With just one playoff game left—the San Francisco 49ers versus the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LVIII—and 30 NFL teams preparing for the 2024 offseason, we look ahead for the next two months, with free agency beginning in March.

We asked the writers for NFL Nation to select one player from each team they cover whose contract situation will have the biggest impact on that team’s summer plans.

A few quarterbacks who advanced their teams to the postseason, several elite running backs, a standout wide receiver from the AFC North, and a defensive tackle who won a Super Bowl but went on a protracted holdout in the offseason are all on the list.

Which athletes best embodied the off-season? First up, the AFC East:

Though Ed Oliver is the lone defensive tackle on the 53-man roster with a contract through 2024, this could just as easily be wide receiver Gabe Davis, who stated in March that he plans to look into free agency

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Not to mention the several free agents on the defensive end. It would make sense to bring back Jones, who was a crucial starter alongside Oliver when healthy (Jones missed nine games because of a torn pectoral suffered in Week 5), but it might not be so simple given Buffalo’s tight cap position.

General manager Brandon Beane stated, “We missed DaQuan when he got hurt in London, and I told him as much [Monday].” He has the right to examine his market and determine

Check out the appearance of it. However, it would be foolish of us not to consider bringing him back.” — Getzenberg Alaina

After failing to come to an understanding during the previous offseason, Wilkins and the Dolphins decided to postpone talks until after the regular season. With nine sacks in a career-high year, the 2019 first-round pick seems to be in a better position to negotiate than he was in 2023.

Zach Sieler, Wilkins’ defensive tackle partner, was extended by Miami two weeks prior to the start of the season, but Wilkins would still need to be replaced if the parties are once again unable to come to an understanding.

Re-signing Wilkins should be a top priority even though Miami is strapped for cash (the Dolphins are $55.3 million over the projected cap, per Roster Management System). — Marcel Louis-Jacques