NFL free agency is off to a frenzied start, but these five difference-makers are still on the board for teams with money to spend.
Teams with salary cap space available haven’t wasted any time in handing out lucrative deals to free agents. That doesn’t mean there isn’t real value left on the open market. There are still difference-makers to be had for teams with money burning holes in their wallets.
That doesn’t mean stars are going to suddenly start accepting bargain contracts. Teams intent on shopping in the bargain basement need to continue to patiently wait the market out.
Teams that struck out on some premier targets already can, however, find great value in the “second-tier” of NFL free agency. The following five players are ready to become difference-makers for teams willing to meet their asking price.
5. JuJu Smith-Schuster
Smith-Schuster isn’t a dominant No. 1 wide receiver, but that doesn’t change the fact that he’s a 24-year-old proven wideout hitting the open market. Any team looking for a top-notch No. 2 or even 1-B wide receiver should be blowing up Smith-Schuster’s phone.
There is also a distinct possibility that the number of quality wideouts available in free agency artificially depresses Smith-Schuster’s market. That could permit an enterprising team to grab him on a modest multi-year deal or maybe even a lucrative one-year contract that would allow him to hit the open market again in 2022.
At some point, Smith-Schuster might even fall back into the Steelers’ price range. A team looking for an upgrade at wide receiver should strike before that happens. He’s already proven his ability to be a real weapon when he’s given the luxury of playing alongside a true No. 1 option. Focusing on what Smith-Schuster is rather than what he isn’t should earn him a big deal pretty soon.