NFL Free Agency 2020: Winners and losers from legal tampering period Day 1
NFL free agency wasted no time going bonkers on Day 1 of the legal tampering period. These are the winners and losers from Monday’s frenetic action.
No one thought that 2020 NFL free agency would be a quiet time, especially with enormous dominoes like Tom Brady, Dak Prescott and Jadeveon Clowney, among many others, in play. However, few could have predicted the absolute madness that ensued on Monday as the legal tampering period got underway.
Between several big-name free agents agreeing to deals and, perhaps more shockingly, three trades that involved legitimate game-changers, it was a wild kickoff to the real meat and potatoes of the NFL offseason.
But who came out of Day 1 of the legal tampering period in NFL free agency on top and who was left out in the cold, for one reason or another? Let’s take a look at Monday’s winners and losers.
Winner: Arizona Cardinals
People were divided on what the Arizona Cardinals did last offseason as they drafted Kyler Murray No. 1 overall after taking Josh Rosen in the top 10 of the previous draft. But it was all in the name of building a new-age offense under new head coach Kliff Kingsbury and the early results were promising. Now it could pay off big time as they have DeAndre Hopkins in the fold.
No one is divided on the fact that the Cardinals were the absolute winners of the Hopkins trade with the Texans. After transition tagging Kenyan Drake, Arizona clearly wanted out of David Johnson‘s contract and they were able to do that while also acquiring one of the best wide receivers in the NFL. And all they had to give up was a second-round pick to do it.
There was no bigger winner on Day 1 of the legal tampering period than Arizona.
Loser: Houston Texans
You never want to say that a person should lose their job but, man, how is Bill O’Brien still operating as the Houston Texans general manager. He’s made two blockbuster trades in that position in the last calendar year, trading Jadeveon Clowney last offseason and now Hopkins and, on both occasions, he has gotten taken to the woodshed by the team he’s trading with.
Yes, the Texans needed a running back. But they traded away one of their most valuable assets for a second-round pick and a running back in David Johnson who has been downright bad over the past couple of seasons. That’s just horrible team-building, even if they are starved for draft capital (which is also thanks to O’Brien).
To make this all look worse, the Texans finished the day by signing Randall Cobb to a deal worth $9 million per year. This team is not heading in the right direction, which is a shame as Deshaun Watson on a rookie contract should open a huge window for them.