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The NFL, knowing every team and every agent skirts the rules as free agency approaches, made the best of a bad situation. It has a “legal” tampering period before Wednesday’s 4 p.m. ET official meat-market kickoff. Nudge, nudge, wink, wink.

So the league was buzzing Monday with a variety of pending transactions, trades and big-money signings. There are many headlines.

You can love wide receiver DeSean Jackson being traded to the Philadelphia Eagles – his former team – by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. And you can cheer ex-Eagles quarterback Nick Foles for landing a reported four-year, $88 million deal with the Jacksonville Jaguars. Or defensive end Trey Flowers reaching a quick agreement to join the Detroit Lions (who have never played in a Super Bowl) while leaving the New England Patriots (who have won six, including the last one).

The early prize – or prizes – belong to the Washington Redskins and New York Giants, NFC East competitors. The Redskins have already helped themselves with the cheap acquisition of QB Case Keenum, but on Monday they agreed to terms with former Giants strong safety Landon Collins. The Redskins (yeah, they love to win in the offseason) really win here and the Giants truly lose.

Collins fits a need for the Redskins and the 2016 All Pro will relish playing against his former team twice a year. The Giants, who spent a No. 1 pick on Collins, elected neither to pay him or use their franchise tag and try to trade him. A bad team just got worse, with no one greasing the skids. Great strategy there in getting nothing for something.

The best of free agency happens in a quick burst. Then it subsides until the NFL draft, after which teams again look to plug holes but at a better price.

The Redskins (in the interest of full disclosure, your humble typist admits to being the team’s editorial director from 2009-2011) didn’t have to outsmart anyone to get a top player and hurt a division opponent.

The Giants are still playing checkers in a league based on chess moves.

 
 
Post By: Larry Weisman, a longtime sportswriter for USA TODAY, blogs for Twistity.com. Follow him on Twitter @MrLarryWeisman