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Call the movers: Big-name vets need new homes

Chad Johnson not the only star seeking a fresh start

Image: Chad JohnsonAP
Chad Johnson's trade demands have now hit YouTube, but so far, he's still a Bengal.

Image: Tom Curran
Tom E. Curran

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Disgruntled, dismissed or headed for disuse, a whole lot of NFL veterans desire new work addresses right now.

So even if your team doesn't clean up at a position of dire need this weekend, the chances of improving with a recognizable player aren't dead yet.

The most prominent is Bengals receiver Chad Johnson. The five-time Pro Bowler and perennial Froot Loop doesn't want to play for Cincinnati anymore. His agent, the innovative, Barnumesque Drew Rosenhaus, has now taken the unprecedented step of trying to facilitate a trade on YouTube.

Pleads Rosenhaus: "Bengals, if you're listening to me: Please trade Chad. It's obvious that the relationship is not working. It's not going to be effective going forward. From what I hear in the reports in the media (Curran's aside: Well-played, Drew. Wouldn’t want anyone to think the Redskins have been tampering.), you have the potential of getting two first-round picks for Chad. Why not take that king's ransom and run with it? You have a player that doesn't want to play on your team anymore. Why not take the two first-round picks and run? This is something I sincerely hope happens ... it will make Chad very happy (Curran's aside: Surely a top priority for the Brown family) and it would be great for the Bengals organization to unload a disgruntled player and get two first round picks, according to the reports I've seen. Obviously I haven’t talked to any other teams. I haven't had permission. But it's evident that the Bengals can get a trade for Chad that can help rebuild this football team. Chad's 30 years old and he doesn't want to play for the Bengals anymore. Why not make the trade? Forget that I'm his agent. Objectively speaking, this seems like a smart move for the organization."

As if that wasn't audacious enough, Rosenhaus skips from an AFC doormat to an NFC doormat and upbraids the Cardinals in another video. This time, he wags his fingers about Arizona needing to redo wide receiver Anquan Boldin's deal.

"Anquan is at the mercy of the Cardinals just like Chad (is in Cincinnati)," Rosenhaus states. "A player doesn't have the ability to force a trade. It's up to the team. Obviously, the Cardinals paid Larry Fitzgerald a four-year deal worth $40 million. Anquan's present contract is nowhere close to that. Anquan has outperformed Larry Fitzgerald head to head in the last three years. We were hoping the Cardinals would address Anquan's contract. If the team chooses not to do that, I'm quite sure they could find another team out there that would be willing to trade a lot for Anquan who would then be willing to restructure his contract."

Jared Allen and Pacman Jones have already been moved. Here are the big names either rumored to be headed elsewhere or already on the market.

Jeremy Shockey, TE, Giants
Coming off a broken leg suffered last year, Giants GM Jerry Reese said the team has fielded trade offers but also said last week: "All I can say on Jeremy Shockey is he's our starting tight end. There's always a lot of chatter going on during this time of the year. There's nothing else to write about ... so that's giving you something to write about. Right now, Jeremy is our starting tight end and that's really my stance on it."

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Despite Shockey's gifts as a player, New York's offense performed better when Kevin Boss, a rookie in 2007, took over the position. Shockey's personality irritates. The Saints remain the team most interested

Shaun Alexander, RB, unattached
Cut by Seattle on Wednesday, the 30-year-old, three-time Pro Bowler may be looking at the classifieds for a while. It's a bumper crop of running backs in this year's draft and Alexander's precipitous drop from one of the league’s top-five backs to released will scare teams off.

Byron Leftwich, QB, unattached
In a drop perhaps more rapid than Alexander's, Leftwich was released by the Falcons after last season. Ouch, doctor. He's still just 28 years old and has a ton of experience but he seems right now to be lost on the Bledsoe-Culpepper Highway.

Daunte Culpepper, QB, unattached
Interest is high in Green Bay for the former Vikings-Dolphins-Raiders quarterback. He visited the Pack this week and could be signed to back up Aaron Rodgers.

Chad Johnson, WR, Bengals
As stated above, he wants out. Why he wants out hasn't been fully articulated but it doesn’t much matter either. Mike Brown, the Bengals owner, is an old hand at this stuff, though, and Cincy might just be vindictive enough to let Chad twist in the wind a while. Rosenhaus' point is well-made, though. Two first-round picks -- especially from a Redskins team with a rookie head coach -- should be pretty inticing.

Ty Law, CB, unattached
He's either going to the Jets or the Patriots. He "no commented" me via email this week when I asked him about a report that he was close to re-signing with the Patriots.

Lito Sheppard, CB, Eagles
The corner was in Tampa Bay this week to meet with the Bucs. That’s a good get for a Tampa team but it will be interesting to see if this deal is done before or after the draft begins.

Chad Pennington, QB, Jets
If I were the Falcons, I'd trade for Pennington ASAP. If you draft Matt Ryan at No. 3, Atlanta, then you have a quintessential pro like Pennington to show him the ropes. If you don’t opt for Ryan, then you have an upgrade over Chris Redman, Joey Harrington and D.J. Shockley.


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