Welcome to the Friday edition of the Pick Six newsletter!
It's the Ides of March, which is kind of fitting for today, because it's definitely backstabbing season in the NFL. Between now and the start of the NFL Draft, you can't believe anything you hear from anyone. Don't believe the leaks you hear, don't believe it when a general manager says they're in love with a certain player, and well, just don't believe anything. Everything is a smokescreen, and even things that don't seem like a smokescreen are actually smokescreens.
Now that we have all of that out of the way, let's get to today's newsletter where we'll be taking a look at Aaron Donald's surprise retirement announcement, plus we'll be breaking down possible landing spots for the best available free agents ... or will we?! Remember, I told you not to believe anything.
As always, here's your daily reminder to tell all your friends to sign up for the newsletter. To get them signed up, all you have to do is click here. Let's get to the rundown.
1. Today's show: Predicting landing spots for the best available free agents
It has been a busy week in free agency, but don't look for things to slow down anytime soon and that's because there are still plenty of big names left on the market. For today's episode of the podcast, Will Brinson, Tyler Sullivan and I got together to break down some possible landing spots for the best free agents who are still available.
Here are a few of the guys we talked about:
- Tyron Smith: Patriots. Although there's certainly a chance the former Cowboys tackle might end up back in Dallas, we all liked the Patriots as a potential landing spot. New England needs some serious help at tackle, and getting a guy as talented as Smith would certainly be an upgrade over what they have now.
- Xavien Howard: Lions. If the Lions could still use one thing in free agency, it's a solid corner. Fortunately for Detroit, there are a few to choose from. They could try to sign Howard -- who was cut by the Dolphins earlier this year -- or they could look to sign Stephon Gilmore.
- Jadeveon Clowney: Panthers. Clowney has already visited with the Panthers and this move would seem to make sense for both sides. The Panthers need some pass-rushing help, they have money to spend and it would be a return home for Clowney, who grew up in Rock Hill, South Carolina, which is just 30 miles from Charlotte.
- Trent Brown: Packers or Bengals. Sullivan and Brinson like the idea of the former Patriots tackle signing in Green Bay, but I think Cincinnati would make a lot of sense. The Bengals just lost Jonah Williams in free agency, and if they're going to sign someone, there aren't a lot of options outside of Brown or Mekhi Becton, and it wouldn't be surprising if either of those guys ends up protecting Joe Burrow next season.
If you want to know our full list of landing spots or if you just want to hear the three of us break down the fourth day of free agency, you can listen to our full show by clicking here. You can also watch today's show on YouTube by clicking here.
If you want to see the full list of the best remaining free agents, you can check that out here.
2. Aaron Donald shockingly announces his retirement
The Rams star had been contemplating retirement for at least the past two seasons, but now, it's actually happening. In a decision that came out of nowhere on Friday, Donald announced that he's going to hang up his cleats after 10 seasons.
Here's what you need to know about Donald:
- He retires as one of the best defensive players in NFL history. Since being drafted by the Rams in 2014, Donald has been an unstoppable force. He won a total of three Defensive Player of the Year awards during his career, which is tied for the most in NFL history. He was also named a first-team All-Pro in eight of his 10 seasons.
- Donald dominated the NFL during his career. Since his rookie year in 2014, Donald has recorded 111 sacks, 260 QB hurries and 475 QB pressures, which ALL rank FIRST in the NFL over that span. His 111 sacks stands as the NFL record for the most sacks through a player's first 10 seasons.
- He made the decisive play in Super Bowl LVI. Donald played in two Super Bowls, but the one he'll remember the most is definitely the Rams' 23-20 win over the Bengals in Super Bowl LVI. With the game being played at his home stadium in Los Angeles, Donald forced an incompletion by pressuring Joe Burrow on a fourth-and-1 with the game on the line in the final minute. You can relive that here (Although you may not want to if you're a Bengals fan).
- Donald thanked the city of St. Louis in his retirement statement. Donald played the first two seasons of his career in St. Louis and he definitely didn't forget that. "I would like to thank St. Louis for the love and support during my first two years in the league as a St. Louis Ram, and through my eight years as a Los Angeles Ram," Donald wrote. You can see his full statement here.
Donald's next stop is definitely going to be Canton, Ohio, and that's because he's a surefire first-ballot Hall of Famer. For our full story on Donald's retirement, be sure to click here.
3. Chargers trade Keenan Allen to Bears: Full details, plus grading the deal for both teams
At the rate things are going, Justin Herbert isn't going to have any offensive weapons left when the 2024 season starts. Over the past week, the Chargers have cut Mike Williams, they let Austin Ekeler leave in free agency, and now, in the biggest shocker of all, they decided to trade Keenan Allen away to the Bears.
Here's a look at the trade details:
- Bears receive: Keenan Allen
- Chargers receive: 2024 fourth-round pick (110th overall)
According to NFL.com, the Chargers asked Allen to take a pay cut, but he declined, which is what led to the trade. Of course, it's completely understandable that Allen refused to take a pay cut. After all, he did lead the Chargers in receiving last season with 1,243 yards, which was more than TWICE as much as any other receiver on the team. If Jim Harbaugh's plan was to totally dismantle the offense, then he has definitely succeeded.
TRADE GRADES
Here's a look at our grades from the trade (via Josh Edwards):
- Chargers grade: B-. "Los Angeles seems to be having an identity crisis. They adjust contracts with pass rushers Khalil Mack and Joey Bosa, which allowed them to get under the salary cap, but then release Mike Williams and trade Allen. Combined with the departures of tight end Gerald Everett and running back Austin Ekeler, it does not exactly scream 'competing.'"
- Bears grade: A-. "With just one year left on his contract, Allen likely isn't going to be a part of the long-term plans, but if their plan is to draft a quarterback, then they're already showing that rookie some serious support by bringing in a weapon like Allen."
You can check out Edwards' full explanation for each grade by clicking here.
4. NFL free agency: Here are the biggest moves over the past 24 hours
Every time I think things are about to slow down in free agency, the opposite happens. For instance, I didn't think we'd see much happen after 10 p.m. ET last night, but then Keenan Allen got traded and the Chiefs made a major signing. Basically, it's nearly impossible to keep track of everything that happens, but the good news for you is that you don't have to because CBS pays me to do it for you.
With that in mind, let's take a look at some of the biggest moves that have gone down around the league over the past 24 hours.
- Chiefs add a weapon for Patrick Mahomes. The Chiefs QB was probably thrilled to see his team sign Marquise Brown on Thursday night. The former Cardinals receiver, who has caught at least 50 passes in four straight seasons, has inked a one-year deal with Kansas City that's worth up to $11 million.
- Seahawks make trade for Sam Howell. After just two seasons, the Commanders are done with Howell. The Seahawks sent two picks to Washington -- No. 78 overall and 152nd overall -- in exchange for Howell. Seattle also got two picks in the trade. Despite the deal, there's no QB controversy in Seattle with general manager John Schneider saying on Thursday that Geno Smith is still the starter.
- Falcons trade away Desmond Ridder and get a nice return. With Kirk Cousins now under contract, that made Desmond Ridder expendable, so the Falcons shipped him off to Arizona in a rare player-for-player deal (You can see our grades for the deal here). In exchange for Ridder, the Cardinals sent Rondale Moore to Atlanta. The Falcons now have a receiving group that includes Drake London, Darnell Mooney and Rondale Moore.
- Eagles beef up defense by adding former Buccaneers All-Pro. The Eagles added some depth at linebacker by signing Devin White to a one-year deal that's worth up to $7 million. The former first-round pick was an All-Pro during Tampa Bay's Super Bowl-winning season in 2020, but he's slowly regressed since then.
- Joe Mixon gets PAID. Not only did the Texans make a trade for Mixon, but they also gave him a new contract. The running back was given a three-year, $27 million extension that includes $13 million in guaranteed money. Mixon's old deal was set to expire at the end of the 2024 season.
- Bills set to sign Curtis Samuel. With Gabe Davis now in Jacksonville, the Bills seem to have found his replacement with the signing of Samuel, who was given a three-year, $24 million deal that includes $15 million in guaranteed money.
- Dolphins add Kendall Fuller. The top corner on the market is no longer available after Fuller decided to take his talents to South Beach. The former Commanders corner signed a two-year, $16.5 million deal with the Dolphins, and he gives Miami a nice 1-2 punch at a corner position that already includes Jalen Ramsey.
If you're looking for more signings, we're keeping tabs of every deal that's going down in free agency, and you can check that out by clicking here.
We have also organized every free agent signing into a position-by-position format and you can check that out here.
5. NFL free agency: Grades for every team
Now that we're wrapping up the first week of free agency, it's time to grade every team on how they did. Some teams were good, some teams were bad and some teams apparently forgot that free agency was starting this week.
We graded all 32 teams and we're going to check out five of those grades below:
- Ravens: A-. "The Ravens retaining one of the NFL's best defensive tackles in Justin Madubuike (four years, $98 million) was a great start for the league's top defense. Swapping out running back Gus Edwards, who has since departed to the Chargers, for Derrick Henry (two years, $16 million) is a significant upgrade."
- Buccaneers: B+. "The band is back together in Tampa Bay! The reigning NFC South champions re-signed their two most important players, quarterback Baker Mayfield and wide receiver Mike Evans. Mayfield is coming off of the best year of his career with career highs in completion percentage (64.3%), passing touchdowns (28) and passing yards (4,044). Evans co-led the NFL in receiving touchdowns in his first season with Mayfield in 2023."
- Vikings: C-. "It's panic time in the Twin Cities: The Vikings are entering quarterback purgatory and currently looking at castoff Sam Darnold as their starting quarterback ahead of the 2024 NFL Draft after Cousins deserted them for the Falcons and warmer weather. Scary times."
- Jets: D+. "New York letting a 25-year-old Huff out of the building is a travesty. Elite pass-rushers aren't easy to come by, which is why most of them never hit the free agency market at all. The Jets did receive offensive reinforcements to their backup quarterback spot with Tyrod Taylor coming over from down the hall with the Giants, and offensive line, their biggest need on the entire team."
- Broncos: F. "The Denver Broncos are starting over. They decided they would rather eat $85 million as a dead cap hit than have quarterback Russell Wilson play a single snap on the five-year, $245 million extension they signed him to before he took a snap for the franchise. That decision has a ripple effect over everything else the Broncos do. Denver cut four-time Second-Team All-Pro safety Justin Simmons to save $14.5 million in cap space despite him being an All-Pro and Pro Bowler in 2023."
You can see the grades for every team here.
6. Winners and losers after Week 1 of free agency
Not only are we handing out some grades today, but we also have some winners and losers. So who has had the best week of free agency so far? Cody Benjamin attempted to answer that question with this list.
WINNERS
- Browns. "They kept their strong front seven intact by retaining Za'Darius Smith and Shelby Harris, while adding Jim Schwartz favorite Jordan Hicks. And Jameis Winston at least adds some flavor to the No. 2 spot under center, with enough juice to match Joe Flacco's off-the-bench heroics."
- Texans. "Paying high-level money to extend new running back Joe Mixon is a genuine head-scratcher, but otherwise, they've operated exactly like the ascending contender they are. Danielle Hunter is a huge, imposing get for a DeMeco Ryans-led front already headlined by Will Anderson Jr., and the dual poaching of ex-rivals Azeez Al-Shaair and Denico Autry gives the defense even more physicality. With C.J. Stroud leading the other side, their future is bright."
LOSERS
- Cardinals. "What are we saving money for here? The Cardinals entered with borderline top-five salary-cap space, and yet their splashiest addition might be jettisoned Falcons QB Desmond Ridder, who's going to sit behind Kyler Murray. Jonah Williams helps up front, and Justin Jones should aid Jonathan Gannon's defensive line, but this club is still in dire need of skill weapons."
- Cowboys. "When owner Jerry Jones kept reciting "all-in" as the offseason motto, surely he didn't anticipate the team's biggest March headlines would involve an off-field legal dispute involving star quarterback Dak Prescott. Savvy linebacker Eric Kendricks is a solid find for the middle of the defense, but he's also 32."
If you want to check out Cody's full list of winners and losers, be sure to head here.
Extra points: Vikings trade for a first-round pick
It's been a busy 24 hours in the NFL, and since it's nearly impossible to keep track of everything that happened, I went ahead and put together a roundup for you.
- Vikings now have two first-round picks. The Vikings now have the 23rd overall pick in the NFL Draft after making a trade with the Texans. Houston is sending the 23rd and 232nd pick to Minnesota while the Texans will be getting a 2024 second-round pick, a 2024 sixth-round pick and a 2025 second-round pick in return. For the Vikings, this puts them in a position where they could trade up for a QB in the draft this year. They already have the 11th overall pick and if they toss in the 23rd overall pick to a potential trade, it could help them move up to the top five. For more details on this trade, be sure to go here.
- Eagles and Falcons being investigated for tampering. Two of the biggest contract agreements that happened during the tampering period involved Kirk Cousins and Saquon Barkley, and now, the teams that signed those two players are both under investigation for violating the NFL's tampering policy. You can read about the full situation here. If either team is found guilty, they could lose a draft pick or get fined.
- Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce are opening a steakhouse. Fresh off winning their third Super Bowl in five years, it looks like Kelce and Mathomes have decided to take on another challenge: the restaurant business. The two teammates are going to open an upscale steakhouse called '1587 Prime,' which will be located inside of the Kansas City Loews hotel. For a closer look at their plans, be sure to head here.
- Corey Davis returning to NFL. After mysteriously stepping away from the NFL last August, Davis is now set to return to the NFL. Before the start of the 2023 season, Davis decided he wasn't going to play, which led the Jets to place him on the reserve/retired list. The former first-round pick requested reinstatement this week, and not only did he get it, but the Jets released him, which means he's free to sign with any team. You can read more about Davis' situation here.
