Welcome to the Monday edition of the Pick Six newsletter!
You better grab some popcorn and put the kids to bed because today is the unofficial start of free agency. Will your kids look at you awkwardly if you try to put them to bed around lunch time? Probably, but we just had a time change over the weekend and no one actually knows what time it is anymore, so they might just roll with it.
Although free agency doesn't technically start until Wednesday, players are allowed to agree to a deal with a new team starting at noon ET today, they just can't sign that deal until Wednesday. This is known as the legal tampering period.
You know what, why don't I just explain this stuff in the actual newsletter. We have a lot of stuff to cover today -- like Russell Wilson signing with a new team -- so let's get to the rundown.
As always, here's your weekly reminder to tell all your friends to sign up for the Pick Six newsletter. To get your friends to sign up, all you have to do is click here and then share this link with them.
1. NFL free agency unofficially starts today
The NFL calendar says that free agency won't be starting until 4 p.m. ET on Wednesday, but don't be fooled by that. The real action begins today: The legal tampering period opened at noon ET, which means there's a good chance that several deals could already be in place by the time you read this.
Once the legal tampering period starts, players are allowed to agree to terms on a contract with a new team. (However, they can't sign the contract until Wednesday.) Once the tampering period starts, things usually get pretty hot and heavy.
Since deals could be going down all day Monday, here's another reminder that we've put together a tracker for you so that you can stay up to date on everything that has happened so far (Click here for the tracker). We also have a live blog that will cover deals AND trades as they happen, and you can follow along by clicking here.
If a signing happens after noon ET today, we won't have it in the newsletter, but you'll be able to see it in both our tracker and live blog.
Also, to help you get warmed up for free agency, here's a list of Pete Prisco's top 100 free agents who will be available. The top guys are usually the ones who get signed first in free agency, so it won't be surprising at all if we see multiple players from this list agree to sign somewhere on Monday.
For players who got hit with the franchise tag, the rules are slightly different. Tee Higgins and the seven other players who got tagged aren't allowed to negotiate with other teams until the official start of free agency, which will come on Wednesday. They can request a trade though, which is what Higgins did on Monday, and we'll cover that a little later.
2. Russell Wilson headed to Pittsburgh: Details on QB's decision to sign with Steelers
Free agency hasn't even started yet and Russell Wilson has already found his new team. After spending some time in Pittsburgh over the weekend, Wilson liked it so much that he decided to sign there.
Here's what you need to know:
- Wilson agrees to a one-year deal. This definitely qualifies as a prove-it deal for Wilson. If he wins the Steelers' starting QB job and leads them to the playoffs, then he'll be in line to earn a hefty paycheck after the 2024 season.
- Wilson signing for the league minimum. The Steelers only have to pay Wilson $1.21 million, so this is a low-risk, high-reward move for them. The reason Wilson was willing to sign for so little is because he knew he was going to be making $39 million in 2024 no matter what. That's what the Broncos owed him before he signed with the Steelers. Now that the deal is in place, he'll be making $1.21 million from Pittsburgh and $37.79 million from Denver for the upcoming season. If you want more information about how that works, you can get that here.
- Why Wilson was allowed to agree to a deal now. As we mentioned in the first section, players weren't allowed to start negotiate with teams until 12 p.m. ET today, but Wilson was allowed to get an early start because the Broncos gave him permission to speak with other teams after informing that he would be released.
- Steelers could be the perfect spot. Wilson once led the Seahawks to two straight Super Bowls, and a big reason he was able to do that is because he had a strong supporting cast: He had a powerful rushing attack behind him and one of the top defenses in the NFL. In Pittsburgh, he'll have both of those things once again. He'll also have some solid talent on offense with him in Najee Harris, Jaylen Warren, George Pickens, Diontae Johnson and tight end Pat Freiermuth.
If Wilson wins the starting QB job over Kenny Pickett, he'll also get a shot at revenge on the Broncos because the Steelers are scheduled to play in Denver during the 2024 season.
3. Patriots trade Mac Jones to the Jaguars: Full details, plus grading the deal for both teams
Over the past few weeks, there was a lot of speculation that the Patriots were going to trade Mac Jones, and a deal finally went down on Sunday when they shipped him off to Jacksonville.
Here's a look at the trade details:
- Jaguars receive: Mac Jones
- Patriots receive: 2024 sixth-round pick
I'm not saying the Patriots gave away Jones for free, but they basically gave him away for free, which shows you how far he's fallen since 2021 after New England made him the 15th overall pick in the NFL Draft. Jones led the Patriots to the playoffs during his rookie season, but then then things fell apart quickly after that. Over the past two seasons, not only did Jones go 8-17 as a starter, but he was benched multiple times.
With a new coaching staff taking over in New England, the writing was on the wall for Jones.
For the Jaguars, this was likely an easy decision: They now have one of the better backup QB situations in the NFL and they only had to surrender a sixth-round pick to make that happen.
TRADE GRADES
Here's a look at our grades from the trade (via Bryan DeArdo):
- Jaguars grade: A-. "If starting quarterback is the NFL's most important position, backup quarterback might be a close second. ... By acquiring Jones, the Jaguars have upgraded their backup quarterback position. And they did so without having to give up too much. It helps that Jones is a Jacksonville native who wants to be there. And while he would prefer to be a starter, it appears that Jones will embrace his new role with the Jaguars."
- Patriots grade: B. "The Patriots didn't have too many options when it came to trading Jones, so a sixth-round pick isn't too shabby given the circumstance. New England got something in exchange for a player who was on his way out the door."
You can check out DeArdo's full explanation for each grade by clicking here.
One other detail on the trade is that it won't become official until the new league year starts on Wednesday.
4. Franchise tag news: Tee Higgins demands a trade, Michael Pittman Jr. gets long-term deal
The franchise tag window passed on March 5 without any trade drama, but we're finally getting some this week. Tee Higgins has requested to be traded out of Cincinnati.
Here's what you need to know about the situation:
- Higgins not happy with the Bengals. After you get hit with the franchise tag, that's usually when you start negotiating a long-term contract with your team, but that hasn't happened in this situation. According to ESPN.com, the Bengals haven't had any talks about a long-term contract with Higgins since MARCH 2023, so it's easy to see why the receiver is frustrated.
- Higgins is allowed to talked to teams starting this week. As a franchise-tagged player, Higgins can start talking to other teams when free agency officially starts on Wednesday at 4 p.m. ET. This means that Higgins should get an idea of what his free agency market would have looked like and what his trade market might look like.
- Another team is allowed to sign Higgins. If another teams makes an offer to Higgins, the Bengals will get a chance to match it, but if they choose not to match the offer, then they'll get two first-round picks in return. Basically, if a team wants Higgins bad enough, they can get him for two first-round picks, but it's hard to see anyone giving that up.
- Bengals have all the leverage. The Bengals can deal Higgins away for less than two first-round picks, but that's likely not going to happen unless they get BLOWN away by an offer. I could see the Bengals trading him away for one first-round pick, but that's a lot for a team to give up for one wide receiver.
As things currently stand, Higgins is set to play the 2024 season on a one-year franchise tag worth $21.82 million.
That's also the number that Michael Pittman Jr. would have gotten in 2024, but that won't be happening because he's worked out a long-term deal with the Colts. The receiver has landed a three-year, $71.5 million contract, CBS Sports HQ senior NFL insider Josina Anderson confirms. It includes $46 million in guaranteed money, per NFL Media. That puts Pittman's average annual value at $23.83 million, which ranks eighth in the NFL as of Monday.
5. Ranking the 10 best free agency signings ever
Every team will be hoping to make a huge splash when free agency unofficially kicks off today, so we thought now would be a good time to take a look at some of the best free agent signings in NFL history.
If any of this year's signings turn out like any of the signings on our list below, that will definitely be a good thing for the team that made the move. Bryan DeArdo ranked the 10 best signings ever, and we're going to check out his top five:
1. Packers sign Reggie White (1993). "White became the first marquee free agent to sign with a new team during the NFL's first free agency season. White, who had already put together a Hall of Fame career with the Eagles, tallied 68.5 sacks and six Pro Bowl selections during his six seasons in Green Bay."
2. Broncos sign Peyton Manning (2012). "Manning led the Broncos to four division titles, two AFC titles and a Super Bowl victory during his four years in Denver. Individually, Manning was selected to three Pro Bowls, earned two All-Pro nods, was named Comeback Player of the Year and league MVP. In 2013, Manning threw for an NFL-record 54 touchdown passes."
3. Saints sign Drew Brees (2006). "Brees led the Saints to a division title during his first season in New Orleans. Three years later, Brees earned Super Bowl MVP honors after leading New Orleans to a 31-17 win over the Colts."
4. Rams sign Kurt Warner (1998). "Warner quickly rose to stardom; he won league MVP that season after throwing 41 touchdowns and leading the Rams to a 13-3 record in 1999. He won Super Bowl MVP after leading the Rams to a win over the Titans in Super Bowl XXXIV."
5. Buccaneers sign Tom Brady (2020). "During his first year in Tampa, Brady led the Buccaneers to their second Super Bowl win. Against the defending champion Chiefs, Brady won his fifth Super Bowl MVP award after throwing three touchdowns in Tampa Bay's 31-9 victory."
You can check out DeArdo's full list of best free agent signings ever here.
6. Extra points: Browns make trade for Jerry Jeudy
It's been a busy weekend 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.
- Broncos ship Jeudy off to Cleveland. Deshaun Watson has a new weapon after the Browns pulled off a trade for Jerry Jeudy over the weekend. To make the deal happen, the Browns had to send two draft picks -- a fifth-rounder and a sixth-rounder -- to the Broncos. You can read more about the deal here.
- Baker Mayfield gets $100 million contract from Buccaneers. Mayfield will be staying in Tampa Bay after agreeing to a three-year deal worth $100 million. According to NFL.com, Mayfield only gets $40 million fully guaranteed at signing with another $10 million becoming guaranteed in March 2025. This means that if Mayfield struggles in 2024, the Bucs could theoretically move on after just one season at a cost of $40 million. The Buccaneers also handed out a three-year deal to kicker Chase McLaughlin, who will also now be staying in Tampa.
- Chris Jones lands record-setting deal with Chiefs. The Chiefs star will not be hitting free agency after agreeing to terms on a five-year deal worth nearly $160 million that includes $95 million in fully guaranteed money. The deal gives Jones the highest annual salary ever for a defensive tackle. You can read more about the contract here.
- Bears now planning to stay in Chicago. The Bears were once planning to build a stadium in Arlington Heights, Illinois, but it looks like those plans have now changed. According to multiple reports, the team is apparently now planning to help invest in a $2 billion domed stadium that will keep the Bears in downtown Chicago for the foreseeable future.
- Bears sign former All-Pro safety. The Bears had a busy weekend. Not only did they reveal new stadium plans, but they also added a defensive starter with the signing of Kevin Byard. The two-time All-Pro has agreed to a two-year deal worth $15 million.
- Eagles star announces retirement. Just days after losing Jason Kelce to retirement, the Eagles lost another key player with Fletcher Cox announcing on Sunday that he's decided to call it quits after 12 seasons. You can get more details on his retirement here. In other Eagles news, Landon Dickerson has agreed to terms on a monster four-year, $84 million extension, according to NFL.com.
- 49ers set to cut defensive starter. The 49ers have decided to cut ties with Arik Armstead. The team apparently asked him to take a pay cut, but he wasn't willing, which is why the 49ers decided to let him go. You can read more about the situation here.
- NFL hands out compensatory picks. The NFL handed out 34 extra draft picks over the weekend and the 49ers, Rams and Eagles all came away as big winners. Those teams were each given four extra picks for the upcoming NFL Draft. If you want to know how the picks were divvied up, be sure to check out our full story here.
