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NFL free agency is a time for teams to fill the holes on their roster with veteran players who have made their name on different teams. It is an exciting time, especially during the opening hours of the free agent negotiation period. Splashy deals and surprising moves flood social media feeds around the world as star unrestricted free agent players sign huge deals that you oftentimes don't see coming.
Of course, any team trying to land the services of a free agent has to outbid every other team in the NFL, which leads to a lot of overpays in free agency. However, some teams manage to find diamonds in the rough. Adding a free agent for a cheaper-than-expected contract allows a team to continue building their roster with the money they saved. With that said, here are the best signings to start free agency. In this article, we will only be looking at external free agents who signed contracts with new teams and not players who re-signed with their old team.
DJ Reed, Detroit Lions – 3 years, $48 million
We ranked D.J. Reed as the third-best free agent this offseason, yet he wasn't even the highest-paid free agent at the cornerback position in the opening hours of the negotiation period. Reed signed a three-year, $48 million deal with the Detroit Lions. That is $12 million in total less than the player Reed is replacing: Carlton Davis.
Davis was a key member of the Lions defense last season, but the three-year deal he just signed with the New England Patriots was worth $60 million. Both players are 28 years old, and we think Reed is the more talented of the two, yet the Lions got him at a discounted rate.
Reed was often overshadowed on the New York Jets by Sauce Gardner, and perhaps that is why he was undervalued this offseason. He is still one of the best cornerbacks in football, though. The Lions were great all regular season long last year, but the wheels fell off when the defense was depleted because of injury. Reed brings much-needed star power on that end of the football, and he serves as a direct upgrade over Davis.
Sam Darnold, Seattle Seahawks – 3 years, $100.5 million
Sam Darnold was a polarizing free agent. Darnold was a former number three overall draft pick who looked like a massive bust for most of his career. Then, on his fourth different NFL team, the Minnesota Vikings, he burst onto the scene with a Pro Bowl campaign in which he looked like one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL.
It is hard to know if Darnold finally turned the corner and reached the potential scouts saw in him as a prospect. He could have had a fluky season, with Kevin O'Connell's play-calling genius inflating his numbers. The Vikings' plan all along was to have Darnold serve as a bridge quarterback until first-rounder J.J. McCarthy was ready to go, so they let the quarterback walk in NFL free agency.
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The Seattle Seahawks, fresh off trading Geno Smith, were all of a sudden in the quarterback market. They swooped in and landed Darnold on a $100.5 million contract over three years. That may seem like a lot of money for someone who only has one good season under their belt. However, quarterbacks come at a pretty penny in the NFL, and the risk could pay off in a big way if the USC product is able to build off of his season with the Vikings.
Additionally, when it comes to quarterback money, Darnold actually isn't making all that much. The average annual value of Darnold's contract is just over $33 million per season. That figure would have only been tied with Baker Mayfield for the 18th-largest AAV last season at the position, according to Over The Cap.
Almost all of the quarterbacks making less than that per year are still on their rookie contracts. Darnold is set to make less than guys like Kirk Cousins, Deshaun Watson, and Derek Carr, all of which are on thin ice with their respective teams. It isn't a guarantee that Darnold will become a star, but he has the potential to far outplay this contract.
Talanoa Hufanga, Denver Broncos – 3 years, $45 million
Talanoa Hufanga was a First-Team All-Pro after his age-23 season with the San Francisco 49ers. He looked like one of the rising stars in the league, and it was easy to envision him dominating at the safety position for close to the next decade. Then, the injury bug bit, causing him to become somewhat forgotten.
Hufanga has all the talent limited to 17 total games over the last two years. The Denver Broncos were able to cash in on his quiet last two seasons by inking the safety to a bargain of a contract at $45 million over three years. The team is banking on him getting healthy, and if he does, then they have one of the best safeties in the league at a below-market value.
The Broncos broke out in a big way last season, but this move could truly catapult them into championship contention.
