The halfway point of the 2024 NFL regular season is approaching fast. The successful teams made bold and aggressive offseason moves that have paid off, whereas the struggling clubs can pinpoint their misfortunes on one costly move that sent them backward.
With that said, let’s dive into five 2024 NFL offseason moves that have succeeded tremendously and five that have failed mightily.
Which offseason moves paid off for these NFL teams, and which ones end up as blunders?
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Succeeding: Commanders Make Jayden Daniels The Face Of The Franchise
The Chicago Bears taking Caleb Williams first overall was a foregone conclusion from the get-go. The Washington Commanders, however, had a bit of a decision to make at No. 2.
LSU quarterback and Heisman Trophy winner Jayden Daniels displayed superstar-like potential in college. But dual-threat QBs are the ultimate boom-or-bust prospects. For every Cam Newton and Michael Vick, there’s a Robert Griffin III or Johnny Manziel.
Washington could have taken North Carolina’s Drake Maye, a generational wide receiver prospect like Marvin Harrison Jr., a five-star offensive tackle like Joe Alt. OR, they could have traded the No. 2 pick for a monster package.
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But new GM Adam Peters and head coach Dan Quinn rolled the dice on Daniels and made him the No. 2 selection. And it already looks like the very move that will launch this team into long-term title contention following the nightmare of the Dan Snyder era.
Daniels has flourished as an accurate pocket passer and dynamic runner, with a 1K rushing season in reach. He has been the best offensive rookie by a country mile and, more importantly, has the Commanders in the running for the NFC East division crown.
Daniels looks every bit like the superstar we saw at LSU. Unlike most first-year QBs, he’s not committing those careless rookie mistakes. He’s displaying Aaron Rodgers-like accuracy and Lamar Jackson-like mobility, which isn’t too shabby if you ask us.
Reaching the postseason would just be gravy. Washington hit the jackpot with its new GM, head coach and QB. Daniels is the future in DC, and long-suffering Commanders fans finally have something to cheer about for years to come.
Failed: Titans Sign Calvin Ridley
Ridley was the top wide receiver to hit the 2024 NFL free-agent market, and the assumption was that he would want to sign with a contender at this phase of his career.
But it was the rebuilding Tennessee Titans who came out of nowhere to win the Ridley sweepstakes, signing the two-time 1,000-yard receiver to a lucrative four-year contract worth $92 million.
The contract was awfully risky for a wide receiver in his 30s. Tennessee also paid superstar money to a player who never earned a Pro Bowl nod. Giving him a higher average annual value than superior wide receivers like Terry McLaurin, Stefon Diggs, Mike Evans, Amari Cooper and DeAndre Hopkins was also an…interesting decision.
Anyway, the Titans had hoped that a Ridley-Hopkins tandem would unlock the potential of second-year receiver Will Levis. News flash: It didn’t happen.
The Tennessee passing game as a whole has struggled. But guys like Ridley are paid to get open and produce, regardless of who their QB is. He’s currently on pace to set career lows across the board, and the guy might not even hit 500 yards receiving this year.
The Titans ignored a clear need to begin a rebuild and invested nearly $100 million in a very good but not great wide receiver. Now they’re stuck with a disgruntled veteran and a terrible contract on their hands.
On the bright side, Tennessee is in a position to get a top QB prospect in the 2025 NFL Draft. Maybe Shedeur Sanders, Quinn Ewers, Cameron Ward, or Carson Beck could get Ridley going again?
Bottom line: The Titans took a calculated risk, and it has quickly backfired. Unfortunately, there is no mulligan attached to Ridley’s contract.
Succeeding: Falcons Win The Kirk Cousins Sweepstakes
The Falcons would have won the NFC South in 2022 and 2023 if they had above-average quarterback play. Alas, they finished 7-and-10 both years with lackluster production from Marcus Mariota, Desmond Ridder, and Taylor Heinicke during that period.
Fed up with being stuck in QB purgatory, the Falcons went all-in for ex-Minnesota Vikings signal-caller Kirk Cousins and handed him a four-year deal worth $180 million in free agency. The deal included a $100 million guarantee, which is obviously risky for a 36-year-old coming off surgery on a torn Achilles.
Well, Cousins has earned every penny of that deal up to this point. Over the Falcons’ first five games alone, he orchestrated three fourth-quarter comeback game-winning drives — against three other playoff hopefuls in the Philadelphia Eagles, New Orleans Saints, and Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Cousins has maximized the loaded weaponry around him, namely Drake London, Darnell Mooney, Bijan Robinson, and Darnell Mooney. Raheem Morris’ bend-don’t-break defense has complemented the offense nicely, and the Falcons look every bit like a contender in the wide-open NFC.
The NFC South is a two-way race between the Bucs and Falcons. We’d give an edge to Atlanta, but they’re, at worst, a wild-card team. And believe us, this is not a team anybody would want to face in the postseason.
Failed: Titans Make Sign-And-Trade Deal For L’Jarius Sneed
Even though they were nowhere close to title contention, the Titans couldn’t help but make not one but two win-now moves. The biggest one was signing Ridley. The other move was acquiring Kansas City Chiefs cornerback L’Jarius Sneed.
Tennessee gave up a 2025 third-round pick and agreed to swap of 2024 seventh-round selections in exchange for Sneed. Titans GM Ran Carthon clearly ignored the obvious: That Sneed was a product of the Andy Reid and Steve Spagnuolo system, and not a bonafide superstar.
Not only did the Titans pay a hefty price for Sneed, but they immediately handed him a four-year extension worth $76.4 million.
Even though Tennessee’s secondary has been a surprisingly dominant group this season, Sneed is not a reason why. His Pro Football Focus grade was an abhorrent 36.3 through Tennessee’s first five games.
And according to Pro Football Reference, Sneed allowed a 91.8 passer rating when targeted over that period. Not only is he failing to play like the superstar we saw in KC, but Sneed is doing more harm than good.
A third-round pick and $76.4 million for that? Yikes.
Allow the Chiefs’ stud cornerback tandem of Trent McDuffie and Jaylen Watson to remind you that any defensive back can flourish in Spagnuolo’s defense…
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Succeeding: The Win-Win Stefon Diggs Blockbuster!
We’re listing the Buffalo Bills and Houston Texans as winners in the mega trade involving All-Pro wide receiver Stefon Diggs.
The superstar NFL wideout became a problem in the Bills locker room, and Josh Allen had a knack for forcing the ball to him. So the Bills finally gave in and traded Diggs — along with two late-round picks — to the Texans for a 2025 second-round pick.
So, how has this trade fared? Diggs has continued to play like a star in Houston’s offense, and Nico Collins’ injury makes the veteran all the more valuable to CJ Stroud.
Buffalo’s offense also hasn’t missed a beat. Allen has spread the ball around to his rebuilt offense featuring Khalil Shakir, Dalton Kincaid, and Keon Coleman. AND THEN, the Bills acquired Pro Bowler Amari Cooper from the Cleveland Browns after their Week 6 win over the New York Jets.
So the Bills and Texans look like Super Bowl contenders. Diggs is flourishing with Stroud. Allen has a new No. 1 in Cooper. This trade can safely be filed under “win-win” for everybody.
Failed: Panthers Give Away Brian Burns To Giants
Having already given away Christian McCaffrey, DJ Moore, and essentially Caleb Williams for pennies on the dollar, the Carolina Panthers were at it again at the trade table.
A month before the draft, they traded superstar pass-rusher to the New York Giants in exchange for 2024 second and 2025 draft picks and a swap of 2024 fifth-rounders.
So here’s what happened. Burns has helped the Giants re-emerge as a prolific defense alongside fellow stud pass-rushers Dexter Lawrence and Kavyon Thibodeaux. The Panthers, by the way, had six sacks as a team through their first six games.
The Burns trade hurts more because the Panthers rejected two firsts and a second-rounder from the Los Angeles Rams for his services at the 2022 trade deadline.
The Panthers are as lousy as last year’s group. Something tells us this helpless defense would be a lot better with the two-time Pro Bowler. But, you know, they can also sell low on Burns instead of paying him top dollar to be a long-term franchise cornerstone piece.
Succeeding: Saquon Barkley Joins Eagles Flock
After the Giants made the mind-numbing decision to let Saquon Barkley walk for nothing in 2024 free agency, the Philadelphia Eagles bounced on the opportunity and made their archrivals pay big time.
Barkley signed a three-year deal worth $37.75 million to take over as the new lead RB in Philly’s backfield. After playing like a superstar behind a wretched Giants o-line, Barkley has embraced the luxury of a top-tier run-blocking unit.
Amid injuries to key players like AJ Brown and DeVonta Smith and inept coaching by Nick Sirianni, Barkley, and Jalen Hurts have kept the Philly offense afloat as an explosive rushing duo.
Not only is Barkley on pace to finish with a career-high in rushing yards, but he has a legitimate shot at finishing with 2K yards of offense. The Eagles haven’t shown any consistency yet, so I just wonder where they would be if GM Howie Roseman never signed Barkley.
Failed: Raiders Sign Gardner Minshew II
After a stellar 2024 season as the Indianapolis Colts’ primary starting QB, Minshew II signed a two-year deal with the Las Vegas Raiders worth $25 million. The deal included a generous $15 million guaranteed, which was too much for a guy who’s spent most of his career as a backup.
Our issue with the Minshew signing isn’t the contract itself but the fact Las Vegas passed on so many superior NFL QBs. Consider that Minshew was benched in favor of Aidan O’Connell after just five starts, throwing four touchdowns against five interceptions.
The Raiders’ sluggish start also prompted a disgruntled Davante Adams to request a trade, and he was sent to the New York Jets for a conditional third-round pick. Ho hum.
Now imagine if the Raiders did something smarter at QB. You know, such as signing Russell Wilson or even trading for Justin Fields! Or what about trading up for a top QB prospect like Michael Penix Jr., JJ McCarthy, or Bo Nix?
Even 2023 Comeback Player of the Year Joe Flacco or Jameis Winston would have been better options than Minshew. But the Raiders basically threw a season away by relying on a Minshew-O’Connell QB tandem, and something tells us that other notable Raiders players will soon follow Adams out the door.
Congrats, Raiders. You blew it as you usually do.
Succeeding: Ravens Pair Derrick Henry With Lamar Jackson
Before the move was official, everyone had predicted that King Henry would land in Baltimore. Sure enough, the Ravens signed the two-time rushing champion to a two-year deal worth a bargain $16 million.
We knew Henry and Jackson would fit tremendously in Baltimore’s rush-heavy offense, but the former Titan has still exceeded expectations this year.
Henry already looks like he’ll run away with his third rushing title. In fact, he has an outside shot of recording his second 2,000-yard season — or, at the very least, the second-best statistical season of his career.
The Ravens had the fourth-best scoring offense last year at 28.4 points per game. It’s even better this year. And we kindly ask how other NFL teams will gameplan against these guys in the postseason, now that you have to account for two future Hall of Famers in the ground game…
Failed: Jets Acquire Haason Reddick From Eagles
A friendly reminder to NFL GMs: If you’re trading for a disgruntled player who wants a new contract, you should probably address that matter ASAP.
The New York Jets missed that memo when they acquired superstar edge rusher Haason Reddick from the Philadelphia Eagles in exchange for a conditional 2026 third-round pick. The trade was completed after Philly signed ex-Jets standout Bryce Huff in free agency, making this a win-win for scenario for all parties.
Or so we thought.
Reddick held out throughout training camp and preseason in search of a new contract. The two-time Pro Bowler had one year remaining on the $45 million pact he signed with Philly in 2022, and it was reasonable to ask for a raise after outperforming the first two years of the contract.
The Jets never gave in. Their pass rush underperformed through the first five weeks before head coach Robert Saleh was fired — adding another clown act to the never-ending circus show in Gotham.
So the Jets gave up a third-round pick for a guy who never played for them. All because a team in win-now mode couldn’t meet his asking price. Maybe finalize a new deal with Reddick before trading for him? Maybe work harder to keep Huff and let Reddick be someone else’s issue?
Ah well. At least the Jets never fail to amuse us with their 24/7 comedy routine.
Also Read: Grading All 32 NFL Teams Defenses After Week 6 Games Of The 2024 Season
