5 Key Stories: 3/5/17 – 3/12/17

Free agency opens! The busiest week of the NFL calendar was as crazy, as the free agent period officially opened on Thursday after a two-day legal tampering period. The sheer magnitude of signings means we won’t be able to go over all of them (or even a fraction of them) here, but there are several ways you can look back on the week that was. First, our Transactions tag will allow you to read stories that simply focus on actual moves, filtering out all rumors. The Newsstand tag, meanwhile, will show you the most important posts of the week. Check out our Top 50 Free Agents list, which is constantly being updated when each player signs, and bookmark our master list of 2017 free agents, which is also updated after each transaction.

The Browns go Moneyball. Cleveland made the first NBA-style trade in league history last week, acquiring quarterback Brock Osweiler, his contract (an entity unto itself), a 2018 second-round pick, and a 2017 sixth-round pick from the Texans in exchange for a 2017 sixth-round choice. The Browns effectively bought a second-round pick by taking on Osweiler’s fully guaranteed $16MM base salary, but Cleveland has little interest in Osweiler himself. The club is already trying to trade the 27-year-old (and are willing to pay roughly half his deal to do so), and will release him if no takers are found.

Patriots wheel and deal. The Browns weren’t the only club to operate in the trade market last week, as the Patriots made three (three!) of their own deals. First, they acquired tight end Dwayne Allen from the Colts to replace Martellus Bennett, and then picked up defensive end Kony Ealy from the Panther to bolster their pass rush. New England saved the largest move for last, however, sending a first- and a third-round pick to the Saints for wide receiver Brandin Cooks. You can keep track of all the moves by bookmarking our list of 2017 NFL Trades.

Redskins in turmoil. Washington fired general manager Scot McCloughan on the first day of free agency, a highly unusual decision even for a franchise known for making them. McCloughan’s status with the club had been in question for some time, and while the longtime evalutor’s admitted alcoholism may have played a role in his demise, the move may have simply been a power grab by others in the Redskins’ front office. While the distrust within the organization might have disrupted its free agency plans, Washington still signed a number of players including Stacy McGee, Terrell McClain, and D.J. Swearinger.

AP still waiting. Adrian Peterson remains unsigned and only has one visit scheduled (Seahawks), as more teams have indicated they’re not interested in Peterson than called to express intrigue. The Texans, Patriots, Raiders, Giants, and have all said “thanks, but no thanks” to Peterson, who could still return to the Vikings even after they declined his 2017 option. Peterson, 32 later this month, is the No. 2 running back on PFR’s board.