Initial grades for 10 of the biggest deals from NFL free agency

2022 NFL Free Agency; Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Christian Kirk (13) runs for yards after the catch against the Seattle Seahawks during the second quarter at Lumen Field. Mandatory Credit: Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports
2022 NFL Free Agency; Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Christian Kirk (13) runs for yards after the catch against the Seattle Seahawks during the second quarter at Lumen Field. Mandatory Credit: Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports
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Free agency
Tampa Bay Buccaneers offensive lineman Alex Cappa (65) Mandatory Credit: Jonathan Dyer-USA TODAY Sports

With NFL free agency finally starting, here is an early list of grades for ten of the biggest free-agent deals to come from the legal “tampering” period.

The NFL opened its legal negotiating period, and as a result, a slew of deals were announced for teams.

While a few more mega-deals will drop in the coming days, these ten huge moves from day one were quite a way to kick free agency off. While it is still very early in the offseason, here are some early grades for ten of the biggest free-agent deals from day one of free agency.

Bengals sign Alex Cappa in NFL free agency

Deal: 4-years, $40 million

Grade: B+

The Bengals had a busy first day, both adding and retaining some of their own talents to relatively large deals. Their big addition comes in the way of Alex Cappa. The now-former Buccaneer was a steady presence on one of the best offensive lines in the league last season, and he has quietly developed into one of the league’s best guards.

He was ranked as one of the best in the league by PFF last season, posting his best season to date as a blocker.

A pay jump was expected, and the Bengals made the wise move of adding Cappa on the first day of free agency. It is no secret that this offensive line was the weak spot of this unit, and had their blocking been better, they could have won the Super Bowl.

They made an early move to land a top guard, and Cappa will be well worth the money even if he is in no way a bargain for the team.