The NFL offseason has never been this wild. The free agency period for the 2022 season officially began on March 16 and since then, we’ve seen a lot of big name players become free agents/make trade moves. 

Some of the most recognizable trades include outside linebacker Khalil Mack going from the Chicago Bears to the Los Angeles Chargers. Wide receiver Allen Robinson II (previously for the Chicago Bears) went to the Los Angeles Rams. Pass rusher Von Miller left the Rams and was traded to the Buffalo Bills. Defensive end Randy Gregory left the Dallas Cowboys and will now play for the Denver Broncos. 

Though the players listed above are well known, the amount of trades surrounding quarterbacks is what really shocked fans. It began when Houston Texans traded Deshaun Watson to the Cleveland Browns. This created a spiral effect, when Russell Wilson left the Seattle Seahawks for the Denver Broncos. Then, following suit, Matt Ryan left the Atlanta Falcons for the Indianapolis Colts. In return the Colts traded Carson Wentz to Washington. These are at least 4 big name quarterbacks making unexpected trades early on in the 2022 off season. 

The Los Angeles Chargers have been the most active team in the offseason, really beefing up their run defense, which was a major concern last season. Joining Khalil Mack, the Chargers also signed defensive lineman Sebastian Joseph-Day, from the Rams, and defensive lineman Austin Johnson, from the Giants, to help clog the run gaps. The Chargers also signed stud cornerback and former Patriot, J.C. Jackson. Recently the Chargers also signed tight end Gerald Everett.      

These early trades also featured superstar wide receiver Davante Adams making his way to the Las Vegas Raiders. Adams is a high profile player who played for the Green Bay Packers for his 8 years in the NFL. The Packers traded Adams for a first and second round pick in the 2022 draft. 

Wide Receiver Tyreek Hill was traded by the Chiefs to the Miami Dolphins. Hill played for the Chiefs for the first 6 years of his NFL career. In return for Hill the Chiefs got 5 extra draft picks two of those being first and second round. This leaves the Chiefs with 12 picks in next month’s draft. While these are certainly very interesting and strategic trades, there are over 50 well known players who are remaining as free agents so far. 

The Patriots’ offseason goals are mainly to excel in the draft as they did in 2021 (obtaining quarterback Mac Jones, defensive tackle Christian Barmore, and running back Rhamondre Stevenson among others). The Patriots have a history of signing free agents to fill most of their holes, but this year have remained quiet. From the looks of it the Patriots are going to use the draft to fill their holes in positions such as offensive line, linebacker, and wide receiver. 

Additionally, the Patriots are looking to fill the opening for cornerback that was made when J.C. Jackson left to free agency. The Patriots recently signed cornerback Malcom Butler back to the team, probably in hopes to fill the void left by Jackson. 

While Butler had his best season yet in 2020/2021 with the Titans, he had a questionable departure from the Patriots in 2017. He may be able to compensate for the loss of Jackson, but the overall hope is to have him for an entire season with no outstanding issues. 

As stated earlier, many high profile players remain in free agency, one of those players being Odell Beckham Jr. Beckham Jr. is recovering from a torn ACL but is still a valuable player. It’s extremely likely that he’ll be picked up in the coming weeks. 

As the off-season comes to an end we will most likely see many franchise tags with upcoming players. A franchise tag is a way for a team to keep a player on a one year contract, instead of them becoming a free agent. It is essentially a way to buy more time with a player who is scheduled to become a free agent. 

Wide receiver Chris Godwin was signed as a franchise tag and now has signed a 3 year contract with the Tampa Bay Bucs for $60 million ($40 million guaranteed). Miami Dolphins tight end, Mike Gesicki, has a tagged salary of $10.9 million. His projected contract, if both the Dolphins and Gesicki decide to follow through, is $56 million over four years. 

Offensive tackle, Cam Robinson, was also tagged by the Jaguars. Robinson has been Jacksonville’s starting left tackle since the very beginning of his NFL career. However the Jaguars inability to protect their quarterback last season puts Robinson on the outs as he is not the “picture perfect” block for an offensive line like Jacksonville’s. If he does manage to get signed, his projected contract is $43.5 million over the course of three years. 

Be on the lookout for more big names getting signed, for the Patriots to make some moves soon, and for a loaded AFC West division this season. The NFL preseason will begin on August 4, with the Hall of Fame Game.