By Kendan Bendt
Despite coronavirus impacting the manner in which NFL free agency has taken place, several teams have made huge offseason moves. This article will help you track some important moves made in the past few months after the Super Bowl.
For the NFC West: Arizona Cardinals traded David Johnson and some assets to the Houston Texans in exchange for stud wideout DeAndre Hopkins, as well as extending Larry Fitzgerald. The Seattle Seahawks signed back Bruce Irvin from the Chiefs and also signed Greg Olsen. The 49ers re-signed key assets including Arik Armstead. The LA Rams shored up the D-line with A’Shawn Robinson and Leonard Floyd (and also made one of the worst logos I’ve ever seen). Overall, the Cardinals probably made the strongest moves, but the 49ers are in the best position to repeat with a Superbowl appearance.
Elsewhere around the NFL, the New England Patriots lost Tom Brady in free agency to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The Buccaneers also traded for Rob Gronkowski, who was in retirement but technically under contract for New England. The retooled Buccaneers offense, along with the team retaining Shaquil Barrett, Jason Pierre-Paul, and Ndamokung Suh on the defensive end, promises to make Tampa Bay a real threat this year. The Carolina Panthers also cut ties with Cam Newton, who had injury struggles that couldn’t be overlooked purely due to loyalty. The Chicago Bears now have 10 tight ends on their roster, which is fun.
The NFL Draft happened this week, with each team drafting over video conference. The Cincinnati Bengals picked up their QB of the future in Joe Burrow, while the Green Bay Packers chose a potential replacement for Aaron Rodgers in Jordan Love. The entire draft was a bit odd, with multiple glitches happening and at one point Bill Belichick’s dog sitting in for him at his desk, but Round 2 is officially over. We will all have to wait and see what the future holds for the NFL and for the rest of us.
