2012 NFL Free Agents: Most Likely Destinations for the League's Top Players

This free-agent class is one of the best in the history of the NFL. The number of years to reach unrestricted free agency is back at four years, and there were a lot of players who signed one-year deals coming off the lockout last year.

This slideshow only includes guys who are unrestricted free agents. Arian Foster and Mike Wallace are both restricted free agents, and there is no way their teams let them walk. Drew Brees, on the other hand, is the head of the class.

Click through to see where he and the rest of the top free agents from this class will land.

Drew Brees

Drew Brees is coming off one of the best seasons by a quarterback in the history of the NFL, throwing for 5,476 yards and 46 touchdowns. There is no way the Saints are going to let him hit the open market.

That means the Saints have two choices. The first is they can slap the franchise tag on him. That would give him a nice guaranteed salary on a one-year deal, and that would give the Saints time to negotiate a new, long-term deal.

The second option would be to go ahead and get a long-term deal done before free agency starts. This is what both Brees and the Saints would prefer, but sometimes deals of this magnitude take longer to get done.

Ray Rice

Rice is about 95 percent of the Ravens' offense. There is no way they are going to let him walk away at the end of the season because they would be really bad on offense next year.

Running backs have been undervalued in the NFL today, but Rice is coming off an excellent season. He rushed for 1,364 yards and 12 touchdowns—those are excellent numbers in their own right, but that does not tell the whole story on Rice.

He also caught 76 passes for 704 yards and five touchdowns.

A team with a really good quarterback could afford to let Rice walk. The Ravens are not that team, though, so they will do whatever it takes to get Rice under contract.

Carl Nicks

Carl Nicks is an All-Pro offensive guard playing for arguably the best quarterback in the league right now. You can believe that the first thing Drew Brees is going to do after he gets his contract is lobby for the Saints to re-sign Nicks.

It is hard to envision a scenario where New Orleans lets Nicks walk. They could even use the franchise tag on him if they cannot reach a long-term deal and do not have to tag Brees.

One way or another, it is a safe bet that Nicks will end up back with the Saints.

Matt Forte

Matt Forte is going to be an interesting guy to watch. He will more than likely end up back with the Bears, but the relationship there is strained.

Forte made it known during the year that he was not happy he had not received a new deal in Chicago. He is coming off an excellent year that was cut short by a knee injury. Forte had 997 yards on 203 carries through 12 games, and he also had 490 yards receiving.

The Bears really cannot afford to lose him since he is the only real weapon they have right now on offense. Look for Forte to sign a multi-year deal before free agency opens.

Cortland Finnegan

Cortland Finnegan is another guy who has made no secret that he is unhappy with his current team. It got so bad between Finnegan and the Titans that he actually left training camp because he was so insulted with the team's offer.

There has been no news on the contract front for Finnegan in Tennessee, and it appears that he will have a new team next year. He will draw a lot of interest because he is a top-flight corner, and he really cleaned his act up this season; you did not see the stupid penalties from him that he has committed in years' past.

Finnegan will draw interest from two of his former coaches, Jim Schwartz and Jeff Fisher. Look for Finnegan to eventually end up with the Detroit Lions.

Jermichael Finley

Jermichael Finley has the ability to be one of the most explosive players in the NFL, as he can create matchup problems for any defense he is going up against.

Finley has not quite realized his potential in Green Bay, though. He has shown flashes of being the big-play guy they want him to be, but the consistency has not been there.

The Dolphins are a team that will take a long, hard look at Finley now that Joe Philbin is the head coach there. Philbin has spent the last few years with Finley and would love to have him in Miami.

Matt Flynn

Matt Flynn might get more money than anyone on this list, with the exception of Drew Brees. There are a shortage of good quarterbacks in the NFL right now, and Flynn has shown in his limited duty that he can get the job done.

Do not be surprised at all to see Flynn be another guy Joe Philbin takes to Miami. The Dolphins actually have some really good pieces in place, but they need a quarterback.

Flynn has worked with Philbin for the last four years in Green Bay. Adding him would make it a whole lot easier for Philbin to put his system in quickly with the Dolphins.

Wes Welker

Wes Welker was one of Tom Brady's favorite targets this season. Welker easily had the best year of his career with 122 catches for 1,569 yards and nine touchdowns.

There is no way the Patriots are letting him get away. Welker is nearing the end of his career, so he will be looking for the chance to win a championship instead of taking the money.  

Do not be surprised if the gives the Patriots a hometown discount for the chance to stay with Bill Belichick and Brady.

Mario Williams

Mario Williams is one of the most dominant 4-3 defensive ends in football, and he was even excelling as a 3-4 outside linebacker before a pectoral injury landed him on IR in October.  

Williams will draw a lot of interest from teams on the open market because of the importance of the pass-rush in today's game.

Odds are he will not be re-signed by Houston, though.

Williams will want to go to a team that plays a 4-3 because end is his natural position. The Falcons would be a great landing spot for Super Mario; they could let the 34-year-old John Abraham walk in favor of the 27-year-old Williams.

Dwayne Bowe

Dwayne Bowe took a step backwards this season, but he is still an excellent wide receiver who would help a lot of teams. In his last two seasons, he has 153 catches for 2,321 yards and 20 touchdowns.

The Chicago Bears would be the perfect place for Bowe to land. They are in desperate need of a big-play wide receiver, and Bowe fits that bill. He would finally give Jay Cutler a legitimate No. 1 receiver, and that is something Cutler has not had since he was traded to the Bears.

Marques Colston

Colston is another receiver who might hit the open market this March. He had another excellent year in 2011, hauling in 80 passes for 1,143 yards and eight touchdowns in just 14 games.

The Saints would love to bring him back, as Colston is one of their best finds after they selected him in the seventh round of the 2006 draft. The problem they will have is this is going to be an expensive offseason with Drew Brees and Carl Nicks being free agents as well.

At the end of the day, New Orleans will find a way to bring Colston back. Look for Brees to give them a little bit of a discount that frees up money for the other two guys.

Stephen Tulloch

Stephen Tulloch is one of the most underrated players in the NFL. He has tallied more than 100 total tackles in each of the last three seasons, yet Jim Schwartz was seemingly the only coach who was willing to give him a shot after Tennessee let him walk before the 2011 season.

Tulloch will end up back with the Lions. They need huge upgrades on defense, so they cannot afford to let one of their best defensive players walk away.  

Every defense needs a really smart linebacker in the middle of it, and Tulloch is that guy in Detroit.

Marshawn Lynch

Marshawn Lynch has become a fan favorite in Seattle. He got off to a slow start in his first season there, but the fans fell in love with him after the run where he broke a half-dozen tackles in the playoffs last year.

Lynch picked up where he left off this season and finished the year with 1,204 yards rushing and 12 touchdowns. Those are franchise running back numbers, and the Seahawks cannot afford to let him walk away.

Lynch will end up back with Seattle because they cannot afford the backlash they would receive from the fanbase if he is allowed to sign somewhere else.  

Plus, the Seahawks are a quarterback away from being a really good football team.

Vincent Jackson

Vincent Jackson has worn out his welcome in San Diego. He has been a really good receiver there and has excellent chemistry with Philip Rivers, but it is time for him to move on.

There is no doubt that Rivers will miss Jackson when he is gone. He was one of Rivers' favorite targets in 2011, finishing the year with 1,106 yards receiving.

Look for Jackson to end up with the Patriots. Bill Belichick has proven that he is not afraid to bring in guys with troubled pasts, and Jackson would be an excellent target for Tom Brady in 2012.