July 27, 2009
Heading into last year, I'd never been a Matt Jones fan. I doubted him for most of last season, expecting Mike Walker to eventually surpass him as the Jaguars' No. 1 receiver. Horribly unlucky family/friend issues and some nagging injuries kept Walker low on Jacksonville's depth chart, however, and Jones proved he was a starting-caliber NFL wideout. Despite playing in a below-average passing attack, Jones was on pace to finish the 2008 season with 80 receptions for 937 yards before his season-ending three-game suspension for violating the NFL's substance abuse policy.
Late in May, the NFL notified Jones that he would not face further sanctions for violating a court-mandated drug program by drinking a few beers on a golf course, then testing positive for alcohol.
Jones is likely available for the NFL minimum salary, and almost certainly would take a one-year deal. He'd be a very low-risk signing. Still, he's generated next to no interest.
Continue reading "Matt Jones is still out there" »
May 26, 2009
It was widely presumed that Matt Jones would be suspended to open the 2009 season after he was jailed in March for violating his probation stemming from a July 2008 arrest for cocaine possession. The original cocaine charge resulted in last year's Week 15-17 suspension.
Now comes word that Jones is on the hook for a mere $50,000 fine, which he's appealing. He's eligible to play in Week 1 and free to sign with any team after Jacksonville released him in March.
Continue reading "Matt Jones Avoids Suspension" »
March 27, 2009
Fresh off vacation, it sounds like free agent Torry Holt will shop himself around for a while before signing with a team.
GMs will have major concerns about Holt. He is no longer a complete receiver who can beat defenses both over the top and underneath. He is also a career dome player who's never been in a non-Mike Martz style offense. Holt's knee surgery three offseasons ago was only reported as a scope, but there were indications it was more serious. Holt lost a step in 2007 and another in 2008. The 49ers have apparently already written him off because of it.
Continue reading "Where will Torry Holt land?" »
March 26, 2009
Ronald Curry, once a Rotoworld favorite, has received no free agent interest that we know of. He will probably catch on somewhere this summer (Baltimore?), but it's a pretty bad sign that he's not making any pre-draft visits. The "Oakland doesn't want him, so why would we" label might have something to do with it. Here are some other unsigned wide receivers:
The best:
Torry Holt, Matt Jones
The rest:
Curry
Marvin Harrison
Reggie Williams
Shaun McDonald
Roydell Williams
Jerry Porter
Amani Toomer
Drew Bennett
Ashley Lelie
Brandon Lloyd
Continue reading "Best Remaining Free Agent WRs" »
March 06, 2009
Crazy week. I don't remember a start to free agency being this action-packed and we thank everyone for the insane traffic on the NFL page. Personally, I've also been in a lot of these things called "meetings" that are quite unfamiliar for anyone who has ever worked for Rotoworld. We've got a lot of work done, and I'm looking forward to some changes coming up here and at NBCSports.com. More on those once they are ready.
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It takes about a week for free agency to lose steam around the NFL. T.O.'s release gave it life again yesterday, but the majority of the best talent available is off the shelves. The remaining players are picked over, but there are still some bargains to be found. Let's look at my top ten offensive players
1. Terrell Owens, WR: Maybe you've heard of him.
2. Lance Moore, WR (Restricted free agent): He'll cost a second-round pick to acquire, but it may be worth it for this Wes Welker clone.
3. Byron Leftwich, QB: The quarterback market has included surprises, like Dan Orlovsky and J.T. O'Sullivan getting jobs before Leftwich. Maybe he's pushing hard for a chance to start.
4. Tra Thomas, T: With Khalif Barnes expected to sign with Oakland, Thomas may be the only starting-caliber tackle left. He's probably only good for another year or two, but there is value here.
5. Ronald Curry, WR: This highly athletic 29-year-old gained 1,444 receiving yards on some terrible Oakland teams between 2006-2007. He could be a dynamic third receiver.
Continue reading "Best remaining free agents: Offense" »
February 25, 2009
As promised, the cuts have continued all Wednesday afternoon. The most surprising was Laveranues Coles of the Jets. Coles made the risky decision to pass up a $6 million guaranteed salary to hit the free agent market. The Jets may quietly be thankful. After all, they could have kept him if they truly wanted to.
Coles is 31, often hurt, and has complained about his contract and role the last few years. He's an extremely smart and tough player, but he's small and has lost a few steps since early in his career. He's not a number one receiver.
Coles and his agent are betting he can make more than $6 million elsewhere in 2009. Considering Jerry Porter got a $10 million signing bonus as a free agent last year, it's a reasonable bet. Coles joins a lame batch of available wideouts; only T.J. Houshmandzadeh is clearly better. But my guess is that Coles will receive less interest than he expects. Coles may not see much more than $10 million over the next two years, but he can help a team win now as a second receiver. There aren't many guys like that out there.
The Jets now have a huge amount of free agent dollars to spend. They could re-invest at wide receiver, but they have youngsters Chansi Stuckey and David Clowney ready to step into bigger roles behind Jerricho Cotchery. Stuckey immediatley becomes a fantasy sleeper for next year, and Clowney is someone to watch closely. Tight end Dustin Keller is essentially another wideout. This isn't a game-breaking unit, but you can win with it. Now all they need is a quarterback.
February 24, 2009
I posted my free agency primer on quarterbacks today, which came on the heels on Messrs. Silva and Wesseling breaking down linebackers and receivers. The quick conclusion to make after examining the quarterback position: there are no easy solutions available on the market, and there are fewer teams than you think that are desperate for a quarterback.
Byron Leftwich is my favorite player available, and he’ll need a perfect situation to succeed. That’s why he looked good off the bench for the Steelers and not so good for the Vick-less Falcons the year before. With the Vikings going for Sage Rosenfels, the biggest wild cards in free agency are the Bears and Chiefs. Both should be looking for someone to compete to start with their incumbent quarterback.
Other teams, like the Jets and Lions, should be looking for that kind of player, but they could be willing to wait the market out. Not a bad decision.
This is a fluid market, with Matt Cassel, Derek Anderson, and possibly Matt Leinart and Vince Young becoming available near the draft. If you can’t acquire one of those quarterbacks, I suspect there will be serviceable backup-types like Rex Grossman, J.P. Losman, Patrick Ramsey, and Kyle Boller just sitting out there, hoping to get a job. There will be a lot of former first-round picks looking for work this off-season, and not all of them will find it.
March 07, 2008
Wide Receivers
1. D.J. Hackett
2. Bryant Johnson
3. Antonio Bryant
4. Reche Caldwell
5. Justin McCareins
Continue reading "Best Players Available: WRs, TEs, DLs" »
Still hoping for your team to sign a big name? It's not going to happen.
One week in, free agency is well into it's second tier of players. Here are my top players left at running back and quarterback. I'll post other positions throughout the day.
Running Backs
1. Julius Jones
2. Derrick Ward
3. Ron Dayne
4. Warrick Dunn
5. Musa Smith
Continue reading "Best Players Available" »
March 30, 2007
448 players became free agents at the start of the month. 177 have signed in the meantime, divided almost equally between players returning to their old teams and moving on.
The only players left will come at bargain-basement prices, but signings after April often make a huge difference. Here are the most interesting unsigned players I could come up with. Few players will make headlines here, but history says some will help.
I'll only include the best of the best restricted free agents because they are unlikely to move. Let me know who I left off the list.
Continue reading "Free Agency Reset" »
March 04, 2007
It wasn't a particularly good idea for Houston to sign Ahman Green to a four-year contract. Gary Kubiak needed some stability, but he should be building an explosive running game for the future. Now he'll feel obligated to give half of his touches to an average 30-year-old running back who faded badly at the end of last year. The move only makes sense if he limits Green's touches under 225 or so.
For Green, though, it was a great idea to sign with Houston pronto. There are simply too many running back options around the league right now and not enough starting jobs. Lamont Jordan could hit the market this week, probably displacing Travis Henry as the top UFA available. A few talented runners will get caught without a starting chair when the music stops. Here's a list of who's available ...
Continue reading "Green in Houston" »
March 02, 2007
Okay, so we've been busy on the first day of free agency, with way over 100 posts. There's been visits, speculation, and cuts aplenty. And oh those lineman are getting paid.
But it says something about the lack of sizzle Friday when the Jake Plummer retirement story leads PTI. He's an interesting guy, but ultimately a backup quarterback now. The players who made the most money on Friday to this point are Eric Steinbach, Tony Pashos, and Derrick Dockery. I'll forgive you if you aren't a member of Pashos Nation yet.
Continue reading "Is that all there is to free agency?" »
March 01, 2007
We're over 100 posts on the day on the news side. Joe Horn, Joey Porter Jermaine Wiggins, Keenan McCardell, Drew Bledsoe, and Fred Smoot are among the big cuts. Fred Taylor, Dre Bly (now a Bronco), Jerricho Cotchery, and Dan Morgan are among those with new deals. Wes Welker should be back in Miami, while the Seahawks left the door slightly open for someone to swipe D.J. Hackett.
I'll try to put it in perspective in some fashion when I can catch my breath. For now, here's a few interesting links I set aside earlier today before bedlam erupted.
It's probably a bad sign for David Carr's future when two veterans throw him under the bus on the same day. NFL players usually keep their mouths shut, so for Dunta Robinson and Eric Moulds to publicly say Carr needs to go says a lot. He's never been a favorite of teammates.
Continue reading "Catching my breath ..." »
Screw the Combine. The NFL Network should televise Free Agency Eve, probably the best day of the year for transaction junkies.
It's also a day where my responsibilities on our NFL news page and having a blog is a little redundant. The news page always comes first (it pays the bills), and we already have over 60 posts with links. I hesitate to puff the Rotoworld chest out, but these are days we are mad for. I don't know another place that culls together all the news big and small instantly and with analysis.
I'll try to be back with another post of some links in a bit.
February 28, 2007
We like our NFL action to come all at once, better to gorge on. That's how Sundays work, and the free agency period is no different. While baseball's decent free agents can stay on the market for months, most of the NFL's important action will be wrapped up in a week.
Tomorrow will be a bloodbath; A very busy day for our news page (Get those fingers loose Evan!). A lot of players will get cut as teams prepare for free agency beginning Friday. All of the restricted free agent tenders will also be announced.
Continue reading "Cutting Time" »
February 03, 2007
I spent a chunk of this week compiling my own list of potential free agents this off-season. Turns out I could have waited for the NFLPA to do it for me.
Mike Sando of the News Tribune posts an invaluable PDF and excel list of free agents for the entire league.
Keep in mind this list doesn't include players whose contracts that can be voided. It also doesn't include likely cap casualties, which will make the pool of players much more interesting. Still, it's a great resource. And it will make my life easier this week as Evan Silva and I prepare Rotoworld's free agency preview.
See you on Sunday for the liveblog.
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