NFL's top 12 free agents of 2021: Latest rumours, reports

It’s been a busy week so far in the football world.

On Monday, Dak Prescott and the Dallas Cowboys finally (!!!) put pen to paper on a new deal, keeping the quarterback in Dallas for the foreseeable future.

On Tuesday, teams were forced to make some crucial decisions ahead of the 4 p.m. deadline to designate players for the franchise tag. Tagging players is pricey — especially with the cap still uncertain at the time — but for a number of teams with would-be free agents it’s the only way to keep those players from walking away for nothing on the open market.

Wide receivers Allen Robinson (Bears) and Chris Godwin (Buccaneers), safeties Justin Simmons (Broncos) and Marcus Williams (Saints) and linemen Leonard Williams (Giants) and Brandon Scherff (Washington) were among the most notable of the 10 players tagged, with some designations simply allowing more time to negotiate a longer-term pact.

Tuesday’s tags painted a clearer picture of this off-season’s hottest free agent targets, and Wednesday brought clarity when it comes to how much money teams might have to play with in order to sign them. It’s not exactly a pretty picture: $182.5 million per team for the upcoming season, which is an eight per cent drop from 2020.

With all these updates in mind, here’s a revised look at where things stand on the NFL free agency front right now:

1. Trent Williams, OT, San Francisco 49ers
Age: 32
2020 cap hit: $12.5 million

Thanks to the Buccaneers, who reminded the Kansas City Chiefs – and everyone watching the Super Bowl – about the importance of a strong offensive line, the stock of an O-lineman has perhaps never been higher than it is right now. (It feels like that’s a lesson we re-learn every year, doesn’t it?)

San Francisco would no doubt like to keep Williams, but their cap crunch makes that tough considering his earning potential. Williams is in line to become the highest-paid left tackle, positioned to pass David Bakhtiari’s four-year, $92-million (including $61.5M guaranteed) pact with the Packers.

“I think he stays in San Francisco,” Williams’ 49ers teammate, Richard Sherman, said on The Chris Collinsworth Podcast featuring Richard Sherman earlier this week. “I think he makes you guys happy for another 5-6 years and gets his gold jacket and then decides whether he wants it in Washington or San Francisco.”

Williams himself made an appearance on the episode, and in response to Sherman’s take said: “That’s not a bad take, fellas. That’s not a bad take. Y’all barking up the right tree.”

A key factor here is that even if the 49ers were in a financial position to franchise tag Williams, they couldn’t. Williams sat out the 2019 season with Washington, holding out for a new deal and informing the club he wanted out, and upon landing in San Francisco last April the 49ers restructured the final year of his deal and signed a clause that disallowed them to place the franchise tag on him in 2021.

2. Kenny Golladay, WR, Detroit Lions
Age: 27
2020 cap hit: $2.313 million

With longtime quarterback Matthew Stafford headed to L.A., a new era is beginning in Detroit. And we now know that Golladay is not part of it.

That Detroit did not tag Golladay came as quite a surprise — the team’s top wide receiver looked like an almost certain tag candidate, but the club opted not to give anyone the designation.

So, where to next? According to reports, the Miami Dolphins are a really strong candidate.

REUPPING the news:

The Dolphins are expected to show considerable interest in Golladay once the legal tampering period begins next week. One league source went so far as to predict he ends up either with the Dolphins or the Giants.https://t.co/xSHqWfqYjR

— Adam Beasley (@AdamHBeasley) March 9, 2021

Golladay was limited to just five games this season due to injury but was excellent in those appearances, registering two touchdowns and twice tallying more than 100 receiving yards. Back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons before last year saw him break into the elite WR tier, leading all receivers in touchdowns (11) in 2019.

3. Shaq Barrett, OLB, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Age: 28
2020 cap hit: $15.828 million (Franchise tag)

It looks like things are falling into place for the Buccaneers as they attempt to keep this championship crew together. After tagging Chris Godwin, as expected, re-signing linebacker Lavonte David for two more years, and talking to Tom Brady about an extension, it feels like it’s only a matter of time before we see a long-term deal done with Barrett.

Barrett was worth every penny of his franchise tag in 2020, and he more than earned himself a long-term deal to stay in Tampa as a key part of this team’s core front four that wreaked havoc on opponents all year.

He’s made it clear he wants to stay:

But he knows his worth:

“I’m most definitely looking forward to getting a long-term deal done…” Barrett said during a radio appearance earlier in February, adding that he wants to remain in Tampa. “I feel like it’s time for me to break the bank now, and I most definitely want to do that to be able to set my family up better and most definitely going to keep producing, so it’s not like anything is going to fall off. I still think I got a lot left in the tank. I’m still getting better, actually. I’m still learning, like just still learning, like week in, week out. And there’s like, as you can see as the season progressed like … I ended the season playing the way that I wanted to play. And you can see that I did progress throughout the season, and I’m still progressing.”

Barrett is one of the NFL’s best current success stories, going from undrafted free agent signee in Denver who couldn’t break into the regular rotation to recording a whopping 19.5 sacks as a bargain pickup for Tampa Bay in 2019. His performance this past post-season en route to the Super Bowl win only solidified his place in Tampa lore … and on the payroll.

4. Aaron Jones, RB, Green Bay Packers
Age: 26
2020 cap hit: $2.183 million

UPDATE: Jones agreed to a four-year, $44-million contract to stay with Green Bay on March 14.

To pay, or not to pay … that is the question when it comes to running backs, and when it comes to this one, we… still don’t quite know the answer.

According to Ian Rapoport, Green Bay offered a deal worth “more than $9 million per year”, but consensus is that the RB1 would earn much more should he seek employment elsewhere.

The Dolphins are rumoured to be very interested, as they look to step up on offence.
The last team to write a monster cheque to their RB1 was the Tennessee Titans, whose investment in Derrick Henry continued to pay dividends in another rushing title in 2020. Jones isn’t quite the game-changer Henry is, but you cannot deny his importance in Green Bay – especially when the top story throughout all of last season was Aaron Rodgers’s lack of offensive weapons – and his earning potential should he hit the open market.

Jones carried the ball 201 times in 2020, finishing fourth in rushing yards (1,104) and leading all RBs in runs of 40-plus yards (four) while also racking up 355 receiving yards as a key part of Green Bay’s offence.

Fellow Packers RB A.J. Dillon developed nicely over the course of last season, and if Green Bay can hang on to Jones – either via franchise tag or a longer deal – they’d have themselves a nice dynamic duo to complement Rodgers as that competitive window remains open.

5. Bud Dupree, OLB, Pittsburgh Steelers
Age: 28
2020 cap hit: $15.828 million (franchise tag)

During a media availability last month, Steelers general manager Kevin Colbert said it’s “doubtful” the team would be using the franchise tag on anyone this off-season, and he followed through on that as Pittsburgh let the tag deadline pass without dishing out the designation. Considering two of the team’s top candidates for the designation were Dupree and wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster, you can see why: the cap-strapped Steelers simply can’t afford to take that hit.

Colbert indicated there’s a desire to keep Dupree, who is an important part of the Steelers’ defence and a major reason why they hit double-digits in wins faster than anyone last year, but it’s likely not possible. Dupree was having a strong season before suffering an ACL injury in December, tallying eight sacks in 11 games.

The emergence of fellow linebacker Alex Highsmith makes what will likely be a difficult goodbye a little bit easier.

6. Joe Thuney, G, New England Patriots
Age: 28
2020 cap hit: $14.781 million (franchise tag)

A candidate to be tagged again, Thuney was set free on Tuesday when the Patriots opted not to designate him for another year.

The two-time Super Bowl champ will be extremely popular should he indeed be departing New England.

7. Will Fuller, WR, Houston Texans 
Age: 26
2020 cap hit: $10.162 million

The Houston Texans are a mess right now, with Deshaun Watson still adamant that he wants out while club brass is committed to keeping him. Fuller’s uncertain status just adds to the pile.

Fuller has struggled to stay healthy, and inconsistency has also been a weakness. He’s coming off his best statistical season with Houston as the No. 1 option in the wake of DeAndre Hopkins’ departure — his 879 receiving yards and eight touchdowns were career-highs — but a suspension under the NFL’s PED policy for the final five games prevented him from building on it.

We’re all thinking this, right…?

8. John Johnson III, S, Los Angeles Rams
Age: 25
2020 cap hit: $2.332 million

As pointed out by The Athletic’s Jourdan Rodrigue, the Rams letting Johnson walk is not all that surprising. While the safety was a strong leader on their defence and one of the top at his position league-wide, L.A. tends to invest more heavily at cornerback and in the pass-rush while relying on younger players or cheaper veterans to fill out safety.

A focus on restructuring deals rather than cutting players seems to be L.A.’s top priority with this current cap, and it feels unlikely Johnson will be sticking around.

9. JuJu Smith-Schuster, WR, Pittsburgh Steelers
Age: 24
2020 cap hit: $1.335 million

The Steelers worked out a way to keep veteran quarterback Ben Roethlisberger in the fold for another year, with a pay cut for Big Ben the biggest reason he’s able to stick around. So, what about his favourite target?

Some social media sleuthing reveals Smith-Schuster would also like a deal to get done, but the Steelers’ cap situation almost certainly rules that out.

Another thing working against this union: Pittsburgh’s uncanny ability to find receiving talent in the draft, allowing them to let stars walk away without having to pay them. Standout rookie Chase Claypool and the team’s leader in receiving yards, Diontae Johnson, make letting Smith-Schuster walk a little more palatable.

Smith-Schuster led the Steelers in catches last season (97), tied Claypool for second-most receiving touchdowns, and ranked third in yards (831).

10. Jadeveon Clowney, DE, Tennessee Titans
Age: 28
2020 cap hit: $12.78 million

Once again, Clowney is a particularly intriguing free agent. We know he’s talented and can make an impact, but he hasn’t exactly shown that these past two seasons on one-year deals.

The 2020 seasons saw him start eight games and register no sacks with the Titans. Can he rebound? And how much will a team shell out to find out?

11. Hunter Henry, TE, Los Angeles Chargers
Age: 26
2020 cap hit: $10.607 million (franchise tag)

He played well last year under the franchise designation, but tagging him again would’ve simply been too pricey for the Chargers.

According to The Athletic’s Daniel Popper, the Chargers would still like to sign the do-it-all tight end. They’re shallow at the position, which does give Henry a little leverage — only, the cap crunch will ultimately have the final word here.

Henry ranked second in catches among his Chargers teammates with 60, and third in receiving yards (613) and touchdowns (4).

12. William Jackson III, CB, Cincinnati Bengals
Age: 28
2020 cap hit: $9.594 million

This is a big off-season for the Bengals, who will no doubt be eying potential bodyguards for Joe Burrow. So, where does that leave Jackson? The speedy cornerback was a franchise tag candidate but the club ultimately opted not to tag anyone. Should he in fact hit the open market, the suitors would be plenty.

“They’re guys that we developed, we found, we groomed, they’ve blossomed,” Bengals director of player personnel Duke Tobin told reporters Monday, talking about Jackson and defensive end Carl Lawson — another free agency-bound Bengal. “I think there’s a lot of interest around them, and we’ll certainly compete and try to get them back.”