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The first wave of NFL free agency has come and gone, and several teams have significantly upgraded their rosters.
While you can't win the Super Bowl in the offseason, adding guys like Darrelle Revis, Brandon Browner and Brandon Lafell helped the Patriots win it all last year. Before them, the Seahawks signed Cliff Avril, Michael Bennett and Tony McDaniel to bolster a defense that would carry them to two straight Super Bowl berths.
Both teams signed a combination of instant-impact guys mixed in with quality role players, and it helped New England and Seattle hoist the Lombardi Trophy. Several teams made similar acquisitions this offseason, and ironically, Revis was once again one of them.
Over at SB Nation, Danny Kelly did a nice breakdown of the biggest offseason winners, most of whom did so by getting big-name free agents, just as the New York Jets did:
Signed: CB Darrelle Revis, CB Antonio Cromartie, CB Buster Skrine, DB Marcus Gilchrist, OG James Carpenter
Re-signed OT Willie Colon, LB David Harris, RB Bilal Powell
Traded for: WR Brandon Marshall
I don't know if even the most optimistic or homer Jets fans could have envisioned a scenario where Todd Bowles added Darrelle Revis, Antonio Cromartie, Buster Skrine and Marcus Gilchrist to put next to previous first-rounders Calvin Pryor and Dee Milliner. That is what you call a shopping spree.
I haven't even talked about the offense. Grabbing Brandon Marshall for a fifth-round pick seems like a bargain, especially after some of the contracts that we've seen, like the $11 million APY that the Chiefs gave Jeremy Maclin and the $10 million APY Green Bay gave Randall Cobb.
Nate Davis of USA Today Sports tabbed Revis as one of the biggest offseason winners as a result of him getting another massive contract for the third consecutive offseason.
After Revis pocketed $28 million courtesy of separate deals the past two offseasons in Tampa Bay and New England, his negotiating team brokered his return to the New York Jets for $70 million more over the next five years. The only drawback is Team Revis presumably won't be providing further entertainment by holding NFL GMs hostage in 2016.
The rest of his offseason winners included running backs, the Colts, Ndamukong Suh, Russell Wilson (getting Jimmy Graham) and Aaron Rodgers (got Randall Cobb back).
Speaking of Cobb, he was one of NBC Sports' biggest winners after re-signing with Green Bay for a nice pay raise while also continuing to catch passes from Aaron Rodgers.
Cobb reportedly was seeking between $9 and $12 million a year. He settled for $10 million per season to stay with the Packers and catch passes from Aaron Rodgers for the next four seasons. And by the end of that contract, Cobb will still only be 28, plenty young enough to get another megadeal after pumping his numbers in the NFL's best offense.