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NFL On The Back Burner: The Highs and Lows of NFL's Offseason

By Jash Mody


The NFL offseason has been an adventurous ride of ups and downs for teams given the various signings, releases and trades occurring. Free agency has allowed teams to enhance their teams with the best possible players and ensure talent is present. Furthermore, the upcoming NFL draft is posing many challenges on team owners and general managers as they have to strategically decide who their selections will be. 


Kirk Cousins, a prominent quarterback, has left the Vikings organization and signed with the Atlanta Falcons for a $180 million deal, making him one of the highest paid players. Throughout his career he remained consistent with his statistics and peaked during his last three seasons with the Vikings. However his recent injury and age has created speculation regarding his performance. 


“Kirk is getting overpaid,” junior Tyler Lopez said. “He now has made more money than Tom Brady’s entire career which is ridiculous as he is nowhere near the level of the greatest.”


The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have extended Baker Mayfield and Mike Evens, given their solid seasons and consistency on the field. Chris Jones re-signed with the Chiefs for a five-year $158 million contract, Josh Allen and Tee Higgins were both franchise tagged by their teams, and Calvin Ridley left the Jaguars to join the Titans organization for four years. Russell Wilson has also made the decision to part ways with the Denver Broncos and join the Pittsburgh Steelers for a one-year contract. His performance in Denver has raised doubts on his ability to change the course of the team, especially given that the Steelers have had an average record for the last few years. 


Christian Wilkins has left the Dolphins to sign with the Las Vegas Raiders making him and Maxx Crosby a detrimental duo in the backfield. The Giants have signed defensive lineman Brian Burns, who will now be teaming up with Dexter Lawrence and Kayvon Thibodeaux, making this one of the best defensive lines in the NFL. 


For the running back position, many All-Pro and Pro Bowl level players have left their teams. Derrick Henry signed with the Ravens, Josh Jacobs signed with the Packers, Tony Pollard signed with the Titans and Saquon Barkley signed with his NFC East rival team, the Philadelphia Eagles. 


Reproduced with permission from Wikimedia Commons

Many Saquon fans have mixed feeling about his departure from the Giants, with some being downright devastated.


“It’s unbelievable Saquon left. Leaving New York to join a rival is truly a sad movie by Barkley. Seeing him on the opposite end of the field will be heartbreaking,” junior Devan Shah said.


In regards to trades, Keenan Allen was sent to the Chicago Bears for a second round draft pick. With this trade there has been wide controversy in the football realm, as statistically Allen is a top-ten player in his position but was only traded as a second round pick. Along with this the Bears have traded away their young quarterback Justin Fields to the Steelers. This move has created opinions on who the Steelers will start as they have now acquired two quarterbacks during the offseason. The trade also confirms that the Bears will be selecting a quarterback within this upcoming draft. 


“I honestly think the Bears are going to draft Caleb Williams as their franchise quarterback,” junior Naman Maniar said. “They now traded for Keenan Allen and got value off of Justin Fields so this Bears team has potential to be the best. We should also look out for the Ravens as they have some serious talent on their roster after stealing Derrick Henry this offseason.”

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