NFL free agency is always flush with lucrative headlines and contracts, but many times the splashiest deals don't end up translating to productive, sustainable partnerships. Money, after all, can certainly help build a contender, but it can't guarantee one. Even so, several of this year's most notable moves register as particularly promising due to certain players being ripe for a change of scenery.
Here are several key free agents who should benefit from their relocation in 2024:
Derrick Henry to the Ravens
Henry didn't need a sterling supporting cast to become one of the NFL's steadiest ball carriers in Tennessee, but in Baltimore, he'll enjoy the most dynamic quarterback with whom he's ever shared a backfield. And Lamar Jackson's offensive line is also superior to anything Henry's run behind in recent years. It's not hard to envision him propelling a Super Bowl push.
Saquon Barkley to the Eagles
It's fair to question the Eagles' allocation of resources here, committing top-five running-back money to a guy who's endured stretches of both injuries and sluggishness. But Barkley is joining easily the most talented lineup of his entire career; never in New York did he have the kind of high-level support at quarterback, up front or out wide that he's set to enjoy in Philadelphia.
Leonard Floyd to the 49ers
Floyd is consistently underrated as a journeyman edge rusher, but he'll be going from a Buffalo Bills defense that too often lacked punch from Von Miller to an NFC-champion San Francisco front featuring Pro Bowl-caliber pocket-pushers in Nick Bosa and Javon Hargrave. The sack numbers should only go up.
Azeez Al-Shaair to the Texans
Third in the 49ers' vaunted rotation of linebackers not long ago, Al-Shaair proved he's worthy of his own long-term starting gig by storming the line at the heart of the Tennessee Titans defense. Now he gets to play for DeMeco Ryans, directly behind a trench unit starring Will Anderson Jr. and Danielle Hunter.
Andrew Van Ginkel to the Vikings
Van Ginkel flashed as a feisty rotational pass rusher with the Miami Dolphins, but now he'll reunite with the man who helped oversee his entry to the NFL: ex-Dolphins coach Brian Flores. The latter helped elevate every level of the Minnesota defense in 2023, and with Jonathan Greenard also coming aboard this offseason, Van Ginkel should be primed for an instant impact in the Midwest.
C.J. Gardner-Johnson to the Eagles
This is the rare reunion that makes total sense. After a year away in Detroit, Gardner-Johnson is coming back to a city that matches his tenacity, and for a team sorely in need of proven secondary versatility. He's got an injury history, sure, but Gardner-Johnson always felt at home during his opportunistic 2022 Philly debut, and he's still young enough to grow into a leadership role.
