The NFL decided the show must go on despite the current coronavirus pandemic, allowing free agency and the new league year to proceed as scheduled — with the only tweaks being a ban on free agents visiting prospective suitors. And what a show it was, as free agency instantly exploded with a frenzy rarely before seen in professional football, and in large part due to teams having waited to see if the new collective bargaining agreement would be ratified. It came down to the wire and required two separate delays to the league’s tag deadline, but when it was all said-and-done, the CBA landed and clubs were off to the races.
No one could’ve planned for what happened next, though. While teams were flurrying to sign new players as well as their own, the Houston Texans fired a nuke (a Nuck?) when they traded away DeAndre Hopkins to the Arizona Cardinals in a move that will be viewed as one of the worst in NFL history, and one that spawned a swirling controversy thereafter. As football fans worked to wrap their minds around that decision, Phillip Rivers became a Colt and Tom Brady finally decided the Tampa Bay Buccaneers were worthy of his services.
Oh, and Cam Newton fired shots at the Carolina Panthers, who then signed Teddy Bridgewater and put Newton on the trade block — the Chicago Bears being an expected suitor but instead opting to trade with the Jacksonville Jaguars for former Super Bowl MVP Nick Foles. All of this and so much more went down, and it was only the first week of free agency.
Where will Newton land? What about Jameis Winston? Or Jadeveon Clowney?
Strap in folks, NFL free agency is literally just getting started. Stay informed with our up-to-the-minute live blog below.