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Badgers in the NFL: Where Former Players Landed this Offseason

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Former Wisconsin Badgers Football player, Russell Wilson

Even though it’s the offseason in the NFL, there is always something going on. Whether it’s draft-related or free agency, there are usually some former Wisconsin Badgers in the news.

This year is no different. NFL free agency “officially” kicked off on Monday, March 11 when players could start talking to teams and agreeing to terms. Of course, we all know teams are tampering all the time and in almost all of the cases, there are no repercussions. But after teams and players agreed to the deal, they had to wait until Wednesday, March 13, when deals could be signed.

Last season, there were a lot of former Badgers on the move, but this year it felt like a lot more.

Where Former Wisconsin Badgers Are Now in the NFL

QB Russell Wilson – Released from Denver; signs with Pittsburgh for 1 year, $1.21 million

The headliner of the group is Russell Wilson. Wilson, who has had a very successful NFL career in Seattle, winning a Super Bowl in 2014, was traded to the Denver Broncos after the 2021 season. Unfortunately for Wilson, his tenure in Denver was a struggle. He went 11-19 in 30 games he started, throwing for 42 touchdowns and 19 interceptions, completing 63.3% of his passes.

The Broncos decided to move on from the former Badgers quaterback. In a costly move, they cut the former Badger quarterback, making him a free agent

It didn’t take long for Wilson to find a home. He signed a one-year deal with Pittsburgh to be their starting quarterback in 2024. The Steelers also traded for Justin Fields to back him up, so this could truly be a one-year thing for Wilson before he is on the move again next offseason.

C Tyler Biadasz – Signed with Washington for 3 years, $29.25 million

After spending the first four years of his career with the Dallas Cowboys, Biadasz became a free agent and followed Dan Quinn to Washington to anchor the Commander’s offensive line.

Last year, Biadasz had his best career by ProFootball Focus standards. Offensively, he had a 68.6 grade, the highest of his career. He was also called for just three penalties all season, the lowest of his career.

He ranked 9th in the NFL of qualifying players at his position.

LB Zack Baun – Signed with Philadelphia on a 1-year deal

Baun, like Biadasz, got his first taste of free agency this offseason. He spent his previous four years in New Orleans, where a majority of his snaps came on special teams.

Also like Biadasz, Baun enjoyed the best season of his career. He had a career-high 303 snaps on defense and 26 total tackles. He also had the best-graded season of his career, with a 71.1 overall defensive grade by PFF.

The former Badgers linebacker signed a one-year deal, for an undisclosed amount, where he could potentially get some more snaps with the Eagles and earn more money next offseason.

LB Andrew Van Ginkel – Signed with Minnesota for 2 years, $20 million

Van Ginkel has been a productive linebacker for the Miami Dolphins for the past four years. During his time in Miami, AVG has been one of the Dolphins’ most productive pass-rushers. He never broke double-digit sacks, but as a rotational player, he was very good.

He was also very good last season. He finished the 2023 season with a 91.1 grade in overall defense, the seventh-highest in the NFL among all EDGE players. He also had a 90.6 pass-rushing grade (7th), and an 87.3 grade in coverage (3rd).

Van Ginkel signed a nice deal with the Vikings. His former head coach in Miami, Brian Flores, is now the defensive coordinator in Minnesota.

OL Kevin Zeitler – Signed with Detroit on a 1-year deal

Veteran offensive lineman Kevin Zeitler has been in the league for 12 years, spending time with Cincinnati, Cleveland, New York (Giants), and Baltimore. He signed a one-year deal with the Detroit Lions to try to get over the hump and win a Super Bowl. The Lions already have a great offensive line, but adding Zeitler to that unit will make them arguably the best in the entire league.

FB Derek Watt officially retires

Former Badgers fullback Derek Watt officially retired from the NFL. Watt was a free agent all of last season after spending seven seasons with the Chargers and Steelers. That means TJ Watt is the lone Watt brother still playing in the NFL.

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Christian Borman was born and raised in Wisconsin and covers the Badgers football and basketball programs, plus some recruiting for BadgersNotes.com. He previously covered the Wisconsin Badgers for years as the site expert for Badger of Honor of the Fansided Network.

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