With Super Bowl LVIII in the books after the Kansas City Chiefs dispatched the San Francisco 49ers in Las Vegas, the offseason has officially arrived. The attention now turns to a 2024 free-agent class that features a Pro Bowl quarterback and a strong cast of defensive standouts near the top.
Here’s our ranking of the top 50 free agents who could be available when the new league year begins on March 13.
1. Chris Jones, Interior defensive lineman, Chiefs
Jones held out during training camp and into the first week of the regular season before signing a one-year deal worth up to $25 million for 2023. The 29-year-old remains one of the best interior defensive linemen in the league, totaling 10.5 sacks this season. His 66 quarterback pressures were tied for third among defensive tackles during the regular season. The Chiefs retain the ability to place the franchise tag on Jones, giving them some leverage in contract negotiations at the start of free agency. But the tag would be prohibitively expensive. Jones wants to remain in Kansas City and the Chiefs want to keep him in the fold.
POTENTIAL LANDING SPOTS: Kansas City, Las Vegas, Detroit
2. Kirk Cousins, QB, Vikings
Cousins was limited to eight games in 2023, but before that, he passed for at least 4,000 yards in seven of eight seasons. It feels like he stays in Minnesota, and as the top quarterback in this class, is probably the high-dollar contract of this cycle, in the $35 million a year range. If he signed elsewhere, think playoff-ready teams with a hole at QB and out of reach of the top draft options — Atlanta perhaps?
POTENTIAL LANDING SPOTS: Minnesota, Atlanta, Denver
3. Justin Madubuike, IDL, Ravens
Last offseason was the year of the defensive tackle, with a handful of top options breaking the bank, from Quinnen Williams to Jeffery Simmons to Daron Payne to Dexter Lawrence. Madubuike’s pressure stats are in the top six with Aaron Donald, Jones (the No. 1 guy on this list), Williams, the Bills’ Ed Oliver…
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Publish date : 2024-02-14 14:54:21
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