Super Bowl LVIII marked the culmination of the 2023 NFL season and football junkies are already looking towards the 2024 NFL Offseason.
The 2024 NFL draft will certainly be a hot topic of conversation for the next couple of months. April 25th will see the next set of rookies assigned to their teams. Everybody loves draft season!
However, before we get into the draft, we’ve gotta talk about free agency. A host of top-quality talent is set to hit the open market now that the 2023 season has finished.
With that being said, teams across the league will also be looking to make trades ahead of the draft and free agency, allowing them to adjust their picks and cap space ahead of their anticipated 2024 NFL offseason moves.
There’s never a dull moment in the NFL and we can’t wait to break down everything you need to know about the 2024 NFL offseason to stay best informed!
2024 NFL Offseason – Free Agency
There’s been a slight lull in NFL talk over the last week. The Kansas City Chiefs won the Super Bowl and we’ve had a chance to take a small break.
Nevertheless, this week signals the start of franchise tag designation. Tuesday, February 20th will allow franchises the first chance to keep their best players that are heading to the free agency market. The deadline to franchise tag these players is March 5th, and each team can only tag one player.
Free agency will officially open on March 13th (4:00p.m. ET), allowing teams to officially complete their free agent deals. Trades will also be able to officially be completed at this point too.
However, in the couple of days leading up to the official free agency opening, teams are allowed to negotiate with their pending unrestricted free agents.
Let’s take a look at some of the top free agents available during the 2024 NFL offseason:
Brian Burns
The Carolina Panthers have rejected a number of high-value trade offers and inquiries for their star edge rusher over the last couple of seasons. However, they decided to keep hold of him, despite free agency looming. It’s likely that they franchise tag him, though, after refusing to accept multiple first-round picks for him in 2022.
Saquon Barkley
Running back Saquon Barkley is another franchise tag candidate, and the New York Giants tagged him last year for $10.1 million. With a host of other high-end RBs set to hit the market in Josh Jacobs, Gus Edwards, Derrick Henry, D’Andre Swift and Austin Ekeler, there’s a good chance Barkley heads elsewhere during the 2024 NFL offseason.
Chris Jones
Fresh off winning his third Super Bowl, Chiefs defensive tackle Chris Jones will reach unrestricted free agency next month. Kansas City has fellow candidates to tag such as L’Jarius Sneed, and the cost to tag Jones would be an astronomical $32 million. The Chiefs have to decide whether it’s worth it to keep their star defender.
Kirk Cousins
Will the Minnesota Vikings decide to move on from Kirk Cousins as their QB? He can’t be tagged, but they can offer him a new deal before he hits the market. There’s been rumours that the Vikings will try and target a new signal caller in the draft. Cousins is now 35-years-old and suffered a torn Achilles last season.
Josh Allen
No, it’s not the Buffalo Bills star QB. But Jacksonville Jaguars outside linebacker Josh Allen is coming off an elite season. He recorded 17.5 sacks in 2023 and it looks like the Jags will do everything they can to keep him. That means he’ll likely get tagged, stopping him from hitting the open market.
Sources: The #Chiefs have picked up the option on All-Pro DT Chris Jones’ contract, retaining the right to franchise tag him and paying him $4.25M he earned in incentives.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) February 16, 2024
It was more timing than anything, as Jones was due the money, regardless. If not tagged, he’ll be free. pic.twitter.com/PjQuKNVrto
2024 NFL Offseason – Draft
Franchises around the NFL will be scrutinizing their rosters, juggling cap space and negotiating with their players over the next couple of months leading up to the draft.
There’s a good chance that plenty of notable players are cut, too, in order to free up valuable cap space. Once teams tag their star players hitting free agency, and see which guys will be hitting the open market, they’ll have a better idea at who their draft prospects will be.
Draft time is always exciting, and the hype will get serious when the combine gets underway. More key dates for NFL fans during the 2024 NFL offseason is February 26th-March 4th. That’s when the combine will take place as the next set of rookies will get tested and measured across a host of metrics.
Combine
This year’s combine will take place in Indianapolis as the NFL’s next stars prove their worth. The combine can make the difference for scouts as they get to see the players up close. A good performance at the combine can drastically improve a player’s draft stock.
Here’s when the players will be showcasing their abilities:
- Linebackers/Defensive Linemen – Thursday, February 29th (3:00 p.m. ET)
- Defensive Backs/Tight Ends – Friday, March 1st (3:00 p.m. ET)
- Quarterbacks/Wide Receivers/Running Backs – Saturday, March 2nd (1:00 p.m. ET)
- Offensive Line – Sunday, March 3rd (1:00 p.m. ET)
Fans can attend the combine and the event will also be broadcasted on TV. Drills such as the 40-yard dash, 20-yard shuttle, bench press, broad jump and vertical jump will be used to evaluate the rookies.
2024 NFL Draft
The draft is always one of the main events during the NFL offseason. The 2024 NFL draft will take place at Campus Martius Park, Hart Plaza, Detroit. The Chicago Bears have the first overall pick.
- Day 1 of the 2024 NFL draft will begin on Thursday, April 25th. This is when the best candidates are drafted in the first round, but the event runs over three days.
- Day 2 will see teams make their picks for Round 2 and 3 on Friday, April 26th.
- Day 3 will finalize the draft with rounds 4-7 taking place on Saturday, April 27th.
Prior to the draft, teams will have the opportunity to meet with their potential prospects. The deadline to do this is April 17th. After this, they can only meet with players outside of the team’s facilities or online.
Will the @ChicagoBears keep the 1st pick in the 2024 NFL Draft? @RapSheet has the latest. pic.twitter.com/7CJNu7px2I
— NFL Network (@nflnetwork) February 10, 2024
2024 NFL Offseason – Trades
Franchises across the NFL can officially start trading again on March 13th. With that being said, there are a number of trades that could be made that could make a huge impact on how free agency and the draft pans out.
We can see the end of February as the starter for the NFL offseason. It’s just a little taster to what’s to come as we get to see which top players will get tagged. However, once the new season officially opens, that’s when things get exciting, and the main course will arrive.
New deals, huge contracts and significant trades will be taking place post-March 13th. Below, we will be taking you through three trades that could have a huge say on the 2024 NFL offseason.
Chicago Bears trade Justin Fields to the Atlanta Falcons
The Bears have first dibs on Caleb Williams in the draft since they have the first overall pick. Chicago has given Fields time as the starter, but it looks increasingly likely that they want to move on from him. Therefore, they’ll be looking to trade the 2021 11th overall pick.
The Falcons are in desperate need for a new signal caller, and it seems unlikely they’ll be able to get one of the top prospects with their 8th overall selection. As a result, there’s a good chance they aim for a trade to pick up Fields.
Atlanta has struggled with the likes of Marcus Mariota, Taylor Heinicke and Desmond Ridder under center over the last couple of years. I mean, just look at the production of Kyle Pitts. Question marks still remain surrounding Fields, but he could thrive with a bunch of weapons such as Bijan Robinson, Pitts and Drake London at his disposal.
Las Vegas Raiders trade Davante Adams to the New York Jets
Aaron Rodgers will be back for the Jets next season, and it makes sense for them to go all out and get his top receiver. It hasn’t exactly worked out for Adams in Vegas, and the Raiders can save nearly $20 million in cap space if they deal him later on in the NFL offseason.
The Raiders have a surfeit of issues themselves, especially at QB. Adams is now 31-years-old and won’t want to wait around. Therefore, a reunion with Rodgers in New York looks to be a likely option.
A healthy Rodgers could propel the Jets to the playoffs. Adding Adams into the mix alongside the likes of Garrett Wilson and Breece Hall could make them serious Super Bowl contenders.
Buffalo Bills trade Stefon Diggs to the Houston Texans
It wouldn’t be the first time that Stefon Diggs has made some noise about leaving Buffalo, meaning he could leave during the 2024 NFL offseason. The 30-year-old veteran receiver could be looking for a new destination again.
The Houston Texans may look to provide their star QB in C.J. Stroud with an elite pass-catcher to bolster their chances. Sure, Nico Collins and Tank Dell seriously impressed in 2023. However, adding the caliber of somebody like Diggs to that unit would be lethal.
