The first day of free agency was crazy. But not in the way most people were expecting. Yes, there were a lot of free agents being signed but social media-shaking trades headlined the day. There were some talented players moving to and from some top teams. Let’s get right into it:
The first trade saw 2013 All-Pro tight end Jimmy Graham being traded to the Seattle Seahawks along with the New Orleans Saints’ 2015 fourth round draft pick for Seahawks center Max Unger and their 2015 first round pick. Needless to say, this is a monstrous trade.
Another trade that happened minutes later was Baltimore Ravens nine-year defensive tackle Haloti Ngata and Baltimore's seventh round pick being shipped to the Detroit Lions for their fourth and fifth round picks.
The last trade of the day was easily the most confusing due to the wide variety of speculation about draft pick compensation. After hours of talk about swapping first-round picks or lower picks, the dust settled and ended up being Nick Foles and the Philadelphia Eagles’ 2015 fourth-round pick and 2016 second-round pick for Sam Bradford and the St. Louis Rams’ 2015 fifth-round pick plus conditional 2016 picks if Bradford plays more than 50% of the Eagle’s offensive snaps this season.
As for the free agent signings, it was fast and furious upon the official start of the league year. The biggest contracts of the day were Darrelle Revis, formerly of the Patriots, signing a record-breaking contract and reuniting with the New York Jets. Former Denver Broncos tight end Julius Thomas signed a sizable deal with the Jacksonville Jaguars, giving quarterback Blake Bortles a great red zone threat.
The San Francisco 49ers finally found the deep threat they’ve been looking for years in former Baltimore Ravens' wide receiver Torrey Smith. Cornerback Byron Maxwell signed a six-year deal with the Philadelphia Eagles and safety Antrel Rolle signed with the Chicago Bears.
The Indianapolis Colts might have been the busiest team today as they were able to ink deals with running back Frank Gore, defensive end Trent Cole, and veteran defensive tackle Kendall Langford. The Cincinnati Bengals were able to grab former Green Bay Packers' linebacker A.J. Hawk, while the Raiders found a great deal signing running back Roy Helu.
Two other players on different sides of the line got scooped up as well. Ex-49ers Mike Iupati went to their division rival the Arizona Cardinals and Stephen Paea signed with the Washington Redskins. The New York Giants landed their versatile running back in Shane Vereen and the Tennessee Titans signed a versatile safety in Da’Norris Searcy.
On the first day of free agency it wasn’t just all trades and signings. There were some big names being cut as well. Among those were wide receiver Percy Harvin and running back DeAngelo Williams. On top of that, linebacker Patrick Willis, Jason Worilds and quarterback Jake Locker retired.
It was an extremely busy first day where most of the big names got new deals, but the second day is going to be just as busy with the rest of the big names and a lot of the second tier players getting new deals. It’s sure to be another crazy day.