The 12 Most Intriguing 2020 NFL Free Agents

In a world without sports, NFL Free Agency goes on. What sort of deals will Amari Cooper, Byron Jones, Jadeveon Clowney, and the other most interesting free agents land this week?

THE REST OF THE SPORTING WORLD MAY BE ON HIATUS, BUT 2020 NFL FREE AGENCY IS HERE. The NFL waits for no one, apparently not even the Coronavirus. The league approved its new Collective Bargaining Agreement over the weekend, which means a 17-game regular season on the horizon plus an added 7-seed from each conference, expanding the playoffs. The CBA also shaped free agency, increasing the salary cap and eliminating the ability for teams to use both the franchise and transition tag.

Free agency officially begins Wednesday, but already teams have begun negotiating, with fireworks everywhere. Already, the Texans and Cardinals have completed a blockbuster deal, with Houston sending DeAndre Hopkins to Arizona for RB David Johnson and way too little draft compensation. Teams like the Dolphins, Colts, Bills, Bucs, and Giants have heaps of money and are ready to make a splash, while some of the league’s most obvious contenders will be left bargain hunting.

So who are the 12 most intriguing names on the 2020 NFL Free Agency market? First, some ground rules:

• No quarterbacks allowed. We already know quarterbacks matter far more than any other position, in football or any other sport. Probably 8 of the 12 most intriguing NFL free agents are QBs, but what fun is that? Besides, I already broke down the whole quarterback carousel here.
• These are not necessarily the top 12 free agents available, even among non-QBs. They’re the most intriguing, sometimes for good reasons and sometimes not so rosy.
• No franchise tags allowed. We already know Chris Jones is a superstar. Justin Simmons and Anthony Harris are ball hawks. Brandon Scherff and Joe Thuney are stud guards. Derrick Henry’s next contract would have been super fascinating, Shaq Barrett too. All candidates for my list, but all have been franchised and are unlikely to be on the move.
• For each player below, I’ll list the team they most recently played for and also rate them from one (★) to five stars, with one meaning likely to stay and five the most likely to head elsewhere.

Enough preamble. Let’s get to this year’s 12 most intriguing NFL free agents…

WR Amari Cooper, Dallas Cowboys

The new CBA made Cooper a lot of money. Dallas used their franchise tag on Dak Prescott, which means Amari Cooper is officially a free agent now, and he’s the biggest available name on the market whose initials are not TB.

Is Amari Cooper a top-10 WR? I argued that he was not with a few Twitter friends around November 6. I remember the date because Cooper played my Vikings four days later and he lit my guys up for 11 catches, 147 yards, and a TD. I still don’t think Cooper is quite top-10, but he’s probably top-12 or 15 and clearly a WR1 for the right team.

Cooper is one of the NFL’s elite route runners, using that to create separation rather than beating opponents with sheer size (he’s 6'1) or speed). Many of us are out on Cooper after years of fantasy football frustration in Oakland, but he’s been a new man with Dallas. His catch rate has leapt from 57.8% to 67.7% with a better QB and system, and his production has skyrocketed. He put up 79/1189/8 this year and paced to 94/1289/11 in nine games with Dallas the year before after a midseason trade.

It’s a passing league now, and the 26-year-old Cooper is the best name on the market. Dallas will have every intention of keeping him, but there’s only so much money to go around, and you never know with Jerry Jones. Amari Cooper is about to be a very, very rich man.

Chances of leaving ★★★

CB Byron Jones, Dallas Cowboys

The Cowboys rank sixth in cap space entering free agency, but a massive chunk of that will go toward Dak Prescott and likely Cooper. Will they really have enough left to pay Byron Jones too? I have serious doubts, especially with Ezekiel Elliott’s mammoth contract already in tow.

Jones is a ridiculous athlete with elite speed, and he brings versatility to any secondary since he’s played both corner and safety in the NFL. He has only two interceptions in five seasons, but he’s also missed only one game. Jones looks likely to leave Dallas and could be the richest cornerback in the NFL wherever he lands, with a contract starting in the $16-million range annually.

Chances of leaving ★★★★★

EDGE Jadeveon Clowney, Seattle Seahawks

Clowney is the most talented defender on the market, but it’s never really been a question of talent with Clowney. The #1 pick from the 2014 draft set NFL nerds on fire with his hit on that poor unsuspecting Michigan running back, and he’s been one of the most hyped defenders ever since. The production doesn’t always match the hype.

Clowney has struggled with nagging injuries throughout his career, missing 21 games over six seasons with only one healthy 16-game season. He’s a guy that can disappear for big stretches of the game, but he’s also a player that can change an entire game with one huge play. This season in Seattle he recorded only three sacks, but he also had four forced fumbles and scored two defensive touchdowns. Over the last three seasons, Clowney has recovered eight fumbles and recorded 55 QB hits. He looks like a great addition for a team that doesn’t already have a great system defense but one that needs gambles and a game changer to turn everything on its head.

Chances of leaving ★★★★

DE Arik Armstead, San Francisco 49ers

Armstead is nowhere near as sexy as Clowney, but he might end up being the better signing. Armstead is a former first-round pick that never really hit his stride until this season. He recorded only nine sacks his first four seasons before having 10 this season alone. Is that because he showed up in a contract year, or is it because he finally had a chance with the addition of Dee Ford and Nick Bosa freeing up space for him to attack?

Armstead has not always recorded sacks, but he’s put pressure on opposing quarterbacks all along. He ranked sixth of 107 edge rushers in Pro Football Focus’s pass rushing metric. He had more hurries than Clowney or Shaq Barrett, and hurries are a much better indicator of future sacks, even more than sack numbers themselves. Armstead is good against the run too and has always graded out well at PFF. At age 26, perhaps he’s just hitting his stride.

Chances of leaving ★★

RB Melvin Gordon, Los Angeles Chargers

Now that Derrick Henry is off the market with Tennessee giving him the franchise tag, that leaves Melvin Gordon as the best running back available. Gordon and Henry could not be more different. While Henry is a classic downhill runner, Gordon has never even been that good at running the football. He has only one season of 1000 rushing yards and averages just 848 per season, and he’s under 4.0 yards per carry in all but one season. But he also has 40+ catches in four straight seasons and averages 3.3 receptions a game for his career at 8.4 yards per catch, and he’s had a terrific nose for the endzone, averaging double-digit touchdowns over the last four seasons.

The Chargers chose to move on from Gordon for Austin Ekeler, and it’s the worst kept secret in the NFL that no one wants to pay running backs anymore. But it only takes one. Will Gordon find that one team that wants to give him a LeVeon Bell deal and far overpay? Or will it go the other way? Is it possible the tide has shifted so far against RBs that Gordon could end up underpaid as a terrific do-everything weapon for a team that will use him the right way?

Chances of leaving ★★★★★

RT Jack Conklin, Tennessee Titans

Conklin is another player whose future changed because of the Derrick Henry franchise tag. With the Titans tagging Henry and extending Ryan Tannehill to that outlandish contract, Tennessee may not have enough left in the coffers to keep Jack Conklin.

Conklin was First Team All Pro as a rookie but he’s struggled with injuries since and missed half of last season. The right tackle is a superb run blocker and was a big part of that monster Henry attack, maybe as much as Henry himself.

Chances of leaving ★★★

WR Robby Anderson, New York Jets

It’s a pretty tepid wide receiver market after Amari Cooper. A.J. Green has been slapped with the franchise tag, so that leaves either veteran Emmanuel Sanders or, probably, Robby Anderson as the best available free agent WR. Anderson is a deep threat more than a true WR1. He had 63 catches, 941 yards, and 7 TDs in his breakout season in 2017, all still career highs, but he’s failed to build on those numbers. He has only eight 100-yard games in four seasons, though he has at least 10 catches of 20+ yards every season.

Every NFL team needs a deep threat like Anderson, and he’s spent most of his career catching passes from Josh McCown, Bryce Petty, Luke Falk, Trevor Siemian, Geno Smith, and Ryan Fitzpatrick. When Sam Darnold is by far the best guy that’s thrown passes to you, there’s some clear untapped potential there. But this is an absolutely loaded WR draft, and many teams may prefer to skip free agency and grab a cheaper youngster instead.

Chances of leaving ★★★

TE Austin Hooper, Atlanta Falcons

Hooper is interesting for the wrong reasons. The presumed top free agent on the market had 75 catches, 787 yards, and 6 TDs this year, all career highs, but he did it in a perfect Atlanta situation. Hooper doesn’t stretch the field and isn’t a big red zone target, and he benefited from a great quarterback and from Julio Jones and Calvin Ridley leaving him all sorts of space to run in.

This is exactly the sort of guy that gets way overpaid in free agency. Just watch which type of franchise opens the bank for him. It won’t be the New Englands, Green Bays, or Pittsburghs of the world. No thanks.

EDIT: I barely even got this published before news broke that Cleveland will make Hooper the highest paid tight end in football. Welp.

Chances of leaving ★★★★

LB Cory Littleton, Los Angeles Rams

There’s not much of a linebacker market in 2020 free agency, but Littleton looks like a quality impact signing. Littleton is a smart defender. He plays well in space and is excellent in pass coverage, and he’s recorded six interceptions in his career.

Littleton is a player that makes a team better, even if he’s not an elite pass rusher or a game changer. Unlike Hooper, this is the sort of mid-level splash a smart team will make.

Chances of leaving ★★★★

CB Chris Harris, Denver Broncos

Chris Harris is another signing I have my eye on. He’s the sort of veteran that could be the swing player in the title race for a contender next fall. Harris is an elite slote corner, even as he hits his 30s. He is a four-time Pro Bowler and a former First Team All Pro, and he’ll bring a decade of Denver experience along with nine playoff games and a Super Bowl ring with him to his new team.

Harris had a tough year in 2019 and that could scare some away as he turns 31 this summer, but he was out of place in Vic Fangio’s new system. He wasn’t good for Denver this year and wouldn’t be next year either, but for slot corners, it’s all about system fit. He can be a game changer on the right roster.

Chances of leaving ★★★★★

CB Ronald Darby, Philadelphia Eagles

Darby was the 2015 Defensive Rookie of the Year, but he’s been crushed by injuries ever since. A world-class sprinter, Darby injured his ankle in his first game with the Eagles in 2017, tore his ACL the following season, then probably came back too quickly this year and injured his hip.

Darby played only 28 games in three Eagles seasons, though he did win a Super Bowl ring along the way. Darby is on a similar career trajectory to James Bradberry, but he’ll come a lot cheaper thanks to his injury history. He looks like a great candidate for a second chance.

Chances of leaving ★★★★

QB Marcus Mariota, Tennessee Titans

I know I said no quarterbacks, but I can’t resist including just one. Jameis Winston and Marcus Mariota were once #1 and #2 atop the NFL draft. Now both of them appear jobless.

The two could not be more different. Jameis is a chucker, with the first 5000/30/30 season in NFL history. Mariota is like a cautious accountant, unwilling to take chances, carefully getting the job done. Unlike Winston, Mariota has a winning record in each of the past three seasons. He has 10 interceptions or fewer in all but one season, and he’s known widely around the league as a great leader and great locker room guy.

But that hasn’t been enough so far. Mariota’s 62.9% completion percentage has been extremely disappointing and would be even lower if not for one outlier 69% season, and his 11% sack rate the last two seasons is terrible. His 16% bad throw rate over the past two seasons puts him about in range with guys like Jameis and Mitch Trubisky. Yikes.

Mariota is so fascinating to me because I believe so much in him coming out, and I’m willing to give him one last chance. He’s never been in a good system and has never had a great receiver. Could Mariota still be the ultimate winner and game manager in the right situation? A team like Chicago should bring him in and give him a chance — and he’s by far my most intriguing Tom Brady replacement if he leaves New England. ■

Chances of leaving ★★★★★

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