In a country currently without sports, NFL free agency has taken center stage, and a handful of former University of Wisconsin athletes are cashing in.

With players officially able to sign contracts on Wednesday, March 18, here is a look at some former UW athletes who have signed with new teams.

Players are listed in order deals were announced. Page will be updated as new deals are reportedly accepted

Melvin Gordon, RB, Denver Broncos

Deal: Two Years, $16 million ($13.5 million guaranteed)

Gordon turned down a $10 million offer from the Chargers last fall and turned it down, choosing to holdout for a better offer that would put him among the highest paid tailbacks in the NFL. The Chargers refused to budge, causing him to miss the first four games before reluctantly returning. Gordon appears to want to stick it to them, reportedly turning down a better offer to see the Chargers twice a year.

The deal was first reported on Friday.

The 26-year-old Gordon is a two-time Pro Bowl selection who has rushed for 4,240 yards, has 1,873 receiving yards and 47 total touchdowns since the Chargers made him the 15th pick in the 2015 draft.

The Broncos finished 28th in the league in scoring last season (17.6 points per game) and scored 16 or fewer points nine times. Gordon pairs with Phillip Lindsay, who led the Broncos in carries (224), yards rushing (1,011) and rushing touchdowns (7) last season.

A star-studded high school from Kenosha, Gordon became a standout running back for the Badgers in his three-plus seasons and rushed for 4,915 yards and 45 touchdowns (both ranking fourth in school history).

Joe Schobert, LB, Jacksonville Jaguars

Deal: Five years, $53.75 million ($22.5 million guaranteed)

The biggest deal for any former Wisconsin athlete thus far, Schobert signs a deal that averages $10.75 million a year and gives him a $12 million signing bonus (not bad when you consider Florida has no income taxes).

A fourth-round selection by the Cleveland Browns in 2016, Schobert has recorded at least 100 tackles in the past three seasons, including 144 tackles in 2017 that tied him for the league lead and 133 tackles last year that ranked him 10th. Schobert also recorded a career-high four interceptions last season for the Browns.

Per Pro Football Focus:

The Jaguars finished the season with the lowest-graded linebacking corps in the entire NFL, and it wasn’t particularly close. Telvin Smith's departure from football and Myles Jack's declining performance (46.1 PFF grade in 2019) left the group searching for answers. They’re bringing in Schobert, the four-year veteran out of Wisconsin, to be part of the solution.

Schobert’s calling card is his ability in coverage, producing an 87.7 coverage grade in 2018 and a solid mark of 67.6 this past season. He also has some pass-rushing ability as a blitzer given his college experience at edge. In all, Jacksonville is getting a versatile defender and one of the better linebackers on the free agent market.

Joining UW as a walk-on in 2012, Schobert was a team captain in 2015 and played like it, earning All-American honors and being named the Big Ten Linebacker of the Year after recording 19.5 tackles for loss and 9.5 sacks.

Beau Allen, DT, New England Patriots

Deal: Two years, $8 million

Allen moves on to his third NFL team but will head to the AFC for the first time with his two-year deal. A six-year veteran, Allen has played 90 games since being drafted in the seventh round of the 2014 NFL Draft by the Philadelphia Eagles, where he won a world championship over the Patriots in his home state of Minnesota in 2018.

Allen signed a three-year contract for a reported $15 million with Tampa Bay after Super Bowl season. While he didn’t dazzle statistically, recording 10 tackles and 0.5 sacks in playing a career-low 16 percent of snaps in his 13 contests last season, Pro Football Focus gave him a 73.9 grade as a run defender.

One of the top defensive tackles recruits in school history, Allen had 94 career tackles, 15 tackles for loss and eight sacks during his UW career, blossoming as the nose tackle when UW switched to a 3-4 scheme.

Derek Watt, FB, Pittsburgh Steelers

Deal: Three years, $9.75 million

After four seasons blocking for former UW tailback Melvin Gordon, Watt is reunited with younger brother T.J. Watt in Pittsburgh. T.J. and Derek played together for three seasons at UW (2013-15), both getting playing time in 2015.

While T.J. has become one of the top edge rushers in the NFL, Derek has become one of the league’s top fullbacks. A sixth-round selection in the 2016 NFL Draft by the Los Angeles Chargers, Derek has played in 64 games and been Gordon’s key lead blocker and an impactful special teams player. Derek came to UW as a middle linebacker but transitioned to fullback shortly after arriving, playing in 47 career games with the Badgers from 2011-15.

Rick Wagner, OT, Green Bay Packers

Deal: Two Years, $11 million

Looking to move on from oft-injured Bryan Bulaga, the Packers made a move for a homegrown athlete in Wagner, who will receive a $3.5 million signing bonus.

A native of West Allis who played high school at West Allie Hale, Wagner committed to Wisconsin as a walk-on tight end and eventually transitioned to offensive line. He played 51 career games and earned first-team All-Big Ten honors in 2012.

A fifth-round selection by the Baltimore Ravens in the 2013 NFL Draft, Wagner, 30, has played in 102 career games with 87 starts. He signed with the Detroit Lions in 2017 and became one of the highest-paid right tackles in football with a five-year, $47.5 million contract. He started 40 of a possible 48 games, including 12 last season, but was cut earlier this month.

Here’s what Pro Football Focus has to say about Wagner:

Prior to 2019, Rick Wagner was routinely an above-average right tackle in the NFL. In four of the five seasons from 2014 to 2018, Wagner ranked among the 15 best right tackles in PFF grade with three being in the top 10. Though, as hinted at, things went south for Wagner in 2019 as he failed to crack the 25th percentile among right tackles in grade, leading to his release as he was owed over $9 million for next year if on the team. Assuming the asking price is a lot lower than that, the 30-year-old tackle is a solid option.