The AFC champion Kansas City Chiefs and the NFC champion Philadelphia Eagles are focused firmly on Super Bowl LVII. But the other 30 NFL teams have turned their focus toward the offseason.
One of the most important steps will be free agency.
Not all free agents are created equal. Many of the biggest names won't get anywhere near the open market. Some will receive multi-year extensions. Others—such as Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson and New York Giants quarterback Daniel Jones—may get franchise-tagged. But dozens of NFL players will be on the move in the months to come.
Some are stars from whom greatness is expected. Others aren't such sure things. Some are young players who have never quite lived up to their potential. Others are trying to recapture past glories after tailing off in recent years.
All of those free agents have one thing in common: Changing teams might help spur a big 2023 season.
RB Kareem Hunt
Kareem Hunt's career is at a crossroads. After an injury-marred 2021 season, Hunt saw both his role in the Cleveland Browns offense and his per-snap productivity decline in 2022.
His 3.8 yards per carry was a career low. Trade rumors swirled around the 27-year-old at the deadline last year, and he admitted to reporters in November that he was open to moving on from the Browns.
"I mean, I'm down for whatever, man," Hunt said. "I'm a football player and this is a business. So, I'm ready to do whatever they decide with me. That's either go somewhere else or here, anything it don't matter. I love the game of football."
At this point, a change of scenery is undoubtedly the best thing for Hunt's career. As the 2022 season wore on, his role in Cleveland's offense decreased. He had only 21 total carries over the final five games of the season. It's next to impossible for any back to get going when they receive only a handful of carries per game.
But in 2020, Hunt surpassed 1,100 total yards, averaged 4.2 yards per carry, caught 38 passes and scored 11 touchdowns. As a rookie in 2017, Hunt paced the NFL with 1,327 rushing yards. And his career yards-per-carry is a respectable 4.5.
Hunt still has the ability to be a lead back in the NFL. He just needs the opportunity. If some team gives him one, his next contract should be substantially smaller than the deals running backs like Saquon Barkley and David Montgomery get this spring.
WR DJ Chark
When the Detroit Lions handed wide receiver DJ Chark a one-year, $10 million contract last offseason, they were likely hoping for more than 30 catches and 502 receiving yards. On the other hand, he was one of the NFL's more effective big-play generators this season.
"Despite playing through some injuries, including an aggravation of the ankle that cost him most of his final season in Jacksonville, Chark notched one of the highest big-play rates of any wide receiver in 2022," Jeff Risdon of Lions Wire noted. "Chark produced a big play, defined as a catch of 20 yards or more and a run of 10 yards or more, on nine of his 52 targets. That big-play rate of 17.3 percent ranked sixth among receivers with at least 40 targets."
Chark's role in Motown isn't likely to increase next season. Amon-Ra St. Brown is Jared Goff's unquestioned favorite target. Jameson Williams should be a big part of the Lions offense in 2023 after barely playing as a rookie. But if Chark lands with a receiver-needy team like the Chicago Bears, Cleveland Browns or New York Giants, he could see a sizable increase in target share.
If Chark can come anywhere close to his per-target effectiveness in 2023, he could return to the halcyon days of 2019, when he caught 73 passes, topped 1,000 receiving yards, scored eight touchdowns and made the only Pro Bowl of his career.
