A.J. Green to the Cardinals? Matt Ryan's altered Falcons deal? The worst offseason moves for all 32 NFL teams (2024)

We’ve spent time celebrating NFL teams for their best moves of the offseason. Now it’s time to explore the biggest mistakes. For many teams, it was letting a good player go, or losing a free-agency battle to a rival. For others, it was a perplexing signing or draft pick.

The Athletic’s writers take a look at the biggest offseason mistakes for all 32 teams:

AFC East

Buffalo Bills

The Bills focused primarily on bringing back their AFC runner-up team and neglected to provide legitimate starting competition to tight end Dawson Knox. The 2019 third-round pick didn’t take the step forward that they were hoping as a pass-catcher, and general manager Brandon Beane mentioned after the season that he wanted more out of the tight end group, both as pass-catchers and run-blockers. The team did add Jacob Hollister on a low-cost one-year deal, though he’s most likely a backup unless Knox falters. Unless there is another move on the way, the Bills will allow Knox to determine his fate in a pivotal third season. — Joe Buscaglia

Miami Dolphins

The Dolphins lost starting center Ted Karras to New England in free agency and replaced him with Matt Skura, who struggled in Baltimore. Behind Skura, there’s no proven talent; it’s possible Michael Deiter, a third-round pick in 2019, and Cameron Tom, 25, could climb the depth chart in camp. — Josh Tolentino

New England Patriots

The Patriots still haven’t addressed Stephon Gilmore’s contract. Last week he told Josina Anderson he wants a raise on the $7 million base salary he’s due to earn this season. The Patriots didn’t showcase any urgency to try to trade him, so this could all still be resolved in a peaceful manner. But if not and the Patriots are compelled to trade Gilmore, that would be a big mistake in the short term for a loaded defense and the long term with J.C. Jackson as a candidate to leave in free agency next offseason. If the sides reach an extension and make this a moot point, let’s go with allowing Adam Butler to sign with the Dolphins for a shockingly affordable two-year, $7.5 million contract. The Patriots did a nice job to overhaul their defensive tackles, a necessary venture this offseason, but allowing Butler to go — to a division rival, no less — for that contract was a surprise. — Jeff Howe

New York Jets

The Jets are coming off a 2-14 season. It’s really tough to mess up when you’ve already hit rock bottom. This is a full-on rebuild for GM Joe Douglas. Thus, it’s hard to fault him for much, but his decision to ignore the corner position in free agency and the early rounds of the draft is puzzling. The Jets should be fine if Bryce Hall and Bless Austin develop. That’s just an awfully big if. — Connor Hughes

AFC North

Baltimore Ravens

After losing Matthew Judon and Yannick Ngakoue in free agency, the Ravens didn’t replace them with an accomplished veteran edge rusher. Sure, they re-signed outside linebacker Tyus Bowser and Pernell McPhee and drafted Odafe Oweh in the first round, but that doesn’t feel like enough commitment to the pass rush. Bowser has 10 1/2 career sacks in four seasons and McPhee hasn’t had more than four sacks in a season since 2015. Oweh is a freak athletically, but he had no sacks in his final season at Penn State and the Ravens’ complicated defense can be tough to learn for rookies. Defensive coordinator Don “Wink” Martindale has shown an ability to scheme up a pass rush, and he blitzes more than anybody. There’s a clear need, though, for an eight-to-10 sack outside linebacker. — Jeff Zrebiec

Cincinnati Bengals

The Bengals were in the mix for veteran guard Kevin Zeitler early in free agency and could have brought back their 2012 first-round pick at the right price. Instead, they got cute with value and watched the Baltimore Ravens swoop in for a reasonable three years and $22.5 million, with $16 million guaranteed. That was not a large sum for a team with one of the largest banks of cash to work with in free agency. They ended up signing Riley Reiff, but adding Zeitler would have been a more solid investment in protecting Joe Burrow and could have combined with Reiff to bring significant reinforcements to a line in dire need of them. Instead, they will place a bet on rookie Jackson Carman moving from tackle at Clemson to guard or a collection of replacement-level starters (Quinton Spain, Xavier Su’a-Filo or Michael Jordan) finding success. — Paul Dehner Jr.

Cleveland Browns

I love the thought of Jadeveon Clowney re-finding his top form. I love the thought of Clowney teaming with Myles Garrett to keep quarterbacks up at night (and on their backs on Sundays). But I don’t love the Browns cutting Sheldon Richardson after signing Clowney. Defensive tackle is now the weakest position on the team, and there’s no guarantee the Browns will get either a full season or consistent pass-rush production from Clowney or Takk McKinley, another veteran edge rusher signed to a one-year deal. There’s always risk in free agency, but I think the Browns might get burned with their series of defensive line gambles. — Zac Jackson

Pittsburgh Steelers

When you head into the offseason at $25 million over the cap, there’s not much room to address all the depth issues. Outside linebacker was the one that fell through the cracks having only transient Cassius Marsh and rookie mid-rounder Quincy Roche to back up T.J. Watt and Alex Highsmith, a second-year player who is taking over for the departed Bud Dupree. This could be a moot point come training camp or slightly after if they bring someone else in, but as of now, it’s an issue. — Mark Kaboly

AFC South

Houston Texans

In their first offseason in Houston, GM Nick Caserio and head coach David Culley have preached the importance of competition at every position. That philosophy has manifested itself in a head-scratching way at running back. In addition to retaining David Johnson after a miserable season — and doubling his guaranteed money with a restructured contract — the Texans signed veterans Mark Ingram, Phillip Lindsay and Rex Burkhead. All three agreed to cheap one-year deals, and it’s possible they don’t all make the team, but for an organization beginning a rebuild, what’s the upside in signing a pair of running backs on the wrong side of 30 in Ingram and Burkhead? Every year, a running back goes on to have a surprisingly good rookie year. Rather than trade up three times in the draft, the Texans could’ve used one of their late-round picks to create competition at running back, and if they hit on the prospect, they’d have him under team control for multiple years. Will the moves the Texans made instead doom their rebuild? No, but this is a bad process, indicative of a team prioritizing establishing a culture in Year 1 of a new regime above all else. — Aaron Reiss

Indianapolis Colts

Deep as this roster is, the Colts will have questions at three major positions: quarterback, left tackle and edge rush. Carson Wentz likely will settle in just fine under center, and Kwity Paye, their first-round pick out of Michigan, already looks like a quick study at right defensive end. But the left tackle spot will remain an issue heading into a brutal five-game stretch to open the season, and there’s no way to know when Eric Fisher — the longtime Chief whom the Colts signed in May — will be ready. He’s coming off an Achilles tear in the AFC Championship Game. Will it be Will Holden in his stead? Julién Davenport? Sam Tevi? That’s not a spot you want to have questions about with a new quarterback and five games to start the year against teams that won 10 or more last season. — Zak Keefer

Jacksonville Jaguars

The Jaguars didn’t get a tight end who can be a threat in the passing game. That wasn’t for lack of trying, but the Patriots snapped up the top two options in free agency (Hunter Henry and Jonnu Smith) and the draft options didn’t work. (The Jaguars passed multiple times on Miami TE Brevin Jordan — who averaged 35 catches a year for three seasons — but so did every other team. Jordan went 147th to the Texans. If that was a mistake, every team made it.) Jacksonville wound up re-signing James O’Shaughnessy, signing Chris Manhertz (Panthers) in free agency and drafting Ohio State’s Luke Farrell at No. 145. All are good blockers but haven’t established themselves as major threats in the passing game. O’Shaughnessy (28 catches for 282 yards last year) probably is the best option in that role among the tight ends on the roster. Jacksonville’s ownership would love nothing more than for free agent Tim Tebow to blossom — just imagine the jersey sales — but that seems highly unlikely. The team did upgrade at receiver by adding Marvin Jones and Philip Dorsett, and first-round back Travis Etienne should contribute in the passing game. But the Jaguars did not get new QB Trevor Lawrence a bigger coverage mismatch at tight end. — Andy Staples

Tennessee Titans

The cornerback position looks weaker and less settled now than it did a year ago, and that’s not what you want for a team that set the NFL record for worst third-down defense. Part of that futility was that No. 1 starter Adoree’ Jackson had a knee injury that cost him most of the season. But Malcolm Butler was good for most of 2020, and the Titans let both go in a cap crunch. They signed cheaper veterans, Janoris Jenkins and Kevin Johnson. They drafted in the first round a talented Virginia Tech corner who has had multiple back surgeries, Caleb Farley. Then Johnson retired. The Titans did draft another player, Washington’s Elijah Molden, who looks like he’ll be an asset. But is Farley going to be ready for the instant impact his draft slot and this roster demand? Will Kristian Fulton be ready to start and excel after an injury-plagued rookie season? How fast can Molden be a key contributor? Can Jenkins be as good as Butler was last season? That’s too many questions at such a critical position. — Joe Rexrode

AFC West

Denver Broncos

The failure to draft an offensive tackle would have stuck out even if Ja’Wuan James had not ruptured his Achilles while working outside the team facility just days after the draft. The hindsight of the James setback — which occurred to a player with a substantial injury history — made the choice not to select a potential plug-and-play tackle more curious. GM George Paton did well, in the wake of James’ injury, to sign free agents Bobby Massie and Cameron Fleming, but both of those players were available late in free agency for a reason. Right tackle has been a revolving door for the Broncos for the last six seasons. The Broncos have to hope another missed opportunity to find a long-term solution at the position doesn’t have significant consequences. — Nick Kosmider

Kansas City Chiefs

Just about every move the Chiefs made in the offseason was logical and understandable to extend their chances of competing for championships. One position on the roster that is somewhat questionable is cornerback. The Chiefs are expecting to start Charvarius Ward, L’Jarius Sneed and Rashad Fenton, but the team could’ve re-signed eight-year veteran Bashaud Breeland, who had been the most experienced cornerback the previous two seasons. Instead, Breeland signed a one-year, $3 million deal with the Vikings in June. — Nate Taylor

Las Vegas Raiders

Trent Brown refused to take a pay cut and the Raiders traded the player that Jon Gruden called “the LeBron James of right tackles” to the Patriots for a fifth-round draft pick. They should have kept him and paid him the $14 million he was due this season, because Brown, 28, had already dropped a ton of weight this spring and is motivated for another big payday. When the Raiders signed Brown to a four-year, $66 million deal in 2019, they must have heard the whispers about his fluctuating work ethic and weight line. While he was a dominant player when healthy in 2019, his weight ballooned to 400 pounds last year and he had a bout with COVID-19 and other injuries, not to mention some other issues. If you’re the Raiders, and you suffered through paying Brown $22 million for the worst of him in 2020, why would you throw away your leverage and not enjoy the best of Brown in 2021? He is going to have a monster year for the Patriots while the Raiders cross their fingers and hope rookie Alex Leatherwood adjusts quickly. — Vic Tafur

Los Angeles Chargers

The Chargers had a really good offseason. They addressed all their major roster needs and found a forward-thinking head coach in Brandon Staley. But if I had to identify one area of concern, it would be the depth along the defensive line. Their starting trio of Linval Joseph, Justin Jones and Jerry Tillery is fine. They do not have much behind those three. One injury could leave the Chargers with a glaring hole, especially with their run defense. The Chargers are banking on some lesser-known players — Christian Covington, Cortez Broughton, Breiden Fehoko, Joe Gaziano — developing and contributing. We will see if that comes to fruition. — Daniel Popper

NFC East

Dallas Cowboys

The team has done quite a few under-the-radar movements this offseason that will be largely supplemented by the simple return of so many valuable players who were lost last season to injury; QB, LT, RT, RG, and TE are probably the most important five positions to be filled internally. But, at the moment, the biggest offseason mistake is a race between not really doing much of anything at backup QB behind Dak Prescott — whose serious ankle injury last season should at least give pause to any depending upon him — and the somewhat half-measure addressing of the safety position — mixing one-year deals for veterans with allowing the kids to continue to work it out internally. They had opportunities to have any safety in the draft they wanted with a little aggressiveness on draft night (and the surplus of picks) and instead stayed put. Safety was not really addressed properly, again. — Bob Sturm

New York Giants

It’s too early to call this the “worst” move, but neglecting the offensive line was easily the most surprising decision of the offseason. The Giants dumped their most dependable offensive lineman, Kevin Zeitler, for cap purposes. That left an unproven group that experienced some growing pains last season. The Giants made only depth signings in free agency and didn’t select a single lineman in the draft. The franchise is comfortable with the young group that’s in place. That’s a gamble that may pay off. But it would be easier to share that optimism if the Giants had invested in a proven commodity in free agency or drafted a lineman with upside. — Dan Duggan

Philadelphia Eagles

The Eagles signed three players during the opening week of free agency. Andrew Adams is a depth safety/special teamer who joined on the cheap. OK. Anthony Harris is a starting-caliber player at a major position of need who also has familiarity with the new defensive staff. Great. But Joe Flacco? Why? Sure, the Eagles need a backup for Jalen Hurts, but based on Flacco’s level of play since Lamar Jackson took his job, there’s little difference between him and the other veteran backups who were still on the market weeks later. Heck, even Nick Mullens, whom the Eagles signed in late June, would have been a fine No. 2 for a team that should only be concerned with the long term. Flacco’s skill set is so contrary to Hurts’, which makes the eagerness to sign him all the more confusing. — Bo Wulf

Washington Football Team

Washington adroitly tackled the bulk of its concerns, including a QB upgrade by signing free agent Ryan Fitzpatrick to a one-year, $10 million contract. Not bad at all, and yet, Fitzpatrick ultimately feels akin to a half-measure. The attempt at landing a bigger name failed when the Lions traded Matthew Stafford elsewhere despite Washington’s significant offer. It’s fine that Ron Rivera passed on trading up for a QB in the first round, but the choice also means the team is on a year-to-year watch at the game’s most important position. Adding Fitzpatrick, a bearded wonder with the gunslinger mentality, to a roster that sports a potentially dominant defense puts Washington in position to defend its NFC East title. But not securing a superior talent perhaps limits the team’s ceiling, and there’s still no obvious long-term answer in tow. — Ben Standig

NFC North

Chicago Bears

It could still be last year’s decision to sign Robert Quinn in free agency and rescind the fifth-year option of Leonard Floyd. The Bears didn’t invest much in their pass rush this offseason because they couldn’t. Quinn’s $14.7 million salary-cap hit is the second-highest amount on the team for this season, trailing receiver Allen Robinson’s $17.98 million and just above outside linebacker Khalil Mack’s $14.65 million. The Bears need Quinn to produce more than the two sacks he had last season. If he can’t, Jeremiah Attaochu and Trevis Gipson will play more on third downs. — Adam Jahns

Detroit Lions

The 2020 Lions rode with Tracy Walker, Will Harris and veteran Duron Harmon as their primary safeties, and it was a mess. Now, the Lions appear ready to lean on Walker, Harris and ex-Bill Dean Marlowe — a solid third safety in Buffalo who might have to play close to 100 percent of the defensive snaps. Detroit’s revamped scheme should put that positional group (and everyone else, really) in better spots, but a lot has to go right here for the Lions’ safeties to stay competitive. There’s not much in the way of depth behind that Walker-Harris-Marlowe trio, either, with a handful of undrafted free agents fighting to nab a roster spot. — Chris Burke

Green Bay Packers

The worst offseason move for the Packers might’ve been one they didn’t make. Coming off one of the best seasons of his impressive career, former Seahawks linebacker K.J. Wright was there for the taking as a free agent. Maybe new Packers linebacker De’Vondre Campbell will prove me wrong here, but adding an experienced playmaker like Wright to an inexperienced room in Green Bay would’ve done wonders for a defense that has needed someone like him for so long after years of mediocrity or slightly above average play in the middle of the defense. — Matt Schneidman

Minnesota Vikings

It’s tough to say this because they signed a good player in Dalvin Tomlinson, but his role on the Vikings is unclear. Minnesota insists that he can play three-technique defensive tackle next to nose tackle Michael Pierce but really the Vikings will be fronting two run-stuffers on early downs without much chance to create interior pressure. That wouldn’t be so bad if they had an edge presence besides Danielle Hunter, but they won’t be able to create much pressure on early downs and will be reliant on a somewhat absent third-down package to hurry QBs. The real mistake might have been Michael Pierce a year prior, as Tomlinson is an excellent nose tackle, but they can’t undo that right now. — Arif Hasan

NFC South

Atlanta Falcons

The Falcons were in salary cap hell when coach Arthur Smith and GM Terry Fontenot came to Atlanta, and in their first months on the job, there weren’t many moves they could make because of limited cap space. One of the ways the Falcons were able to get below the cap was by restructuring Matt Ryan’s contract for the fourth time. This was a move sources told The Athletic that Fontenot didn’t really want to make considering the salary cap issue that will follow the organization into 2022. However, he thought his hands were tied, and it came down to either restructuring Ryan or cutting Deion Jones. In the end, the money owed Ryan got pushed down the line. This didn’t help the salary cap in the future; Ryan’s cap hit will be north of $40 million the next two years. And while this may have been one of the worst moves of the offseason, it really wasn’t this front office’s fault they felt they had to make it. — Tori McElhaney

Carolina Panthers

The Panthers will start their ninth left tackle in as many seasons, and the streak likely will reach 10 next year. Despite nearly a decade of failing to find a successor to Jordan Gross (who retired after the 2013 season!), new GM Scott Fitterer did not treat the position with much urgency. The Panthers signed journeyman free agent Cam Erving to a two-year, $10 million deal, despite the former first-round pick coming off a poor, injury-plagued season in Dallas. After Penei Sewell just missed falling to them in the draft, the Panthers waited until the third round to take BYU tackle Brady Christensen, who turns 25 in September and whose best position might be guard. All of which means Sam Darnold might be seeing more ghosts. — Joseph Person

New Orleans Saints

You could say some things were partially out of the Saints’ control after their cap situation got to the point that starting corner Janoris Jenkins had to be released. The Saints loved Jaycee Horn but weren’t going to mortgage their entire future to get him in the draft, and while they could’ve gotten one of the second-tier corners at the end of the first round, they went with Payton Turner. Trading back up in the second to get someone like Tyson Campbell didn’t work, so that position wasn’t addressed until Paulson Adebo in the third round. It feels like the Saints have a gaping hole at CB with few options available and no cap space until someone is extended. — Katherine Terrell

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Is there a “does not apply” option? They managed to bring back every starter from a Super Bowl team and didn’t really have to overpay much to do it. They’ve borrowed about $53 million from future seasons of salary-cap room with voidable years on new deals, but even that seems like a sensible risk with a limited window for success around a soon-to-be 44-year-old quarterback in Tom Brady. The few free-agent losses were marginal special-teams players, the draft picks sensible choices, so there isn’t an obvious answer for a worst offseason move here. — Greg Auman

NFC West

Arizona Cardinals

All 32-year-old veteran free-agent additions aren’t equal, and while it’s easy to understand the Cardinals’ thinking with the J.J. Watt move, I’m still having a hard time understanding the rationale behind the A.J. Green signing. Green will cost the Cardinals $6 million in cap space, which was about the market rate for a receiver in his age bracket (Emmanuel Sanders got a similar deal in Baltimore, as did Marvin Jones in Jacksonville), but Green is now almost four years removed from his last highly productive season. Injuries were an issue, sure, and the Bengals hardly provided him much help, but how much can we realistically expect out of Green? — Lindsay Jones

Los Angeles Rams

It’s too early to know if this is ultimately a “mistake,” per se, but the Rams moving a right guard (who has never played a live snap at center) to center, not drafting a center and then moving another new player to right guard to then replace the aforementioned center’s old position, is a biiiiiiiiit of a gamble. Austin Corbett, formerly a right guard who put together a really nice 2020 season for the Rams, is taking first-team snaps with Matthew Stafford — a quarterback who is also learning the offense for the first time. Depth at the center position is shaky and inexperienced, so the Rams are walking on the edge here. — Jourdan Rodrigue

San Francisco 49ers

Not drafting an edge rusher. The 49ers’ aggressive, attacking defense hinges on explosive defensive ends. The 49ers have that dynamic … but only when Nick Bosa and Dee Ford are healthy. They missed nearly all of 2020 with serious injuries from which they’re still recovering. The team is optimistic — especially when it comes to Bosa — they’ll make full recoveries. But considering how essential the position is, it’s a bit puzzling they didn’t do much at the edge beyond adding Samson Ebukam (signed for two years), Arden Key (one year) and Jordan Willis (one year). (The NFL recently suspended Willis for violating its performance-enhancing drugs policy, and he must miss the first six games.) During their recent defensive heydays, teams like the Ravens and Steelers always seemed to have a stable of young pass rushers to develop. — Matt Barrows

Seattle Seahawks

Seattle’s biggest offseason mistake was not making Russell Wilson feel like his opinion mattered. The trade talk sort of hijacked the storyline once The Athletic published a story about the rift between Wilson and the team in February, but at the root of his beef with the organization is a belief that the man in charge, Pete Carroll, answers to no one, has an antiquated offensive philosophy and an inability to adequately build an offensive line that is costing the quarterback opportunities to add more championships. There’s a reason Wilson went on TV and said he wanted more of a voice in personnel decisions. Carroll suggests all of that is water under the bridge now but there’s really no good reason it was a thing in the first place. It’s not as if making Wilson feel like his voice matters is detrimental to the team. — Michael-Shawn Dugar

(Top photo of A.J. Green: Christian Petersen / Getty Images)