The NFL offseason has been in full swing for just over a month now and has been nothing short of eventful.
The NFL offseason has been in full swing for just over a month now and has been nothing short of eventful. Many teams have made some big moves while others have chosen to just tinker with their current squad. Let’s take a look at some of the biggest moves around the league thus far.
Aaron Rodgers to the New York Jets
Although the trade has not officially been agreed upon yet, Rodgers has made it clear that he will not play for any other team and the Jets have been trying to find a quarterback for the past decade. The Green Bay Packers and New York Jets were a near call to the NFL front office away from completing the deal before the Jets backed out after Rodgers went on the Pat MacAfee show and stated that he intends to play for the Jets this season.
He even went as far as stating that he had given the Jets a wish list with specific wide receivers that he wanted on the team before he was traded there. These wide receivers included Odell Beckham Jr., Allen Lazard and Randal Cobb. Since that statement, the Jets have signed Lazard and approached Beckham Jr. with an offer that was later turned down because it wasn’t “at least 20 million dollars.”
By Rodgers going public with all these statements he has put the Packers in a tough spot and now the Jets are holding all of the cards in terms of how little they will end up giving up. The rumoured package at the moment is a first-round pick and a mid-round pick which has dropped significantly from the original two first-round picks and a total of four or five picks.
Either way it is almost guaranteed that Rodgers will be a Jet by the start of the next NFL season as Green Bay does not have many other options and would like to move on from the franchise quarterback.
Miami Dolphins add Jalen Ramsey
Unlike the Rodgers trade, Jalen Ramsey is officially a Dolphin. The pro-bowl CB was traded from the Los Angeles Rams to the Miami Dolphins for a third-round pick in the 2023 draft. The Rams are heading into a reset despite winning the Superbowl just two seasons ago and the up-and-coming Dolphins were able to take advantage of this bolstering their defence, which needed some much-needed help.
Miami is looking to build off a great 2022-2023 season that saw them finish 9-9 despite the constant QB carousel. They hope that Tua will be able to stay healthy this year after a couple of scary head injuries during the season, as when he was healthy he looked like a top-10 QB in the league.
Panthers to draft franchise quarterback
The Panthers and the Bears made a blockbuster trade as the Bears traded their No. 1 overall pick for a package that included DJ Moore, the ninth overall pick in 2023 and three other draft picks.
The Panthers will most likely pick quarterback CJ Stroud, who is the projected first-overall pick in the draft. Stroud is a traditional smart, pocket passer QB standing at 6’ 3 and weighing in at 218 Ibs. He has the ability to make quick plays and is not phased by defensive pressure. Stroud is also sneaky fast and has the ability to extend plays when needed but will always set his feet before delivery to ensure maximum accuracy. Safe to say the Panthers will be getting a franchise QB at the upcoming NFL draft, while the Bears get a WR for their number one QB Justin Fields.
Joining the likes of Darnell Mooney and Chase Claypool, DJ Moore slots in as WR1 – as of now – in Chicago. DJ Moore is a threat all over the field averaging 14.1 yards per reception in 2022 and accumulating 7 touchdowns over the 2022 season, both of which were career-bests.
On top of adding Moore, Chicago also added four draft picks, two first-rounders and two second-rounds. One of the first-rounders is no. 9 in the upcoming draft, where Chicago is expected to draft a defensive tackle such as Peter Skoronski or Josh Edwards. A player of Skoronski or Edwards’ caliber should be able to help a defensive line that ranked bottom 5 in the NFL last season.
Fans believe that the Panthers overpaid to move up in the draft but with the amount of talent at QB in the draft class, I wouldn’t be so quick to pick a “winner” yet.