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| Tuesday, March 11, 2025 |
| Welcome to the Tuesday edition of the Pick Six newsletter! |
| We're less than 24 hours into the unofficial start of free agency and things have already gone off the rails. The legal tampering period started at noon yesterday and since then, we've seen more than 60 players agree to a new deal (they can't officially sign their deals until tomorrow at 4 p.m. ET). |
| As the tampering period heads into Day 2, deals will be happening all day Tuesday. If you want to stay on top of all those deals, then you're definitely going to want to click here so you can follow all the action in our free agency live blog (I will be running point on this live blog, so you'll definitely want to follow along). If you're too busy to follow a live blog, you can also click here to check out our free agent tracker that will be updated any time one of the top 100 free agents signs a deal. |
| As always, here's your daily reminder to tell all your friends to sign up for the newsletter. To get them signed up, all you have to do is click here. |
| 1. Free agency grades for every team after Day 1 of the tampering period |
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| After just 24 hours of legal tampering, you might think it's too early to start handing out grades, but guess what, we're going to do it anyway. Tyler Sullivan put on his professor hat and graded EVERY team based on what they did Monday. |
| Let's check out a few of his grades: |
| Bears: A. "The biggest needs for the Chicago Bears were to solidify the offensive line in front of Caleb Williams and add another pass rusher opposite Montez Sweat. Check and check! Chicago was proactive before the negotiating window opened, executing trades for guards Joe Thuney and Jonah Jackson, who should both start. Then, they added the top center on the market in Drew Dalman."Colts: B. "After ranking in the bottom third of the NFL in passing yards allowed in 2024, the Colts have made it a point to improve the secondary. On Day 1, the club landed corner Charvarius Ward and safety Camryn Bynum, who are both set-and-forget starters."Eagles: C-. "The Super Bowl champs lose two key figures to their championship run in Josh Sweat and Milton Williams, which is why their grade is what it is. Philadelphia will still threaten to hoist the Lombardi Trophy in 2025, but it'll need to cushion the blow of losing those two pieces on defense."49ers: D. "The Niners have seen a lot of talent walk out the door over the last few weeks. It started with the Deebo Samuel trade to Washington but continued on Monday with the likes of Aaron Banks, Jaylon Moore, and Talanoa Hufanga departing in free agency. Meanwhile, not a lot has come in." |
| We have grades for every team and you can check those out here. |
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| 2. Grading some of Monday's biggest deals in free agency |
| I know we already handed out some team grades, but there have been so many deals over the past 24 hours that we thought it made sense to start grading some individual deals, so that's what we're going to do right now. |
| Here's a look at the grades we handed out for some of the biggest deals that went down on Monday involving defensive players: |
| Josh Sweat to the Cardinals (four years, $76.4 million): C+. "Jonathan Gannon sorely needed pass rushing help, and now he gets some thanks to a reunion with his old Eagles pal. Sweat has been more solid and streaky than spectacular, but at 27, he could help change the face of Arizona's front for years to come."Haason Reddick to the Buccaneers (one year, $14 million): A-. "Todd Bowles has gotten elite production from his off-ball linebackers, but Tampa Bay has needed a bona fide quarterback hunter for a while. Reddick was a non-factor in 2024 amid a contract dispute, but he's thrived as a sack artist for hire in the past."Carlton Davis to the Patriots (three years, $60 million): C+. "Well, Mike Vrabel is certainly getting himself a feisty defense. Davis brings attitude to New England's secondary after a battle-tested run with the Lions. The $20 million annual price tag is a lot for a guy who's often banged up, however." D.J. Reed to the Lions (two years, $11.43 million): B-. "With Carlton Davis leaving town for a bigger payday, Detroit gets a solid consolation prize in Reed, who was sturdy, if unsplashy, for both the Seattle Seahawks and New York Jets. It's a classic plug-and-play option on the perimeter." |
| Cody Benjamin graded a total of 18 deals from Monday, and you can check those out here. |
| 3. Winners and losers from Day 1: Rough start for Giants and Steelers |
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| Not only are we handing out grades after only 24 hours of free agency, but we've also got some winners and losers. |
| Cody Benjamin came up with a full list and we're going to check out his losers below: |
| LOSERS |
| Steelers. "Badly needing something -- anything -- at quarterback, the AFC North squad let Justin Fields walk (and find literally greener pastures), only to find itself seemingly juggling between two aging signal-callers in Aaron Rodgers and Russell Wilson. Maybe their answer there will thrive with DK Metcalf plugged into the receiving corps, but their roster-building strategy remains curious." Giants. "Adding Paulson Adebo at cornerback is legitimately promising; he's been a ball magnet when healthy, and he's still young. The bigger concerns, however, remain glaring: They could be boxed into an aging journeyman at quarterback (barring a future splash atop the draft), they've still got a sizable hole on the interior of the offensive line, and safety is still a question mark after 2024's loss of Xavier McKinney."Bills wide receiver investments. "Look, nothing against Joshua Palmer, who got $36 million to be Josh Allen's latest downfield option. Maybe Allen will finally elevate the wideout from speedy sidekick to legit starter. A year after Buffalo settled -- or overpaid -- for scraps like Curtis Samuel and Marquez Valdes-Scantling, however, it stands to reason the team could've allocated its resources a little better when it comes to Allen's perimeter weaponry." |
| If you want to see Cody's list of winners, you can do that here. |
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| 4. Texans make two surprising trades: Full details on deals with Commanders and Eagles |
| The Houston Texans pulled off a huge shocker on Monday when they decided to trade away their starting left tackle, Laremy Tunsil, to the Washington Commanders. Tunsil has made the Pro Bowl in five of the past six seasons and there had been no indication the Texans were thinking about dealing him, which is why the trade was such a huge surprise. |
| Here's a look at the trade details: |
| Commanders receive: Laremy Tunsil, 2025 fourth-round pickTexans receive: 2025 third-round pick, 2025 seventh-round pick, 2026 second-round pick, 2026 fourth-round pick |
| Here's a look at our grades from the trade (via Jordan Dajani): |
| Commanders grade: B+. "Rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels was sacked 47 times, which ranked sixth most in the NFL, but some of those sacks had more to do with his playing style, if you will. Tunsil is one of the best left tackles in the league -- especially when it comes to pass blocking. If this transaction directly leads to Washington winning a Super Bowl in the next two years, it's an "A+" move. However, keep in mind that this transaction may not be done just yet. Tunsil has two more years and $42.6 million remaining on his current contract, according to Spotrac, but no guaranteed money in 2026. That makes me think an adjustment or extension is coming for him. Tunsil is already the No. 3 highest-paid left tackle in the game. What kind of contract is he about to sign?" Texans grade: C-. " The Texans got worse on Monday, and they got worse in an area where they wanted to get better this offseason. Houston's offensive line struggled in 2024, and allowed C.J. Stroud to be sacked 52 times. The offensive line was a reason why the Texans offense as a whole took a step backwards in 2024. ... Tunsil's looming extension/new contract likely played a major factor in this decision to move him, but it's tough to replace a talent like Tunsil. The Texans will not be able to make a deep playoff run if the offensive line is worse than last year." |
| If you want to check out Dajani's full explanation for each grade, we've got that here. |
| But wait, we're not done here. On Tuesday, the Texans turned around and traded ANOTHER offensive lineman. |
| Here's a look at the trade details from CBS Sports NFL insider Jonathan Jones: |
| Texans get: S C.J. Gardner-Johnson, 2026 sixth-round pickEagles get: G Kenyon Green, 2026 fifth-round pick |
| Stroud got sacked 58 times last season, which was the second most in the NFL, and the Texans have now traded away Green and Tunsil, who were arguably their two best linemen. At the rate things are going, Stroud might get sacked 100 times in 2025. |
| We've got a full story on the Eagles-Texans trade, and you can check that out here. |
| 5. QB carousel: Seahawks get Sam Darnold, Jets land Justin Fields, Daniel Jones headed to Indianapolis |
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| One position that's always worth watching in free agency is quarterback, and there was a lot of action revolving around quarterbacks over the past 24 hours |
| Let's take a look at what went down at the NFL's most important position: |
| Sam Darnold agrees to terms with Seahawks. The Seahawks will officially be going from Geno Smith to Sam Darnold at quarterback. That's not a guaranteed upgrade, but Seattle did save some money. One reason Smith was traded is because he was reportedly looking for a deal that paid him $45 million per year. Darnold's asking price wasn't anywhere near that with the former Vikings QB landing a three-year, $100.5 million deal that's worth $33.3 million on average. Justin Fields agrees to terms with Jets. Fields could have returned to Pittsburgh, but instead, he decided to sign with the New York Jets. After getting benched by the Steelers last season, he clearly wanted to go to a team where he could be the unquestioned starter, and the Jets are going to give him that opportunity. Fields signed a two-year, $40 million contract that includes $30 million guaranteed. Daniel Jones agrees to terms with Colts. Jones had offers from the Vikings and the Colts and he decided to take Indy's one-year deal, which could pay him as much as $17.7 million. At the NFL combine in February, Colts general manager Chris Ballard said the team would be bringing a QB in, and that QB would have a chance to compete for the starting job. "It's gotta be the right guy to create real competition," Ballard said. "But we want to create real competition. I think it's good for the team, I think it's good for Anthony [Richardson]. "This appears to mean that Jones will have a legitimate chance to win Indy's starting QB job over Richardson. Kenny Pickett traded to Browns. The former Steelers first-round pick is headed back to the AFC North. After winning a Super Bowl as the backup QB for the Eagles, Pickett is now headed for Cleveland after being traded on Monday. The Browns will be getting Pickett while the Eagles will be getting quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson and a 2025 fifth-round pick in return. We have the full details of the trade here. Dolphins adding Zach Wilson. Going into free agency, Tua Tagovailoa was the only QB on the Dolphins' roster, so they had to add a backup and they did exactly that on Monday by adding Wilson. The former Jets first-round pick is getting a one-year, $6 million deal that could be worth up to $10 million. |
| Josh Dobbs (Patriots), Jarrett Stidham (Broncos) and Nick Mullens (Jaguars) have also agreed to deals over the past 24 hours. |
| The QB carousel should keep turning this week with players like Aaron Rodgers, Russell Wilson, Jameis Winston and Joe Flacco still available to be signed. We're tracking every QB move in free agency, and you can check that out here. |
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| 6. Extra points: Vikings go crazy on second day of free agency |
| It's been a busy 24 hours the NFL, and since it's nearly impossible to keep track of everything that happened, I went ahead and put together a roundup for you. |
| Vikings make some splashy signings. The second day of the legal tampering period started off with a bang for the Vikings, who agreed to terms with guard Will Fries (five years, $88 million) DT Jonathan Allen (three years, $60 million ) and DT Javon Hargrave (He can't finalize a deal until he's released by the 49ers). The Vikings also added a new center on Monday in Ryan Kelly. After watching the Eagles win a Super Bowl by beating up on teams in the trenches, it's clear that Minnesota is trying to replicate that by getting stronger in the trenches. Giants bring in some defensive help. The Giants don't have a quarterback yet, but they have been busy totally revamping their defense. Over the past 24 hours, the team has added safety Jevon Holland along with cornerback Paulson Adebo, defensive linemen Chauncey Golston and DL Roy Robertson-Harris.Cooper Kupp done with the Rams. The wide receiver announced in early February that the Rams were going to try and trade him, but five weeks later, a trade still hasn't materialized. If the Rams can't find a trading partner by the time free agency officially starts on Wednesday, then the team is going simply release him, ESPN has reported. Cowboys agree to terms Javonte Williams. Someone must have finally reminded Jerry Jones that the free agent tampering period opened because the Cowboys have finally added a free agent. The Cowboys have agreed to terms with former Broncos running back Javonte Williams on a one-year, $3 million deal. With Rico Dowdle set to hit free agency, our Garrett Podell writes that the addition of Williams will likely mean the end of Dowdle's time in Dallas. Chargers add Najee Harris. The former Steelers running back is heading to the west coast. Harris has agreed to terms on a one-year, $9.25 million deal with the Chargers. With Gus Edwards expected to be cut and J.K. Dobbins hitting free agency, the Chargers had a major need at running back and that has now been filled. |
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