Results tagged “free agency” from NBC Sports - Home

How many of this year's free agents would be recognized by Common Man as they walked down the street?

Not the, "Hey, I think that guy plays football..." kind of recognized but the, "That's Kurt Warner of the Arizona Cardinals and formerly of the St. Louis Rams. He used to stock shelves at the Piggly Wiggly" kind of recognized.

Well, there's Warner. And Ray Lewis. Maybe Jeff Garcia and Darren Sharper. But Common Man, even if he watches his share of the NFL, probably wouldn't know Michael Boley from Bertrand Berry and each of them is in the upper crust of this year's class.

In short, this is not a Five Star crew of available players. Don't get me wrong. There's plenty of talent but the star power is lacking. That being the case, the first 11 hours of free agency draws a, "Meh..." when it comes to thrills.

Does anyone think Albert Haynesworth was the missing piece that puts Washington over the top? Or that T.J. Houshmandzadeh's scheduled visit to Seattle tips the balance of NFC power toward the Northwest? I mean, it's interesting and noteworthy but it doesn't alter the NFL's competitive landscape. (Although it does change the finances...think Julius Peppers eyes bugged out on hearing Angry Albert's numbers?) 

More interesting to me than the individual players and where they're headed are the decisions teams are making that signal where they're headed in 2009. Tampa, for instance, made a big push for Haynesworth and lost out. Kinda puts their cost-cutting from earlier in the week in a different and not so flattering light. If they lopped all those players from the roster and the hoped-for signing of Haynesworth was part of the thought process at all, they swung and missed. The Eagles, meanwhile, get tackle Stacy Andrews. Is that a move to appease Donovan McNabb, affording him a better line? And does that mean fixtures Tra Thomas and Jon Runyan are definitely headed elsewhere? The Patriots sign Fred Taylor giving the classy back a chance at a ring after years of toiling in relative anonymity in Jacksonville. The Jets and new head coach Rex Ryan grab Bart Scott from Baltimore. Where's that put the Jets in terms of shoring up a disappointing defense loaded with names and not production? Where's that leave the Ravens? And who's going to take a run at Ray Lewis? Is the relative quiet in the first 12 hours a signal that Lewis' dominant play and persona is seen as mythical rather than real around the NFL?

Those are the things that are catching my eye early. No offense, Michael Boley.

One month ago, I spent a few minutes talking to Clinton Portis at the Super Bowl. What went wrong, I asked, with a team that was 6-2 and finished 8-8? What happened with Jason Campbell, the Redskins quarterback who didn't throw a pick until week nine?

Protection for Campbell and open holes in the running game, was the reply. It was that simple.

And now, in the first eight hours of the 2009 free agent period, the Washington Redskins have written contracts worth $170 million to a pair of defensive players. As free agency began at midnight, the Skins signed cornerback DeAngelo Hall to a six-year, $54 million deal with $22.5 guaranteed (he spent the end of last season in Washington after being released by Oakland). And they've now agreed to a seven-year, $100 million deal with Albert Haynesworth with $41 million guaranteed.

Neither player carries with him the reputation of being a real winner. Hall pissed and moaned his way out of Atlanta, went to Oakland last year, got paid, and now has cashed in again. Haynesworth is a dominant player who is smart but not terribly mature. And he gets hurt a lot.

Hall has played in two career playoff games, both in his first year in the league. Haynesworth's played in six playoff games and hasn't been to a conference championship since 2002 with Tennessee.

Now Jim Zorn, who was taking on water at the end of his first season as Redskins head coach, has been afforded the most expensive defensive weapon on the market, another guy who's making $30 million in the first three years of his deal and he has to keep peace and succeed in a locker room where guys like Portis can be a pain in the posterior.

And, oh yeah, that offense that averaged 16.6 points and finished 28th out of 32 teams? It still may need some help.

Eagles GM Joe Banner and head coach Andy Reid should be high-fiving until their palms bleed.

McNabb looking for an extension with the Eagles at 32 always seemed to be more of a threat than a boon for Philly.

Consider this. McNabb's got two years left on his current contract at very manageable money because all of his signing bonus has already been counted against the cap. All Philly has to do is pay him his salary the next two years then part ways with him at the ripe old quarterbacking age of 34. Or, if he's still usable, try and get a new deal done then.

Signing him to a new deal now means you have to first figure out what's a reasonable offer without "insulting" McNabb, his handlers and his sycophant NFL alumni friends in the media. Undeniably, he'll be looking for something that gets him damn close to $40 million in the first three years with large amounts of guaranteed money. Between figuring out what to do with the last two years of his deal and figuring out his extension with an uncapped year looming ... please.

And this isn't even getting into performance. McNabb did play brilliantly after getting benched against the Ravens in November.