At QB, the Falcons thrown big money at QB KIRK COUSINS for four years and in a less-noticed move the Raiders opt for QB GARDNER MINSHEW.

And a whole bunch of running backs moved, most notably SAQUON BARKLEY to the Eagles.

A handy chart from Adam Schefter:

@AdamSchefter

The new NFL running back landscape:

🏈Saquon Barkley: Eagles

🏈Josh Jacobs: Packers

🏈Austin Ekeler: Commanders

🏈Tony Pollard: Titans

🏈D’Andre Swift: Bears

🏈Devin Singletary: Giants

🏈Gus Edwards: Chargers

🏈Antonio Gibson: Patriots

Plenty of moves elsewhere, the biggest being the Panthers trading EDGE BRIAN BURNS to the Giants (who quickly signed him to a big money deal).  Carolina’s compensation tops out with pick #39 in the upcoming draft.

CHICAGO

As things buzz about them, the Bears have not engaged in anything serious for a deal for QB JUSTIN FIELDS.  The Falcons, Steelers and Buccaneers are now off the table (and maybe the Raiders with GARDNER MINSHEW inked).  Who does that leave?  The Vikings?  The Broncos?

They are on this list of five teams compiled by Vincent Parise of USA TODAY:

With the Falcons and Raiders out of the Fields sweepstakes, here are five potential suitors that could be in the mix:

1  Minnesota Vikings

The team that Kirk Cousins left for the Atlanta Falcons is the Minnesota Vikings. They are losing a very good QB and will be looking for one to replace him. Would the Bears trade Justin Fields within the division? It shouldn’t matter if they don’t think he is their guy going forward. If the Vikings present a good trade package, the Bears should consider it.

2  New England Patriots

The New England Patriots already traded Mac Jones to the Jacksonville Jaguars where he will be the backup quarterback to Trevor Lawrence. They are looking for someone new to take over with a new regime stepping up to take over that organization. Fields going there and competing for a starting job makes sense for them if they choose not to use the third overall pick on a quarterback.

3  New York Giants

Daniel Jones is not the guy who is going to lead the New York Giants to a Super Bowl. He isn’t a terrible player, but there is a chance that Fields is a major upgrade over him. If the New York Giants were smart, they’d consider Fields for a chance to compete with Jones in training camp. The only question is whether, with significant money dedicated to Jones, they would take on Fields, set to make north of $25 million in 2025. With Saquan Barkley headed out the door to the Philadelphia Eagles, they need some kind of spark.

4  Seattle Seahawks

Is Geno Smith the long-term answer for the Seattle Seahawks? Probably not. With Pete Carroll out as their head coach, it should surprise nobody if they move on at the quarterback position. Fields going there and competing with Smith for the starting job would make a ton of sense.

5  Denver Broncos

Dec 24, 2023; Denver, Colorado, USA; Denver Broncos quarterback Russell Wilson (3) prepares to pass in the first half against the New England Patriots at Empower Field at Mile High. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports

The Denver Broncos are going to be paying Russell Wilson a lot of money to play quarterback for the Pittsburgh Steelers. They still need someone to go under center for them, and Fields makes a lot of sense. Sean Payton probably thinks he could get the most out of Fields going forward, so they are someone to think about with this potential move.

Thoughts from Courtney Cronin of ESPN.com:

(Cousins signing) makes an already soft trade market appear even less fertile. A league source told ESPN the Bears initially believed they could get a second-round pick, but that feels incredibly unlikely now considering how many QBs have agreed to deals.

Minnesota needs a new quarterback, but dealing a young quarterback to a division rival is risky. Las Vegas is in search of a quarterback, but do the Raiders really want to pair Fields with his former offensive coordinator, Luke Getsy, after two years of lackluster results? The Broncos need a starter after cutting Wilson. With former Patriots quarterback Mac Jones, who was drafted four spots after Fields in 2021, being traded to Jacksonville for a sixth-round pick to back up Trevor Lawrence, the Bears need to widen their pool to find a trade partner and take what they can for Fields, even if it’s a Day 3 pick.

That is, assuming they still want to follow the plan to “do right” by Fields — as GM Ryan Poles said at the combine — and not have him live in limbo. In an ideal world, Chicago could keep Fields and a rookie quarterback drafted No. 1 overall on the roster throughout the offseason and trade the 25-year-old when an injury takes out a starter. The best-case scenario would mirror what Philadelphia did in 2016 when it traded Sam Bradford to Minnesota after Teddy Bridgewater went down with a knee injury days ahead of the season kickoff. The Eagles got back a first- and fourth-round pick for Bradford.

Similar thoughts from Charles Robinson of YahooSports.com:

If the swath of general managers who spoke to Yahoo Sports in December were to be believed, the trade market for the Bears quarterback was always soft. At best, the ceiling was viewed as a second-round draft pick, with the caveat that Fields needed to have a strong finish to the 2023 season. But the majority of GMs saw his value as some kind of third-round compensation or possibly less, assuming enough teams were interested in creating a market. Instead, the opposite happened, with a robust rookie quarterback class available, as well as three other veteran quarterbacks — Cousins, Baker Mayfield and Russell Wilson — all potentially on the market. Wilson’s intended signing with the Pittsburgh Steelers and Mayfield getting an extension done with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers effectively removed two potential trade suitors from the mix.

But it was Cousins’ move to Atlanta that proved most damaging to Fields. Not only did it cross off a franchise that had interest in him, the benefit of opening another starting QB spot in Minnesota is ultimately negated by the Vikings and Bears being in the same division. While it’s not unprecedented to deal a starting quarterback inside the division, it’s rare and fraught with potential disaster for the Bears if Fields were to develop into a quality starter in Minnesota.

Given that reality, it leaves a dwindling handful of potential destinations if Fields wants to be traded to a team that is looking for a starter. There’s the Las Vegas Raiders, who will reportedly sign Gardner Minshew on Monday and could still be in play for a rookie QB in Round 1. And there’s the Denver Broncos, who could also be in play for a first-round rookie.

Given the fifth-year option decision hanging over Fields’ current contract — which is unlikely to be triggered and essentially leaves him with one year left on his deal — it makes both of those destinations less likely.

DETROIT

Charles Robinson of YahooSports.com says QB JARED GOFF will deserve a better deal than the shiny new one signed by QB KIRK COUSINS with Atlanta:

The Detroit Lions and Jared Goff (plus every other future QB extension)

Cousins’ deal with the Falcons is going to weigh on the Goff extension talks. Not only is Goff younger (29), he has achieved considerably more in the postseason than Cousins. And what once looked like it could be a $50 million per year price tag for the Lions quarterback is now essentially assured of it.

Players like Dak Prescott and Trevor Lawrence are less likely to be impacted because both of their extensions could very well be a record. But Goff — as of now — had not been considered to be in that company.

Detroit’s NFC title game run in the playoffs could have already changed his salary floor. Cousins’ deal definitely puts a floor in.

Two prominent agents with a history of doing quarterback deals said Monday night that given Cousins’ deal, Goff’s floor should start inside the top-five quarterback deals. If Lawrence and Prescott get their deals done first and reset the market, that would put Goff’s average salary floor in the range of $52 million… if he doesn’t give the Lions some kind of discount.

– – –

The Lions take CB CARLTON DAVIS off the hands of the Buccaneers.  Jeff Howe of The Athletic grades the deal:

The Detroit Lions have acquired cornerback Carlton Davis III and two sixth-round draft picks (2024 and 2025) from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in exchange for a third-rounder in 2024 (No. 92 overall).

Why they made the trade

The Lions have been working to address their secondary for the past year — they allowed the sixth-most passing yards per game last year — and they’ve made some progress but recognize a healthy Davis would improve the defense in a big way

The cornerback market is relatively thin. Short of paying a bounty to acquire L’Jarius Sneed from the Kansas City Chiefs, the Lions found a proven commodity in Davis, who will carry a cap hit of roughly $14.3 million in 2024.

The Bucs, who signed Davis to a three-year, $44.5 million deal in 2022, shed about $6 million from the cap by trading Davis, though they will incur $14 million in dead money. They clearly believe the third-round pick will be worth the cap accrual.

Davis, a second-round pick in 2018, just turned 27 in December, so he’s still very much in the prime of his career. Injuries have been a concern, as he’s never played more than 14 regular-season games in six seasons. He’s missed 23 games in his career.

Trade grade (Lions): B

Judging by my mentions on X, formerly Twitter, either the Lions or Bucs significantly won or lost the trade, so these grades should go over well with everyone.

Ultimately, it comes down to Davis’ availability. If he makes it through the season relatively healthy — even just matching his career high of 14 starts — and is available in the playoffs, it’ll be a good trade for the Lions as they attempt to make another run at the NFC title.

However, if Davis isn’t healthy, it’ll be shades of 2023 when the Lions added defensive backs Emmanuel Moseley and C.J. Gardner-Johnson before each dealt with significant injuries. That doomsday scenario would adjust the perception of the trade.

Trade grade (Bucs): B-minus

It’s understandable why the Bucs chose to move on from Davis. A $20 million cap hit for a player with an injury history can be burdensome on a front office.

Moving on from Davis to get a third-rounder — in exchange for two sixths, of course — is a decent return. Head coach Todd Bowles has proven he can still run a quality defense, too, so they should theoretically be able to compensate.

Still, it’s tough to give up on a quality player at a premium spot, especially as the Atlanta Falcons have beefed up their offense with quarterback Kirk Cousins. A fourth consecutive NFC South title appears to be a little trickier with how the offseason has started.

GREEN BAY

RB AARON JONES is out and RB JOSH JACOBS is in.  Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com:

For the first time since 2017, the Green Bay Packers will have a new No. 1 running back.

Free agent Josh Jacobs has reached a four-year, $48 million deal with the Packers, who in turn have told Aaron Jones he’s being released, a source told ESPN’s Adam Schefter on Monday.

Jacobs’ deal also includes $12.5 million guaranteed, a source told Schefter.

Jacobs, 26, responded to being slapped with a $10.091 million franchise tag last season by not signing it and skipping the entire Las Vegas Raiders’ offseason program, training camp and preseason. He agreed to a restructured $11.791 million, one-year deal and had the worst season of his five-year career — finishing with lows in games played (13), rushing yards (805), yards per carry (3.5), rushing touchdowns (6), rushing first downs (34) and yards from scrimmage (1,101).

Jones, meanwhile, has averaged 5.0 yards per carry over 97 games since being draft by Green Bay in 2017. In his seven seasons, Jones, 29, had rushed for 5,940 yards and scored 63 total touchdowns (45 rushing, 18 receiving). He also has caught 272 passes for 2,076 yards.

A little more than a month ago, Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst said Jones “absolutely” would be back in Green Bay.

That was likely before he ever knew that he could land Jacobs.

Jones could return to the Packers if the market for a 29-year-old running back isn’t to his liking. A year ago, he took a $5 million pay cut to return to Green Bay for total compensation of $11 million in 2023, including an $8.52 million signing bonus.

He was scheduled to make up to $12 million this season, including salary ($11.1 million) and bonuses ($500,000 for offseason workouts and up to $400,000 for games active).

Though Jones is coming off his least productive regular season (142 carries, 656 yards, 2 touchdowns) since his rookie year, he rushed for more than half of that in the final three games. In the team’s two playoff games, Jones rushed for a combined 226 yards with three touchdowns on 39 carries (a 5.8 yards average).

“He certainly had an impact on the game and an impact on our offense, an impact on our team with our late-season push,” Packers coach Matt LaFleur said after the season. “I don’t know if we do all that without him. That’s all part of the process.”

Jones is the only player in NFL history with 5,000-plus rushing yards (5,940), 45-plus rushing touchdowns (45), an average of 5.0-plus yards per carry (5.04), 250-plus catches (272), 2,000-plus receiving yards (2,076) and 15-plus touchdown catches (18) in his first seven seasons.

“He was such a difference-maker when he was out there this year,” Gutekunst said earlier in the offseason. “The way our offense was able to move. The way he changed a lot of the way we operated when he was in there and when he was healthy. I think for us, it’s finding a way to keep him out there and keep him healthy. Not only on the field but, and you guys know this, you guys have been around here, he’s such an influential leader in our locker room. He’s just really the heartbeat of our team. That’s certainly the anticipation, that he’ll be back.”

Now, it’s the younger Jacobs, 26, who becomes the focal point of the running game, which also could lose backup AJ Dillon in free agency.

Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com says Jacobs’ deal is not as impressive as it sounds:

On the surface, it’s a four-year, $48 million contract for new Packers running back Josh Jacobs. On closer inspection, it’s not quite as impressive.

Per a source with knowledge of the deal, the contract has a $12.5 million signing bonus, and no other guaranteed payments.

His 2024 base salary of $1.2 million is guaranteed as a practical matter, pushing the first-year haul to $13.7 million. He also has a $600,000 offseason workout bonus, and up to $500,000 in per-game active roster bonuses.

That’s up to $14.8 million for one year. After that, it’s up to the Packers.

Jacobs has a $5.93 million roster bonus due on the fifth day of the 2025 league year, and a $1.7 million base salary. The $600,000 workout bonus and $500,000 per-game active roster bonuses are also in the deal for 2025.

For 2026, the deal has a base salary of $10.2 million, a $600,000 workout bonus, and up to $700,000 in per-game active roster bonuses.

In 2027, the salary moves to $12.2 million, with the workout bonus of $600,000 and up to $700,000 in per-game active roster bonuses.

It will be at least $13.7 million for one year. It could be as much as $14.8 million for one year. After that, the deal continues if the Packers want it to, at a more reasonable second-year package of $7.63 million plus up to another $1.1 million in workout and active roster bonuses.

The big decision comes in 2026. Will Jacobs still be performing at a level that justifies up to $11.5 million? The next year, the maximum becomes $13.5 million.

Regardless, unlike most veteran free-agent deals, this one has no guarantees beyond the first year.

– – –

T DAVID BAKHTIARI has retired.  Also Demovsky:

After as many knee surgeries as All-Pro seasons, David Bakhtiari has been released by the Green Bay Packers. A source told ESPN that Bakhtiari is not ready to end his 11-year career at this time.

“For whatever happens next,” he wrote, “I look forward to it.” The franchise left tackle said goodbye in a social media post Monday.

The end for Bakhtiari seemed to be inevitable after he underwent a fifth surgery on his ailing left knee late last season, effectively ending his career with the team that picked him in the fourth round of the 2013 draft.

Bakhtiari, 32, actually underwent two surgeries on his left knee last fall, bringing the total number of operations on that knee to five since he tore his ACL on Dec. 31, 2020. In the past three seasons, Bakhtiari played in only 13 of a possible 51 regular-season games.

MINNESOTA

Vikings management let QB KIRK COUSINS walk out the door.  Stephen Ruiz of The Ringer tries to figure out what they are thinking:

In Kirk Cousins’s six seasons in Minnesota, the Vikings went 53-45-1 with one playoff win. Over the six seasons that preceded his arrival in Minnesota, the team went 54-41-1 with one playoff win. The goal in signing Cousins to a fully guaranteed, $84 million contract in 2018 was to push the Vikings from fringe contenders to perennial Super Bowl threats. That obviously didn’t happen. Instead, Minnesota ended up paying Cousins nearly $200 million to win one fewer game.

That’s a harsh way to describe Cousins’s stint with the Vikings. Football is a team sport, and Cousins isn’t solely responsible for the team’s record over the past six years. He also developed into a damn good quarterback during that time and kept the Vikings competitive as general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah cleaned up the salary cap mess left behind by the team’s previous regime. Cousins didn’t bring any trophies to Minnesota, but he kept the franchise out of quarterback purgatory for half a decade.

Now, though, after Cousins signed a four-year, $180 million contract with Atlanta on Monday, the Vikings finally find themselves in that dreaded state. Sam Darnold’s name is being thrown around as a potential replacement. If that’s not enough, wait until the “Drew Lock to visit with Minnesota” notifications come through. They’ll hit hard. But even if it feels like the Vikings don’t have any decent options left, it’s easy to talk yourself into the idea that this is the fresh start the franchise has needed. For starters, Vikings fans can take solace in the fact that their team did not just commit $100 million in guarantees to Cousins, a 35-year-old quarterback who is coming off of an Achilles tear. It’s not actually a bad deal for Atlanta—after accounting for cap inflation, it is essentially the same cut he got in his last extension with Minnesota—but it will delay the Falcons’ search for a long-term answer at the position. The Vikings, however, can get started now.

We now know that the search won’t include Russell Wilson or Baker Mayfield, as the two top free agents behind Cousins agreed to terms with Pittsburgh and Tampa Bay, respectively, before the legal tampering period kicked off on Monday. Jacoby Brissett would have been a decent option and fit well within the offense, but he agreed to a deal with New England on Monday. Trading for Justin Fields would provide the most upside, but it’s unlikely Chicago will send him to a division rival. That leaves the draft.

The Vikings currently have the no. 11 pick in 2024, which would likely only be good enough to earn them the fourth QB off the board. The teams with the top three picks—Chicago, Washington, and New England—are likely to snatch up Caleb Williams, Drake Maye, and Jayden Daniels in some order, so barring a trade up, that would leave Michigan’s J.J. McCarthy and Washington’s Michael Penix Jr. as the most likely possibilities for Minnesota, and neither is viewed as a franchise-changing prospect. The Vikings were late to the QB party this offseason, so finding a true replacement for Cousins could be a multiyear process.

Either way, Cousins’s departure isn’t the first step in a rebuild, and Minnesota isn’t in need of a teardown. If Adofo-Mensah had been looking to blow up the roster, he wouldn’t have spent a total of $96 million for edge rushers Jonathan Greenard and Andrew Van Ginkel on Monday. Plus, the vibes surrounding the franchise should improve considerably once Justin Jefferson’s contract situation is sorted out—and it seems Minnesota has every intention of doing just that. Jefferson has been eligible for an extension for only a few weeks, and Adofo-Mensah says he has not considered trading him. The general manager also said he plans on making Jefferson the highest-paid receiver in the league, so it’s not like he’s playing hardball in negotiations. There’s no reason to believe a deal won’t get done … eventually.

“I think people forget: Deals rarely happen after three years,” Adofo-Mensah said at the NFL combine in February. “And there’s a reason: With two years left [on his contract], there’s uncertainty that somebody has got to hold. Either the club has got to hold it or the player has got to hold it. There’s new money, [there’s] old money. How do you look at contracts? Those are very hard conversations to have. So a lot of them don’t get done.”

In other words, the Vikings like the amount they’re currently paying Jefferson and would like to ride that out as long as possible before eventually handing him a blank check and asking, “How much?” Jefferson isn’t going anywhere unless he forces his way out.

The third-year general manager has said he doesn’t believe tanking is a viable strategy in football, as it is in basketball. Adofo-Mensah inherited an aging roster with a bloated payroll when he took over in 2022. It would have been easy to start a rebuild then, but instead, he spent his first years in charge just cleaning up the team’s cap situation while also keeping the roster in good enough shape to compete for the playoffs. “A competitive rebuild” is the phrasing Adofo-Mensah used when he started with the Vikings, and this offseason should kick off Phase 2 of the project.

“The point of [the competitive rebuild] was to still provide ourselves a chance in the tournament every year while regaining financial flexibility, finding the next generation of great Vikings players, incorporating our systems that we value so much,” Adofo-Mensah said after the 2023 season ended. “And I think when you look back at it, I think we’ve done a lot of positives. I think we’ve regained some of our financial flexibility.”

Minnesota enters free agency ranked 12th in available cap space, per Spotrac. It owns the 11th and 42nd picks in the draft, so it has enough capital to make some moves. Adofo-Mensah has already made a splash with the Greenard signing—the type of deal he was unable to make while balancing the books around an expensive quarterback—and he still has room to bring in another quality free agent or two. This is really the first time we’ll get to see the Vikings general manager build a team without any constraints.

Even with a big offseason, it’s hard to see Minnesota improving immediately after moving on from a fringe top-10 quarterback. Cousins isn’t a transcendent talent, but he’ll be hard to replace in the short term. At least in theory. We have seen a number of teams move on from stalwart quarterbacks in recent seasons only to find better results. It happened in Seattle after Russell Wilson left. Green Bay made the playoffs after trading Aaron Rodgers. Minnesota doesn’t have a Geno Smith or Jordan Love on its roster, but Kevin O’Connell was able to get decent production out of Nick Mullens, Josh Dobbs, and Jaren Hall after Cousins went down last year. Things didn’t go so well when Jefferson was injured, but when the star wideout was on the field, the backups weren’t far off the pace set by Cousins.

The offensive infrastructure in Minnesota is probably better than we give it credit for. Jefferson is the best receiver in the NFL. Jordan Addison is coming off a strong rookie campaign. T.J. Hockenson is one of the few difference-making tight ends in the sport. Christian Darrisaw is one of the best left tackles in the league and leads a good offensive line. The Vikings don’t necessarily need a savior at quarterback. They just need someone who fits the offense. A cheap veteran or a solid rookie prospect could fill that role.

Adofo-Mensah has set the Vikings up for success after Cousins—assuming they can eventually find a long-term answer at quarterback. The cap situation is better. There’s young talent worth building around up and down the roster. And the team has a full array of draft picks to work with over the next few years. The plan at quarterback for 2024 may be unclear, but after spending the past six years running in place with Cousins, the franchise is taking steps in the right direction.

Ovenight comes word that the Vikings have indeed signed QB SAM DARNOLD.  ESPN.com:

The Minnesota Vikings have agreed to a one-year deal with quarterback Sam Darnold, sources confirmed to ESPN.

The Vikings had an opening at quarterback after longtime franchise star Kirk Cousins agreed to terms on a four-year deal with the Atlanta Falcons on Monday.

After five seasons split between the New York Jets and Carolina Panthers, Darnold signed a one-year deal with the 49ers last offseason with the hope of learning from coach Kyle Shanahan and re-establishing his value as a potential starter.

Could QB JIMMY GAROPPOLO be going back to the 49ers?  Stranger things have happened.

NEW YORK GIANTS

ESPN.com on the acquisition of EDGE BRIAN BURNS:

The New York Giants are acquiring pass-rusher Brian Burns in a trade with the Carolina Panthers and signing him to a $150 million contract, league sources told ESPN’s Adam Schefter on Monday.

Burns will be guaranteed $87.75 million in his contract, which will make him the second highest-paid defensive end in NFL history.

The Giants are sending a 2024 second- and 2025 fifth-round pick to the Panthers in exchange for Burns, sources said. The teams will also swap fifth-round picks in the 2024 draft, a source told ESPN’s Jordan Raanan.

Burns had received the nonexclusive franchise tag from the Panthers last week.

The Panthers attempted to sign Burns to a long-term deal following the 2022 season when he had a career-high 12.5 sacks and was named to the Pro Bowl for the second straight year.

Talks broke down before the 2023 season, however, with Burns seeking to be paid among the highest edge rushers in the NFL with a deal that would average around $30 million a year, a league source with knowledge of negotiations told ESPN’s David Newton.

Burns’ sack total dropped to eight this past season, but the 16th pick of the 2019 draft out of Florida State said he still wanted to be paid among the top edge rushers, insisting he earned that right the previous season.

Burns, 25, also acknowledged that his sack total was impacted by Carolina, with a league-worst 2-15 record, not holding the lead in the fourth quarter. This also was his first full season as an outside linebacker in a 3-4 scheme after spending most of his NFL career as a defensive end in a 4-3 scheme.

His 46 sacks the last five seasons rank 13th in the NFL during that time span.

RB SAQUON BARKLEY left for the Eagles, and the Giants inked RB DEVIN SINGLETARY to sort of replace him.

New York Giants are giving former Houston Texans running back Devin Singletary a three-year, $16.5 million deal worth up to $19.5 million, a source told ESPN’s Adam Schefter on Monday.

Singletary will have big shoes to fill in New York’s backfield after former franchise star Saquon Barkley agreed to a three-year deal with the Philadelphia Eagles earlier in the day.

In his first season with the Texans, Singletary finished with 1,091 yards from scrimmage, including 898 with four touchdowns on the ground.

Singletary, who turns 27 on Sept. 3, came to Houston on a one-year, $4 million deal after four seasons with the Buffalo Bills. The expectation was that he’d be a backup to 2022 fourth-round pick Dameon Pierce, who had totaled 939 rushing yards in 13 games as a rookie.

Pierce, however, suffered an ankle injury in Week 8 against the Carolina Panthers and missed three games, providing an opportunity for Singletary, who took over the starting role for the rest of the season. From Week 9 to Week 18, Singletary rushed for 715 yards, which ranked third in the league over that span.

He even has a touchdown pass to his credit — a 6-yard toss to tight end Dalton Schultz in a 30-6 victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers last season.

Singletary has averaged 4.6 yards per carry over his 78 career games, with 20 touchdowns. He has also caught 175 passes for 1,164 yards and four TDs.

Giants GM Joe Schoen is well-familiar with Singletary from their days in Buffalo.

PHILADELPHIA

The Eagles surprise with the signing of RB SAQUON BARKLEY, as Philly native D’ANDRE SWIFT bolts for the Bears.  Tim McManus of ESPN.com shakes of his surprise to write the tale:

— The Eagles don’t typically spend big money on running backs. Then again, players like Saquon Barkley aren’t available every day.

That’s the gist of why Philadelphia went out of character and agreed to terms with Barkley on a three-year, $37.75 million contract that could be worth up to $46.75 million and includes $26 million fully guaranteed at signing, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter.

General manager Howie Roseman doesn’t have a history of investing heavily in the position — the last time he gave this kind of contract to a running back was in 2012 when he signed LeSean McCoy to a five-year, $45 million deal. The Eagles let Miles Sanders walk in free agency last offseason after he racked up over 1,200 yards en route to his first Pro Bowl appearance. Sanders inked a four-year, $25.4 million contract with the Carolina Panthers and the Eagles traded a fourth-round pick to the Detroit Lions for D’Andre Swift, who, like Sanders before him, was in the final year of his rookie contract with a base salary of under $2 million.

But the calculus is different with Barkley.

The Eagles view him as a multithreat weapon that excels as a runner, receiver and pass-blocker. The numbers back that up: Since entering the NFL in 2018, Barkley has averaged 98.8 scrimmage yards per game, fifth most in the NFL, according to ESPN Stats & Information. He has rushed for over 5,200 yards and has more than 2,100 receiving yards with a total of 47 touchdowns over six seasons. He has also ranked sixth as a pass-blocker among running backs the past two seasons.

Barkley, in other words, has a complete game and is projected to be a three-down back under coach Nick Sirianni and new offensive coordinator Kellen Moore.

It’s not hard to picture Barkley thriving in this offense, which has top-level skill position players in quarterback Jalen Hurts and receivers A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith, and features one of the top offensive lines in football — though the unit did lose star center Jason Kelce to retirement this offseason.

Barkley goes from a Giants offensive line that ranked 31st in run block win rate last season to an Eagles offensive front that ranked first in the category in 2023. There is an expectation Barkley, 27, will feel rejuvenated in the new environment after being unable to remain a “Giant for life.”

The move does carry some risk. Barkley has dealt with various lower-body injuries in recent years and has a decent amount of mileage on him with over 3,700 career snaps and over 1,200 carries.

And it’s to be seen how Moore and Sirianni will keep all of the playmakers happy, with just one ball to be shared by Brown, Smith, tight end Dallas Goedert and Barkley.

The upside, though, is significant. Barkley can add a physical style of running that was largely missing last season and help unlock an offense that got stale down the stretch. And with a reputation of having strong character, the expectation is he’ll be a locker room fit.

Bottom line, Barkley checked enough boxes for the Eagles to go out of their comfort zone and pay a running back big dollars.

Tiki Barber, still the all-time Giants rushing leader, said good riddance.

Former Giants running back Tiki Barber apparently doesn’t like the fact that Giants running back Saquon Barkley will soon be a former Giants running back, too. And Barkley has no qualms about giving the business back to Barber.

Barber, who currently has a show on WFAN in New York, said this on Monday: “You’re dead to us, Saquon. Good luck, you’re dead to me.”

Barkley, who has agreed to terms with the Eagles, fired back: “lol yup you’re the prime example of loyalty to a team. I got the deal I wanted, secured more [guaranteed money] which wasn’t given to me before… so if fans are gonna hate me for that so be it! But I never turned my back on my teammates and always had theirs.”

Barkley added this message to Tiki: “you been a hater since I got to New York … and all the ‘Dead to me’ talk don’t smile in my face when you see me.”

We’re on #TeamSaquon here. He was the second overall pick in the 2018 draft. Thanks to the 2011 rookie wage scale, he never got the massive contract that, under the old system, he would have received.

The Giants then made him play his entire rookie deal, the fifth-year option, and one year under the franchise tag. After six NFL seasons, he finally hit the open market.

And the Giants could have kept him. They could have made a competitive offer. They could have taken care of him before he got within sniffing distance of free agency.

They didn’t. It’s not Barkley’s fault. He waited more than patiently for his reward. He finally got it, but not from the Giants.

What should Barkley have done, Tiki? Should he have less than he could have gotten elsewhere from a team that delayed his second contract as long as it could?

The Giants got six years from Barkley. They could have kept him. They made a business decision. He made a business decision, too. That’s how it goes. As a former player, Barber should know better than to blindly get behind the laundry and/or the billionaires.

To the extent, however, that Tiki feels compelled to pander to the fans who think that way, his attitude toward Barkley makes sense. It’s still the wrong attitude, but at least it makes sense.

Tiki Barber                  10,449

Rodney Hampton         6,897

Joe Morris                     5,296

Saquon Barkley            5,211

WASHINGTON

The Commanders roll the dice that the 2023 season was an aberration for RB AUSTIN EKELER:

Former Los Angeles Chargers star running back Austin Ekeler plans to sign a two-year deal worth up to $11 million with the Washington Commanders, a source told ESPN’s Adam Schefter on Monday.

Ahead of the 2023 season, Ekeler, in the final year of a four-year, $24.1 million contract he signed in 2020, requested a trade after he and the Chargers couldn’t agree to a long-term extension. Eventually, Ekeler returned on a revised deal with added incentives.

Ekeler, 28, had one of the worst years of his career in 2023. He averaged just 3.5 yards per carry, struggled with drops and had just five rushing touchdowns after getting 25 combined the two previous seasons.

The Chargers signed Ekeler as an undrafted free agent in 2017, and he emerged as one of the league’s top backs, making the Chargers comfortable with letting Melvin Gordon, whom they drafted in the first round in 2015, leave as a free agent in 2019. Since then, Ekeler has established himself as one of the league’s premier pass-catching running backs.

In his first season as the starter, Ekeler had 1,550 yards from scrimmage, and since 2021, he has had the most touchdowns by a running back in the NFL (44). While Ekeler has been an effective rusher, he has been most impactful with the Chargers as a receiver, setting what was then the single-season franchise record for receptions in 2022.

For his career, Ekeler has rushed for 4,355 yards with 39 touchdowns and has 440 receptions for 3,884 yards and 30 touchdowns.

ATLANTA

Michael Rothstein of ESPN.com on the signing of QB KIRK COUSINS:

After significant and positive dialogue with Kirk and his representatives, we were unable to reach agreement on a contract that fits the short- and long-term visions for both Kirk and the Minnesota Vikings,” Vikings general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah said in a statement. “Kirk holds a special place in Vikings history, and we appreciate his leadership and contributions to the team and the Minneapolis-St. Paul community over the past six seasons. We wish him; his wife, Julie; and their children all the best. Our approach heading into free agency always included layers of contingencies regarding the quarterback position. We are moving forward with plans that allow us to continue building a roster that can compete for a championship.”

Cousins joins an offense which includes several players who were taken in the first round. The Falcons have three first-round offensive linemen — left tackle Jake Matthews, right tackle Kaleb McGary and two-time Pro Bowler Chris Lindstrom at right guard. He also has Atlanta’s last three first-round picks — tight end Kyle Pitts, receiver Drake London and running back Bijan Robinson — as skill position players with which to work.

Atlanta agreeing to terms with Cousins should put an end the team’s multiyear pursuit of finding a replacement for 2016 NFL MVP Matt Ryan, whom the team traded to the Indianapolis Colts before the 2022 season after a failed pursuit of Deshaun Watson.

The Falcons then signed Marcus Mariota to be their starting quarterback and drafted Desmond Ridder in the third round of the 2022 draft. Mariota lasted 13 games as the starter before being benched for Ridder, who started the last four games of the 2022 season and entered 2023 as the team’s top quarterback.

Ridder was benched twice in 2023 in favor of backup Taylor Heinicke, but neither played well, with the Falcons eventually firing former head coach Arthur Smith and replacing him with Raheem Morris. In the news conference addressing Smith’s firing, team owner Arthur Blank called the quarterback play last season “deficient,” and vowed to solve the team’s issues at the position.

Ridder completed 64.2% of his passes last season for 2,836 yards, 12 touchdowns, 12 interceptions and 12 fumbles. Heinicke completed 54.4% of his passes for 890 yards, five touchdowns and four interceptions.

Both Ridder and Heinicke are under contract for the 2024 season, but the Falcons can save $6.96 million against the cap if Heinicke is released and also would avoid paying him a $1.32 million roster bonus if he’s no longer with Atlanta on March 17.

Cousins, 35, was having one of his best seasons in 2023 and had been one of the NFL’s most durable quarterbacks before tearing his right Achilles tendon in Week 8 at Lambeau Field. At the time, he was tied for the NFL lead in passing touchdowns (18) and ranked second in passing yards (2,331).

Before the injury, he had started 136 of a possible 138 games since ascending to QB1 with the Washington Commanders in 2015. One of those two missed starts occurred when the Vikings were resting their starters for the playoffs in 2019, and the other came after a positive COVID-19 test in 2021.

Cousins spent three seasons as Washington’s full-time starter but never found common ground on a long-term extension. He played his final two seasons with the team on the franchise tag, setting himself up to enter the free agent market in 2018 at age 30 — a rare entrance of a high-level quarterback available to every NFL team in the prime of his career.

The Vikings, one year removed from backup Case Keenum taking them to the 2017 NFC Championship Game, pounced quickly, hoping he could lift the team to a Super Bowl berth. They met his demand for a fully guaranteed three-year contract worth $84 million and since had signed him to extensions in 2020 and 2022 to provide short-term salary cap relief.

The Vikings did not, however, get closer in their pursuit of the Super Bowl during that time. They had a 50-37-1 regular-season record with one NFC North title and were 1-2 in two playoff games.

As a result, during negotiations in the spring of 2023, general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah decided against extending the guaranteed portion of Cousins’ contract beyond the 2024 season. Instead, the sides agreed to an adjustment that allowed the Vikings to lower his salary cap number and guaranteed Cousins a path to free agency in 2024 without the Vikings being able to use the franchise tag on him.

The four-time Pro Bowl selection ranks fifth among active quarterbacks — and 24th all-time — with 39,471 passing yards in 12 NFL seasons. Cousins’ 270 touchdowns rank 20th all time, and he has 110 interceptions. He also has rushed for 958 yards and another 19 scores.

What does Seth Walder of ESPN.com think?

Grading the Falcons’ signing of Kirk Cousins

The Falcons just fully guaranteed $90 million to a 35-year-old non-elite quarterback coming off an Achilles injury, and yet … I don’t hate it.

We’ll come back to Cousins himself, but I want to start this with where the Falcons are, because that’s why this deal is both palatable and logical. When new Falcons coach Raheem Morris said last month, “If we had better quarterback play last year in Atlanta, I might not be standing here,” that was very much the truth!

The Falcons already have the building blocks for a high win total if they can get strong quarterback play, as they boast two good playmakers in Drake London and Bijan Robinson, a solid pass-protecting offensive line and a defense — led by 2023 free agent acquisition Jessie Bates III — that ranked 12th in expected points added (EPA) per play last season. And critically, they play in a woefully weak division in the NFC South. All of that screams: Go get better play at quarterback now, and that’s exactly what they did.

In Cousins, the Falcons have acquired a long-time good-but-not-perfect quarterback. In an optimal environment, a team could be a true contender with him under center. He also was having one of his best seasons prior to the injury. In eight games before his injury last season, Cousins had a 63 QBR, which ranked seventh in the league, and a 5% completion percentage over expectation, per NFL Next Gen Stats, which ranked second-best and is a sign of his accuracy. He also had a league-low 11% off-target rate. He was better than average at avoiding interceptions (1.5% interception rate) and sacks (5.2% sack rate). And he only had Justin Jefferson in five of the eight games in which he played.

Just looking at those numbers, however, paints an overly optimistic view of Cousins. Why consider half a season when we have a much larger sample to evaluate? Over the past three seasons, some of what I said above holds true. Cousins is accurate, and his 3% completion percentage over expectation reflects that (he ranks third in the NFL over this timeframe). He’s above-average at interception and sack avoidance. But the overall production hasn’t been as strong, as he ranked 15th in QBR in 2021 and 23rd (!) in 2022.

An upside here is that while Cousins is moving teams after playing so well in 2023, he is also going from playing for one former Sean McVay assistant (Vikings coach Kevin O’Connell) to another (Falcons offensive coordinator Zac Robinson), which presumably should lead to schematic familiarity.

At $45 million per year and $90 million fully guaranteed, this is big money but not exorbitant. According to data from OverTheCap, $45 million in 2024 is the salary cap inflation adjusted equivalent of Jared Goff’s 2019 extension with the Rams or Daniel Jones’ extension with the Giants last offseason (gulp). And at $90 million fully guaranteed, Atlanta is certainly taking a risk given Cousins’ health and age, but it’s not an overwhelming risk considering the outsized importance of quarterback and his history of solid play.

The Falcons have more work to do. They need a wide receiver opposite London — owning the No. 8 overall pick in this receiver-heavy draft looks like a good place to address that — and they could use an edge rusher. But almost no matter which version of Cousins they get, they will have significantly upgraded at quarterback. And that makes them, in my book, already solid favorites to win the NFC South.

The grade: B

CAROLINA

The Panthers give good money to G ROBERT HUNT.  ESPN.com:

The Carolina Panthers are finalizing a five-year, $100 million deal that includes $63 million guaranteed with former Miami Dolphins guard Robert Hunt, sources told ESPN’s Adam Schefter and Jeremy Fowler.

Hunt recorded at least one snap at every position on the Dolphins’ offensive line except left guard during his four seasons. He primarily played right tackle and right guard, and he started 55 of 67 possible games, with a hamstring injury limiting him to 10 games in 2023.

He has won 90.9% of his pass blocks during his career, allowing just 12 sacks in 3,316 snaps.

Hunt, who turns 28 in August, was the Dolphins’ second-round pick in a productive 2020 draft class that produced six starters, including fellow lineman Austin Jackson, who signed a three-year, $36 million extension with the team in December.

New Panthers coach Dave Canales recently said at the NFL combine he was committed to providing quarterback Bryce Young with more interior protection after a rookie season in which the top pick of the 2023 draft was sacked 62 times, second only to Sam Howell of the Washington Commanders with 65.

Carolina had to play seven different left guards and eight right guards last season due to injuries and poor play, so Hunt’s signing meets an immediate need.

The Panthers also are looking to upgrade at center with plans to release starter Bradley Bozeman before he’s due a $1.5 million roster bonus on March 16, per league source. Bozeman’s eight sacks allowed last season were the most of any qualified center.

CINCINNATI

RB JOE MIXON’s run in Cincinnati is over.  Jason Owens of YahooSports.com:

The Cincinnati Bengals are releasing running back Joe Mixon and signing former Indianapolis Colts running back Zack Moss, according to multiple media reports.

Moss is joining the Bengals on a two-year, $8 million deal, per NFL Network. Mixon will become a free agent at 27 years old.

Mixon has played his entire seven-season pro career with the Bengals since they selected him in the second round of the 2017 NFL Draft. He completed the fourth 1,000-yard rushing campaign of his career last season while tallying 1,034 yards on 4 yards per carry. He added 52 catches for 376 yards and tallied 12 touchdowns from scrimmage.

For his career, Mixon has averaged 1,222 yards from scrimmage per season and tallied 62 total touchdowns. He made the Pro Bowl in 2021, the same season the Bengals advanced to the Super Bowl.

Mixon was slated to play this season on the second year of a restructured deal worth a total of $11.5 million. Releasing him saved the Bengals $6.1 million against the salary cap in 2024.

Moss emerged as a reliable starter in Indianapolis in eight 2023 starts when Jonathan Taylor was sidelined. In 14 total appearances, he tallied 794 yards on 4.3 yards per carry and caught 27 passes for 192 yards while posting seven total touchdowns. He did so as a part-time starter alongside Taylor.

Barring another addition to the Bengals’ backfield, Moss projects as the clear No. 1 back on a team that employed Mixon heavily as a feature back. He’ll take on that role a year younger than Mixon and on a cheaper contract. His departure from Indianapolis leaves the Colts in need of a reliable backup to Taylor.

PITTSBURGH

Jori Epstein on the Steelers beating everyone to the punch for QB RUSSELL WILSON:

When the Denver Broncos and Russell Wilson publicized their divorce last week, speculation ran wild on where the aging nine-time Pro Bowl quarterback would land.

The Las Vegas Raiders headlined a Yahoo Sports poll of quarterback agents and league executives’ predictions.

But the one quarterback agent, who overachieved and ranked three top guesses, waited to mention the Raiders until third.

The agent slotted the Atlanta Falcons second.

And the Pittsburgh Steelers, in what now seems prescient, ranked first.

“Obvious need and a playoff team,” the agent texted six days before Wilson and the NFL tweeted apparent confirmations. “This is his best shot to start and have [a] competitive team.”

Wilson seems to agree. Because by Sunday night, more than two full days before Wilson’s Broncos release would finalize and clear the way for his Steelers deal, Wilson tweeted a video.

Its caption: “Year 13. Grateful. @Steelers”

The NFL’s official Twitter account chimed in to its 35 million followers: “.@DangeRussWilson is a Steeler!!”

The marriage is intriguing, with Wilson poised to compete with 2022 first-round draft pick Kenny Pickett and a likely third quarterback in the building (veteran journeyman Mason Rudolph ended the 2023 season starting for Pittsburgh, but is scheduled to hit free agency).

As interesting is the haste with which the Steelers moved to lock up Wilson.

Sure, his $1.2 million veteran minimum salary is an attractive price tag. But Wilson has also found mixed reception in locker rooms and team offices, and his play declined enough to convince the Broncos (and mostly head coach Sean Payton) that $85 million in dead salary-cap space is more palatable than calling upon the services the Broncos will be paying for.

So why agree to a deal so quickly?

It makes sense the Steelers would want to lock up a player they want (especially at Wilson’s bargain-bin price point) in order to plan the rest of their personnel moves and free agency strategy accordingly.

Wilson, though, had more reason to wait. With money as no object, why not guarantee his greatest chance to start? Some executives and agents believed Wilson would wait until after the NFL Draft to locate a team that needed him, especially in 2024. Find a team that didn’t get the quarterback it sought or a team who did but knows the kid needs time, league voices reasoned.

“Look for a team with a young and suspect QB,” an agent said.

“Wait for injury? Like all dust has to settle,” an executive added.

Then came another executive who set up a paradigm.

“In almost all cases, the sooner the better so he can get the system, reps, etc. …” the executive said. “I’d feel decent that it’s done quickly, if starting.

“If he’s a backup, then all bets are off because there’s not the same amount of urgency.”

Which brings us to what the Steelers may have revealed Sunday night: We should expect Wilson to be in legitimate contention to start for Pittsburgh in 2024.

Expect him to start working with receivers Diontae Johnson and George Pickens, and to start learning first-year coordinator (and former Falcons head coach) Arthur Smith’s scheme. Expect Wilson to have a meaningful chance to supplant Pickett, who completed 62% of pass attempts for 2,070 yards, six touchdowns and four interceptions in 12 games last season. And expect Wilson to get real snaps in offseason activities and training camp, whether or not Rudolph returns to the building. (The Steelers seem to have better leverage to bring Rudolph back at a cheaper price now, if Rudolph wants to stay.)

Forget the criticism of Wilson, who by the way ranked eighth in passer rating and ninth in touchdowns despite Payton benching him in December. Forget Steelers general manager Omar Khan’s assertions at the NFL scouting combine last month that he has “full faith in Kenny” amid “issues in the offense last year,” an on-camera quote that seemed to levy blame at coach and playbook and assuage it from player.

Only afterward did Khan offer up what might be the truest part of his statement.

“We’ll have some strong competition there” at quarterback, he said, “and we’ll see where it goes.”

It’s not hard to envision one road the Steelers quarterback competition could very likely travel. Waiting at the end, before long, is the coronation of Wilson.

NEW ENGLAND

QB JACOBY BRISSETT is the new Patriots backup.  Myles Simmons of ProFootballTalk.com:

The Patriots are bringing back a familiar face.

Jacoby Brissett has agreed to a one-year deal to return to New England, according to a report from NFL Media.

Brissett has reportedly agreed to an $8 million deal with incentives that can push it up to $12 million.

The Patriots drafted Brissett in the third round back in 2016 and made two starts as a rookie. He was then traded to Indianapolis at the beginning of the 2017 season and made 15 starts for the club that season and in 2019.

Brissett also served as a backup for Miami in 2021 and Cleveland in 2022 before heading to the Commanders last year to backup Sam Howell.

Patriots offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt served in the same role for the Browns in 2022, giving him familiarity with the quarterback.

New England is widely expected to select a quarterback at No. 3 overall in this spring’s draft. Having Brissett on the roster should give the club some flexibility to develop a rookie passer.

THIS AND THAT

2024 DRAFT

Charles Robinson of YahooSports.com on the state of the rookie QB class after the early free agent moves.

The ‘second tier’ draft quarterbacks and the Vikings, Broncos and Raiders

Right now, the rookie quarterback class is shaped into an elite top tier — comprised of Williams, Daniels and Maye — followed by a second tier of Michigan’s J.J. McCarthy, Oregon’s Bo Nix and Washington’s Michael Penix Jr. Any member of that trio could have been in play at the Falcons’ No. 8 overall pick in the draft. Now it appears there’s a chance none of them go inside the top 10, unless the New York Giants make a surprise pick at No. 6 overall. Of course, that’s barring a trade up from one of the teams at No. 11 (the Vikings), 12 (Broncos) or 13 (Raiders). Within that trio, only the Raiders have a veteran in Minshew who has shown capability as a bridge starter. All three of those teams may be looking for their pick in the second tier, which could entail moving up into the top 10 if one QB surfaces as the best option after the big three.