On Tuesday, former LSU running back Leonard Fournette signed a three-year, $21 million dollar deal with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, making him the latest former LSU player to cash in during free agency.

Which players have teams signed so far, though? Who still remains on the market? Every player faces a unique situation, and the goal today is to describe the situations surrounding those who signed as well as the rumors around those who have not.

Who benefited most from their signings? What teams fit the remaining players? Here are two lists of LSU players who tested the market, starting with those who already signed and ending with those still available.

The players who signed

Leonard Fournette

As mentioned previously, Fournette returned to Tampa Bay on a decent contract. He played well last season, improving as a pass protector and became a better pass catcher. Running backs became more devalued recently so $7 million per year seems like a good signing for Fournette.

Another team inquired about Fournette, though. New England brought him in for a visit, and honestly, that seemed like a good fit. New England’s power running scheme complements Fournette. 

Tampa Bay still needs another running back with their other tenured player, Ronald Jones II, also testing free agency. However, Fournette returns to the team that gave him a second chance and Tampa Bay solidifies the position.

La’el Collins

Cincinnati dug into its pockets to bring more LSU connections to the team when the Bengals gave former Cowboy La’el Collins a three-year, $30 million deal.

This signing seemed obvious from the moment Dallas cut him, as Collins played well in Dallas and Cincinnati had a gaping hole at right tackle. Collins should help, but he acts as a value signing for a reason.

Collins struggled to stay on the field. He faced injuries throughout his career, and he also received a suspension in 2021 for violating league substance abuse policy. 

His contract also seems interesting. While reported as a three-year, $30 million deal, it acts more as a two-year, $20 million deal with a third, dead year added to space out his cap hit.

New England also pursued Collins, but Cincinnati locked him down before he took a scheduled trip to New England.

Regardless, this signing helps Cincinnati in its quest to better help Joe Burrow. The Bengals already signed upgrades for their interior in Alex Cappa and Ted Karras. Cincinnati still needs to do work, but its offensive line should do better next season.

Donte Jackson

Jackson is the second player on this list to re-sign with his original team, and he got his value. Jackson received a three-year, $35 million deal to stay with the Carolina Panthers.

Carolina heavily invested in corners last season, as they drafted Jaycee Horn and traded for CJ Henderson and Stephon Gilmore. However, Henderson did not stand out as a starter and Gilmore also tested free agency, leaving Jackson as Carolina’s best option.

Jackson should benefit from this contract. Carolina already has excellent pieces in the secondary such as safety Jeremy Chinn and the aforementioned Horn. 

Jackson played well despite a groin injury hampering him last season, and Carolina rewarded him. Although Horn has the higher upside, $11.6 million per year for a good corner acts as great value. Both sides won this.

DJ Chark

Chark suffered an injury last season that prevented him from showing his true capabilities in a Trevor Lawrence-led offense, but his traits and upside allowed him to land a one-year, $8 million deal with Detroit regardless.

This signing works for both sides. Detroit needed wide receiver help badly, and Chark comes in clearly as the best receiver in that group. Meanwhile, he makes some quick money and gets an opportunity to test the market again after the season.

Chark plays differently than the wide receivers Detroit rosters. He wins outside, as opposed to Amon Ra St. Brown or Josh Reynolds. He acts as a good complement to those two.

Overall, this signing seems like a win-win for both sides, and it may set Chark up for a massive payday as the clear best option in an anemic offense.

Russell Gage

Gage, who quietly played as Atlanta’s best wide receiver in lieu of Calvin Ridley, turned heel and joined his division rival Tampa Bay Buccaneers on a three-year, $30 million deal.

While Gage does not project as a number one wide receiver, he fits really well as the third best guy in Tampa Bay. He flashed talent last season in Atlanta and now gets to play alongside Mike Evans and Chris Godwin.

Tampa Bay’s third wide receiver spot needed an upgrade. After Antonio Brown’s latest meltdown, the Bucs relied on Scotty Miller and Tyler Johnson to fill that role. Both seem decent, but Gage acts as a definitive upgrade over those two.

The former sixth-round pick now gets to catch passes from the best sixth-round pick ever in Tom Brady. He upgrades Tampa’s wide receiver room and gets a nice contract as a third option on a loaded offense.
Who’s left?

Tyrann Mathieu

Mathieu seems stuck right now as he wades through second-tier free agency as a first value free agent. His obvious landing spots dried up, but he still has value.

Kansas City opted to sign former Houston safety Justin Reid to replace Mathieu. Baltimore, a clear favorite, chose former Saint Marcus Williams. Who else could use Mathieu?

At this stage, he projects as a good fit for most teams. Maybe he fits Indianapolis, who still have a lot of cap space. He may complement Minkah Fitzpatrick well in Pittsburgh. Maybe New Orleans can continue their cap magic and snag him. Perhaps Kansas City did not completely close the door?

No team seems to truly have an advantage with Mathieu’s services, but Indianapolis makes a lot of sense. The Colts have the space for him and they want to go all in right now. That seems like an ideal pairing.

Jarvis Landry

When free agency opened and Landry got cut, he immediately got linked to Kansas City and New Orleans as potential destinations. Are they still the best spots for him?

Kansas City seemingly filled their slot opening with former Pittsburgh wide receiver Juju Smith-Schuster, but New Orleans still needs wide receiver help. The Saints look like the most likely option, and a home state reunion seems fun.

However, Landry reportedly had interest in joining Atlanta when the Falcons thought they landed quarterback Deshaun Watson. Watson went to Cleveland instead, and since then, Cleveland players publicly petitioned to bring back Landry, and the aforementioned quarterback liked a Tweet from cornerback Greg Newsome asking for Landry’s return.

Could he come back to Cleveland after his release? This option seems less likely, but if Watson wants him back and Landry’s willing to come back on a cheaper deal, this seems like a feasible option. Keep an eye on the Browns.

Odell Beckham Jr.

Before his ACL tear in the Super Bowl, Beckham resigning with the Los Angeles Rams seemed like an easy prediction. However, Beckham probably does not return until November, which limits his outlook.

Los Angeles did sign Allen Robinson II to a nice deal, but the team also traded away Robert Woods. Beckham still fills a need for them and they seem to be the most likely spot for him regardless.

However, Beckham’s unpredictability leads to some fun ideas. Could Green Bay finally give Aaron Rodgers some experienced, veteran upside? What about a team like Indianapolis, who he publicly commended as they traded for Atlanta quarterback Matt Ryan?

You know who else Beckham commented about publicly? His former team before Los Angeles acquired him, the Cleveland Browns. He responded to someone telling him to come back with “Lol that’s an interesting one”. After his ousting last season, that pairing seems unlikely, but the narratives that could emerge also seem really fun.

Arden Key

Arden Key finally played up to his potential last season as he tacked on 6.5 sacks for the 49ers. He played both on the edge and decently well on the interior, and he projects as good depth.

So far, he visited Detroit and Jacksonville. Detroit’s done a good job of rebuilding its trenches, so he fits nicely there. However, he most likely gets more money out of Jacksonville and could benefit from playing alongside Josh Allen.

Additionally, as of Wednesday morning, he plans to meet with Baltimore. That perfectly fits him, as Baltimore tends to use its rushers creatively and put them in good spots. The Ravens probably have the best pitch for him in terms of usage. He also visited Kansas City Thursday, and if he wants to win, that probably seems like his spot.

He probably lands in one of those four places, and Baltimore presents more upside from a football perspective and how that defense could use him.

Darrel Williams

Darrel Williams, as a backup running back, seems less predictable than the bigger names that have not signed. That does not mean he lacks options.

Most teams do not clamor for a backup running back, so Williams most likely pops up randomly whenever he does choose to sign. With that said, he fills his role quite well and had some good moments with Kansas City.

Honestly, Kansas City probably re-signs him. His market seems unknown right now and unless Kansas City really wants to draft a cheaper guy, the two sides lack a reason to split.