2014 NFL Free Agents: Top 50 List

[patfanken]

This Jimmy Graham dream rises to the level of Jet fan Delusions. Yeah right, BB is going to pay around $20MM each year to 2 guy who run the same patterns, and only one can block. Its embarrassing.

There will be no marquee TE's. No marquee WR's coming to NE next spring. If we are active in the FA market at all it will likely be some mid range guys who will come in looking to compete for jobs most likely on the offensive and defensive lines. Personally I'd love to see us add a top DT, or pass rush threat, but I know that's not happening.

 

[Ivan]

If they can find a way to keep Edelman and Talib and sign a quality interior OL and Arthur Jones it will be a great free agency period. I believe the second tier guys like Fletcher will return without a problem.

 

[Crononaut]

This Jimmy Graham dream rises to the level of Jet fan Delusions. Yeah right, BB is going to pay around $20MM each year to 2 guy who run the same patterns, and only one can block. Its embarrassing.

There will be no marquee TE's. No marquee WR's coming to NE next spring. If we are active in the FA market at all it will likely be some mid range guys who will come in looking to compete for jobs most likely on the offensive and defensive lines. Personally I'd love to see us add a top DT, or pass rush threat, but I know that's not happening.

Well previously our offense WAS built around a $54 million TE and a $43 million TE...

..but I agree. Chandler is the value signing. I think the Seattle Seahawks are the team you want to emulate when going for a championship: A top tier defense with a top tier quarterback. Having a great QB is so much more valuable than having great skill players IMO because a great QB can make jags look like all-pros, or at least make them play way above their level.

It doesn't hurt that they have a top 5 RB in Marshawn-Lynch, either, but I would say a good RB corps is all that's required. Most teams don't have the luxury of having a top 5 QB (IMO) playing for rookie money, so obviously to be sustainable the Seahawks will have to make sacrifices at some point.

 

[varjao]

Ok I understand the cap issues the hitman left in the house but we all know that BB and Kraft are cheap and BB manages well the money, and yet we are completely focked financially and don't forget Brady gave a discount double check.

That's the result of some recent bad drafts that didn't bring locks or even depth to the team so we keep having a lot of needs, specially on the secondary that should be all set by now.

About Talib, hip injuries usually are chronic, we play in the cold half of the season and the playoffs too, I don't think there's a long term mindset here at this point, maybe tag and CB drafted on 1st or 2nd round tops next draft.

 

[Rob0729]

This Jimmy Graham dream rises to the level of Jet fan Delusions. Yeah right, BB is going to pay around $20MM each year to 2 guy who run the same patterns, and only one can block. Its embarrassing.

There will be no marquee TE's. No marquee WR's coming to NE next spring. If we are active in the FA market at all it will likely be some mid range guys who will come in looking to compete for jobs most likely on the offensive and defensive lines. Personally I'd love to see us add a top DT, or pass rush threat, but I know that's not happening.

Jimmy Graham is a sure fire franchised player. No way he leaves NO without at least one first round pick coming back in return.

 

[Rob0729]

It will be interesting to see if the market next offseason is like this past offseason. If so, the Pats can make some decent moves. Last year, very few guys broke the bank.

 

[Brady6]

Sit

Interesting situation with Talib. Early this season he was playing like the best CB in the league and had he been able to maintain that throughout the season would likely have been looking at a contract around 50 million dollars. Unfortunately for him he was injured again, missed significant playing time, and has not played at the same level since returning, and given the recurring nature of the hip injury, his age, although still not 30, and the slip in his performance in the second half of the season he is going to be looking at a different market than he would have been. Now his value is going to be more questionable, he won't be getting 50 million from anyone, and could likely be had for under 30 million, the question is how high the Patriots are going to be willing to go and how the contract would be structured. The Patriots will probably offer him a long term deal to start with but it is likely to be around 20-22 million/4 years, and he will want more and test the market. I doubt the franchise him given the CB tag price, but he could well end up doing another 1 years 5-6 million deal, although that's less likely now that he has been able to put many of the character concerns to rest with his good behavior in NE.


I won't be surprised if a team like the Jets overpays him and he gets his 30 million plus for 4 years.

I agree with your assessment Talib is going to be an interesting player this offseason. I think people overlook that he was a free agent last season and he was younger and showed the same potential, I think the things that were concerns like his hip are still concerns maybe even reinforced.

I think a really good idea would be to use the transition tag on Talib this would allow us to gauge the market for him.

 

[BradyManny]

While the Jimmy Graham stuff is ridiculous, investing in a TE is not.

We probably can't invest next year b/c of the Hernandez hit, but Belichick was ready to allocate over 10% of the cap to that position annually. Once the murderer's $$ is off the books, I would not be surprised to see him do it again. Even better, drafting another young stud TE to pair with Gronk would do the trick.

 

[Sciz]

It would be a great signing but I don’t think the Saints will let him hit the market, they’ll tag him if need be the tag for a tight end is a little over $6 million which is not that much for Jimmy Graham.

Graham is widely expected to both appeal for and then receive the WR tag amount rather than the TE one. Last season, his overall snap numbers were 71% at WR, 28% at TE, and 1% in the backfield. I don't have the overall snap numbers for this season, but 80% of his routes this season have been run from a WR position (either slot or outside) rather than as a TE. The TE tag is about $6.7M, but the WR one is about $11.5M.

Of course, that's going to open a huge can of worms for Graham. If he's lining up as a WR more often than not and getting the WR franchise tag amount, then shouldn't WR become his official position for the sake of Pro Bowl and All Pro voting and positional records? I'm assuming he's going to want (and will probably get) the best of both positions.

 

[chasa]

Jimmy Graham is a sure fire franchised player. No way he leaves NO without at least one first round pick coming back in return.

exactly. is JG worth a 1st round pick? I think he might be, contract wise if he was able to be signed at a number comparable to gronk we would be in really really good shape, well enough to get rid of amendola after next year. and run dobson, thompkins, boyce, graham, gronk in 2015. something else to ponder, what if the saints accepted a 2nd round pick and Riddley instead of a 1st rounder? id do that in a heart beat.

 

[fnordcircle]

Resigning Edelman and going with Ryan/Dennard/Arrington > resigning Talib.

 

[primetime]

I'd LOVE to get him, he'd be a fantastic addition that wouldn't break the bank.

Chandler always plays well against the Patriots, too, which seems to be a common thread in a lot of the free agents Belichick brings in.

 

[Brady6]

I think the Patriots have potential to be big players in the free agent market if they choose.

Cap hits for players who could be restructured or released outright.

Vince Wilfork - $8m
Dan Connolly - $3m
Stephen Gostkowski - $3m
Isaac Sopoaga - $2.75m
Tommy Kelly - $2.5m
Logan Mankins - $2.5m
Steve Gregory - $2.5m
Adrian Wilson - $1.66m
Matthew Slater - $1.33m

I see Sopoaga and Wilson as certainties to be released, and the rest of the players could be restructured, extended or asked to take a pay reduction.

 

[Kontradiction]

Chandler always plays well against the Patriots, too, which seems to be a common thread in a lot of the free agents Belichick brings in.

I more or less see Chandler as a back-up/depth option for the inevitable injury to Gronk next season. Even if the Pats end up signing him, I would still expect the team to look for a more athletic TE/H-Back type in the draft in the mold of Hernandez/Jordan Reed.

 

[Brady6]

Chandler always plays well against the Patriots, too, which seems to be a common thread in a lot of the free agents Belichick brings in.

What do you think his cost will be on the open market? He will be 29 years old at the start of 2014.. If he could be had for a reasonable cost and minimal year commitment I would love to have him but if he is going to command big money or more than 2-3 years I am not really interested.

 

[Brady6]

I more or less see Chandler as a back-up/depth option for the inevitable injury to Gronk next season. Even if the Pats end up signing him, I would still expect the team to look for a more athletic TE/H-Back type in the draft in the mold of Hernandez/Jordan Reed.

I wouldn’t mind seeing them bring a reclamation project like Fred Davis on a low risk high reward deal. He has the ideal skill set for that Flex-TE role and in 2011 he had 59 receptions for 796 receiving yards in just 12 games. I don’t know a ton about his back story but maybe Belichick can get the guy back on track.

 

[primetime]

What do you think his cost will be on the open market? He will be 29 years old at the start of 2014.. If he could be had for a reasonable cost and minimal year commitment I would love to have him but if he is going to command big money or more than 2-3 years I am not really interested.

He has 125 career receptions and is a block first TE, so probably not much. Fred Davis would be a good guy for the H-back role, too, though I think that's a position they may look to in the draft.

 

[JackBauer]

Ok I understand the cap issues the hitman left in the house but we all know that BB and Kraft are cheap and BB manages well the money, and yet we are completely focked financially and don't forget Brady gave a discount double check.

That's the result of some recent bad drafts that didn't bring locks or even depth to the team so we keep having a lot of needs, specially on the secondary that should be all set by now.

OK, I'll bite. Trolling?

 

[Kontradiction]

I wouldn’t mind seeing them bring a reclamation project like Fred Davis on a low risk high reward deal. He has the ideal skill set for that Flex-TE role and in 2011 he had 59 receptions for 796 receiving yards in just 12 games. I don’t know a ton about his back story but maybe Belichick can get the guy back on track.

I wouldn't. Even with not seeing most of the underclassman coming out, there should be some solid options available in the draft that don't come with the baggage of a Fred Davis.

 

[JackBauer]

Resigning Edelman and going with Ryan/Dennard/Arrington > resigning Talib.

Re-signing Edelman and Talib and going with Talib/Dennard/Arrington/Ryan >>>>>>>>>>>>> going with Ryan/Dennard/Arrington.

As for FA, I don't expect any huge splashes - that's not how this team was built. I do expect some moves to shore up the lines and a backup TE. I'd be happy with Mack, Arthur Jones, and Chandler.