• Kendall Fuller is a great value signing for the Dolphins: Fuller’s 83.1 overall grade ranked seventh among cornerbacks in 2023, while his 82.8 coverage grade ranked ninth. He’s solid against the run and missed just 5.1% of his tackle attempts last season, so to get him for a contract that doesn’t rank among the top 25 at the position in per year average is really good value
• Patrick Queen has improved every season: If Queen doesn’t get any better, this is still a good deal for the Steelers. But if he continues to improve — and it’s important to note that he’s still only 24 years old — then this deal could end up being phenomenal value.
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With the first wave of free agency in the books, we can start to look back at some of the deals and identify the teams that have gotten great value and those that have potentially overpaid.
It’s important to note that this is based on the players’ contract projections and career PFF grades. Plenty of players have improved in new environments over the years, so a deal that looks like an overpay today could look much better come the end of the season.
With that in mind, here is our look at three 2024 free agents who were potentially underpaid and three players who just might have been overpaid.
Underpriced 2024 NFL free agents
CB Kendall Fuller, Miami Dolphins
Contract: Two years, $16.5 million ($8.25 million per year),
PFF projected contract: Three years, $40 million ($13.33 million per year), $25 million total guaranteed
Fuller’s 83.1 overall grade ranked seventh among cornerbacks in 2023, while his 82.8 coverage grade ranked ninth. He’s solid against the run and missed just 5.1% of his tackle attempts last season, so to get him for a contract that doesn’t rank among the top 25 at the position in per-year average is really good value for the Dolphins.
LB Patrick Queen, Pittsburgh Steelers
Contract: Three years, $41 million ($13.67 million per year),
PFF projected contract: Four years, $72.5 million ($18.125 million per year)
Patrick Queen has improved every season since entering the league and finished tied for 18th among linebackers in PFF coverage grade in 2023 (74.4).
While he has always had a knack for making plays, the most impressive aspect of his development has been how he has reduced his mistakes. He earned a negative grade on 13.9% of his plays as a rookie, but that percentage has dropped every season since and was just 7.6% last season.
This is still a good deal if Queen doesn’t get any better. But if he continues to improve — and it’s important to note that he’s still only 24 years old — then this could end up being phenomenal value for Pittsburgh.
WR Marquise Brown, Kansas City Chiefs
Contract: One year, $7 million, up to $11 million
PFF projected contract: One year, $12 million fully guaranteed
The high end of this contract comes in just below PFF’s contract projection, but the real value for the Chiefs is that they have mitigated their risk against injury by having up to $4 million tied to incentives.
Brown has earned a PFF receiving grade of 68.0 or better in each of his five NFL seasons. This deal is easy for Chiefs fans to love, especially if they compare it to the three-year, $13 million per year contract signed by Darnell Mooney this offseason.
Overpriced 2024 NFL free agents
WR Calvin Ridley, Tennessee Titans
Contract: Four years, $92 million ($23 million per year), $50 million total guaranteed
PFF projected contract: 3 years, $55.5 million ($18.5 million per year)
I don’t know that “overpriced” is necessarily bad in this instance, as the Titans have the cap flexibility that comes with a quarterback on a rookie deal. The issue is that they gave a top-10 contract to a 30-year-old receiver who wasn’t among the best at his position a year ago.
Ridley ranked 24th in receiving yards, 46th in yards per route run and 41st in receiving grade in 2023. The Titans are better at the position than before, but they’ve had to pay up for that.
EDGE Yetur Gross-Matos, San Francisco 49ers
Contract: Two years, $18 million ($9 million per year)
PFF projected contract: N/A
Gross-Matos is a former second-round draft pick who is just 26 years old, so it’s understandable that a team would think there is still some development to come from him. That being said, his career year in 2023 saw him earn a 65.4 overall grade and a 65.2 pass-rush grade, neither of which ranked among the top 50 edge defenders last season.
LB Kenneth Murray, Tennessee Titans
Contract: Two years, $15.5 million ($7.75 million per year)
PFF projected contract: N/A
The Titans watched Azeez Al-Shaair leave for the divisional-rival Houston Texans after he earned a 64.7 overall grade that ranked 48th among linebackers. They have saved some money by paying Murray instead of Al-Shaair, but they have also got worse at the position, as Murray has yet to grade above 54.4 in his career.
Given that players like Blake Cashman and Drue Tranquill have been better linebackers and could have commanded similar or less money, it’s hard to like this deal for the Titans.
