Now that the 2024 NFL regular season is over, it’s time to complete the report card season for this year.
With that, let’s dive into our final grades for the 20 biggest NFL free-agent signings of 2024.
Which 2024 free agency signings had the most impact on their NFL teams?
Kirk Cousins: F
Believing they were just a quarterback away from contending for a Super Bowl, the Atlanta Falcons handed four-time Pro Bowler Kirk Cousins a lucrative four-year deal worth $180 million in free agency. The astronomical deal included $100 million in guarantees, too.
Cousins’ tenure in Atlanta got off to a promising 6-and-3 start, headlined by a road win in Philadelphia and a season-series sweep of the Buccaneers. At the halfway point of the season, the Falcons seemingly had the NFC South crown in their laps.
But “Captain Kirk” inexplicably imploded over his next five starts. During a four-game losing streak, he had NO touchdown passes and eight interceptions. A terrible outing in a Week 15 road win over the Las Vegas Raiders was the last straw, and he was benched in favor of rookie Michael Penix Jr.
The Atlanta offense fared much better with Penix Jr., but the QB switch was too little too late. The Falcons finished 8-9 and missed the postseason for the seventh straight year.
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With that, Cousins’ 2024 NFL season ended with a 7-and-7 record, 3,508 passing yards, 18 touchdowns, and 16 interceptions. Hindsight is 20/20, but they probably should have never signed Cousins if they were that sold on Penix Jr. all along, anyway?
Saquon Barkley: A+++++
After the New York Giants made the ridiculous decision to hold onto Barkley last year and lose him for nothing in free agency, the Philadelphia Eagles scooped up the No. 2 pick of 2018 on a three-year deal worth $37.75 million.
Some folks thought it was an overpay for an injury-prone Barkley, considering the RB was a devaluing position and that the Eagles have made it work with a million guys running behind that o-line.
Well, the joke’s on all the haters! All Barkley did was join the 2,000-yard club with 2,005 rushing yards and 13 touchdowns. He led the NFL in scrimmage yards with 2,283 — also a career-high.
If the Eagles hadn’t benched him in Week 18, Barkley might have broken Eric Dickerson’s single-season rushing yards record. But hey, a 2K season, 14 wins, and an NFC East division crown will suffice!
Derrick Henry: A+++++
Like the Giants with Barkley, the Tennessee Titans made a mind-boggling call to not move Henry ahead of the 2023 trade deadline. The master plan? Just let him leave for nothing in free agency, then rip it up with a new team.
King Henry signed a two-year deal with the Baltimore Ravens worth a modest $12 million. Hmm…the best running back of his era playing with the NFL’s best rushing offense led by Lamar Jackson. You just knew it would be the perfect match!
All Henry did was rush for 1,921 yards – his second-best mark — and 16 touchdowns that tied for the league lead. And he did this at the age of 30, no less.
Henry and Jackson led the Ravens to a second straight AFC North crown, with the 518 points marking the second-best single-season feat in franchise history.
Calvin Ridley: B
Everyone knew that the four-year, $92 million pact Ridley signed with the Titans was a giant overpay. But the reality is that rebuilding teams without a suitable answer at QB have to overpay to get their guys.
Ridley was never going to perform like an All-Pro with a $23 million average annual value. But despite a woeful quarterback room, he caught 64 passes for 1,017 yards — the second-best mark of his career — and four touchdowns.
Get Shedeur Sanders or Cam Ward as your QB with the No. 1 pick, and Ridley’s stats could really pop in 2025.
Christian Wilkins: B
After a career year with the Miami Dolphins, Wilkins signed a four-year deal with the Las Vegas Raiders worth $110 million. With Wilkins joining forces with Maxx Crosby, there was a lot to like about the Raiders’ D heading into the new season.
Unfortunately, a foot fracture ended Wilkins’ NFL season at five games. He still had two sacks in those contests and had an 80.2 run defense grade at Pro Football Focus — third-best among defensive linemen. Short sample size, yes, but still noteworthy.
Wilkins had a 74.8 PFF grade for the year before his injury. The limited game action prevents him from getting an A, but the early results look really promising for Vegas.
Also Read: 5 Active NFL Quarterbacks Who SAVED Their Careers On A NEW Team…And 5 Who DESTROYED Theirs
Xavier McKinney: A+
The Green Bay Packers don’t usually spend big bucks in free agency, but 2024 was a special exception. They came away with two big fishes on the open market, including ex-New York Giants safety Xavier McKinney, on a four-year pact worth $67 million.
Named to his first career Pro Bowl in 2024, McKinney recorded a career-high eight interceptions that only trailed Kerby Joseph for most in football.
McKinney did it all for the Packers: An 84.8 grade at PFF, which included a 74.2 pass-rush grade and a ridiculous coverage grade of 90.0 — third-most among safeties.
No wonder the Packers’ D took such a big step forward under first-year DC Jeff Hafley.
Robert Hunt: C
Hunt was one of three free agents to ink a nine-figure contract in free agency, joining the Carolina Panthers on a $100 million pact over five years.
Well, the ex-Miami Dolphin was far from a guy deserving of a $20 million AAV. PFF graded Hunt at 67.7 on the year – including a 57.5 pass-blocking grade that ranked 84th out of 135 qualified guards. He committed five penalties and allowed as many sacks in 966 snaps.
The saving grace was his run-blocking. Hunt’s respectable 72.0 grade there placed him 26th among 135 guards, with Hunt’s efforts helping Chuba Hubbard rush for a career-high 1,195 yards.
Jonathan Greenard: A+
After a career year with the Houston Texans, Greenard joined the Minnesota Vikings on a four-year deal worth $76 million.
Call it money perfectly spent by GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah. Greenard earned his first Pro Bowl nod after tallying 12 sacks — 0.5 shy of matching his career best. He also had three pass breakups and a career-high four forced fumbles.
Greenard was a beast in Brian Flores’ defense, which finished fifth in scoring D — propelling Minny to a 14-win campaign that marked their best NFL regular-season record since 1998.
Danielle Hunter: A+
Greenard left Houston for Minnesota. Hunter left Minnesota for Houston. It almost feels like a nod to John Woo’s 1997 hit film “Face/Off” starring John Travolta and Nicolas Cage, doesn’t it?
Hunter signed a two-year deal with the Texans worth $49 million. The four-time Pro Bowler also fit in nicely with his new home, racking up 12 sacks — the same total as Greenard — with three pass breakups.
Don’t be surprised if Hunter’s deal is extended in the offseason. He sure proved to be worth every penny in year one with his new team.
Bryce Huff: C-
Before trading star edge rusher Haason Reddick to the New York Jets, the Eagles secured a replacement by signing Bryce Huff to a three-year deal worth $51.1 million. Huff was coming off a breakout season, fittingly with the Jets, that saw him record 10 sacks.
Though the Eagles’ defense returned to an elite form under new DC Vic Fangio, Huff didn’t play a role in it whatsoever. He had just 2.5 sacks in 12 games and finished with a PFF grade of 68.3 — including a lackluster 60.2 run defense grade.
Huff is fortunate that the rest of the Eagles’ front seven did their job, so his lackluster performance didn’t cost the team anyway. We’ll see if he can bounce back in 2025.
Darnell Mooney: B+
It felt like a giant overpay when the Falcons gave Mooney a three-year contract worth $39 million…considering he had one 1,000-yard season under his belt.
But Mooney wound up being one of the few positives on a Falcons squad that disappointed mightily this NFL season. The speedy wideout caught 64 passes for 992 yards and five touchdowns.
Mooney formed a prolific pass-catching tandem with Drake London. Throw in the presence of Bijan Robinson, and the future sure looks awfully bright for Michael Penix Jr. and the offense.
Patrick Queen: C
It felt like a mega coup when the Pittsburgh Steelers signed Pro Bowl linebacker Patrick Queen away from the archrival Ravens on a three-year deal worth $41 million. Adding Queen to that star-studded Pittsburgh D was supposed to net promising results. Or so we thought…
Queen instead had a lackluster year in Steel City, recording one sack and two forced fumbles. Though he had seven pass breakups, Queen was a liability in coverage and garnered a disappointing 58.5 grade at PFF.
D’Andre Swift: A
Looking to add another weapon for incoming rookie QB Caleb Williams, the Bears signed ex-Lions and Eagles standout running back D’Andre Swift to a reasonable three-year pact for $24 million.
Joining the list of successful 2024 free-agent RB signings, Swift made good on his deal by rushing for 959 yards and six touchdowns. He also tallied a career-high 1,345 scrimmage yards, producing nicely in the passing game as well.
Gabe Davis: F
After four seasons as Stefon Diggs’ sidekick in Buffalo, Davis joined the Jacksonville Jaguars on a three-year deal worth $39 million. We hated the deal from the get-go, but it looks even worse after one NFL season.
Davis never hit the 50-catch or 900-yard marks with the Bills. The Jags also had enough weaponry with Christian Kirk, Evan Engram, Travis Etienne, and rookie Brian Thomas Jr. on the way. They could have used the money on other needs.
Davis was limited to 10 game appearances and had just 20 receptions for 239 yards and two touchdowns. He averaged 23.9 receiving yards per game, almost 50 percent less than his career average.
Other than that, the contract doesn’t look so bad!
Tony Pollard: A
It felt like an overpay when the Titans handed ex-Dallas Cowboys running back Tony Pollard a three-year deal worth $21.75 million. But hey, credit to now-former Titans GM Ran Carthon for spending money wisely on both Pollard and Ridley.
Proving that he wasn’t a product of the Cowboys’ system, Pollard rushed for a career-high 1,079 yards and five touchdowns despite missing one game. Could you imagine what this offense might look like if the Titans get Cam Ward or Shedeur Sanders?
Damien Lewis: B-
Aside from signing Robert Hunt, the Panthers further tried to bolster their o-line by signing ex-Seattle Seahawk Damien Lewis to a lucrative four-year deal worth $53 million.
Lewis proved to be worth most of the money, at least in year one. PFF graded him at 75.5, which was 17th among guards. He did allow six takes and committed as many penalties, but his remarkable 76.9 run-blocking grade helped the Panthers establish a prolific ground game led by Chuba Hubbard.
Even if they were overpaid, Lewis and Hunt still played pivotal roles in fixing Carolina’s o-line. Bryce Young was sacked 62 times. This season? Only 29 times in 14 games.
C.J. Gardner-Johnson: A
After a one-year stop in Detroit, Gardner-Johnson returned to the Eagles on a three-year deal worth $27 million.
CJ GJ returned to his all-world form in Philly, racking up six interceptions and 12 pass breakups. PFF graded him at 76.0 on the year — with Gardner-Johnson’s 82.6 coverage grade ranking eighth among safeties.
Thanks to his efforts, the Eagles finished with the NFL’s No. 1 defense — allowing just 278.4 yards per game.
Russell Wilson: C
The Denver Broncos released Wilson and took on $85 million in dead money, making him available for the veteran’s minimum. Pittsburgh then signed him for just that — $1.2 million for the 2024 campaign.
Wilson missed the first six games of 2024 with a calf injury, but he was named the starter over Justin Fields upon returning. Wilson went 6-and-1 over his first seven games…only to drop four in a row to close out the regular season.
That four-game losing skid cost the Steelers the AFC North crown, with Wilson being held to under 220 yards passing in each contest. With a hot start and an ugly finish, a “C” grade is the most fitting for Wilson here.
Josh Jacobs: A+
The results of the Xavier McKinney and Josh Jacobs signings show one thing: The Pack knows how to spend in free agency, and they oughta do it more often.
Jacobs signed a four-year deal with the Pack worth $48 million and produced aplenty and beautifully: 1,359 rushing yards and a career-high 12 touchdowns.
Sam Darnold: A++++++++++++
It wasn’t exactly front-page headlines when the Vikings signed Darnold to a one-year deal worth $10 million. He was a flop with the Jets and Panthers and spent the 2023 NFL season as Brock Purdy’s backup in San Fran. Ho hum.
Darnold was expected to compete with first-round pick and rookie JJ McCarthy for the starting job. But the gig went to Darnold by default when McCarthy suffered a knee injury that required season-ending surgery.
All Darnold did was put together an MVP-caliber year in his first season with the Vikings, completing 66.2 percent of pass attempts for 4,319 yards, 35 touchdowns, and two interceptions. Oh, and the Vikings finished 14-and-3 — marking their best regular-season record since the 1998 squad that went 15-and-1.
Like fellow 2018 draftee Baker Mayfield, Darnold proved that it just takes the proper coach, system, and supporting cast for a QB to succeed. Beginning your career on two garbage organizations does not mean you’re doomed.
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