After the 2023/2024 NFL Season, many top-tier players are going into the free agency as their contracts expire. These players include Derrick Henry, Tee Higgins, and Chris Jones. How free agency works in the NFL is that as players’ contracts expire, they can sign with any team that gives them a certain amount of money. This allows many teams to be able to add many important pieces to their teams that they have been missing in the past.
One player that could be very important to other teams is Chiefs Defensive Lineman Chris Jonee. Jones is one of the best rushers in the league as he had almost 11 sacks and 10 assists according to ESPN. He was a major reason for the Chief’s success as they won the Super Bowl this year and Chris Jones was a big contributor to that. The Chiefs are going to have some competition when they resign him this offseason. Another key player at the end of their contract is Tee Higgins of the Cincinnati Bengals. Higgins is widely known as one of the best WR2s in the whole league and contributes heavily to the stacked receiving core of Jammar Chase, Tee Higgins, and Tyler Boyd that the Bengals have that put them in contention to make a deep run in the playoffs almost every year. Kirk Cousins, Quarterback for the Minnesota Vikings is also at the end of his contract and he could be a huge addition to many teams who are just missing skill at the QB position like the Atlanta Falcons and the Cleveland Browns. Cousins has been dealing with injuries however as he tore his Achilles early last season. This does not make him a big target for many teams as he is one of the safest passers in the league, putting up great stats each year while having very few interceptions. Lastly, another player who could complete many teams next season is edge rusher Josh Allen of the Jacksonville Jaguars. Allen is a very skilled edge rusher and his presence is always felt every time he jumps off the line. Teams that could benefit heavily from him are the Minnesota Vikings and the Los Angeles Chargers as they both have extremely high-powered offenses and they are just missing a few key pieces on their defense to make them contenders.
The free agency is a very good tool for teams to use to help finish their rosters to make them good contenders. An example of this is the Miami Dolphins. Two years ago, they were an alright team going 9-8 and just missing the playoffs. In the free agency of that summer, they picked up Chiefs WR Tyreek Hill, widely known as one of the best in the league and it helped their team substantially. They became one of the highest-powered offenses in the league and led the league in many stats such as passing yards, points per game, and offensive ratings. This shows how much free agency benefits teams and how important it is for the NFL.
