Now that the first wave of NFL free agency has passed, we can give out reactions, winners and losers, which are totally accurate and will not change within the next three years. As we know, if you win free agency, you win the Super Bowl. Hope y'all enjoy.
It's been a great month for lovers of offense.
The Bears hired former Chiefs offensive coordinator Matt Nagy to guide the team and, more specifically, to try replicating the Sean McVay and Jared Goff 2017 magic. So the Bears went shopping this week and got themselves some offensive talent for second-year quarterback Mitchell Trubisky.
They'll have Allen Robinson and Taylor Gabriel on the outside and the best quarterback from Super Bowl 52, tight end Trey Burton. Pairing these guys with Jordan Howard should equal lots of points.
The Chiefs paid a premium for the potential of Sammy Watkins to pair with Tyreek Hill, Travis Kelce, and Pat Mahomes. That's a frightening amount of potential points in the Air Reid offense. (Trademark pending for that phrase, FYI).
The Vikings added prized free agent quarterback Kirk Cousins to their roster. I've written and spoken extensively about Cousins to the Vikings, but this should make their offense even more explosive.
Kyle Shanahan puts his stamp on the 49ers.
The best offensive seasons under Shanahan included center Alex Mack, both in Cleveland and Atlanta. Shanahan just signed his next Alex Mack in former New York Giants center Weston Richburg. This is huge for this offense. He can be the field general for Jimmy Garoppolo and can reach a nose tackle, which is a must for playing center in this offense.
Also, Shanahan signed his quick and speedy running back in Jerick McKinnon, which also matches his personnel he had in Atlanta.
This is a great time to be a mediocre quarterback.
The most important position in team sports has gotten even richer. Nevermind Cousins' fully guaranteed deal — which is fantastic by the way — but how about Sam Bradford continuing to get paid $20 million with a knee that's about to fall off.
Mike Glennon, Chase Daniel, and A.J. McCarron are getting great money to hopefully never see the field. Josh McCown got $10 million to mentor whoever the Jets draft at quarterback, and Case Keenum getting paid big to basically be a place holder for whoever Denver drafts to be the franchise quarterback in a few months. More power to these guys.
The Ereck Flowers experiment at left tackle is mercifully over with the signing of Nate Solder. The Giants had to overpay for a slightly above average left tackle because they failed to develop Flowers, who'll compete for the right tackle job now.
Manning can finally sit in the pocket and hopefully feel comfortable. You could tell at times he's been jittery in the pocket because he doesn't trust the protection. Let's hope that changes.
Cornerbacks are as important as ever.
There were 22 new deals for cornerbacks, 23 if you include Kyle Fuller, who got the transition tag from the Bears. With the explosion in offensive firepower, you need cornerbacks to defend these wide receivers. It's good business to be one of those players right now.
Free agency was tough on Tom Brady.
Father time is catching up to Tom Brady and his weapons are disappearing quickly. Brady lost left tackle Nate Solder, running back Dion Lewis, and wide receiver Danny Amendola. The Patriots also lost Malcolm Butler from a secondary that struggled last season.
How long can Brady continue to carry this franchise? We will find out.
It was a difficult week for offensive line nerds.
Joe Thomas is retiring. I knew this day was coming for months, but it's still disappointing. He's the elder statesman of left tackles and all linemen. Thomas was the ultimate pro who played through losing season after losing season and never complained. He combined his unique blend of athleticism with his quick mental processing.
You can catch more thoughts about Thomas in my last Periscope.
The Jets made their QB situation worse.
The Jets wanted Cousins badly. It has been reported they offered more overall money than the Vikings did. Instead, the Jets re-signed McCown and brought in Teddy Bridgewater as well. Now, they need to draft a young quarterback because those guys aren't the future of the franchise.
If they do draft a young quarterback, where does he get reps? I don't get it. You either need to be all in for a guy like that, or go 6-10 and be stuck in franchise limbo.
Your favorite teams that didn't spend any money to get better.
I know it upsets some of y'all that your favorite team didn't make any big splashy moves in the priority signing period, but there are many factors for that, including having no cap space.
Too bad. Because the offseason champs always go on to win it all once the games start.
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