elite level and with a new offensive coordinator in Pittsburgh this might be the perfect match.
