The free agency frenzy had a lot of big deals go down even before the official start of the new league year. Some of the deals have been deserved, and some have left people wondering who’s fleecing who.
Today we’re taking a look at the five biggest contracts that have been given out at the start of NFL free agency. Given that the biggest contracts tend to be given out first, it seems likely that this list will stay mostly intact – but you never know!
Here are the five biggest deals given out so far:
5. Xavier McKinney, Safety, Green Bay Packers – Four years, $67 million
The notoriously stingy Packers opened up the bank vault in order to land one of the top safeties in free agency. In four seasons with the New York Giants, McKinney had 27 passes defended, nine interceptions and 180 solo tackles.
McKinney is not only an upgrade over departing safety Jonathan Owens, he will augment a pass defense that already ranks in the top 10 and will make it even better.
4. Jonathan Greenard, Defensive End, Minnesota Vikings – Four years, $76 million
A rather underrated contributor to the Houston Texans’ playoff season last year, Greenard had a monster year, leading the team with 12.5 sacks while recording 15 tackles for loss and 22 QB hits.
He parlayed that monster year in a monster contract worth $19 million per year. He could be a big piece of the Vikings’ defense, which struggled against the pass last year.
3. Robert Hunt, Offensive Guard, Carolina Panthers – Five years, $100 million
In perhaps the most head-scratching deal of free agency, the Panthers gave a nine-figure deal to former Dolphins offensive guard Robert Hunt. Hunt has been solid over his four years with the Dolphins, but after missing six games in 2023 there has to be a little bit of a durability issue in there.
Nevertheless, Hunt owes his agent more than a yearly gift basket after securing him a deal like that.
2. Christian Wilkins, Defensive End, Las Vegas Raiders – Four years, $110 million
Another former Miami Dolphins star getting a monster deal, Wilkins had his best year as a pass rusher, recording 9.0 sacks and 23 QB hits. He’s also a very versatile player, able to swat the ball out of the air, line up at fullback and even catch an odd pass here and there.
Wilkins will make quite a partner on the defensive line alongside Maxx Crosby, who also signed a big money deal a few years back and will be in Vegas for many years to come.
1. Kirk Cousins, Quarterback, Atlanta Falcons – Four years, $180 million
Once again the Pro Bowl quarterback has cashed in in the biggest way possible, securing a massive bag to become the new starter in Atlanta. While many people believe that it’s a bad deal for a quarterback who has struggled to win big games, the fact of the matter is he was the best quarterback to hit free agency and was always going to get a monster deal.
Like it or loathe it, Cousins is going to be the Falcons’ starting quarterback into his twilight years.