If you think your favorite NFL team has missed the boat in terms of signing a free agent, don’t worry, there’s still time.
While the vast majority of premier free agents have already started spreading around the Benjamin’s that does not mean your team will be shutout. In fact, some of the best teams in Super Bowl history have been successful because of lower level free agents. The Green Bay Packers for one have built their teams with the use of late signees in the FA game. That is why Green Bay is the fifth choice to win the Super Bowl at 12/1.
Injuries, poor performances in 2013 and the ever-present legal issues have kept many of these players on the board, but that does not mean they can’t be strong contributors to your favorite team. Players like Brian Urlacher, Brandon Lloyd, John Abraham and Dwight Freeney are still waiting for the right opportunity, so there is still hope.
The Land is Barren
Talk to NFL personnel people and they will tell you that the QB crop in 2013 has not been as plentiful as in past years. There have been trades; Matt Flynn moving from Seattle to Oakland, Carson Palmer going to Arizona from Oakland and Alex Smith leaving San Francisco for Kansas City.
There are a few players left, but I’m hard pressed to think of any teams who would want them. Vince Young, Brady Quinn, and Byron Leftwich are the best of the available signal callers.
Blue Light Special
Every store has a ‘Bargain Bin”, where opened sacks of underwear or socks, funky tee-shirts, outdated food products and other items are stored. The NFL Super Store is similar; in fact, they have a special going on this week on running backs. Ahmad Bradshaw is available at a great price. Be forewarned though, Bradshaw quit on the 49ers with two weeks remaining in the regular season and missed the playoff run. San Francisco still made it to the Super Bowl and are 13/2 favorites to do it again this season.
Also on sale are Cedric Benson, Beanie Wells and Peyton Hillis. That trio has some things in common; they have had maybe one or two productive NFL seasons, have ongoing behavioral issues and are a disruption in the locker room.
Just the Fax, Please
My favorite NFL free agent story of the year also involves a defensive lineman. Elvis Dumervil, the former Broncos defensive end, was in the midst of re-upping with Denver. He needed to get a signed copy of the new contract to the team by the NFL deadline of 1 PM. The problem was his agent didn’t have a working fax machine, and by the time Dumervil made the drive to his nearest Kinko’s, the deadline had expired by 20 minutes. He ended up signing a five-year, $26 million dollar contract with the Super Bowl champion Ravens.
We now believe he can afford to put a working fax machine in every room of the house.