The NFL’s legal tampering period — the moment teams can officially unofficially leak their big free agent signings for the 2024 season, begins at noon E.T. March 11. That gives all 32 franchises roughly a month after Super Bowl 58 to get their priorities in order and shuffle around their payroll in order to carve out plenty of spending room under this season’s yet-to-be-announced (but almost certainly historically high) salary cap.
The early stages off the offseason aren’t just about addition. Every team in the league has a list of pending free agents who were instrumental to their success (or lack thereof) in 2023. Some teams will have to make decisions on whether to re-sign All-Pros and future Hall of Famers for massive sums. Others will have to address which role players will return and which will test their value on the open market.
There’s one veteran who stands out at the top of each team’s “might leave” list. Teams like the Kansas City Chiefs and Tampa Bay Buccaneers have huge decisions to make. Others like the Green Bay Packers and Atlanta Falcons have the option to head into 2024 with their cores mostly intact.
Let’s take a look at the biggest free agent decision each team has to make. And to help understand how vital each player is, let’s include their overall ranking from FTW’s top 102 free agents alongside each franchise’s estimated salary cap space. All cap space estimates come from the incredibly useful Over the Cap, but are working from a $242.5 million estimate rather than the $250 million-plus the cap could be, so teams may have more spending room than we expect.
Arizona Cardinals: WR Marquise Brown
- Overall rank: 27
- Cap space: $55,115,463
Arizona traded away a first round pick to acquire Brown but was unable to reach a big money contract extension with the former 1,000-yard wideout. He hasn’t been amazing as a Cardinal, but would be a valuable piece of the team’s passing game alongside a healthy Kyler Murray (and whatever receiver the team might draft with the fourth overall pick).
Atlanta Falcons: LB Nate Landman
- Overall rank: n/a
- Cap space: $38,454,508
Landman is an overlooked asset; a former undrafted free agent who started 14 games last season. As an exclusive rights free agent, he should be an inexpensive re-signing for the Falcons even with a new head coach at the helm.
Baltimore Ravens: DT Justin Madubuike
- Overall rank: 7
- Cap space: $18,538,828
Baltimore is loaded with priority free agents, including Patrick Queen, Kevin Zeitler and Geno Stone. None may be as valuable as Madubuike, who broke out with 13 sacks and 33 quarterback hits in an All-Pro 2023 anchoring the middle of the Ravens’ defensive line.
Buffalo Bills: EDGE Leonard Floyd
- Overall rank: 57
- Cap space: -$40,071,454
Floyd is an aging pass rusher but an effective one; he had 10.5 sacks at 31 years old last season. Keeping him around would help soften the blow of trading or releasing Von Miller after the All-Pro’s frustrating 2023.
Carolina Panthers: EDGE Brian Burns
- Overall rank: 2
- Cap space: $40,169,402
The Panthers’ rebuild should include the young, consistent pass rusher whose been a persistent thorn in the sides of NFC South quarterbacks. It’s possible Carolina opts to franchise tag him rather than meet a steep long term contract price.
Chicago Bears: CB Jaylon Johnson
- Overall rank: 6
- Cap space: $80,396,157
Johnson’s finest season as a pro coincided with a late-2023 Bears surge. From Week 10 onward, Chicago fielded the league’s third-most efficient defense.
Cincinnati Bengals: WR Tee Higgins
- Overall rank: 4
- Cap space: $72,836,373
Joe Burrow has thrived in an offense with two dynamic young pass catchers in Higgins and Ja’Marr Chase. The Bengals have the cap space to re-sign their young wideout, but he won’t come cheap.
Cleveland Browns: EDGE Za'Darius Smith
- Overall rank: 36
- Cap space: -$6,222,046
Smith helped clean up Myles Garrett’s messes and created chaos of his own. While his 5.5 sacks weren’t ideal, his 20 quarterback hits ranked 30th in the NFL and showcased his still-potent ability to roast opposing blockers.
Dallas Cowboys: LT Tyron Smith
- Overall rank: 14
- Cap space: -$8,170,700
Smith may be 34 years old, but he’s coming off yet another All-Pro season in a career that will spark Hall of Fame debate. The question now is whether the Cowboys can afford his services or if he’ll go the Andrew Wentworth route and further his legend elsewhere.
Denver Broncos: C Lloyd Cushenberry
- Overall rank: 63
- Cap space: -$10,713,842
Cushenberry gets called for more penalties than you’d like, but he plays aggressive and creates the space his quarterback and tailbacks need to thrive.
Detroit Lions: LG Jonah Jackson
- Overall rank: 52
- Cap space: $63,743,386
The former Pro Bowler was a key part of the Lions continually impressive offensive line. His strength up front helped open holes for a top five rushing attack.
Green Bay Packers: KR/CB Keisean Nixon
- Overall rank: 91
- Cap space: $8,157,359
Nixon’s biggest impact comes on special teams, where he’s been an All-Pro the last two seasons. He can fill in at cornerback in a pinch, too.
Houston Texans: EDGE Jonathan Greenard
- Overall rank: 43
- Cap space: $67,583,290
Greenard had 12.5 sacks and 22 quarterback hits in 15 games last season, each career highs. Consistency is an issue, but he’s a high ceiling player who could thrive with more time alongside reigning defensive rookie of the year Will Anderson Jr.
Indianapolis Colts: WR Michael Pittman Jr.
- Overall rank: 19
- Cap space: $72,337,573
The Colts will hand the reins back to Anthony Richardson at quarterback after his rookie campaign was cut short by injury after four games. One easy way to lift his potential is by pairing him with a reliable mid-range target like Pittman.
Jacksonville Jaguars: EDGE Josh Allen
- Overall rank: 3
- Cap space: $24,676,167
Allen throttled his own potential in a 17.5-sack breakthrough last season. Though it wasn’t enough to stop Jacksonville’s late season slide, it was enough to make him a ton of money in this year’s free agent marketplace.
Kansas City Chiefs: DL Chris Jones
- Overall rank: 1
- Cap space: $27,697,796
Kansas City’s third Super Bowl win in five years wouldn’t have happened without Jones’ ability to create pressure from virtually anywhere on the defensive line. He wants to stay with the Chiefs, but it will likely take a long-term commitment to do so.
Las Vegas Raiders: RB Josh Jacobs
- Overall rank: 38
- Cap space: $48,653,311
Jacobs couldn’t follow up his 2022 sliding from “NFL rushing leader” to “average running back.” A change of scenery might help — or maybe just a full season under new head coach Antonio Pierce and a more stable passing game.
Los Angeles Chargers: RB Austin Ekeler
- Overall rank: 48
- Cap space: -$22,116,935
The Chargers’ lack of salary cap space, previous reticence to sign Ekeler to a long-term deal and the tailback’s frustrating 2023 all suggest the two sides are destined to part ways. Can Ekeler be an explosive dual-threat running back elsewhere in 2024?
Los Angeles Rams: OG Kevin Dotson
- Overall rank: 17
- Cap space: $45,999,574
Los Angeles made it back to the postseason thanks to a healthy Matthew Stafford and the strength of its offense. Dotson played a major role in both those traits, keeping his quarterback upright and clearing space for Kyren Williams to look like an absolute stud out of the backfield.
Miami Dolphins: OG Robert Hunt
- Overall rank: 33
- Cap space: -$24,636,557
Hunt is a mauler in the run game. Look no further than the Dolphins’ league-best 5.1 yards per carry as proof.
Minnesota Vikings: QB Kirk Cousins
- Overall rank: 5
- Cap space: $37,868,132
It looked like Minnesota would be free of Cousins’ big, fully guaranteed contracts after 2023. Then he put together his finest season as a pro… only to have it end with a torn Achilles. Now the Vikings have to weigh running it back vs. blowing it up.
New England Patriots: OL Michael Onwenu
- Overall rank: 18
- Cap space: $82,927,006
Onwenu can lock down multiple positions up front, but has All-Pro potential at guard. He’s reportedly the top offensive lineman on multiple teams’ wish lists this offseason.
New Orleans Saints: LT Andrus Peat
- Overall rank: n/a
- Cap space: -$40,071,454
Peat’s hitting the voidable years of his funny money Saints contract. General manager Mickey Loomis may not be able to retain him thanks to a cap sheet that came into the offseason an estimated $80 million over the spending limit.
New York Giants: S Xavier McKinney
- Overall rank: 24
- Cap space: $32,862,691
McKinney was excellent for a team that ranked ninth in the NFL in passer rating allowed. His presence in the secondary helps cover up holes elsewhere — and should make him a priority on Brian Daboll’s to-do list.
New York Jets: EDGE Bryce Huff
- Overall rank: 28
- Cap space: $15,067,122
The Jets have the pass rushing depth to spend their meager cap space elsewhere, but Huff looks like the real deal. He had 10 sacks in 2023 despite playing only 42 percent of the team’s defensive snaps.
Philadelphia Eagles: RB D'Andre Swift
- Overall rank: 62
- Cap space: $32,163,513
General manager Howie Roseman acquired Swift for a song, then saw him emerge as the team’s top tailback. But he let Miles Sanders walk as a free agent the year before and Swift could be the next link in that chain.
Pittsburgh Steelers: CB Levi Wallace
- Overall rank: n/a
- Cap space: $7,382,955
Pittsburgh doesn’t have much to worry about when it comes to retaining its key players. Wallace is a useful cog in the secondary, albeit not necessarily a vital one.
San Francisco 49ers: EDGE Chase Young
- Overall rank: 26
- Cap space: $834,165
The assets spent to acquire Young from the Washington Commanders are a sunk cost. Now general manager John Lynch has to decide if Young is the player who struggled to end the 2023 regular season or the one who shined in the playoffs.
Seattle Seahawks: DL Leonard Williams
- Overall rank: 11
- Cap space: $12,969,647
Williams arrived in Seattle in the middle of the season and was unable to make a group of young stars a bonafide constellation. We’ll see how much new head coach Mike Macdonald values him.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers: S Antoine Winfield Jr.
- Overall rank: 8
- Cap space: $45,521,102
Baker Mayfield and Mike Evans will put the Bucs at a crossroad. Winfield may be more important than either thanks to his young age, athleticism and ability to fill a multitude of roles for an oft-tested defense.
Tennessee Titans: RB Derrick Henry
- Overall rank: 37
- Cap space: $78,648,381
Henry’s best days appear to be behind him and the head coach who made him invaluable is gone. But no player is more closely associated with the Titans than El Tractorcito and even an average Derrick Henry is still pretty dang useful.
Washington Commanders: CB Kendall Fuller
- Overall rank: 30
- Cap space: $87,049,626
The Commanders are facing a near-complete overhaul in Josh Harris’ first full year as team owner. Fuller’s veteran presence could be an important bridge between the two eras of Washington football.
