2017 NFL Free Agency: Burning Questions Heading into Week 2

We're now three full days into NFL free agency, and what a roller coaster of a ride it has been.

From trades to big-money signings and never-ending speculation, there are still plenty of questions in the back of every football fan's mind as we approach the second week of this frenzy.

Well, those burning questions have compromised our minds, too, and we've decided to talk about them and give takes on 10 different questions.

Ranging from trades to roster construction or predicting signings, these are questions that have most likely crossed your mind.

Hopefully, we are given some resolutions here fairly soon—we can't take it anymore!

Why don't we start with that guy Kirk Cousins, quarterback of the Washington Redskins?

Or is he?

Will the 49ers Find a Way to Acquire QB Kirk Cousins?

Nick Wass/Associated Press

The entire saga surrounding Washington Redskins quarterback Kirk Cousins and the link to the San Francisco 49ers has mystified football fans everywhere this offseason.

When you look at it, it's a perfect match—the 49ers need a quarterback, Kyle Shanahan is the newly hired head coach who previously worked with Cousins, and it's been reported by Mike Silver of NFL Network (h/t Marc Sessler of NFL.com) that Cousins wanted "no part" of the Redskins after they franchise-tagged him for the second season in a row.

After we got news that Cousins wanted no part of Washington, Chris Mortensen of ESPN reported that Cousins "appealed personally" to Redskins owner Dan Snyder about a trade and was told "not to get his hopes up."

Well, after all of this, Cousins finally signed his franchise tag, which will pay him nearly $24 million in 2017, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.

Regardless, Cousins couldn't be traded without signing the tag, so him signing it doesn't say a whole lot about the potential outcome of this situation.

At this point, I'm not a believer in a deal getting done. If you think about it, it makes sense for the 49ers to just wait.

Pros: They sign Cousins next offseason, use their No. 2 overall pick on an impact defensive player and don't need to trade draft capital for him now.

Cons: Cousins gets catastrophically injured in 2017 and the 49ers need to somewhat scramble after that, and they ride 2017 with Brian Hoyer and Matt Barkley.

Verdict: Cousins stays in Washington for 2017, signs with San Francisco next offseason.

Where Will QB Tony Romo End Up?

Matt Rourke/Associated Press

It seems as though Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo could end up in one of these three places: the Denver Broncos, the Houston Texans or Fox Sports.

Yup. He could end up on Fox Sports as an analyst, as Adam Schefter of ESPN has reported that the network would like Romo to replace new San Francisco 49ers general manager John Lynch.

Schefter also reported that it would be a "major upset" if the Cowboys are able to trade Romo, meaning they would ultimately need to release the veteran.

One other nuance that makes this drama, well, more dramatic is that the Broncos may not necessarily pursue Romo even if he is released, according to James Palmer of NFL Network (h/t Ian Rapoport of NFL Network).

Logistically, Romo to Houston makes more sense—it's closer to Dallas (a brisk three-and-a-half hours southeast of Dallas to be exact).

On the field, Romo would have a No. 1 receiver in Houston with DeAndre Hopkins, the young Will Fuller and Lamar Miller as his running back—not to mention a stout defense. The same deal kind of applies to the Broncos—they have two good/great receivers in Emmanuel Sanders and Demaryius Thomas, the running game has guys like C.J. Anderson and Devontae Booker, and they also have a rock-solid defense.

The one thing these two do have in common, though, is that they both have offensive lines that need some work.

You know where I'm going with this—Romo plus a not good offensive line equals more injuries, perhaps.

The Broncos did, however, sign Romo's former teammate and offensive lineman Ronald Leary.

So, when given the question of where will Romo land, I'd have to say Houston when it's all said and done.

Staying in Houston would allow his family to stay in Dallas in their home and avoid uprooting them for a few seasons—at this point in his career, that is probably the leading concern for Romo. And, oh yeah, the Texans (as mentioned) actually do have a good football team, and the departure of Brock Osweiler and his cap hit will allow the Texans to pick up one of the better quarterbacks in the league.

Who Else Will the Ravens Add?

Michael Ainsworth/Associated Press

Why are we talking about the Baltimore Ravens specifically here, you say?

Well, according to Garrett Downing of the Ravens team site, general manager Ozzie Newsome has come out and openly said "we're not done in free agency."

When the general manager of a football team says that, people tend to listen.

Looking at the Ravens' moves so far this offseason, they added safety Tony Jefferson to pair with fellow safety Eric Weddle and running back Danny Woodhead. Jefferson will add more firepower on offense and take the place of Kenneth Dixon, who is suspended for the first four games of the 2017 season.

Not to mention they also brought back nose tackle Brandon Williams.

Looking at the Ravens roster, there are a few clear needs: some pass-rushers, wide receiver and a cornerback to pair with Jimmy Smith.

Fortunately for the Ravens, all of those needs can be addressed in the draft if they so choose—all of those positions are in good places in this draft class.

So far this offseason, the Ravens have been linked to former Dallas Cowboys cornerback Morris Claiborne, according to Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun.

At receiver, there haven't been really any rumblings about the Ravens being linked to any beyond the team picking up Mike Wallace's $8 million option. Based on this move, that tells me the Ravens are not all that interested in some of the free-agent wide receivers left—Vincent Jackson, Victor Cruz, Andre Holmes and Michael Floyd to name a few.

Ultimately, when it's all said and done, the Ravens will acquire Claiborne—he's coming off the best season of his career, though he only played in eight games in 2016 (including playoffs).

The Ravens could add a wide receiver (or retain Kamar Aiken), but I'm not confident it will be a flashy name.

The Ravens will focus on all three of the above-mentioned positions in the draft, but they pull the trigger on Claiborne.

Will Anyone Trade for Browns QB Brock Osweiler?

Steven Senne/Associated Press

After acquiring Brock Osweiler in a trade with the Houston Texans that was essentially the purchase of a second-round draft pick, the Cleveland Browns are also shopping the towering signal-caller.

According to Mary Kay Cabot of the Cleveland Plain Dealer, the Browns are targeting a third-round pick in exchange for Osweiler and a fifth-round pick.

Overall, the trade proposal isn't terrible—there just might be a tough time finding a trade partner.

Looking at the teams that still need to address the quarterback position (besides Houston and Cleveland), we are left with the New York Jets, San Francisco 49ers and quite possibly the Arizona Cardinals.

It's going to be difficult for any team outside of the Jets to actually start Osweiler this season, so the question is whether a third-round pick is too much for a backup quarterback—the answer to that is: probably.

After his showing in 2016, it's going to be tough to find a team that is willing to try to sell to their fanbase that Osweiler is the answer.

It's quite evident that the Browns are willing to just cut Osweiler altogether, so that may not make any team trade for him when it could just sign him to a deal when he is released.

For the Browns' sake, hopefully they are able to trade Osweiler as they continue to stockpile draft assets, but I'm not sure any team pulls the trigger, as there are other options at quarterback to trade for, sign or even just draft than paying up a top-100 pick for Osweiler.

Where Does LB Dont'a Hightower Land?

Gregory Payan/Associated Press

With Day 3 of free agency coming and going, one of the better free agents in this class is still out there—former New England Patriots linebacker Dont'a Hightower.

Before free agency began, it was widely speculated that Hightower would leave New England, as he'd likely be given a contract beyond what the Patriots were willing to spend on the open market.

That hasn't seemed to have happened yet.

The only teams that have been linked to Hightower this offseason (outside of the Patriots) have been the Cleveland Browns, per Mike Silver of NFL Network (h/t Marc Sessler of NFL Network), and the Tennessee Titans, according to Terry McCormick of Titan Insider—two teams that have plenty of money to spend.

It's not common that we see a top-tier free agent like Hightower still out on the open market by now.

This leads me to believe that Hightower lands back in New England on a team-friendly, short-term deal.

My thought process falls in line with what Albert Breer of MMQB has reported—that "at least one team" pursuing Hightower believe he lands back in New England.

Beyond that, the terms of the deal can be speculated but, as mentioned, expect it to be short-term, as the deal will be team-friendly. Hightower is one of the better linebackers in the league, and it's safe to say he would like to be paid like one.

The recent moves by the Patriots (trading for wide receiver Brandin Cooks, signing cornerback Stephon Gilmore) have most likely piqued Hightower's interest to chase a ring for a second season in a row.

Expect Hightower to return to New England for at least 2017.

How Will the Jets Address the QB Position?

Associated Press

AJ McCarron

Oh, the New York Jets.

They're always finding ways to end up back at square one, huh?

After a successful 2015, the Jets were polar opposites in 2016. As a result, the team has no quarterback and released cornerback Darrelle Revis and wide receiver Brandon Marshall.

Last time I checked, the quarterback position is pretty darn important in football, and the Jets don't seem to have one outside of Bryce Petty and Christian Hackenberg.

Neither one of these guys is ready to start and won't be out there in 2017.

But who will?

Well, the Jets have three options: Free agency, the draft and via trade.

The available free agents look like the same guys you'll find during Week 7 of your Madden 17 season—Colin Kaepernick, Josh McCown, Case Keenum and the 100-million-dollar man, Jay Cutler.

In the draft, there are guys such as North Carolina's Mitchell Trubisky, Clemson's Deshaun Watson, Notre Dame's DeShone Kizer and Texas Tech's Patrick Mahomes.

Where this gets interesting, though, is via trade. The two quarterbacks that the Jets could realistically acquire in a trade are Brock Osweiler from the Cleveland Browns or AJ McCarron from the Cincinnati Bengals.

One option for the Jets is to sign a bridge quarterback and wait on one to develop on the roster for a year.

Another option is to draft a quarterback and let him roll out there on day one—a move that doesn't seem like the best idea given the current crop of quarterbacks in this year's draft class, and throwing him into Jets hell probably isn't the most sound coaching strategy.

Personally, trading for McCarron is intriguing, but they will need to trade some kind of legitimate asset such as defensive lineman Sheldon Richardson.

At the same time, who cares if they trade Richardson? They are nowhere near winning anything anytime soon, and getting your quarterback is kind of the first step in turning your franchise around.

If a swap involving McCarron for Richardson is a possibility, it makes sense for both sides.

What I would do is one of two things: Trade for McCarron, or sign a real veteran like McCown who will take the time, effort and provide a positive veteran presence in mentoring a guy you take in the top 10 in the upcoming draft—Kaepernick and Cutler do not fit that mold.

Where Will RB Adrian Peterson Land?

Charlie Neibergall/Associated Press

While this headline applies to a lot of the running backs still out on the open market, we'll focus on the most polarizing one of the group—former Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson.

Arguably the best running back in the NFL since he entered the league, Peterson is now in his 30s and is searching for a team.

After a season that included Peterson injuring his knee, Peterson's production when he returned didn't help, either—running for a total of 72 yards on 37 carries.

The market for Peterson has been essentially nothing.

However, Peterson will visit with the Seahawks, according to Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com.

If AD leaves Seattle without a contract, the market resorts back to what it was—pretty much nothing.

There are plenty of things working against Peterson: his age, injuries, money that he'll want and one of the better running back draft classes I've ever seen.

Yes, believe it or not, the name Peterson on the back of the jersey doesn't make NFL teams run out after him.

After being humbled by this experience, Peterson will end up back in Minnesota on a short-term, cheap contract—he doesn't have very much leverage beyond that.

How Do the Bengals Address Their Offensive Line Issues?

Tim Ireland/Associated Press

One of the storylines that seems to be somewhat under the radar is the deconstruction of the Cincinnati Bengals offensive line in the wake of losing left tackle Andrew Whitworth to the Los Angeles Rams and offensive guard Kevin Zeitler to their division rival Cleveland Browns.

If the season were to begin now, the Bengals would sport an offensive line of tackles Jake Fisher and Cedric Ogbuehi, guards Clint Boling and Christian Westerman, and center Russell Bodine, according to Our Lads.

Needless to say, it's a far cry from having Zeitler and Whitworth.

So how do the Bengals address it? Well, there's really no way to answer it beyond the draft and simply just dealing with what they have for now.

The confusing part of all of this is that the Bengals could have brought back at least one of these guys with the nearly $28 million in cap space they currently have.

The remaining offensive line free agents are probably a lateral upgrade at best right now, besides former Green Bay Packers guard T.J. Lang.

Given their available cap space, Lang would definitely be an option, but beyond him, the draft is the best answer.

Will the Rams Trade CB Trumaine Johnson?

Kelvin Kuo/Associated Press

This story seems to have been slid under the carpet. Well not anymore!

According to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network, the Los Angeles Rams continue to talk to teams in regard to their star cornerback Trumaine Johnson, whom the Rams franchise-tagged earlier this offseason.

Would the Rams actually trade this guy?

Yeah, I think they would.

Will they end up trading him? Probably not.

Should they? Yes.

Looking at the Rams this offseason, they've brought in wide receiver Robert Woods and left tackle Andrew Whitworth while losing their best wide receiver in Kenny Britt.

The Rams are in no position to win any time soon as they still figure out if their No. 1 overall pick last year, quarterback Jared Goff, is a bust or not.

What good is it to get one more year out of Johnson just to see him potentially run off into the sunset with another team next offseason?

There isn't, and this is why you trade him.

For Johnson to be traded, it would need to be to a team that has a mutual interest with Johnson in signing a long-term extension. A team like the Cleveland Browns makes sense here, but they are also in a position where they could be trading for their future franchise quarterback, so draft picks might become tight.

Beyond that, is a team willing to part with a first-round pick for Johnson? Well, it depends on the pick and the team, of course.

But the question is whether or not the Rams will trade him, and I wouldn't plan on it, although I think they definitely should.

Will the Patriots Trade QB Jimmy Garoppolo?

Charles Krupa/Associated Press

You were probably wondering "what took so long to include the New England Patriots and potentially trading quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo?!"

Well, here it is.

This storyline just cannot make up its mind—it's gone from this being a perfect match, to a hacked Instagram account post and now, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN while appearing on 97.1 in Columbus, Ohio (h/t Rotoworld), the Patriots wouldn't trade him now matter what the Browns offer.

I just don't buy it.

As it stands right now, the Patriots do not have a single first- or second-round draft choice in 2017. However, they did not trade cornerback Malcolm Butler in the deal to acquire former New Orleans Saints wide receiver Brandin Cooks, so they could trade him to recoup assets.

Is Butler enough, though? I'm not sure.

Garoppolo, on the other hand, could potentially land quite a few picks, especially if the Browns are able to deal quarterback Brock Osweiler for a third-round pick as they are hoping for.

The position the Patriots are in right now when it comes to the draft is a red flag and is almost a tell that they are not done yet.

The Patriots will trade Garoppolo to the Browns for multiple picks and re-stockpile their resources.

Statistics courtesy of Pro Football Focus. Cap and contract figures courtesy of Over The Cap.