Biggest Winners and Losers of 2022 NFL Offseason

The NFL offseason presents every team with opportunities to get better, but the league is ultimately a zero-sum game. There are those who get better and those who get worse.

The 2022 offseason was one of the wildest in recent memory. Several stars were traded, huge contracts were handed out and the coaching carousel saw nearly a third of the league put a new man in charge.

While everyone can find some reason to be optimistic, there are inevitably winners and losers of the offseason.

These winners came out in much better situations than they started. The losers, well, this offseason hasn't quite worked out for them.

For about 40 days, the NFC South looked like it was going to be the most wide-open division in the NFL.

Tom Brady retired, and all of a sudden, one of the best rosters in the league had a big question mark at the most important position. Then Brady had a change of heart.

The seven-time Super Bowl champion decided to continue his run with the Bucs, and they were once again immediate contenders.

From there, they just kept on winning.

Getting Brady back made them an appealing destination for free agents. That aided them in landing Russell Gage, which not only hurt the divisional foe Atlanta Falcons but also boosted the receiving corps.

They were even able to replace lost talent. Guard Alex Cappa headed to the Cincinnati Bengals, and the Bucs got Shaq Mason for a fifth-round pick. They did not re-sign Ndamukong Suh but brought in defensive tackle Akiem Hicks on a one-year, $8 million deal.

There are still some questions. Bruce Arians moved into a front-office role, leaving Todd Bowles as the head coach. But retaining offensive coordinator Byron Leftwich and getting Brady back keeps Tampa squarely in the Super Bowl hunt.

Outside of the quarterback position, the Cleveland Browns have a lot of assets who could make them a legitimate contender.

They have stars on defense in defensive end Myles Garrett and cornerback Denzel Ward. Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt form one of the best running back duos in the league behind a good offensive line.

That's why the team's 8-9 campaign in 2021 felt like a letdown.

Moving on from Baker Mayfield after his disappointing season was justifiable. He was injured through most of the 2021 campaign but was inconsistent in a four-year sample and has never finished in the top 10 in the league in passer rating.

With an early trade with the Dallas Cowboys for Amari Cooper, the Browns had the framework for a great offense if they got the right quarterback.

Then they went all-in on Deshaun Watson. Cleveland paid a premium to get the quarterback, dealing three first-round picks as well as a third- and fourth-rounder to the Houston Texans.

Then the Browns paid even more to lock him up on a five-year, $230 million fully guaranteed contract.

This was despite the fact that there were multiple lawsuits filed by women alleging sexual assault or misconduct by Watson during massage sessions. Watson has settled 20 of the 24 lawsuits.

The league is seeking an indefinite suspension under its personal-conduct policy that will last at least one year, per Rob Maaddi of the Associated Press.

Should the Browns be without Watson at any point this season, they will likely have to rely on Jacoby Brissett. Mayfield recently noted both sides are "ready to move on," per Sooner Scoop.

That could mean another wasted year of the primes of Chubb, Hunt, Ward and Garrett.

Last offseason, the New York Jets made some big decisions, bringing in Robert Saleh as the head coach and drafting Zach Wilson as their franchise quarterback at No. 2 overall.

The Jets haven't posted a winning season since 2015, but they are doing the right things to get that turned around. They were active in free agency and mostly spent their money on players who are still within their primes and coming from successful teams.

Safeties Jordan Whitehead and D.J. Reed, guard Laken Tomlinson and tight end C.J. Uzomah fit that bill. They are all 30 years old or younger and have been in the playoffs within the last two seasons.

When you factor in the draft, the Jets are a clear winner. They utilized three first-round picks to fill important needs. Sauce Gardner (fourth overall) and Jermaine Johnson (26th) could wind up being foundational pieces on a defense that ranked dead last in 2021.

The team also helped out Wilson by adding wide receiver Garrett Wilson at No. 10 and running back Breece Hall in the second round at No. 26, giving their quarterback a full arsenal of weapons to work with as he looks to build on his rookie season.

The term "quarterback purgatory" generally refers to teams that are stuck at the position. However, it is also an accurate description of where Baker Mayfield and Jimmy Garoppolo find themselves.

With the Browns trading for Deshaun Watson this offseason and the San Francisco 49ers drafting Trey Lance at No. 3 overall in 2021, Mayfield and Garoppolo are both experienced starters whose replacements are in the building.

In 2020, Mayfield was the first Browns quarterback to win a playoff game since the franchise's revival in 1999. Now he's out of a job after playing through a labrum injury last season and hoping that a team will be willing to trade for him.

Garoppolo is coming off a campaign in which he was fourth in adjusted yards per attempt as the Niners earned a berth in the NFC Championship Game. Like Mayfield, Jimmy G is waiting for a team that will make a move for him. Unfortunately for him, he's been healing from a shoulder surgery and has spent the offseason rehabbing.

Albert Breer of The MMQB reported at the end of May that Garoppolo has been allowed to talk to other teams about his contract to help move a trade along. The quarterback only has one more year on his deal with San Francisco.

Both quarterbacks could wind up with starting jobs by the time the preseason is over, but they've lost valuable time getting acquainted with their new teams.

The trade for Russell Wilson was aggressive to be sure. The Denver Broncos paid up with two first-round picks, two second-rounders and a fifth-rounder along with quarterback Drew Lock, defensive lineman Shelby Harris and tight end Noah Fant.

But just imagine what the team's outlook in 2022 would be if it hadn't made the move.

The AFC West already has two superstar quarterbacks in the Kansas City Chiefs' Patrick Mahomes and the Los Angeles Chargers' Justin Herbert. Then the Las Vegas Raiders added wide receiver Davante Adams via a trade with the Green Bay Packers.

The Broncos could have played it safe. They could have drafted a rookie or made a move for a veteran like Carson Wentz.

Instead, they gave themselves a legitimate shot at contending in 2022.

There was more than just the Wilson trade, though. The addition of Randy Gregory is key for a defense that finished 18th in sacks in 2021.

Denver even did a good job of replacing the veterans it lost in the Wilson trade. It signed defensive tackle D.J. Jones and drafted tight end Greg Dulcich in the third round.

With a promising young core of skill players that includes wide receivers Jerry Jeudy (age 23) and Courtland Sutton (26) and running back Javonte Williams (22), the Broncos chose not to waste the opportunity to bring in a quarterback who can get the best out of everyone.

That makes them a massive winner.

When a team drafts a quarterback, the clock is ticking to take advantage of his rookie contract.

The benefit of having a starter under center at a team-friendly cap number for four years creates a goldmine of opportunity. Unfortunately for Justin Fields, the Chicago Bears are undergoing a major rebuild as he goes into his second season.

Chicago fired general manager Ryan Pace and head coach Matt Nagy in January. In their stead will be Ryan Poles and Matt Eberflus.

So far, the Bears' offseason has been largely defined by whom they lost. Khalil Mack, Allen Robinson, Akiem Hicks and James Daniels are all gone either via trade or free agency.

The culling of the roster is not out of the ordinary for a rebuilding team with a new set of leaders. That doesn't make it any better for a developing quarterback.

Chicago also did little to nothing to help Fields in 2022. Fifth-round draft pick Braxton Jones is in competition with Teven Jenkins for the left tackle position, and the Bears will rely heavily on Byron Pringle and rookie Velus Jones to team with Darnell Mooney in the receiving corps.

That puts a lot on Fields, who posted a QBR of just 26.4 and took 36 sacks in 12 games (10 starts) as a rookie.

While the Bears struggled to take advantage of Fields' contract this offseason, the Chargers utilized the freedom of Justin Herbert's cheap deal to build a Super Bowl contender.

They entered the offseason with some of the most cap space available, but they deserve recognition for how they spent the money.

The pass rush and pass coverage are two of the most important components of defense. With Khalil Mack and J.C. Jackson now on the roster, the team has a dynamic pass-rushing duo in Mack and Joey Bosa and a shutdown corner.

Mack had a streak of six consecutive Pro Bowls cut short by a foot injury in 2021. He still posted six sacks in seven games.

Jackson was one of the best corners in football last season. He held quarterbacks to a 46.8 passer rating when targeted and had eight interceptions.

On offense, L.A. managed to retain Mike Williams, keeping Herbert's receiving corps intact, while adding tight end Gerald Everett in free agency and drafting running back Isaiah Spiller in the fourth round.

In short, the Chargers were gifted a treasure trove of resources and spent it wisely. They may have missed the playoffs in 2021, but their 2022 offseason is putting them in a position to contend.

The Arizona Cardinals' 2021 campaign spiraled out of control over the back half of the season, and that bad momentum has just seemed to continue.

They went 1-4 over their final five regular-season games and lost 34-11 to the eventual Super Bowl champion Los Angles Rams in the Wild Card Round. The 2022 offseason didn't bring much good news.

Despite the late-season collapse, the franchise extended both head coach Kliff Kingsbury and general manager Steve Keim through 2027.

Then there was the still-unresolved back-and-forth with Kyler Murray. The quarterback's agent, Erik Burkhardt, released a lengthy statement in February expressing Murray's desire to play for the Cardinals on a new contract.

The two sides still haven't reached an agreement, though Keim told the Pat McAfee Show in May that he anticipates a deal getting done this summer.

Then the team traded its first-round pick for Marquise Brown. It was a fairly steep price for a receiver who has just one more cost-effective season on his rookie deal before his $13.4 million fifth-year option comes into play and just one 1,000-yard season on his resume.

That deal did make a little more sense, however, when Arizona announced that star receiver DeAndre Hopkins will be suspended for six games for violating the league's performance-enhancing drug policy.

Factor in the loss of edge-rusher Chandler Jones, defensive tackle Jordan Phillips and wide receiver Christian Kirk, and it's hard to make a case that the Cardinals got better this offseason.

The NFL coaching carousel was in hyperdrive this offseason, and when the dust settled, Mike McDaniel had become one of the biggest winners.

The 39-year-old had just one year as the 49ers' offensive coordinator under his belt and came away with one of the best jobs that was available. He'll get to take the reins of a Miami team that went 9-8 last season.

That was before the Dolphins brought in a bunch of new offensive weapons.

They added tons of speed and playmaking ability by acquiring Tyreek Hill (4.29 40-yard dash) from the Chiefs and signing Cedrick Wilson Jr., Raheem Mostert, Chase Edmonds and Sony Michel. Most importantly, they added competency on the offensive line with tackle Terron Armstead and guard Connor Williams.

McDaniel will also enter the 2022 season with a defense that was in the top half of the league in yards allowed per play.

Even if things don't go well in McDaniel's first season, it's likely that Tua Tagovailoa will get the lion's share of the blame after struggling through his first two campaigns. The 24-year-old now has everything in place to prove he can be the franchise's quarterback.

But if McDaniel can guide the Dolphins to their first playoff berth since 2016, he'll be hailed as a genius. It's good to be McDaniel right now.

One year after the New England Patriots were one of the biggest spenders in free agency, it's hard to get excited about their 2022 offseason.

The biggest addition to the roster is DeVante Parker. The Dolphins were fine with sending the 29-year-old wide receiver to a division rival after making their deal for Tyreek Hill. Parker has struggled to stay healthy throughout his career in South Beach and only had 515 yards and two touchdowns last season.

Now compare that to the rest of the AFC East. The Jets made this list as a winner. So did McDaniel and, by extension, the Dolphins. The Buffalo Bills are once again Super Bowl favorites.

That leaves the Patriots as the only team within the division that can't say it got appreciably better.

Instead, they are left with more questions than answers. J.C. Jackson's departure will sting. Trading Shaq Mason and losing Ted Karras in free agency leave serious questions on the interior of the offensive line.

Fortunately, Mac Jones showed during his rookie year that he has the potential to be a franchise quarterback. His development could keep the Patriots in the thick of things within the division.

But nothing the team did this offseason moves the needle.

Advanced stats courtesy of Pro Football Reference unless otherwise noted.