Ranking the NFL Teams Most Transformed by 2024 Free Agency

Free agency in the NFL can mean vastly different things for different teams.

For some, the financial realities of the salary cap and $50 million-per-year quarterbacks preclude teams from keeping their own free agents, let alone adding players. The Buffalo Bills are learning that the hard way in 2024. The Dallas Cowboys added veteran linebacker Eric Kendricks, but no team has spent less in free agency this year.

Other teams have spent big money in free agency, but mostly to maintain the status quo. The Kansas City Chiefs reupped defensive tackle Chris Jones and added an upgrade at wideout in Marquise Brown, but even they traded a high-end cornerback in L'Jarius Sneed—mostly because they just couldn't afford him.

With that said, at least a quarter of the NFL's teams are going to look vastly different in 2024, for better or worse.

Whether those new players will have the expected impact is the great mystery of free agency in the NFL. On paper at least, here's a look at the teams that have undergone the biggest metamorphosis over the past few weeks.

It's not hard to understand why Panthers general manager Dan Morgan has been busy this spring. Carolina was the league's worst team a year ago, and there are issues galore on both sides of the ball.

One of the highest priorities the team had in 2024 was upgrading the wide receivers around young quarterback Bryce Young. The Panthers did so by acquiring sixth-year pro Diontae Johnson in a trade with the Pittsburgh Steelers.

However, while that was viewed by most as a solid move, the deal that sent Brian Burns to the New York Giants was almost embarrassing. Granted, it wasn't Morgan who turned down an offer of two first-rounders and a second-rounder from the Los Angeles Rams last year for the edge-rusher. But getting a fraction of that return for him in 2024 isn't a good look for the organization.

Carolina spent big on the interior of the offensive line, using $100 million on guard Robert Hunt and adding Damien Lewis to start opposite him for $53 million over four seasons. It's a lot of scratch for two good but not great players, but bad teams often have to overpay to lure free agents to town.

Most of the other moves were replacing departed players—and most have to be viewed as downgrades. Jadeveon Clowney had one of the best seasons of his career in 2023 with the Baltimore Ravens, but he's not Burns. Josey Jewell is a capable linebacker, but he doesn't make the big-play impact Frankie Luvu did. Jordan Fuller for Vonn Bell is at best a lateral move.

That's the thing. For all the moves Morgan has made, it's hard to see how the Panthers are demonstrably better.

This looks less like a rebuild than rearranging deck chairs on the Titanic.

For most of the teams listed in this column, "transformation" has meant improvement.

For the Minnesota Vikings, though, it has meant attempting to rebuild on the fly after quarterback Kirk Cousins left in free agency.

The Vikings did sign at least a temporary replacement for Cousins in 2018 third overall pick Sam Darnold. And while appearing on NFL Network, Minnesota head coach Kevin O' Connell said that he believes folks who have written off the 26-year-old have done so prematurely:

"I think his best football is ahead of him because of how he's handled the last couple of years. Whether it's going 4-2 down the stretch in Carolina in '22, or when you turn on the tape of his work in San Francisco, you can tell Kyle, Brian Griese, they did a great job in the next phase of his career. Fundamentals, techniques, things that you look for to see growth. I'm excited to get going with Sam."

After acquiring a second first-round pick from the Houston Texans, the Vikings are a popular choice to trade up in Round 1 this year. As things stand, though, Darnold will be Minnesota's Week 1 starter.

The Vikings did upgrade at running back with the arrival of Aaron Jones, but there aren't many anywhere else. Jonathan Greenard is a solid edge-rusher coming off a career year, but he isn't the difference-maker Danielle Hunter was—at least not yet. Edge-rusher Andrew Van Ginkel and linebacker Blake Cashman both have to show that last year's success in Miami and Houston, respectively, wasn't a fluke.

It may well be that three years from now we will look back at Minnesota's decision to turn the page on Cousins as a wise move. But the 2024 iteration of the team looks to be even more of an also-ran than a season ago.

After falling apart down the stretch last year, it wasn't especially surprising that Philadelphia Eagles general manager Howie Roseman was aggressive in free agency this year. But the biggest move he made did raise an eyebrow or two.

The Eagles went the splash route at running back, swapping out D'Andre Swift for Saquon Barkley on a three-year, $37.75 million contract that included $26 million in guarantees.

It's a big deal in an age when few running backs get them, but Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie told reporters that they believe the 27-year-old is worth every penny.

"He exhibited a very special skill set both in the running and the passing game that we think certainly can be maximized by being on a team with better skill positions, quarterback, offensive line," Lurie said.

Barkley should be an upgrade in the backfield, but there are questions at a position that used to be Philly's greatest strength: the defensive front.

Not only did likely Hall of Famer Fletcher Cox retire, but the Eagles have also dealt Haason Reddick to the New York Jets for a conditional pick. The team reworked Josh Sweat's contract and brought in Bryce Huff (from the Jets), who was wildly productive on a per-snap basis last year.

However, Sweat vanished during Philly's late-season free fall in 2023, and it's not a certainty that Huff can keep up his production in a larger role. If the Eagles struggle to rush the passer consistently, then a secondary that brought back safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson this year will be tested.

It's a reminder that maintaining success in the NFL is often just as difficult as obtaining it, if not more so.

The Washington Commanders entered free agency with two things: lots of cap space and an equal number of holes on the roster. New general manager Adam Peters wasted little time using the former to address the latter.

The biggest changes came on defense. The Commanders gave edge-rusher Dorrance Armstrong $15 million a season in the hope he can post the same per-snap productivity he showed in Dallas in a full-time role.

Bobby Wagner and Frankie Luvu give Washington a massive boost at linebacker, with new defensive coordinator Dan Quinn talking up the former in an interview with SiriusXM NFL Radio:

"He's all that I love about football. He's a tackler; he's aggressive; he's tough; he's smart; he takes care of himself. What I'm hopeful to see—and I'm certain it'll happen—he's a multiplier. Wags is. Because this is how the standard is, this is how I operate, this is a process to go through. If you are a young linebacker being around somebody, this is the exact type of linebacker you'd want to be around…Seeing that standard of how we operate. I thought that was really important, and so that's why I'm so lit up about getting him here."

Washington also added some help on the back end, signing safety Jeremy Chinn to an inexpensive contract in the hope he can reclaim the form he demonstrated in his first couple of years in the NFL.

Given what he accomplished in Los Angeles just two years ago, inking running back Austin Ekeler to a two-year, $8.4 million pact to provide the lightning complement to Brian Robinson's thunder could be a bargain.

The trade that sent Sam Howell to Seattle netted the Commanders some better draft slots and all but guaranteed the second overall pick will be a quarterback. But they also added some veteran insurance in Marcus Mariota.

Washington may not have made a massive "splash" signing, but it improved in multiple areas—and still has the most remaining cap space in the NFC.

The Pittsburgh Steelers may not have made a lot of moves in free agency this year, but the ones they did make could have a major impact on their fortunes in 2024.

The biggest was at quarterback. After just two seasons, the Kenny Pickett experiment is over. He was traded to Philadelphia shortly after the Steelers inked Russell Wilson to a veteran minimum deal. Pittsburgh then doubled down on getting better under center and traded for Justin Fields.

General manager Omar Khan told reporters that he didn't exactly plan for things to work out the way they did.

"If you would've told me a month ago when we spoke in Indy that we'd be sitting here a month later, and that Russell Wilson and Justin Fields would be our quarterbacks? Yeah, I'd be a little bit surprised," he said. "We're trying to win a Super Bowl this year. Those decisions were made with the intent that they could help us this year."

On defense, the linebacker position in the Steel City was easily the team's biggest deficiency on that side of the ball a year ago. Khan was aggressive in shoring up that area, stealing away Pro Bowler Patrick Queen from the rival Ravens on a three-year deal.

Trading away disgruntled wide receiver Diontae Johnson left a hole at wideout that newcomer Van Jefferson likely cannot completely fill. But that position can be addressed in the draft, and if Pittsburgh successfully improved its two biggest areas of weakness in free agency, it could be a team to be reckoned with in 2024.

The Tennessee Titans have undergone a lot of changes in free agency. Some were for the better, some (potentially) not so much.

The splashiest move was the signing of veteran wide receiver Calvin Ridley, who will get $23 million a season to play opposite DeAndre Hopkins.

New Titans head coach Brian Callahan told reporters that he expects the pair to be one of the league's more dangerous duos at the position:

"Being able to move Calvin around is going to be exciting. But I think the other guys, being able to move those guys around, too, will be helpful. Moving Hop around, trying to get him some matchups, put his skill set in good position against lesser players. We'll see what Treylon (Burks) can do as we move him around. I just think it's a good group that has some flexibility, particularly with Calvin. I think he has played all over the formation, so that part to me is exciting."

The wide receiver corps wasn't the only position group that was overhauled. Tennessee will start a pair of new cornerbacks in 2024, with Chidobe Awuzie joining the team in free agency and L'Jarius Sneed coming over in a trade with the Kansas City Chiefs. With Derrick Henry in Baltimore, Tony Pollard was signed to form a new backfield duo with second-year pro Tyjae Spears.

Pollard isn't the only possible downgrade, though. Kenneth Murray is coming off the best season of his career, but he isn't the linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair is. And Denico Autry's defection to Houston is a sizable blow to the defensive line.

Still, the Titans appear better as a whole on paper, provided quarterback Will Levis takes a step forward in his second pro season.

The Houston Texans were one of the most surprising teams of 2023, winning the AFC South and waxing the Cleveland Browns in the Wild Card Round.

However, while rookie quarterback C.J. Stroud and the offense had little trouble moving the ball most weeks, they were a middle-of-the-pack team defensively.

To say Houston general manager Nick Caserio was aggressive in addressing that defense in free agency is an understatement.

The centerpiece of the team's additions was veteran edge-rusher Danielle Hunter, who got $24.5 million a season to play opposite 2023 Defensive Rookie of the Year Will Anderson Jr.

The Houston native told reporters he knows fully well why he was brought in: to make opposing quarterbacks miserable.

"Just being able to go after the quarterback," Hunter said. "On the Texans, I should be able to do it. That's been in my DNA since I came into the NFL, and I'm happy to be able to go out there and play for my teammates and bring that to the table."

Hunter may have been the biggest defensive addition, but he wasn't the only one. Linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair is familiar with DeMeco Ryans' defense and topped 160 total tackles last year in Tennessee, and Denico Autry is one of the more underrated defensive tackles in the league. Poaching both from the rival Titans was just icing on the cake.

The Texans didn't ignore the offense, either. The wisdom of handing running back Joe Mixon a three-year, $27 million contract extension after acquiring him in a trade with the Cincinnati Bengals is debatable. What isn't is that even coming off a down year, the 27-year-old is an upgrade over Devin Singletary and Dameon Pierce.

The Texans are the favorites to capture the AFC South again. But if these new additions pay off, they could be a lot more than that in 2024.

There's little doubt which team was going to headline this list. But when you make, arguably, the biggest signing of free agency and hand out the biggest contract of free agency, that tends to be transformative.

After struggling through a third straight 7-10 season due in no small part to subpar quarterback play from Desmond Ridder and Taylor Heinicke, the Atlanta Falcons broke the bank to get better under center, handing Kirk Cousins a four-year, $180 million pact.

Falcons general manager Terry Fontenot told reporters he expects the arrival of the 35-year-old to be a game-changer for the franchise:

"To bring a player like that—knowing the mindset, the mentality, the leadership; all those areas—we know he's going to be a multiplier for us. We have a lot of good, young talent on offense. We have a really good offensive line that's chomping at the bit. So, now, you bring in a player like that, we know he's going to be a multiplier, so yes, there is excitement right now."

Cousins is rehabbing a torn Achilles, but provided he returns at close to 100 percent, he will be easily the team's best quarterback since Matt Ryan led Atlanta to Super Bowl LI.

The Falcons have also given the signal-caller a new weapon, adding wide receiver Darnell Mooney to an offense that includes wideout Drake London, tight end Kyle Pitts and running back Bijan Robinson. Ridder was traded to Arizona for wideout Rondale Moore, and Atlanta brought in a new "swing" tackle in Storm Norton.

The Falcons entered free agency as an afterthought in the NFC South, but they will head to the 2024 NFL draft as the perceived favorites in the division in the eyes of many.