NFL 2021: Top 10 Available Free Agents & Predicted Destinations (part ll)
With just 4 teams remaining in the playoffs - and with fans of the other 28 teams sucking on eggs for the next 7 months - it's time for many of us to switch focus to the offseason and continue our look at the top 10 players bound for the free agency pool.
(If you missed part l (ranking 10-6), you can click the link and read it right here).
Let's take a look at the top 5:
(in descending order)
5. TE Hunter Henry ( Los Angeles Chargers)
When the San Diego Chargers (now LA) drafted Hunter Henry with the 35th overall pick in the 2016 NFL Draft, the big TE was expected to go on to become one of the game's leading performers in his position. In truth, Henry looked every bit the part during his rookie and sophomore campaigns, as he managed to rack up an impressive 12 touchdowns over those first 2 years.
Henry's progress was severely hampered by a torn ACL picked up during the 2018 offseason. He went on to miss the entire campaign and there were legitimate fears that he'd never return to full form -- TE can be an unforgiving position, after all.
Fortunately, Henry did return from that injury and, in the two seasons since, he's proven himself to be one of the best tight ends in the NFL. In 2020 he went for 613-yards, 4 touchdowns, and 0 interceptions (9th best in the league).
There aren't many tier 1 tight ends in the game, so if the Chargers fail to tie him down to another contract, expect to see the likes of New York Jets, Jacksonville Jaguars, and maybe even New Orleans Saints (Cook can no longer be trusted, surely?) flirting with the big man on Twitter.
#4 Kenny Golladay (Detroit Lions)
Kenny Golladay missed much of the 2020-21 campaign with a hip injury. His loss was duly noted by the Detroit Lions (5-11) who went on to finish bottom of the NFC North.
When fit, there is no questioning the Northern Illinois University graduate: Golladay chalked up 2,253 yards and 16 touchdowns over the course of the two previous campaigns, and even nursing an injury, he did return to spectacular form when the Lions met the Falcons in wk-7, racking up 114-yards through the air.
The versatile wideout will be hot property during free-agency, so don't be surprised to see the likes of New York Giants, New York Jets, New England Patriots, and maybe even Indianapolis Colts sniffing about for his signature.