1. Brock bolts. Brock Osweiler is the new franchise quarterback of the Texans, having spurned the Broncos’ offer of $16 million a year to make $18 million a year in Houston, on a deal that includes $37 million guaranteed. Osweiler thinks he can win a championship in Houston, but John Elway says the Broncos will be just fine with players who want to be in Denver.
2. Chiefs busted. A year ago, the NFL says, the Chiefs tampered with then-Eagles receiver Jeremy Maclin before signing him in free agency. Now the Chiefs have been docked their 2016 third-round pick and 2017 sixth-round pick, and coach Andy Reid and G.M. John Dorsey have both been fined.
3. Quarterback musical chairs. Osweiler was the big story, but there’s much more: The Broncos may try to acquire Colin Kaepernick or Robert Griffin III. Chase Daniel got a good deal from the Eagles. Case Keenum got a first-round tender from the Rams, indicating he’ll be playing in Los Angeles this year. Matt Schaub returned to Atlanta. Matt Moore may head to Dallas. Matt Cassel signed with Tennessee. Brian Hoyer and Mark Sanchez could be traded, but does anyone want them? Colt McCoy is not available; he’ll back up Kirk Cousins for another year.
4. Champs take hits. The Broncos lost more than just Osweiler: Linebacker Danny Trevathan is now a Bear. Running back C.J. Anderson is expected to leave. Defensive lineman Malik Jackson is heading to Jacksonville.
5. Trust issues. Americans don’t trust Tom Brady. ESPN put too much trust in a fake Twitter account.
6. A Giant defensive spending spree. Defensive end Olivier Vernon got a $20 million signing bonus from the Giants as part of a deal that includes $40 million fully guaranteed at signing. Damon Harrison will be able to buy a lot of snacks after leaving the Jets for the Giants. Janoris Jenkins got $29 million fully guaranteed. Jason Pierre-Paul got $8.5 million guaranteed to stay another year with the Giants.
7. Moving on from Chip. If you were acquired by Chip Kelly, the new Eagles regime wants you out: Philadelphia gave DeMarco Murray away to the Titans, and Murray acknowledged that playing in Kelly’s offense was tantamount to taking a year off. Two of Kelly’s big defensive acquisitions, Kiko Alonso and Byron Maxwell, were shipped to Miami. Kelly was never big on guards, so the Eagles went out and spent a lot on a guard, Brandon Brooks.
8. Running backs can still get paid. No one is getting an Adrian Peterson-type contract this year, but Lamar Miller got a big deal to leave Miami for Houston, Chris Ivory got good money in Jacksonville, and Matt Forte quickly found his landing spot with the Jets. Doug Martin got a five-year, $35 million contract to stay in Tampa Bay.
9. Top players stay put. Of the Top 10 players in our Free Agent Hot 100, only Malik Jackson and Olivier Vernon are changing teams: The other eight have either already re-signed or are restricted with the franchise tag.
10. Plenty of good players still available. Despite all the big news from Day One of the league year, plenty of good players are available on Day Two. Our Top 5 available players are Chiefs cornerback Sean Smith, Chargers safety Eric WEddle, Bengals right tackle Andre Smith, Jets quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick and Bengals safety Reggie Nelson. Other big names who remain available include Robert Griffin III, Greg Hardy, Aldon Smith, Mike Wallace, Roddy White, Arian Foster, Dwight Freeney and Anquan Boldin. Today should be another busy day. Stay informed right here at PFT.
