At some point, perhaps soon, the N.F.L. and its players will reach a new labor agreement, and the great free-agent gold rush of 2011 will begin. But for now, for as many as 500 free agents, there is no blueprint, no courting or being courted, only anticipation for what comes next and more labor pains induced in the form of unemployment.
Whenever this period of free agency begins, it will be condensed and frenzied. But the fine print, the rules governing the period, are still to be determined. Players drafted in 2006 or later will pay particular attention to whether four years of service (as expected) or six result in unrestricted free-agent status. Additionally, teams could receive some sort of right-of-first-refusal tag, allowing them to match offers for even unrestricted free agents, if only for this season.
For now, the free agents wait. They cannot speak with the teams that employed them last season or with the teams that may in the season ahead. So they wait to see whether the salary cap will shrink, which could lower contract totals, or whether the new agreement will force teams to spend a certain portion of the salary cap, say 95 percent, which could raise contract totals. They wait to see if franchise tags are valid, and if the rules regarding tags will change.
Mostly, they wait for football. Same as everybody else.
The Prize
As the top available free agent and one of the most feared cover cornerbacks in football, Nnamdi Asomugha could command as much as $20 million per season, despite his age (he turned 30 on Saturday) and recent interception total (two in the past three seasons).
Asomugha would seem like a good fit in Houston, which ranked last in defending the pass last season and recently hired Wade Phillips as its defensive coordinator. But Green Bay and Philadelphia are also expected to take a look.
If not, the market is relatively full of capable cornerbacks who are cheaper and often younger than Asomugha. They include Johnathan Joseph, Antonio Cromartie, Ike Taylor and Champ Bailey.
The Deep End
Besides cornerback, the positions in the free-agent pool that seem the deepest are running back and wide receiver. Potential running back options include: Arian Foster (the N.F.L.’s leading rusher last season), DeAngelo Williams, Cedric Benson, Ahmad Bradshaw, Mike Tolbert, Ronnie Brown, Pierre Thomas and Leon Washington.
Potential receiver options include Sidney Rice, Santonio Holmes, Vincent Jackson, Braylon Edwards, Steve Smith, Malcom Floyd and Randy Moss.
The Danger Zone
One team that will particularly suffer if the rules regarding unrestricted free agents revert to 2009 (four years, as opposed to six) is the Jets, with a glut of free-agent receivers.
Edwards is an unrestricted free agent, and Brad Smith and Holmes would join him because they each have five years of service. Thus the Jets have also been linked to Plaxico Burress, who was recently released from prison.
The Former Giants
Speaking of former Giants stars looking to get back into the league, Burress is joined by running back Tiki Barber, who wants to return to the N.F.L. after his broadcasting career fizzled.
The Tagged
Several cornerstone players were given franchise tags this off-season, with Peyton Manning (Colts), Michael Vick (Eagles) and David Harris (Jets) among them. They could join the free-agent rush, depending on the tag rules in the new collective bargaining agreement.
No comments:
Post a Comment