RADIO
The 2024 wide receiver free-agent class was going to be one of the best in recent years. If you were a team looking for a stud WR1, chances are you could sign one this offseason. However, that is not the case anymore.
Mike Evans signed a two-year deal with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers before free agency even started, while the Indianapolis Colts franchise tagged Michael Pittman Jr. and the Cincinnati Bengals franchise tagged Tee Higgins. Three of the top free-agent wideouts in 2024 never became available.
So, which wide receivers are currently free agents? Which teams need a wide receiver before the 2024 season begins? Let's dive in and find out.
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Which Wide Receivers Are Currently Free Agents?
With Evans, Pittman, and Higgins all staying with their former teams, Calvin Ridley has now turned into the most-coveted wideout this offseason. Ridley, who was suspended by the NFL for gambling in 2022, made a return last year and quickly emerged as a WR1 again. He finished with 76 catches for 1,016 yards and eight touchdowns. The former 2020 All-Pro second-team wideout should get a nice contract this offseason.
Wolfe: Calvin Ridley trending toward reaching free agency; expected to be No. 1 WR on several team's boards.
— Underdog NFL (@Underdog__NFL) March 5, 2024
Marquise Brown is another wide receiver who should get a ton of interest this offseason. Brown is coming off a subpar year where he finished with 51 catches for 574 yards and four touchdowns. However, he is just three years removed from a 1,000-yard campaign with the Ravens in 2021. The 26-year-old wideout will be a solid pickup for a wide receiver-needy team in 2024 and beyond.
There's a strong possibility that Gabe Davis does not land back with the Buffalo Bills. The Bills are currently way over the cap space, so Davis could find himself on a new team in 2024. The 24-year-old wideout has always been hit or miss on the field over his career, but a change of scenery could help with that. He has finished with over 700 receiving yards in back-to-back seasons.
The talent has always been there for Darnell Mooney. However, injuries and quarterback play have really hurt his potential. He has missed seven games over the past two years, which has resulted in him catching a combined 71 passes for 907 yards and three touchdowns in 2022 and 2023. Mooney, though, did catch 81 passes for 1,055 yards back in 2021, so the potential is surely there. At just 26 years old, he should draw plenty of interest this offseason.
𝐑𝐞𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭: Keep an eye on the #Chiefs and #Titans who 'could be players' for #Bears WR Darnell Mooney, per @JFowlerESPN pic.twitter.com/XxPzBnJO24
— Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) March 3, 2024
Odell Beckham Jr. signed a one-year deal with the Ravens last offseason, but things didn't go according to plan. He caught just 35 passes for 565 yards and three touchdowns. Now, at age 31, many teams might not be interested in the three-time Pro Bowler. He hasn't totaled more than 600 yards in a season since 2019 and has suffered two ACL tears since then.
Curtis Samuel has always been known as a dual-threat option over his career. He has 317 catches for 3,383 yards and 22 touchdowns through the air and 121 carries for 715 yards and seven touchdowns on the ground. That makes him an interesting signing for any team this offseason. The 27-year-old wideout will need the perfect situation to thrive, but that could happen in 2024.
Tyler Boyd is as consistent as it comes on the football field and should be a top priority for any team that misses out on Ridley or Brown. Boyd has 6,000 career receiving yards in his eight NFL seasons while totaling at least 700 yards in five of the past six years. The former Bengals wideout might not put up eye-popping numbers every game, but he will contribute when it matters most. He's still only 29 years old, so teams should be interested in him this offseason.
Other free-agent wide receivers: Kendrick Bourne, Parris Campbell, K.J. Osborn, Noah Brown, and Josh Reynolds
Which Teams Need a Wide Receiver This Offseason?
There are plenty of teams that are entering the 2024 offseason with a need at wide receiver. The biggest ones, though, are the Carolina Panthers, New York Giants, Tennessee Titans, Kansas City Chiefs, and New England Patriots. All five of those teams could use a solid wideout on their roster.
The Panthers are likely the team that needs a wideout the most, considering they don't have a first-round pick in the 2024 NFL Draft. If they also want to help Bryce Young develop and take his game to the next level, signing a player like Ridley would go a long way. The same thing applies to the Patriots -- who could take a quarterback with the third overall pick in this year's draft -- and the Titans with a young quarterback in Will Levis.
Should the #Patriots SIGN WR Calvin Ridley?
Is Ridley worth the 💰? pic.twitter.com/dAv3m4D4NL
— Patriot RedZone (@PatriotRedZone) March 5, 2024
As for the Giants and Chiefs, they really need more weapons for their quarterbacks. Last year, New York rolled out with Darius Slayton, Wan'Dale Robinson, and Isaiah Hodgins at the wide receiver position, while Kansas City struggled to get consistent production from Skyy Moore, Justin Watson, and Kadarius Toney.
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