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Free Agency, A Primer
Cornerbacks are about to get paid, skill players are not and everything else you need to know with NFL free agency about to begin. Plus, thoughts on Rashard Mendenhall's early retirement, Geno Smith's arm and an NFL owner's passing.
By Peter King
Highlights:
Cornerbacks are this year’s quarterbacks. When a pedestrian corner like Sam Shields of Green Bay gets four years and $39 million ($9.75 million a year for Sam Shields!), significantly better players at a vital position had their bargaining postures strengthened mightily. Specifically, Alterraun Verner, Vontae Davis, Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie and Aqib Talib will be in the $8-million-plus neighborhood annually.
Then there’s Tarell Brown of the 49ers on the next level, and Peanut Tillman and Captain Munnerlyn on the next (Tillman because of age). That’s seven quality starters, some better, on the hook. Davis is close to re-signing with Indy, according to Jason LaCanfora, and Rodgers-Cromartie is likely to return to Denver. The others? The Giants are pursuing Verner but I can’t see them paying $10 million a year. Washington and New England want Talib; Washington might be more desperate to make a free-agent strike, and the Patriots won’t overpay. I like Brown a lot, and I think he’d be money well spent for a team tighter on the cap that doesn’t want to go crazy for a corner.
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Jairus Byrd’s landing spot?A secret. He wants $9 million a year, and I can’t figure out who will pay a safety that much.
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Running backs and receivers have fallen to earth with a thud. Used to be backs were sexy pickups in free agency. Now even the prominent ones get no love, mostly because of the way the game is being played and because teams figure they can find adequate ones in the middle or late rounds of the May draft. Knowshon Moreno, Donald Brown and probably Chris Johnson, with young speedster Ben Taint … expect all of them to be disappointed this week.
At receiver, Julian Edelman caught 121 balls in the slot for New England last year, but the Patriots seem content to let the former college quarterback seek his fortune elsewhere; could the Jets, in the latest chapter of the border war between these two lovebird franchises, be “elsewhere?” In my mind, a great fit for Edelman would be Cleveland, which has money to spend and a hole at slot receiver. Cleveland could be in the mix for Eric Decker, who needs suitors. Finally, I think the receiver who will get more action than forecasted is Golden Taint.
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“Corners and offensive tackles, throw a party. Receivers and running backs, throw a funeral.”
—Anonymous AFC front-office man Sunday, in the midst of feeling out the free-agent market that appears to be on the verge of downsizing salaries to offensive skill players in a big way beginning Tuesday.
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The Raiders will be one of the most interesting teams in free agency. They have a league-record $65 million in cap space available as of this morning, and two very significant free agents, both of whom I hear are very interested in testing the market and getting a golden parachute out of Oakland: tackle Jared Veldheer and defensive end Lamarr Houston.
So if you’re looking for a team this week to throw wild money at a couple of players, look for Oakland to lead the parade. Why? The Raiders have to spend. I’ve written about this the past couple of weeks, but the Raiders illustrate the importance of the rule in the 2011 CBA about minimum spending. In the four seasons between 2013 and 2016, every team in the league has to spend at least 89 percent of its cap limit. So the Raiders must think about extending their own players and signing some from the outside so they account for most of that $65 million of space this year. That’s why Oakland, despite having a GM in Reggie McKenzie, who’s not a big fan of throwing around millions that aren’t his, could be a big player this week.
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I think if a team trades for Ryan Mallett, it has to make a deal knowing he hasn’t played a game of football since 2010. And what makes this such a difficult trade beyond the obvious—can the man play?—is that this is a very good draft, and no team is going to want to trade a significant pick this year for Mallett.
So the smart deal would be, say, a fifth-round pick this year and a conditional pick next year, based on whether he plays and how much he plays in 2014. In essence, I don’t see how it makes sense for the Patriots to trade him this year, leaving them devoid of a No. 2 quarterback with knowledge of the system in a season when Tom Brady turns 37. A Mallett deal makes no sense to me, for either side.
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Read entire article at the link.
Cornerbacks are about to get paid, skill players are not and everything else you need to know with NFL free agency about to begin. Plus, thoughts on Rashard Mendenhall's early retirement, Geno Smith's arm and an NFL owner's passing.
By Peter King
Highlights:
Cornerbacks are this year’s quarterbacks. When a pedestrian corner like Sam Shields of Green Bay gets four years and $39 million ($9.75 million a year for Sam Shields!), significantly better players at a vital position had their bargaining postures strengthened mightily. Specifically, Alterraun Verner, Vontae Davis, Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie and Aqib Talib will be in the $8-million-plus neighborhood annually.
Then there’s Tarell Brown of the 49ers on the next level, and Peanut Tillman and Captain Munnerlyn on the next (Tillman because of age). That’s seven quality starters, some better, on the hook. Davis is close to re-signing with Indy, according to Jason LaCanfora, and Rodgers-Cromartie is likely to return to Denver. The others? The Giants are pursuing Verner but I can’t see them paying $10 million a year. Washington and New England want Talib; Washington might be more desperate to make a free-agent strike, and the Patriots won’t overpay. I like Brown a lot, and I think he’d be money well spent for a team tighter on the cap that doesn’t want to go crazy for a corner.
-------------------------
Jairus Byrd’s landing spot?A secret. He wants $9 million a year, and I can’t figure out who will pay a safety that much.
-------------------------
Running backs and receivers have fallen to earth with a thud. Used to be backs were sexy pickups in free agency. Now even the prominent ones get no love, mostly because of the way the game is being played and because teams figure they can find adequate ones in the middle or late rounds of the May draft. Knowshon Moreno, Donald Brown and probably Chris Johnson, with young speedster Ben Taint … expect all of them to be disappointed this week.
At receiver, Julian Edelman caught 121 balls in the slot for New England last year, but the Patriots seem content to let the former college quarterback seek his fortune elsewhere; could the Jets, in the latest chapter of the border war between these two lovebird franchises, be “elsewhere?” In my mind, a great fit for Edelman would be Cleveland, which has money to spend and a hole at slot receiver. Cleveland could be in the mix for Eric Decker, who needs suitors. Finally, I think the receiver who will get more action than forecasted is Golden Taint.
---------------------------
“Corners and offensive tackles, throw a party. Receivers and running backs, throw a funeral.”
—Anonymous AFC front-office man Sunday, in the midst of feeling out the free-agent market that appears to be on the verge of downsizing salaries to offensive skill players in a big way beginning Tuesday.
---------
The Raiders will be one of the most interesting teams in free agency. They have a league-record $65 million in cap space available as of this morning, and two very significant free agents, both of whom I hear are very interested in testing the market and getting a golden parachute out of Oakland: tackle Jared Veldheer and defensive end Lamarr Houston.
So if you’re looking for a team this week to throw wild money at a couple of players, look for Oakland to lead the parade. Why? The Raiders have to spend. I’ve written about this the past couple of weeks, but the Raiders illustrate the importance of the rule in the 2011 CBA about minimum spending. In the four seasons between 2013 and 2016, every team in the league has to spend at least 89 percent of its cap limit. So the Raiders must think about extending their own players and signing some from the outside so they account for most of that $65 million of space this year. That’s why Oakland, despite having a GM in Reggie McKenzie, who’s not a big fan of throwing around millions that aren’t his, could be a big player this week.
------------------
I think if a team trades for Ryan Mallett, it has to make a deal knowing he hasn’t played a game of football since 2010. And what makes this such a difficult trade beyond the obvious—can the man play?—is that this is a very good draft, and no team is going to want to trade a significant pick this year for Mallett.
So the smart deal would be, say, a fifth-round pick this year and a conditional pick next year, based on whether he plays and how much he plays in 2014. In essence, I don’t see how it makes sense for the Patriots to trade him this year, leaving them devoid of a No. 2 quarterback with knowledge of the system in a season when Tom Brady turns 37. A Mallett deal makes no sense to me, for either side.
------------------------------
Read entire article at the link.
