2024 Detroit Lions 0-0: Who comes? Sutton goes.. (2024)

PFF Top 10 Free Agents

PFF Rank
1

Chris Jones​

POSITION
DI
AGE
29.5
STATUS
Unsigned
2023 TEAM
KC
PROJECTED CONTRACT
4 yrs — $30m avg/yr
$80m guaranteed, $120m total

It's rare for a player of Jones' caliber to reach unrestricted free agency, and Kansas City did not give up the right to franchise tag him for a second time when the two sides agreed to a reworked contract this past offseason. A tag for Jones would land north of $33 million, which perhaps helps him test the open market for the first time in his career. Jones is not only one of the best interior pass rushers in the game right now; he's one of the best ever. He is also capable of lining up outside of tackles as a five-technique, bending around the edge and getting home.

PFF Rank
2

Kirk Cousins​

POSITION
QB
AGE
35.4
STATUS
Unsigned
2023 TEAM
MIN
PROJECTED CONTRACT
2 yrs — $30m avg/yr
$37.5m guaranteed, $60m total

An ill-timed torn Achilles derailed another strong season from Cousins, and he looked set to have a host of suitors in free agency, as he did back in 2018. Cousins still has the requisite arm strength to throw to all levels of the field and has been as accurate as ever in recent seasons.

PFF Rank
3

Josh Allen​

POSITION
ED
AGE
26.5
STATUS
Unsigned
2023 TEAM
JAX
PROJECTED CONTRACT
1 yrs — $22.79m avg/yr
$22.79m guaranteed, $22.79m total

Franchise tag. Allen backed up a strong 2022 with an extraordinary 2023 season, racking up career highs in quarterback pressures (90) and sacks (19), coupled with a 20.5% pass-rush win rate that was among the league's best.

PFF Rank
4

Tee Higgins​

POSITION
WR
AGE
25.0
STATUS
Unsigned
2023 TEAM
CIN
PROJECTED CONTRACT
1 yrs — $20.71m avg/yr
$20.71m guaranteed, $20.71m total

Franchise tag. Injuries hampered almost the entire 2023 season for Higgins after his second consecutive 1,000-yard season in 2022 with a receiving grade above 75.0. A franchise tag already seemed likely heading into this season, and with little new data to impact the negotiation either way, that seems inevitable. The field-stretching, jump-ball receiver should have the chance to bounce back in 2024 along with the entire Bengals team following a disappointing campaign.

PFF Rank
5

Brian Burns​

POSITION
ED
AGE
25.7
STATUS
Unsigned
2023 TEAM
CAR
PROJECTED CONTRACT
1 yrs — $22.79m avg/yr
$22.79m guaranteed, $22.79m total

Franchise tag. Burns cannot seem to escape Carolina as the team turns down trade offers and consistently loses football games, but he put together a strong second half of the 2023 season. He posted his fourth straight pass-rush grade above 70.0, keeping his stock high amid the chaos.

PFF Rank
6

Justin Madubuike​

POSITION
DI
AGE
26.2
STATUS
Unsigned
2023 TEAM
BLT
PROJECTED CONTRACT
4 yrs — $23m avg/yr
$60.25m guaranteed, $92m total

Madubuike has a strong case for being the player to earn himself the most money in 2023. With at least half a sack in 13 of 17 games this season, Madubuike more than doubled his prior season high. He also exactly doubled his total pressure output. His effort and intensity on backside pursuit plays have always been there, and now an improved arsenal of moves with a more explosive first step has Madubuike set to cash in big time.

PFF Rank
7

Christian Wilkins​

POSITION
DI
AGE
28.1
STATUS
Unsigned
2023 TEAM
MIA
PROJECTED CONTRACT
1 yrs — $20.99m avg/yr
$20.99m guaranteed, $20.99m total

Franchise tag. Wilkins hoped to get an extension done before the 2023 season but didn't let the lack of one amid many at the position slow him down. Wilkins is as good a run defender as any interior defensive lineman in the NFL and set career highs in every pass-rushing category this season, including pass-rush win rate, pressure rate, sacks, quarterback hits and pressures.

PFF Rank
8

Antoine Winfield Jr.​

POSITION
S
AGE
25.4
STATUS
Unsigned
2023 TEAM
TB
PROJECTED CONTRACT
1 yrs — $16.26m avg/yr
$16.26m guaranteed, $16.26m total

Franchise tag. Winfield can line up in the box, take on receivers in the slot and play as a roaming deep-third free safety, finding success in single-high and two-high coverage shells. The former second-round pick is a difference-maker on the backend, and his remarkable versatility carries value at a position that appreciates it more than perhaps any other.

PFF Rank
9

Jaylon Johnson​

POSITION
CB
AGE
24.7
STATUS
Unsigned
2023 TEAM
CHI
PROJECTED CONTRACT
1 yrs — $18.8m avg/yr
$18.8m guaranteed, $18.8m total

Franchise tag. Johnson wasn't quite able to have the third-year breakout in 2022 he hoped for as nagging injuries kept him off the field for several stretches, and he and the team were unable to find common ground on an early extension. Johnson continued to push for a new deal right up to requesting a trade at the deadline this year, but after conversations with other teams, Chicago elected to keep him around. Now, with edge defender Montez Sweat extended and the franchise tag freed up, another negotiation looks to be on the horizon. The physical, technically sound wide cornerback boasts ball production and lockdown coverage abilities that prevent targets as well as anyone, never allowing a 60% completion rate in any NFL season thus far.

PFF Rank
10

L'Jarius Sneed​

POSITION
CB
AGE
27.0
STATUS
Unsigned
2023 TEAM
KC
PROJECTED CONTRACT
3 yrs — $17.5m avg/yr
$35m guaranteed, $52.5m total

Sneed was a fixture out wide in 2023 after lining up primarily in the slot over his first three seasons, and he held up quite well in several tough matchups. Defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo asks a lot of his cornerbacks, and Sneed is sticky in coverage, getting into receivers' hip pockets and becoming very hard to shake with lateral movement or in the air at the catch point. Sneed could stand to cut down on penalties, but his aggressive nature would be welcome on many teams, and his inside-outside versatility is a nice benefit, as well.