5 Lessons is a weekly column by Deivis Chiodini, covering important points that the NFL round has brought us. It is always on the air on Monday mornings, providing a quick and clear opinion. Click here and check the column index!
the party is over
Every year free agency was a moment when franchises acted without thinking about tomorrow, giving big contracts to average players, which brought headaches later, when they ran out of space on the payroll in the following years. In 2023, we saw a different reality: the teams were much more restrained and there were few questionable expenses – and even those that did happen were not huge.
It seems to be a new reality for the NFL: pay as a star who impacts the game and with a medium salary who is a piano charger. That way, nobody loses their stars for not having money in the future, while the payroll is full of names that the fans want to forget.
The new reality of wide receivers
In the current NFL, a quality wide receiver is too important an asset to let him go to the market: at the moment only average players can reach him and the free agency of 2023 is proof of that. No player at the position has been awarded a contract averaging more than $11 million a year, and all deals are easy to get out of after two seasons. The names? It does not matter. Who really matters like Tyreek Hill, AJ Brown and Davante Adams becomes a bargaining chip if it won’t stay in the franchise.
The movie is repeating
When Josh McDaniels managed the Denver Broncos, his worst moments came from player relationships. This attrition ended up making him free to trade Jay Cutler and Brandon Marshall, an interesting quarterback-wide receiver duo at the time. The replacement was not at the same level and McDaniels foundered, leaving the Broncos in dire straits. Cut to 2023: a lot of people don’t like McDaniels on the Las Vegas Raiders, he fired Derek Carr and traded Darren Waller for a piece of cake. Jimmy Garoppolo will be the team’s quarterback. Only an epic twist will make this film have a different ending than the one seen in Denver.
Call the “old man”
Under normal conditions of temperature and pressure, I would never be excited about signing a cornerback who will be 33 years old this season. However, when I saw that the Dallas Cowboys got Stephon Gilmore for a fifth round off the Indianapolis Colts, I almost couldn’t believe it. The veteran defender continues to play at a high level, taking the shortcut. Acting on the opposite side of Trevon Diggs, in the defense that put the most pressure on the quarterback in 2022, the chance of success is huge.
decluttering is necessary
Howie Roseman’s work in 2022 is indisputable, but I confess that some moves this offseason are questionable. The restructuring of Darius Slay’s contract, with the franchise sitting in the top 10, in a deep class of cornerbacks, is not a welcome move. Fletcher Cox could also say goodbye to the team, he has already fulfilled his role. Added together, the 2 have the same cap hit value that Javon Hargrave and Chauncey Gardner-Johnson will have on their new teams in 2023. Of course, contracts have a difference, especially Hargrave, but it was more worth it in my understanding.
See also
To know more:
???? Chicago gets the most important thing right: don’t despair
???? Mock Draft 5.0: The race for QBs takes over the top
???? Panthers do quantity free agency but not quality
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