NFLTR Review: Best Fits For Top Remaining Free Agents

Welcome to another week of NFLTR Review! In this issue:

• Plenty of quality free agents remain available. Where are the best fits?
• 2021 schedule takeaways fresh off the presses
• Taking stock of the Aaron Rodgers situation

Free Agent Fits

There are always free agents left as spring turns into summer who end up signing with teams and having an impact in the fall. But due to the lowered cap this year and probably limited growth next year, it feels like there are more quality veterans available than usual who just got left out when the cash stopped flowing after two weeks. 

If you need a solid starting cornerback, Steven Nelson is still floating out there. It was a weak class at defensive tackle but Sheldon Richardson, Jurrell Casey, Geno Atkins and Kawann Short are available. There are wily veterans like Richard Sherman, K.J. Wright and Justin Houston, as well as players who have flashed and are young enough to potentially have years of production left like Malik Hooker. 

Now that the draft is in the books, this is pretty much the pool of options teams have to address any unmet needs. A few still have money to play with and front offices have shown this year they can get creative to maximize their dollars. 

There’s a little overlap from a month ago when we did a similar exercise, but here are the best landing spots for 15 of the most interesting free agents still available. 

CB Steven Nelson

Best fit: Cowboys

A month ago when Nelson was first cut, a return to the Chiefs seemed like an interesting fit. But we also mentioned Nelson’s former secondary coach Al Harris landed in Dallas. Since the Cowboys weren’t able to land a cornerback in the first round, although they doubled up on Day 2, adding a veteran like Nelson would ease the pressure on the team’s young cornerbacks and help plug a major hole for a team that hopes to be a contender. 

DT Sheldon Richardson

Best fit: Seahawks

Honestly there’s a strong chance Richardson lands back with the Browns on a cheaper deal. If we explore the other possibilities, though, the Seahawks are high up on the list. Richardson played there before and Seattle hasn’t really replaced DT Jarran Reed yet. Richardson would add a strong veteran pass rushing presence to the Seahawks’ defensive line, which would be well worth a couple million of Seattle’s limited cap space. 

RT Mitchell Schwartz

Best fit: To be determined

I’ve included Schwartz in here because he’s a big name and because his Kansas City counterpart Eric Fisher just signed with the Colts despite being in the middle of rehabbing a torn Achilles. That’s a bad injury but Schwartz might be dealing with something worse given he’s coming off of back surgery and played just six games in 2020. Still it does appear he’s pushing to play again and he could be a saving grace for a team that loses a starting right tackle in camp. We already saw Broncos RT Ja’Wuan James go down and it’s a fact of football life that there will be more injuries. 

CB Brian Poole

Best fit: Jets

Poole has been wildly underrated for the past two seasons. He’s been Pro Football Focus’ ninth and 11th-rated cornerback in that time, but had to settle for a one-year deal last offseason and is trending toward that outcome again this year. Jets HC Robert Saleh wasn’t able to recruit slot CB K’Waun Williams from the 49ers and it’s not looking good for Sherman. But keeping Poole might be a better play than either of those for a shorthanded Jets secondary. 

DE Melvin Ingram

Best fit: Chiefs

Staying in the AFC West makes sense for Ingram and the Chiefs could stand to add more depth to their pass rush. 

CB Richard Sherman

Best fit: Saints

New Orleans loves length in their cornerbacks and they have a big need at No. 2 corner right now. Their cap space is limited but extensions could open some breathing room. If he doesn’t land back with San Francisco, Sherman could find the Saints appealing to finish out his career, including mentoring another Stanford corner, Paulson Adebo.

DE Justin Houston

Best fit: Ravens

The Ravens still need a steady veteran presence at edge rusher and have hosted Houston on a visit. If they can come to terms on the money, which will be a pretty big challenge for Baltimore if Houston wants a lot more than the minimum, the former Colts and Chiefs rusher could be the Ravens’ answer. 

LB K.J. Wright

Best fit: 49ers

Seahawks HC Pete Carroll said weeks ago he was shocked Wright was still available and would consider bringing him back. Seattle has limited cap space and bigger needs, though. San Francisco has more financial flexibility, runs a similar system and has an opening at outside linebacker Wright could be perfect for. 

S Malik Hooker

Best fit: Jaguars

The Jaguars addressed their safety need this offseason by signing Rayshawn Jenkins and drafting Andre Cisco in the third round but Hooker’s history with HC Urban Meyer could be too much for the new coach to pass on, as he seems to have an inclination toward signing former players. Injuries have held Hooker back so far but he has real upside as a center fielder at safety. He’s only 25. 

CB Darqueze Dennard

Best fit: Vikings

Minnesota and Cincinnati have a lot of overlap in defensive player evaluations. The Vikings are suddenly thin at slot corner after trading Mike Hughes and Jeff Gladney’s legal situation. Dennard would add some extra depth both inside and outside. 

S Tre Boston

Best fit: Falcons

Once again it seems like Boston will have to wait until July to find a job despite being a very capable starting safety. There are a few teams that still need safety help, fortunately for him, including the Falcons who are starting over almost literally from scratch at the position. Boston adds some veteran insurance for second-round S Richie Grant to develop. 

DT Jurrell Casey

Best fit: Panthers

Carolina still doesn’t have a reliable pass rusher from the interior. Fifth-rounder Daviyon Nixon has gotten some early sleeper buzz but to avoid relying on him too much the Panthers could dip back into the well of former Titans defensive tackles and add Casey after signing DaQuan Jones earlier this offseason. Until a biceps injury last year, Casey had had seven straight seasons with at least five sacks. 

DT Geno Atkins

Best fit: Vikings

Minnesota is short on cap space but Zimmer would make it work to add Atkins if he’s healthy. The Vikings don’t have a proven pass-rushing presence at three-technique and while Atkins isn’t more than a rotational player at this stage in his career, he could still have a valuable sub-package role. 

G Trai Turner

Best fit: Giants

Five-time Pro Bowlers who are still just 27 usually don’t last this long on the market, even if the guard position is where a lot of teams have looked to cut costs this offseason. That’s the situation Turner finds himself in despite a low asking price of just $2-$3 million. When this happens, there’s usually more behind the scenes, but if Giants GM Dave Gettleman is willing to give Kelvin Benjamin a workout, why not toss a contract Turner’s way when camp hits and the Giants guards are still a weak spot? 

DE Ryan Kerrigan

Best fit: Titans

The Titans have hardly any cap space available right now but there are also a number of contract levers they haven’t pulled yet in terms of restructures that could give them some breathing room. Tennessee has a strong starting pair of edge rushers in Harold Landry and Bud Dupree, but almost nothing behind them. They could follow the same playbook they did when they added Cameron Wake to get Kerrigan as a veteran pass rusher to take the load of the starting unit. Kerrigan should have some juice still left and the Titans have a connection on the coaching staff in ILB coach Jim Haslett, who was the defensive coordinator in Washington for Kerrigan’s first few seasons. 

This Week In Football

• Colts GM Chris Ballard has been one of the most methodical roster builders in football. Sometimes that’s not the hand you’re dealt as a general manager, though, and Ballard has had to take risks to fill key positions this offseason like quarterback and now left tackle. After not pursuing any of the top free-agent options or drafting a player, Ballard instead gave $9.4 million to former Chiefs LT Eric Fisher who is about four months into rehabbing a torn Achilles. The injury can take 11 months to recover from, though some have done it in less time. Starting the season on the PUP list seems very much on the table for Fisher, though, which makes $9.4 million at this time of year seem like a ton of money. We’ll see how it plays out. 
• It was a fairly big week for tackle news outside of Fisher. The Broncos were hosting mass tryouts to fill their sudden void at right tackle following the Achilles injury to James and ended up signing three players: Bobby Massie, Cameron Fleming and Ryan Pope. Massie is known to HC Vic Fangio from their time in Chicago and should be the favorite to start. Fleming is veteran insurance for Massie. Pope is a practice squad option. 
• The other former Bears tackle released this offseason, LT Charles Leno, also found a landing spot, signing with Washington on a one-year, $5 million deal. Leno should allow Washington to bring along second-round OT Samuel Cosmi, who might not be ready to start right away. It’s a good signing that further fortifies Washington’s offensive line. 
• The Chiefs have shown a predilection for gambling on former first-round corners. After easing CB Deandre Baker onto their practice squad last season, the Chiefs swapped late round picks with the Vikings for former first-round CB Mike Hughes, who just had his fifth-year option declined. Injuries have really held Hughes back but this is a gamble that costs Kansas City almost nothing and has some possible upside. 
• The Lions turned the page at running back, waiving former second-rounder Kerryon Johnson this week. Johnson showed real promise before a knee injury flared up and derailed his time in Detroit. If he can get past that, he does have a chance to carve out a role after being claimed by the Eagles, who have shown they’re willing to use a committee of backs. 
• Carolina’s remaking of the front office continued, as they hired Bills executive Dan Morgan as assistant general manager just below Scott Fitterer. Morgan obviously was a standout player for the Panthers and still holds the record for most tackles in a Super Bowl. He also forged a strong relationship with Fitterer in Seattle and is seen as a potential future GM himself in league circles. 
• I was in high school during the throes of Tebowmania so it’s been kind of interesting to experience that as a working media professional as Tim Tebow appears on the verge of signing a deal with the Jaguars as a tight end. To be honest, if Tebow can carve out a minor league career with almost no experience, making the transition to tight end is quite possible. It doesn’t hurt that the Jaguars might have the worst depth chart in the NFL at the position. 
• The NFL wasn’t done throwing it back this week, as the Giants are also apparently working out former first-round WR Kelvin Benjamin this week. New York has a pretty crowded depth chart, so I have no idea how Benjamin fits into that picture. But perhaps Gettleman is doing one of his former players a favor to get his name back out there on the workout circuit. 

Schedule Release: Best Game of Every Week

With the NFL’s annual scheduling bonanza in the books, we now have the games that we’re going to be looking ahead to for the next four months set in stone. Well, except for when there’s flex scheduling of course. It’s also the first year with 17 games, so there’s even more football to look forward to. 

Here’s an early look at all 18 weeks and the best matchups in each week as we sit here in early May. All times EST.  

Week 1: Cowboys @ Buccaneers, 9/9, 8:20 PM

Terrific season-opening matchup between the Super Bowl champions and a Dallas team returning QB Dak Prescott. Tampa Bay looks like an early juggernaut and big threat to repeat, so this will be a good measuring stick for the Cowboys, who were off to an abysmal start last season even with Prescott playing out of his mind. 

Week 2: Chiefs @ Ravens, 9/19, 8:20 PM

This matchup got out of hand last year but the Ravens are still one of the top threats to Kansas City in the AFC. Lamar Jackson and Patrick Mahomes are two of the game’s most exciting quarterbacks, so this is must-see TV no matter who you root for. 

Week 3: Buccaneers @ Rams, 9/26, 4:25 PM 

The new-look Rams get a stiff test against the NFL champions in Week 3. The addition of Matthew Stafford vaulted the Rams into the tier of legitimate Super Bowl contenders in the eyes of many. This could be a preview of a potential NFC title game. 

Week 4: Jaguars @ Bengals, 9/30, 8:20 PM

Tom Brady makes his return to New England this week but the battle of No. 1 overall picks Trevor Lawrence and Joe Burrow on a Thursday night is a sneaky great matchup and might be a more competitive game. 

Week 5: Bills @ Chiefs, 10/10, 8:20 PM 

A rematch of 2020’s AFC Championship Game, Josh Allen and the Bills will try again to see if they’ve figured out the Chiefs. 

Week 6: Cardinals @ Browns, 10/17, 4:05 PM

Another battle of No. 1 picks, as Kyler Murray and Baker Mayfield go head to head. The Browns have one of the most talented rosters in the AFC and the Cardinals have gone all-in on maximizing their window on Murray’s rookie contact, so in theory this should be a bout between two really good teams. We’ll see if that’s still true in Week 6. 

Week 7: Colts @ 49ers, 10/24, 8:20 PM

Injuries were largely blamed for why the 49ers fell off so much from 2019 to 2020. With guys like Nick Bosa healthy, San Francisco thinks it can contend again for a Super Bowl, though it’ll be interesting to see if it’s Trey Lance or Jimmy Garoppolo at this point. If it is Lance, it’s a battle of North Dakota State quarterbacks as he faces new Colts starter Carson Wentz who was also acquired with the presumption he’d be a long-term answer for Indianapolis. 

Week 8: Dolphins @ Bills, 10/31, 1 PM

The Dolphins will be looking to take a big step forward in 2021 after nearly qualifying for the playoffs in 2020 just a season removed from their tank job. How QB Tua Tagovailoa progresses will be a key factor for Miami, but the Dolphins defense has to improve to catch the Bills. Brian Flores’ unit gave up 87 points in two games. 

Week 9: Packers @ Chiefs, 11/7, 4:25 PM

The early favorite for game of the year, the uncertainty around Aaron Rodgers’ future in Green Bay has deflated a lot of excitement around this matchup. As we’ll get into in a moment, it’s not out of the question Rodgers plays for the Packers this year and this game lives up to the hype. If not, there’s a chance Rodgers faces off against Mahomes on a different team. 

Week 10: Falcons @ Cowboys, 11/14, 1 PM 

This game was one of the wildest of the 2020 season, with a botched onside kick by the Falcons leading to a comeback victory by the Cowboys. Now Dan Quinn is in Dallas trying to turn that defense around and both Atlanta and Dallas still have high-powered offenses. Expect fireworks again despite Quinn’s best efforts. 

Week 11: Cowboys @ Chiefs, 11/21, 4:25 PM

Same story as the week before. The Cowboys were on pace to obliterate passing records before Prescott’s injury in 2020, and Mahomes can obviously sling it as well as anyone. If I had to pick any game to approach the instant classic Chiefs/Rams offensive eruption from 2019, this would be it. 

Week 12: Seahawks @ Washington, 11/29, 8:15 PM 

There were a lot of contenders this week, from Bills at Saints as a Thanksgiving nightcap to a Browns-Ravens duel on Sunday night. But a duel between Russell Wilson and Ryan Fitzpatrick on Monday night has the makings of a terrifically entertaining game. 

Week 13: Ravens @ Steelers, 12/5, 4:25 PM

Even if the Steelers take a step back in 2021 like many are forecasting, these division heavyweight bouts against the Ravens are always entertaining. 

Week 14: Bills @ Buccaneers, 12/12, 4:25 PM 

Given where both teams expect to be this season, this could be a potential Super Bowl preview late in the season. 

Week 15: Chiefs @ Chargers, 12/16, 8:20 PM

Justin Herbert made it clear as a rookie he has the potential to be someone who can go toe-to-toe with Mahomes in the AFC West every season, which could be massive for the Chargers in overturning their tendency to be perennial underachievers. If Herbert keeps growing, this game could have huge implications for the division championship. Not bad for a Thursday matchup. 

Week 16: Washington @ Cowboys, 12/26, 8:20 PM

Washington finishes the season with five straight games against division opponents. That means that almost no matter what happens the first 12 games, the Football Team will have its destiny in its own hands to close the season. These two teams are the early NFC East favorites in my opinion. The Eagles are clearly rebuilding and the Giants will be a popular sleeper team that still has to prove itself. 

Week 17: Rams @ Ravens, 1/2/2022, 4:25 PM

An interconference game this late in the year doesn’t mean much, but it’s been interesting when these two teams have faced off in recent seasons. The quarterbacks are compelling, even more so with Stafford now in Los Angeles. The big story might be the two trash-talking cornerbacks on either side facing off; Marcus Peters in Baltimore and the man he was traded to make room for, Jalen Ramsey, in Los Angeles. 

Week 18: Chiefs @ Broncos, 1/9/2022, 4:25 PM

The final week of the season will be a week later than we all are used to, but it still will be entirely divisional matchups. The Broncos still need to figure out their quarterback situation but they’re on the early shortlist for the NFL’s No. 1 defense in 2021. Mahomes versus this defense will be fascinating, if the Chiefs still have something to play for. And there’s always the scenario that Rodgers gets traded to the Broncos and this is a de facto AFC West title game. That would make up for Chiefs/Packers getting neutered in Week 9. 

The Big Picture: What’s Next For Aaron Rodgers

We’re a couple weeks removed from Adam Schefter dropping a bomb on the NFL world with news about the rift between the Packers and their future Hall of Fame quarterback. In that timeframe, we’ve learned a lot and caught up on everything that’s been happening between the two sides in the last month. 

Here at NFLTR, we’ve been tracking everything that’s been reported about that situation, from the flood of nuggets in the immediate aftermath of the draft that slowed into a steady drip. 

• We’ve heard rumored details of Rodgers’ frustration, including comparing GM Brian Gutekunst to another general manager who became infamous for his handling of a star player. 
• What does Rodgers want? He hasn’t commented publicly since this situation has blown up, but multiple reports indicate he wants a new contract that signals the Packers’ commitment to him and doesn’t believe he’s gotten that so far. 
• The Broncos have emerged as the clear leader should any trade talks for Rodgers start to heat up
• With the benefit of hindsight, it’s interesting to go back and look at Rodgers’ comments and the reporting on his desire for a new contract right after Green Bay’s season ended
• Going back even further, I tried to peer into a crystal ball and reason out how things would unfold last August. A lot of it holds up, I nailed all three teams that were linked to a potential Rodgers trade wish list
• Finally, in lieu of actual clarity from Rodgers, the media has been asking anyone close to the quarterback for their sense of the situation. And it is notable that in this past week or so, known close friends like former WR James Jones and FB John Kuhn haven’t struck as pessimistic a tone about the two sides working out their differences. The exact word used by both was “fixable.” 

So where do things stand now? Honestly, we probably have to wait and see. Even if the Packers wanted or were open to the idea of trading Rodgers, they couldn’t do it until after June 1 because of the cap ramifications. And obviously, the Packers don’t want to trade Rodgers this season. 

What we can surmise from what’s out there and what Rodgers has said publicly earlier this offseason is that he wants control of his playing destiny. If we take Kuhn and Jones at their word, that could still be in Green Bay. Up until just about this time last year, Rodgers thought he would retire a Packer. The talk about a contract isn’t necessarily about Rodgers being underpaid — though he is. It’s about financial commitment and the strings tying the organization to him. 

Right now, there is nothing stopping the Packers from moving on from Rodgers as soon as next season. He has no guaranteed money left on his contract. Coming off of an MVP season, Rodgers has as much leverage as he’s ever going to have to put pressure on the Packers to commit to him or send him to an organization while he’s still at his peak. 

Obviously the Packers don’t want to be backed into a corner, though. They drafted Jordan Love with a nice, tidy timeline of having their cake and eating it too with Rodgers leading the team and Love learning behind him until he was ready to step in. Neither the team nor Rodgers has spelled this out explicitly but it’s not hard to connect the dots about why the two sides are at an impasse. 

To play things forward a little bit, if the organization doesn’t do what it takes to mend things, the next step for Rodgers will be skipping mandatory minicamp at the beginning of June. He’ll be fined, but it signals he’s serious about leaving and is a relative pittance compared to what might be coming. Holding out into training camp comes with fines of $50,000 per day and a lost game check for every preseason game missed. If he were to retire, Green Bay could come after $30 million of his signing bonus and force him to pay it back. 

(There’s also a third, less-defined possibility of a “hold-in.” Fines were increased to deter holdouts as a part of the last CBA but Rodgers could potentially take a page out of the Trent Williams playbook by reporting to the team but find medical reasons not to participate, forcing Green Bay to put him on an injured list, keep him on the books and have his contract toll. Jalen Ramsey may have done something similar near the end of his time with the Jaguars with a back injury that cleared up as soon as he got to Los Angeles.)

The downside for Rodgers would be if the Packers hold firm on a holdout or retirement, turning it into an expensive, long, drawn-out process. No one who knows Rodgers believes he wants to retire and host Jeopardy full time yet and the Packers might even be able to clean up their books in a retirement scenario with the signing bonus money coming back in, then trading him in 2022 when his market would still, in theory, be strong. 

That’s still an ugly situation for the organization, though, with a nasty fight raging with one of the best players in team history while Love or whoever the Packers settle on as the starter tries to lead the team in what it still believes is an open Super Bowl window. Retirement is the nuclear option for both sides and I don’t think it gets that far. 

It makes much more sense for the Packers to either work things out with Rodgers before training camp or to pull the trigger on a trade this summer and have a clean break to the next era of Packers football, whatever it holds. 

We won’t know for some time which course of action the team will take, though.