NFL Free Agents Who Could Become Superstars on New Teams in 2024

A change of scenery can be exactly what an NFL player needs to take the next step in their career.

These moves can allow players to spring free of a positional logjam that has limited their playing time, find a scheme that better fits their skill set or play with different teammates who may better maximize their potential. There's been several historical instances of a promising prospect finally breaking out after getting traded or signing a free-agent deal with a new franchise.

That trend could continue next season, especially with so many tantalizing talents set to sign new contracts this spring. While there's a chance they remain with their incumbent squad and continue a steady upward trajectory, these players could also make a more direct jump into superstardom by signing elsewhere.

With that in mind, here are five players who could become stars in 2024 depending on where they sign.

Noah Fant has slogged through a series of rather underwhelming seasons since being drafted No. 20 overall by the Denver Broncos in 2019. The Iowa product teased his potential during his first three years with the club but never breeched the 700-yard receiving mark or scored more than four touchdowns before being shipped over to the Seattle Seahawks as part of a package that brought Russell Wilson to the Mile High City in 2022.

Although he got a fresh start, it was largely more of the same output from Fant in the Emerald City. He became the team's starting tight end right away and appeared in all 34 games since the trade but saw his statistical output regress. Fant just wrapped a disappointing 32-catch, 414-yard, zero-touchdown campaign—his worst marks as a professional—and needs another change of scenery to get out of this rut.

While his production was down this past season, Fant did improve noticeably as a blocker—shoring up an area of his game that was previously a major concern and kept him from being an every-down player. That development could bolster his value a bit on the open market and help turn his career around at his next stop.

Fant has ideal size (he stands 6'4", 249 lbs) and the athleticism to become a top-tier pass-catching tight end. Given his speed, hands, ability to exploit mismatches and potential, Fant may just need the opportunity to play a role in a system that can leverage his skills.

If Fant can find that in free agency, the 26-year-old could be one of the most improved players of 2024 and finally live up to his first-round billing.

Jonathan Greenard has been one of the more polarizing pass-rushers of the last half-decade. A third-round pick in 2020, Greenard failed to make much of an impact and tallied just a single sack for the Houston Texans as a rookie. He bounced back nicely, though, raising his sack total to eight the following year while establishing himself as one of the more promising edge talents in the league.

Another disappointing campaign would follow in 2022, however, as Greenard struggled with health and consistency—ultimately starting just four of the eight games he was active for—while recording a meager 1.5 sacks. Desperately needing to raise his game in a contract year, Greenard answered the call in 2023 by becoming one of the most stalwart defenders in Houston's lineup.

Greenard thrived in new head coach DeMeco Ryans' system. He not only tallied a whopping 12.5 sacks—leading a dangerous Houston pass-rushing unit that also featured No. 3 overall pick Will Anderson Jr.—to go along with 52 tackles (including 15 for loss) and 22 quarterback hits, but also proved to be highly effective against the run as well. The 26-year-old, who was named a Pro Bowl alternate, is now hitting the open market for the first time after showing he has what it takes to be a complete defensive end.

With Spotrac projecting Greenard to earn $13.4 million annually on his next deal, expectations will be high for his strong play to continue into 2024 and beyond. As long as the 26-year-old can stay healthy, there's no reason to expect regression from a player who has a relentless motor and high football IQ to complement his plus athleticism and stable of rushing moves.

Tee Higgins has been one of the NFL's most intriguing wideouts since he entered the league as a second-round pick in 2020. He's made a name for himself by amassing 3,684 yards and 24 touchdowns on 257 catches over his first four seasons.

Those numbers could be even more impressive if Higgins hadn't been relegated to a second option in the Cincinnati Bengals' passing attack for the bulk of his career. As a rookie, Higgins quickly showed his potential by racking up a team-high 908 yards and six scores through the air despite seeing fewer targets than veteran Tyler Boyd. It seemed he would become Cincinnati's No. 1 receiver the following season, but the selection of Ja'Marr Chase in the first round of the 2021 draft kept Higgins entrenched in the No. 2 role.

Although he's had to contend with Chase for looks over the last three seasons, star quarterback Joe Burrow has done a good job keeping Higgins fed. The wideout had back-to-back 1,000-yard campaigns before coming back down to earth slightly in 2023—a season in which both Higgins and Burrow missed a significant amount of action due to injury—with a career-worst 42-catch, 656-yard, five-touchdown campaign.

While the Bengals do have the option of franchise tagging Higgins to keep him for at least one more season—which seems to be a likely outcome of his first free-agency foray—there's still a chance that Higgins will be allowed to walk on the open market.

Expect Higgins' modest 2023 statistics to skyrocket if he exits Cincinnati and becomes a No. 1 receiver elsewhere. He's projected to earn star wideout money—Spotrac estimates his next deal will ring up around $18.6 million annually—if he's not tagged and clearly has the talent to make good on that type of payday thanks to an elite ability to stretch the field and come up with contested catches.

Jaylon Johnson finally broke out this past season, emerging as a shutdown corner for the Chicago Bears. This revelation seemed overdue for a 2020 second-round pick who showed so much potential earlier in his career, but injuries and inconsistency held him back from becoming a star during his initial three years in the league.

Johnson, who just appeared in his first Pro Bowl, displayed outstanding coverage capabilities in 2023. He limited opposing passers to just 32 completions on 58 targets, conceding 279 yards and a pair of touchdowns on the year while recording a career-high four interceptions. Quarterbacks posted a meager 50.9 rating when targeting the 24-year-old, a vast improvement over the 94.6 rating that Johnson gave up last year and the triple-digit marks from his first two NFL campaigns.

Pro Football Focus' metrics also show the incredible value Johnson provided the Bears. He recorded an elite 90.8 grade for his efforts, the highest score of any cornerback this season. This was a massive jump up from the 62.9 grade Johnson earned in 2022 and well above his previous career-high mark of 64.2 in 2021.

Johnson is now heading toward free agency primed to secure a bag of cash. After failing to get a contract extension worked out with Chicago's brass last year—an issue that led to Johnson requesting a trade near the deadline—the corner recently revealed that his "mind's definitely on the money" as he prepares for his first big NFL payday.

Despite having a hefty valuation of $15.7 million annually according to Spotrac, Johnson should have no shortage of suitors on the open market. He's poised to become one of the game's next great corners and should emerge as a bona fide star at his next stop.

Justin Madubuike just capped off his finest NFL season at the perfect time. The defensive tackle took a massive step forward in 2023—his fourth year in the league and the final of his rookie deal—by emerging as one of the best players on a stacked Baltimore Ravens defense.

Madubuike earned a Pro Bowl nod for a campaign in which he recorded career-high marks of 56 tackles—12 of which went for loss—and 13 sacks. He was relentless in his pursuit of opposing quarterbacks, notching an impressive 33 pressures and 16 knockdowns on the year.

The 26-year-old is projected by Spotrac to earn more than $20 million annually on his next contract. It's a fair valuation given the consistency he displayed this past season, a year in which he tallied at least a half-sack in all but four games during the regular season and helped bring down elusive Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes in the AFC Championship Game.

If Madubuike can shore up his run defense deficiencies, he'll represent a fantastic return on investment for any team that gets his signature. He was already logging a respectable 65 percent of Baltimore's defensive snaps this past season and could see his playing time increase if he becomes less of a liability against opposing ball-carriers.

Regardless, Madubuike has established himself as one of the most exciting interior defenders in the NFL and should only build on that as he gains more experience and adds to his growing arsenal of pass-rushing moves.