The 2024 National Football League (NFL) offseason featured plenty of player movement, with more than 10 high-profile free agents signing contracts worth at least $50 million. Quarterback Kirk Cousins received the largest contract in the offseason, signing a four-year, $180 million deal with the Atlanta Falcons. Including players selected in the 2024 NFL Draft, teams awarded $9.4 billion worth of contracts, including $4.6 billion in guaranteed salary, to players in the offseason.
Teams also addressed positional needs through trades. Here's a look at four of the most notable trades this offseason.
1. Bears Add Keenan Allen
The Chicago Bears made arguably the most significant move in the trade market in the offseason, acquiring six-time Pro Bowl receiver Keenan Allen from the Los Angeles Chargers for a fourth-round pick in the 2024 NFL Draft. A third-round pick in 2013, Allen recorded 10,530 receiving yards and 59 touchdowns in 139 games through 11 seasons with the Chargers. He is coming off a career-best season, catching 108 passes for 1,243 yards and seven touchdowns. Allen is a great fit for the Bears, which needed a veteran receiver to play with quarterback Caleb Williams, the first overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft.
"I don't think there's a better receiver in the league that can be better for a young quarterback in terms of understanding the NFL, timing, space, reading defenses," said Bears GM Ryan Poles of Allen.
2. Jerry Jeudy to Cleveland
The Cleveland Browns also improved its depth at wide receiver, acquiring Jerry Jeudy from the Denver Broncos in exchange for fifth- and sixth-round picks in the 2024 NFL Draft. The 15th overall pick in 2020, Jeudy had 3,053 receiving yards and 11 touchdowns in 57 games through four seasons in Denver. He had his best year in 2022, hitting career-best marks in receptions (67), receiving yards (972), and touchdowns (6).
3. Pittsburgh Acquires Justin Fields
The Pittsburgh Steelers made considerable changes at the quarter-back position in the offseason. The team traded last year's starting quarterback, Kenny Pickett, to the Philadelphia Eagles, and then signed veteran Russell Wilson to start in 2024. The Steelers then acquired Justin Fields, 11th overall pick in 2021, from the Bears for a conditional sixth-round pick in 2025.
Fields was 10-28 in 38 starts through three seasons in Chicago, but he will get a fresh start in Pittsburgh with the opportunity to learn under Wilson, a Super Bowl champion.
4. Mixon in Houston
After signing free agent running back Zack Moss, the Cincinnati Bengals planned to release Joe Mixon, but instead found a trading partner with the Houston Texans. The Bengals dealt Mixon to Houston for a seventh-round pick in the 2024 NFL Draft. A Pro Bowl back, Mixon had four 1,000-yard seasons through seven years in Cincinnati. He had 1,034 rushing yards and nine touchdowns in 2023.