NFL free agency is usually dominated with headlines of big deals. But there are always the ones that fly under the radar, shock the market or make you realize just how smart front offices can be.
We break down some of the most interesting deals around the league in a variety of categories below, using Pro Football Focus grades and data.
Best bargain deal
CB Richard Sherman, San Francisco 49ers
One deal that will carry drama into 2018 is Sherman moving from Seattle to San Francisco. Health will be a key here, but with the 49ers not committed to Sherman long term, this deal potentially has a very high reward with low risk. At his best, Sherman remains one of the top cornerbacks in the NFL, having put together one of the most impressive streaks in the league, allowing no more than 99 receiving yards in 94 consecutive games between Week 4 of 2012 and Week 7 of 2017.
Biggest head-scratcher
CB D.J Hayden, Jacksonville Jaguars
The good news for Jaguars fans is that Hayden is coming off a season in which he produced the second-highest PFF grade of his career. The bad news is that the grade was only 50.7. He also committed five penalties and missed six tackles on just 488 snaps. Since entering the NFL as a first-round draft pick in 2013, Hayden has allowed an NFL passer rating over 100.0 on throws into his coverage, so it was a lot of money to pay for a player who has yet to live up to his draft billing.