SEATTLE, WASHINGTON – OCTOBER 25: Jameis Winston #2 of the New Orleans Saints looks to throw the ball against the Seattle Seahawks during the first quarter at Lumen Field on October 25, 2021 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Abbie Parr/Getty Images)
NFL teams are already building their free-agent shopping lists for the offseason. Here are the top 30 players set to hit the open market.
It’s common knowledge that the best NFL teams build the core of their rosters through the draft, but that doesn’t mean free agency could be ignored. Elite front offices know that splashing serious cash on the right veterans can push their respective teams over the top during the postseason.
The key for each NFL team is making sure they spend their free agent money wisely. Overspending on the wrong veteran can cause long-term salary cap problems. Teams that lose valuable players after their rookie contracts can often point to free agency missteps as the reason why they couldn’t afford to hang on to their homegrown stars.
This list represents the top 30 free agents set to hit the open market in 2022. Some of them will return to their current teams, but a lot of these stars will dominate the offseason headlines by changing uniforms.
30. Jameis Winston
Perfect quarterbacks don’t hit the open market via free agency. That’s why Winston makes this list as the only signal-caller despite his penchant to throw a ton of interceptions. That problem appeared to be subsiding in New Orleans before a torn ACL cut his season short prematurely.
Winston will be looking hard for a starting job when the offseason begins. He doesn’t have the upside to be a top-10 starter any longer, but he could be a quality bridge for a team that’s looking to bring along a draft pick slowly. He may end up getting more guaranteed money than fans expect due to the scarcity of quarterbacks in this year’s free agent class.
