There are still a ton of quality free agents left on the market, but where will they sign? That's what we try to predict here. With all of these quality players left on the market, something has to give at some point. It's currently unclear why many of these players are not on teams, but we could assume to a degree that they may be asking for too much money or are just waiting for the most ideal situation.
As the preseason games start to trickle in, injuries will unfortunately begin to pile up, so that could force teams to dip into the free agency pool one last time before the start of the 2024 regular season. This is especially true for teams who are trying to contend this year, as the clock is ticking that much faster.
Let's highlight some of the best remaining free agents and try to predict where they will sign before the 2024 NFL Season begins.
NFL predictions: Here's where the top remaining free agents will sign
S Justin Simmons - Green Bay Packers
ESPN lists the Green Bay Packers starting safeties as Xavier McKinney and rookie Javon Bullard. McKinney is obviously excellent, but a rookie is unproven. A fit with the Packers makes sense for Justin Simmons, who is shockingly not on a team after playing the first eight years of his NFL career with the Denver Broncos.
The Broncos cut Simmons at the beginning of the 2024 NFL Offseason, and you figure that Simmons, who has never played in the postseason, would want to play with a contender. The Packers are just that, and Simmons would also get to play next to one of the best safeties in the NFL with McKinney, who came over from the New York Giants in free agency.
OC Connor Williams - Seattle Seahawks
With reports that the Seattle Seahawks and Connor Williams recently had a great visit, this pairing seems like it's only a matter of time before it happens. Williams is a top-10 center who tore his ACL near the end of the 2023 NFL Season, so that has basically ruined his free agency.
He was widely expected to land a nice payday and a long-term deal, but as we hit August, he is not on an NFL roster. Williams is likely going to have to re-establish his value on a team and try to cash in next offseason. With him taking a visit with the Seahawks, there is no reason to believe he does not sign with the team at some point.
S Quandre Diggs - Denver Broncos
The Denver Broncos free agent signing at safety, Brandon Jones, is already hurt. With the team not exactly having many other proven players in this room, a veteran addition would make some sense here. Quandre Diggs has been a supremely productive safety during his NFL career, and he, like Justin Simmons, is somehow still on the market.
The Broncos did add to their roster this offseason and will field a better team in 2024 than they did in 2023. They could stand to add another body at safety, and the veteran Diggs makes sense here. He fits the mold of defensive coordinator Vance Joseph's attack mentality.
DE Yannick Ngakoue - Dallas Cowboys
The Dallas Cowboys will not have pass rusher Sam Williams for the 2024 NFL Season, as the young player tore his ACL. The Cowboys are all of a sudden down a player along the defensive front, so the veteran Yannick Ngakoue, who has been a reliable sack-master, fits quite well here. In fact, the 2023 season with the Chicago Bears was the first season of Ngakoue's career where he did not have at least eight sacks.
Ngakoue actually played in six games for the Minnesota Vikings in the 2020 NFL Season, racking up five sacks and eight QB hits. Well, the Cowboys defensive coordinator is Mike Zimmer, who was the head coach in Minnesota at the time. Being that Zimmer has experience with Ngakoue, and being that the Cowboys need another body in the trenches, Yannick Ngakoue wearing the star on his helmet makes sense.
LT Charles Leno - Kansas City Chiefs
The Kansas City Chiefs may again have some inconsistencies at tackle in 2024. They could temporarily solve that with LT Charles Leno, who has been an average but steady starter his entire NFL career. He's played for the Chicago Bears and Washington Commanders and is still on the FA market.
The Chiefs look to become the first team in NFL history to win three Super Bowls in a row, and after the QB position, there may not be a more important roster spot than a strong left tackle. Leno is by no means elite, but he's better than what KC has on their roster right now, and it's clear that this team is still firmly in a Super Bowl window.