Grades for Latest Reported NFL Trades, Signings Ahead of Free Agency

We often hear that teams attend the NFL Scouting Combine to broker deals and gauge a feel for the free-agent market while taking a closer look at incoming prospects. Well, the movers and shakers came back from Indianapolis and wasted little time with major roster moves over the past couple of days.

Quarterback Aaron Rodgers worked with a self-imposed free-agency deadline and kicked off the action with his decision to sign an extension with the Green Bay Packers. Within the next couple of hours, the Denver Broncos agreed to terms on a blockbuster deal with the Seattle Seahawks that involved quarterback Russell Wilson, per ESPN's Adam Schefter.

Amid the breaking news around star quarterbacks, the Los Angeles Chargers re-signed Mike Williams on a big-money extension. Late Tuesday, the Tennessee Titans retained Harold Landry, their top pass-rusher from the 2021 season.

The NFL world didn't stop turning though.

On Wednesday, the Washington Commanders struck an agreement with the Indianapolis Colts to acquire quarterback Carson Wentz, per Schefter.

Let's break down the transactions from Tuesday and Wednesday with grades for all parties (teams) involved in each move.

Packers Will Sign QB Aaron Rodgers to an Extension

Jeffrey Phelps/Associated Press

The Packers waited on pins and needles as Aaron Rodgers weighed his options. Per NFL Network's Ian Rapoport, he considered the Broncos and retirement before a decision to run it back in Green Bay.

The Packers may never find out if their 2020 first-round quarterback Jordan Love has what it takes to succeed Rodgers, who according to Rapoport will sign a four-year, $200 million extension with $153 million in guarantees.

On a positive note, Green Bay keeps its Super Bowl window open with one of the league's top quarterbacks and avoids the unknown with a 23-year-old signal-caller who's completed 36 of 62 passes for 411 yards, two touchdowns and three interceptions for his career.

Furthermore, Rodgers' return will likely help the Packers in their long-term negotiations with his longtime teammate Davante Adams, whom the club franchise-tagged Tuesday. 

From Green Bay's perspective, the positives clearly outweigh the mystery of Love's upside.

Rodgers has won back-to-back league MVP honors, throwing for 85 touchdowns and nine interceptions over the past two seasons. In a division with three teams that have hired a new coaching staff in the same time span, the Packers have a leg up on the competition and should extend their three-year streak of NFC North titles.

Grade: A

Broncos Acquire QB Russell Wilson from Seahawks

Ralph Freso/Associated Press

Denver made a shocking move, sending two first-rounders, two second-rounders, a fifth-round pick, quarterback Drew Lock, defensive lineman Shelby Harris and tight end Noah Fant to the Seahawks for Russell Wilson and a fourth-rounder, per NFL Network's Ian Rapoport. 

Though Broncos general manager George Paton gave up premium assets, his bold move puts Denver in playoff contention.

Sure, Harris led the Broncos in sacks (six) and recorded 18 quarterback pressures last year, but Dre'Mont Jones had a decent season (5.5 sacks and 21 pressures). Denver can re-sign restricted free-agent edge-rusher Malik Reed, who registered 13 sacks and 55 pressures over the past two campaigns. If Bradley Chubb stays healthy, the front seven still looks stout and capable of consistently rushing the passer.

Wilson won't have Fant, who led Denver in receptions (68) and accumulated 670 receiving yards and four touchdowns in 2021. However, he still has an assortment of perimeter playmakers in wideouts Courtland Sutton, Tim Patrick, Jerry Jeudy, KJ Hamler and tight end Albert Okwuegbunam.

New Broncos head coach Nathaniel Hackett inherited a top-eight defense in points and yards allowed. Now, he has a nine-time Pro Bowl quarterback who can elevate his offensive skill players. 

Broncos' Grade: A

From the Seahawks' perspective, they're headed for a rebuild. Seattle dealt Wilson and released linebacker Bobby Wagner, two of the longest-tenured players on the roster, which resets the team's leadership.

Head coach Pete Carroll turns 71 years old in September, and the Seahawks may look for a new innovative direction if the team takes a freefall.

Seattle must address its quarterback situation. Lock had some bright moments in his 2019 rookie year, but he failed to deliver in the following season, throwing for 16 touchdowns and tying Carson Wentz for a league-leading 15 interceptions. In 2021, Teddy Bridgewater, whom the Broncos acquired from the Carolina Panthers last April, beat him out for the starting job.

The Seahawks received quality assets in the deal, but they're easily the worst team in the NFC West with a big question mark at the most important position.

Seahawks' Grade: D

Chargers Re-Sign WR Mike Williams

Ashley Landis/Associated Press

Because of the quarterback news, the Chargers seem to quietly re-sign Mike Williams on a three-year, $60 million deal.

For perspective, the franchise tag for wideouts amounts to $18.4 million in 2022, so Williams' annual earnings slightly exceed the one-year tender. With quarterback Justin Herbert on his rookie deal, Los Angeles has money to spend, but the club will pay the fifth-year receiver a top-five salary in average annual value at his position after his first 50-plus-catch campaign.

Before Williams' contract year, he caught 49 or fewer passes each season, which averages out to about three receptions per game. Based on the wideout's overall resume, his production from the previous campaign (76 catches for 1,146 yards and nine touchdowns) seems like an aberration. 

In 2021, Williams led the Chargers in receiving yards and touchdown receptions, but the passing attack often features five-time Pro Bowler Keenan Allen. The team also has depth at wide receiver in Jalen Guyton and rookie third-rounder Josh Palmer, who combined for 64 catches, 801 yards and seven touchdowns this past season.

Though Williams' return on a new deal bodes well for Herbert, the Chargers had some leverage with a high-level wideout and two young receivers who have provided flashes of playmaking ability. Yet, they overpaid for a No. 2 wideout in hopes that he continues to post big numbers. 

Grade: B-

Tennessee Titans Re-Sign OLB Harold Landry

John Amis/Associated Press

Typically, highly productive pass-rushers in their prime don't make it to the free-agent market because teams re-sign them to lucrative deals. Harold Landry falls into that category.

In 2021, Landry earned his first Pro Bowl nod with 75 tackles, 14 for loss, 12 sacks and 43 quarterback pressures. The Tennessee Titans re-signed him to a five-year, $87.5 million extension with $52.5 million guaranteed. Along with New Orleans Saints' Cameron Jordan, his salary ranks 10th in average annual value among edge-rushers, and he's eighth in guarantees at the position.

The Titans paid a fair amount for a pass-rusher who's come along well as a second-rounder out of Boston College, logging 31 sacks and 135 quarterback pressures in four seasons.

Last offseason, Tennessee signed Bud Dupree to a five-year, $82.5 million contract. Coming off a shortened 2020 campaign because of a torn ACL, he struggled through the 2021 term, recording just three sacks and 17 quarterback pressures. The former Pittsburgh Steeler has missed 11 games over the past two campaigns.

The Titans may have overpaid for Dupree last year, but this extension for Landry fulfills their pass-rushing need. He's an ascending 25-year-old player who hasn't missed a game since 2018.

Grade: A

Commanders Acquire QB Carson Wentz from the Colts

Gary McCullough/Associated Press

Washington desperately needed an upgrade over quarterback Taylor Heinicke. The front office has worked the phones and finally executed a deal.

Per ESPN's Adam Schefter, the Commanders netted Carson Wentz and a second-rounder (No. 47 overall) in exchange for a second-rounder (No. 42 overall), a third- and seventh-rounder in this year's draft along with a 2023 third-rounder that could become a second-rounder if Wentz plays at least 70 percent of the snaps in 2022. 

Schefter added that Washington will take on Wentz's full contract, which carries a $28.3 million cap hit and $15 million in dead money. That's a steep price for a quarterback who struggled down the stretch in Indianapolis last year, recording a completion rate below 60 percent and throwing for fewer than 186 yards in each of the last two games.

According to The Athletic's Zak Keefer, the Colts started sour on Wentz right after they acquired him from the Philadelphia Eagles.

"As for the Colts, the issues with Wentz stretched back to before the season began, one source said, and over the course of the year, some grew frustrated at what they deemed a lack of leadership, a resistance to hard coaching and a reckless style of play, which had a role in several close losses this year," Keefer wrote. 

Wentz has the eighth-highest 2022 cap hit among quarterbacks. Statistically, he had a bounce-back campaign with the Colts, throwing for 27 touchdowns and seven interceptions, but according to Keefer's report, he doesn't have the intangibles to lead a team at the most important position.

Washington has an upgrade at quarterback, but it comes at a hefty price with a high probability of headaches behind the scenes.

Commanders' Grade: C

Following an agreement to trade Wentz, Indianapolis doesn't have a clear-cut starter on the roster with Sam Ehlinger and James Morgan. Neither has thrown a pass in the regular season. 

Per NFL Network's Ian Rapoport, the Colts could be "in the mix" for San Francisco 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo.

Garoppolo would serve as a bridge-gap option, but his contract also carries an expensive cap charge (about $27 million). He doesn't have a history of locker-room issues though. As alternative options, the Colts can also pursue Mitchell Trubisky or Mariota Mariota in free agency. 

Regardless, they're probably better off without a highly questionable leader under center in Wentz. For a player with his reported issues on a big contract, Indianapolis came out of this with two Day 2 picks and a better draft slot in the second round of this year's draft, which is a solid win.

Colts' Grade: B

Chargers Set to Acquire Edge-Rusher Khalil Mack from the Bears

Chris Unger/Getty Images

The Los Angeles Chargers just made AFC West battles uncomfortable for quarterbacks.

According to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport, the Chargers are acquiring edge-rusher Khalil Mack in a trade with the Chicago Bears in exchange for a 2022 second-round pick and a 2023 sixth-rounder. He'll pair up with Joey Bosa to form a strong pass-rushing duo under defensive-minded head coach Brandon Staley.

Even though Mack missed 10 games because of a foot injury this past season, he's still one of the league's top all-around defensive players. The 31-year-old recorded 19 tackles, six for loss, six sacks and nine quarterback pressures through Week 7.

Mack has built a reputation as a fierce pass-rusher, but he'll also help patch up holes in the Chargers' run defense, which allowed the third-most rushing yards and 4.6 yards per carry (ranked 28th) in 2021.

With Mack coming off a down year because of an injury, the Chargers jumped in at an opportune time to acquire him at a good value, which makes this a slam-dunk deal in their favor.  

Chargers' Grade: A 

Mack's production dropped off after his first-team All-Pro campaign with the Bears in 2018, but he played at Pro Bowl or All-Pro level for three of his four campaigns in Chicago.

On the wrong side of 30 years old, Mack is now slightly past his prime. Chicago made a move to clear cap space while in rebuild mode under new general manager Ryan Poles. 

Mack's contract carried $24 million in dead money in 2022, so Poles has more cap flexibility to mold the roster in the next couple of years. Per Jason Fitzgerald of Over The Cap, the Bears will recover approximately $6.2 million in cap space this year and $28.5 million in 2023 if they move the star defender without restructuring his deal.

However, we cannot spin this in any way that makes the Bears look better in the short term. They gave up a key piece of a defense that ranked 11th or better in yards allowed in each of the last four years and 14th or better in points allowed for three of the previous four seasons.

Chicago didn't recoup much for Mack, who had only one down season and has a shot to become a Hall of Famer. While the extra cap space helps, the trade compensation seems low considering the Bears' previous regime packaged two first-round picks, a third-rounder and a sixth-rounder for him, a second-rounder and a conditional fifth-rounder four years ago.

Bears' Grade: D

NFL player contract and salary rankings provided by Spotrac.com

Maurice Moton covers the NFL for Bleacher Report. You can follow him on Twitter @MoeMoton