NFL clubs began signing deals for the 2024 season on Wednesday as the official “league” year began as teams reached NFL salary cap limits with cuts and acquiring free agents.
The Los Angeles Chargers released wide receiver Mike Williams after seven seasons with the club and the Baltimore Ravens traded offensive right tackle Morgan Moses to the New York Jets in deals just ahead of the changeover as a flurry of roster shifts became official.
The reigning Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs had defensive tackle Chris Jones sign a five-year deal worth $158.75 million with $101 million guaranteed, becoming the top-paid NFL player at the position.
Two-time NFL Most Valuable Player Patrick Mahomes reportedly restructured his contract to give the Chiefs an extra $21 million of space under the NFL salary cap that all teams had to reach by Wednesday afternoon.
Tennessee signed former Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver Calvin Ridley to a four-year deal on Wednesday worth $92 million, $60 million guaranteed according to the NFL Network.
Former Pittsburgh quarterback Mason Rudolph also agreed on a one-year deal with the Titans that could be worth up to $3.62 million.
Veteran quarterback Kirk Cousins left Minnesota for a four-year contract worth $180 million with the Atlanta Falcons while the Vikings replaced him with Sam Darnold, a former Jets and Carolina signal caller, on a one-year deal worth $10 million.
Jacoby Brissett, who filled in with Cleveland in 2022 while Deshaun Watson was serving a suspension and came off Washington’s bench last year, joined New England on a one-year deal with the Patriots looking at a quarterback with the third pick in next month’s NFL Draft.
Baltimore added NFL rushing leader Derrick Henry, who had 1,167 rushing yards last season, to a Ravens’ unit already the NFL’s most formidable rushing team behind NFL MVP quarterback Lamar Jackson, a devastating run-pass threat. Baltimore needed help after losing rusher Gus Edwards to the Chargers.
Running back Saquon Barkley jumped from the New York Giants to the NFC East division rival Philadelphia Eagles on a three-year deal worth $37.7 million. The Giants landed ex-Houston rusher Devin Singletary while the Texas filled the vacancy with a trade deal for Cincinnati’s Joe Mixon.
Another arch-rival jump saw Ravens linebacker Patrick Queen leave for the Pittsburgh Steelers, which sparked social media joy from new Steelers quarterback Russell Wilson, who flopped in Denver after winning a Super Bowl with Seattle.
The Las Vegas Raiders, who added free agent quarterback Gardner Minshew, released quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo, who faces a two-game ban in 2024 for violating the NFL’s performance-enhancing substances policy, and wide receiver Hunter Renfrow.
