N.F.L. Moves: Young Joins Eagles, Jets Vie for Asomugha

12:36 p.m. | Updated

Big signing news of the day, so far:

The Eagles, having shipped their backup quarterback, Kevin Kolb, to the Cardinals on Thursday, have reportedly decided his replacement will be Vince Young, who was released by the Titans on Thursday. The Eagles’ last quarterback reclamation project, Michael Vick, said he was thrilled the team was taking on Young as its next project.

In other news, the Denver Broncos have reportedly found someone to complement running back Knowshon Moreno by agreeing to a three-year, $7.5 million deal with Willis McGahee. Wide receiver Roy Williams, who was cut by the Dallas Cowboys on Thursday, will be reunited with his former offensive coordinator Mike Martz in Chicago after reportedly agreeing to terms with the Bears.

Friday’s biggest looming mysteries:
These involve perhaps the most talented player still dangling in free-agency limbo, cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha, who is expected to choose between the Jets and the Cowboys, and the most talented player ever to shoot himself in the leg, receiver Plaxico Burress. Reportedly, the league has reinstated Burress, freeing him to sign on some available bottom line, and he is expected to sit down with Giants Coach Tom Coughlin Friday night to either hash out their differences or perhaps discuss the nutritional failings of jailhouse cuisine.

The Texans made some bold moves Thursday by signing cornerback Johnathan Joseph and safety Danieal Manning, and want to be even bolder by adding Asomugha. NFL Network is reporting that the Texans are now out of the running and the Cowboys are in, but the favorites are the Jets, who are trying to create a supertandem in their defensive backfield, writes Bucky Brooks on NFL.com, with Darrelle Revis.

There is still lingering debate over one of Thursday’s other big deals, the trade of quarterback Kolb from the Eagles to the Cardinals for cornerback Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie. The consensus is that the Cardinals paid a steep price for Kolb, but had to go bold to fill their biggest need. But Clark Judge of CBSSports.com also warns that investing in discarded Eagles quarterbacks is not usually a good move.

Cutsville: As the Asomugha-Jets negotiations carry on, the team said goodbye to their three-time Pro Bowl quarterback and Mark Sanchez mentor, Mark Brunell, along with cornerback Will Billingsley and guard Marlon Davis.

Reverberations from Thursday’s big moves:

The Patriots joined the backyard party on Thursday and did one giant cannonball into the middle of the pool. They didn’t just shove Albert Haynesworth and his cartful of emotional baggage off the high board, they hurled Chad Ochocinco in there after him.

Yes, that was Thursday, and by the end of the day Friday the whole thing might explode into an “Animal House” toga party, but let’s just pause for a second to say, “Wow.”

Now, whether this move turns into an epic team chemistry chain reaction that leaves Patriots Coach Bill Belichick with a set of fried eyebrows, that will be the central mystery of the Patriots’ season. But it certainly got everyone’s attention, writes Greg A. Bedard in The Boston Globe. Belichick is clearly counting on his magical powers to reclaim wayward talent, writes Don Banks on SI.com, at least in the case of Haynesworth. With Ochocinco, it’s how to manage the cultural clash between the league’s most buttoned-down team and the Queen Mary of self-promoting showboats. Dan Wetzel of Yahoo.com urges Ochocinco to shut down his Twitter account and behave now, but that would be rather like asking Niagara Falls to act like a nice little waterfall.

To a lot of people right now — including Mike Freeman of CBSSports.com — Belichick looks like a genius. But, as Alex Marvez writes on Foxsports.com, by the end of the season he might be getting measured for a straitjacket with a hood.

N.F.L. Mayhem Central: Young Joins Eagles, Jets Vie for Asomugha

11:58 a.m. | Updated The hamster wheel that is the N.F.L. offseason is expected to hit warp speed today. Clearly, the poor hamster should have struck a better deal in the collective bargaining negotiations.

Big signing news of the day, so far:

The Eagles, having shipped backup quarterback Kevin Kolb to the Cardinals on Thursday, have reportedly decided his replacement will be Vince Young, who was released by the Titans on Thursday. Not surprisingly, the Eagles’ last quarterback reclamation project, Michael Vick, said he was thrilled the team was taking on Young as its next project and Eagles are clearly banking on Vick being a good influence on a player who

Reverberations from Thursday’s big moves:

The Patriots joined the backyard party on Thursday and did one giant cannonball into the middle of the pool. They didn’t just shove Albert Haynesworth and his cartful of emotional baggage off the high board, they hurled Chad Ochocinco in there after him.

Yes, that was Thursday, and by the end of the day Friday the whole thing might explode into an “Animal House” toga party, but let’s just pause for a second to say, “Wow.”

Now, whether this move turns into an epic team chemistry chain reaction that leaves Patriots Coach Bill Belichick with a set of fried eyebrows, that will be the central mystery of the Patriots’ season. But it certainly got everyone’s attention, writes Greg A. Bedard in The Boston Globe. Belichick is clearly counting on his magical powers to reclaim wayward talent, writes Don Banks on SI.com, at least in the case of Haynesworth. With Ochocinco, it’s how to manage the cultural clash between the league’s most buttoned-down team and the Queen Mary of self-promoting showboats. Dan Wetzel of Yahoo.com urges Ochocinco to shut down his Twitter account and behave now, but that would be rather like asking Niagara Falls to act like a nice little waterfall.

To a lot of people right now — including Mike Freeman of CBSSports.com — Belichick looks like a genius. But, as Alex Marvez writes on Foxsports.com, by the end of the season, he might be getting measured for a straitjacket with a hood.

Friday’s biggest looming mysteries:
These involve perhaps the most talented player still dangling in free agency limbo, cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha, and the most talented player every to shoot himself in the leg, receiver Plaxico Burress. Reportedly, the league has reinstated Burress, freeing him to sign on some available bottom line, and he is expected to sit down with Giants Coach Tom Coughlin Friday night to either hash out their differences or perhaps discuss the nutritional failings of jailhouse cuisine.

The Texans made some bold moves Thursday by signing cornerback Johnathan Joseph and safety Danieal Manning, and want to make it even bolder by adding Asomugha. NFL Network is reporting that the Texans are now out of the running and the Cowboys are in, but the favorite is the Jets, who are trying to create a supertandem in their defensive backfield, writes Bucky Brooks on NFL.com, with Darrelle Revis.

There is still lingering debate over one of Thursday’s other big deals, the trade of quarterback Kolb from the Eagles to the Cardinals for cornerback Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie. The consensus is that the Cardinals paid a steep price for Kolb, but had to go bold to fill their biggest need. But Clark Judge of CBSSports.com also warns that investing in discarded Eagles quarterbacks is not usually a good move.

N.F.L. Mayhem Central: Patriots Go Big

So, the abbreviated N.F.L. off-season seemed rowdy enough for a few days, sort of like a backyard party with dozens of 7-year-old boys, when the Patriots came along Thursday and did one giant cannonball into the middle of the pool. They didn’t just shove Albert Haynesworth and his cartful of emotional baggage off the high board, they hurled Chad Ochocinco in there after him.

Yes, that was Thursday, and by the end of the day Friday the whole thing might explode into an “Animal House” toga party, but let’s just pause for a second to say, “Wow.”

Now, whether this move turns into an epic team chemistry chain reaction that leaves Patriots Coach Bill Belichick with a set of fried eyebrows, that will be the central mystery of the Patriots’ season. But it certainly got everyone’s attention, writes Greg A. Bedard in The Boston Globe. Belichick is clearly counting on his magical powers to reclaim wayward talent, writes Don Banks on SI.com, at least in the case of Haynesworth. With Ochocinco, it’s how to manage the cultural clash between the league’s most buttoned-down team and the Queen Mary of self-promoting showboats. Dan Wetzel of Yahoo.com urges Ochocinco to shut down his Twitter account and behave now, but that would be rather like asking Niagara Falls to act like a nice little waterfall.

To a lot of people right now — including Mike Freeman of CBSSports.com — Belichick looks like a genius. But, as Alex Marvez writes on Foxsports.com, by the end of the season, he might be getting measured for a straitjacket with a hood.

Friday’s biggest looming mysteries involve perhaps the most talented player still dangling in free agency limbo, cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha, and the most talented player every to shoot himself in the leg, receiver Plaxico Burress. Reportedly, the league has reinstated Burress, freeing him to sign on some available bottom line, and he is expected to sit down with Giants Coach Tom Coughlin Friday night to either hash out their differences or perhaps discuss the nutritional failings of jailhouse cuisine.

The Texans made some bold moves Thursday by signing cornerback Johnathan Joseph and safety Danieal Manning, and want to make it even bolder by adding Asomugha. Their biggest competition appears to be the Jets, who are trying to create a supertandem in their defensive backfield, writes Bucky Brooks on NFL.com, with Darrelle Revis.

There is still lingering debate over one of Thursday’s other big deals, the trade of quarterback Kevin Kolb from the Eagles to the Cardinals for cornerback Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie. The consensus is that the Cardinals paid a steep price for Kolb, but had to go bold to fill their biggest need. But Clark Judge of CBSSports.com also warns that investing in discarded Eagles quarterbacks is not usually a good move.

N.F.L. Free-for-All Central, Starring Kolb, Haynesworth and Rice

3:43 p.m. | Updated While mayhem was expected when the N.F.L. ended its lockout Monday and launched an instant off-season, everyone predicted the frenetic pace of player movement would resemble a swap meet for billionaires. But it would not be proper mayhem unless something really head-slapping happened. Like, say, the Patriots trading for Albert Haynesworth.

Big trade news of the day, so far:
The latest trade apparently being consummated is the one sending quarterback Kevin Kolb from the Eagles to the Cardinals in exchange for cornerback Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie. This has been in the hopper for a bit, but it came true only when Kolb agreed to receive gobs of money ($63 million over five years).

But the head-slapper is still the Patriots reportedly swinging a deal with Washington to acquire the perpetually discontented Haynesworth and that sound you hear is Redskins Coach Mike Shanahan howling in joy. Haynesworth, a fabulously talented but motivationally challenged defensive tackle, spent last season as the symbol of everything wrong with the Redskins owner Dan Snyder’s approach to team building. Having given Haynesworth a $100 million contract, they had to sit by as he pouted about the team’s new defensive system and became a running joke by not only failing to pass the team’s conditioning test, but not even being able to finish it. Now, apparently Patriots Coach Bill Belichick believes his magic powers extend to extracting that talent from Haynesworth, which means he spent his lockout time building a wand strong enough to move nearly 400 pounds of self-absorbed entitlement.

Only someone as large as Haynesworth could shove a Reggie Bush trade aside for top honors. New Orleans is reportedly sealing a deal that would send Bush, its mercurial running back, to Miami. The move comes as no surprise considering Bush all but announced his own exit after the Saints drafted running back Mark Ingram, and was completed when Bush agreed to a two-year deal with the Dolphins.

Big free-agent signing news of the day, so far:

Receiver Sidney Rice is apparently such a big fan of quarterback Tarvaris Jackson he followed him all the way from Minnesota to Seattle. After agreeing to terms with Jackson on Wednesday, the Seahawks have reportedly snared Rice from the Vikings with a five-year, $41 million deal, which took a little zing out of the arrival of quarterback Donovan McNabb in a trade. The Seahawks are betting big that Rice recovers from major hip surgery and regains the form of his spectacular 2009 season, when he caught 83 passes for 1,312 yards.

Perhaps the biggest prize of the free agency carnival, former Raiders cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha, has not made a move yet, but NFL.com is reporting the Texans might be closest to nabbing him, with the Jets and 49ers trying hard as well.

The Giants re-stocked their defensive cookie jar by re-signing Mathias Kiwanuka, but are still working on the offensive side to hammer out deals to bring back players like receiver Steve Smith, running back Ahmad Bradshaw and tight end Kevin Boss.

The Eagles were thinking defense too and signed defensive end Jason Babin, who made the Pro Bowl last season with the Titans after several unspectacular seasons, including one with the Eagles.

Big other N.F.L. mayhem news of the day, so far:
Along with signings and trades, holdouts are elbowing their way into the mix of news. Receiver DeSean Jackson, who has expressed dismay over his current contract, did not show up for the Eagles’ first workouts on Thursday. Similarly, Jacksonville tight end Marcedes Lewis refused to report to a mandatory meeting Wednesday while he tries to get a new deal out of the Jaguars. They join Tennessee running back Chris Johnson, who is reportedly staging his protest over his $800,000 base salary this season.

Quarterback Kevin Kolb was also nowhere to be found at the Eagles’ workout, but that is because everyone expects his trade to the Cardinals to be finalized shortly.

Cutsville:
The Steelers bid goodbye to Antwaan Randle El, the versatile offensive threat who helped them win a Super Bowl, and veteran tackle Max Starks, who started in two Super Bowls.

N.F.L. Free-for-All Central, Starring Haynesworth and Rice

While mayhem was expected when the N.F.L. ended its lockout Monday and launched an instant off-season, everyone predicted the frenetic pace of player movement would resemble a swap meet for billionaires. But it would not be proper mayhem unless something really head-slapping happened. Like, say, the Patriots trading for Albert Haynesworth.

Big trade news of the day, so far:

Yes, the Patriots have reportedly swung a deal with Washington to acquire the perpetually discontented Haynesworth and that sound you hear is Redskins Coach Mike Shanahan howling in joy. Haynesworth, a fabulously talented but motivationally challenged defensive end, spent last season as the symbol of everything wrong with the Redskins owner Dan Snyder’s approach to team building. Having given Haynesworth a $100 million contract, they had to sit by as he pouted about the team’s new defensive system and became a running joke by not only failing to pass the team’s conditioning test, but not even being able to finish it. Now, apparently Patriots Coach Bill Belichick believes his magic powers extend to extracting that talent from Haynesworth, which means he spent his lockout time building a wand strong enough to move nearly 400 pounds of self-absorbed entitlement.

Only someone as large as Haynesworth could shove a Reggie Bush trade aside for top honors. New Orleans is reportedly sealing a deal that would send Bush, its mercurial running back, to Miami. The move comes as no surprise considering Bush all but announced his own exit after the Saints drafted running back Mark Ingram, and was completed when Bush agreed to a two-year deal with the Dolphins.

Big free-agent signing news of the day, so far:

Receiver Sidney Rice is apparently such a big fan of quarterback Tarvaris Jackson he followed him all the way from Minnesota to Seattle. After agreeing to terms with Jackson on Wednesday, the Seahawks have reportedly snared Rice with a five-year, $41 million deal, which took a little zing out of the arrival of quarterback Donovan McNabb in a trade. The Seahawks are betting big that Rice recovers from major hip surgery and regains the form of his spectacular 2009 season, when he caught 83 passes for 1,312 yards.

Big other N.F.L. mayhem news of the day, so far:
Along with signings and trades, holdouts are elbowing their way into the mix, with Jacksonville tight end Marcedes Lewis refusing to report to a mandatory meeting Wednesday. He joins Tennessee running back Chris Johnson, who is reportedly staging his protest over his $800,000 base salary this season.