Free Agency Winners & Losers
by Dave Gardner
Dave Gardner analyzes the first week of free agency in the NFL to see which teams took home the big prizes, and which didn’t.
The first week of free agency has come to a close, and Dave Gardner takes a look at the players and teams who won big and those who lost out.
Free agency can be critical for a team’s success. The New England Patriots have made their historic run by having a franchise quarterback, a great nucleus of young players built from solid first-day drafting, and adding low-to-mid level free agents. However, the big splash in free agency rarely is a successful one. Last year, for example, the San Francisco 49ers were quick to acquire cornerback Nate Clements to a blockbuster eight-year, $80 million contract — their pass defense was worse in 2007 than it was in 2006.
The last three Super Bowl winners have supported the claim that success is built in April, not in March. The Steelers, the Colts and the Giants all reached the pinnacle of the sport through successful drafting and rare dips into free agency. Of the Steelers 22 starters in Super Bowl XL, 19 had never played a down for another team. Of the Colts 22 starters in Super Bowl XLI, 20 of them were homegrown Indianapolis stars. And of the Giants 22 starters, 16 were drafted by the Giants — and that number will likely increase in the next few years under general manager Jerry Reese, as evidenced by the five players from their 2007 draft class who made the field in Super Bowl XLII.
Being quiet in free agency doesn’t mean you’ll be quiet in the season. It means that you’ll have fewer loudmouths, fewer personalities, and fewer busts. It means that your team will have a strong identity, and that no players will be overwrought by their new teammate’s overblown contract. Being quiet in free agency is difficult, but it is necessary in the N(ot) F(or) L(ong).
So after a week of tampering at the NFL’s Scouting Combine, the free agency period began pretty quickly on February 29th. It’s hard for even the least cynical fan to believe that contracts signed twenty minutes after midnight (see: Justin Smiley to the Dolphins) were negotiated exclusively after the clock struck twelve. Nonetheless, several players have found new homes and abundant new contracts. Some will turn out to be winners and others losers, but the teams who picked them up will be the ones reeling about the wins and losses come this fall:
Winners
Justin Smith: He signed a six-year, $45 million contract this week with the 49ers. It was almost bad enough to justify putting the 49ers in the “Losers” category below. Smith claims to be a run-stopping defensive end, and yet he averages less than 70 tackles a year. This is the former fourth overall pick. Defensive ends picked after him in the 2001 NFL Draft? Kyle Vanden Bosch, Aaron Schobel, Derrick Burgess. Who would you rather have?
Gibril Wilson: Wilson is a very good player. He is not the third-best safety in the league. According to his brand new six-year, $39 million dollar contract, he ranks only behind Troy Palamalu and Bob Sanders. He will, however, make an excellent tandem with Michael Huff if he remains a Raider this season (rumor has it that he is on the trading block).
Aaron Rodgers: Cheeseheads are melting all over Wisconsin right now, but for Aaron Rodgers, today was a happy day. Rodgers wasn’t ready to play as little as two years ago, but he definitely is ready to now. He has studied under Mike McCarthy and Brett Favre for two and three years now, respectively. He can make all the throws and even has a little escapability.
Miami Dolphins: Parcells vowed to remake the wretched roster down in Miami. He is certainly wasting no time; after showing no mercy in his cuts (releasing five veterans), he showed no fear in picking up free agents (adding seven UFAs and making a trade). They began with OG Justin Smiley who will improve their offensive line vastly (how could get any worse, after all?). They later picked up NT Jason Ferguson for a low-round pick, signed probable starting QB Josh McCown, and the sure-handed WR Ernest Wilford.
Jacksonville Jaguars: It didn’t seem like anyone other than the Browns made more moves this week than the Jaguars. The difference, however, is that the Jaguars didn’t lose the whole first day of their draft to get the players they coveted. They added to their WR corps with Jerry Porter, and they may have the one guy (Mike Tyce) who can make a player out of Troy Williamson. In addition, they picked up underrated CB Drayton Florence and backup QB Cleo Lemon.
Philadelphia Eagles: The Eagles were looking for turnovers and sacks last season. They are going to have a few more this season, by nabbing CB Asante Samuel and DE Chris Clemons. Samuel is a household name right now, but Chris Clemons should be one before too long — he has all the tools to get double-digit sacks this season. They also apparently made a strong push for Randy Moss before falling short of the Patriots.
Losers
Lance Briggs: “I’ll never play another down for Chicago again” said Lance Briggs after being applied the franchise tag last year. He started every game last year, and when he hit free agency, he probably expected that there would be a little more excitement over him. There wasn’t. That’s what happens when you drop thirty tackles, six passes defensed, and four turnovers from the previous season. Briggs got a decent deal to go back to the Bears but it wasn’t what he wanted nor where he wanted it.
Warrick Dunn: While this had been coming for some time now, Warrick Dunn’s time in Atlanta is now officially over. This season was the first since 2001 (when he was injured in his last season in Tampa) that Dunn averaged less than 4 yards per carry (3.2). The Falcons are excited about the explosiveness of youngster Jerious Norwood and added the talented Michael Turner as their every down back. Dunn will certainly find a new place to play, and any city should be happy to have him as a football player and as a person.
Rex Grossman: It seemed clear to everyone outside of Grossman and Bears G.M. Jerry Angelo that the two needed to part ways. Grossman is a young gunslinger who has shown absolute brilliance in some games, but he hasn’t been able to sustain it or even just stay healthy. Consistency is the ultimate asset of an NFL Quarterback. I think after this season — barring something miraculous — Grossman will leave Chicago and be more successful somewhere else.
Cleveland Browns: The Cowboys will be making their first round selection for them, the Packers will be making their second round selection for them, the Detriot Lions will be making their third round selection for them. In exchange: they will have Brady Quinn, who likely will not see the field this season; Corey Williams, who is actually a pretty good pickup; and Shaun Rogers, who also cost them over $20 million and cornerback Leigh Bodden. Sure, the defensive line will look better next season, and Stallworth will look good next to Braylon Edwards, but you can’t trade away your whole first day when you have so many needs. Where’s the depth in the secondary? The RB of the future? The young outside linebackers? The O-line depth?
Oakland Raiders: Only the New York Jets gave away more guaranteed money ($67 million) to less qualified players than the Raiders (about $46 million) this week. The difference is that the Jets at least got the best player at a position — Alan Faneca — the Raiders got Gibril Wilson, Javon Walker, Kwame Harris, and Tommy Kelly. That’s certainly not where most teams would like to have a majority of their salary cap invested.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers: The Bucs entered free agency with approximately $44 million in cap room. So far, they signed Jeff Faine to the richest contract for a Center in NFL history, and they’ve added linebackers Leon Joe, Teddy Lehman and Matt McCoy, tight end Ben Troupe, and traded for former QB Brian Griese. Really? With glaring needs at WR and CB, how do the Bucs not have Javon Walker or D.J. Hackett in pewter yet? How did they let Drayton Florence out of the building? The Bucs are either overly confident in their roster or frugal beyond reason.
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