The 2018 league year is off and running after having opened up at 3 p.m. (CT) on Wednesday afternoon.
Some teams have already inked free agents, while others are still pursuing players who could potentially boost their roster.
Will Brinson of CBS Sports took a look at the first day of free agency and offered some initial takeaways.
Brinson wrote:
Free agency is here. The new NFL league year has begun, although it felt like a letdown after an insane 24 hours leading up to everything kicking off. The NFL finally got it "right" — the league plugged the 48-hour tampering window on a Monday and Tuesday, and the results were pretty wild. Monday was slow, but deals were getting hammered out by late Monday and into early Tuesday. Tuesday was absolutely bananas, with a flurry of huge signings.
By the time the actual start of the league year on Wednesday rolled around, we knew what was going to happen once it became legal to make the moves. But that also gave us a longer sense to sort of gather a bigger picture of who might have won and lost in early free agency.
*Let's be clear here: winning free agency is a dangerous prospect. Getting better on paper by spending a much of money in March hardly ever guarantees success in February. Teams who win over the long haul win by drafting and developing and the biggest free-agent winners come during the second wave. *
Brinson noted that Chicago, one of the Vikings NFC North foes, fared well in the early going of free agency.
The Bears are making a clear and concerted effort to follow the path of the 2017 Los Angeles Rams, having drafted a quarterback who struggled in his first season under the guidance of a conservative defensive coach and without any weapons around him. Jared Goff and the Rams broke out under Sean McVay in 2017 after an ugly 2016 with Jeff Fisher, and the Bears hope something similar happens with (quarterback Mitchell) Trubisky and (Chicago head coach) Matt Nagy after getting rid of John Fox.
Brinson wrote that Bears GM Ryan Pace is "loading up the roster with weapons."* *
Chicago has announced the signings of tight end Trey Burton and wide receivers Allen Robinson and Taylor Gabriel.
Super Bowl Legacy Fund releases final data
It's been more than a month since the NFL season ended with Super Bowl LII at U.S. Bank Stadium.
But the impact surrounding the game will be felt in the Twin Cities and other Minnesota communities for years to come.
The Minnesota Super Bowl Host Committee on Thursday released the final numbers for their Legacy Fund, which focused on finding ways to give back to the community in the year before the game.
According to data released by the committee, the Legacy Fund doled out 56 total grants that tallied up to $5.5 million that impacted Minnesotans. The group spearheaded '52 Weeks of Giving,' which focused on a different initiative each week.
The group, which traveled to numerous areas around the state, said 80 percent of the grants focused on children who were at or below the state poverty line.
The Legacy Fund also built 19 new playgrounds and parks across the state, and donated 160 bikes and 195 skateboards to Minnesota's youth.
"As the Minnesota Super Bowl Host Committee, our charge was to make this an event with statewide impact; a celebration for our residents," Maureen Bosch, the CEO of the Host Committee, said in the report. "Being granted the 52nd Super Bowl provided us with the opportunity to make that celebration last an entire year — or 52 weeks — leading up to the big game."
