NFL Czar: NFL free agent frenzy
Due to the uncapped season in 2010, NFL teams were expected to be a bit more lenient when it came to spending in free agency. For many teams, this prediction held true, but others made big splashes early in the free agent period. With big name free agents such as Terrell Owens, LaDainian Tomlinson and Julius Peppers, how could there not be a ton of money thrown around?
With this all in mind, let's take a look at some of the winners and losers of the free agent period thus far.
Chicago Bears: Winner — The Bears were aggressive early, signing Peppers to a massive six-year deal. The move will greatly help their defence, but there are questions if Peppers can continue to excel at age 31. The Bears also grabbed 30-plus running back Chester Taylor. The ex-Viking will provide a nice complement to Matt Forte, and provide another weapon in the passing game for Jay Cutler.
Arizona Cardinals: Loser — So far, the Cards have lost a starting safety and linebacker, while trading for a new safety. While recently acquired Kerry Rhodes may be a slight upgrade over Antrel Rolle (who signed a massive deal with the Giants), the loss of Karlos Dansby at middle linebacker will be hard to overcome.
Buffalo Bills: Loser — The Bills decided they wouldn't invest another year into Owens, and let him walk. They got a shocker when starting offensive tackle Brad Butler abruptly retired at age 26. So what have the Bills done? They signed ancient OT Cornell Green. Not a good move for a team that continues to go in the wrong direction.
Cleveland Browns: Winner and Loser - The Browns shed some light on their QB position by releasing Derek Anderson, but muddied it up a bit again by acquiring Seneca Wallace from Seattle. Wallace will now battle third-year player Brady Quinn for the starting job. If I'm a Browns fan I would be even more worried about the quarterback position this year.
Kansas City Chiefs: Winner — The Chiefs made a great decision in re-signing wide receiver Chris Chambers. He excelled late in the season last year after being picked up off waivers. Then the Chiefs went out and signed 31-year old RB Thomas Jones. Jones will pair with youngster Jamaal Charles, and form a dynamite tandem in the Kansas City backfield.
So, as you can see, teams are making moves all over the place, but this year's free agency class wasn't as strong as usual. There were a number of veteran players available, but most of them were seen as in the twilight of their careers.
Running backs like Tomlinson and Larry Johnson are still available, and will likely be snapped up pretty soon. Also, wide receivers Owens and Torry Holt are also still on the open market. There is still a plethora of talent out there, but these players will likely have to take a pay cut, or a reduced role, in order to get signed.
Next week, I will take a look at one of the best recurring NFL storylines.
For more from the NFL Czar, check out his blog at jvzsblog.blogspot.com
With this all in mind, let's take a look at some of the winners and losers of the free agent period thus far.
Chicago Bears: Winner — The Bears were aggressive early, signing Peppers to a massive six-year deal. The move will greatly help their defence, but there are questions if Peppers can continue to excel at age 31. The Bears also grabbed 30-plus running back Chester Taylor. The ex-Viking will provide a nice complement to Matt Forte, and provide another weapon in the passing game for Jay Cutler.
Arizona Cardinals: Loser — So far, the Cards have lost a starting safety and linebacker, while trading for a new safety. While recently acquired Kerry Rhodes may be a slight upgrade over Antrel Rolle (who signed a massive deal with the Giants), the loss of Karlos Dansby at middle linebacker will be hard to overcome.
Buffalo Bills: Loser — The Bills decided they wouldn't invest another year into Owens, and let him walk. They got a shocker when starting offensive tackle Brad Butler abruptly retired at age 26. So what have the Bills done? They signed ancient OT Cornell Green. Not a good move for a team that continues to go in the wrong direction.
Cleveland Browns: Winner and Loser - The Browns shed some light on their QB position by releasing Derek Anderson, but muddied it up a bit again by acquiring Seneca Wallace from Seattle. Wallace will now battle third-year player Brady Quinn for the starting job. If I'm a Browns fan I would be even more worried about the quarterback position this year.
Kansas City Chiefs: Winner — The Chiefs made a great decision in re-signing wide receiver Chris Chambers. He excelled late in the season last year after being picked up off waivers. Then the Chiefs went out and signed 31-year old RB Thomas Jones. Jones will pair with youngster Jamaal Charles, and form a dynamite tandem in the Kansas City backfield.
So, as you can see, teams are making moves all over the place, but this year's free agency class wasn't as strong as usual. There were a number of veteran players available, but most of them were seen as in the twilight of their careers.
Running backs like Tomlinson and Larry Johnson are still available, and will likely be snapped up pretty soon. Also, wide receivers Owens and Torry Holt are also still on the open market. There is still a plethora of talent out there, but these players will likely have to take a pay cut, or a reduced role, in order to get signed.
Next week, I will take a look at one of the best recurring NFL storylines.
For more from the NFL Czar, check out his blog at jvzsblog.blogspot.com
