The NFL Supermarket Lines Open But Are the Vegetables Fresh?
~Amy Lignor
Yes, some people wish to actually be a free agent; it’s like going to the supermarket and picking that ultimate lobster to feed upon for the next year. Not to mention, the money game where teams go against each other to choose ‘you’ of all people to be their next big star, makes the ego grow even more than it already has.
Others aren’t exactly into the free agency bit. After all, they are searching and begging for a home and know that the prospect of landing one may just be a pipe dream at best.
The names in free agency for the NFL this year range from the hopefuls to the stars with egos that strut their stuff on a daily basis. To begin, Michael Vick is one of those players who is definitely not afraid of free agency status. Should he be?
The star defensive end, Michael Bennett, has a very recent background of taking the field opposite Peyton Manning and leading the Seattle Seahawks to a Super Bowl Championship. With eight-and-a-half sacks and a Super Bowl ring on his resume, Bennett is one of those star egos who is definitely ready to sit back and see the teams go claw to claw in order to get him on their roster. Can you smell the scent of cash in the air? Bennett does.
For a country always complaining about the fact that most every person in it is lower than poverty-level; not to mention, most can not find employment, it is interesting to see those very few who have billions in the bank and are just looking to land that free agent who can turn their nightmare season from last year into the ultimate dream of winning the Super Bowl in 2015.
The free-agent market opens with $320 million more in salary-cap room, and the decisions are now being made behind closed doors on how to buy the best of the best. Some of these moments in time have ended up failing miserably, so spending that billion dollars is more than a little frightening for some.
In 2000, Deion Sanders and Bruce Smith were signed to the Redskins. They were the ultimate players who spawned excitement – future Hall of Fame members that Washington needed more than oxygen at the time. Well…all that money for the Redskins to win eight games.
There was even a Dream Team in 2011 in Philly – but they most definitely did not live up to the world of Olympic basketball, nor the red, white and blue heroes in the Olympic hockey rink. This particular ‘Dream Team’ won eight games and slid into nothingness.
When looking back on recent free agency, the QB of Denver who everyone loves (and are still surprised could not seem to do anything in the Super Bowl), Peyton Manning, was the best player to pick up in any draft. Cut by the Colts, Peyton represented the best football QB possible…yet can not seem to bring home a trophy to Denver.
But every owner and coach is chomping at the bit to take a ‘star’ into their family fold. And, yes, they will spend and spend big to do it, but if they see the return on their investment, the billions spent will seem like chump change.
A three-day negotiating period where teams are free to discuss contract numbers with agents ONLY is how this process begins. No player can sign on the dotted line until the three days are up.
The experts do not exactly agree with the teams who go full-out with their cash in regards to purchasing a star in free agency. Some NFL analysts state that the best players heading up to free agency are already tagged or signed to long term agreements with their present teams, so the abundance of players who actually arrive are not the ones that will make one lick of difference when the Super Bowl comes to pass.
Are there elite players in their prime who can be purchased this year? Well, Michael Vick thinks so, even though his career – as seen last season – is no longer prime. But at least the fantasy football lovers out there will have a great time with this, and spend no money whatsoever. That’s the way to do it!
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