Free agency in the NFL is one of the most exciting times in any American Football season and it occurs just over a month after the Super Bowl.
Already, we have seen some major moves in the market. This includes J.J. Watt, who after spending 10 years at the Houston Texans, will now join the Arizona Cardinals alongside former team-mate DeAndre Hopkins.
With the free agency window starting on Wednesday night, it’s the perfect opportunity to have a look at the best players available this window and which teams they would suit best.
Here, TIBS News runs down five of those selections.
JuJu Smith-Schuster
Despite his recent controversy, JuJu Smith-Schuster is still a fantastic wide receiver.
The social-media-loving former USC star joined the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2017. During his rookie season he showed the league that he was a promising player, scoring seven touchdowns from 58 receptions.
Even last season, Smith-Schuster dominated the league alongside fellow wide receiver Chase Claypool as amassed nine touchdowns in the regular season – a career high.
However, his near addiction to social media apps such as TikTok has made himself and the Steelers targets for the opposition. He has mocked opposing teams, danced on their pitch logo – an unwritten rule in American football states that you shouldn’t do – and also trashed talked rivals in press conferences. He was made to eat his words after once throwing barbs at arch rivals the Cleveland Browns, to only then get humiliated in a wildcard game 48-37. This was all the worst considering Pittsburgh conceded 28 unanswered points in the first quarter.
At 24-years-old, Smith-Schuster has many years left in the NFL before he retires. He still has potential too, due to constantly breaking records – such as scoring five touchdowns before his 21st birthday.
It is very unlikely that Smith-Schuster will sign another contract with the Steelers, mainly due to his toxic attitude during the last few months of the season. The Baltimore Ravens would be a perfect place for him to continue plying his trade, especially with the Ravens having one of the best offences in the NFL thanks to their star quarterback Lemar Jackson.
Kyle Van Noy
The Miami Dolphins decision to release Kyle Van Noy shocked and confused everyone in the NFL world. The former BYU alumni played a crucial role in their 10-6 season.
The linebacker made 69 combined tackles, six interceptions and forced three fumbles last season -making him one of the best defensive-minded players in the NFL. This was helped by his good rapport with Dolphins head coach Brian Flores – with the pair having worked together at the New England Patriots.
Plenty of teams throughout the NFL need a new linebacker, with not many being of the calibre of someone like Van Noy. Originally from Nevada, the Las Vegas Raiders would be a perfect choice for him if he wanted to stay closer to home. However, the Kansas City Chiefs are also in the market for a new linebacker and are linked with former Buffalo Bill, and now free agent, Matt Milano.
Yannick Ngakoue
In 2017, Yannick Ngakoue was the best linebacker in the NFL. He was integral to the Jacksonville Jaguars’ run all the way to the AFC Championship game, where they lost narrowly 24-20 to the New England Patriots.
He was a major reason why during that season the players gave themselves the bizarre, but amusing nickname ‘Sacksonville’, due to their fantastic defensive effort.
The end to his time in Jacksonville however, wasn’t pretty. He got into an argument with the owner’s son, Tony Khan, and demanded to be traded.
Eventually, Ngakoue was traded to the Minnesota Vikings. However, he was sent in the early stages of the 2020 season to the Baltimore Ravens before his eventual release.
If his 2017 campaign was anything to go by then Ngakoue is still a major linebacker in the league. At just 25, time is on his side. The Buffalo Bills would be the perfect place for him to go, minus the cold weather! They have a fantastic record of helping amend players who have seen their time at previous clubs come to a tumultuous end.
Star wide receiver Stefon Diggs is a perfect example of this. After his time at the Minnesota Vikings came to a sour end, Diggs was then nurtured into becoming one of the Bills best players alongside Josh Allen.
Sammy Watkins
Watkins was a major asset in Kansas City Chiefs star-studded offence, which won the Super Bowl in 2019, playing alongside the likes of Patrick Mahomes and Tyreek Hill.
However, the wide receiver has recently fallen down the pecking order mainly due to head coach Andy Reid’s preference of playing Hill and Mecole Hardman over him. Two seasons ago Watkins featured in 14 of their 16 regular season games, whereas last term it was just five.
The former Clemson player doesn’t score many touchdowns, the most in his career was in 2015 at the Buffalo Bills with nine. However, he makes up for that with the number of yards he wins, which on average is about 500 per season.
Watkins is an accomplished wide receiver in the NFL. At 27-years-old Watkins could, and probably should, be on the radar for multiple teams including the Ravens, Dolphins and the Seattle Seahawks. His ability and experience – having appeared at the last two Super Bowls – shows he has the temperament for the big-game moments.
Chris Carson
At 26, Chris Carson is one of the best running backs in the league. At the Seattle Seahawks, Carson was breaking tackles for fun and during the 2019 season he created a staggering 1,230 yards – a career high.
However, last season was quieter for Carson – who created just half of the yards at 681. It is worth noting though that Seattle had a quiet offensive campaign, based on their own high standards.
Bizarrely, the Seahawks have decided not to franchise tag Carson, which means that he will be available as a free agent.
A perfect place for Carson to ply his trade next season will be the Green Bay Packers who have recently allowed their own running back in Aaron Jones to be allowed to leave at the end of his contract.
If Carson does join the Packers, it would mean that would be working alongside current MVP, as well as one of the greatest quarterbacks of all time in Aaron Rodgers.
By Barnaby Page
