Winners in the offseason:
Texans
Steelers
Vikings
Losers in the offseason:
Chargers
Bills
Broncos
Winners:
Texans
John Carroll alumni Nick Caserio ‘09 has done wonders since taking over as the Texans General Manager in early 2021. After inheriting one of the worst possible situations mired in Deshaun Watson’s request and lack of draft capital from the Laremy Tunsil trade, Caserio is finally seeing the fruits of his labor. He found his franchise coach and quarterback in the same offseason, getting DeMeco Ryans and C.J. Stroud respectively. Houston went from a three-win team the previous year to a division champion the very next year, even winning a playoff game in the process. The Texans beefed up their defense by adding EDGE rusher Danielle Hunter, DL Denico Autry and LB Azeez Al-Shaair. In addition to adding three impact pieces on the defense, they added former Bengals running back Joe Mixon in a trade to shore up the RB room. Houston positioned itself perfectly to be the team to beat in the AFC South for the foreseeable future.
Steelers
The Kenny Pickett era in Pittsburgh was incredibly short-lived, as he lasted only two seasons with a putrid 13 career touchdown passes. The Steelers immediately upgraded their QB room for pennies on the dollar when they signed Russell Wilson for $1.2 million and only gave a conditional 6th-round pick to the Bears for Justin Fields. Their QB room immediately improved drastically both short-term and long-term. Arguably their biggest move came when they pawned former Ravens linebacker Patrick Queen to join the rival Steelers. His presence will make life much easier for T.J. Watt.
Vikings
Yes, despite losing their starting QB to the Falcons, the Minnesota Vikings can still be penciled in as winners. The Vikings lost older, expensive defensive pieces and replaced them with younger, cheaper talent by adding EDGE rushers Jonathan Greenard and Andrew Van Ginkel to Brian Flores’s defensive scheme. They also pawned RB Aaron Jones from the rival Packers. In arguably their most important move of the current free agent period, they traded up to the No. 23 overall pick in a swap with the Texans. This now gives the Vikings two first-round picks and enough flexibility to trade up and draft their franchise quarterback.
Losers:
Bills
The Bills were strapped for cash heading into the 2024 new league year. As a result of that, some tough decisions were made to shed $37 million in salary. They lost All-Pro starting defensive backs Jordan Poyer and Tre’Davious White, along with DE Leonard Floyd. Additionally, they lost receiver Gabe Davis, RB Nyheim Hines and starting center Mitch Morse on offense. Their only notable additions were Curtis Samuel and Mitch Trubisky. The only outside assistance they could realistically pursue due to their salary cap dilemma was Trubisky’s return as their backup quarterback. Although Beane performed admirably considering the circumstances he had to work with this offseason, losing reliable players like Floyd (49ers) and Poyer (Dolphins) is not ideal overall. Although Samuel plays a different role than Gabe Davis, he is still a good addition.
Chargers
New coach Jim Harbaugh inherited a team that was in an even worse cap situation than the Bills, which means the fallout from that situation is more grand. The Chargers completely decimated Justin Herbert’s receiving core, jettisoning Keenan Allen and Mike Williams to shed over $30 million in salary. They weren’t done on offense, as they let RB Austin Ekeler and TE Gerald Everett walk. Their WR receiving depth cheat currently has Joshua Palmer and Quentin Johnston as their two best-receiving options, but the Chargers get the luxury of addressing that issue with the No. 5 overall pick in the NFL draft. Despite a potential dynamic young receiver, it does not offset the departures of Allen and Williams.
Broncos
The Bronco’s offseason has been a nightmare, to put it lightly; the squad needs a fresh start. After signing quarterback Russell Wilson to a five-year, $245 million agreement before he played a snap for the team, they decided they would rather absorb a $85 million dead cap charge. Every action the Broncos do is impacted by that choice. Even though Justin Simmons was an All-Pro and Pro Bowl player in 2023, Denver terminated the four-time, Second-Team All-Pro safety to free up $14.5 million in salary space. Kicking a team captain and baller like Simmons to the curb is a tough look, but it will kickstart the franchise’s rebirth. They also traded former first-round draft pick Jerry Jeudy to the Browns, thinning the receiving core outside of Courtland Sutton. The Broncos are entering a rebuild, but this is a team that hasn’t made the playoffs since they won Super Bowl 50 in 2015.