NFL Executives, Coaches, Sources Weigh In on Free Agency's Biggest Moves

NFL power brokers share the move they believe will pay off the biggest in 2024 and beyond.

The NFL Free Agency Casino is the biggest boom or bust proposition out there.

Whether it's teams committing franchise-altering contracts to players who never live up to their value, landing general managers firmly on scorching hot seats, or players who elevate their game and their team's championship prospects after putting pen to paper on "prove it" type contracts, free agency can have a transformative impact on the trajectory of franchises and the upcoming season.

This offseason’s first wave of major moves is bound to be no different.

General manager Ryan Poles and the Bears have aggressively created a soft landing for Caleb Williams, by trading for future Hall of Fame wide receiver Keenan Allen, signing running back D’Andre Swift, and fortifying the offensive line.

But, will the winds of change really, finally, truly deliver the long-awaited promise in the Windy City, or will these be simply the same old Bears?

In Philadelphia, Howie Roseman conducted a masterclass by signing Saquon Barkley, Bryce Huff, Devin White, Zack Baun, and Chauncey Gardner-Johnson, and still somehow preserved upwards of $39 million in remaining cap space for the rest of this offseason.

You read that right.

Roseman and the Eagles still have $39 million in cap space.

“I think Saquon is a big piece in Philly,” an NFL Offensive Coordinator tells me. “He could add a huge dimension to their entire offense. It’s like the Christian McCaffrey trade for the 49ers, in that regard.”

Meanwhile, down I-95 in Washington, a new regime led by upstart general manager and highly respected evaluator Adam Peters, the Commanders’ haul includes Austin Ekeler, Zach Ertz, Bobby Wagner, Dante Fowler, Frankie Luvu, and Tyler Biadasz as the kind of additions that can quickly transform a team from cellar-dweller to overnight contender.

But, which moves will pay off? Which signings will go bust?

To get a sense of how the NFL’s power brokers view the moves that have gone down in the first two weeks of NFL free agency, I surveyed a dozen sources including NFL coaches, scouts, personnel executives, and high-profile agents for their thoughts on the move that will pay the biggest dividends in 2024 and beyond.

Their responses are below