NFL free agency is officially beginning.
The deals, of course, have been coming through since Monday, when the NFL’s legal tampering window opened. But Wednesday marks the start of a new league year and, as of 4 p.m. ET, the first day that contracts and trades can officially be processed. And while a number of the top free agents already have chosen their destinations, many more have yet to make up their minds.
Check back with USA TODAY Sports often throughout Wednesday and the entire week for all the latest news and buzz on the free-agent market and what deals could be materializing:
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Browns move on from underperforming tight end
Austin Hooper didn’t live up to the lucrative contract he signed with the Browns as an unrestricted free agent two years ago, so the team is releasing him Wednesday, a person with knowledge of the move told USA TODAY Sports’ Mike Jones. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss personnel moves.
The move is being designated as a post-June 1 cut, meaning the Browns will be able to spread Hooper’s dead cap hit of $11.25 million over two years instead of absorbing all of it this offseason.
A two-time Pro Bowler with the Atlanta Falcons, Hooper joined the Browns in March 2020, when he signed a four-year, $42 million contract. But Hooper caught just 84 passes on 131 targets for 780 yards and a touchdown in his 29 regular-season games, all starts, with the Browns. He dropped eight passes, including six last season, according to pro-football-reference.com.
In four seasons with the Falcons, he racked up 214 receptions for 2,244 yards and 16 touchdowns in 59 games, 28 of which he started.
– Nate Ulrich, Akron Beacon Journal
Jaguars continue spending spree, bring on CB
The Jacksonville Jaguars continue to be big spenders in free agency.
Cornerback Darious Williams agreed to a three-year, $30 million contract with the team, according to multiple reports.
Williams, 29, became a steady figure for the Los Angeles Rams as a starter for the last two seasons. In Jacksonville, where Williams grew up, he will team with Shaquill Griffin and 2021 second-round pick Tyson Campbell at cornerback.
– Michael Middlehurst-Schwartz
Browns jolt return game with All-Pro Jakeem Grant
The Browns haven’t had an electric return man since Josh Cribbs and Travis Benjamin combined to provide a dynamic threat on special teams from 2005-15.
Jakeem Grant has the track record to change that.
The Browns and Grant agreed to a three-year contract worth up to $13.8 million with incentives, a league source said early Wednesday morning, confirming an NFL Network report.
Grant, 29, will become an unrestricted free agent at 4 p.m. Wednesday, when free agency officially starts and contracts can be signed.
Grant, formerly of the Miami Dolphins and Chicago Bears, was voted to the Pro Bowl for the first time last season as a return specialist.
In 15 games, he returned 26 punts for 309 yards (11.9 average, ranked third in the NFL) and a touchdown and 23 kickoffs for 539 yards (23.4 average, ranked 11th in the league). As a wide receiver, he caught 11 passes on 17 targets for 132 yards and two touchdowns.
– Nate Ulrich, Akron Beacon Journal
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: NFL free agency 2022: News, rumors on all of Wednesday’s deals