NFL Free Agency 2020: Rumors and Predictions for Key Offseason Targets

The 2020 edition of NFL free agency is approaching quickly. The deadline for applying franchise and transition tags is Thursday, and teams can begin contacting pending free agents as early as Monday.

The official start to free agency isn't until March 18, but many of the top free agents will be spoken for by then.

The free-agency dominoes will start falling quickly, and as one might expect, rumors about how they might fall are already rampant.

Here, we'll dig into some of the latest buzz.

Prescott May Have Only Received One Offer

Given his age (26) and status as a Pro Bowl quarterback, Dallas Cowboys signal-caller Dak Prescott might just be the most valuable target scheduled for free agency.

However, it feels like Dallas will use the franchise tag if they cannot get a long-term deal done before the deadline.

This may be the route the Cowboys go.

According to ESPN's Todd Archer, the Cowboys recently made a second offer to Prescott after an initial offer made during the scouting combine. According to Calvin Watkins of the Dallas Morning News, that initial offer was worth $33 million annually with a guaranteed value of $105 million.

It appears, though, that the initial offer and the latest offer may be one and the same. According to Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk, there has been only one offer.

"The offer, per one source, was made on March 2," he wrote. "The Cowboys have not recently made any other offer. It’s unclear whether Prescott’s camp has responded to the offer."

If Dallas has made only one offer to Prescott, then it may be a take-it-or-leave-it one. The Cowboys can have the quarterback for one year at the $33 million price tag and try again next offseason—provided he doesn't hold out.

Prediction: Prescott plays on the franchise tag in 2020.

Several Teams Interested in Tom Brady, Clarity Could Come Soon

Charles Krupa/Associated Press

While Tom Brady doesn't offer the youth and upside of Prescott, he does have a championship pedigree unlike any other.

The six-time Super Bowl-winner is scheduled to reach the open market, and according to Ryan Hannable of WEEI, teams interested in the 42-year-old—if the Patriots don't first re-sign him—include the Tennessee Titans, Las Vegas Raiders and Tampa Bay Buccaneers. 

According to NBC Sports' Peter King, this week could bring some clarity to Brady's future.

"I asked one person very close to the story this weekend, and he said 'We're going to start to get some inkling this coming week,'" King said on NFL Network's Good Morning Football (h/t Hannable).

The closer we get to the start of the "legal tampering" period, the more likely it seems Brady will leave New England. ESPN's Adam Schefter said in January on Get Up! that he didn't think the Patriots would wait until March 16 for an answer.

If New England is going to make Brady more than a courtesy offer, it's likely to come by the end of the week. If he doesn't take it, his time in New England could well be over.

Prediction: If Brady doesn't re-sign before Monday, he won't re-sign with the Patriots.

Raiders May be Interested in a Backup, Not Brady

While there has been speculation surrounding the Raiders and Brady,  Tom E. Curran of NBC Sports Boston believes the pairing would be unlikely.

"Jon Gruden, I was told, isn't going to cold-shoulder Brady if the quarterback's people reach out but the team isn't planning to give great chase," he wrote.

NFL Network's Mike Garafolo also doused a little water on the rumors. According to Garafolo (h/t Gregg Rosenthal), Las Vegas is more likely to go after a veteran backup in free agency than Brady:

This likely either means A.) the Raiders are fine with another season of Derek Carr as the starting quarterback or B.) the Raiders have a new franchise signal-caller they wish to target in April's draft.

Of course, there's nothing to stop the Raiders from giving a veteran such as Marcus Mariota a shot at unseating Carr as the starter.

If Las Vegas is ready to move on from Carr right now, the former Fresno State star will likely be released or traded. Parting with him would save the Raiders more than $13 million in 2020.

Prediction: Carr is Las Vegas' Week 1 starter in 2020.