On March 11 at noon ET, the NFL opens its legal tampering period for free agency at noon ET March 11 to 4 p.m. ET March 13.

During this time, teams can sign their own free agents but only agree in principle with ones from other clubs.

Two days later, the tampering period gives way to the new league year, which begins at 4 p.m. ET. At that point, any free agent can officially sign with any team.

We also have a handy top 50 NFL free agents list you can check out with salary projections for each player. As free agency unfolds, we’ll have grades for each signing as it happens.

But the moves have already begin and we’re handing out a few grades. 

[ 2024 NFL Free Agency: Latest News & Analysis ]

March 10

QB Mac Jones traded to Jaguars

This isn’t technically a free agency move, but the Jaguars agreed in principle to a trade with the New England Patriots, sending a 2024 sixth-round pick in exchange for Jones.

Jones appeared to be the future in New England as a rookie, throwing for 3,801 yards and 22 touchdowns, leading the Patriots to the playoffs. Since then, he’s been a disaster. Jones has tossed 24 touchdowns against 23 interceptions, posting an 8–17 record.

In Jacksonville, Jones will back up Trevor Lawrence, who was forced to miss a game last year due to a high-ankle sprain. While Jones isn’t a quality starter, he’s a solid No. 2 and an upgrade over C.J. Beathard.

Grade: C+

March 9

DT Chris Jones re-signs with Chiefs

The Chiefs retained their best defensive player, and paid a steep price. Kansas City gave Jones a five-year, $160 million deal, including a whopping $95 million in guarantees. The contract is essentially what Aaron Donald signed after the 2021 season with the Los Angeles Rams.

While all the details haven’t emerged, it appears the pact is more accurately a three-year deal with a pair of team options on the back end, save for having to pay any prorated bonus money. If that’s the case, the Chiefs signed Jones through his age-32 season.

A five-time All-Pro and three-time Super Bowl champion, Jones has shown no signs of slowing down. Last year, he posted 10.5 sacks to tie for the team lead after notching a career-best 15.5 sacks in 2022.

The Chiefs are clearly all in for a three-peat, and signing Jones was a necessary part of that goal.

Grade: B+

WR Jerry Jeudy traded to Browns

On Saturday, the Cleveland Browns made a splash, agreeing in principle to acquire Jeudy from the cap-strapped Denver Broncos for 2024 fifth- and sixth-round draft picks.

For Denver, it’s a cost-cutting move with a player who never lived up to his first-round pedigree. Jeudy has yet to post a 1,000-yard season, and had had issues with drops. He’s also slated to be a free agent after the year.

As for Cleveland, the Browns aren’t overly investing, having only sent over a pair of Day-3 choices. If Jeudy doesn’t play well this season, Browns general manager Andrew Berry can move on or apply the franchise tag.

Jeudy now becomes the No. 2 receiver in Cleveland with Amari Cooper taking the majority of double coverage. With a lesser role, perhaps Jeudy steps up.

Grade: C+

March 8

CB Jaylon Johnson re-signs with Bears

The Chicago Bears have ample cap space to spend this offseason, originally giving Johnson the franchise tag at $19.8 million. However, the two sides agreed to a four-year, $76 million deal with $54 million guaranteed, keeping the 25-year-old in Chicago.

Johnson has been a productive player throughout his rookie deal but broke out in 2023. The fourth-year corner became a second-team All-Pro, becoming a pillar of Chicago’s rebuilding effort.

Even after paying Johnson, Bears general manager Ryan Poles has $62.7 million in cap space, the fifth-most in the NFL. He also got a solid deal with Johnson.

Often, a tagged player starts negotiations at the average annual cost of two tags, which would have been $22 million in this case. Instead, Johnson signed for long-term security at $19 million annually.

Grade: A-

March 4

WR Mike Evans re-signs with Buccaneers

After avoiding the franchise tag, it seemed the Tampa Bay Buccaneers might let Evans reach free agency for the first time in his storied career.

Instead, GM Jason Licht found common ground with Evans, agreeing to a two-year, $52 million deal to keep Evans on the only NFL team he’s ever played for. The contract signed Evans through his age-32 season, at which point he could either retire or see a string of one-year deals.

Digging into the details, Tampa Bay also tacked three void years onto the end of the contract, which eases the cap numbers in 2024 and ‘25 while adding dead money the following year.

In 2023, Evans helped the Buccaneers surprise with an NFC South title. He caught 79 passes for 1,255 yards, including a league-high 13 touchdowns.

Grade: B+