Terms: Three years, up to $33 million ($10 million guaranteed)

The Eagles saw the value in Gardner-Johnson before 2022, moved him to safety, then watched him tie for the league lead in interceptions for a Super Bowl team. Then Philadelphia watched him move to the Detroit Lions and its secondary promptly became a weak spot. Thus, Tuesday’s return.

Of course, things aren’t that simple. Gardner-Johnson wasn’t the reason James Bradberry fell off a cliff and even if he stayed in Philly injuries limited him to just three games last year. Even so, hooooo buddy, the Eagles badly needed safety help after slapping together Reed Blankenship, Kevin Byard and Sydney Brown through their 2023 spiral. The lowest passer rating allowed in that group was Blankenship’s 99.9.

Thus, a three-year deal for a player who had a peak season in 2022 but could only manage a one year, $6.5 million contract with Detroit in the aftermath. Gardner-Johnson carries some risk, but he’s proven himself in Philly and has the versatility to play safety or slot corner, which are both very real needs. The Eagles are trying hard to recapture those NFC championship vibes, resulting in what could be an overpay here depending on guarantees — though I’d be willing to wager this is probably closer to a one-year, big money deal than anything that carries lasting dead cap into 2026.

CJGJ brings coverage chops and swagger to a team that could use both. Maybe it’s too expensive, but maybe it’s the kind of fit that truly makes sense in Philadelphia.

Update: Only $10 million in guarantees effectively makes this a one year deal. Good value. Good swing.

Grade: B

Terms: Two years, up to $51 million ($48 million guaranteed)

Houston lost Jonathan Greenard in free agency, leaving Will Anderson Jr. without a proper running mate to terrorize quarterbacks from both ends. So, after a day, the Texans went out and got the best non-franchise tagged pass rusher to replace him.

Hunter is a machine, a player who thrived in the chaos of Brian Flores’ blitz-heavy scheme in 2023 but who averages nearly 11 sacks per season anyway. Now he heads to a more disciplined lineup in Houston, who blitzed at a bottom five rate — 21 percent compared to the Vikings’ 51. He’ll be asked to shrink pockets from four-man fronts to create chaos and allow a young secondary behind him to thrive.

That’s different than what he’d been doing in Minnesota, but there’s no reason to believe it will affect his game negatively outside of some counting stats. The bigger concern would be an age-based decline as he nears 30 years old and the more from a 3-4 to a 4-3 — a lineup that may fit his profile better as his speed ticks down because, as the picture above suggests, he’s built like Hercules.

This is the kind of “adult in the room” signing that makes sense for a young roster with a cheap quarterback. And a two year deal insulates the team should he fall off. Houston needed to make a splash in free agency. Now the rest of the AFC South has to deal with the ripples.

Grade: A-

Terms: One year, up to $5.1 million

After a solid rookie campaign, 2020 second round pick Jeremy Chinn appeared destined to join the upper crust of this year’s crop of high value free agent safeties. Instead, he failed to seize the momentum of being that year’s second place finisher in defensive rookie of the year voting and languished, with many of his teammates, as the Carolina Panthers devolved into the latter stages of the Scary Movie franchise.

Moving to a Washington team that’s made a ton of low risk, high sensibility moves this offseason could revitalize his career. Chinn has always been the kind of player who needs the right situation to thrive. He’s not quite a linebacker and not quite a true safety, which leaves him as a Landon Collins type who can crash downhill and make life uncomfortable for running backs and tight ends.

The Commanders can slot him in as strong safety or STAR linebacker knowing full well there’s still a ton of work to be done to revamp this sold-for-parts defense. Chinn’s modest salary makes him a kind of Bill Belichick-ian veteran presence in search of a stock boost. There’s still plenty of work to be done before anyone’s convinced Washington will find the proper role for him, but the talent is there at a low price, which is great news for a rebuilding team.

Grade: B

Terms: Three years, $18 million

The 2024 Packers have been all about new blood, releasing David Bakhtiari and Aaron Jones while bringing in Josh Jacobs and Xavier McKinney. This led to some uneasy vibes about a rising team, but general manager Brian Gutekunst offered a continuity compromise by re-signing All-Pro kick and punt returner Nixon for three more years.

It wasn’t cheap. Green Bay will pay $6 million annually for a player who can handle cornerback duties but probably shouldn’t for very long. He was picked on to the tune of 81 targets last season, more than 77 percent of which were completed. There’s room to upgrade over him in the slot, and while the Pack’s cap space may be wearing thin there’s plenty of solid interior corners who could fit that bill.

It’s possible new defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley sees room for growth. Or it’s possible the Packers, after years of subpar return play, prioritized keeping the guy who led the NFL in kick return yardage last season. $6 million is the same salary Braxton Berrios earned after his All-Pro 2021. His game dropped off the following year and he was released before 2023.

So, this is a risk at a volatile position. Whether or not it’s a good one will come down to the guaranteed cash, which hasn’t been reported yet. If Green Bay can escape with minimal commitments after one year, that’s great. If not, this could be a minor albatross for a team that’s been proactive with its spending this offseason.

Grade: B-

Terms: Three years, $30 million

Indianapolis’ “run it back, this time with Anthony Richardson” philosophy took a logical step forward by retaining Moore, who’d been with the team since 2017. The veteran is a specialist; a player who can erase fast-twitch wideouts in the slot with consistency.

$10 million annually is a new high for third corner who does the majority of his dirty work inside, but it’s a reasonable expense in a league loaded with shifty receivers and an increasing share of running backs who can motion into the slot in a pinch. Moore is versatile enough to press at the line of scrimmage but shines when tasked with turning and running with his man. His average target depth dropped to just 4.2 yards downfield as quarterbacks found little room when he tracked receivers downfield.

He’ll retain his role as veteran leader in a starting secondary loaded with guys drafted or acquired in 2022 and 2023. His consistency provides a “set-it-and-forget-it” piece in Gus Bradley’s defense, and while he isn’t cheap the juice here is worth the squeeze.

Grade: B+

Terms: Two years, up to $14 million ($6.1 million guaranteed)

Everett turns 30 in June and is probably at the point of his career where you’d only begrudgingly take him as your unquestioned TE1. But as a second option behind a rising player like Cole Kmet, he makes a ton of sense.

Everett helps fill out a depth chart that should have plenty of help for whomever is playing quarterback next season, making 12 formation personnel groupings dangerous in the passing attack. He’s a perfectly cromulent receiver and blocker who was used almost exclusively as a short-range safety valve with the Chargers. That should create the latitude needed to free Kmet for more intermediate routes up the seam, though we’ll see if that actually pans out.

Grade: B

Terms: Three years, $41 million

The Steelers have been searching for an answer at inside linebacker ever since Ryan Shazier’s career was cut short. That’s landed on draft picks like Devin Bush, Buddy Johnson or Mark Robinson and bargain veteran risks like Elandon Roberts, Cole Holcomb, Joe Schobert or Robert Spillane. None of those guys worked out as anything more than a short-term, below-average fix.

Queen could be exactly what Pittsburgh needs. His early struggles led the Ravens to decline the fifth-year option on his rookie contract, only for him to develop into a second-team All-Pro in his fourth season in the league. He’s viable in coverage and useful as a blitzer, having racked up 27 pressures and 20 quarterback hits the last two seasons.

There’s a risk he was pumped up by a talented defense around him, but the Steelers can mitigate that with a similarly suffocating unit. He’s not making top five money at his position and will make less than Foyesade Oluokun despite an inflated salary cap. This is a solid price for a player who fills a vacuum that’s long haunted Pittsburgh. Even if Queen’s play backslides, he’ll still be an upgrade in the middle.

Grade: A-

Terms: Two years, up to $20 million ($9 million guaranteed)

No position group has been more cursed in the NFL than the Ravens’ running backs, a depth chart perpetually ravaged by shredded ACLs and not-quite-there Achilles tendons. Baltimore’s remedy is the player so reliable he’s led the league in carries four of the last five seasons.

While Henry hasn’t been immune to injury — a broken foot cost him eight games in 2021 — he brings an immoveable object vibe to the Ravens’ unstoppable force of self-destructing tailbacks. The question now is whether than can continue in his age 30 season. And, even if it does, would 17 games of a healthy Henry approach his Tennessee Titans peak?

The answer to that latter question sure seems like “no.” Henry’s 4.2 yards per carry last season were a career low. Same with his 2.1 yards after contact per handoff.

Still, those are good numbers! Henry’s 0.31 rush yards over expected (RYOE) per carry paint him as a viable starter roughly as useful as Najee Harris or David Montgomery. But neither of those guys are on the wrong side of 30. And neither has anywhere close to the 2,030 regular season carries the former All-Pro has.

The wheels may be about to come off, but we don’t know that and history has shown doubting Henry is a stupid assumption. This is a bet Baltimore felt comfortable making and it’s reasonable. The Ravens aren’t getting prime Derrick Henry, but they’re getting a pile-pushing starter who can top their perpetually solid platoon.

Grade: B

Terms: One year, up to $9 million

Miami cut ties with one veteran pass rusher with underwhelming numbers this offseason. Now the Dolphins replace Emmanuel Ogbah with Shaq Barrett, who should provide stability even if he’s no longer a Pro Bowl caliber player.

Barrett had 37.5 sacks and 75 quarterback hits his first three seasons with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. In the two since, he’s had just 7.5 and 15, respectively. Some of that decline can be traced back to an injury that cost him half the 2022 season, but much more of it can be attributed to the fact he’s 31 years old and his edge rush has generally been predicated more on speed and quickness than his strength and size.

Statistically, Barrett is roughly half the player he was in 2021 and his snap share has declined each of the last three seasons. He can settle into a rotational role in Miami behind Jaelan Phillips and Bradley Chubb, which isn’t a bad gig. It is a slightly expensive one, however.

Grade: C

Terms: Three years, $39 million ($26 million guaranteed)

Kirk Cousins went to Atlanta, in part, because he had Kyle Pitts, Drake London and Bijan Robinson to whom he could throw. Now he gets a former 1,000-yard wideout to serve as his WR2 behind London.

Mooney has toiled the last two years alongside Justin Fields, whose struggles with patience and running down his reads left the former fifth round pick neutered in the passing game. But while the former fifth round pick’s numbers aren’t great, his talent is pretty close. Mooney is a dynamic route runner with strong hands and some of the best adjustment skills in the game. Now he’s paired up with two of the biggest catch radii in the NFL between Pitts and London. Cousins now has the comfort of knowing he can throw the ball into a predefined range under pressure and trust his targets to break off their routes to go get it.

If there is a problem with this deal it’s not the salary — $13 million for a WR2 is reasonable and who would say no to paying Mooney Gabe Davis money? It’s the guarantees for a team that just paid big for a quarterback and will have extension decisions to make on guys like Pitts and London. That’s a lot to promise a player who has had 71 catches and 907 receiving yards the last two years combined.

Grade: B+

Terms: One year, up to $8.7 million

The Browns opted to surround Deshaun Watson, the quarterback they acquired for three first round picks and then gave $230 million in fully guaranteed money despite more than 20 accusations of sexual misconduct and what the NFL itself described as “predatory behavior,” with mobile quarterbacks last year. When Watson went down, those options played so badly it drew Joe Flacco out of stasis. The 38-year-old pushed Cleveland to the playoffs despite the running chops of a statue because he was willing to push the ball downfield with high risk, high reward deep throws.

Now the Browns combine the best of both worlds. Winston isn’t afraid to spray the ball across the field and, as the NFL’s only 30 touchdown/30 interception man, is as high variance as they come. He’s no longer the scrambling presence he once was, but he can move enough in the pocket to keep Watson’s playbook more or less intact when called upon. He may not push for playing time, but his incumbent has ranked 34th in adjusted expected points added (EPA) per play as a quarterback since 2022 — one spot ahead of Carson Wentz — so maybe he will.

Winston can be a high value backup with the potential to be a Flacco-style starter. Cleveland got him for less than it cost the Patriots to sign Jacoby Brissett and significantly less than the $10 million the Vikings will give Sam Darnold, for some reason. He’s not perfect and he’s far from a reliable solution, but he’s light years better than last year’s P.J. Walker/Dorian Thompson-Robinson backup plan.

That’s another small victory for a Browns team that’s been stacking them this offseason.

Grade: A-

Terms: One year, $7 million

Like Jamaal Williams before him, Jones is leaving the Packers for a divisional rival. Williams wasn’t re-signed in 2021, went to the Detroit Lions and ran for nearly 1,700 yards over two seasons while scoring 20 touchdowns. Jones was released Monday after Green Bay signed Josh Jacobs — leave the precious memories of that hour when a Jacobs-Jones backfield sounded incredible alone — and then went where he knew he’d be appreciated; a hollowed out Vikings backfield.

Minnesota released Alexander Mattison, leaving Ty Chandler and Cam Akers in the top two of a weakened tailback room. Jones is a big acquisition; a veteran tailback with tons left in the tank. While he turns 30 in December and has nearly 1,300 total carries on his odometer, he’s still an efficient and effective runner.

While injuries limited him in 2023, he emerged to run for 100-plus yards in each of his final five games of the year, a stretch that covered the Packers’ rally to the postseason and win over the Dallas Cowboys in the Wild Card round. A one-year deal insulates Minnesota in case an age-related decline begins and, at $7 million in a landscape where D’Andre Swift can get $24.5 million over three years, is a solid price.

This gives the Vikings a legitimate RB1 — and another reason to circle 2024’s dates with Green Bay.

Grade: A-

Terms: Two years, $16 million ($10.5 million guaranteed)

Jones’ contributions don’t necessarily show up on the stat sheet, but they make life easier for everyone around him. The Bills’ defense didn’t trip up too badly after his Week 7 injury, but did slide from 11th to 14th in terms of expected points added (EPA) per snap. His ability to wedge a 320-pound frame into running lanes and occasionally get to the quarterback made him a rising tide whose absence, along with Matt Milano, contributed to the team’s near-flameout at midseason.

Buffalo didn’t have much cap space to play with and had to part ways with contributors like Jordan Poyer, Mitch Morse and Tre’Davious White. Re-signing Jones in the middle of that purge showcases his value, even if he’s a relatively inexpensive short-term play. As long as last year’s health concerns were an outlier and not the beginning of a trend for the 32-year-old, this is a smart signing.

Grade: B+

Terms: One year, $10 million

Minnesota signing Darnold should be looked at through the same lens we see the New England Patriots signing Jacoby Brissett. He’s a veteran stopgap who can start a few games if needed but ultimately will be called on to shepherd a rookie quarterback into league and toward prosperity.

You know, only … worse.

The Vikings more than doubled the one year, $4.5 million deal the San Francisco 49ers gave Darnold to back up Brock Purdy last year. The resume that earned him the chance at eight figures? One meaningless Week 18 start, 46 passes and an 85.1 passer rating in the offense so easy to command that Jimmy Garoppolo once took it to a Super Bowl. Nothing the Carolina Panthers did could fix Darnold. The Niners didn’t seem to do much with him either. And if he’s starting games in Minnesota this fall, welp, it’s probably an issue.

There were other quarterbacks available. Ryan Tannehill remains available. Jameis Winston is floating around. Hell, maybe another spin with Joshua Dobbs would have been inexpensive fun. Instead, Darnold got $10 million to be an insurance policy.

Grade: D+. It’s a fine plan. It’s just … Sam Darnold.

Terms: Three years, up to $30 million

Williams was the victim of a clean-out in Jacksonville. The Jaguars spiraled to a thud as the Houston Texans took over the AFC South and an expensive 30-year-old cornerback was shown the door to cover for a defense that gave up at least 28 points in four of its final six games.

Williams wasn’t a valid scapegoat. He allowed just 55 percent of his targets to be caught and hauled in twice as many interceptions (four) as he had touchdowns allowed. He remained a potent sideline cornerback, bolstered by 35 passes defensed the last two seasons.

The risk here is age related decline, as Williams is a cover corner who gets picked on with quick-cutting routes and turns 31 years old on March 15. Three years puts a lot of faith in his ability to age gracefully, but there’s likely some outs built into the deal that could make a separation between player and team less painful in 2025 or 2026.

Grade: B+