The National Football League (NFL)’s offseason, for some fans, is even more exciting than the regular season.
Fans have high hopes that their favorite team will make the right moves by adding players in free agency or draft in order to make their squads a Super Bowl contender. This offseason has seen many big-name free agents move to new area codes who have the possibility of changing the power rankings in the NFL.
With the teams having salary cap issues, many all-pro players were allowed to hit the free market. One player with a high price tag that was let go was all-pro cornerback Darrelle Revis. This move may seem all too familiar, as Revis was traded last offseason from the New York Jets to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Releasing Revis came with much criticism for the Bucs because he was arguably their most talented player on that side of the ball, but with the organization’s new scheme on defense, he would not be utilized correctly. Add to that his price tag, and Revis just wasn’t a great fit for Tampa Bay.
The New England Patriots were in need of a cornerback after they let Aqib Talib sign with the Denver Broncos. The Broncos, consequently, were in search of a premium cornerback after losing Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie. The addition of Revis to an already powerful defense has Tom Brady smiling from ear to ear.
The signing of Talib was not the only move that the Super Bowl runner-ups made to improve their squad. The Broncos replaced wide receiver Eric Decker, who left for the Big Apple and the New York Jets, with versatile and agile Emmanuel Sanders, who may add even greater value than Decker brought to the table.
In addition to adding those key threats, Denver added defensive end DeMarcus Ware to the mix after he was released by the Dallas Cowboys to clear cap space. The Cowboys did not think the former Pro Bowl pass rusher was worth $12.5 million for the upcoming season.
Despite being 32 years old and coming off the least productive season of his career, the Broncos felt that he may be the last piece of the puzzle for a team that was in need of defensive after a blowout loss in the Super Bowl.
A team that many weren’t expecting to add many additional pieces to their offensive arsenal was Chip Kelly and the Philadelphia Eagles. Early in the offseason, the Eagles resigned wide receiver Reilly Cooper after he had a breakout season with Nick Foles at quarterback. The team also resigned receiver Jeremy Maclin, who missed last season due to injury.
In a move that surprised many, the Eagles went out and traded a fifth round pick to the New Orleans Saints’ running back Darren Sproles. With the two-headed monster of Sproles and last year’s NFL leading rusher LeSean McCoy leading the backfield, the Eagles have arguably the best running back tandem in the league.
With the signing of Sproles, some analysts expected the Eagles to part ways with last year’s leading receiver, Desean Jackson. After the season, Jackson asked to restructure his contract that he had just signed the previous offseason, which did not sit well with ownership.
A number of teams contacted the Eagles in an attempt to acquire Jackson, including the Oakland Raiders and  New York Jets. The Jets, who just signed former Eagle’s quarterback Michael Vick were looking to recreate the tandem’s prior success. It seemed like the two sides would part ways, but in the end Head Coach Chip Kelly spoke with the all-pro reciever and the two kindled their supposedly broken relationship.
The next influx of player moves will come on Friday, May 9 at the NFL Draft. Teams will look to find future stars in the mix of college players hoping to make it big on the next level.