Free Agency has begun in the NFL. Major changes to rosters have already happened, with Tom Brady being traded to the Buccaneers, the Rams releasing Todd Gurley, and the DeAndre Hopkins trade. Many big-name players left to be signed, so there’s plenty of transactions ahead.
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By Josh Davis
The NFL started its new league year this week. Monday began what is known as the Legal Tampering window, where players who didn’t receive the Franchise/Transition Tag and whose contracts are up in 2020 can freely negotiate deals prior to the opening of free agency. Here is your NFL 2020 Free Agency recap.
Important deadlines this week to remember, Monday at 11:59am was the deadline to apply whichever tag teams were going to use. Since the new NFL and NFLPA Collective Bargaining Agreement was approved before the start of the 2020 NFL league year, teams were limited as to what tags they could use. In the final year of the CBA, teams would have been able to use 2 tags, the Franchise and Transition, whereas they could not in the previous years.
Only 13 teams utilized the tags, with the big names to have received the designation were, Dallas Cowboys QB Dak Prescott, Tennessee Titans RB Derrick Henry, LA Chargers TE Hunter Henry, and Pittsburgh Steelers DE Bud Dupree.
Monday at 11:59am also began the legal tampering period. The window was open until 4 pm Wednesday, when the new league year began, and also, the official opening of 2020 Free Agency.
Monday afternoon did not disappoint. Right off the bat, the Houston Texans traded their star, WR DeAndre Hopkins, to the Arizona Cardinals for RB David Johnson and a 2020 2nd round draft pick. A stunning move, to say the least, as Johnson has battled injuries over the past couple of years.
Other big moves were made throughout the first two days of the period, The Minnesota Vikings traded their big-name receiver, Stefon Diggs to the Buffalo Bills for a 1st-round pick, a 5th, a 6th and a 2021 4th-round pick.
But not all the moves have been trades. We saw former Cowboys CB Byron Jones, who was one of the biggest names in FA, sign with the Miami Dolphins for a then-record-setting deal for his position, Cowboys WR Amari Cooper re-signed with a big contract, and former Vikings and New Orleans Saints QB Teddy Bridgewater signing with the Carolina Panthers.
But probably the biggest bit of news during the period was former QB Tom Brady announcing via Instagram that he would be returning to the Patriots. Brady would then shock the sports world by agreeing to terms with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. It had been widely reported that Brady was considering both the Bucs and the Chargers, but in the end, it seems Tampa Bay had more of what Brady wanted. The contract is still being negotiated as of Thursday.
Plenty of teams have been busy thus far, and none busier than the Dolphins, signing CB Byron Jones (Cowboys), LB Kyle Van Noy (Patriots), RB Jordan Howard (Eagles), OL Ereck Flowers (Redskins), LB/DE Shaquil Lawson (Bills), and LB Kamu Grugier-Hill (Eagles).
The Raiders have also been among the busy teams signing five players through Wednesday including former Cowboys TE Jason Witten, Former Titans QB Marcus Mariota, and former Cleveland Browns DE Carl Nassib.
This has been a crazy start to the 2020 NFL season. New CBA, Titans signing QB Ryan Tannehill to a long-term deal, Hopkins and Diggs being traded, Brady leaving the Patriots for the Buccaneers, and former Super Bowl MVP (Eagles) being traded by the Jacksonville Jaguars to the Chicago Bears for a 4th-round pick. Not to mention the LA Rams have released their star RB Todd Gurley.
Still a lot of players available in FA. Including DE Jadeveon Clowney, QB Jameis Winston, RB Melvin Gordon, and WR Robby Anderson. QBs Cam Newton and Andy Dalton are available via trade, as their teams have made plans to move on from both players.
A lot of time is left for teams to make big changes through free agency before the draft begins on April 23rd , so keep your eye out for those transactions.
For a comprehensive list of all the happenings so far, and as they occur, follow our OffSeason Tracker on pigskinnut.com.
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