5 biggest winners of NFL free agency

1. Minnesota Vikings

With all three quarterbacks they had in 2017 hitting free agency, the Vikings could have brought a couple of them back to compete for the starting job or made a bigger move with the cap space to do so this offseason. They went the latter route, signing Kirk Cousins to a three-year deal worth $84 million (fully guaranteed).

Cousins has a track record as a starter Case Keenum can’t match, and he carries with him none of the durability concerns that will hang over Teddy Bridgewater and Sam Bradford. So for a franchise constantly in search of stability under center, due to circumstances within and outside of its control, the rare (unprecedented, really) opportunity to sign someone like Cousins could not be turned down.

Cousins can be painted any way you like, by traditional or advanced data and with a dismal situation in Washington as a backdrop. But the Vikings are on track to be one of the top teams in the NFC again next season, and they just upgraded at the most important position in sports.

Next: NFL Free Agency 2018: Updates and grades

If signing Cousins isn’t enough, the Vikings brought in Sheldon Richardson on a one-year deal to  add to one of the best defensive lines in the league.