Arena: 2022 NFL Offseason Roundup

NFL.com

The 2022 NFL offseason was one to be remembered. Players were traded and contracts were signed to the likes we had never seen before. With all those transactions in play, it looked more like the NBA offseason than NFL. The amount of moves made was surprising yes, but even more so were the players involved. Here are the five most surprising moves.

For over 10 years Russell Wilson was the Seattle Seahawks. No matter what the offense looked like or how the defense played, Wilson was able to consistently will the Seahawks to the playoffs year in and year out. For a time, it seemed like the quarterback would be a Seahawks lifer, a rarity in the current age of sports. However, things changed after the 2020 season. Wilson publicly criticized the Seahawks on The Dan Patrick Show, creating tension between Wilson and the Seattle front office that at one point was “unsustainable.” A couple weeks later, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported a list of teams Wilson would be open to being traded to. All signs looked like Wilson would leave sooner rather than later the only question was when. The answer turned out to be in March of 2022. In a blockbuster deal, Russell Wilson was traded to the Denver Broncos for five future picks, quarterback Drew Lock, tight end Noah Fant, and defensive lineman Shelby Harris.

The Broncos already had a competitive team assembled before Wilson’s arrival. On offense, they had the pieces to one of the best in the league with two quality wide receivers in Courtland Sutton and Jerry Jeudy. Rookie running back Javonte Williams had a fantastic year with over 1,200 scrimmage yards. All that was missing was a quality quarterback to make the Broncos a great team. Luckily for them they got one of the best in the business. With Russell Wilson now in the fold, the Broncos are an AFC title contender and a dark horse Super Bowl candidate.

Deshaun Watson had one of the best starts to a career a quarterback can have. After becoming the full-time starter for the Houston Texans in 2018, Watson was selected to three consecutive Pro Bowls and led the Texans to the playoffs twice in four years. His name was mentioned with the likes of Patrick Mahomes and Lamar Jackson as the next generation of star quarterbacks. Watson is as talented as anyone in the league and proved it with a career year in 2020 where he threw for over 4,800 yards and scored 36 total touchdowns. Things looked as bright as they could be Watson, but little did he know a massive dark cloud was developing.

Before the start of the 2021 season, a bombshell was dropped on Watson. 22 sexual misconduct charges were filed against Watson. Fans and members of the NFL were shocked by the allegations. For as long as Watson was in the league, nothing in his character seemed like he was capable of anything like this.

Watson’s future was up in the air. No one quite knew what was going to happen next. At the time Watson facing jail time was a real possibility. Even if not criminally convicted, there was speculation that he may not ever play in the NFL again. The Texans decided not to play Watson for the entire 2021 season amidst his ongoing legal battle. Eventually a grand jury decided to not indict Watson on criminal charges, however 22 civil lawsuits still remain.

Once the criminal element of the case was settled, NFL teams began calling the Texans about trading for Watson. Before the charges were brought up, Watson did request a trade. The New Orleans Saints and the Atlanta Falcons were the favorites to make a deal for Watson, but there was an unexpected bidder lurking behind the scenes. Seemingly out of nowhere, the Cleveland Browns traded for Watson in exchange for five future picks. Upon approval of the trade, Watson signed a $230 million fully guaranteed contract, the highest amount of guaranteed money for any player in NFL history.

Before Watson can officially put on a Browns uniform, he will undoubtedly face suspension by the NFL when his legal issues are resolved. It’s unclear when Watson will return to the field, but when he does, the Browns will finally have the franchise quarterback they’ve desperately craved for over two decades .

Von Miller made a promise to the Lombardi trophy that he would return for it one day. One of the greatest defensive players of all time finally won the Super Bowl, but one wasn’t enough. In the years after the Broncos victory, they didn’t make the playoffs. Miller was still an effective player but he himself wouldn’t be enough for the Broncos to go on another championship run. Year by year it looked like Miller’s promise couldn’t be kept. Then something miraculous happened. An opportunity opened itself up for Miller to reach the Super Bowl once again. As a part of their championship or bust expectations, the Los Angeles Rams traded for the veteran pass rusher in the middle of the 2021 season. Miller was added to a star-studded roster where he joined Jalen Ramsey and Aaron Donald to strengthen a top defense even more. In the playoffs Miller recorded four sacks in four games on his way to another Super Bowl victory. The
quest for another ring was complete. Miller kept his promise.

In the aftermath of Super Bowl LVI, Miller was set to become a free agent. Many thought Miller would stay in sunny California and resign with the Rams. However, Miller wanted a change of scenery, one with a little snow. What was probably the most shocking free agent signing, Von Miller signed a six-year, $120 million deal with the Buffalo Bills. Miller could end up playing just three of those six years considering his age and the fact that the Bills have an out after the 2024season.

When trying to describe the addition of Miller to the Bills Richard Sherman summed it up best, “Von Miller is 24-inch rims on a Rolls Royce truck. They don’t need him, but he’ll make them a lot better.” Miller is joining a Bills squad that ranked 1st in total defense and allowed 17 points to opponents last year. He’ll improve an already great pass rushing unit and will allow the Bills’ young edge rushers to develop. For potentially the second year in a row, Miller could be part of a championship winning defense.

One of the more bizarre moves to come out of the offseason was Tyreek Hill demanding a trade from the Kansas City Chiefs. The report was odd to say the least considering the Chiefs were one game away from making the Super Bowl three consecutive years in a row after winning in 2020. At the end of the 2021 season, Hill was due for a contract extension and wanted to be paid as a top end wide receiver. Unfortunately the Chiefs weren’t able to make a deal due to salary cap issues according to Chiefs head coach Andy Reid. Instead of letting Hill play out the final year of his contract, the Chiefs granted his request for a trade. Two AFC East rivals emerged as the favorites to land the services of Hill, the New York Jets and the Miami Dolphins. Both teams had enough salary cap space to sign Hill to the long term deal he was looking for and in addition offered the Chiefs a bundle of future draft picks to acquire him, including two picks from this year’s draft. When it was time to choose, Hill chose South Beach over New York. Hill was traded to the Dolphins for five future draft picks and signed a four-year, $120 million extension.

Hill recorded another Pro-Bowl season with over 1,200 yards and nine touchdowns in 2021. He’ll add another explosive element to the Dolphins offense that has a speed demon of their own in wide receiver Jaylen Waddle. Hill also provides another weapon for third year quarterback Tua Tagovailoa who’ll look to make strides to become a premier passer next season. The Dolphins adding Hill makes them a contender for the AFC East division title and a possible frisky Wild Card team in the playoffs.

Despite star quarterbacks getting traded and the AFC West becoming the best division in the NFL in the span of one week, the most surprising move was made by a familiar face. A player we’ve all become accustomed to whether we hated him or loved him. A man who many consider simply as the Greatest Of All Time, Tom Brady, retired and even more shockingly un-retired after a few weeks.

There was much speculation that the 2021 season would be Brady’s last year playing football. Even though the Tampa Bay Buccaneers were the reigning Super Bowl Champions and Brady was still playing at a high level, the writing was on the wall for retirement. His docuseries, “Man in the Arena”, was released this past year as a final reminder of Brady’s legacy with the New England Patriots. Brady stated in an interview how it was a “relief” to win games rather than feeling joy. After losing in the divisional round of the playoffs to the Rams, many thought Brady was done. And he was. On February 1st, Brady announced his retirement on social media. The best NFL player of all time had finally called it quits...at least for a few weeks.

In what sent the NFL world into a frenzy, Brady unretired. In another social media post, Brady said that he had “unfinished business” and would be returning for his 23rd season. Brady will once again be at the helm of the Buccaneers ship in hopes of contending for yet another Super Bowl victory.

Arena: 2022 NFL Offseason Roundup

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