2018 NFL Free Agents: Early Market Rumors and Predictions for Top Names

For most NFL fans, the journey to the NFL offseason has started in earnest, where free agency and the draft rejuvenate hopes for next season and likely help reshape league hierarchy. 

It's hard to ignore recent success stories in free agency, too. Look at the playoffs—the Jacksonville Jaguars have been one of the most active teams in free agency lately and have made the postseason alongside teams such as the New England Patriots. Those Patriots haven't hesitated to open up the checkbooks lately, either. Further, look at how signing Case Keenum worked out for Minnesota Vikings. 

Those are a few of the notable success stories. Failures exist, but by and large, free agency has been more active and impactful than usual lately. 

Not that fans needed any help getting hyped for the event—especially based on some of the rumors already making the rounds. 

Tyrod Taylor 

Phelan M. Ebenhack/Associated Press

Buffalo Bills quarterback Tyrod Taylor isn't a free agent this offseason—though it's hard to escape the feeling that statement needs a "yet" classification slapped on the end of it. 

Taylor has a costly roster bonus coming up this offseason, and the Bills made the odd choice to bench him in favor of Nathan Peterman in Week 11.

We know that failed miserably, but it isn't unreasonable to think the same decision-makers who made the call there decide to roll with the 2017 fifth-round pick over Taylor, who'd be a costly backup. 

Alas, NFL Media's Ian Rapoport said in a recent interview the Bills "have not written off" Taylor starting again next year: 

Over 15 games, Taylor only completed 62.6 percent of his passes for 2,799 yards and 14 touchdowns against four interceptions. He added another 427 yards and four scores on the ground against the Jaguars in the playoffs, but his throwing let him down, with just 134 yards and an interception. 

The Bills coughing up $6 million to keep Taylor with Peterman on the roster and a pair of first-round picks inbound seems unlikely. Knowing this situation, teams won't cough up any assets to trade for him, either.

Once on the open market, Taylor could have a hard time convincing teams in his age-29 season he's going to progress as a starter again. It's likely he lands somewhere familiar, such as with the Baltimore Ravens as a costly backup. 

Prediction: Taylor gets cut, signs with Baltimore 

Kirk Cousins 

Bill Kostroun/Associated Press

A guy like Kirk Cousins perhaps becoming available is a big part of the reason Taylor could have a hard time finding a starting gig. 

Cousins had a down year with the Washington Redskins by most metrics, throwing for 4,093 yards and 27 touchdowns against 13 interceptions while watching as new weapons at skill positions struggled to adapt and help the team. 

After two franchise tags in a row, a third would cost the Redskins about $34 million, something they likely can't afford to do—and some of the biggest names want a resolution to the drama sooner rather than later. 

"I think something has to be done," head coach Jay Gruden said, according to Dan Steinberg of the Washington Post. "I personally don't want to go through another one-year deal, and just [keep going] one year, one year. I think you want to have a quarterback in here that's going to be here. And hopefully that is Kirk, and if not, we have to move on and do what we have to do as an organization."

Anxiety on the part of Gruden falls into the "understandable" category, especially after Eric Galko of Sporting News reported, "The Broncos have made it clear to those close to Cousins that they're ready to make a big offer."

For the Redskins, though, the grass isn't always greener. There aren't in-house options to replace Cousins, and picking 13th in the upcoming draft might leave them out of range of the top prospects in the class. 

While Cousins isn't necessarily a high-end starter, he's better than what most of the league has, and it's easier to fix the weapons around him than start over under center. As an aside, the Redskins have seen what Cousins can do with a strong supporting cast, meaning they'll open up the checkbook. 

Prediction: Cousins re-signs with the Redskins

Case Keenum

Stacy Revere/Getty Images

Keenum is now one of the more intriguing names headed to free agency after his one-year deal with the Vikings produced one of the most surprising storylines of the season. 

There, Keenum stepped in and completed 67.6 percent of his passes for 3,547 yards and 22 touchdowns against seven interceptions, leading the Vikings to the playoffs despite a devastating injury to star rookie back Dalvin Cook. He got four or more touchdowns out of three different targets in the process and 50 or more catches out of four. 

Much of the credit for Keenum's success goes to offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur, though, which has created an interesting package-deal scenario, according to ESPN.com's Adam Schefter. 

"If Shurmur ends up being hired by a quarterback-needy team that he has interviewed with—Arizona and the Giants stand out—he could bring Vikings free-agent-quarterback-to-be Case Keenum with him, league sources told ESPN," Schefter wrote.

The interesting development here, though, is the money Keenum himself could command on the market after such a strong season. Maybe he can't recreate the success elsewhere without Shurmur's help, but that won't stop a quarterback-needy team wanting an instant impact from coughing up big money—Mike Glennon got $45 million last offseason after attempting a handful of passes over the two prior seasons. 

Keenum is going on 30 years old, so a team on the market won't view him as a long-term solution. But if a team like the Broncos thinks it can win now with a stopgap solution, there might be enough in the way of dollar signs to rip him away from Shurmur. 

While Shurmur sticks in Minnesota with Teddy Bridgewater, look for Keenum to take the highest offer with a good-looking contending outlook, meaning a Keenum-Denver marriage. 

Prediction: Keenum signs with the Broncos 

Stats courtesy of NFL.com.