After a quieter stretch of NFL free agency, two notable moves still stood out. The Baltimore Ravens quickly pivoted to Trey Hendrickson after their failed trade for Maxx Crosby, while the Indianapolis Colts agreed to a deal with Daniel Jones.
Ravens Pivot to Trey Hendrickson
So my number 1 rated free agent has found a home. Trey Hendrickson has agreed to a four-year, $112 million deal that could be worth up to $120 million with incentives. The Ravens quickly pivoted after backing out of the Crosby trade, agreeing to terms with another elite pass rusher. Most – including me – would likely have Hendrickson rated slightly behind Crosby in terms of pass rushers. However, Hendrickson won’t cost two first-round picks. The Ravens have adjusted fine and quickly since the Crosby deal fell apart. It’s the Raiders who have to be more upset with how that played out.
Hendrickson is just one season removed from finishing second in Defensive Player of the Year voting in 2024. He had 17.5 sacks in back to back seasons before injuries held him to just seven games in 2025. Hendrickson is 31 years old, but I still think he has a lot to give. The Ravens are desperate for a pass rush, which is actually uncharacteristic for them. The Ravens had 30 sacks in 2025, which was their lowest in 15 years. Considering this is a team with Super Bowl aspirations, adding a pass rusher was key.
Not only is Hendrickson an extremely talented pass rusher, this guy has to be pissed entering the season. His former team, the Bengals, never signed him to a contract he so clearly deserved. Not only that, but he watched the Bengals take care of Tee Higgins before him when Burrow and Chase were already locked up. Let me be clear, I love Tee Higgins. But you would think you wanna take care of your superstar pass rusher first with Burrow and Chase already signed on the offensive side of the ball. Now he’ll get to see the Cincinnati Bengals twice per season with Baltimore. I have a feeling he is very much looking forward to that.
Colts Keep Daniel Jones
The Colts agree to a two-year, $88 million contract with Daniel Jones that could be worth up to $100 million with incentives. I know he got off to a hot start, but I just really don’t understand this deal. We have seen Daniel Jones fleece the Giants with a contract before, and he may have just done it again to the Colts. I’m struggling to find anything that validates this figure for Jones. I don’t think I would have given him this deal if fully healthy, never mind coming off a torn Achilles. I know QBs are hard to find, but in seven years of watching Daniel Jones play I just don’t see it. Daniel Jones has played one full season in his career. And is now coming off the most significant injury he has suffered.
This contract does not seem earned at all through his play. And again, I don’t care how he looked in a small sample size early in the season when the TEAM was having success. I’m not trying to completely discredit Jones and call him an awful QB. But I’m saying he’s an ok QB who is now getting paid like a top QB, which he is not. He had 19 TD passes in 13 games, and 8 interceptions in those games. Wanna know who I credit for the Colts success mostly? Jonathan Taylor and the offensive line. Jonathan Taylor had 1,585 rushing yards, 378 receiving yards, 20 total touchdowns, and averaged 4.9 YPC. But sure, let’s give Jones $100 million. That worked very well for the Giants.
Free agency may be slowing down, but moves like Hendrickson to Baltimore and the Colts betting big on Jones could still have a major impact on the upcoming NFL season. What do you guys think, did Daniel Jones earn this contract from the Colts?
Other Moves Around the League
Kevin Byard III agrees to a one-year, $9 million deal with the Patriots. Byard, playing for Chicago last season, led the NFL with seven interceptions. It was his second time leading the league in interceptions. However, his most impressive stat may be he has never missed a game since being drafted in 2016.
Bradley Chubb agreed to a three-year, $43.5 million deal worth up to $52.5 million with the Bills. Chubb had 8.5 sacks last season, which led the Dolphins. Chubb had that brutal knee injury at the end of the 2023 season, which forced him to miss the entire 2024 season. He played all 17 games last year. So it was nice to see him stay healthy last year after that devastating 2023 knee injury.
Cowboys trade DT Osa Odighizuwa to the 49ers for a 2026 third-round pick. Osa had just signed a four-year, $80 million contract with the Cowboys last offseason. But the Cowboys then went and added Quinnen Williams during the season. And also still have Kenny Clark on the roster from the Parsons trade. So this move kinda makes sense for Dallas given that big Osa contract when you already have Williams and Clark as Defensive Tackles too.
Aaron Jones agrees to a restructured one-year, $5.8 million contract to stay with the Vikings. He was going to be cut before agreeing to this restructuring.
Javon Hargrave agreed to a two-year, $23 million deal with the Packers. Hargrave will stay in the NFC North after being released by the Vikings this week.
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