On March 13, the NFL offseason started with a bang as big signings were rampant.
The Buccaneers started the period hot when they resigned Baker Mayfield. Mayfield, received a three-year, $100 million deal after he led Tampa Bay to the divisional round and got a Pro Bowl nomination.
The Steelers continued a spree of quarterback moves. Before free agency started, they released Mitchell Trubisky, and let Mason Rudolph sign with the Titans to compete with Will Levis.
This move was compounded when the Broncos released quarterback Russell Wilson, who had underwhelmed in his previous two seasons.
Wilson then proceeded to sign with the Steelers, in one of their first major moves of free agency for a one-year deal. He was expected to mentor Kenny Pickett, who was expected to return, but instead, the Steelers traded Pickett to the Eagles, as Pickett didn’t want to compete with Wilson.
The Falcons quickly flocked in their free agency spree, as they signed quarterback Kirk Cousins, who hopes to come off an achilles injury. Cousins, now a 35-year-old, will have high expectations placed on his return.
Josh Dobbs compounded the news after he signed with the 49ers. Nicknamed the “passtronaut,” he had proven himself as a serviceable backup after Cousins got injured.
The Vikings, who Cousins played for, signed Sam Darnold to a one-year deal, worth $10 million. Thought of as a low-risk deal, the Vikings will also be placed in a good situation to draft a quarterback.
The Falcons also traded Des Ridder to the Cardinals, after a dismal tenure with Atlanta. Ridder will be expected to back up Kyler Murray.
Additionally, the Raiders made moves in free agency, as they released Jimmy Garoppolo after a dismal tenure, where he got suspended, and signed Gardner Minshew II from the Colts, after he nearly led them to a playoff berth.
However, the main blockbuster deal was the Pittsburgh Steelers trade for Justin Fields. Many people thought that this was one of the best moves in the offseason, as the Bears only returned back with a 2025 sixth-round pick.
Fields is expected to sit behind Russell Wilson so that the more veteran Wilson can mentor him, even though Fields is expected to be the quarterback of the future.
