For NFL teams, the free agent market can be a mixed bag. For some, they are looking for their gridiron soul mates, long-term players who will stick around for years to come.
Then… there are the teams that are hungry for a quick fix… a one-year rental that can come in on a mercenary-like contract and hopefully get their team over the edge.
Let’s take a look back through the years at the best one-year rental move that each NFL team has made.
Which one-year rental moves have paid off well in the NFL?
Arizona Cardinals: Dwight Freeney (2015)
Dwight Freeney, in his heyday, was one of the most feared pass rushers that the game has ever seen, hence, the NFL world’s surprise when the Cardinals were able to scoop him up prior to the 2015 season.
He didn’t put up his best season, but eight sacks at age 35 was pretty impressive, especially in 11 games, and the Cardinals rarely got free agents of his caliber.
Atlanta Falcons: Tony Martin (1998)
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The name Tony Martin may not jump out at you, but make no mistake about it: the veteran NFL wide receiver made a big impact in Hotlanta during his lone season there.
Despite having made just one Pro Bowl heading into his year-33 season, he had a monster year, putting up just under 1200 yards and six touchdowns in their high-powered offense—not to mention his legendary 129-yard NFC Championship Game performance against the Vikings.
Baltimore Ravens: Trent Dilfer (2000)
Trent Dilfer certainly wasn’t the best quarterback that the Ravens have ever had, but considering he signed as a backup for Tony Banks and managed to win the starting job and the Super Bowl that year—I think it is safe to say that he was a worthy one-year rental.
Especially after we saw what transpired with the Elvis Grbac disaster the following year when they tried to “upgrade” at quarterback.
Buffalo Bills: Terrell Owens (2009)
The Bills were a mess, but T.O. still gave fans a highlight reel — 829 yards and five touchdowns in one of the strangest WR-Buffalo marriages ever. Considering how bad Buffalo’s quarterbacks played that year, too… Quite a performance. A 27-year-old Ryan Fitzpatrick was the best they had to offer, completing under 56% of his passes and throwing 10 picks to 9 interceptions, making T.O.’s performance all the more impressive.
Carolina Panthers: Jared Allen (2015)
Though most of Jared Allen’s fringe Hall of Fame NFL career did not take place in Carolina, signing him was a big deal for the Panthers in 2015.
The edge rusher was brought in midseason to help push Carolina… over the edge.
While he didn’t stuff the stat sheet, he was certainly a source of leadership and added depth to the pass rush for a team that went 15-1 and made it to the Super Bowl.
Chicago Bears: Ha-ha Clinton-Dix (2019)
The former Alabama Crimson Tide star was only in the Windy City for one year, but he managed to make an impact, finishing the season with an impressive 78 total tackles, two picks, and five passes defended.
He really raised his level against Washington, his former team, too—as he recorded a team high nine tackles in their Week 3 matchup and snagged the first pick-six of his career in the dominant win.
Cincinnati Bengals: James Harrison (2013)
2013 was far from James Harrison’s best season as a pro, but this was a big deal for the Cincinnati Bengals at the time, as they signed him away from big brother, the Pittsburgh Steelers.
He recorded 30 total tackles, two sacks, and, oddly enough, an interception during limited playing time before his first of two retirements came at the end of the season.
Cleveland Browns: Joe Flacco (2023)
Joe Flacco was only in Cleveland for one year, largely due to their disastrous situation with Deshaun Watson… But he did become the first player in NFL history to have 250 passing yards and multiple passing touchdowns in each of his first five games with a franchise, leading the once-lowly Browns to one of the most shocking playoff runs in recent memory.
Dallas Cowboys: Robert Quinn (2018)
18 was a heck of a year for Robert Quinn. During his lone season in Big D, the talented defensive end managed to notch an impressive 11.5 sacks, marking his first double-digit total since 2014!
Denver Broncos: Seth Joyner (1998)
Former two-time All-Pro linebacker Seth Joyner was no longer at the peak of his powers in the 1998 season, when he linked up with the Broncos for his final season as a pro—but he and the rest of the squad made it count in a major way, as they took home the Lombardi Trophy, with Joyner serving as a key voice on the defensive side of the ball.
Detroit Lions: Carlton Davis (2024)
Much was made about the Detroit Lions’ defense in 2024… or the lack thereof! But make no mistake about it—this unit would have been substantially worse off—if it weren’t for the bandaid solution of bringing in Carlton Davis at cornerback.
After six years of experience in Tampa Bay, Davis brought some much-needed depth, NFL professionalism, and know-how to a young and at times, aimless, Detroit secondary.
Green Bay Packers: Desmond Howard (1996)
While many aspects of the former Heisman Trophy winner Desmond Howard’s career were a disappointment… his stint in Green Bay was not! He received All-Pro honors as a returner and even took home Super Bowl MVP honors during his team’s win.
Houston Texans: Ryan Fitzpatrick (2017)
Fitzy was in Houston for a good time not a longtime, as he totaled 2483 passing yards and 17 touchdowns to eight interceptions after taking over from Ryan Mallet.
Unfortunately, he broke his leg toward the end of the season but managed to set a franchise record in the process with six touchdowns and 358 yards with no interceptions against the Titans in Week 13.
Indianapolis Colts: Yannick Ngakoue (2022)
Yannick Ngakoue made a whole career out of being a one-year rental… I mean, after four seasons in Jacksonville, the defensive end decided to turn into the NFL equivalent of a rolling stone. From 2020 to 2024, he changed teams a ridiculous seven times, with Baltimore being the only repeat business.
He did, however, pay a nice dividend to the Colts for signing him in the form of 9.5 sacks and 29 tackles in 15 games.
Jacksonville Jaguars: Kenny Wright (2005)
The Jacksonville Jaguars haven’t had very many winning seasons in their relatively young lifespan as an NFL franchise, but 2005 was a good year for them—and one-year rental, Kenny Wright, was a big reason why.
Wright had one of his best years as a pro in Duvall, with 64 tackles and two interceptions, making this challenging for opposing quarterbacks all season long—before cashing in in D.C. the following offseason.
Kansas City Chiefs: Emmanuel Ogbah (2019)
Emmanuel Ogbah, the Kansas City Chiefs defensive end, was a subtle but integral part of the team’s defense in 2019 when they won their first NFL championship in the Mahomes era.
The 6’ 4’ 275-pound bruiser was brought on as an enforcer, and boy, did he ever do that before his pectoral injury in Week 10.
Ogbah finished with 5.5 sacks in 10 games—and could have made that defense even scarier had he been able to stay healthy for their playoff run.
Las Vegas Raiders: Yannick Ngakoue (2021)
Remember Mr. Ngakoue? Well, the one-year merchant is back—and we promise for the last time. But we had to pay homage to what was perhaps his best stop, though, was in Sin City, where he played all 17 games and racked up 10 sacks, his first double-digit sack year since 2017.
Los Angeles Chargers: J.K. Dobbins (2024)
At this point, it seems like a foregone conclusion that the Chargers will not be able to retain J.K. Dobbins, making him one of the most successful one-year rentals in team history.
Granted, he still battled all of the injury issues that have plagued him throughout his career, but when healthy, he was a force to be reckoned with, exploding for 905 yards and nine rushing touchdowns in 13 games.
Los Angeles Rams: Odell Beckham Jr. (2021)
Beckham was a big part of the Rams “all-in” year, Matthew Stafford’s first in L.A.
The controversial star receiver caught two of his three targets for 52 yards, which included a 17-yard touchdown from Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford, and played great on the Super Bowl run before getting injured.
Miami Dolphins: Kyle Van Noy (2020)
Miami brought Van Noy in at the start of the 2020 season to bolster their defense heading into the year. He finished with an impressive six sacks, making a legit impact on the team in the process—before getting lured back to New England the following offseason.
Minnesota Vikings: Case Keenum (2017)
What Case Keenum pulled off in 2017 for the Vikings is still stunning to this day. He joined this NFL team on a one-year deal and filled in for Sam Bradford in magnificent fashion.
In 15 games, Keenum finished with 3,547 passing yards, 22 touchdowns, seven interceptions, and a passer rating of 98.3– not to mention tacking on 40 carries for 160 yards and a touchdown.
Furthering his legend was his role in the miraculous playoff comeback against the Saints when he threw a game-winner to Stefon Diggs in the final seconds of the game.
New England Patriots: Darrelle Revis (2014)
Darrelle Revis made one heck of a career move in 2014 when he spurned the New York Jets, the team that drafted him, to link up with their divisional rival, the New England Patriots. Revis went first-team all-pro and won a Super Bowl in the process.
Not to mention that he was able to promptly go back to his bag-chasing ways shortly thereafter, rejoining the Jets the very next season for a nice payday.
New Orleans Saints: Emmanuel Sanders (2020)
Veteran wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders was one of the most consistent pass catchers in the game during the mid-2010s, but let’s not sleep on what he managed to do during his lone season in New Orleans.
Coming off his near heroics in the preceding Super Bowl for the 49ers, Sanders signed a nice deal in NOLA, where he stayed for one year, which included a career 12-catch game—and a total of 726 receiving yards and five scores.
New York Giants: Tank Daniels (2007)
Undrafted linebacker Tank Daniels was not exactly an All-Pro for New York, but he, like many of the no-name characters on that legendary squad, had his moment in the sun during his one year with the team.
Daniels forced a big fumble during their first-round playoff game against the Buccaneers, helping to propel them forward on their NFL championship run.
New York Jets: Jason Taylor (2010)
Jason Taylor tortured the Jets for years as part of the Dolphins’ defensive line, but all was forgiven by the fans in green in 2010 when he helped them get to the AFC Championship that year and pushed his career sack totals to 8th all-time in the process.
Philadelphia Eagles: Michael Bennett 2018)
The oft-mercurial Michael Bennett was never in town long, but he managed to make quite an impact during his stay in the City of Brotherly Love.
He played in all 16 games with 10 starts, recording 34 tackles, nine sacks, and two forced fumbles—one of the best seasons of his career!
Pittsburgh Steelers: Russell Wilson (2024)
Russell Wilson may not have re-established a golden era of Pittsburgh Steelers football… Nor did he elevate them to a Lombardi Trophy.
And while he did find himself on the wrong end of many a meme—he did play some solid football in the process, resulting in a playoff appearance for Pittsburgh.
It will probably not be much more than a footnote on his NFL career, but he improved drastically from the couple of years prior and finished with a halfway decent stat line with just under 2500 passing yards and 16 touchdowns to five interceptions in 11 games.
San Francisco 49ers: Deion Sanders (1994)
Tough to do much more than Deion Sanders did in his one year with the San Francisco 49ers… Primetime rolled into the Bay Area, took home Defensive Player of the Year, and won the Super Bowl—all in one fell swoop before getting out of dodge.
Seattle Seahawks: Jadeveon Clowney (2019)
The Seattle Seahawks shocked everyone in August of 2019 when they were able to wrangle former first-overall pick Jadeveon Clowney away from the Texans.
Houston traded Clowney in exchange for Jacob Martin, Barkevious Mingo, and a third-round pick in the 2020 NFL draft.
While his regular season performance was so-so to his standards, Clowney has to be included, as his postseason run was very solid with 12 tackles and 1.5 sacks in two games… Not to mention his hit on Carsen Wentz in the playoffs, nearly won that game for them.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Richard Sherman (2021)
Unfortunately, the year ended in disaster for Sherman, who tore his Achilles down the stretch of the season, just as the Bucs were gearing up for a big NFL playoff run.
But he performed well in the five games he appeared in, recording 11 tackles, a pass deflection, and one interception—and managed to contribute otherwise, as a de facto defensive backs coach for the team at a couple of points throughout the season.
Tennessee Titans: Jason Babin (2010)
Not every one-hit wonder can carry their team to the Super Bowl—after all, there is usually a reason that they are willing to leave so soon. But despite the fact that Tennessee went 6-10 that year, Babin had 12.5 sacks and went to the Pro Bowl, not bad for a one-year stint in Music City.
Washington Commanders: Olamide Zaccheaus (2024)
At 5’ 8”, Zaccheaus has never been the type of wideout to instill fear in opposing defenses, but he had a great year during his one season in Washington, aiding in Jayden Daniel’s development and providing a reliable route runner over the middle—to the tune of 506 yards and three touchdowns, which, of course, he parlayed into a nice contract with the Bears.
