NFL | These stars who change addresses

A lot of changes were expected when the NFL free agent market opened. But it was not expected that this period would be the most eventful, spectacular and astonishing in the modern history of the NFL. Several impact players have changed addresses, allowing certain teams to believe more than ever in a place in the Super Bowl. Here are the 10 contracts that caught our attention.

Kirk Cousins, quarterback
Atlanta Falcons, 4 years – 180 million

Kirk Cousins ​​can certainly count on the best agent in the NFL. In 12 seasons, the 35-year-old quarterback earned nearly $232 million. Thanks to his new deal with the Falcons, he will be able to retire having accumulated more than $412 million. A staggering amount for a player who won just one playoff game. Along with Bijan Robinson, Drake London and Kyle Pitts, Cousins ​​joins a group full of promise that can contend for the top of his division.

Xavier McKinney, marauder
Green Bay Packers, 4 years – 68 million

At 24 years old, McKinney will be part of the long-term plan of this team having shown good things last season. With Jaire Alexander, opposing quarterbacks will have to be extremely precise to break through the Packers’ tertiary. With this signing, Green Bay fills a huge need. The men in green’s defense was inconsistent last season. This addition ensures performance in a decisive phase of the game. McKinney has 3 interceptions and 116 tackles in 2023 with the Giants.

Danielle Hunter, defensive end
Houston Texans, 2 years – 49 million

One of the NFL’s most underrated players returns home to Texas. A major acquisition for the Texans, clearly able to return to the playoffs next season. In their final game of the season, against the Ravens, the team’s defensive line was insufficient and powerless. The arrival of Hunter, 29, within a young brigade led by the talented Will Anderson Jr., will make the Texans a team to fear in the American. He had 16.5 sacks last year.

Josh Jacobs, running back
Green Bay Packers, 4 years – 48 million

It’s hard to find a better marriage than that between Jacobs and the Packers. Green Bay surprised many observers last season by finding itself one touchdown away from beating the 49ers in the second round of the playoffs. Jacobs joins a young group that includes Jordan Love, Romeo Doubs, Luke Musgrave and Christian Watson. The leader in rushing yards in 2022 will become another card in Matt LaFleur’s game. Jacobs will bring another dimension to this increasingly well-established attack.

Patrick Queen, linebacker
Pittsburgh Steelers, 3 years – 41 million

This signature is the most surprising of the lot. With the team’s success and depth, the Ravens are almost guaranteed to be a detail again this season. However, one of the most important elements of the training decided to leave the ship. Not for just any team, either. Queen will now play for the Steelers, arch enemies of the Ravens and division rivals. One of the most versatile linebackers in the league adds to an already extremely talented defensive group in Pittsburgh.

Saquon Barkley, running back
Philadelphia Eagles, 3 years – 37.75 million

Barkley is the most athletic and talented running back of his generation. However, two things slowed him down: injuries and his former team, the Giants. He never had the chance to fully showcase himself. If he’s headed to Philly, it’s to win, and a team that can afford his services automatically gives itself a better chance of doing that. It will be interesting to see how he is used, because the Eagles’ last two running backs, Miles Sanders and D’Andre Swift, have only passed.

D’Andre Swift, running back
Chicago Bears, 3 years – 24 million

What’s happening with Swift? But above all, what is going on with the Bears? The running back had been a pick 2^e tour in 2020. Still, the Bears will be his third team in five seasons. Swift is sturdy, agile and also good at passing. It’s hard to know why he was unable to establish himself in Detroit and Philadelphia. As for the Bears, they do not yet seem to be sure about the future of Justin Fields and the situation surrounding their first overall pick. In short, this signature leaves us perplexed.

Derrick Henry, running back
Baltimore Ravens, 2 years – 16 million

Henry has slowed down in recent years. He has been the most-used running back in four of the last five seasons. This explains it. By joining Lamar Jackson, he will probably carry the ball a lot less, but whenever Henry is called upon to react, he will do so effectively, because he will have been spared beforehand. He will also be under a lot less pressure. With the Titans, the team’s success rested on his shoulders. Which will not be the case with the Ravens.

Austin Ekeler, running back
Washington Commanders, 2 years – 11.43 million

Austin Ekeler performed below expectations in 2023. Like most Chargers stars. The ball carrier benefits from a favorable status as he approaches his 29th birthday, but this is his last chance to show off and stay in the good graces of observers. The project remains interesting in Washington. With Ekeler’s experience combined with the potential of the quarterback the team will draft second overall, the trend could change quickly for the Commanders. Even if we’ve been repeating the same refrain for a decade.

Russell Wilson, quarterback
Pittsburgh Steelers, 1 year – 1.21 million

It’s crazy how much things can change in four years. In 2020, Wilson was voted second player in the NFL by his colleagues in the prestigious top 100 annual. A few days ago, the Steelers offered him a one-year contract at minimum salary. Since leaving Seattle, Wilson has continued to ruin his legacy. The Steelers project seems more or less viable in the short and medium term, even if Mike Tomlin tries to hold on.