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The premise of the article was find a superlative for every teams offseason...also posted the Bills and Pats for refernce. We might have to settle for a 5th or worse at this point. I dont want this to drag into TC, Ramsey will be a distraction, hes very tempermental.
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The superlative: Least likely to find a solution for their most pressing problem
The Dolphins are facing an impasse with veteran cornerback Jalen Ramsey, and they have nobody to blame but themselves. When they traded a third-round pick and tight end Hunter Long to the Rams for Ramsey in the spring of 2023, they signed Ramsey to a new deal with two years of guarantees. That money would have run out after the 2024 season, but Miami extended him with a three-year, $72 million contract just before Week 1 last year, essentially adding an additional $25 million in guarantees to his contract for the 2025 campaign.
Well, the Dolphins and Ramsey seem to want another team to be on the hook for those guarantees. In mid-April, long after teams had spent most of their offseason budget for new player additions, the two sides mutually decided they should split up. The deadline for that breakup won't come until Week 1, when Ramsey's $19 million option bonus comes due. Miami already paid him a $4 million bonus in March, so a new team would be on the hook for $21 million in 2025.
General manager Chris Grier hasn't been able to find a taker yet, and that's not surprising. The league has been extremely hesitant to pay 30-year-old defensive backs recently, which is why there wasn't more of a market for Ramsey's services when the Rams dealt him two years ago. He also suffered meniscus injuries in both 2016 and 2023, with each being repaired via trims.
Ramsey helped the Dolphins' defense move toward the top of the league when he returned from that knee issue in 2023, but he wasn't quite as effective in 2024. Receivers had more success isolated one-on-one against him, most notably when Jets wideout Garrett Wilson repeatedly left Ramsey in his wake in a December game. New defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver used Ramsey more often as a blitzer, and while he was effective getting pressure on quarterbacks, Miami acquired him to be a shutdown cornerback.
Even if the Dolphins were willing to ship off Ramsey for only a seventh-round pick to save salary, there aren't going to be many teams that have $21 million in their budget to work with at this point of the offseason. There's also another cornerback at the same price point potentially lingering on the market in Jaire Alexander, whose trade rumors haven't yielded anything resembling a deal.
Ramsey is still a good player, but unless he's willing to give up a significant amount of guaranteed money or the Dolphins are willing to eat some of what he's due, it's hard to find a way this ends amicably for all involved. And given that this is the same cornerback who once showed up to training camp in an armored truck as he sought a new deal from the Jaguars, it would be surprising if he didn't make his frustrations public in the coming months.
Buffalo Bills
The superlative: Most likely to stay the course
Three years ago, general manager Brandon Beane responded to a crushing playoff loss to the Chiefs by doing something out of character: going all-in. After years of using free agency to target solid veterans around his young core, he handed Von Miller a six-year, $120 million deal with three seasons almost entirely guaranteed. The hope was that signing the former All-Pro edge rusher would be enough to get the Bills over the hump, but Miller was limited by injuries and an off-field suspension and had only 14 sacks over three seasons. The move did not work out.
With the Bills cutting Miller this offseason after another heartbreaking defeat to Kansas City, all eyes were on what Beane would do next. Would he make another all-in move to land the difference-maker who could swing a close game against the Chiefs?
No. While the Bills spent plenty of money this offseason, it was used to lock up the best players from their 2021 and 2022 draft classes. Cornerback Christian Benford, linebacker Terrel Bernard, edge rusher Greg Rousseau and wide receiver Khalil Shakir all signed extensions, with their four contracts adding up to more than $61 million per year on average. Linebacker Matt Milano took a pay cut to return for another season after two injury-hit campaigns. To top it off, Josh Allen signed a new deal for six years and $330 million, with Beane convincing his star quarterback to leave millions of dollars per year on the table as a trade for the security of $250 million in practical guarantees.
Instead, Buffalo has stuck with its strategy of targeting midroster players in free agency. It signed edge rusher Michael Hoecht from the Rams and imported AFC North veteran defensive tackle Larry Ogunjobi for about $7 million each. Wide receiver Joshua Palmer joined from the Chargers on a three-year, $29 million pact. The Bills' biggest swing was on another former Charger in oft-injured edge rusher Joey Bosa; unlike with the Miller signing, though, they are on the hook for only one year and $12.6 million.
Should the Bills have taken a bigger swing? Beane probably played this correctly. It's tempting to look at the Eagles and their impressive 2024 free agent class as proof that he should have been more aggressive, but keep in mind that Howie Roseman's most successful signings last year were in the middle of the market. Running back Saquon Barkley's deal ranked 20th in average value, while linebacker Zack Baun's one-year deal was for just $3.5 million. The biggest move Roseman made was a three-year, $51.1 million contract for edge rusher Bryce Huff, a rare Philadelphia move that didn't work out.
After their Miller miss, the Bills look as though they're going to stay in their roster construction lane moving forward.
Last offseason, the Patriots seemed to be hesitant about using free agency to address the holes on their roster. The biggest average annual salary they handed to players who hadn't been part of the organization in the past were the one-year, $4 million deals they gave wideout K.J. Osborn and left tackle Chukwuma Okorafor, the latter of whom left the team after he was benched in the opener. While quarterback Drake Maye and cornerback Christian Gonzalez were impressive amid difficult circumstances, New England simply didn't have enough talent in 2024.
Well, no one can accuse the Pats of resting on their laurels this offseason. They could have up to 11 new starters in Week 1, most of whom were veteran free agent additions. General manager Eliot Wolf brought in six players who will each make at least $8 million per year in average salary, including two of the team's four largest average salaries: defensive tackle Milton Williams ($26 million) and wide receiver Stefon Diggs ($21.17 million). Spending on free agents isn't proof of a successful strategy, but New England needed the talent influx.
While there has understandably been a focus on the additions of Diggs and rookies Will Campbell (OT), TreVeyon Henderson (RB) and Kyle Williams (WR) to help out Maye, I'm more intrigued by what the Patriots did on defense. While the offense was borderline unwatchable at times last season, the defensive collapse might have cost coach Jerod Mayo his job. A defense that ranked first in the league in expected points added (EPA) per play during the second half of 2023 (without Gonzalez or edge Matthew Judon in the lineup) fell to 30th. The Patriots couldn't get pressure on quarterbacks and made too many coverage mistakes.
Unlike on offense, the Pats focused their defensive efforts on adding players who could make an immediate difference. In addition to paying a premium to sign Williams, Wolf signed veterans such as cornerback Carlton Davis III, edge rusher Harold Landry III and linebacker Robert Spillane, who will start immediately in the hopes of quickly turning around the defense.
Here's where new coach Mike Vrabel must make a difference. His Tennessee teams had a habit of getting more out of veterans than their prior employers did. While quarterback Ryan Tannehill was the most notable example, that list included defensive linemen Denico Autry and Mario Edwards Jr., and even cornerback Logan Ryan, one of the rare defenders who left Bill Belichick and the Patriots and improved. If Vrabel can get his veterans to play at a high level and the defense rights itself quickly, the Patriots will have a foundation to build off this season.
16 AFC teams, 16 offseason awards: Sizing up each front office's past few months with one superlative
The Bengals have an unhappy star. The Patriots have turned over their roster. And the Raiders are in line to take a huge step forward.
The superlative: Least likely to find a solution for their most pressing problem
The Dolphins are facing an impasse with veteran cornerback Jalen Ramsey, and they have nobody to blame but themselves. When they traded a third-round pick and tight end Hunter Long to the Rams for Ramsey in the spring of 2023, they signed Ramsey to a new deal with two years of guarantees. That money would have run out after the 2024 season, but Miami extended him with a three-year, $72 million contract just before Week 1 last year, essentially adding an additional $25 million in guarantees to his contract for the 2025 campaign.
Well, the Dolphins and Ramsey seem to want another team to be on the hook for those guarantees. In mid-April, long after teams had spent most of their offseason budget for new player additions, the two sides mutually decided they should split up. The deadline for that breakup won't come until Week 1, when Ramsey's $19 million option bonus comes due. Miami already paid him a $4 million bonus in March, so a new team would be on the hook for $21 million in 2025.
General manager Chris Grier hasn't been able to find a taker yet, and that's not surprising. The league has been extremely hesitant to pay 30-year-old defensive backs recently, which is why there wasn't more of a market for Ramsey's services when the Rams dealt him two years ago. He also suffered meniscus injuries in both 2016 and 2023, with each being repaired via trims.
Ramsey helped the Dolphins' defense move toward the top of the league when he returned from that knee issue in 2023, but he wasn't quite as effective in 2024. Receivers had more success isolated one-on-one against him, most notably when Jets wideout Garrett Wilson repeatedly left Ramsey in his wake in a December game. New defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver used Ramsey more often as a blitzer, and while he was effective getting pressure on quarterbacks, Miami acquired him to be a shutdown cornerback.
Even if the Dolphins were willing to ship off Ramsey for only a seventh-round pick to save salary, there aren't going to be many teams that have $21 million in their budget to work with at this point of the offseason. There's also another cornerback at the same price point potentially lingering on the market in Jaire Alexander, whose trade rumors haven't yielded anything resembling a deal.
Ramsey is still a good player, but unless he's willing to give up a significant amount of guaranteed money or the Dolphins are willing to eat some of what he's due, it's hard to find a way this ends amicably for all involved. And given that this is the same cornerback who once showed up to training camp in an armored truck as he sought a new deal from the Jaguars, it would be surprising if he didn't make his frustrations public in the coming months.
Buffalo Bills
The superlative: Most likely to stay the course
Three years ago, general manager Brandon Beane responded to a crushing playoff loss to the Chiefs by doing something out of character: going all-in. After years of using free agency to target solid veterans around his young core, he handed Von Miller a six-year, $120 million deal with three seasons almost entirely guaranteed. The hope was that signing the former All-Pro edge rusher would be enough to get the Bills over the hump, but Miller was limited by injuries and an off-field suspension and had only 14 sacks over three seasons. The move did not work out.
With the Bills cutting Miller this offseason after another heartbreaking defeat to Kansas City, all eyes were on what Beane would do next. Would he make another all-in move to land the difference-maker who could swing a close game against the Chiefs?
No. While the Bills spent plenty of money this offseason, it was used to lock up the best players from their 2021 and 2022 draft classes. Cornerback Christian Benford, linebacker Terrel Bernard, edge rusher Greg Rousseau and wide receiver Khalil Shakir all signed extensions, with their four contracts adding up to more than $61 million per year on average. Linebacker Matt Milano took a pay cut to return for another season after two injury-hit campaigns. To top it off, Josh Allen signed a new deal for six years and $330 million, with Beane convincing his star quarterback to leave millions of dollars per year on the table as a trade for the security of $250 million in practical guarantees.
Instead, Buffalo has stuck with its strategy of targeting midroster players in free agency. It signed edge rusher Michael Hoecht from the Rams and imported AFC North veteran defensive tackle Larry Ogunjobi for about $7 million each. Wide receiver Joshua Palmer joined from the Chargers on a three-year, $29 million pact. The Bills' biggest swing was on another former Charger in oft-injured edge rusher Joey Bosa; unlike with the Miller signing, though, they are on the hook for only one year and $12.6 million.
Should the Bills have taken a bigger swing? Beane probably played this correctly. It's tempting to look at the Eagles and their impressive 2024 free agent class as proof that he should have been more aggressive, but keep in mind that Howie Roseman's most successful signings last year were in the middle of the market. Running back Saquon Barkley's deal ranked 20th in average value, while linebacker Zack Baun's one-year deal was for just $3.5 million. The biggest move Roseman made was a three-year, $51.1 million contract for edge rusher Bryce Huff, a rare Philadelphia move that didn't work out.
After their Miller miss, the Bills look as though they're going to stay in their roster construction lane moving forward.
New England Patriots
The superlative: Most likely to need name tags at training campLast offseason, the Patriots seemed to be hesitant about using free agency to address the holes on their roster. The biggest average annual salary they handed to players who hadn't been part of the organization in the past were the one-year, $4 million deals they gave wideout K.J. Osborn and left tackle Chukwuma Okorafor, the latter of whom left the team after he was benched in the opener. While quarterback Drake Maye and cornerback Christian Gonzalez were impressive amid difficult circumstances, New England simply didn't have enough talent in 2024.
Well, no one can accuse the Pats of resting on their laurels this offseason. They could have up to 11 new starters in Week 1, most of whom were veteran free agent additions. General manager Eliot Wolf brought in six players who will each make at least $8 million per year in average salary, including two of the team's four largest average salaries: defensive tackle Milton Williams ($26 million) and wide receiver Stefon Diggs ($21.17 million). Spending on free agents isn't proof of a successful strategy, but New England needed the talent influx.
While there has understandably been a focus on the additions of Diggs and rookies Will Campbell (OT), TreVeyon Henderson (RB) and Kyle Williams (WR) to help out Maye, I'm more intrigued by what the Patriots did on defense. While the offense was borderline unwatchable at times last season, the defensive collapse might have cost coach Jerod Mayo his job. A defense that ranked first in the league in expected points added (EPA) per play during the second half of 2023 (without Gonzalez or edge Matthew Judon in the lineup) fell to 30th. The Patriots couldn't get pressure on quarterbacks and made too many coverage mistakes.
Unlike on offense, the Pats focused their defensive efforts on adding players who could make an immediate difference. In addition to paying a premium to sign Williams, Wolf signed veterans such as cornerback Carlton Davis III, edge rusher Harold Landry III and linebacker Robert Spillane, who will start immediately in the hopes of quickly turning around the defense.
Here's where new coach Mike Vrabel must make a difference. His Tennessee teams had a habit of getting more out of veterans than their prior employers did. While quarterback Ryan Tannehill was the most notable example, that list included defensive linemen Denico Autry and Mario Edwards Jr., and even cornerback Logan Ryan, one of the rare defenders who left Bill Belichick and the Patriots and improved. If Vrabel can get his veterans to play at a high level and the defense rights itself quickly, the Patriots will have a foundation to build off this season.
