The months throughout the NFL season is electric, no doubt about it. Now that we are in the offseason, however, a new type of fun begins.
Free agency and the draft provide the opportunity for all 32 teams to alter their rosters, for better or worse. The wide receiver position gains importance seemingly every season for every team in the league outside of the back-to-back Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs, thanks to quarterback Patrick Mahomes' historic brilliance.
However, even the Chiefs -- whose 2023 receiver group led the NFL in drops (28) and drop rate (12%), according to SportRadar -- will be in the market for upgrades. Here is a look at some of the best options currently set to hit the open market as free agents in March along with their contract market value and a few team fits.
Notes: Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Tee Higgins received the franchise tag and won't be hitting the open market. Instead, he'll be getting a $21.8 million, fully guaranteed one-year contract if he enters the 2024 season on the tag. Higgins and the Bengals will have until July 15 to agree to a long-term deal, and if they cannot, he will play out the season on the one-year contract. Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Mike Evans agreed to re-sign with his home of 10 years on a two-year, $52 million deal with $35 million guaranteed. Colts wideout Michael Pittman Jr. also received a franchise tag and will most likely remain in Indy.
Honorable mention WR free agents (UFA): Josh Reynolds (Detroit Lions), Noah Brown (Houston Texans)
(Some players on list might reach a deal with a team between now and free agency.)
10. Kendrick Bourne, New England Patriots
Bourne was on pace for a career high in receiving yards (864) until an ACL tear in October derailed his 2023 campaign. Before Patriots quarterback Mac Jones got demoted, Bourne was his top target after now-Las Vegas Raider Jakobi Meyers. He is a reliable No. 2 or No. 3 option, making him a bargain addition for a contender needing receiver depth.
Bourne should be reading to go for next season with almost a year passing between his injury and next September.
Best team fits: Jets, Bills, Chiefs
Spotrac's market value: Three-year, $14.7M contract (No. 43 highest-paid WR based on AAV)
Age in 2024 season: 29 (turns 29 on Aug. 4)
9. K.J. Osborn, Minnesota Vikings
K.J. Osborn has been a solid third wide receiver for the Vikings, first behind Justin Jefferson and Adam Thielen in the pecking order and then behind Jefferson and 2023 first-round pick Jordan Addison last season. He has had some bigger games when at least one of the Vikings receivers ahead of him missed time with an injury. Osborn has the potential to do more in a bigger role.
Best team fits: Eagles, Titans, Jets
Spotrac's market value: Two-year, $15.1M contract (No. 33 highest-paid WR in terms of AAV)
Age in 2024 season: 27 (turns 27 on June 10)
8. D.J. Chark, Carolina Panthers
Every Panthers player besides wide receiver Adam Thielen (103 catches for 1,014 yards and four receiving touchdowns) came out of the 2023 season worse for wear. That includes team receiving touchdowns leader D.J. Chark, who had five, as well as 525 receiving yards on 35 catches.
Much of the year was a slog, but he made the most of facing former Packers defensive coordinator Joe Berry's Green Bay defense in Week 16, hauling in a season-high six catches for season bests in receiving yards (98) and receiving touchdowns (two).
Standing at 6-foot-3 and weighing 200 pounds, Chark provides value as a downfield and red zone target. He'll likely end up taking a one-year deal to rebuild his value in 2024.
Best team fits: Cowboys, Eagles, Bills
Spotrac's market value: One-year, $10.9M contract (No. 23 highest-paid WR in terms of AAV)
Age in 2024 season: 28 (turns 28 on Sept. 23)
7. Curtis Samuel, Washington Commanders
The Miami Dolphins need a reliable third receiver after Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle. Curtis Samuel is a threat as a receiver and a runner, exactly the type of player Mike McDaniel would enjoy scheming open. The Chicago Bears could also reunite Samuel with former Panthers teammate D.J. Moore in an effort to add more playmaking to their downtrodden passing game.
The Texans could also use more explosion in their receiving corps after Nico Collins and Tank Dell, and Samuel could certainly provide it in the slot or lining up outside. He would be an upgrade over an aging Robert Woods, and his presence could take some pressure off of Dell in his return from a season-ending leg injury.
Best team fits: Dolphins, Bears, Texans
Spotrac's market value: Three-year, $34.6M contract ($11.5M AAV, No. 23 highest-paid WR in terms of AAV)
Age in 2024 season: 28 (turns 28 on Aug. 11)
6. Odell Beckham Jr., Baltimore Ravens
Beckham's free agency isn't going to be followed with baited breath this time around as he failed to emerge as a regular component of the Baltimore Ravens' offense last season.
Aaron Rodgers and Beckham have spoken highly of each other in the past, and a return to MetLife Stadium to play alongside Garrett Wilson makes a lot of sense. So does teaming up with Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce in K.C. as Beckham could add another dimension in the red zone and contested catch department.
Beckham almost joined the Cowboys last offseason, sitting courtside at a Dallas Mavericks game and spending a good chunk of time visiting the team in late 2022. Dallas could cut underperforming third receiver Michael Gallup, opening up some room for a more inexpensive version of Beckham this time around.
Best team fits: Jets, Chiefs, Cowboys
Spotrac's market value: One-year, $11.9M contract (No. 22 highest-paid WR in terms of AAV)
Age in 2024 season: 32 (turns 32 on Nov. 5)
5. Tyler Boyd, Cincinnati Bengals
The eight-year Bengal may need to find a new home in 2024 with Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins due significant raises. Obviously, his best fit as a reliable slot receiver and run blocker is with Cincy.
However, the Atlanta Falcons could use those qualities with Van Jefferson and Scott Miller failing to impress alongside Drake London and Kyle Pitts last season. Boyd is the type of reliable veteran pass-catcher the next Falcons quarterback could rely on with ease while also being an asset helping to block for Bijan Robinson.
The Eagles desperately need a third receiver to help Jalen Hurts out when defenses go out of their way to take away A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith on the outside. The corps of Julio Jones and Quez Watkins weren't reliable for Philly last season, but Boyd could be a critical difference-maker for the 2022 NFC champs.
Best team fits: Bengals, Falcons, Eagles
Spotrac's market value: Three-year, $26.1M contract ($8.7M AAV, No. 31 highest-paid WR in terms of AAV)
Age in 2024 season: 30 (turns 30 on Nov. 15)
4. Darnell Mooney, Chicago Bears
Darnell Mooney flashed some strong potential in 2021 when he totaled career-highs in catches (81) and receiving yards (1,055) at age 24. However, injuries and offenses more centered around running the football have dampened his shine the last two seasons.
Kansas City would be a great place to revive his career given the clear need it has and Patrick Mahomes' ability to make almost any receiver serviceable. The Ravens could use more juice at the position in Baltimore with Odell Beckham Jr.'s likely departure. The Eagles would also provide a soft landing spot with the ability to line up as a No. 3 alongside A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith.
Best team fits: Chiefs, Ravens, Eagles
Spotrac's market value: Four-year, $41.9M contract ($10.5M AAV, No. 25 highest-paid WR in terms of AAV)
Age in 2024 season: 27 (turns 27 on Oct. 29)
3. Gabe Davis, Buffalo Bills
The 2023 Gabe Davis breakout many projected entering 2023 didn't quite happen, and now he hits free agency with a high probability of playing somewhere else besides Buffalo given cap situation as the Bills currently are projected to have the second-fewest cap space in the league.
If he wants to take the JuJu Smith-Schuster route (take a one-year prove-it deal to play with Patrick Mahomes in Kansas City and then get paid the following offseason), the defending champion Chiefs would welcome him with open arms. The Washington Commanders are set to have the most cap space in the entire NFL ($73.6M), per OverTheCap.com, and they could use more size at receiver alongside Terry McLaurin and Jahan Dotson.
The Bengals will also likely have an opening with Tyler Boyd and Tee Higgins currently set to become free agents. Cincy also has nearly $60 million in cap space ($59.4 million) plus the ability to get open looks running alongside Ja'Marr Chase and catching passes from Joe Burrow.
Best team fits: Chiefs, Commanders, Bengals
Spotrac's market value: Four-year, $54.5M contract ($13.6M AAV, No. 20 highest-paid WR in terms of AAV)
Age in 2024 season: 25 (turns 25 on April 1)
2. Marquise Brown, Arizona Cardinals
Marquise Brown, a first-round pick back in the 2019 NFL Draft, should have a decent market as a speedster who has multiple years left on the right side of 30. Certainly the Cardinals like to keep him after not trading him at the deadline in 2023; plus he is one of quarterback Kyler Murray's closest friends in the league since the two were college teammates at Oklahoma.
Should he depart to another franchise, the Carolina Panthers and Chicago Bears both make sense. The Panthers have a clear need at receiver, and new head coach Dave Canales has shown the ability to create a solid attack after his revival of Baker Mayfield in Tampa Bay last season.
Brown also isn't a true WR1, but pairing him with DJ Moore on the Chicago Bears as a high-end second receiver makes a lot of sense. Plus, Chicago has money to burn with just under $67 million in cap space, per OverTheCap.com, and the allure of also likely adding 2022 Heisman Trophy winner in USC quarterback Caleb Williams with the first overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft.
Best team fits: Cardinals, Panthers, Bears
Spotrac's market value: Four-year, $59.5M contract ($14.9M AAV, No. 20 highest-paid WR in terms of AAV)
Age in 2024 season: 27 (turns 27 on Dec. 20)
1. Calvin Ridley, Jacksonville Jaguars
Calvin Ridley had an uncomplicated season on the field in 2023, his first year back after a gambling suspension that wiped away his 2022 campaign. He led Jacksonville in receiving yards (1,016) and receiving touchdowns (eight), a solid return to NFL action.
However, if the Jaguars re-sign Ridley, the conditional third-round pick they owe the Atlanta Falcons jumps to a second-round pick. Jacksonville could clearly use him alongside Christian Kirk and Evan Engram, but given that price tag, he could easily get scooped up by another team.
The Detroit Lions fresh off a run to the NFC title game have the cap space to make Ridley a competitive offer as well as entice him with the ability to play for a legit contender. The Tennessee Titans have just over $65 million in cap space this offseason, and he could give second-year quarterback Will Levis another reliable target alongside DeAndre Hopkins.
Best team fits: Jaguars, Lions, Titans
Spotrac's market value: Four-year, $68.2M contract ($17.1M AAV, No. 17 highest-paid WR in terms of AAV)
Age in 2024 season: 30 (turns 30 on Dec. 20)
