The new NFL season is barely officially underway, starting as it does on the 16th March, but there was plenty of work behind the scenes before that date to allow teams to make some key decisions on personnel for the forthcoming season.
With players out of contract and hitting Free Agency, plus the usual trade rumours, it always looked likely to be a busy period of the season, occurring as it does in the lead up to the NFL Draft which takes place in late April this year.
And what we have seen over the last few weeks has been pretty spectacular as a number of massive deals, contract renewals, trade deals, or players exercising their rights as a free agent to sign for another club. All of which has whetted the appetite nicely for a new season.
That’s even before the 2022 NFL Draft has taken place!
So with that in mind, here is out countdown of the ten best NFL Free Agency deals that have been struck in the 2022/23 season so far.
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There is no doubt that when the Los Angeles Rams signed Von Miller to a short-term one-year deal from the Denver Broncos, it was viewed as a gamble, but one worth taking. So it proved as when Miller got healthy, he made significant contributions down the stretch in the Rams eventual Super Bowl success this year.
With the Rams not able to keep him, where Von Miller would end up always proved to be an intriguing sub plot this off-season and the fact that he has gone to a Buffalo Bills team that is already excellent on defense and has one of the best offenses in the league has made them a very real challenger for the Super Bowl next season, if they were not already.
This is a calculated gamble by the Browns. They paid a lot to snag one of the best young quarterbacks in the NFL from the Texans (including three first round picks) but with the civil cases still pending against Watson, and the threat of a potential NFL suspension, it’s that uncertainty that means this deal is not ranked much much higher.
Make no mistake though, when Watson does take to the field in a Browns uniform, he will be a massive upgrade for their offense.
Robert Woods was not expected to be available from the Rams this season but when the Rams snagged Allen Robinson from the Bears, Woods became a sought after option for a number of teams. The Titans, who had not long released Julio Jones, snagged Woods to play opposite AJ Brown in what looks like a fantastic move, especially with another quality receiver coming into the club in the shape of TE Austin Hooper.
Woods is recovering from a torn ACL, but if he is fit for next season, he could be a big upgrade for the Titans opposite Brown.
Last season the Los Angeles Chargers missed out on the playoffs because their defense could not get opposing teams off the field effectively enough. Now after an off season where they have bolstered their defense significantly, that may no longer be the case.
The jewel in the crown is the signing of Khalil Mack from Chicago, with the former Raider returning to the AFC West and with the signing of J.C.Jackson to upgrade the secondary at Corner, the Chargers defense looks in much better shape for the forthcoming season.
Once again this off-season we were treated to the Aaron Rodgers question of whether he would retire, seek a trade elsewhere or stay with the Packers and for the second season in a row, Rodgers opted for the latter.
It is obviously great news for the Packers as it means that they retain the services of the two-time NFL MVP of the last two seasons and a Hall of Fame certainty who will immediately make the Packers one of the favourites in the NFC.
However, the deal doesn’t rank higher than sixth because, well because of the deal that comes up next in our review!
Aaron Rodgers right hand man in Green Bay for the last few seasons has been moved on. The Oakland Raiders paid a big price to land Davante Adams and his arrival will give the Raiders quarterback Derek Carr a bona fide top-quality receiver as an outlet.
With so many teams in the AFC West now stacked with talent, it was vital for the Raiders to make a big move this off-season and that is precisely what they have done in landing Adams. He immediately gives them legitimacy in one of the toughest divisions in the NFL.
The shock move yesterday came from Miami as just after they had announced a big Free Agent capture (see below), they then stunned the NFL by trading for Kansas City Chiefs speed merchant wide receiver Tyreek Hill.
One of Patrick Mahomes most important weapons on offense will now be plying his trade in Miami after the Dolphins agreed to give him the extension he wanted to head east. Alongside Jaylen Waddle, he will form part of a truly exciting Miami Dolphins receiving corps next season.
When Tom Brady announced his retirement, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers went from being a Super Bowl contender, to a fine team that lacked a signal caller. However, just 40 days later, Brady rescinded his decision and announced that he would indeed come back for at least one more year in Tampa.
The news was about as good as it gets for Tampa fans this season with the team managing to hold on to Chris Godwin too. However, Brady’s return immediately means that they are going to be a real force in the NFC once again next season and they will, of course, be Super Bowl contenders.
By most experts reckoning, Terron Armstead was the best free agent available in this off season. The left tackle made his name in New Orleans and it was always going to take a pretty penny to tempt him to sign up.
Plenty of teams were interested but it was the Miami Dolphins who penned a $75 million deal for the tackle, immediately offering their quarterback better protection and then they snagged Tyreek Hill too to offer him another incredible wide out. No excuses this time in Miami.
For the last couple of seasons, many experts felt that the Denver Broncos were just one good quarterback away from being a genuine Super Bowl contender. So, this off season, the Broncos finally bit the bullet and snapped up Super Bowl winner Russell Wilson from Seattle.
Wilson is a massive upgrade for the Broncos and his presence allied to the strength of the team in other areas, means that the Broncos should be set for their best season in a while, even in the ultra tough AFC West.
These moves have seen plenty of changes in the betting odds for teams, with the Bills and Buccaneers now the 15/2 favourites to win the Super Bowl with bet365 Sport. The Chiefs have drifted out to 17/2, as have the Packers fo 11/1, while the Broncos and Chargers have come right in to 14/1, while Cleveland are now a much shorter 18/1 too.
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