The new NFL season is four weeks old, as free agency is well into its second wave. With the NFL Draft approaching, the focus shifts from signing free agents to filling holes on the roster. The available free agents will sign at some point, but free agency has cooled down.
What were the smartest deals thus far in free agency? What teams are not only getting the bang for their buck, but getting the most production from the contract they signed the player for? These are the five smartest deals teams made in free agency.
Deal: 1 year, $10 million
The Jets added four void years to this contract, which is why Williams has a cap number of $2.724 million for 2024. Williams is averaging 15.6 yards per catch since his rookie year in 2017, trailing only A.J. Brown amongst receivers (minimum 500 targets).
Williams is coming off a torn ACL (suffered in Week 3 last season), but he’s going to be a deep ball receiver in an offense with Aaron Rodgers throwing him the ball and Garrett Wilson as the No. 1 wide receiver.
If Williams is fully recovered, the Jets are getting a deep threat in an offense full of playmakers. Williams could be in line for a 1,000-yard season at a discounted rate.
Deal: 2 years, $8.34 million
There are smart deals for free agent running backs, and paying Ekeler $4.17 million a year is one of them. Ekeler never received the contract he wanted with the Los Angeles Chargers, and those days of getting major money for his position appear to be past him at 29 years old.
The highest cap number for Ekeler is $5.11 million in year two of the deal, and this is just one year removed from leading the NFL in touchdowns in 2021 and 2022. An ankle injury in Week 1 limited Ekeler to 3.1 yards per carry after the opening week (third worst in the NFL), so the Commanders were able to get him at a reasonable price.
If Ekeler is fully recovered from the ankle injury, the Commanders are getting a player that had 3,195 scrimmage yards and 38 scrimmage touchdowns combined in 2021 and 2022. If Ekeler performs near that level in 2024, his contract will be one of the biggest steals in the NFL.
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