What happened in the first week of NFL free agency: From Kirk Cousins to the Falcons to Justin Fields' trade to the Steelers

Talk about your starter and backup having total different skill sets. Joe Flacco resurrected his career with a late-season run for the Browns, and the Colts have found value in the job he did. Flacco will be prepared without requiring reps, meaning Anthony Richardson will get every rep, which I like. Flacco proved he can still make all the throws from a physical standpoint, and his personality and work ethic will automatically earn him respect.

The San Francisco 49ers are sending a seventh-round pick, No. 232, to the Houston Texans as part of Wednesday’s trade for Maliek Collins. A day earlier, it seemed as if the 49ers and Texans had a player-for-player deal in place — Arik Armstead for Collins — but it fell apart after the Texans agreed to terms with edge rusher Danielle Hunter, per a source briefed on the situation. The 49ers instead cut Armstead on Wednesday.

Eric Kendricks immediately brings a veteran presence that is much needed. His time with Mike Zimmer in Minnesota makes this a no-brainer fit for the new Dallas defensive coordinator. Kendricks will likely wear the radio in his helmet and be a quarterback of the defense. That alone should help take some responsibility away from the younger linebackers and improve communication during games. Kendricks isn’t the All-Pro player he was in 2019, but he could end up being a productive player in the middle of a defense that will have playmakers around him.

Linebacker Eric Kendricks changed his mind about his free-agency landing spot and is heading to the Dallas Cowboys instead of the San Francisco 49ers, team sources said.

Kendricks originally agreed to a one-year deal with the Niners early Wednesday morning but will now play on a one-year deal with the Cowboys, per the sources.

The 32-year-old played last season with the Los Angeles Chargers — under new 49ers assistant head coach Brandon Staley — after spending his first eight seasons with the Minnesota Vikings. Kendricks was a first-team All-Pro in 2019 and has eight straight seasons with 100-plus tackles. He finished with 117 tackles and 3 1/2 sacks last season.

The Chargers released Kendricks last week.

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Former Cincinnati Bengals offensive tackle Jonah Williams has agreed to a two-year, $30 million deal with the Arizona Cardinals, according to multiple reports.

Williams was the No. 87 player on The Athletic's free-agency big board.

Randy Mueller's scouting reports

Williams moved from left tackle to right tackle this season but has the same game. He is very quick and athletic, and he can move in space with balance. He still lacks power and anchor once engaged but did a better job of being physical in 2023 while playing every snap for Cincinnati.

The Titans put themselves in position to land Calvin Ridley starting last night. I’m told both sides stayed in contact and with Ran Carthon, Chad Brinker, and Brian Callahan’s focus on landing the best receiver available, they moved, offering the best deal to Ridley of any team.

The Indianapolis Colts are signing quarterback Joe Flacco to a one-year deal worth up to $8.7 million with $4.5 million guaranteed, a league source said.

Flacco signed with the Cleveland Browns practice squad in Week 12 and ended the 2023 season as the NFL’s Comeback Player of the Year Award winner.

With Gardner Minshew leaving to seek a starting job in Las Vegas, it left a void for the Colts to fill at backup QB. After Anthony Richardson went down with a season-ending shoulder injury in Week 5, Minshew kept the Colts afloat, going 7-6 as the starter to remain in the playoff hunt. Obviously, Indianapolis hopes Richardson, who was limited to just four games last year (he missed another game due to a concussion), can stay healthy. However, if Richardson goes down again, bringing in the Comeback Player of the Year likely ensures that Indianapolis’ season won’t go down in flames. The biggest question is just how much Flacco has left in the tank. At one point last year, he became the feel-good story of the NFL, but Flacco turned 39 in January and the clock keeps ticking.

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This is one of my favorite signings so far. Tennessee is a great spot for Mason Rudolph, and I think he will get opportunity there to continue what he was doing late last season in Pittsburgh. Second-year Titans QB Will Levis is far from the polished or a proven commodity, and if I were a betting man, I’d say Rudolph will get a chance sooner than later. Maybe he is 2024’s Baker Mayfield. Betting on yourself with a bit of a strategic luck can pay big benefits.

It’s too early to know how Mike Macdonald’s defensive scheme will look, but Rayshawn Jenkins would appear to be best used close to the line of scrimmage so he can be around the ball as often as possible. He has good speed and is a strong tackler. This would be similar to how Seattle’s last two defensive coordinators used Jamal Adams, who was released last week as a cap cut. Pro Bowl safety Julian Love is similar in that regard, and that could be exactly what Macdonald is looking for: multiple safeties with comparable skill sets to better disguise coverages and dictate the terms on defense.

Seattle had to sign at least one veteran safety after releasing Adams and free safety Quandre Diggs. The team’s only other proven commodity at that spot was Love. Coby Bryant, a fourth-round pick in 2022, and Jerrick Reed II, a 2023 sixth-round pick, were other in-house options, but they’re inexperienced (and Reed is recovering from a torn ACL). The 30-year-old Jenkins brings a veteran presence to that defensive back room. That said, Adams and Diggs were three-time Pro Bowlers who at times garnered All-Pro votes, which speaks to their high ceilings when healthy. Jenkins doesn’t have that same ceiling, but Seattle is hoping it can get similar production at a lower price point. This move basically suggests that general manager John Schneider and Macdonald think Jenkins will provide better bang for their buck.

Joe Flacco, who won the NFL's Comeback Player of the Year award after leading the Browns to a 4-1 record in five regular-season starts and a playoff appearance, is expected to join the Indianapolis Colts, according to reports from ESPN and NFL Network.

Flacco, 39, was the No. 128 player on The Athletic's free-agency big board.

The Seahawks agreed to terms with outside linebacker Darrell Taylor on a new contract, keeping him in Seattle ahead of his age-27 season. Taylor, a second-round pick in 2020, was scheduled to be a restricted free agent. He has 21 1/2 sacks and five forced fumbles in three seasons with Seattle, which will apparently go into 2024 with the same four-man group at outside linebacker it began 2023 with: Uchenna Nwosu, Boye Mafe, Derick Hall and Taylor. Losing Nwosu midway through 2023 and then not getting much from Hall led to an underwhelming season from that group, but if everyone stays healthy and Hall makes a Mafe-like leap, that unit has a high floor.

By waiting until the 4 p.m. deadline, Calvin Ridley created urgency for the Titans, Jaguars, Patriots and anyone else who might have decided to get more involved. Whether it was a long shot or otherwise, teams could have decided to intensify their efforts to sign Ridley by increasing their offers.

And just minutes before Ridley’s decision, league sources still characterized the Jaguars and Patriots as the favorites over other teams that remained in the discussions. The wait was financially beneficial, as a league source noted the Titans’ offer was significantly higher than the Jaguars’ final proposal. Another source said the Jaguars and Patriots made comparable offers.

In the Jaguars’ pursuit, they watched firsthand as Ridley worked his way back into game shape, learned a new offense and still delivered the second-best statistical season of his career, with 76 catches, 1,016 yards and eight touchdowns. While the Jaguars struggled with offensive mistakes across the board, it’s clear how much of a difference Ridley could make atop the receiver depth chart. Even after the Jaguars agreed to terms with wideout Gabe Davis this week, they maintained a strong interest in keeping Ridley — Davis was not initially viewed as a replacement, but a reinforcement.

Few players mean more to the Vikings' fan base than Harrison Smith. The 35-year-old safety has played 12 seasons in Minnesota. After the 2023 season ended, his future seemed uncertain.

It doesn't anymore. On Wednesday afternoon, the Vikings announced that Smith accepted a pay cut to remain with the team. A league source shared that Smith's contract for 2024 will be $9 million.

The veteran's return is important in the big picture of the Vikings' offseason. The team lost key leaders, Kirk Cousins and Danielle Hunter, to the Falcons and Texans, respectively. Many of the Vikings' young defenders look to Smith for mentorship both on the field and off of it. They'll celebrate Smith's presence during a substantial amount of change.

Smith is a six-time Pro Bowler and former All-Pro player who has started 175 games since the Vikings selected him in the first round of the 2012 NFL Draft. He is a surefire Vikings ring of honor inductee, who will also vie for a chance at the Hall of Fame.

The Cardinals have released starting left tackle D.J. Humphries. A 2015 first-round draft pick, Humphries was a team captain and 2021 Pro Bowler. But a torn ACL suffered in Week 17 may have forced Arizona's hand. Humphries would have missed the bulk of this season. He had a $22 million cap hit.

"That’s a hard injury,'' GM Monti Ossenfort said at the combine. "Unfortunately for Hump, just the timing of the injury, when it happened, it’s a difficult situation."

Without Humphries, Paris Johnson Jr., coming off a strong rookie season, is expected to shift from right tackle to left. The Cardinals will need to pick up a tackle through the draft or free agency. They have six picks in the top 100 of April's draft.