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All eyes were on Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Tom Brady as they overcame the Kansas City Chiefs to be crowned the NFL's 55th Super Bowl champion on Sunday night. But after that, the focus will return to the other 30 teams who did not qualify for the big game, and all the available players they might try to sign in free agency. The NFL has become a 12 month a year sport, and the Monday after the Super Bowl is the default starting date of the new league year.
As the Tampa Bay Buccaneers have proven this season, it does not take long to rebuild in professional football, so let’s take a look at five players teams should lock in on this offseason to improve their fortunes in 2021.
#5 NFL Free Agency option: Dak Prescott
We’ve already seen some crazy quarterback roulette take place this offseason. The Los Angeles Rams and Detroit Lions switched starting quarterbacks, and it sounds like any minute now, the Philadelphia Eagles will be shipping Carson Wentz out of town. Philip Rivers also retired after a wonderful career in the league.
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So why not take a look at another possible large domino who might change teams this offseason? Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott has had a drawn out, heavily publicized contract negotiation with the team. Depending on the month, or even the day of the week, fans hear new information about what type of deal the Prescott camp is seeking, and what Dallas might be comfortable offering.
It’s hard to get inside Prescott’s head, but human nature probably has him feeling a little bitter. He could have had a multi year deal secured before last season, but instead suffered a gruesome ankle injury that proved just how fickle an NFL career can be. If a team is willing to throw a bunch of money at Prescott over a long term deal, he may jump at it considering how Dallas has slowplayed the negotiation.
#4 NFL Free Agency option: Chris Godwin
We’ll see what type of game Chris Godwin can put together in his first career Super Bowl appearance, but the fourth year pro has established himself as one of top pass catchers in the NFL. It’s good for his free agency stock that he has continued to produce regardless of who has been under center for Tampa Bay—whether it’s been Jameis Winston in prior seasons, or Tom Brady in 2020.
While there are many teams with cap space who could use Godwin in the slot or on the outside, one has to believe that the Buccaneers will do anything it takes to bring him back. Brady knows how difficult it is to maneuver a suspect supporting cast to the promised land(see his final season with New England), and will not want to have any key defections from his current group. Expect the former Penn State star to return to Tampa Bay, but other teams will do their best to pry him away.
#3 NFL Free Agency option: Will Fuller
There’s no doubting the physical talent of free agent wide receiver Will Fuller, but it just seems like he can’t get out of his own way to realize his full potential. Unfortunately for him, he’s battled a plethora of soft tissue injuries in his early career. He has also had to miss games for taking a substance that was not on the NFL’s approved medication list, and will not be available for Week 1 of the 2021 season, wherever he is playing.
It seems like there’s an excellent chance Fuller ends up on a new team, as the Houston Texans’ turmoil has been well documented. If the reports of quarterback Deshaun Watson asking out are true, it’s unlikely Fuller will want to return either, having seen the demise of the organization in the past 18 months. He might be the biggest boom or bust free agent in this class, but there will be a few teams excited to lure Fuller into their facility.
#2 NFL Free Agency option: Allen Robinson
Allen Robinson might be the happiest player in free agency. His talent has not been in question, but he hasn’t had the type of quarterback play so far in his career that would truly unlock his skill set. With all due respect to Blake Bortles, Mitchell Trubisky and Nick Foles, Robinson will probably prioritize the ability of the quarterback in potential destinations higher than a lot of his other receiver free agent cohorts.
While the Stefon Diggs trade got a decent amount of press when it happened last season, no one could have imagined the type of impact he was going to have on the Buffalo Bills. While Robinson is not quite as good as Diggs, his arrival to an already solid team might have a similar impact in pushing them over the edge.
#1 NFL Free Agency option: Richard Sherman
From an on field efficiency perspective, Richard Sherman is way down the list of impact players in the 2021 free agency class. He also isn’t going to command the type of splashy contract that the other four players mentioned above will likely secure.
But Sherman is not far removed from starting in the Super Bowl—he played in last year’s game with San Francisco against Kansas City. Additionally, his experience(having played in three Super Bowls) will be extremely valuable for a team with a young secondary, or a roster looking to make the leap in 2021. He would be one of the cheapest, safest moves a team could make.
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