RADIO
Tuesday was the beginning of the NFL free agency period, a time of great shifting and readjusting in the league. Starting Tuesday every team in the NFL believes the old cliché “everyone’s 0-0” and “every team has a chance at the playoffs this year”.
It signifies the start of hope for all 32 teams and their fans. Said fans are filled with so much joy, hope and giddiness that March 10th is practically football Christmas. And much like the real Christmas, it’s all about the presents. Tuesday had some teams like the Jacksonville Jaguars run down the stairs in their footie pajamas, rush to hastily open a box with their name on it under the dimly-lit tree and be instantaneously filled with excitement that they got a brand-new Julius Thomas.
Other teams like the Indianapolis Colts might have been disappointed when they opened a box that was shaped like DeMarco Murray but when they opened it, it was a heavily used hand-me-down Frank Gore. Either way, the beginning of the NFL free agency period is one of the best times of the sports year.
Giants Strengthening RB and WR
The Giants started off free agency by signing Shane Vereen to a three-year, $12M deal. While New York was linked to a higher profile RB in DeMarco Murray, they decided to go under the radar and sign a sneaky efficient Vereen, who averaged 4.1 YPC last season. They also brought in former Cowboy Dwayne Harris, who is a great special teams returner but isn’t requisite of slightly less than $4M a year. In his three years in the league Harris has totaled only 418 receiving yards and three touchdowns. Logic would tell any team that Harris won’t be a factor as a wide receiver with the Giants. Sooner or later New York will realize that the problem isn’t its lack of weapons, it's about all the other holes on their team.
Colts Loading Up on Vets
Indianapolis bringing in Frank Gore would be a great decision… if it was 2009. Understandably the Colts have been frustrated with Trent Richardson and Vick Ballard and can’t move forward with Boom Herron. Bringing in a 31-year old running back on a three-year deal isn’t a wise decision. While Gore is an immediate upgrade over their running back corp from last season, he won’t be as productive as he is 34-years-old.
Indy didn’t just stop after bringing in one aging player, they also signed former Eagles OLB Trent Cole to a two-year, $14M deal, helping a defense that was exposed in the AFC Championship game last year. Then they went out and signed over-the-hill veteran WR Andre Johnson to a 3-year deal.
49ers Sinking Fast?
The emerging trainwreck that is the San Francisco 49ers do get a great possession wide receiver in Torrey Smith on the first day of free agency, but how GM Trent Baalke will fit Smith’s contract into the Niners budget will be interesting. For a team that was struggling with the cap, it’s amazing how willing they were to bring in Smith long-term. Just ask the New Orleans Saints how well bringing in Jairus Byrd worked last season when they were struggling with the cap. Now Jimmy Graham is gone to free up cap space.
Browns Stabilize WR Corps
The Browns bringing in wide receiver Brian Hartline could be the sleeper signing of the entire NFL free agency period, at last from an offensive standpoint. The deal is fairly cheap and Cleveland fills a position of need with a player who has twice been a 1,000 yard receiver with the Dolphins.
Cornerbacks Cash In
The 2015 free agency period has emerged as a great time to be a cornerback in the NFL. Darrelle Revis (NYJ five-years, $70M), Buster Skrine (NYJ four-years, $25M), Cary Williams (SEA three-years, $18M) and Davon House (JAX four-year, $25M) all signed long-term deals with their respective teams, each with significant money attached to their deals. Revis leaving the Patriots was a no-brainer on his part. After winning a ring in New England and getting paid handsomely to do so, Revis, as his track record proves he’s good at, chases the big money in free agency and returns to the team that brought him into the league.
Jaguars Improve Their Offense
Julius Thomas owes Peyton Manning a huge thank you as he is given $9M a year for five-years from the Jaguars in an attempt to bring in some weapons for Blake Bortles. The former Central Florida product, who was taken with the third overall pick in last year’s draft, was by far in a way one of the worst starting quarterbacks in the league in 2014, so bringing in a big-bodied target is a logical move for a team with as much cap space as Jacksonville does. The Julius Thomas-less Broncos replace him with veteran TE Owen Daniels, giving him a three-year, $12M deal.
Ndamukong Suh Scores Huge with Miami
Lastly, while the deal isn’t official yet, the Miami Dolphins are expected to sign the prized possession of the 2015 free agency, DT Ndamukong Suh to a six-year, $114M deal. The contract will reportedly include $58M in guaranteed money and is the biggest contract signed by a defensive player in league history.
Signing Suh makes sense for the Dolphins, who led by emerging quarterback Ryan Tannehill, are slowly but surely rising out of the cellar in the AFC East. Suh will anchor an underrated Dolphins defense and will make that division very interesting in 2015 especially given all of the moves Buffalo has made, the signing of Revis by the Jets and the possibility of Percy Harvin signing with New England.
