Winners and losers from Week 2 of NFL free agency: Aaron Rodgers adds WR, veteran DBs still look for new homes

Week 2 of NFL free agency has come to an end, and while it was not as dramatic as the first week, we again had our fair share of big headlines. The New York Jets landed wide receiver Mike Williams, the New Orleans Saints agreed to terms with Chase Young, and the Los Angeles Chargers signed a former first-round cornerback in Kristian Fulton.

Who got better this past week, and who had a week to forget? Below, we will break down the winners and losers from the second week of NFL free agency.

Winner: Jets fans

The Jets have a new wideout in Mike Williams, but the real headline was how he may have been sold on New York: Breakfast.

That’s right, “NYJ Matt” revealed he had scheduled a Taylor Ham/Pork Roll Egg and Cheese to arrive at 1 Jets Drive the morning of Williams’ visit.

The Athletic reported that NYJ Matt had a tough time helping the DoorDash driver get through to Jets security. Eventually, the food successfully changed hands. An amazing story. 

Loser: Veteran DBs

When it came to cap casualties this offseason, the top three entering free agency in my opinion were cornerback Xavien Howard, safety Justin Simmons and cornerback Tre’Davious White. However, two weeks into free agency, zero of the three veteran defensive backs have found new homes. There’s nothing wrong with taking your time in selecting a new team, but it also could mean their markets aren’t as hot as expected.

Howard recently said he would be willing to take a pay cut to join a contender. That may be something all three of these players would do. 

Earlier this month, the Cleveland Browns sent fifth- and sixth-round picks to the Denver Broncos for Jeudy. He came to Cleveland with one more year remaining on his contract, but the Browns decided to extend him before he even took a snap for his new team. According to CBS Sports lead NFL insider Jonathan Jones, the Browns and Jeudy agreed to a three-year extension. NFL Media reports it’s worth up to $58 million, and includes $41 million guaranteed. 

Jeudy, a former No. 15 overall pick, did not exactly live up to expectations during his four seasons in Denver. He averaged 53.6 receiving yards per game, and scored 11 touchdowns in 57 career games. It’s a solid chunk of change for Jeudy, but if he thrives with this change of scenery, it could be a good investment. 

Loser: ‘Tush Push’ haters

The “Tush Push” will be back in 2024, as NFL executive vice president Troy Vincent confirmed this week that the controversial play will remain legal, via ESPN. However, the NFL will continue to monitor the play, according to CBS Sports lead NFL insider Jonathan Jones. Maybe we can name the Philadelphia Eagles winners here as well. They had a 93.5% success rate with the “Tush Push” in 2022, and a 90% success rate in 2023, per The Athletic. 

If you had to pick the most premier place to be a backup quarterback, it may be with the San Francisco 49ers. That’s the gig Dobbs landed this week. It almost feels like Kyle Shanahan can make any quarterback look good. Jimmy Garoppolo went 38-17 as a starter with San Francisco, Trey Lance went 2-2 and Brock Purdy is 17-4. 

Dobbs isn’t your average backup, as he really has some potential. While he went 1-7 with the Arizona Cardinals to begin 2023, he absolutely kept them competitive. Dobbs was then scooped up by the Minnesota Vikings at the trade deadline with Kirk Cousins injured. 

Dobbs of course didn’t start his first week with the Vikings, since he was with the team for just a couple days. But, he was forced into the lineup in that first matchup against the Atlanta Falcons after Jaren Hall suffered a concussion. Dobbs got off to a slow start with him not knowing his teammates or the playbook, but found a groove and eventually led an 11-play, 75-yard drive that was capped by a game-winning touchdown pass to Brandon Powell with 22 seconds remaining in the game. In all, Dobbs completed 20 of 30 passes for 158 yards and two touchdowns vs. the Falcons, and rushed seven times for game-high 66 yards and another score.

Dobbs went 2-2 as the starter for Minnesota before the Vikings wanted to get a look at Nick Mullens, but the 29-year-old dual-threat quarterback has potential, and San Francisco is a nice landing spot for him.

Loser: Western Kentucky Hilltoppers basketball

It’s the first round of March Madness, so this week was more about college basketball than the NFL. Somehow, some way, Falcons running back Bijan Robinson had a perfect bracket through the first day of the tournament! He went 16-0 in his picks, and correctly predicted a couple of big upsets, such as No. 14 Oakland taking down No. 3 Kentucky, No. 11 Duquesne taking down No. 6 BYU and No. 11 N.C. State upsetting No. 6 Texas Tech. However, early on Friday, Robinson’s run of perfection came to an end.

It looked like we had another big upset brewing in the south, as No. 15 Western Kentucky led No. 2 Marquette, 43-36, at halftime. Robinson had to be feeling good, as he actually picked the big underdog to move to the second round. However, the Golden Eagles outscored the Hilltoppers, 51-26, in the second half to eventually win, 87-69. With that, Robinson’s perfect bracket was no more.