Top NFL Free Agents Most Likely to Switch Teams This Offseason

The NFL has largely emulated or even surpassed the NBA in its offseason chaos over the last few years.

With a strong 2020 draft class led by quarterbacks, massive names ready to hit free agency and the never-ending coaching carousel, this offseason should continue the trend.

Free agency plays a big role. Glancing at the list of players poised to hit the market reveals plenty of notable names who could end up on new teams.

Below, we'll look at the top names likeliest to switch teams in free agency, "top" meaning the most recognizable of the bunch that filter into this category. Some of these players have worn out their welcome with their current teams. Others aren't part of the future plan financially, on the depth chart or perhaps even with the trajectory of the franchise in the standings.

Denver Broncos cornerback Chris Harris Jr. is one of the top 10 potential free agents this year in terms of 2019 average annual value at $12 million.

The three-win Broncos, coming off five- and six-win seasons, won't want to pay that sort of money again to the veteran corner.

The 30-year-old Harris came up in trade rumors aplenty before the deadline last month. Teams like the Philadelphia Eagles were interested, according to ESPN's Dianna Russini.

Will Harris have a similarly hot market this offseason? At the deadline, potential contenders had a need, but in the offseason, teams will have other avenues of improvement at the position.

And the Broncos are doing just fine on the depth chart. Denver drafted Isaac Yiadom in the top 100 in 2018. The presence of a veteran like Bryce Callahan, plus additional draft assets, likely guarantees Harris won't re-up with the Broncos.

It is a little daring to throw any member of the Cincinnati Bengals on such a list because the team does things differently than most franchises.

It's especially daring with wideout A.J. Green, the face of the team.

But Green's situation sure smacks of one in which the player leaves via free agency. He had a setback after the team's bye week on the same day head coach Zac Taylor told reporters he'd play. He's also made it clear he's focused on his long-term future, even telling reporters that if the Bengals are "worried about me not playing or not being healthy, there's 32 teams out there."

Green is a big risk for a team in free agency because he's missed so much time over the last few seasons. But he's also just 31 years old, and teams might not hold it against him that he isn't suiting up for an 0-9 team.

If the Cincinnati front office mismanages this situation like it did with Andrew Whitworth, Green will be the latest notable face to depart.

There are bigger names at quarterback in the upcoming free-agent pool (Drew Brees, Philip Rivers, Tom Brady), but if those players leave their teams, it's likely via retirement.

Nobody should suggest the same for Jameis Winston.

The 2015 No. 1 pick appeared to have one last chance with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers this season after the arrival of Bruce Arians. He's responded with a 59.7 completion percentage with 17 touchdowns and 14 interceptions. The percentage flirts with a career low set during his rookie season (58.3 over 500-plus attempts).

That said, even though an array of rookie passers and other free agents will complicate the market, some team will surely take a risk on a 25-year-old passer who went first overall.

The 3-6 Buccaneers are tracking to pick in the top 10, so odds are Winston won't be offered another chance with the team that drafted him.

Marcus Mariota sits in the same flimsy boat as Jameis Winston.

The second overall pick in 2015 was permitted six starts this season by the Tennessee Titans before getting yanked for Ryan Tannehill. He completed 59.1 percent of 159 attempts with seven touchdowns and two interceptions, but the team won just two games. Tannehill has since won three of his four starts, completing 70 percent of his passes.

Granted, this seems to paint Mariota as a supreme bust. But sometimes a player needs a change of scenery and a link-up with coaches who can get the most out of his skill set. At least one NFL team will feel this way about him this offseason.

As for the Titans, the .500 trajectory of the season could trend upward the longer Tannehill stays in the lineup. Even if it doesn't, the franchise isn't prone to ask Mariota back for another stab at it.

DeVante Parker has always seemed like the next to go in Miami.

The Dolphins wideout got back with the team this offseason on a two-year deal. But with the guaranteed money already paid, the front office doesn't have to exercise his option for 2020, which would carry a cap hit of $5 million.

For the Dolphins, though, playing the big-extension game with a ton of cap space in the near future might not fit with the long-term plan. Rookie receiver Preston Williams, who suffered an ACL injury in Week 9, may lead the way on the depth chart next year. The front office also has plenty of assets to otherwise address the position.

The 26-year-old Parker, who has tied a career high with four scores through nine appearances, could end up on the open market. It only takes a single team to offer him a lucrative, long-term deal to rip him from Miami.

Does coughing up a giant contract for Shaquil Barrett mesh with the long-term plans of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers?

That's where Barrett continues to trend. He's a great example of the "change of scenery" argument for players. After no more than 5.5 sacks in a season over five years in Denver, Barrett leads the NFL with 11.5 in nine games in Tampa Bay.

Other than quarterback, the NFL doesn't pay up for anything like it does pass-rushing help—to counter those quarterbacks.

Barrett, soon to be 27 years old, is going to have a huge market if the Buccaneers don't tag or extend him. And a team starting a full-blown rebuild with about $8 million in cap space currently might not want to devote a huge chunk of cap to a player and dance around doling out a long-term contract right now.

As another focus of speculation near the trade deadline, Atlanta Falcons pass-rusher Vic Beasley Jr. is likely to be on the move this offseason.

It's surprising the Falcons didn't find a return for Beasley on the open market as the team trends toward a rebuild around core pieces like Matt Ryan. ESPN's Jordan Schultz had reported the front office put him on the block.

Then again, this line of thinking might explain why other teams didn't want to give up too much. Beasley should have a solid market, though. While he only has three sacks this year, he's still 27 and put up 15.5 sacks in 2016.

The Falcons don't figure to dole out the cash necessary to keep Beasley in town. A former top-10 pick figures to make good money once the bidding wars start.

Los Angeles Chargers running back Melvin Gordon III can't go unaddressed when it comes to free agents set to leave their current teams.

Gordon's holdout to start the season didn't drum up anything good for him on the contract front. He missed four games and has averaged just 3.5 yards per carry with four rushing scores in six contests since returning.

But non-Chargers teams won't blink at opening up the checkbook, even if Gordon may not secure as much money as he and his reps would've initially hoped. The 26-year-old has averaged four yards per carry with 32 rushing touchdowns over 61 career games, plus he's made nearly 200 catches with 11 scores through the air. That's a nice commodity for almost any backfield.

As for the Chargers, dropping the cash necessary to keep Gordon in the powder blues won't make much sense given the presence of worthwhile rotational pieces such as Austin Ekeler and Justin Jackson.