This article is part of our NFL Free Agency series.
-Davante Adams was expected to stick around in Green Bay after Aaron Rodgers agreed to re-sign with the Packers earlier in March, but the situation has seemingly turned for the worse since then. Not only is Adams demanding upwards of $30 million per year on his next deal, but he has also said he won't play if the Packers assign him the franchise tag. Only so many teams can meet that price tag, and it's not clear whether Green Bay is on that list. It's also not clear whether Adams' situation caught Rodgers and the Packers off guard, but it presumably isn't exactly what they had in mind when they planned their ideal offseason. If Adams is for some reason out of Green Bay then it leaves them with an immense void at receiver, and one that gets harder to resolve each time another free agent receiver goes off the market.
-One such free agent receiver no longer on the market is Christian Kirk, who agreed to terms with the Jaguars on a four-year, $84 million deal. Kirk is a very good slot receiver who profiles for high-volume usage in such a role, but his breakout in Arizona was delayed for three years by the overstayed presence of then-slot specialist Larry Fitzgerald, who only got out of Kirk's way in the 2021 season. It's not a coincidence that Kirk had a career year as a result, catching 77 of 103 targets for 982 yards and five touchdowns on 853 snaps. With Jacksonville he should play over 1,000 snaps and draw targets at a higher per-snap rate, so Kirk's usage should spike upward this year with age 26 coming up in November. Whether his efficiency is particularly good is less certain, because that would depend on the overall health of the Jaguars offense. Their overall personnel at receiver is less than convincing, and defenses might have the luxury of allocating extensive coverage resources toward Kirk.
The Jaguars only added to that concern by agreeing to a three-year, $24 million deal with Zay Jones, who is mostly an underneath, horizontal receiver. Jones can't clear out space for Kirk underneath – he can only crowd it. This isn't the CFL, and the field is only so wide, yet the Jaguars would miscast any of Kirk, Zay, Marvin Jones or Laviska Shenault to send them as regular downfield route runners. This article from earlier in the offseason breaks down Zay's strengths and weaknesses.
-To offer some perspective on Jacksonville's speed issues: Evan Engram is their fastest-timed offensive starter at the moment after he and the Jaguars agreed to a one-year, $9 million deal. Engram ran a combine 4.42 at 6-foot-3, 234 pounds, which is faster than Kirk (4.47 combine) or Travis Etienne (4.45 pro day). DJ Chark is exactly the kind of player the Jaguars need to keep the safeties lenient against Kirk, Jones and Engram, but the Jones signing seems to close the door on that possibility. With no Chark, the Jaguars become easier to defend and offset the gains of the previously mentioned trio. With that said, if the Jaguars send Engram downfield he could prove a surprisingly effective vertical target -- he made his living running posts down the seam at Mississippi.
-The Browns cut Jarvis Landry after they were unable to trade him, so he is a free agent and a top slot receiver candidate for any team in the market. Landry has his athletic limitations, but he's elusive in the slot and can make tough catches to match most receivers bigger than him. As long as a team doesn't make him line up outside too much Landry should be a clear asset to his new lineup. According to Adam Schefter, the teams showing the most interest in Landry are Kansas City and New Orleans.
-Miami made a splashy signing by reeling away Chase Edmonds from Arizona, agreeing to a two-year, $12.6 million contract. Edmonds is very similar trait-wise to incumbent starter Myles Gaskin, as well as free agent 2021 in-season pickup Duke Johnson. It was a busy day for the Dolphins, and their activity wasn't limited to the Edmonds signing.
-Wideout Cedrick Wilson (Dallas) and tight end Mike Gesicki are both officially playing in Miami in 2022, with Wilson agreeing to a three-year deal with the Dolphins and Gesicki signing his franchise tag for a one-year agreement. Of significantly lesser note, Miami is also adding Teddy Bridgewater at quarterback to play behind the already uninspiring Tua Tagovailoa.
-The Cardinals lost Edmonds to Miami, but James Conner is sticking around after agreeing to a three-year deal with Arizona. Conner was exceptional for the Cardinals while playing on a one-year deal in 2021, so it makes sense for them to make him a foundational piece of their offense again in 2022. Conner's history of durability troubles give the Cardinals reason to reconsider their depth, but Conner is good enough to serve as a workhorse back when healthy.
-At the start of the offseason it was expected that Mitchell Trubisky would follow Brian Daboll to the Giants and compete with Daniel Jones for the Giants' starting quarterback role, but that possibility was extinguished when Trubisky agreed to sign with the Steelers on Monday. The Steelers could add a potential starter yet in the draft – they hold the 20th overall selection in the first round – but if the competition is between Trubisky and Mason Rudolph then Trubisky is the likely favorite.
-According to the Houston Chronicle's John McClain, Deshaun Watson has narrowed his list of viable trade candidates to just New Orleans and Carolina. Setting aside any potential time missed for suspension, Watson would of course hold major fantasy repercussions for the pass catchers of either team.
-Tom Brady's decision to unretire couldn't convince guard Ali Marpet to do the same, but at least it might have given reason for CB1 Carlton Davis to re-sign with Tampa on Monday. The team still has a ways to go to make itself as dangerous as it was the last two years, but two days ago they were looking at the prospect of losing all three of Marpet, Brady and Davis, and now at least they'll keep the most important two of that trio.
-C.J. Uzomah agreed to a three-year, $24 million deal with the Jets, locking him in as their starting tight end going forward. While Uzomah could see a usage boost going from Cincinnati to the Jets, he's also likely to see his efficiency fall off while leaving one of the league's best offenses for one of the worst. Uzomah is a solid player, though, and his athleticism makes him consistently imposing after the catch.
-Another promising tight end went off the market with Mo Alie-Cox agreeing to a three-year deal with the Colts. Despite playing mostly behind Jack Doyle in recent years, Alie-Cox probably has more upside given that he's more athletic even at a significantly bigger build. Alie-Cox will have to coexist with pass-catching specialist Kylen Granson but if MAC can draw a Doyle-like share of usage he could break out due to providing better efficiency and touchdown upside than Doyle did.
