’Boys’ silence, Bears’ optimism dominate early
After first weekend of free agency, here’s what we’ve learned
Jim Prisching / APWho would have thought that Cowboys owner Jerry Jones would be thrifty during an uncapped year of free agency, Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com writes.
6. Seahawks should pull an end run around the Broncos
With the Seattle Seahawks flirting with Brandon Marshall, the Broncos are getting the word out, loud and clear: If the Seahawks want Marshall, they need to sign him to an offer sheet and be prepared to give up the sixth overall pick in the draft.
The position is more than a little donkey-headed, given that the Seahawks also hold the 14th overall pick in the draft, which Denver sent to them in 2008 for a second-round pick. With the Broncos essentially begging someone to sign Marshall to an offer sheet by tendering the restricted free agent at the first-round level only, the Broncos should be happy with any first-round pick they can get.
So here's what the Seahawks should do. They should communicate to a team such as the Saints or the Colts or anyone who picks below No. 14 the terms they'd be comfortable paying to Marshall, and the Seahawks should offer to those teams the 14th overall pick for Marshall's contract. Then, one of the teams picking below No. 14 should sign Marshall to an offer sheet.
It would be a lot easier for the Broncos just to take the 14th overall pick and send Marshall to Seattle. But if they refuse to relent, then the Seahawks should give some other team an easy chance to upgrade to No. 14 — and to stick the Broncos with a pick a lot lower than No. 6.
7. Rolle's arrival raises questions about Phillips' return
New Giants safety Antrel Rolle has said he looks forward to playing with Giants safety Kenny Phillips, a good friend who like Rolle played college football at Miami.
Rolle apparently hasn't considered the possibility that he'll be Phillips' replacement.
Rolle and Phillips share an agent, and Drew Rosenhaus recently told Sirius NFL Radio that Phillips will be making a complete recovery from a knee condition that has caused more than a few whispers that he'll never play again.
Either way, the Giants decided it would be wise to pay a guy who isn't regarded as one of the top safeties in the NFL as if he were, and it would be foolish to not at least consider the possibility that Rolle's unspoken leverage was the uncertain status of his good friend's knee.
8. Bengals could be taking yet another risk
For the past several years, the Cincinnati Bengals have been more than willing to take risks when it comes to acquiring players with checkered pasts. In 2009, the gambles paid off, creating a team that surprised the rest of the league by making it to top of the AFC North.
Now, the Bengals could be rolling the dice yet again. But not with a player who has had one or more arrests, for a change.
Receiver Terrell Owens never has gotten himself in trouble with the law. However, he has left in his wake a slew of quarterbacks who became the targets of his insults and/or finger pointing.
Receiver Chad Ochocinco wants T.O. to join him in Cincinnati. It appeared for a while that management would not be interested. It now appears, however, that the Bengals could be making a run at him.
With quarterback Carson Palmer making his desire to embrace the enigmatic Owens publicly known, it might only be a matter of time before the Bengals become the next stop on the T.O. tour.
It could turn out well, and it could turn out poorly. The only sure thing is that it will not be boring.
9. Chargers benefit the most from the rules of the uncapped year
Whenever the appropriate time comes to determine the winners and losers in free agency, the Chargers will be among the winners, even if they don't sign a single player.
The system propelled them to victory. With the disappearance of the salary cap, and the service time required for unrestricted free agency increasing from four years to six, the Chargers automatically were able to retain the rights to five key players who otherwise would have been able to walk away.
If the salary cap had survived the stroke of midnight on March 5, linebacker Shawne Merriman, left tackle Marcus McNeill, receiver Vincent Jackson, receiver Malcom Floyd and running back Darren Sproles would have been unrestricted free agents. The Chargers could have used the franchise tag on only one of them; the rest would have been free to leave.
With the salary cap gone, the Chargers applied the highest possible restricted free agency tender to each of them, guaranteeing that their rights will be retained, at least for a year.
Though things could get very interesting for the Chargers come 2011, the system is smiling on them right now.
10. Falcons' draft needs suddenly changed
Before Friday, everyone assumed Atlanta would target a cornerback with its first-round pick in the 2010 draft.
But now that they have signed former Texan Dunta Robinson, they don't need a cornerback in Round 1.
So why does anyone bother to talk about a team's draft needs before free agency? Every year, the signings made (and not made) have a huge impact on draft-day decisions.
Then again, reality and practicality rarely invade the ever-burgeoning cottage industry that the NFL draft has spawned.
© 2012 ProFootballTalk.com. All rights reserved.
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