The NFL’s legal tampering period opened this week with no shortage of contract agreements around the league.
Let’s take a look at some of the biggest winners and losers from the second day of the tampering period.
Winner: Minnesota Vikings offensive and defensive lines
Somebody was paying attention to what the Philadelphia Eagles were doing in recent years to build their Super Bowl roster. Line play is everything, and the Vikings are not missing an opportunity to beef up on it this offseason. After agreeing to terms with center Ryan Kelly on Monday, they continue to add to their lines on Tuesday by reportedly agreeing to terms with guard Will Fries and defensive linemen Javon Hargrave and Jonathan Allen. The Vikings are already loaded with playmakers at the skill positions. Now they are beefing up the middle to win the line of scrimmage.
Loser: Quarterback Anthony Richardson
Richardson is not a free agent, but the Colts still made a big move on Tuesday that could significantly impact his short- and long-term future with the Colts. After competing for playing time — and at one point losing his job — with veteran Joe Flacco a year ago, he is now going to find himself in a similar situation with Daniel Jones after he agreed to terms on a one-year deal with the Colts. Speaking of which…
Winner: Quarterback Daniel Jones
Not only does Jones get a contract that be worth $14 million, but he is going into a spot with the Colts where he might have a pretty good opportunity to become a starter and potentially resurrect his career. Given the inconsistencies and injury issues that have plagued Richardson in the early stages of his career, and given that the Colts seem to have some hope for competing for a playoff spot this season, it is not hard to envision a scenario where Jones is taking meaningful snaps this season.
Loser: San Francisco 49ers
The offseason purge continued on Tuesday with the release of edge-rusher Leonard Floyd. They have already said goodbye to 11 starters and key depth players this offseason and not brought in anywhere near a comparable level of talent to replace them. They could be hitting the reset button and setting themselves up for a second straight disappointing season.
Winner: New Orleans Saints
The Saints entered the offseason with one of the worst salary-cap situations in the NFL, but they have put in some big work to help fix it. While they did not really add anybody new on Tuesday, they did manage to rework the contract of defensive back Tyrann Mathieu to keep him on the roster, while also re-signing underrated tight end Juwan Johnson. They also had a chance to add defensive back Justin Reid.
