At 4 pm E.T on Wednesday, 12th March, the NFL rang in the new league season, seeing all the deals in principle that were signed in the last few days of the legal negotiation period come into effect. It has been a relatively quiet day 3 of free agency, but there has been some action, and the odds are ever fluctuating for those betting on the big moves using the best offshore sportsbooks. Most notable is that the New York Jets are set to release quarterback Aaron Rodgers, allowing him to join a new team ahead of the new NFL year. We are going to have a look at some of the news below: 

Evan Engram 

The Denver Broncos can consider Day 3 of the free agency to be a good day for them as they reached a new two-year deal with veteran Evan Engram. The tight end should be able to provide a bit of production in the position, which has been pretty much non-existent for the Broncos for a while. Engram’s talent and 100-catches on the offensive line will be implemented in Sean Payton’s offense through ‘the joker’ role, a position taken by Jimmy Graham in the past. Engram’s ability mixed with Payton’s tactics could make for a great season for the Broncos. 

DeMarcus Lawrence 

DeMarcus is probably the real winner in his new deal with the Seattle Seahawks as they signed the 33-year-old on a 3-year deal with $42 million. This may be a sore loss for the Cowboys, but equally, it’s a bit of a risk from the Seattle Seahawks, who are putting big money and faith into Lawrence following his foot injury in the 2024 season, which saw him only play four games due to injury. The Seahawks will be hoping the veteran comes into his own in the upcoming season. 

Panthers

The Carolina Panthers have found themselves in a sticky wicket following the second ACL tear injury of their influential running back Jonathon Brooks. This is a huge injury setback for Brooks himself, but the team as a whole. With such concern over this in the camp, it is clear to see the Panthers are trying to be pragmatic about it after the news of them signing Rico Dowdle on a one-year deal. It seems like the Panthers are set to bench Brooks to get last year’s 46th draft pick fit and healthy for the 2026 season. Whilst this masterplan seems sensible, there are a lot of questions over Brooks’ overall fitness in his knee following back-to-back injuries and whether this young talent will ever recover enough from his ACL setbacks to reach a level that the Panthers need him to be at. For now, Dowdle should be able to fill in capably for the Carolina team. 

Dalvin Tomlinson

If the Arizona Cardinals can get Tomlinson back fit and healthy to the peak of his abilities, they might have just snubbed a great deal for the nose tackle. Before his injuries, he was at the top of his game and an integral part of the Cleveland defense that was ranked so highly in the league in 2023. Tomlinson was officially released from the Browns on Wednesday and made his way to Arizona on a two-year deal worth $29 million. He never missed a game in the first 5 years of his 8-year career, but with injuries slowly creeping up on him recently, the Cardinals will hope they can get the defensive stalwart back to fighting fit health for the upcoming season. 

What’s next?

With a small flurry of activity so far for the free agency period, NFL fans will hope for the future of some of the big-name free agents such as Aaron Rodgers, Russell Wilson, and Cam Robinson. Many will have their ears to the ground on the speculation surrounding Aaron Rodgers. With a relatively quiet first few days of the free agency period, there remains much speculation and news surrounding a lot of talented players in the league and their future. Some of the teams have already swiftly gotten themselves in amongst the transfer news, but as the free agency period progresses for the football teams to bolster their squads in time for the new season, there are still a lot of deals to be done.