Grades for all the latest NFL free agency signings and trades

These are 100 percent accurate short-term and long-term grades for every major move of the new league year.

It’s the most wonderful time of the year: NFL free agency. We’ve already seen a few blockbuster moves unfold to kick off the new league year, which doesn’t begin until March 13. Antonio Brown was traded, not to the Bills but to the Raiders. The Ravens sent Joe Flacco to the Broncos, which gave the latter the space to trade Case Keenum to Washington. Those will all become official Wednesday.

The legal tampering period starts on March 11, so expect a few more free agent signings and trades to leak beforehand. As the rest roll in, we’ll be grading each move by two criteria: how good it is in the short term and in the long term.

Our grades will surely be 100 percent correct. After all, we are omnipotent and can predict the future here at SB Nation. Trust us with your free agency needs.

We’ll be updating this list with grades as we move throughout the offseason. The newest signings will be on the top of the page.

Jaguars sign: QB Nick Foles

Jacksonville just slapped a band-aid on their quarterback problem by signing former Super Bowl MVP Nick Foles to a four year, $88 million deal.

Uh. Yeah.

Jacksonville just decided that paying Nick Foles $50 million guaranteed was a better option than Dwayne Haskins or Kyler Murray in the draft. Foles’ track record since his Super Bowl victory against the Patriots in Super Bowl 52 isn’t stellar. Foles had an adjusted yards per attempt mark of 7 last season — the league average was 7.3.

Even leading into the playoff run that the Eagles had in 2017, Foles had an adjusted yards per attempt of 5.4, which is on par with what Josh Allen did in his rookie season for the Bills.

There is some familiarity with Jaguars offensive coordinator John DeFilippo, who was Foles’ quarterback coach with the Eagles. Still, that doesn’t change the fact that the Jaguars just gave big money to a quarterback that has largely been below average outside his 2013 season and the 2017 playoffs.

In fact, Foles’ numbers don’t even differ that much from Blake Bortles’ regular season numbers over the past two seasons. Really strange move by the Jaguars.

Short-term grade: F
Long-term grade: F

Bills sign: RB Frank Gore

Frank Gore will never die. The Bills signed Frank Gore to a one year, $2 million deal, giving themselves the oldest running back group in the league with LeSean McCoy and Chris Ivory on the roster — for now. Oddly enough, Gore had the fifth highest yards per carry of his career last year with 4.6 YPC. This shouldn’t stop the team from adding a young running back in the draft.

Short-term grade: C
Long-term grade: N/A

Jets sign: WR Jamison Crowder

The Jets have one major task to accomplish this offseason: make like easier for their young quarterback Sam Darnold. Jamison Crowder will be joining Robby Anderson and Quincy Enunwa at receiver, giving the Jets a very solid trio of receivers. Despite playing in just nine games, Crowder led Washington in touchdowns and was second in overall receiving yards.

Three years, $28 million may seem like a lot for Crowder, but if he and Darnold can mesh well it won’t matter too much.

Short-term grade: A
Long-term grade: B+

Bengals re-sign: OL Bobby Hart

Hart played himself up from a seventh-round pick to a capable, if not super impressive, starting tackle. He impressed the Bengals enough to turn last offseason’s one-year deal into a three year, $21m+ contract in Cincinnati. That’s top 10 right tackle money for a guy who might only be top 30. It’s a very “same ol’ Bengals” move for a team trying to escape the long shadow of the Marvin Lewis era — but Hart still has some room to improve and live up to his big contract.

Short-term grade: C-
Long-term grade: C

Lions sign: DE Trey Flowers

The opening of the legal tampering period has been a busy one for the Lions. After signing Justin Coleman and Danny Amendola, the Lions struck again by signing the top defensive end on the market, Trey Flowers. Flowers spent the last four years of his career with the Patriots.

There’s some familiarity between Flowers and Lions head coach Matt Patricia, who was previously the defensive coordinator in New England. That should help Flowers immediately get up to speed on his new team. Detroit needed to add a bonafide edge defender with Ezekiel Ansah slated to become a free agent. Flowers isn’t as dominant a player as Khalil Mack or Von Miller, but he’s certainly a capable player in his own right.

Short-term grade: B
Long-term grade: B

Washington signs: S Landon Collins

Wow.

Washington broke the bank to sign former Giants safety Landon Collins to a 6-year, $84 million deal. During his best season in 2016, Collins was a first team All-Pro safety, but he hasn’t quite hit that level of play since then. From a talent perspective, Collins will surely be an upgrade over what they had in Haha Clinton-Dix and Deshazor Everett last season. From a monetary perspective, it’s a bit confusing as to why a team with big time uncertainty headed into the season is dropping big time money on a safety that primarily plays in the box.

Short-term grade: C-
Long-term grade: D

Lions sign: CB Justin Coleman

Detroit needed a boost to their secondary and they got in Justin Coleman, who primarily plays from the slot. According to Sports Info Solutions, Coleman allowed just 5.21 yards per attempt on passes that targeted the slot, which was second on the team behind Tre Flowers. Detroit finished dead last in the league allowing 9.52 yards per attempt on slot targets. Pass defense reigns supreme and the Lions got a talented cornerback that fills a position of need.

Short-term grade: A
Long-term grade: A

49ers sign: LB Kwon Alexander

Alexander’s torn ACL didn’t impact his value as a free agent; he signed with the 49ers for four years and $54 million despite missing 10 games last fall with the Buccaneers. Missed games have been a trend in his budding NFL career; he’s missed 18 career contests due to injury or a 2015 violation of the league’s PED policy.

Alexander is a productive inside defender who makes a ton of tackles and gets from sideline to sideline in a hurry, but he’s not much of a pass rusher (seven total sacks over four seasons). Despite that, his $13.5 million salary pays him $1.2m more annually than Luke Kuechly. He’ll make more per year than all but six linebackers in the league. That’s a lot to pay for someone who has missed 14 games the past two seasons. If he’s anything less than Kuechly 2.0, this is a pretty expensive overpay — though the Niners can afford it.

Short-term grade: C
Long-term grade: C

Bills sign: CB Kevin Johnson

Buffalo’s passing defense hasn’t languished after losing Stephon Gilmore in free agency. Tre’Davious White has been one of the league’s brightest young cornerbacks and Micah Hyde continues to be one of the league’s most versatile and underrated players. Adding former first round pick Johnson as a bookend for White could pay off, but Johnson has been anything but reliable in his four seasons as a pro. He’s only started 18 games since being drafted 16th overall in 2015.

Will he play well enough to turn his potential into a star turn in western New York. And if he does, will he stay with one of the league’s most maligned franchises after his prove-it deal runs out? Johnson could be found money for the Bills, but he’ll have to play a full season before anyone even begins to consider him a true CB1.

Short-term grade: C+
Long-term grade: C+

Raiders sign: OT Trent Brown

A massive man (6’8, 350 pounds) will sign a massive contract in Oakland once free agency officially begins, as Brown’s four-year, $66 million deal will give him the largest annual salary of any blocker in league history. Brown turned a one-year stint protecting Tom Brady’s blindside into a mega-deal, but his cohesive play in the postseason helped over up a mistake-riddled regular season.

Brown was flagged for holding seven times last fall and committed a total of 10 penalties, numbers that undercut his efficiency on the edge. Maybe that was part of his adjustment period from right to left tackle, or maybe it’s a sign he’s more easily beaten by powerful pass rushers than the Raiders would like.

Also, this is so, so much money — and Nate Solder’s uneven 2018 after leaving New England suggests there’s going to be an adjustment period after leaving Pats’ o-line coach Dante Scarnecchia.

Short-term grade: B-
Long-term grade: C+

Eagles sign: DT Malik Jackson

Philadelphia needed another defensive tackle next to Fletcher Cox after they decided not to pick up Tim Jernigan’s option for this season. They filled that void by signing Malik Jackson, who was recently released by the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Jackson had a bit of a down year with only 3.5 sacks, but quarterback hits (12) and tackles for loss (7) were still in line with his career averages. If he can get back to bringing down the quarterback, he’ll end up justifying the three year, $30 million deal Philadelphia just gave him — playing next to a dominant presence like Cox should help. Jackson won’t turn 30 until after the regular season, so he still might have a few good years left.

Short-term grade: A
Long-term grade: A

Lions sign: WR Danny Amendola

The Lions needed a reliable possession receiver behind Marvin Jones and Kenny Golladay, and Amendola, who had 59 catches, 575 yards, and a 74.7 percent catch rate fits the bill. He’s also going to be 34 years old, averaged fewer than 10 yards per reception, and found the end zone only once in his lone year with Miami, so it’s not exactly an impact signing. After signing an entirely too expensive two-year, $12 million deal with the Dolphins he’s reunited with former assistant coach Matt Patricia for one year and up to $5.75 million. That’s still top 35 money for a player who might not be a top 75 receiver.

Short-term grade: B-
Long-term grade: C-

Rams re-sign: Edge rusher Dante Fowler Jr.

Fowler played the best football of his career after coming to LA from Jacksonville midway through the season. That was especially true in the playoffs, when he was instrumental to getting the Rams to the Super Bowl with his disruptive play. The Rams get a chance to see if Fowler can be that kind of force on a consistent basis, keeping him in LA on a one-year “prove it” deal.

Short-term grade: A
Long-term grade: A

Raiders re-sign: DT Johnathan Hankins

The 26-year-old Hankins was one of the rare reliable defensive players the Raiders had last season — and he didn’t join the team until Week 2. He started 14 games, totaling 36 tackles, four tackles for loss, and two fumble recoveries. The Raiders retained him on a two-year deal rather than let him test free agency.

Short-term grade: A-
Long-term grade: B+

Raiders trade: LG Kelechi Osemele, 2019 sixth-round pick
Jets trade: 2019 fifth-round pick

The Raiders have holes all over their roster. One position where they were mostly set was at guard. That’s no longer the case now that they sent former All-Pro guard Kelechi Osemele to the Jets. The Raiders saved $10.2 million in cap space, but they weren’t hurting in that department anyway.

Meanwhile, the Jets fill a position of need during a free agency year that’s light on guards. Osemele has dealt with injuries recently, but if he can stay healthy, he’s an undoubtedly an upgrade for their OL.

Short-term grade: C- for Raiders, A- for Jets
Long-term grade: C+ for Raiders, B for Jets

Steelers trade: WR Antonio Brown
Raiders trade: 2019 third-round pick, fifth-round pick

For the cost of $21.1 million in dead cap space this year, the Steelers got rid of one of the best receivers in the NFL (and their biggest headache). In return, they couldn’t even get a first-round pick.

The Raiders had the cap space to give Brown the raise he wanted, and he gives them a major offensive weapon they’ve been lacking. Oh, and they still have all three first-round picks this year.

Brown will turn 31 this summer and though he hasn’t shown signs of regressing, there’s no guarantee he’ll be the same dangerous player with Derek Carr throwing him the ball. The Steelers also feel optimistic about JuJu Smith-Schuster as their new No. 1 — a sentiment shared by Smith-Schuster himself.

Short-term grade: D- for Steelers, A for Raiders
Long-term grade: C+ for Steelers, B+ for Raiders

Chiefs sign: RB Carlos Hyde

A day after his release from the Jaguars, Hyde signed a one-year deal with the Chiefs to serve as a bruising complement to Damien Williams. Despite a down year split between Cleveland and Jacksonville, Hyde — who rushed for 938 yards and eight touchdowns in 2017 — could bounce back in Kansas City, thanks to the wide-open offense led by MVP Patrick Mahomes.

Short-term grade: B+
Long-term grade: B-

Dolphins sign: TE Dwayne Allen

The veteran Allen was released by the Patriots after two seasons (and just one touchdown). He quickly reunited with Brian Flores and Chad O’Shea in Miami on a two-year deal. There, he’ll have a role as a blocking tight end and mentor to second-year TE Mike Gesicki.

Short-term grade: B
Long-term grade: C+

Eagles trade: DE Michael Bennett, 2020 seventh-round pick
Patriots trade: 2020 fifth-round pick

Bennett was terrific in his first (and only) season with the Eagles, tallying 30 QB hits, 15 tackles for loss, nine sacks, and two forced fumbles. He’s also 33 and wanted a raise, and the Eagles couldn’t really afford to give him one. So they traded him ... to the Patriots. Those fools.

The Patriots had a hole to fill at pass rusher with Trey Flowers set to hit free agency, and when it comes to trades, they’re pretty much the perfect student who gets an automatic A.

Short-term grade: B- for Eagles, A for Patriots
Longterm grade: B for Eagles, A for Patriots

Rams sign: S Eric Weddle

The win-win for the Rams is that Weddle is both cheaper and, frankly, better than impending free agent Lamarcus Joyner. At least, he has been.

The danger is that Weddle is now 34 and about to begin his 13th season in the NFL. There’s a very real risk that Weddle’s play is about to fall off a cliff, leaving the Rams with a washed player in the secondary with an average salary of just over $5 million.

Weddle hasn’t shown signs of slowing, though, so the Rams are taking a worthwhile risk.

Short-term grade: A
Long-term grade: B

Steelers trade: OT Marcus Gilbert
Cardinals trade: 2019 sixth-round pick

Arizona might have found its starting right tackle for the 2019 season. When he’s healthy, Marcus Gilbert is one of the elite offensive tackles in the game. The problem is that he’s struggled a lot with injuries over the past two years.

Gilbert has played in only 12 games over the last two seasons as he’s dealt with knee and ankle injuries. The Steelers probably felt that it was time for a fresh set of legs on the offensive line and just wanted to see what they could get for Gilbert.

This is a nice trade for the Cardinals. It’s a low-risk, high-reward move for a team that had an utterly abysmal offensive line a season ago. If it doesn’t work out, then no harm.

Short-term grade: B for Steelers, A for Cardinals
Long-term grade: B for both

Giants trade: Edge rusher Olivier Vernon
Browns trade: RG Kevin Zeitler

New York trims some payroll by offloading the costly Vernon, sparing him from Year 3 of its rolling rebuild. The Giants also get a powerful veteran interior lineman who will help stabilize one of the league’s least consistent units. Zeitler will help keep Eli Manning upright in what may be his final season. More importantly, he’ll clear space for Saquon Barkley to thrive.

Meanwhile, the Browns’ defense gets a bit scarier by adding a player with 22 sacks in his last 37 games. Vernon will provide a powerful edge counterpunch across from Myles Garrett, giving Cleveland yet another weapon in a developing core. Trading Zeitler and his eight-figure salary makes sense with 2018 second-round pick Austin Corbett waiting in the wings, and the cost to swap in Vernon only came out to roughly $4 million more for a team that’s absolutely loaded with cap space.

Short-term grade: A for both
Long-term grade: A for Giants, B for Browns

Ravens trade: QB Joe Flacco
Broncos trade: 2019 fourth-round pick

John Elway got his latest tall passer, landing on 6’6 former Super Bowl MVP Flacco in his never-ending quest to find Peyton Manning’s successor. In the process, he managed to pick up a veteran quarterback somehow worse than the one he already had on the roster.

Flacco will hopefully be a functional starter for the Broncos, but this trade really feels like a lateral move for them considering Flacco’s recent history. Trading away a fourth-round pick for what he’s produced over the last few years seems a bit silly. Denver is still pretty far away from competing with the Chargers and Chiefs on offense.

Luckily, they don’t owe Flacco any guaranteed money so it won’t hinder their cap if they decide to move on from him next year.

Short-term grade: A for the Ravens, D for the Broncos
Long-term grade: A for the Ravens, C for the Broncos

Broncos trade: QB Case Keenum, 2020 seventh-round pick
Washington trades: 2020 sixth-round pick

OK.

Short-term grade: C for both
Long-term grade: B for both

Buccaneers re-sign: LT Donovan Smith

Tampa Bay locks down some stability at the most important part of its offensive line by retaining Smith, who made all 64 starts for the club at left tackle the past four years.

Short-term grade: B
Long-term grade: B+