At this time last year, the New York Giants were deciding Saquon Barkley wasn’t worth what he wanted to be paid, and the Philadelphia Eagles were quietly waiting to pounce.
Very few NFL free agency moves directly impact a Super Bowl championship like that one. But when free agency officially begins on March 12, there will be plenty of teams spending and trying to fill holes, hoping that those moves are even close as impactful as Barkley was to the Eagles.
Here are the top 10 storylines to track for free agency:
Will the Bengals pay Tee Higgins?
This is a chance for the Bengals to distance themselves from their reputation of being cheap. Retaining Tee Higgins while extending Ja’Marr Chase and Trey Hendrickson should have been done long ago, but the Bengals dragged their feet and now it’ll cost them more than it should have. If Higgins hits free agency, he’s going to get a massive contract. Receivers of his talent level and age don’t hit the market that often. It will not be easy to pay Higgins and Chase, and perhaps Hendrickson too, but it can be done. What will the Bengals do?
Aaron Rodgers’ future in the air
The Jets won’t bring Rodgers back, and now there are plenty of questions for Rodgers at age 41. Does he want to play? If he does, there will be a job for him if he wants it. He played pretty well late last season, perhaps as he got healthy, posting a 97 rating over his final 10 games. There will be Week 1 starting quarterbacks worse than Rodgers. But does he want to settle for a less-than-ideal situation just to keep playing? There aren’t many spots that offer Rodgers a true chance to compete for a title or maybe even a playoff berth. He’s a big domino this offseason.
Sam Darnold looks to cash in
If Darnold could pull a “Men in Black” and erase NFL general managers’ memories of his final two games last season, he could name his price. He still will get paid despite his late struggles, because he’s 27 and coming off a very good season for the Vikings. Supply and…
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