There was a lot of buzz about potential trades in the lead-up to 2022 NFL free agency, but nobody was sure if any deals would actually come to fruition. Sure, there were rumors that Aaron Rodgers, Russell Wilson and Deshaun Watson could be traded, but would any team bite on a move?
Well, the answer to that was a resounding yes. As a result, March 2022 was one of the craziest months in recent NFL history.
While Rodgers stayed put, Wilson and Watson were both traded for massive packages involving multiple first-round draft picks. The Watson trade caused Matt Ryan to be moved and will also signal the end of the Baker Mayfield era in Cleveland. Carson Wentz was also traded and, oh yeah, Tom Brady came out of retirement just 40 days after his initial announcement.
Two of the NFL's best receivers, Davante Adams and Tyreek Hill, were also traded and got massive contract extensions. Watson got an extension, too, that contained the most guaranteed money in NFL history.
Incredibly, those were just the trades that occurred before and during free agency. There were still countless other key signings that will have an impact on the league, especially as a part of the arms race within the AFC.
The dust has mostly settled on free agency, though there are still some key players that will sign during the second wave of free agency. But who is the league's No. 1 team after free agency? An AFC squad appears to have emerged as the NFL's top contender.
IYER: Ranking signings, trades for all 32 teams from best to worst
NFL power rankings
1. Buffalo Bills
The AFC is going to be a slugfest this year, but the Bills look like the cream of the crop for now. They made one of the shock signings of the offseason, landing Von Miller as a free agent, and shored up some of their offensive holes with cheap, veteran signings like guard Rodger Saffold, tight end O.J. Howard, running back Duke Johnson Jr. and wide receiver Jamison Crowder. They are deep, talented and ready to make a Super Bowl run.
2. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The Buccaneers had arguably the best free agency of any team in the NFL. Why? Because Tom Brady decided not to retire after all. The 44-year-old quarterback spent 40 days in retirement before announcing he would return on eve of free agency.
Brady's announcement allowed the Bucs to not only convince Chris Godwin, Carlton Davis, Leonard Fournette and Ryan Jensen to stay, but it also helped them lure wide-out Russell Gage and safety Logan Ryan to the team. The team also traded for Patriots guard Shaq Mason, a high-end starter, to replace Alex Cappa on the right side of the offensive line, so they look like one of the best teams in a weakened NFC.
3. Cincinnati Bengals
Much has been made of the improvement of the Bengals' divisional rival, the Browns, after their acquisition of Deshaun Watson. That said, the Bengals may be having a better offseason, as they have fixed their biggest weakness: the offensive line.
Cincinnati allowed Joe Burrow to be sacked a league-high 51 times in the regular season and another 19 in the playoffs. To fix that issue, the Bengals signed Alex Cappa, Ted Karras and La'el Collins to start at the two guard spots and tackle respectively. Now, the team's biggest problem is at the No. 2 cornerback spot, which they can address during the 2022 NFL Draft.
4. Kansas City Chiefs
It's hard to love what the Chiefs have done during free agency. They're still a great team and will be as long as they have Patrick Mahomes, but trading top receiver Tyreek Hill greatly hurts their chances of winning Super Bowl 57. It may help them long-term given the assets they got for him, but they are far behind in the AFC arms race as a result of that move.
Kansas City added a couple of receivers to replace Hill in JuJu Smith-Schuster and Marquez Valdes-Scantling, but will the team have enough weapons? And will the losses of Charvarius Ward and Tyrann Mathieu cause their secondary to regress? These questions are enough to keep the Chiefs behind the AFC's other top teams in these power rankings.
5. Los Angeles Rams
The Rams are in a similar boat to the Chiefs. They're still one of the best teams in their conference, but they have suffered some losses during the offseason. Los Angeles most notably lost Von Miller, but starting cornerback Darious Williams also left in free agency.
Meanwhile, three offensive starters have left, as Andrew Whitworth retired, Austin Corbett signed with the Panthers in free agency and Robert Woods was traded to the Titans. The Rams have replacements for all three — most notably, Allen Robinson will replace Woods — but their offensive line depth is a bit suspect.
These losses won't keep the Rams from contending. However, they won't be as strong without adding a replacement for Miller and some depth on the offensive line.
6. Los Angeles Chargers
The Chargers have put together one of the most impressive offseasons of any NFL team to date, getting younger and better on both sides of the ball. They did well to keep their top free agent, Mike Williams on a three-year deal worth $60 million and but the bigger improvements have come on defense.
Los Angels added a true, high-level counterpart for Joey Bosa by trading for former Defensive Player of the Year Khalil Mack. The two will form a fearsome pass-rushing duo while the addition of J.C. Jackson, who has 25 career interceptions including 17 in the past two seasons, will strengthen the Chargers' secondary.
That star power, along with the additions of solid defensive tackles Austin Johnson and Sebastian Joseph-Day, will go a long way toward improving the Chargers' defense.
NFL DRAFT 2022: SN's latest mock | Top 100 big board
7. Green Bay Packers
The Packers accomplished their biggest goal of the 2022 NFL offseason by keeping Aaron Rodgers. They haven't done much to improve their team aside from that.
Sure, Green Bay re-signed some of its key defensive playmakers from 2021, including De'Vondre Campbell and Rasul Douglas. It also will get healthier as offensive linemen David Bakhtiari and Elgton Jenkins return from season-ending injuries along with tight end Robert Tonyan.
That said, trading Davante Adams has left a massive hole at the receiver position. Allen Lazard is the team's top option there currently, and it seems like the Packers will either have to take on veteran reclamation projects at the position or rely on rookies to shoulder the load in the passing game.
The Packers can't slip too far in any power rankings because of the presence of two-time reigning MVP Rodgers. Still, moving on from Adams was a disheartening move for the Packers faithful that want to see their team finally get over the hump and make it back to the Super Bowl.
8. Denver Broncos
The Broncos went 7-10 last season with Teddy Bridgewater and Drew Lock starting at quarterback under coach Vic Fangio. Now, they have Russell Wilson at quarterback with Nathaniel Hackett coaching.
Talk about an upgrade.
Denver now is a legitimate contender in the AFC, as they already had a strong stable of offensive weapons and one of the best defenses in the NFL. The Broncos further shored up their defense by signing Randy Gregory and adding two former 49ers — defensive tackle D.J. Jones and slot cornerback K'Waun Williams — to the unit, so they should only get better in 2022.
The only downside for the Broncos is that they play in the uber-stacked AFC West, so if it takes time for the team's new coaching staff and quarterback to mesh, that could hold them back a bit. Still, you can bet on hearing Denver being mentioned frequently in January as it pushes to return to the playoffs for the first time since winning the Super Bowl in 2015.
9. San Francisco 49ers
The 49ers are a bit of a wild-card, as they are planning to start Trey Lance in 2022. Lance showed flashes in two starts last season, but his progression and performance will be key to the team's success this season.
San Francisco has lost some key pieces — including guard Laken Tomlinson, cornerback K'Waun Williams and defensive tackle D.J. Jones — but they also added a potential No. 1 cornerback in Charvarius Ward. The team should continue to perform well if Lance can live up to his billing as the No. 3 overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft.
10. Dallas Cowboys
The Cowboys, like the Chiefs and Packers, have seen some major departures during the 2022 NFL offseason. That always happens at some point after you pay a quarterback $40 million-plus per season.
Dallas lost two of its top four receivers, Amari Cooper and Cedrick Wilson, as well as two starting offensive linemen, Connor Williams and La'el Collins. Pass rusher Randy Gregory also spurned the team after originally agreeing to re-sign with them.
Though the Cowboys have had some losses, they also managed to keep the likes of Michael Gallup, Dalton Schultz, Leighton Vander Esch and Jayron Kearse. They also took a flier on pass rusher Dante Fowler to replace Gregory. As such, the Cowboys still look like a potential playoff team and the best team in the NFC East, though the gap is closing on them a bit.
11. Cleveland Browns
The Browns' acquisitions of Deshaun Watson and, to a lesser extent, Amari Cooper have many wondering if they are the team to beat in the AFC North. Sportsbooks actually believe they are, as three major books have the Browns listed ahead of the Bengals as potential division winners.
| Team | FanDuel Odds | DraftKings odds | Sports Interaction odds |
| Browns | +185 | +175 | +165 |
| Bengals | +220 | +200 | +205 |
| Ravens | +200 | +225 | +215 |
| Steelers | +850 | +850 | +800 |
This is somewhat of a surprise. There's no denying that the Browns have gotten a quarterback upgrade in Watson, but the team still has some major questions. First and foremost, will Watson be suspended by the NFL for violating its personal conduct policy? The answer to that is probably yes, and however long he's out, Cleveland will have to start Jacoby Brissett.
Elsewhere, the Browns cut star center JC Tretter to open the cap space needed to acquire Watson and are undergoing a major reshuffle on the defensive line. They also parted with Jarvis Landry after acquiring Cooper, so they are still thin at receiver.
Can the Browns be a playoff team in 2022? Absolutely. They have a strong roster all-around and have younger players ready to step into the vacant roles they have at center and on the defensive line. That said, it seems premature to call them better than the Bengals, among other teams in the AFC. Let's see what happens with Watson first before we consider putting them ahead of the reigning AFC champions.
12. Tennessee Titans
The Titans spent the early portion of free agency focusing on re-signing their own guys. Notably, they agreed to a long-term deal with Harold Landry just before the franchise tag deadline and brought back long-time starting center Ben Jones.
Had that been it for the Titans, it would have been a lackluster offseason. However, they found a way t acquire both Robert Woods and Austin Hooper on the cheap to upgrade their No. 2 receiver and tight end positions respectively.
Tennessee suffered some losses, too. It moved on from Julio Jones and his huge cap number while two offensive line starters — Rodger Saffold and David Quessenberry — have left the team. Still, the Titans' gains outweigh their losses and should give Ryan Tannehill and Co. a chance to win the AFC South once again.
13. Indianapolis Colts
The Colts have closed the gap on the Titans significantly during free agency, as they pulled off a couple of trades to greatly improve their team.
First, the Colts swapped Rock Ya-Sin for Yannick Ngakoue in an effort to upgrade their pass rush. The team hasn't had a high-end pass rusher since Robert Mathis retired, and Ngakoue figures to fill that void. Then, of course, the team acquired Matt Ryan for a third-round pick in a move that gives the team its best quarterback since Andrew Luck retired.
The Colts still have some holes. They lost two starting offensive linemen, though Matt Pryor figures to get a crack at replacing left tackle Eric Fisher, and they also need starters and depth at receiver and cornerback. If Indianapolis can find a way to plug those holes, they can be a top-10 team. For now, the additions of Ryan and Ngakoue still make them a fearsome team in both the AFC South and AFC wild-card race.
14. Las Vegas Raiders
There's one word that best describes the Raiders' offseason to date: flashy. The team's first splash came when they were able to hire Josh McDaniels to replace former coach Jon Gruden and interim Rich Bisaccia. They have continued into free agency.
The biggest — and most surprising — flashy move came when the Raiders traded for Davante Adams. Vegas has needed a No. 1 receiver since their Oakland days, and Adams should provide them with just that. He has chemistry with Derek Carr from their time together at Fresno State, so that should provide a big boost to the team's passing offense.
Meanwhile, on defense, the Raiders traded Yannick Ngakoue for Rock Ya-Sin in an effort to upgrade their secondary. Ya-Sin is a solid starter and should work out as a No. 2 corner for the Raiders. They did well to replace Ngakoue with Chandler Jones, who has 107.5 career sacks and has experience playing in New England with McDaniels.
The Raiders still have some holes in the secondary and haven't recovered from their offensive line purge during the 2021 offseason. But there's no doubt that they got better a year after making an unexpected playoff run. The only problem is that the rest of the AFC, and their division, got better as well.
RIVERA: Grading the NFL's QB moves during the 2022 offseason
15. Baltimore Ravens
The Ravens didn't have a lot of resources available to them this offseason. They still have to extend Lamar Jackson eventually, and they had a handful of veteran players hitting the free-agent market. Baltimore had to let some of them go, but the team did a good job of still improving their team.
Baltimore's biggest signing was safety Marcus Williams, who has been a star the last five seasons for the Saints. The Ravens had a hole at safety next to Chuck Clark and Williams will fit that perfectly. Meanwhile, signing Morgan Moses to replace the retired Alejandro Villanueva while signing Michael Pierce to replace some of the team's departing defensive linemen were both solid moves as well.
Losing center Bradley Bozeman will hurt the Ravens, but they may be positioned to land a player like Tyler Linderbaum with the 14th pick in the 2022 NFL Draft. Suffering just that one major loss is a boon for the Ravens, who should be much better in 2022 as dozens of players return from injuries that limited them last season.
16. Arizona Cardinals
The Cardinals have not had a great offseason by any means. They dealt with drama involving Kyler Murray and saw key contributors like Chandler Jones, Christian Kirk, Jordan Hicks, Chase Edmonds, A.J. Green and more head elsewhere.
The result? Arizona isn't as deep as it was last year. It is younger, but it's not as talented. They still have some high-end playmakers like Murray, DeAndre Hopkins and James Conner, who they retained, but their only major addition was former first-round cornerback Jeff Gladney.
That's probably not enough for the team to take a step forward. As such, it's hard to figure out whether we'll get the version of the Cardinals that started the season 7-0, or the version that lost five of its last six games.
17. Philadelphia Eagles
The Eagles made one major signing during NFL free agency. They added Haason Reddick to upgrade their pass rush. The former Temple star has totaled 23.5 sacks over the last two seasons and will give the Eagles a bonafide outside pass rusher, something that they have lacked in recent seasons.
Aside from that, it's mostly status quo for the Eagles. Jason Kelce's return will help their offensive line while the retirement of Brandon Brooks will hurt it. Philly still needs to add receiver help for Jalen Hurts and some secondary depth, but it still looks like a wild-card contender in the NFC.
18. Pittsburgh Steelers
Calling Mitchell Trubisky an upgrade over Ben Roethlisberger sounds strange in theory, but in practice, it's true. Roethlisberger could barely throw the ball downfield last year, averaging 6.7 intended air yards per attempt, the second-worst among qualified quarterbacks in 2021 ahead of only Jared Goff. The crazy thing is that Roethlisberger did this while working with a receiving corps featuring Chase Claypool, Diontae Johnson and JuJu Smith-Schuster, so it's not like he was starved for talent.
Trubisky averaged 7.8 intended air yards per attempt in 2020, a season during which he started nine games. He also possesses more mobility than Roethlisberger, so he will be a bigger playmaker in general.
Beyond Trubisky, the Steelers added two offensive linemen — star guard/center James Daniels and center Mason Cole — cornerback Levi Wallace and linebacker Myles Jack to fill their biggest remaining weaknesses. Pittsburgh also added Brian Flores to its coaching staff.
The Steelers have certainly gotten better since last year. The only question is about whether they have the ceiling needed to be a playoff team in the loaded AFC.
19. Miami Dolphins
The Dolphins came into the 2022 NFL offseason needing to upgrade their offense. Mission accomplished.
Miami has added two key players at three offensive positions. Notably, the team traded for Tyreek Hill to improve their receiving corps while also adding Cedrick Wilson. They also signed two of the best free-agent offensive linemen, tackle Terron Armstead and guard Connor Williams, to fix the left side of their offensive line.
These moves, along with the signings of running backs Chase Edmonds and Raheem Mostert, will give Tua Tagovailoa plenty of weapons with which to work. The question now is whether Tagovailoa can take the next step during his third season and whether the Dolphins' defense can find success without Brian Flores in tow.
20. New England Patriots
If you thought that the Patriots would continue spending heavily in free agency in 2022 after doing so in 2021, think again. New England has, largely, been bargain hunting, a staple of Bill Belichick's offseason strategy.
The result? New England has lost a lot of talent. They let star cornerback J.C. Jackson walk, lost two of their top guards to free agency (Ted Karras) and a trade (Shaq Mason) while their two most experienced linebackers, Dont'a Hightower and Kyle Van Noy, remain unsigned.
Many are hoping that Mac Jones will make a leap during his second NFL season, but the Patriots' line has gotten thinner while their receiving corps hasn't been upgraded. It's hard to be overly optimistic about the team's chances in the AFC now, but Belichick usually finds a way to keep his team competitive.
21. Minnesota Vikings
The good news for Vikings fans: the team added some talent to its front seven, signing cap casualties Za'Darius Smith and Jordan Hicks to upgrade their pass rush and linebacker corps respectively. The bad news: they don't have much at cornerback and have done virtually nothing to improve their offense.
Minnesota has proven that it can be a solid team with Kirk Cousins at quarterback. However, he needs a strong supporting cast to succeed. He has some high-end weapons but can he elevate the rest of the squad enough to return to the playoffs? That remains to be seen. As such, this could be a painful retooling process for Kevin O'Connell and Co.
22. Washington Commanders
As ugly as the Carson Wentz trade was from a compensation standpoint, there's no doubt that he is an upgrade over what the Commanders have had at quarterback in recent seasons. In fact, Wentz's passer rating of 94.6 in 2019 would be an upgrade over what Washington has had in each of the last five seasons.
| Year | Total passer rating |
| 2021 | 85.8 |
| 2020 | 80.1 |
| 2019 | 83 |
| 2018 | 78.1 |
| 2017 | 93.9 |
Effectively, Wentz is the best quarterback that the Commanders have had since Kirk Cousins was in town. So, even if Wentz is volatile, he will give Washington a higher ceiling than what they currently have.
If Wentz is an upgrade, then why hasn't Washington moved up more? Well, it's because they haven't really done much else in free agency. They have lost key players like guard Brandon Scherff, linebacker/safety Landon Collins and defensive lineman Matt Ioannidis while only really adding guard Andrew Norwell.
The Commanders still need help at receiver, tight end, linebacker and in the secondary. Those holes may be enough to keep them out of the wild-card race barring Wentz returning to his pre-2020 form.
MORE: Grading the Carson Wentz trade for the Colts, Commanders
23. Jacksonville Jaguars
The Jaguars were one of the most active teams in free agency not only this year but in NFL history. ESPN's Mike Reiss reports that the Jaguars spent $175.3 million in guaranteed money during free agency. That broke the previous spending record of the 2021 Patriots by $12.3 million.
Not all of the signings were wise from a financial standpoint, and giving Christian Kirk $18 million annually for four years was particularly pricey. Still, there's no doubting that the Jaguars have more talent, as Kirk, Zay Jones and Evan Engram will give Trevor Lawrence weapons to work with while Foley Fatukasi, Foye Oluokun and Darious Williams give the Jaguars an upgrade at each level of the defense.
Will the Jaguars make a Bengals-style leap and become a postseason contender in 2022? It's not out of the question. If Lawrence gets better protection and can better utilize his weapons, they may push for a wild-card spot. That said, they're still not a team to confidently trust; they still are rebuilding in wake of Urban Meyer's disastrous one-year tenure in Jacksonville.
24. New Orleans Saints
The Saints continue to push their inevitable cap crunch into the future. This offseason, they created space because they were involved in the Deshaun Watson sweepstakes. However, they weren't able to land him, so they brought back Jameis Winston instead.
Winston is a fine interim solution at quarterback, but his supporting cast is slightly weakened after the loss of Terron Armstead in free agency. The rest of the Saints' offense is still intact, but there are questions about how well it will run after Sean Payton's departure.
Defensively, the only notable move the Saints made was to replace Marcus Williams with Marcus Maye. That represents a money-saving downgrade.
The Saints are going to have a tough time competing for a playoff spot again in 2022. They're not quite rebuilding yet, but they probably should be. Or at the very least, they should be retooling to reset their cap space to avoid salary cap Armeggedon over the next couple of offseasons.
25. Detroit Lions
We all had fun laughing at the Lions last season as they started 0-10-1, but they got better as the year went along and always played hard. And given the decline of some major contenders in the NFC, they may not be as bad as you think this season.
Jared Goff didn't throw the ball downfield much last season, but he didn't have all that many weapons to target. He now has a better receiving corps headlined by free-agent signee DJ Chark. That was Detroit's lone external move of note, but the team did well to retain some of its top talents, like Tracy Walker, Charles Harris and Josh Reynolds.
The Lions aren't ready to be a playoff contender year, but they are moving away from the bottom quartile of the league. Dan Campbell has his team heading in the right direction even without making too many major free-agent moves.
26. Chicago Bears
A lot of Chicago's success in 2022 will depend on Justin Fields' ability to take a step forward. It might be hard for him to do that considering that the Bears have lost three starting offensive linemen to date and Allen Robinson.
The Bears' defense is also going through a retool, as Khalil Mack has been traded for draft capital, including a second-round pick. Chicago will be positioned to replace him, but the pass rush has taken a hit without him and Akeem Hicks available.
It's hard to see much to like about the Bears. They seem to be resetting their salary cap under new leadership, so this could be a rough season for them.
27. Carolina Panthers
The Panthers wanted to land Deshaun Watson as their starting quarterback. Or Russell Wilson. Or anyone, really. Instead, the current favorite to start is Sam Darnold. Yuck.
While the additions of Bradley Bozeman and Austin Corbett will improve Carolina's offensive line, it won't matter much if Darnold is at quarterback. Nor will the team's several solid defensive acquisitions, led by linebacker Cory Littleton and safety Xavier Woods.
28. New York Giants
The Giants are at least trying to fix their offensive line. They have signed Mark Glowinski, Jon Feliciano and Max Garcia to compete for jobs on their interior offensive line and protect Daniel Jones. They also added Tyrod Taylor to back Jones up. Outside of that, they haven't done much.
New York is hoping to build around Jones, but they couldn't commit much to that effort in free agency. Why? Because they are facing a cap crunch. As such, it's tough to complain about what the Giants did given their resources. Still, it's not exactly an overly impressive offseason either.
29. Seattle Seahawks
Rebuilding was the right choice for the Seahawks. They are stuck in one of the NFL's best divisions and simply didn't have the talent needed around Russell Wilson to be a contender. The draft picks acquired in exchange for Wilson along with Noah Fant should give Seattle a long-term boost.
For 2022, however, the Seahawks are looking like one of the NFL's worst teams. They are currently slated to start Drew Lock at quarterback unless they acquire Jimmy Garoppolo, Baker Mayfield or a rookie. The running game and defense will have to carry them in 2022 as a result.
Unfortunately, Seattle's defense has been weakened by the departures of Bobby Wagner and DJ Reed and already had its share of issues against the pass last season. As such, the Seahawks will probably be on the wrong end of some lopsided results in 2022, barring a trade for a more talented quarterback.
30. Atlanta Falcons
Just five years ago, the Falcons' offense was one of the best in the NFL. Now, it's one of the worst. The team doesn't have a strong offensive line, has lost its top three receivers — Julio Jones, Calvin Ridley and Russell Gage — over the last two years and traded Matt Ryan for a third-round pick.
Signing Marcus Mariota was a nice gamble by the Falcons. Perhaps he can produce if he can stay healthy. But even if he does, he will have few weapons to work with, outside of Cordarrelle Patterson and Kyle Pitts.
Meanwhile, the Falcons have a good cornerback tandem on defense, but that's about it. They look like a bottom-barrel team in the NFC.
MORE: Grading the Matt Ryan trade for the Falcons, Colts
31. New York Jets
The Jets did well in free agency, adding a couple of starters in the secondary, continuing to work on their offensive line and signing two tight ends to fill the hole that the team has long had there.
Despite the strong work of Robert Saleh and Joe Douglas, the Jets are still a work in progress. They need to add more talent to their defense and they have to continue supporting Zach Wilson on offense. He should improve during his second season, but it would have to be a massive leap forward for the Jets to make any type of run toward a wild-card spot.
32. Houston Texans
The Texans' biggest splash moves in recent years have been trading players away. That continued when they sent embattled quarterback Deshaun Watson to the Browns for a haul of six draft picks. They now have a lot of buying power, but it's going to be a while before the Texans are ready to compete.
Houston's team is largely made up of journeymen on short-term deals and recent draft picks. The team may have found a gem in third-round quarterback Davis Mills and we seem poised to find out if that's so in 2022.
That said, even if Mills is great, the Texans pale in comparison to other teams in the AFC. They also are riding with their third coach in as many seasons, and it's unclear how Lovie Smith will do with his first NFL head coaching job since 2015. He was 8-24 during his two years with the Buccaneers.
