Nothing kicks off the start of a brand-new football season better than NFL free agency, which is sure to involve plenty of player movement.
Teams can place their franchise/transition tags on players as early as February 20, setting the stage for a wild off-season sooner than you think. The NFL never ceases to provide entertainment for all 365 days of the calendar year, and 2024 is shaping up to be no different. Free agency officially kicks off on March 13th. But deals will likely already be in place with the legal tampering period starting Monday, March 11th at noon.
So grab your popcorn and get ready for the free agency frenzy with the 2024 free agency primer. I’ll break down the most notable impending free agents across the four major fantasy positions – with some potential trade/cut candidates to widen the scope – through the lens of fantasy football to prepare you for the ensuing March Madness. This primer should also help you make optimal trades in your dynasty leagues, bet NFL futures and unearth values in early best-ball drafts before the chaos occurs.
2024 NFL Quarterback Free Agency Primer
Kirk Cousins
Kirk Cousins will be 36 years old in 2024, coming off a major injury. The Vikings QB suffered a torn Achilles against the Green Bay Packers in Week 8. He led the NFL in TD passes (18) before his injury. Cousins was QB6 overall, averaging just under 20 points per game. Considering mobility was never part of Cousins’ game, he’s another strong late-round QB option that will inevitably sneak into the top-12 if healthy in 2024. I wouldn’t be overly concerned about his injuries, especially if he lands back in Minnesota. But as easy as that seems to pencil in…it’s no guarantee. New Falcons OC Zac Robinson will likely draw up a similar offense to the one that Kevin O’Connell uses with the Vikings, given that the two stem from the Sean McVay coaching tree.
Baker Mayfield
Regression. It’s scary. The Buccaneers lost OC Dave Canales to the Panthers as their new head coach. Canales has rejuvenated QBs in back-to-back seasons, which drastically increases the chances that Baker Mayfield becomes this year’s Geno Smith after the latter lost Canales from 2022 to 2023. That’s the real concern with being overly aggressive on Mayfield, who has been anything but reliable in fantasy football throughout his NFL career. Note that during Mayfield’s career year in 2023 as the QB10 overall, he was averaging just 16.8 points per game as QB19.
If Mayfield returns to Tampa Bay – the most likely outcome – stay up to date with the status of their OL. They performed WELL ABOVE expectations, considering no team spent less salary cap space at OL than the Buccaneers in 2023. They finished 8th in PFF pass-blocking grade. They did, however, boast the 4th-worst run-blocking grade, so it’s not as if the OL showed zero signs of weakness.
Ryan Tannehill
Have to imagine that Ryan Tannehill looks hard at signing a deal with the Pittsburgh Steelers, reuniting with former OC, Arthur Smith. It would be a great spot for the 35-year-old ex-Titans passer to land after he lost his starting job to Will Levis. Tannehill was a disaster in 2023 for the Titans, behind an OL that could not block anybody.
But backing up a former fringe first-round pick in Kenny Pickett would not be an adverse circumstance for Tannehill, considering he did the same thing in Tennessee after he flamed out in Miami.
We know that offensively, Smith is going to dial up more play action than the Steelers’ previous offensive regime. Pickett had the 4th-lowest PA rate last season. Despite his completion rate increasing by nearly 20% on play-action throws…
Desmond Ridder‘s play-action usage? Third highest in the NFL at 32%. Both Titans QBs last season averaged nearly 3.0 yards more per attempt off play-action throws under Smith in 2023.
Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google Podcasts | SoundCloud | iHeartRadio
