Wow! What a way to kick off a new year in the NFL. Free agency is officially underway, and boy did things get crazy. Wide receivers were selling like hot cakes, and we got news on a couple of different trade. Amidst all of the wheeling and dealing, Tony Romo and Adrian Peterson still remain without a new team. I would’ve liked to be able to write this earlier, but with the way things were going I thought it would be best to let things calm down a bit so we could get a better sense of everything that went down. Before I become consumed by the NCAA tournament next week, let’s go through the top stories from the first day of free agency.

Cleveland Trades Cash for Picks…And Brock Osweiler

 

Coming into the start of free agency, you had to know that the Browns would be busy. Cleveland had the most cap space in the NFL with a projected $99 million to spend before next season begins. They also had an embarrassment of riches in the form of 21 picks in the next two drafts. As we all know, money talks, and boy did the Browns have plenty to say yesterday.

 

No one could have seen the trade with Houston coming though. Even Adam Schefter noted that this is an unprecedented deal in the NFL. Cleveland traded a 2017 fourth round pick and $16 million dollars to acquire a 2018 second round pick, a 2017 sixth round pick, and quarterback Brock Osweiler (Yes, I listed that in the correct order).

Cleveland comes out of this trade looking surprisingly smart. They helped the Texans get out from Osweiler’s mammoth contract, paid Houston the $16 million to cover the guaranteed money, and got a second round pick next season. This is essentially the NFL equivalent of a salary dump in the NBA. The best part of this entire trade is the fact that the Browns reportedly have no interest in keeping its newly acquired quarterback. It looks like we are finally seeing the “Moneyball” tactics of Paul DePodesta.

 

The Browns will now look to trade Osweiler before next season, and now have a ridiculous ten picks in the first three rounds of the next two drafts. It doesn’t look like Cleveland is done trading for quarterbacks either. The latest news out of Cleveland is that the team is going to continue its pursuit of Patriots QB Jimmy Garoppolo, although there is no indication New England is looking to trade him.

Philadelphia Upgrades Its Receiving Corps 

 

In terms of actual free agent signings, many experts are buzzing about a pair of moves the Eagles made to revamp its struggling group of receivers. Philadelphia general manager Howie Roseman didn’t waste much time yesterday by signing Torrey Smith to a very team friendly contract (3 years/$15 milllion, $50,000 guaranteed). Smith has certainly seen better days as of late, but still has plenty left in the tank to make an impact on this offense. Carson Wentz had to be happy with this news, but I’m sure he was ecstatic later in the day.

The top wide receiver on the free agent market was easily Alshon Jeffery. News was flying from multiple reporters on the potential suitors for the former Pro Bowler. Philadelphia seemed to have the inside track according to ESPN’s Josina Anderson. Then just before 4:00 p.m., reports surfaced that Indianapolis was in play for Jeffery and Minnesota was making a “heavy push.”

When all was said and done, Jeffery signed a one-year, $14 million deal with the Eagles. Personally I thought this was the best deal for both sides. The knock against Jeffery has been his constant injury woes since his breakout season in 2013. Philadelphia hasn’t exactly had the best track record with free agent signings over the past decade (cough, cough, dream team…).

Jeffery gets his chance to prove that he is deserving of the Antonio Brown-like contract that he had been looking for. The Eagles potentially get a top-ten receiver in the league, and now have the flexibility to keep him long term (franchise tags, first chance to offer an extension, etc.). Philadelphia was even able to keep its draft picks in tact, which they can now use to fill other holes in this roster.

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New England Plotting Big Moves

Heading back into the rumor mill for a minute, the New England Patriots look like they have big plans to defend the Lombardi Trophy in 2017. Cornerback Logan Ryan signed with Tennesse, and tight end Martellus Bennett is likely on his way out the door as well. That won’t be a problem if New England can pull off a pair of moves that were reportedly in the cards yesterday.

New England is in the final stages of signing cornerback Stephon Gillmore, the top corner for the Buffalo Bills last season. Gillmore would be an instant upgrade for this secondary and there is the added bonus of making a division rival weaker in the process. ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported that “barring any snags” this is a done deal.

This would pale in comparison to what New England may have up its sleeve next. Trade rumors have been swirling for weeks regarding Saints wide receiver Brandin Cooks. Philadelphia and Tennessee have been the front-runners for the past month, but yesterday the Patriots jumped to the front of the line. New England is reportedly working on a trade that would send Pro Bowl corner and Super Bowl XLIX hero Malcom Butler to the Saints for the speedy Cooks. That’s just what the rest of the NFL wants to hear, right? Right?

Acquiring Cooks would be a major coup for the defending Super Bowl champions and give Tom Brady another superb weapon to go alongside Rob Gronkowski and Julian Edleman. Cooks is well worth the price tag too. He is only 23 years old, and is still under a very affordable rookie contract for the next two seasons. New England could also have the added bonus of being able to exercise a fifth-year option on this deal that would make the cap hit for Cooks extremely manageable. While most outlets are tracking the Tony Romo trade, this is the trade to keep an eye on over the days and weeks ahead.

What is Going on in Washington?

Good lord, Washington is in the news for all the wrong reasons once again. It starts with the abrupt firing of general manager of Scot McCloughan. There was an awful lot of smoke coming from the Washington camp, but no one knew the type of fire that we would discover yesterday. Tuesday marked the first day that teams could begin negotiating with free agents (also known as the legal tampering period), but McCloughan was reportedly not at the team facilities.

Then news broke yesterday that the team had fired McCloughan, and my goodness this got really ugly. Here is the link to the story from The Washington Post because this does a much better job of describing the toxic situation in the Washington front office. It is an unfortunate situation that really shines a light on the dysfunction of this franchise.

Were the Redskins done though? Absolutely not. In a separate report, quarterback Kirk Cousins “pleaded” with owner Dan Snyder to trade him after he signs his franchise tag. Reportedly, Cousins was told, “not to get his hopes up.” Yep, just another banner day in a Dan Snyder-owned franchise.

That’s it for me today. March Madness takes over Shooting the Moon next week. I’ll be back on Monday with the “Weekend Recap” to breakdown the conference tournament results and Selection Sunday. Tuesday I’ll look at the First Four games. Wednesday will be the debut of the Shooting the Moon Podcast, which will break down the NCAA tournament. Follow me on Twitter @thereal_jmooney and go like the Shooting the Moon page on Facebook.