Running back Derrick Henry is a free agent for the first time and turns 30 in January, but he made just four starts in his first two seasons. George Walker IV/Associated Press
Derrick Henry is back in the gym, eager to prove turning 30 is just a number that shouldn’t affect the four-time Pro Bowl running back’s value on the NFL’s open market.
The man who organized a group chat among the league’s top running backs last summer is about to find out exactly what teams are willing to pay for proven experience.
And Henry has company with stars such as Saquon Barkley, Josh Jacobs and Tony Pollard – the three running backs hit with franchise tags in 2023 – also reaching free agency. Barkley didn’t sign his tag and wound up playing last season for $10.1 million.
So will these running backs find big contracts when the NFL free-agent market opens next week? Or will they have to be patient, choosy, or simply settle for less?
“We’re all going to find out,” Texans General Manager Nick Caserio said. “Free agency is just – it’s what does the market tell you? And then any player, what are you willing to pay that player commensurate with their role?”
The cost of free agents changes every March with the start of each new NFL year. Positions get slotted, and running backs have been hit the hardest, with less expensive replacements available. Only kickers and punters are paid less on average by position than backs whose bodies take crunching hits every handoff and block.
No NFL team in the offseason gave itself more negotiating time with either a franchise or transition tag on a running back that would’ve cost a mere $9.7 million for 2024. Again, only kickers and punters had a lower value.
Of the nine total tags since the start of the offseason, seven went to defensive players.
So a group of experienced and talented players is poised to hit the free-agent market.
“There’s some good names there,” Giants GM Joe Schoen said at the NFL combine last week. “I mean, it’s a little bit of a saturated market. There are some guys at different ages that have had success, there’s some older guys that have had some success. So, it’s a diverse group.”
Age isn’t a factor for Jacobs, at just 26. But he is coming off his worst season, having rushed for only 805 yards, and the Raiders also have Zamir White as they look for a possible replacement for Jacobs.
“The talent pool at that position in free agency is relatively high,” Raiders GM Tom Telesco said.
Even with the jump in the NFL salary cap for 2024, running backs may be forced to be patient and choosy.
One thing in their favor? The pool for running backs in April’s draft is a bit shallow, with only 12 projected as fifth-round picks or better out of 35 graded before the combine.
PATRIOTS: New England agreed to terms with former Steelers offensive tackle Chukwuma Okorafor, according to a source.
Okorafor, who is 26, has played mostly as a right tackle. He’s 6-foot-6, 320 pounds.
He was released by the Steelers last month, and his signing is independent of the Michael Onwenu situation, per source. The Patriots are still trying to re-sign Onwenu, but if they aren’t able to come to terms, they have more depth at right tackle.
DOLPHINS: Miami and tight end Jonnu Smith agreed to terms on a two-year contract, according to a person familiar with the negotiations, giving the Dolphins a pass-catching threat that they lacked at tight end last season.
The person spoke to the Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the deal had not been announced.
Smith, 28, visited the Dolphins on Tuesday, a week after the Atlanta Falcons released him in a cost-cutting move. He set career highs with 50 receptions for 582 yards for Atlanta in 2023. He also had three touchdown catches.
Smith played for the Patriots in 2021 and 2022.
The Dolphins were the only team in the NFL that did not have a touchdown catch from a tight end in 2023, as they haven’t prominently featured tight ends in the passing game since Coach Mike McDaniel took over at the start of the 2022 season.
Smith, who has 2,423 receiving yards on 219 receptions as well as 20 touchdowns, figures to be a solid option behind receivers Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle, who combined for a league-best 2,813 yards last season.
BILLS: Quarterback Mitchell Trubisky is returning to Buffalo to reprise his role as Josh Allen’s backup after signing a two-year contract with the Bills.
The player selected No. 2 overall in the 2017 draft rejoins the Bills after failing to re-establish himself as a starter during two rocky seasons with the Pittsburgh Steelers. Trubisky was cut by Pittsburgh last month after going 2-5 – including 0-2 last season – in 12 overall appearances and eventually losing the backup job to Mason Rudolph.
The Bills continue to believe in Trubisky, who at 6-foot-2 and 220 pounds has the size and mobility to oversee a similar offensive scheme as Allen. Trubisky spent the 2021 season with Buffalo, where he was limited to mop-up duty in completing 6 of 8 pass attempts for 43 yards and an interception in six appearances.
JAGUARS: Jacksonville and guard Ezra Cleveland agreed to a three-year, $28.5 million contract that includes $14.5 million guaranteed, according to a person familiar with negotiations.
The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because neither side had announced the deal publicly.
The move prevents Cleveland from hitting the free-agent market next week and should solidify a position that was a revolving door in front of franchise quarterback Trevor Lawrence last season.
STEELERS: Pittsburgh released safety Keanu Neal after he failed a physical with the team.
Neal played in nine games for the Steelers in 2023, eight of them starts. He suffered a rib injury in a win over Green Bay on Nov. 12 when he was hit at the end of a 32-yard interception return in the fourth quarter.
The team placed Neal on injured reserve on Nov. 18.
BEARS: Chicago and Pro Bowl cornerback Jaylon Johnson agreed to a four-year, $76 million contract that guarantees him $54.4 million.
SAINTS: New Orleans safety Tyrann Mathieu agreed to a new two-year contract that runs through the 2025 season.
The 31-year-old Mathieu, a 11-year veteran out of LSU and a New Orleans native, previously was under contract through 2024. His reworked deal, reportedly worth about $13 million, gives him one additional year in a trade-off that lowers his annual salary, thereby providing the Saints with a measure of salary cap relief.
RAMS: Right guard Kevin Dotson agreed to terms on a three-year contract to stay with the Los Angeles Rams.
The deal is expected to be worth $48 million for Dotson, who became one of the NFL’s top-rated guards and a pillar of the Rams’ offense last season after they acquired him from Pittsburgh in training camp.
Copy the Story LinkSend questions/comments to the editors.
Success. Please wait for the page to reload. If the page does not reload within 5 seconds, please refresh the page.
Enter your email and password to access comments.
Hi, to comment on stories you must . This profile is in addition to your subscription and website login.
Already have a commenting profile? .
Invalid username/password.
Please check your email to confirm and complete your registration.
Only subscribers are eligible to post comments. Please subscribe or login first for digital access. Here’s why.
Use the form below to reset your password. When you've submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code.