NFL's version of March Madness brought plenty of intrigue
The NFL's version of March Madness − free agency − provided plenty of intrigue last week.
Big-name players changed teams, there seemingly was a game of musical chairs going on with backup quarterbacks and a first-ballot Hall of Famer retired.
Here's a quick breakdown of what went down since last we met:
- Aaron Donald retired after 10 seasons of NFL dominance.
- The Chicago Bears, seemingly poised to select USC QB Caleb Williams with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 draft, traded Justin Fields − the team' first-round pick in 2021 − to the Pittsburgh Steelers, who just a week ago acquired Russell Wilson.
- The Steelers traded QB Kenny Pickett − the team's first-round pick in 2022 − to the Philadelphia Eagles.
- As expected, the Bears were busy, actively adding available free agents and making trades. Two days before dealing Fields, the team acquired Pro Bowl WR Keenan Allen from the Los Angeles Chargers.
- Two of the Chargers' star defenders, Khalil Mack and Joey Bosa, agreed to restructured contracts.
- Fields, Pickett and Wilson weren't the only quarterbacks on the move: Kirk Cousins left Minnesota to sign with the Atlanta Falcons, Desmond Ridder was traded to the Arizona Cardinals, Sam Darnold was signed by the Vikings, Mac Jones was traded to the Jacksonville Jaguars, Jacoby Brissett returned to the New England Patriots, Gardner Minshew was signed by the Las Vegas Raiders, Joe Flacco was signed by the Indianapolis Colts, Jameis Winston was signed by the Cleveland Browns, Drew Lock signed with the New York Giants, Sam Howell was traded to the Seattle Seahawks, Marcus Mariota was signed by the Washington Commanders, Mason Rudolph was signed by the Tennessee Titans.
- Zach Wilson still is available for teams that are interested.
- Well-known running backs also were on the move: Derrick Henry signed with the Baltimore Ravens, Joe Mixon was traded to the Houston Texans, Tony Pollard was signed by the Tennessee Titans, Josh Jacobs signed with the Green Bay Packers, Aaron Jones went to the Vikings, Saquon Barkley was signed by the Eagles, Austin Ekeler was signed by the Commanders.
Steelers' aggressive QB moves provide jolt
Jarrett Bell writes: Russell Wilson or Justin Fields?
A few days ago, that presented itself as perhaps the crux of the decision facing the Pittsburgh Steelers in addressing their severe deficiency at quarterback.
There’s a different answer now: Both of the above.
NFL will never see another talent like Aaron Donald
Nate Davis writes: Aaron Donald changed the NFL.
There’s really no other way to encapsulate the Los Angeles Rams’ superstar defensive lineman, who stunned the league Friday with the announcement that he was retiring at age 32 after 10 seasons. Over the past decade, there almost certainly hasn’t been a better NFL player than AD99.
➤ What's next for Rams after Aaron Donald's retirement?
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