Sooners in the NFL: Free Agency Roundup

NFL free agency has opened up this week, and a slew of former Oklahoma players have cashed in.

With still more deals certainly to come, former Sooners across the league have been finding new homes this week with the headliner to most being quarterback Baker Mayfield, who signed a one-year deal with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Wednesday morning.

But there have certainly been many former OU players to land new deals outside of Mayfield, with one of his former offensive lineman emphatically filling up his bank account.

Ben Powers, who had been with the Baltimore Ravens since getting selected by the team in the fourth round of the 2019 NFL Draft, signed a four-year deal with the Denver Broncos this week worth up to $52 million.

A consensus All-American and first-team All-Big 12 selection in 2018, he helped Oklahoma’s offensive line win the Joe Moore Award as the best in college football in his time in Norman.

The bruiser played a key role in offenses led by Mayfield and Kyler Murray that put up video game numbers and reached the College Football Playoff in both 2017 and 2018.

Joining him in Denver will be another one of both he and Mayfield’s former teammates in running back Samaje Perine.

Perine, who bounced around teams before settling in with the Cincinnati Bengals in recent seasons, signed himself a two-year deal with the Broncos worth up to $7.5 million.

OU fans certainly remember Perine fondly for his mature personality and ferocious running style, setting the single-game NCAA rushing record against Kansas in 2014 when he ran for an outrageous 427 yards.

Perine finished his career the all-time leader in Oklahoma program history with 4,122 rushing yards, and has now extended his professional career to at least a seventh and eighth seasons through this contract.

Another member of the mid-2010’s Sooners who got paid this week is linebacker Ogbonnia “Obo” Okoronkwo, who signed a three-year deal with the Cleveland Browns worth up to $19 million.

Okoronkwo played his first four professional seasons with the Los Angeles Rams, winning a Super Bowl in 2021, before playing with the Houston Texans in 2022.

Last year in Houston was the best of his career to this point, playing in all 17 games and amassing 44 total tackles including nine tackles for loss.

His play with the Texans earned him a market in free agency with the Browns paying up for the former OU defensive star.

Also certainly not to be overlooked is wide receiver Sterling Shepard, who signed a one-year deal to remain with the New York Giants worth up to $1.3 million.

Shepard has had a productive but at times frustrating career with the Giants, having battled injuries in recent years.

In the last two seasons, the former Oklahoma pass-catcher has played in just ten total games - but is still very highly thought-of by New York and thus they have brought him back for an eighth season in East Rutherford.

With these five former Sooners signed to new contracts, all eyes largely now turn to star offensive tackle Orlando Brown Jr., who certainly has a payday coming in his near future.

After helping the Kansas City Chiefs win the Super Bowl back in February, Brown is expected to have a strong free agent market as one of the best tackles in the entire league.