Ed started his pro career with four rather ordinary seasons. There was nothing in his three seasons with the New York Giants and one season with the San Francisco 49ers that would indicate he was anything special. The Denver Broncos signed the Stanford product and everything changed.
As part of the Denver Broncos, McCaffrey had three 1,000-yard seasons and caught 462 passes for 6,200 yards and was critical to delivering two Super Bowl wins to the Mile High City. Of course, it never hurts to have John Elway as your quarterback and Terrell Davis in the backfield but three 1,000-yard seasons, a Pro Bowl, and two rings says he was the real deal.
Though the end was not pretty (Plaxico apparently liked to take guns to the club), the signing of the former Steeler paid dividends for the New York Giants. In 57 regular-season games, he caught 244 passes for 3,681 yards and 33 touchdowns—and played a hand in the Super Bowl XLII win over New England.
During his time (2005-2008) with the Giants, Burress was Eli Manning's favorite target. Burress put on a show against the Packers in the NFC Championship Game as the Giants upset Green Bay at home. His game-winning 13-yard touchdown catch with 35 seconds remaining in the Giants' Super Bowl XLII victory over New England cemented his place as an all-time great free agent pick-up.
As Brady aged, the necessity for a very, very good defense became critical. Shootouts might not be winnable for the Pats. Stephon would be the centerpiece to an exceptional defense that was known for improving as the year went on.
IN 2017, New England got the cornerback away from the Bills with a five-year, $65 million contract. Gilmore was an All-Pro for the Pats in 2018 and 2019 and won Defensive Player of the Year in 2019.
What do you get for the team with one of the best offenses in NFL history? Well, if you're smart (and Andy Reid is definitely smart), a defense. One man doesn’t make a defense but one man can make a difference. Tyrann Mathieu, one of the great comeback stories in football, would be that man.
Safety Eric Berry had been the heart and soul of the Chiefs' defense, and his continuing battle with Hodgkin's lymphoma left a hole—on the field and in the huddle—that had to be filled. The Chiefs signed Mathieu to a three-year, $42 million contract to do just that. Mathieu led the Chiefs' defense, which seemed to improve each week to its first Super Bowl victory in nearly 50 years. He was named MVP by his teammates after recording four interceptions and 75 tackles during the regular season.
Okay, so 2019 proved to finally be the point where Vinatieri showed his age—but ending your career making 84% of your FG attempts is pretty amazing. Is it the best free agent kicker pickup ever? Maybe.
Vinatieri hit at least 85% of his field goals for six straight years, which means he was statistically one of the top kickers in the NFL from 2013 to 2018. For old folks like me, it’s hard to imagine Vinatieri was in Indy (14 seasons) longer than he was in New England (10 seasons).
In 2005, the Dallas Cowboys signed Deion Sanders to a contract that made him the highest-paid defensive player in the league. Unfortunately, he wasn’t able to play until the middle of the season, which raised a lot of concerns. Fortunately, Deion did what Deion does and was once again a premiere shutdown corner helping the Cowboys win the Super Bowl.
Even though Sanders' signing only resulted in one championship during his time in Dallas, any Cowboys fan will tell you that it was well worth the shot. He was a shutdown corner on defense and a threat as a returner. He was another Hall of Famer who made a move that benefited himself and his team.
Dallas fans may remember—we know that Trey Wingo (Golic & Wingo) does—when Ken Norton Jr. played the 1993 season with a torn bicep, helped the Boys win a Super Bowl, but couldn’t get paid by America’s Team. The Cowboys' loss was the 49ers' gain. If you can’t beat your rival, just take their players, right? Even better if that player is a dominant linebacker.
Norton went on to win the Super Bowl with San Francisco in his first year, which gave him three Super Bowls in three years—and the astonishing achievement of winning Super Bowls on different teams in back-to-back years. Only a few players have the honor of claiming the title, including Deion Sanders, Chris Long, and LeGarrette Blount.
Tuck rule, anyone? What if there wasn’t replay? What if that was a turnover? Rich Gannon’s signing might be viewed the way we do Brees in New Orleans. While hard to imagine now, the Oakland Raiders were good, really good—good enough to reach the Super Bowl. So good that they nearly stopped the New England Patriots' dynasty to-be before it even left the station.
Gannon was a big part of a run of success that delivered the East Bay area three consecutive playoff appearances from 2000-2002. Gannon was league MVP in 2002, led the Raiders to Super Bowl XXXVII, where Oakland was unceremoniously dumped by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and ex-Raiders’ coach Jon Gruden. Talk about an inflection point! Imagine all the things that would have been different if Oakland had beaten Brady and Belichik.
Talk about one no one saw coming. Who could have known how great the linebacker Mike Vrabel would turn out to be? Vrabel never started an NFL game in the four years he spent with Pittsburgh before signing with the Patriots in 2001.
Hard to imagine as he became a cornerstone of the Patriots’ dynasty as a great linebacker and an occasional receiver—a receiver that scored two touchdowns in the postseason. As a key component of New England's defense over eight seasons, he totaled 604 tackles and 48 sacks and won three Super Bowls.
Prior to coming to the Chiefs, Holmes had a 1,000-yard season for the Baltimore Ravens in 1998. In the next two seasons, he combined for about 1,100 yards and won Super Bowl XXXV as Jamal Lewis's backup. The former Longhorn arrived in KC ready to play quickly setting himself apart from a crowded backfield that included Trent Richardson.
It's hard to imagine that someone most of us remember as such an impact player could have just an unremarkable beginning, but that was true of James Harrison’s career. He spent time with the Steelers and the Ravens and even did a stint with NFL Europe’s Rhein Fire.
The Steelers brought Harrison back to Pittsburgh in 2004, but it took three years for the linebacker to become a regular part of the lineup. That season, 2007, started a streak of five straight Pro Bowls and winning the 2008 Defensive Player of the Year with 16 sacks. He also won two Super Bowls with Pittsburgh.
After missing the 2011 season with a neck injury, 2012 became the Peyton Manning sweepstakes after the Indianapolis Colts decided to move on from the face of their franchise. Although Manning had been arguably one of the best to have ever played quarterback, no one knew exactly how effective he would be following extensive surgery. Ultimately John Elway the Denver Broncos convinced Peyton that the Mile High City was the place for him.
The 2013 season saw Manning put up record-breaking numbers and it looked like all was right with the world. The arm wasn’t strong but Peyton’s balls had always fluttered more than sailed. In 2015, Manning put on display possibly the best version of “game manager” we had ever seen, playing through injuries and coming off the bench. Physically not the same player, he leveraged his years of experience to ensure the offense just enough while the Bronoc’s elite defense carried them to a Super Bowl victory. Manning started 57 games as a Bronco and was a sterling 45-12.
Charles Woodsone had a history of injuries and attitude which significantly suppressed interest in him during 2006 free agency. The Packers were willing to take a chance and signed Woodson to a seven-year contract worth $52 million. Often a gamble like this one will put you on our Worst list (ask the Redskins) but not this time.
From 2006-2011, Woodson would be second only to Ed Reed from 2006-2011 in interceptions with 38, he forced 15 fumbles and scored 10 touchdowns over seven seasons in Green Bay. Woodson's best season came in 2009, when he intercepted nine passes, scored three times and was named the NFL's Defensive Player of the Year. During his tenure, the Packers went from a 4-12 season in 2005 to reach the NFC Championship Game in 2008 and then win the Super Bowl in 2011. Woodson was also named to four Pro Bowls in his seven seaons.
In 1993 Reggie White had already played eight years with the Philadelphia Eagles where he was considered arguably the best defensive lineman of the era. The NFL was surprised when the Eagles did not pick up his contract.
Mike Holmgren and the Green Bay Packers came calling and got White to trade in one shade of green for another. Known as the “Minister of Defense,” double- and triple-teams were used to try and stop him but it was a tough task. During his tenure with Green Bay, Reggie recorded 68.5 sacks over six seasons, winning 1998 Defensive Player of the Year and one Super Bowl.
In 2016, Doug Pederson took over as the head coach of the Philadelphia Eagles and made a blockbuster trade to move up in the draft for Carson Wentz. Wentz was the future of the franchise, and the future looked awfully bright. The 2017 signing of Nick Foles to return to Philly came and went with little notice or fanfare. He was a journeyman quarterback meant to fill the role of backing up the franchise guy.
All of that changed when Carson Wentz went down in Week 14 of 2017. Foles took the reins and never really looked back and he is immortalized in a statue outside Lincoln Financial for it. Foles led the Eagles to the Super Bowl and victory over the Patriots in Super Bowl LII where he was named MVP. In case we thought he was a one trick pony, when Wentz went down in 2018 with another injury, Foles stepped in and worked similar magic until the Eagles ultimately fell to the New Orleans Saints in the Divisional round..
Kurt Warner went from being the Ram’s maestro of the Greatest Show on Turf and a Super Bowl champion to a disappointing season with the New York Giants before signing a one-year deal with the Arizona Cardinals. The year with the Giants was not good, and the first two years with the Cards looked like it could end much the same.
However, in 2007 the former Rams MVP started to show flashes of his previous self and led the team to a Super Bowl appearance the following year. Only a late Santonio Holmes (Steelers) touchdown kept Warner from winning his second-ever Super Bowl. Following a strong showing in 2009, Warner retired from playing football and has now made the transition to NFL Network personality.
Warren Moon went undrafted in 1978 because he refused to switch positions. To prove himself (and prove himself he did), Moon played in the CFL, where he won five consecutive Grey Cups and is now part of the Canadian Football Hall of Fame.
When his CFL contract expired in 1983, an NFL bidding war ensued and the Houston Oilers were the winners. It didn’t hurt their case when they hired Hugh Campbell to be their coach. Campbell had coached Moon in the CFL. Moon went on to play 10 exciting seasons in Houston before moving on to Minnesota in 2004. In 2006, Moon was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, making him the first Canadian Football Hall of Famer, first undrafted quarterback, and the first African-American quarterback in the HOF.
Helming a Super Bowl win for your new team matters, right? Well, of course it does—and that's what puts Brad Johnson on our list. Johnson was good in Minnesota and then even better in Washington, but surprise, surprise: the Redskins made another one of their stellar decisions and benched him in favor of Jeff George. (Yep, Kirk, we see you nodding your head.)
Tony Dungy and Johnson were reunited after spending time together in Minnesota, where Dungy was the defensive coordinator. The Bucs won the Super Bowl in Brad’s second year, but unfortunately Dungy wasn’t there to enjoy it. By that point Tony had been replaced by Jon Grudin, who would go on to have challenges in his draft choices and quarterbacks.
The fates of at least three teams — two NFL and one college — were forever changed thanks to the Miami medical team, and both New Orleans and the Alabama Crimson Tide fans are eternally grateful. Nick Saban originally wanted Drew Brees, but the Dolphins medical team wouldn’t clear him. Thus, Drew Brees joined the Saints, which changed the trajectory of a team that was infamously known as the "Aints" for years.
While he was in New Orleans, Brees threw for over 68,000 yards and became the NFL's all-time career passing touchdowns record-holder in 2019. He holds many franchise records and, in 2009, handed the Saints their first Super Bowl win. But New Orleans got more than just a quarterback in Brees; they got a strong pillar for the community. Following Hurricane Katrina, Brees helped rebuild the city’s morale.
In the spring of 2020, Tom Brady – the GOAT – announced he was leaving the Patriots and Belichick. The Chargers, the Bears, and the Colts were all potential landing spots, but he ended up in a place with two receivers that were far and away better than any tandem Brady had ever played with. Two deep threat receivers paired with an old quarterback. Could Tom really still throw the long ball? In 2019 Brady averaged 7.6 air yards on his passes which placed him between Jared Goff and Gardner Minshew II. Seemed like it could be a problem but it was a line that could protect him, so maybe…just maybe it would work.
The year started off with real questions about how Arians and Brady would pair in this offense that always relied on deep post and fly routes. Obviously they worked out the kinks, and by the end of the season no one wanted to face the Bucs. Of course, much of that was because of their defense—but that's for another list. Brady showed us all that the old man could still put some air under the ball when he shocked the Packers with a 48-yard TD bomb to Scotty Miller at the end of the 1st half in the NFC Championship game. While his Super Bowl stats were somewhat pedestrian – 21-of-29 passing for 201 yards and three touchdowns – it didn’t matter. Tampa took home the Championship, and Tom took home yet another Super Bowl MVP.
Tyreek Hill entered the NFL in 2016 when he was drafted by the Kansas City Chiefs in the fifth round of the NFL Draft. His exceptional speed and agility quickly impacted the league, earning the nickname "Cheetah" for his remarkable quickness on the field. Throughout his career with the Chiefs, Hill was known for his versatility, excelling as both a wide receiver and a return specialist.
In March 2022, the NFL community was stunned by the Kansas City Chiefs' decision to trade their top receiver, Tyreek Hill, to the Miami Dolphins in exchange for multiple draft picks. (Okay, it was a trade and not free agency but it happened during free agency. Counts for us. The trade was prompted by Hill's request for a new contract, which the Chiefs could not offer. Ultimately, Hill signed a lucrative four-year, $120 million deal with the Dolphins. His presence helped the Dolphins secure a playoff berth, although they were defeated by the Buffalo Bills in the Wild Card Round with a score of 34–31.
While the this situation was actually a trade, Rodgers made it feel like free agency because he basically decided where he would end up. Rodgers ultimately decided on the Jets, which allowed the Packers to get the 13th pick, a second-rounder (number 42), and a sixth-rounder (number 207) as compensation. Additionally, they received a conditional 2024 second-round pick, which would upgrade to a first-round selection if Rodgers participated in 65 percent of the plays during the 2023 season. (spoiler alert- he didn't)
Unfortunately, Aaron didn't play in 2023, so perhaps he won't turn out to be one of the greatest additions in NFL history. But remember the 2023 off-season? When we couldn't wait for his Jets debut? He could change the fortune of the Jets overnight, or he could be an absolute disaster. No matter what happens, we're optimistic, because signing someone with his stats should result in multiple playoff appearances.
- Completion Percentage: 65.3%
- Passing Yards: 59,055 yards (most in Packers history)
- Touchdown Passes: 475 touchdowns (most in Packers history)
- MVP Awards: 4 (2011, 2014, 2015, 2020)
