This NFL free agency tampering period recap is brought to you by various sportsbooks, including Bovada. Bovada is a market leader in sports betting, offering various options from the 2024 NFL season to boxing and everything in between.
Even though the 2024 NFL free agency period doesn’t open until Wednesday, Monday was an incredibly busy day around the league. After all, it marked the beginning of the NFL’s tampering period, allowing all 32 teams a chance to sign members of this year’s free-agent class.
Needless to say, a lot of money was thrown around before organizations get ready to begin the road to Super Bowl LIX.
Keeping track of signings can be tough, but that’s where Betting News comes in. Let’s take a look at some of the biggest NFL free agent signings after the tampering period began on Monday.
NFL Free Agency: Biggest Tamperiod Period Signings
Eagles Sign RB Saquon Barkley
After spending the first seven years of his career with the New York Giants, Saquon Barkley changed NFC East allegiances by joining the Philadelphia Eagles. The deal is reportedly for $37.75 million across three years as the Eagles get a superstar running back to fill a glaring hole in their backfield after D’Andre Swift, Boston Scott, and Rashaad Penny hit the open market.
The Eagles see a generational-type RB talent in Saquon Barkley
@JamesPalmerTV pic.twitter.com/EdF8uKeBC6
— NFL Network (@nflnetwork) March 12, 2024
Barkley had a solid tenure with the Giants, racking up over 5,200 rushing yards and 35 TDs across 74 games while making two Pro Bowls. Unfortunately, New York failed to build a competent offense around the former Penn State product, making it interesting to see how he fares with the Eagles.
According to Pro Football Focus, Philadelphia had the third-best run block grade in 2024, so it isn’t hard to imagine Barkley excelling with the Eagles. Even though they did lose Jason Kelce to retirement, that’s okay because they still have Landon Dickerson, who re-signed with the franchise on a four-year, $84 million deal.
After their signings, the Eagles have the second-best odds (+135) to win the NFC East on Bovada.
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RB Tony Pollard Signs with Titans
Barkley wasn’t the only NFC East RB1 on the move on Monday. Tony Pollard decided to leave the Dallas Cowboys after five seasons, opting to ink a three-year, $24 million contract with the Tennessee Titans.
The move is a big one for the Titans, who’ve been using Derrick Henry as the lead RB since 2016. While he likely won’t be able to fill “King Henry’s” shoes, Pollard is no slouch in the backfield, having racked up 2,694 scrimmage yards and 18 touchdowns with a Pro Bowl appearance over the last two seasons.
Unfortunately, the addition of Pollard doesn’t exactly improve Tennessee’s divisional odds. Bovada is currently giving them the worst odds to win the AFC South (+1100).
NFL Tampering Period: Packers Sign RB Josh Jacobs
After rolling with RBs Aaron Jones and AJ Dillon for the last few seasons, the Green Bay Packers shook up their backfield on Monday by signing Josh Jacobs to a four-year, $48 million contract.
Jacobs is coming off a down year with the Las Vegas Raiders, recording only 805 rushing yards and six TDs on 233 carries across 13 games. While that was disappointing, it’s important to remember that he’s 1) only 26 years old and 2) just two seasons removed from when he led the NFL with 1,653 rushing yards in 2022. With the right setup, the former Crimson Tide rusher can easily return to that level.
After signing Jacobs, the Packers immediately released Jones — who wound up signing a one-year contract with the rival Minnesota Vikings. Green Bay now trails the Detroit Lions with the second-best odds (+210) to win the NFC North.
NFL Free Agency: Falcons Sign QB Kirk Cousins
Speaking of the Vikings, quarterback Kirk Cousins left Minnesota to join the Atlanta Falcons on a four-year, $180 million contract.
Is Kirk Cousins the right quarterback to take the Falcons to the next level?
The Desmond Ridder experience wasn’t working out for the Falcons, so it’s time to see if Cousins can bring them more success. The 35-year-old gunslinger has 145 starts with 39,471 passing yards and 270 TDs under his belt on top of four postseason appearances. And even though he was only limited to eight starts in 2023, the 18 TD passes Cousins threw is still more than Ridder has across 17 starts (14) since 2022.
The NFC South is often seen as one of the NFL’s worst divisions, so it isn’t surprising that the Falcons are now favored to win it all (-115) following the Cousins signing.
Raiders Sign QB Gardner Minshew
With Jimmy Garopollo expected to be released, the Raiders added to their QB room by signing Gardner Minshew to a two-year deal worth $25 million.
After Aidan O’Connell — drafted 135th overall in 2023 — struggled during his rookie season, it became evident that Las Vegas needed an experienced veteran under center. Minshew played well for the Indianapolis Colts after Anthony Richardson went down with a season-ending injury, the veteran QB led the Colts to a 7-6 record while throwing for 3,305 yards and 15 TDs (with 9 INTs) en route to his first-ever Pro Bow appearance.
Will Minshew lead the Raiders to a Super Bowl? Probably not consider that they only have the third-best odds (+1100) to win the AFC West.
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NFL Free Agency: Raiders Sign DE Christian Wilkins
Minshew wasn’t the Raiders’ only addition on Monday. They also addressed the defensive side of the ball, adding DE Christian Wilkins on a four-year, $110 million deal.
Wilkins inks his massive contract after a career year with the Miami Dolphins. Lining up across 17 games, the veteran pass rusher racked up a personal-best 9.0 sacks while adding 38 solo tackles, two fumble recovers, two tipped passes, and one forced fumble. His 72.8 PFF pass-rush grade is also the second-best mark of his career.
The Raiders’ pass rush was in the bottom half of the league in 2023, leaving time to tell if Wilkins’ addition makes a difference.
QB Russell Wilson Signs with Steelers
Russell Wilson wasn’t supposed to be a part of this year’s NFL free agency class, but that changed when the Denver Broncos cut him before he could even play on his five-year, $242.5 million contract.
Having said that, it didn’t take long for Wilson to find a new home, signing a one-year deal with the Pittsburgh Steelers. Kenny Pickett has been the starting QB in the Steel City for the last two seasons, but a 14-10 record with only 13 TD passes left Pittsburgh looking for a change.
BREAKING: Russell Wilson announced he is signing with the Steelers pic.twitter.com/yWevLnWvwF
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) March 11, 2024
There’s no denying that Wilson has much more experience than Pickett. The 35-year-old signal-caller is a nine-time Pro-Bowler with over 43,000 passing yards and 334 TDs to his name. Although he might no longer be in his prime, he was still decent with the Broncos last season, throwing for 3,070 yards and 26 TDs with eight INTs across 15 starts. That’s without mentioning the experience he brings after having won a Super Bowl ring with the Seattle Seahawks in 2023.
The Steelers had a bottom-10 offense last season, so it remains to be seen if Wilson can turn things around. It’s already an uphill battle to win the division as Pittsburgh sits dead last in the AFC North at +900 odds.
Super Bowl 59 Odds After NFL Free Agency Tampering
Odds are courtesy of Bovada as of 12:32 p.m. ET on Tuesday, March 12.
- Kansas City Chiefs (+450)
- San Francisco 49ers (+600)
- Baltimore Ravens (+1000)
- Buffalo Bills (+1100)
- Cincinnati Bengals (+1100)
- Detroit Lions (+1200)
- Green Bay Packers (+1400)
- Dallas Cowboys (+1500)
- Philadelphia Eagles (+2000)
- Houston Texans (+2200)
- Los Angeles Chargers (+2500)
- LA Rams (+2500)
- Miami Dolphins (+2500)
- New York Jets (+2500)
- Atlanta Falcons (+3300)
- Pittsburgh Steelers (+3300)
- Cleveland Browns (+3500)
- Chicago Bears (+4500)
- Jacksonville Jaguars (+4500)
- Minnesota Vikings (+5500)
- Indianapolis Colts (+6000)
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers (+6500)
- Seattle Seahawks (+7000)
- Las Vegas Raiders (+8000)
- Arizona Cardinals (+8500)
- Denver Broncos (+10000)
- New Orleans Saints (+100000)
- New York Giants (+12500)
- Washington Commanders (+12500)
- Carolina Panthers (+15000)
- New England Patriots (+15000)
- Tennessee Titans (+15000)
Super Bowl 59 FAQ
When is Super Bowl 59?
- Super Bowl LIX will be held on Sunday, Feb. 9, 2025.
Where is Super Bowl 59?
- Super Bowl LIX will take place at Caesars Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana — home of the Saints. It will be the eighth Super Bowl at Caesars Superdome and the first since the Ravens defeated the 49ers at Super Bowl XLVII.
How can I watch Super Bowl 59?
- Super Bowl LIX will be broadcast on FOX but can also be streamed on NFL+ and NFL.com.
Where can I bet on Super Bowl 59?
- Many of the top online sportsbooks will offer various NFL prop bets and odds throughout the 2024 NFL season. In addition to being able to bet on Super Bowl spread and over/under odds when the big game arrives, you can make weekly NFL picks on games all season long.
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