Winners and losers from Day 3 of NFL's free-agency period

At the official start of the 2024 league year, the Tennessee Titans swooped in to grab the best remaining free agent and the Dallas Cowboys finally got involved, sticking it to a longtime rival. 

Here are the winners and losers from another active day. 

Winner: Tennessee Titans 

While several teams were reportedly interested in free agent wideout Calvin Ridley, the Titans stunned the NFL world by inking the 29-year-old to a four-year, $92M deal with $50M guaranteed. The move makes Ridley a very wealthy man and boosts an offense that could exceed expectations in 2024. 

Ridley is coming off a strong year with the Jacksonville Jaguars, recording 76 receptions for 1,016 yards and eight touchdowns over 17 games. He creates a dynamic one-two punch at receiver with veteran DeAndre Hopkins, which should only compliment the backfield duo of the newly signed Tony Pollard and 2023 third-rounder Tyjae Spears. 

The real winner is quarterback Will Levis, who looks to turn around a unit that finished 28th in the NFL last season. There are still issues to resolve along an offensive line that ranked last in the NFL, per Pro Football Focus, but the second-year signal caller now has plenty of weapons to lean on.  

Loser: New England Patriots

The Patriots were one of a handful of teams pursuing Ridley, but missing out on the former Jaguar perhaps hurt them most. They have a massive need for a wideout and the cap space necessary to pull off a deal. Yet, in the end, they were outbid by the Titans. 

According to CBS Sports' Josina Anderson, the Patriots have "moved on" and will likely find a receiver upgrade at the 2024 NFL Draft rather than free agency. 

Dealings with Ridley may have soured the team on the rest of the market. While rumors ran wild connecting the wideout to New England, the team became "leery" over potentially being used as leverage to drive the price, per MMQB's Albert Breer. 

Winner: Arizona Cardinals QB Kyler Murray 

Shortly after releasing left tackle D.J. Humphries, the Cardinals beefed up the team's O-line by inking his potential replacement, Jonah Williams, to a two-year, $30M deal ($19M guaranteed). 

Williams has played left tackle in the past but can move to the other side. The former 11th overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft solidifies a line that PFF ranked 25th in the league. Meanwhile, his experience could allow another year of maturation for second-year tackle Paris Johnson Jr., who was forced into action on the left side during his rookie year. 

Loser: San Francisco 49ers

The 49ers thought they had a deal for linebacker Eric Kendricks until they didn't. According to ESPN's Adam Schefter, after initially agreeing to join the defending NFC champions, the former All-Pro had a "change of heart," ultimately deciding to sign with the rival Dallas Cowboys.

For the Cowboys, who finally get involved in free agency, becoming the last of the 32 teams to make a move, they fill a position of need while sticking it to the Niners.  

Winner: New York Jets QB Aaron Rodgers 

After agreeing to add former Baltimore Ravens guard John Simpson at the start of the legal tampering period, the Jets continued to bolster their O-line, trading for another Raven, tackle Morgan Moses, on Wednesday. 

Last season, the Jets allowed 64 sacks, tied for the third-most in the NFL. With Rodgers coming off a torn Achilles, he'll need a solid offensive line in front of him, and adding two starters in Simpson and Moses should help facilitate that.