Every year, we honor the best NFL players with all kinds of rankings -- both official and otherwise -- from Pro Bowl and All-Pro lineups to offseason pecking orders. But what about a celebration of the best talent on the move?
Between blockbuster quarterback trades and splashy free agent signings, the 2023 offseason has had no shortage of big names changing teams. Here, we've created an "all-star" lineup consisting only of the top veteran players (and coaches) to do that.
The exercise works in a couple of ways: 1.) It helps identify the best additions at each position, and 2.) It just might be a reminder of how much talent swaps uniforms each year. We reckon you might be able to go on a playoff run with this lineup!
Without further ado, the 2023 NFL All-Offseason Acquisitions Team:
Offense
| Position | Player | Team |
|---|---|---|
QB | Aaron Rodgers | |
RB | Miles Sanders | |
WR | D.J. Moore | |
WR | Jakobi Meyers | |
WR | Odell Beckham Jr. | |
TE | Darren Waller | |
OT | Orlando Brown Jr. | |
OG | Ben Powers | |
C | Jon Feliciano | |
OG | Isaac Seumalo | |
OT | Mike McGlinchey | Broncos |
Rodgers may or may not be past his MVP peak, but he's a future Hall of Famer inheriting more accomplished weaponry and defensive support, making him a real candidate to follow in Tom Brady's footsteps as a legend who enjoys rejuvenation in fresh scenery. If one group's more solid than special, it's probably the pass catchers, where Beckham and Waller must prove they can stay on the field, but the potential is there. You might swap JuJu Smith-Schuster in for Meyers, but both guys are best suited for secondary possession roles. The line, however, is quite formidable. Feliciano will start as a backup in San Francisco, but Brown and McGlinchey have lots of experience as above-average bookends.
Defense
| Position | Player | Team |
|---|---|---|
EDGE | Leonard Floyd | |
DL | Javon Hargrave | 49ers |
DL | Dre'Mont Jones | |
EDGE | Za'Darius Smith | |
LB | Tremaine Edmunds | Bears |
LB | Bobby Wagner | Seahawks |
CB | Jalen Ramsey | |
CB | Stephon Gilmore | |
CB | Patrick Peterson | Steelers |
S | Jessie Bates III | |
S | C.J. Gardner-Johnson |
Compared to the offense, where key starters like Miles Sanders, D.J. Moore and Jakobi Meyers are early in their second contracts, the defense at least feels a bit longer in the tooth. The secondary, in particular, is very reliant on aging cover men in Ramsey (28), Gilmore (32) and Peterson (33). But all three have been there, done that and have the benefit of pairing with younger, rangier safeties in this exercise. The front also has the makings of a playoff-caliber unit, with Floyd and Smith both offering underrated production off the edge alongside some of the top up-and-coming interior rushers in the game.
Special Teams
| Position | Player | Team |
|---|---|---|
K | Matt Gay | |
P | Thomas Morstead | Jets |
KR/PR | Mecole Hardman | Jets |
Kicking is a streaky business, and who knows if the Colts needed to make Gay the second-highest paid kicker behind only Ravens ace Justin Tucker, but there's no denying the ex-Buccaneers castoff has been money in recent years, converting 60 of 64 field goals (93.8%), including 11 of 14 from 50+ yards, since 2021. Morstead is 37 and now on his fourth team in three years, but the longtime Saints vet downed more than 45% of his 2022 kicks inside opponents' 20-yard line. Hardman has availability concerns but flashed electricity as a utility man for Andy Reid and the Chiefs.
Coaches
| Position | Coach | Team |
|---|---|---|
HC | Sean Payton | Broncos |
OC | Bobby Slowik | |
DC | Ejiro Evero | Panthers |
Like plenty of other veteran Super Bowl-winning coaches, including Mike Tomlin, John Harbaugh and Pete Carroll, Payton has struggled to recapture the playoff magic that once accompanied his sterling regular-season track record. But it's hard to argue with his no-nonsense approach, which consistently produced top-flight offenses in New Orleans. Slowik oversaw Kyle Shanahan's passing game the last two years in San Francisco, making him an ideal mentor for Texans rookie QB C.J. Stroud. Evero is one of the most promising pieces of an enviable staff constructed by new Panthers head man Frank Reich, previously thriving as both the Rams' former secondary coach and Broncos' 2022 coordinator.