NFL free agency day three: Mayfield signs for Buccaneers as JuJu joins New England

As Aaron Rodgers announced his intention to leave the Green Bay Packers and join the New York Jets, day three of NFL free agency brought more drama and excitement across the league.

Baker Mayfield became the latest QB to move to a new side, joining the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on a one-year deal. He will compete with Kyle Trask for the starting quarterback position in 2023.

There were other quarterback moves on Wednesday, as Jacoby Brissett joined the Washington Commanders and the Indianapolis Colts released veteran Matt Ryan.

Darius Slay, one of the Eagles star performers of the past year, was unexpectedly released by Philadelphia, after a trading partner couldn’t be found. The Eagles are working to re-sign Chauncey Gardner-Johnson, and cutting Slay gives them valuable money to help with any potential deal.

It was another good day for tight ends, as former Ravens first-rounder Hayden Hurst signed a three-year deal with the Carolina Panthers. JuJu Smith-Schuster has swapped Andy Reid and the Chiefs for Bill Belichick and the Patriots, signing a three-year, $33 million deal in New England.

Elsewhere, it is the end of the road for Zeke Elliot in Dallas as he was released by the Cowboys, but the team was able to agree a deal to keep linebacker Leighton Vander Esch in town. The Buffalo Bills are re-signing Jordan Poyer for 2023, the Buccaneers are keeping hold of Lavonte David for another year, while the Steelers have brought in Cole Holecomb from the Commanders.

Overnight, we saw the New York Giants trade for star tight end Darren Waller from the Las Vegas Raiders, while Stephen Gilmore joined the Dallas Cowboys in a deal with the Colts. David Montgomery switched NFC North teams by joining the Detroit Lions from the Chicago Bears, while cornerback Bryon Murphy joining the Minnesota Vikings.

Free agency officially started on Wednesday, so expect deals to continue to come thick and fast over the course of the next few weeks.