(Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images)
- Dak Prescott – QB, Dallas Cowboys
The 28-Year-Old Quarterback is coming off of a serious Ankle injury which required multiple injuries, but this doesn’t deter Prescott from being the best player available in Free Agency. He has arguably been a Top-10 QB over the past couple years despite an Offensive Line that has been disintegrating with injuries.
Unfortunately, Dak and the Cowboys just cannot seem to agree on long-term deal; being millions of Dollars apart during negotiations. I just don’t see that changing especially with Dak coming off an injury.
Prediction: Dallas Cowboys tag Dak Prescott for $37.7M. - Chris Godwin – WR, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
This will be Godwin’s first chance at a big-time contract. During the Super Bowl celebration, his coach Bruce Arians told him that he was coming back – but he also told all the other free agents that during the celebration. That’s not too likely with how much both Godwin and fellow Free Agent, Shaq Barrett, will cost.
Although Godwin’s production took a dip in 2020, he is still one of the better Receivers in the league and will be highly coveted. There is a chance that Tampa Bay tags him here, but both sides can come to an agreement on a long-term deal.
Prediction: Tampa Bay Buccaneers re-sign Chris Godwin to a 4-Year $84M Deal, $45M Guaranteed. - Kenny Golladay – WR, Detroit Lions
Golladay is coming off an injury-plagued season, but when he is healthy, he is one of the most productive Wide Receivers in the NFL.Golladay led the league in Receiving Touchdowns and was 12 yards away from being Top 5 in Receiving Yards in 2019, so there is no doubt he can be a #1 Receiver for any NFL team.
The Lions have a really tough decision here. They currently are in the bottom 10 in cap space, but with the right moves they have the ability to free up over $60M. Golladay is looking to be paid like a Top 5 Receiver in the NFL, but the Lions paying him $20M+ doesn’t seem too realistic.
Prediction: Detroit Lions tag Kenny Golladay for $15.9M - Allen Robinson – WR, Chicago Bears
Another Wide Receiver on the list, Robinson is one of the best deep ball threats in the league. He is consistently one of the Top 10 Receivers in Football and with the Bears having major cap issues, they will likely have to let Robinson walk. Not to mention, they have bigger needs elsewhere along the Offensive Line and Quarterback.
Robinson has #1 Receiver ability and would be an immediate upgrade to any team that needs a Receiver. I was close to predicting him to Miami, but I think another team in the AFC East beats them out to give their likely new QB from the draft a true deep threat right away.
Prediction: New York Jets sign Allen Robinson to a 5-Year $95M Deal, $50M Guaranteed. - Leonard Williams – DL, New York Giants
Coming off the best year of his career, Williams is in for a big payday. With the Giants trading for Golladay as predicted earlier, the franchise tag is out of the question and a long-term extension is also out of the question.
Williams has a limited scheme fit (5-Tech in 34 formation) so his value does dip a little, but he can still provide elite run game ability and pass rushing ability. He will finally get the long-term extension he deserves this offseason.
Prediction: Jacksonville Jaguars sign Leonard Williams to a 5-Year $87.5M Deal, $42M Guaranteed. - Shaq Barrett – EDGE, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
One of the elite Pass Rushers over the last 3 years, Shaq Barrett is in for a HUGE payday. Elite as a run defender and we all know his productivity rushing the passer, Barrett provides a team in need of pass rush a major jolt.
I know the Bucs wanted to bring him back, but Godwin got paid and they now have some holes along the D-Line and and Interior O-Line, they will have to allocate that money elsewhere.
Prediction: Denver Broncos sign Shaq Barrett to a 5-Year $95M Deal, $45M Guaranteed. - Trent Williams – LT, San Francisco 49ers
Since being drafted, Williams has been a great Left Tackle every single year. Cornerstone Left Tackles are hard to come by in this league so it’s in the best interest of the 49ers to do everything they can to keep Williams.
Not much to talk about here as there isn’t much to indicate that the 49ers will let Williams walk and will give him the long-term deal he wants.
Prediction: San Francisco 49ers re-sign Trent Williams to a 4-Year $72M Deal, $38M Guaranteed. - Will Fuller – WR, Houston Texans
Fuller has been one of the better deep threats in the league with his devastating speed, and not to mention he was able to still get over 1,000 yards when he was teammates with DeAndre Hopkins. Houston had a chance to trade him last year but refused to do so in typical Texans fashion
He will have plenty of suitors in my opinion: Dolphins, Packers, Jets, Colts, WFT, & more. The Packers make the most sense, but their cap situation doesn’t allow them to be able to do this signing. Instead, the Colts with their cap room get their new QB Carson Wentz the deep threat he will need.
Prediction: Indianapolis Colts sign Will Fuller to a 5-Year $82.5M Deal, $40M Guaranteed. - Justin Simmons – S, Denver Broncos
Simmons was tagged a year ago coming off of an elite season and with another very solid year in 2020, he will be looking for a long-term deal. Simmons plays Free Safety but is very versatile with his ability to play up in the box providing some really nice run defense.
Prediction: Denver Broncos re-sign Justin Simmons to a 5-Year $77M Deal, $37.5M Guaranteed. - Lavonte David – LB, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Despite being one of the best Linebackers in the NFL for the last couple years, Lavonte David has been very underrated. The Super Bowl was his coming out party with him shutting down Travis Kelce.
David will have a ton of suitors, but he will re-up with Tampa and try to run it back again for a repeat Super Bowl.
Prediction: Tampa Bay Buccaneers re-signs Lavonte David to a 3-Year $39M Deal, $23M Guaranteed. - Brandon Scherff – OG, Washington Football Team
If this were a year ago, there was no way that Scherff was willing to sign a long-term deal with Washington. New regime and another solid year, Scherff will be coming to Washington on the big deal he deserves after being one of the most consistent Lineman for years.
Prediction: Washington Football Team re-signs Brandon Scherff to a 4-Year $64M Deal, $40M Guaranteed. - Anthony Harris – S, Minnesota Vikings
Harris has been a very consistent player in the Defensive Backfield for Minnesota with Harrison Smith. He is great in coverage and has a great knack for making plays on the Football. Unfortunately, he is due a big payday and they will need to do the same for Harrison Smith next year and not to mention the need to find a new QB in 2022.
Prediction: Cleveland Browns sign Anthony Harris to a 4-Year $58M Deal, $37.5M Guaranteed. - Taylor Moton – T, Carolina Panthers
Carolina is currently clearing up cap space to pursue Deshaun Watson, but it would be pointless to get him if they don’t re-sign 1 of their 2 starting Tackles in Moton and Russell Okung. Moton is better and younger right now so he goes back to Carolina on a long-term deal.
Prediction: Carolina Panthers re-sign Taylor Moton to a 5-Year $85M Deal, $42M Guaranteed. - Juju Smith-Schuster – WR, Pittsburgh Steelers
Juju is a very interesting player. Has all the talent in the world, but when he was asked to be the #1 guy after Antonio Brown left, he just never seemed to be able to put it all together. He has size, speed, hands, and route-running but he lacks consistency.
With the emergence of Chase Claypool and Diontae Johnson, it’s very unlikely he comes back to Pittsburgh and will instead move on to playmaker-needy team in the Miami Dolphins. Juju gets his money so he can buy as many Corvette Corvettes as he wants.
Prediction: Miami Dolphins sign Juju Smith-Schuster to a 4-Year $72M Deal, $40M Guaranteed. - Joe Thuney – OG, New England Patriots
Thuney is arguably the most durable player in the NFL with having never missed a game since he has been drafted. Consistently one of the better run blockers for the Patriots, he has earned himself a big payday. He just may be out of the price range the Patriots are comfortable with, so he goes to another Offensive Line needy team.
Prediction: Seattle Seahawks sign Joe Thuney to a 4-Year $60M Deal, $38M deal Guaranteed. - JJ Watt- DE, Houston Texans
Seeing JJ Watt in a different uniform for 2021 & beyond is going to be such a weird sight. Even though he isn’t the All-Time player he was in 2012-2015 & 2018, Watt still provides a team strong pass-rush ability and great leadership. Lots of team will be vying for his services, but he is looking to be paid along with going to a ready to win team.
Prediction: Indianapolis Colts sign JJ Watt to a 2-Year $30M Deal, $20M Guaranteed. - Marcus Williams – S, New Orleans Saints
The Saints are in cap hell and have to re-sign or tag Trey Hendrickson as well. Williams is famously remembered for his gaffe in the 2017 playoffs vs Minnesota which allowed the Vikings to go to the NFC Championship, but he is a very solid Safety. His coverage ability ranks among some of the best in the NFL – allowing him to be a fit in any scheme.
Prediction: Washington Football Team signs Marcus Williams to a 4-Year $55M Deal, $35M Guaranteed. - Hunter Henry – TE, Los Angeles Chargers
Henry is very solid as a Pass-Catcher and Run-Blocker and was well on his way to being in the Upper Echelon of Tight Ends in the league before suffering a Torn ACL in 2018. He hasn’t taken the next step since coming back but is still very much a TE1. He recently told Sirius XM Radio that he is mainly looking for a good payday and a good Quarterback. The Chargers have both good cap space and rising superstar Quarterback in Justin Herbert, making it an easy deal for both sides to agree to.
Prediction: Los Angeles Chargers re-sign Hunter Henry to a 4-Year $40M Deal, $25M Guaranteed. - John Johnson III – S, Los Angeles Rams
When healthy, Johnson is easily an elite Safety. He can do it all as a Safety and the Rams having cap issues will not be able to bring Johnson back via Extension or Franchise Tag. Though they are rebuilding, the Lions having Brad Holmes as their GM makes too much sense to sign Johnson to a long-term deal.
Prediction: Detroit Lions sign John Johnson III to a 4-Year $50M Deal, $30M Guaranteed. - Richard Sherman – CB, San Francisco 49ers
After he suffered an Achilles injury in 2019, most people thought Sherman was done with in terms of being the Elite Corner he was. He proved everyone wrong in 2020 showing us he still has the ability to play at an elite level and can very much still help a Super Bowl contender as a #1 or 2 Corner.
Sherman will have a lot of suitors on the open market, and although the 49ers make a ton of sense, another contender and Division Rival scoop up Sherman and pony up some serious cash.
Prediction: Arizona Cardinals sign Richard Sherman to a 2-Year $30M Deal, $20M Guaranteed. - William Jackson III – CB, Cincinnati Bengals
Jackson has been a real solid Cornerback for the Bengals since being their 1st Round pick in 2016. Cincinnati invested big money in Trae Waynes last offseason and will likely do the same for Jackson to form a nice 1-2 punch at Corner.
Prediction: Cincinnati Bengals re-sign William Jackson III to a 3-Year $43M Deal, $25M Guaranteed. - Cory Linsley – OC, Green Bay Packers
Losing Linsley will hurt the Packers a bit, but they have to address the Right Tackle spot, figure out the Aaron Jones situation, and quite a bit more. Linsley’s a very solid Pass and Run blocker and with a ton of O-Line needy teams in the league, there’s going to be a big market for him.
Prediction: Los Angeles Chargers sign Cory Linsley to a 3-Year $36M Deal, $22M Guaranteed. - Aaron Jones – RB, Green Bay Packers
Jones has been one of the better Running Backs over the past couple of years has been a very vital weapon for the Packers offense. In the day and age where Running Backs aren’t as valuable, it’s going to be a tough market for Jones to get the payday he wants and frankly, one that he deserves.
Prediction: Arizona Cardinals sign Aaron Jones to a 3-Year $35M Deal, $20M Guaranteed. - Yannick Ngakoue – EDGE, Baltimore Ravens
Ngakoue did not live up to expectations when he was traded to the Ravens to help bolster up their pass rush. He is a very scheme diverse EDGE player but seemed to fit best in a Wide-9 formation in Jacksonville.
Prediction: New York Jets sign Yannick Ngakoue to a 4-Year $60M Deal, $35M Guaranteed. - Corey Davis – WR, Tennessee Titans
Davis has some of the best hands in Football allowing him to be the very good #2 Receiver that he is. The former #5 Overall Pick will never be the Julio type of Receiver but is still a very good guy to have on your offense.
The Titans are facing some cap issues and need to address their pass rushing more than anything, so re-signing Davis is out of the question for them.
Prediction: New York Giants sign Corey Davis to a 4-Year $48M Deal, $29.5M Guaranteed. - Bud Dupree – EDGE, Pittsburgh Steelers
If it weren’t for another knee injury for Dupree, he would’ve likely been Top 15 on this list. When he is healthy, he is among the best in the league as a pass rusher and also possesses the ability to be very solid in coverage.
Prediction: Houston Texans sign Bud Dupree to a 4-Year $70 Deal, $35M Guaranteed. - Marcus Maye – S, New York Jets
Maye is a very versatile player for the Jets on defense. He plays Full Safety, In the box, and as Nickel corner. With Robert Saleh coming on board and utilizing his defenses in a unique way, a player like Maye would do wonders in his scheme. I fully expect the Jets to continue to spend money this offseason.
Prediction: New York Jets re-sign Marcus Maye to a 4-Year $52M Deal, $30M Guaranteed. - Shaquill Griffin – CB, Seattle Seahawks
When he was healthy this year, Griffin provided the Seahawks with really good Cornerback play similar to his 2019 season. The Seahawks are pretty thin in terms of depth at Cornerback so it will be very vital to re-sign Griffin.
Prediction: Seattle Seahawks re-sign Shaquill Griffin to a 4-Year $40M Deal, $21.5M Guaranteed. - Jameis Winston – QB, New Orleans Saints
Winston is very much still capable starter in this league, but can also be the best backup QB in the league as well. He has a big arm and big-play ability and fits best in a vertical offense. His main problem is consistency which showed up big time in 2019 where he threw for 30 Touchdowns and also threw 30 Interceptions.
Prediction: Jacksonville Jaguars sign Jameis Winston to a 1-Year $7M Deal, fully Guaranteed. - Leonard Floyd – EDGE, Los Angeles Rams
Floyd had a breakout year for the Rams this year totaling up 10.5 Sacks off the Edge. Once again though, the Rams have major cap issues and will most likely lose Floyd to Free Agency and in a class with a lot of EDGE players and a very limited scheme fit, it’s a wonder on how big Floyd’s market will actually be.
Prediction: Tampa Bay Buccaneers sign Leonard Floyd to a 4-Year $50M Deal, $28M Guaranteed. - Jonnu Smith – TE, Tennessee Titans
Jonnu Smith is such an intriguing player with his speed and athleticism at the Tight End spot, but unfortunately just wasn’t targeted enough in an offense that featured Derrick Henry & AJ Brown. He’s likely going to command a nice payday and to be featured more in an offense, which the Titans are not going to do.
Prediction: New England Patriots sign Jonnu Smith to a 4-Year $40M Deal, $24M Guaranteed. - Romeo Okwara – DE, Detroit Lions
Okwara had a great year for the Lions with 10 Sacks and 18 QB Hits. He is a scheme diverse player and provides a rare combination of size, strength and speed. The Lions have a tough decision to make as he was their best player on an awful defense last year and losing him would certainly not help the cause.
Prediction: Indianapolis Colts sign Romeo Okwara to a 3-Year $30M Deal, $20M Guaranteed. - Alejandro Villanueva – OT, Pittsburgh Steelers
Villanueva is the definition of consistency and even at 32 Years Old, he is one of the better run blockers in the league. The Steelers already have line issues and losing Villanueva would make it worse, but there certainly is a premium on solid Offensive Lineman and he is likely to be too pricey for the Steelers.
Prediction: Cincinnati Bengals sign Alejandro Villanueva to a 3-Year $45M Deal, $30M Guaranteed. - Troy Hill – CB, Los Angeles Rams
One of the best Nickel corners in the game, Hill moved to that spot in 2020 after playing outside for most of his career. He has been a very vital piece to the Rams secondary and I don’t see them letting him go.
Prediction: Los Angeles Rams re-sign Troy Hill to a 2-Year $12M Deal, $7.5M Guaranteed. - Dalvin Tomlinson – IDL, New York Giants
Tomlinson is one of the best Run Stuffers in the game and is very similar to former Giant, Damon Harrison. The Giants have a very strong view of Tomlinson and his value in their defense going forward.
Prediction: New York Giants re-sign Dalvin Tomlinson to a 4-Year $55M Deal, $33.5M Guaranteed. - Chris Carson – RB, Seattle Seahawks
The curious case of Chris Carson. He recently came out and said that he wanted to be paid like a top Running Back but unfortunately for Carson, Running Backs aren’t valued like they used to be and not to mention, he is not healthy enough to be considered for that kind of deal. When healthy, he is arguably a top-5 Running Back in the league, but he tends to be dinged up quite often for any team to be comfortable enough to pay him a lot of money.
Prediction: Miami Dolphins sign Chris Carson to a 3-Year $20M Deal, $15M Guaranteed. - Cam Newton – QB, New England Patriots
Newton is coming off his worst year in the league, but what the hell do you expect when he had the weapons he had? Sure, he isn’t the same player as he was when he was the MVP, but he’s definitely capable of being a solid starter and if not a starter at least the best backup in the league.
Prediction: Washington Football Team signs Cam Newton to a 1-Year $5M Deal, fully guaranteed. - Marvin Jones – WR, Detroit Lions
Jones has been a very solid #2 Receiver for the Lions over the past 5 years and is looking for one last time to be paid fairly well. He has shown interest in teaming up with Stafford in Los Angeles, though I am not sure how the money would work.
Prediction: Green Bay Packers sign Marvin Jones to a 3-Year $24M Deal, $17M Guaranteed. - Desmond King – CB, Tennessee Titans
Desmond King is one of the best Slot corners in the league and helped lead the Titans to the playoffs last year. Tennessee will have a great shot to re-sign him since he will not cost a lot of money, but someone will overpay here.
Prediction: Dallas Cowboys sign Desmond King to a 3-Year $26M Deal, $19M Guaranteed. - Curtis Samuel – WR, Carolina Panthers
Samuel emerged out of the slot last year in an offense that has DJ Moore and Robby Anderson on it. New Offensive Coordinator Joe Brady came in and utilized Samuel the way he should’ve been. The Panthers are at a bit of a crossroads with wanting to clear space for a possible Deshaun Watson trade and keeping a vital offensive weapon.
Prediction: New England Patriots sign Curtis Samuel to a 4-Year $40M Deal, $25M Guaranteed. - Carl Lawson – EDGE, Cincinnati Bengals
It’s really odd why Carl Lawson is not talked about more. He possesses really good pass-rushing skills with 5.5 Sacks with 32 QB hits. It’ll be interesting to see if the Bengals bring him back since they aren’t the type of team to just let talent go, especially with the amount of cap space they have. They also have other major needs elsewhere as well.
Prediction: Buffalo Bills sign Carl Lawson to a 2-Year $18M Deal, $13.5M Guaranteed. - Gerald Everett – TE, Los Angeles Rams
Everett brings athleticism and nice pass-catching skills to any offense he will be a part of. With Tyler Higbee as the TE1 and limited cap space in L.A., Everett will find himself elsewhere as the top guy or a really good #2.
Prediction: Baltimore Ravens sign Gerald Everett to a 2-Year $12M Deal, $8.5m Guaranteed. - Matthew Judon – EDGE, Baltimore Ravens
Judon is a very scheme specific player and he fit especially well in Wink Martindale’s defense that focused a lot on heavy blitzes. He will have a limited market, but he does bring a lot of value at the right place.
Prediction: Jacksonville Jaguars sign Matthew Judon to a 4-Year $55M Deal, $35M Guaranteed. - Matt Milano – LB, Buffalo Bills
Milano is one of best coverage Linebackers in the league, but also one of the worst tacklers in the league. He showed that he is a very important piece to the Bills defense and definitely confident the Bills can re-sign him.
Prediction: Buffalo Bills re-sign Matt Milano to a 3-Year $27M Deal, $19M Guaranteed. - Melvin Ingram – EDGE, Los Angeles Chargers
Ingram is a really good pass-rusher and can easily provide a spark to a team needing pass-rushing badly. That’s really all he can provide so his value is somewhat limited, and his fit is really only made for a 3-4 scheme.
Prediction: Tennessee Titans sign Melvin Ingram to a 2-Year $26M Deal, $17M Guaranteed. - Jayon Brown – LB, Tennessee Titans
Brown had a season-ending elbow injury for the Titans in 2020 but showed to be a very solid Linebacker doing his best work in Zone Coverage. He is going to command quite a bit of money on the open market and will definitely have a lot of suitors.
Prediction: Las Vegas Raiders sign Jayon Brown to a 3-Year $34M Deal, $20M Guaranteed. - Trey Hendrickson – EDGE, New Orleans Saints
Hendrickson had a career year for the Saints with 13.5 Sacks but other than his pass-rushing ability, he is very limited in other areas of his game. The Saints would love to bring back Hendrickson, but they are in major cap hell and will likely see him leave elsewhere.
Prediction: Cleveland Browns sign Trey Hendrickson to a 4-Year $52M Deal, $35M Guaranteed. - Jadeveon Clowney – EDGE, Tennessee Titans
Clowney had a very disappointing year for the Titans in 2020 after holding out for so long in Free Agency looking for a long-term deal worth $20M AAV. He may now be settling for a prove it deal so that he can play himself into a big payday after 2021. His problem is that he doesn’t provide a lot of great pass rushing ability, but he has always been very great as a run defender.
Prediction: Los Angeles Chargers sign Jadeveon Clowney to a 1-Year $12M fully Guaranteed Deal. - Daryl Williams – OT, Buffalo Bills
Williams is one of the more underrated Lineman in the league and is coming off the best year of his career. Offensive Tackles are a premium in the league and with the Bills facing cap issues, it’s going to be tough for them to re-sign him.
Prediction: Seattle Seahawks sign Daryl Williams to a 4-Year $54M Deal, $35M Guaranteed. - Chidobe Awuzie – CB, Dallas Cowboys
Awuzie finally emerged as one of the better Zone Corners in the league last year. After having one of the worst defenses in the league last year, Dallas cannot afford to let Awuzie walk.
Prediction: Dallas Cowboys re-sign Chidobe Awuzie to a 3-Year $33M Deal, $24M Guaranteed.