NFL free-agency top spenders all have one thing in common

Even looking outside of the top-three squads in the Atlanta Falcons, Tennessee Titans and Carolina Panthers, the rest of the top-six spenders failed to qualify for the tournament during the 2023 season as well.

The Falcons and Panthers finished at the bottom of the NFC South at 7-10 and 2-15, respectively, while the Titans were last in the AFC South at 6-11. The Minnesota Vikings (7-10) tied with the Chicago Bears for last in the NFC North, the Washington Commanders (4-13) were last in the NFC East and the Las Vegas Raiders (8-9) tied for second in the AFC West.

It's not until the Green Bay Packers (9-8) at No. 7 on the list that fans find a team that made the playoffs last season.

Of course, the correlation between big-money spenders coming off a missed postseason likely isn't a coincidence, as ownership is doing their best to get their teams back in contention in the fall.

Atlanta's biggest financial investment has been the signing of quarterback Kirk Cousins, who they inked to a four-year, $180M contract.

Tennessee saw running back Derrick Henry leave for the Baltimore Ravens but replaced him with former Dallas Cowboys star Tony Pollard with a three-year, $21M deal. The Titans also landed one of the top wideouts on the market, signing Calvin Ridley on a four-year, $92M contract.

After finishing with the worst record in the NFL last season, Carolina needs the most improvement. Their biggest moves so far have been adding offensive linemen Robert Hunt (five-year, $100M) and Damien Lewis (four-year, $53M).