20 best value signings in NFL free agency that have GMs looking like geniuses

The 2024 edition of NFL free agency is mostly finished, and it's time to look back on the period to examine which deals inked were the best values for teams. Here are 20 signings that should pay off in huge way, while not hurting the wallet all that much.

1. Russell Wilson, QB, Pittsburgh Steelers

Wilson was one of the most prolific passers of the 2010s, starting 158 games for the Seattle Seahawks, throwing for over 37,000 yards, 292 touchdowns, and only 87 interceptions. When the Denver Broncos gave up Drew Lock, Shelby Harris, Noah Fant, two first-round picks, two second-round picks, and a fifth-rounder to land Wilson prior to the 2022 season, the team was going all-in and thought they'd become immediate Super Bowl contenders with the nine-time Pro-Bowler as their new field general. Denver then signed Wilson to a five-year extension worth $245 million, and just two years later, Wilson is on a new team, playing for the Steelers on the veterans minimum of only $1.2 million.

Given the massive compensation cost and the $85 million in dead cap the Broncos incurred by cutting him before his extension even kicked in, that trade is looking like one of, if not the worst in NFL history. At 36 years old, Wilson may not be the player he once was, but he's far from bad; his current reputation as a player has more to do with the lofty expectations of his trade and contract, rather than his on-field play, which is still solid, if unspectacular.

If the Steelers and new offensive coordinator Arthur Smith are able to tailor the offense to suit Wilson's strengths, he could find some success in 2024, and while carrying one of the smallest QB cap hits in the entire league, Wilson presents excellent value for Pittsburgh, at the expense of the Broncos. His 2023 level of play would present a significant upgrade over anyone who has thrown a pass for Pittsburgh since Ben Roethlisberger retired and for just $1.2 million at that.

2. Marquise Brown, WR, Kansas City Chiefs

A 2019 first-round pick by the Baltimore Ravens, Brown has failed to live up to expectations throughout his career, but was still valued highly by the Arizona Cardinals, who traded the 23rd overall pick in 2022 for Brown and pick number 100. In 26 games for Arizona, Brown totaled 118 grabs for 1,283 yards and seven touchdowns, numbers which would be impressive if they occurred in a single season.

Inconsistency has always plagued Brown, but the draw with him is that he's one of the fastest and quickest receivers in the game, and his physical ability puts a strain on any secondary, regardless of whether he's producing at an elite level or not. The Chiefs won the Super Bowl last year despite a very unimpressive wide receiver group, and Brown, who currently carries a smaller cap hit than 34 other receivers in 2024, will make a big impact, with or without a high volume of targets.

3. Maurice Hurst, DT, Cleveland Browns

Hurst was an extremely low-risk signing by Cleveland in 2023, earning less than $1 million for the season, but he played very well before going down with an injury, logging a solid 10.4 percent pressure rate and playing quality run defense as a member of the Browns' defensive tackle rotation. He'll be back in 2024 at a price almost double his previous cap hit, but still a quite affordable $1.74 million. In an era where good DT play has never been more important, getting a player like Hurst for so cheap is a fantastic value for Cleveland.

4. Mike Williams, WR, New York Jets

A torn ACL limited Williams to only three games in 2023, but over his previous five seasons, he averaged well over 15 yards per catch and hauled in 30 touchdowns. He's a big 6-foot-4 218 pounds and gives New York both a deep threat and a jump ball target in the red zone. His $8.6 million contract for 2024, which includes just a $2.7 million cap hit this season, is a bargain for the level of player he is when healthy, and should be able to form a quality connection with Aaron Rodgers if he can avoid injury.

5. Mike Gesicki, TE, Cincinnati Bengals

Tight end was one of the Bengals' biggest needs entering free agency, and while Gesicki is not your prototypical inline tight end, and functions more as a slot receiver, his addition to the offense is a worthwhile one, especially for just a $2.5 million cap hit, a number less than many backup tight ends. Gesicki has always been a good player when given the opportunity and should be an effective chess piece for Joe Burrow to take advantage of.

6. Willie Gay Jr., LB, New Orleans Saints

Gay is a two-time Super Bowl champion and one of the fastest and most explosive linebackers in the NFL. In a pretty decent market for linebackers, it was a big surprise to see him sign for just $3 million. His true sideline-to-sideline range and coverage ability should give New Orleans one of the league's best LB corps along with Demario Davis and Pete Werner.

7. Quinton Jefferson, DT, Cleveland Browns

Another Browns DT, Jefferson is a journeyman who spent last season with the New York Jets, notching a career-high six sacks in 14 games. He's played for three other teams since being a fifth-round pick in 2016, and while he's a weak run defender, he has consistently been one of the leagues' better and more undervalued interior disruptors, as evidenced by his pressure rates of 12.1, 11.4 and 10.7 percent over the past three seasons, with his career-high coming in 2023. The Browns landed him for under $4 million in total, with a cap hit of under $2 million this season, which is excellent value for a player who figures to be a key part of the rotation.

8. Kevin Zeitler, OG, Detroit Lions

A first-round pick by the Cincinnati Bengals in 2012, Zeitler has been one of the NFL's very best guards for the entirety of his career. Now 34 years old, he is approaching the end, but he's still an extremely effective player. In fact, using the 80 percent snaps qualifier, among all NFL guards, Zeitler tied Indianapolis Colts' All-Pro Quenton Nelson for the fewest pressures allowed. Detroit did lose Jonah Jackson to the Los Angeles Rams, but there is a very real possibility that Zeitler ends up being an upgrade, and at a cap hit of less than $6 million. He'll begin to slow down at some point, but he has yet to show signs of that happening, and that makes him a perfect fit for a team primed for a Super Bowl run.

9. L'Jarius Sneed, CB, Tennessee Titans

Though Sneed wasn't technically a free-agent signing, the fact that he was traded was a direct result of contract negotiations, so he makes this list. The thinking around the league and in the media was that Sneed would become perhaps the highest-paid corner in the league after a stellar run with the Kansas City Chiefs that included two Super Bowl victories.

Instead, Sneed was traded along with a 2024 seventh-round pick to the Titans for a 2024 seventh-rounder and a 2025 third-rounder. That's minimal compensation for a No. 1 cornerback, which led many to believe that the trade-off for Tennessee giving up so much to land him was that Sneed's new deal would be lucrative, but that was not the case. Sneed and the Titans have reportedly agreed to a deal worth $76.4 million over four years, including $55 million guaranteed. It's a good payday for Sneed, a former fourth-round pick, but it's not as much as expected, and the actual number will likely come in lower. Currently, in terms of AAV, Sneed's deal would rank eighth in the league, so the Titans did very well for themselves.

10. Denico Autry, DL, Houston Texans

The 33-year-old Autry will shift allegiance in the AFC South for the second time, as he goes from the Tennessee Titans to join the Texans. After totaling a career-high 11.5 sacks last season, Houston rewarded him with a two-year $20 million deal. At 6-foot-5 285 pounds, Autry is a tweener who is constantly moving between three-tech DT and power EDGE but is a consistent disruptor wherever he plays, and that skillset will be extremely valuable for a Texans team that is suddenly entering a Super Bowl window. Autry's cap hit in 2024 will be $6.5 million, and only $10.5 million of his deal is guaranteed, so this is a very team-friendly contract for one of the underrated defensive linemen in the league.

11. Sione Takitaki, LB, New England Patriots

Speaking of underrated, Takitaki played a rotational role in the Cleveland defense over the past five seasons and signed with the Patriots for only $6.6 million over two years. He's an explosive athlete, tough as nails, and has shown significant improvement in his coverage ability throughout his career. Because of injuries to other players in the room, he's had to play a lot of MIKE backer over the past two seasons, but can contribute at any spot, and will compete with Ja'Whaun Bentley and Jahlani Tavai for playing time, in addition to being a core special-teamer.

12. Kendall Fuller, CB, Miami Dolphins

Fuller proved himself to be one of the league's very best slot corners early on in his career, and has since made the transition to an extremely effective outside cornerback. He's also only 29 years old, so he likely still has a few more good years left in him. That makes it all the more puzzling that he was able to get only $15 million over two years from the Dolphins, with less than $8 million of that guaranteed. That could easily end up being one of the most team-friendly contracts in the NFL if Fuller continues to perform as he has over the past few seasons, and now he'll have the advantage of not needing to take the opponent's #1 wide receiver, leaving that responsibility for Jalen Ramsey.

13. Shelby Harris, DT, Cleveland Browns

The third (and final) Cleveland DT on this list, Harris was a crucial part of the Browns' defensive line rotation in 2023, and he re-upped for $9 million over two years, with his 2024 cap hit coming in at less than $2.3 million. He's a dependable veteran who had a really nice run with the Denver Broncos and seems to have found a home as a committee player with Cleveland. The approach worked very well last season, and fans should expect repeat results from Harris and company in 2024.

14. Shaquill Griffin, CB, Minnesota Vikings

After four seasons with the Seattle Seahawks, Griffin signed a three-year deal with the Jacksonville Jaguars worth $40 million, which was seen by some as an overpay at the time. Griffin played two years with Jacksonville before being released, and he spent 2023 with the Houston Texans and Carolina Panthers. Griffin may not be a #1 corner, but he's always been a solid player, and for $4.4 million, that's quality value for a Minnesota team that really needed some help in the secondary.

15. D.J. Reader, DT, Detroit Lions

Another player whom the Lions poached from the AFC North, Reader is one of the most underrated defenders in football; he's an elite run-stuffer with some legitimate pass-rushing juice, and was a player the Cincinnati Bengals very much wanted to retain. Reader ended up signing with Detroit for $22 million over two years, with a cap hit of only $5.3 million in 2024. The Bengals then proceeded to sign Sheldon Rankins to a two-year $24.5 million deal, and while Rankins is a solid player, he is not the all-around force that Reader is. Playing next to Alim McNeill should allow Reader to thrive, and the Lions did very well in landing an excellent player at a great value.

16. Trent Brown, OT, Cincinnati Bengals

The Bengals have lots of potential, but they aren't going anywhere if Joe Burrow isn't healthy, so the team brought in Brown to man the right side of the line opposite of Orlando Brown Jr. In addition to having the same last name, the two tackles are some of the largest and most powerful players in the NFL, and the hope is that duo will also form on of the best tackle pairs as well.

Brown's best campaigns have come with the New England Patriots, and his $4.4 million cap hit doesn't preclude the team from taking a tackle high in the draft (that would be a good idea anyway since Brown will be 31 years old and is one a one-year deal), but it would be surprising if he didn't start and provide the team with solid play. Quality tackles are not easy to find, and the Bengals didn't have to pay much at all to land one in Brown.

17. Kamren Curl, S, Los Angeles Rams

Another quality defensive back who got less money than expected, Curl worked his way from a seventh-round pick to starting as a rookie and developing into one of the more consistent safeties in the game. He's not just underrated by the general public though, as the Rams were able to land him for just $9 million over two years, an AAV which makes him tied for the 30th-highest-paid safety in the NFL.

Perhaps playing for a better team will earn him more recognition for his play, and his next contract should be more representative of both his track record and ability. In the meantime, Los Angeles will enjoy having him improve their defense while barely impacting their pocketbook.

18. Geno Stone, S, Cincinnati Bengals

Another former seventh-round safety, Stone was a great player in college at Iowa, but concerns over his athletic ability allowed him to fall to the Baltimore Ravens at pick No. 219. He played only two snaps as a rookie, but each year he's been in the league, both his role and performance increased, and in 2023, he was a crucial part of arguably the NFL's best defense, logging 1,000 snaps and ranking seventh in PFF coverage grade. By signing Stone, Cincy both strengthened their own team and weakened a division rival and all for a reasonable $14 million over two years.

19. Za'Darius Smith, EDGE, Cleveland Browns

The Browns seem to play it by ear each offseason in regards to who will be Robin to Myles Garrett's Batman. In 2021 and 2022 it was Jadeveon Clowney, and then last season it was Smith, who stayed mostly healthy and put up his highest pressure rate (15.2 percent) since his dominant 2019 campaign. He'll turn 32 years old this season, but when he's healthy, Smith is still one of the league's most effective edge rushers, and the Browns are paying him only $23 million over the next two seasons, with a minuscule $5.2 million cap hit in 2024. By average annual value, Smith currently ranks 27th among all EDGEs, and you'd be hard-pressed to find 26 players at his position better than Smith.

20. Darnell Savage, S, Jacksonville Jaguars

A former first-round pick, Savage is an elite athlete whose career in Green Bay was very up-and-down, but he is coming off of his best season thus far. The Jaguars are hoping that he can continue that success with a change of scenery. Savage will likely play more of a strong safety role with Andre Cisco manning the back end, so it will be interesting to see how all the pieces in that Jacksonville secondary end up fitting together. Savage will make less than $22 million over three seasons, with $12.5 million of that guaranteed, so it seems like a fair deal for both sides.