Free agency is coming, and many teams could lose superstars that have been crucial to their team. We take a look at what teams would be like without the player who has made the biggest difference.
AFC East
Patriots without Tom Brady
It’s hard to replace one of the greatest players of all time, and even with the greatest coach ever, the Pats rely heavily on Brady. Despite their dominant play in Super Bowl LIII, the New England defense had been a weakness all year, and the receivers aren’t that good, even though Julian Edelman took home Super Bowl MVP. They would be lucky to finish with a winning record without Brady.
Dolphins without Xavien Howard
In what will potentially become reality this Spring, Miami would take a blow, but in the end, it wouldn’t make a huge difference, because the Dolphins are in the middle of a rebuild, but when they emerge, Howard would be a good cornerstone to have, which they will likely lose.
Bills without Tre’Davious White
Also in a rebuild, the main thing that Buffalo would miss out on is a bargaining chip. Finding a 24-year old cornerback who is blossoming into a star is something that many teams want, which could net the Bills a few good draft picks, which would be a great help.
Jets without Jamal Adams
Adams plays two roles for the Jets: safety and recruiter. He is a ringleader of the campaign for New York to sign Le’Veon Bell, and had lunch with Bell’s agent at one point. Rumors have swirled about the Jets picking up stars in the next few years, so players may be more inclined to come to the Big Apple if there are stars like Adams already there. All in all, Adams is a pretty important part of the Jets right now.
AFC North
Ravens without Lamar Jackson
Lamar Jackson is not only currently the Ravens best player, he is their most important by far. He singlehandedly turned around Baltimore’s season and John Harbaugh’s job security. A perfect fit into Harbaugh’s run-heavy scheme, the Ravens would be dead without him.
Steelers without JuJu Smith-Schuster
First of all, we call Smith-Schuster the Steelers best player because Antonio Brown and Le’Veon Bell are both on their way out. Second of all, JuJu is set to break records for achievements at a young age, and any team would be lucky to have him. Another value is that he keeps it loose in the locker room, which is helpful on a team that Smith-Schuster himself compared to the Kardashians. Roethlisberger needs weapons in his final years of playing, and the young Smith-Schuster could be a godsend in the future, which is why Pittsburgh desperately needs him.
Browns without Myles Garrett
Garrett, a prominent pass rusher, is a fantastic young player with loads of potential. He and Denzel Ward are the leaders of a young defense that can make significant strides. The Browns are good to go with this young, promising team, but losing Garrett would be a big blow.
Bengals without AJ Green
Honestly, Cincinnati should just trade him. They finally signaled for a rebuild by firing Marvin Lewis, and there’s no turning back now. They might as well trade him for a mid round draft pick. They’d do awful the next couple of years, but that seems inevitable.
AFC South
Texans without JJ Watt
Watt is a pretty important player for the Texans, and without him much of their defensive balance would be lost. He inspires fear into opposing QBs. Without him, Houston would have a much tougher time, even with their good offense.
Colts without Andrew Luck
We’ve had a glimpse of this reality in the past couple of years, and we know how this will go. Indianapolis will win 3 games and get a good draft pick. Things might look a little better with Frank Reich as coach, but you can still look at the 2017 season to give you an idea.
Titans without Jurrell Casey
Casey made his fourth consecutive Pro Bowl last year, but as a defensive tackle, there’s only so much he can do. Still, it will make a minor difference on the Titans defensive effectiveness.
Jaguars without Jalen Ramsey
On a defense that took a huge step down last year, Ramsey still managed to be good. Losing him would be a major loss for the secondary, but at this point, Jacksonville isn’t doing well enough for Ramsey to be a huge difference maker in the teams overall performance.
AFC West
Chiefs without Patrick Mahomes II
Losing the NFL’s best player is always a bad thing. When that player is a QB, the situation becomes a major disaster, unless Chad Henne can play like Mahomes. To make it worse, Mahomes is 23. This is the best situation imaginable, and the last thing they want to do is lose it. If they did, they would likely miss the playoffs, and their viewership ratings would decrease.
Chargers without Phillip Rivers
LA has a star studded lineup, but losing their franchise quarterback would really hurt. However, this reality will come true in a few years when Rivers retire. Things would be better if Geno Smith weren’t next in line. Yikes.
Broncos without Von Miller
Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin evidently has a screw loose, but he is right about one thing: Von Miller is a game wrecker. One of the best players in the NFL, Miller completely changes the opposition’s offensive game plan, which could win games. He has a knack for being clutch, and when Denver gets good again, he will be an extremely valuable defensive weapon in close games.
Raiders without Derek Carr
Despite Carr being Oakland’s best player, he really isn’t that good. They should just ditch him and pick up a decent quarterback in free agency, or use their high draft pick on a QB. However, the Raiders like Carr for some reason. But if he were gone, it would be a blessing in disguise.
NFC East
Cowboys without Ezekiel Elliot
Elliot is a great back, and when he and Dak Prescott are both healthy and playing well, Dallas can be tough to stop. Without him, the Cowboys would lose a lot of their offensive balance, and they would lose a key player in the pass attack too. In other words, Zeke is one of the most versatile players in football, and the Cowboys wouldn’t be nearly as good without him.
Eagles without Zach Ertz
Ertz is pretty important in the Philly offense, and besides him, they don’t have that many good players on offense. Ertz makes his presence felt in the running and passing game for the Eagles, and he is an important piece in the Eagles victory formula.
Redskins without Ryan Kerrigan
On an underwhelming team like Washington, Kerrigan manages to still be a consistent bright spot. However, the difference wouldn’t be so noticeable because the Redskins aren’t in any position to become a contender.
Giants without Saquon Barkley
The biggest difference between 2017’s 3-13 season and 2018’s 5-11 season is Barkley. Despite only a 2 game difference, New York finished 4-4 down the stretch, and are in an ideal position to draft Dwayne Haskins. Barkley will be a huge contributor in a potential future offense with him, Haskins, Odell Beckham Jr, and Evan Engram.
NFC North
Bears without Khalil Mack
The best linebacker in football was a major addition in last year’s Chicago defense that many call the best in football. Him and Mitchell Trubisky are the young leaders of the team, and losing Mack would be a disaster.
Vikings without Adam Thielen
Thielen has made some huge steps forward in the last couple of years, and is now the best offensive weapon that Minnesota has. He and Stephon Diggs make a nice pair for Kirk Cousins to work with. Although they wouldn’t be as good, it wouldn’t be a tremendous problem if they lost him.
Packers without Aaron Rodgers
Without Aaron Rodgers, all hope would be lost for Green Bay. DeShone Kizer would take over, and the Packers would be lucky to win 3 games. Unfortunately for them, this could become reality in a few years, but hopefully they’ll have prepared for this eventuality by then.
Lions without Matthew Stafford
In Stafford’s 10-year career, only nine times has he had the support of a 100-yard rusher. In other words, Stafford is the only reason why Detroit has sometimes been a contender recently. He was drafted the year after the Lions went 0-16, and he has done a great job of revitalizing the franchise, but they still have a long way to go, and that can’t be done without Stafford.
NFC South
Saints without Alvin Kamara
Kamara has proved his importance over the past couple of years. He is an extremely versatile back who can be a game changer. He shows his importance in both phases of the offense, with 81 receptions last year for 709 yards. The most talented player on New Orleans, he completely changes the look of one of the best offenses in football, and they wouldn’t be as successful without him. They would have to resort to Mark Ingram, who isn’t getting any better.
Panthers without Luke Kuechly
Kuechly is a great young middle linebacker, which makes him genuinely hard to find. However, given that he is on a slight decline, Carolina may deal him away. If they do, they will have a much different defensive look, but on an already struggling unit, there wouldn’t be a huge difference.
Falcons without Julio Jones
Jones gives Matt Ryan a top target, which has been very helpful given the decline of Mohamed Sanu and Austin Hooper. Atlanta took a huge step back last year, which is surprising with their talented team. When they get good again, Jones will be a great weapon for the Falcons to have at their disposal, but if they don’t have him, they could find themselves running the ball more often, which could lead to the downfall of their offense.
Buccaneers without Mike Evans
Evans is another one of the NFL’s top receivers, but he isn’t making such a difference on a horrible team like Tampa Bay. If they didn’t have him, their offense would be nothing, and they would have an awful season, but it would only be a bit worse than last year’s campaign.
NFC West
Rams without Todd Gurley III
In the NFC Championship game and the Super Bowl, Gurley was effectively useless. If you want a look at what happens without Gurley, watch the Super Bowl again, and see the Rams score three points against a New England defense that surrendered 31 points the week before. Granted, the rest of the LA offense played like they were asleep, but bad things happen when you lose a weapon as dynamic as Gurley, and they saw the reality in the playoffs.
Seahawks without Russell Wilson
Without Wilson, Seattle would easily be one of the worst teams in the NFL. This wouldn’t have been so bad a few years ago, when they had an amazing defense, but now that the Legion of Boom is falling apart, Wilson is the team. They will have to rely on Paxton Lynch. Oof.
49ers without Jimmy Garoppolo
Without Garoppolo, 2018 happens again. Now that he’s back, they need a lot from him. If he fails, they will have lost a franchise quarterback and will be bad for the next few years. Hopefully they put their #2 draft pick to good use, and get defensive help so that this San Francisco team can really exercise their full potential, but if they don’t, they could be in for another long season.
Cardinals without Larry Fitzgerald
The only good player on this team, Fitzgerald is a great source of leadership, but he still makes large contributions on the field. He will be forced to retire soon, as he is 35 years old. If Fitz was gone, Arizona would win two games. Maximum.
