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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.
#3 WR Allen Robinson ll (Chicago Bears)
Chicago wideout, Allen Robinson ll managed to chalk up 1,250-yards and 6 'tuddies' on the year, and that's despite the fact he played in a disjointed Bears offense that struggled to throw the ball for most of the season (3,925 passing yards; 22/32 in NFL). To put it simply, Robinson will be hot-property in free agency. He's that good.
The Bears boardroom has work to do to ensure the franchise starts the 2021-22 campaign under the salary cap, so, likely, Robinson moves on. Miami Dolphins are reportedly keen to bring him to Florida, but I could personally see him linking up with Ron Rivera in Washington, bolstering a receiving corps overly-reliant on the outstanding rookie, Terry McLaurin.
Only time will tell...
#2 WR Chris Godwin (Tampa Bay Buccaneers)
He may have dropped a surefire TD pass from Brady during the Buccaneers incredible victory down in the Bayou on Sunday, but in his first 3 seasons in Tampa red, Chris Godwin mishandled just 4 passes on route to 2,740 yards in total, meaning he is about as reliable a pair of mitts as you are likely to find in the NFL.
Given he is currently catching passes from the GOAT (Tom Brady) and operating in a locker room containing the likes of Antonio Brown and Mike Evans, Godwin is unlikely to want out of Tampa just yet; I can't see him actively pushing for a move; not with the Buccs right on the doorstep of glory. More likely is that Bruce Arians' sees him as a vital part of the Buccaneers Super Bowl-winning jigsaw and hits him with a one year tag.
#1 Dak Prescott (Dallas Cowboys)
It was all meant to be so different for Dak Prescott in 2020: the talented Cowboy's QB was meant to sign a new contract, but had to settle for a franchise tag; the Cowboys were expected to win the Super Bowl but finished third in the NFL's weakest division, the NFC East, and Dak was supposed to be the man to get them to that Super Bowl, but instead, he suffered a compound fracture of his right ankle during the wk-5 test against NY Giants and went on to miss the remainder of the season.
Most expect Cowboys' billionaire owner, Jerry Jones, to either sign Dak up on a $35 million per year contract or to slap another franchise tag on his star QB. I'm less convinced: you don't get to become a billionaire without having a ruthless streak, and there's a chance that the uncertainty regarding Dak's complete rehabilitation from that fractured ankle could spell the end for him in Dallas.
This is just my 2 cents' worth, but if Dak does go off wandering, he could do a lot worse than returning to his home state of Louisiana to play under Sean Payton at the Saints.
(yes, I'm a Saints fan).
