NFL Free Agents 2011: 12 Biggest Names to Watch in the NFL Lockout Aftermath

Do you think NFL fans were relieved that the NFLPA and the NFL owners reached a new Collective Bargaining Agreement and ended the lockout?

The sigh of relief around the world may have caused a nationwide increase in temperature. One hundred and thirty six days of bickering were ended with a unanimous vote on both sides.

Undrafted free agency will start on Tuesday, and teams will be allowed to negotiate with their own free agents until Friday, when NFL free agency begins.

With so much build-up, it could be a veritable free agent shopping spree of some of the biggest names in football. It's been so long since the end of the season, though, some of you may have forgotten some of the biggest names up for a new contract.

Let the 2011 NFL offseason officially begin!

Erik Frenz is the co-host of the PatsPropaganda and Frenz podcast. Follow Erik on Twitter @erikfrenz

Nnamdi Asomugha

Ah, the prize pony of the free agency period. Asomugha's value is self-evident; he is the very definition of a shut down cornerback. He shuts down that side of the field so well, opposing quarterbacks don't even try throwing it at him. He was only targeted 29 times last year and only gave up 13 catches on those targets for a 44.8 percent completion rate.

It's worth mentioning, though, that according to Jimmie Johnson of BucStop, he gave up 6.38 yards per target, which ranked 19th in the league. Still, I'll take the odds of shutting them down and giving up less than one catch per game on his side of the field.

Asomugha will easily be the most heavily targeted free agent; the only question is, which teams will be most eager to pull the trigger.

Potential landing spots: Philadelphia Eagles, Baltimore Ravens, Houston Texans, Dallas Cowboys, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Cullen Jenkins

Cullen Jenkins' seven sacks had him ranked second on the team, ousted for No. 1 only by Clay Matthews. The Packers relied heavily on Jenkins' production when injuries hit hard, but who knows if the Packers will be willing to pay him the big money that other teams might offer.

With so many teams running the 3-4 now, there is sure to be a team willing to get into a bidding ward with the Super Bowl champions.

There's always the chance that he'll take a home town discount to return if he has to, but he might just as soon explore his options and find out what's out there for him. This may be his last opportunity for awhile, and at 30 years old, it could be the last big opportunity of his career.

Potential landing spots: Green Bay Packers, Washington Redskins, Buffalo Bills, San Francisco 49ers, Miami Dolphins

Antonio Cromartie

The Jets have more free agents than they can possibly retain, especially in what will be a frenzied market. Some players may take a hometown discount to stay with a team and a coach that just about any football player wants to play for. Don't count Antonio Cromartie among those, as he has already told the National Football Post that he will only play for the Jets for the right price.

After a couple of seasons where he fell short of his own high standards, he jumped back on track with the Jets. According to Jimmy Johnson of BucStop, he only gave up receptions on 44.6 percent of targets (45/101), seven touchdowns and three interceptions. Opposing quarterbacks posted just a 76.5 quarterback rating throwing to his side of the field.

Those aren't mind-boggling numbers, but Cromartie will be a coveted free agent more for his size and speed than anything else. He has long arms and long legs, allowing him to jam well at the line and catch up quickly on the deep ball. In this pass-happy league, many teams will be waiting in line to claim Cromartie as a free agent.

Potential landing spots: New York Jets, Baltimore Ravens, Houston Texans, St. Louis Rams, Carolina Panthers

Ike Taylor

The Pittsburgh Steelers are a defensive dynasty, but the credit for that goes mostly to the front seven. Rightly so, as the Steelers defensive hogs have been a dynasty of their own, earning top honors two of the past three years.

Ike Taylor isn't one of the best shutdown cornerbacks in the league, but he does have that long speed necessary to defend deep passes. Still, he allowed 7.36 yards per target on 90 targets, also allowing 52 receptions. He did, however, allow just one passing touchdown.

It's clear that the NFL is a pass-happy league, so what better way for a team to counter that than by adding depth at cornerback?

Potential landing spots: Pittsburgh Steelers, St. Louis Rams, Baltimore Ravens, Cleveland Browns

Mathias Kiwanuka

The New York Giants have relied for years on tenacious pass rushers to keep their defense moving strong. Mathias Kiwanuka has been given them that pass rush and so much more. Perry Fewell heaped praise on Kiwanuka, stating that the Giants would have been a much better defense with him lined up and even intended to use him like a chess piece.

"Tom [Coughlin] tells me don't cry over spilled milk. You never know the impact of a player, but I think about [Kiwanuka] like, 'Boy, if we had him, we could do this, we could do this, we would be like this, we would be like that, we could change our complexion a little bit more.'

Who knows where the Giants stand on bringing him back, but if they choose not to, there will be plenty of suitors for the young pass-rushing stud, even despite surgery to repair a herniated disc in his neck.

Potential landing spots: New England Patriots, New York Giants, Arizona Cardinals, Detroit Lions, Buffalo Bills

Ahmad Bradshaw

In addition to the successes of the Giants in the pass rush, they have also thrived off their running game. While they may have their weaknesses, the Giants running backs all bring a unique and effective style of play to the offense.

Ahmad Bradshaw may fumble the ball a bit (2.5 percent of carries). He tied for fifth for most fumbles in the league with seven. None of the other guys with that many carries were as explosive as Bradshaw. Most of the other running backs on the list with that many fumbles had a far lower average yards per carry than Bradshaw's 4.5.

Any team in need of a boost to their running game should think long and hard about Bradshaw.

Potential landing spots: New York Giants, Washington Redskins, Miami Dolphins, Green Bay Packers

Plaxico Burress

Whether he's a big impact player or not, Burress will be one of the most intriguing stories to follow in the 2011 free agency period.

Fresh out of jail, who knows what kind of impact Burress will have in the NFL next year. There are certainly a number of teams that could benefit from adding a big, physical receiver to their depth chart, though.

There's no statistical evidence that he will succeed, but he has told reporters and others that he is driven and ready to come back to the NFL. Burress would be worth it to a team with a young quarterback just for the comfort that he could bring as a red zone target.

Potential landing spots: Philadelphia Eagles, Washington Redskins, Tennessee Titans, St. Louis Rams

DeAngelo Williams

Everything about the Carolina Panthers was worse from 2009 to 2010, from the most important (their 2-14 record) all the way down to the most miniscule of details (Williams' 4.1 yards per carry). The Panthers are hoping to keep Williams around as they bring along their new franchise quarterback, Cam Newton.

A young quarterback needs a lot of things, but one of the most important ingredients to a rookie quarterback led offense fit for a king is a solid running game. This way, the pressure isn't squarely on the shoulders of a guy who's never played in the NFL.

Williams averaged a whopping 5.5 yards per carry in 2008 and followed that up with 5.2 yards per carry in what was an incredibly disappointing season for the Panthers at 8-8 in '09. The burden fell square on him in 2010, though, when the Panthers had a storied quarterback controversy that lasted all season.

Needless to say, though, the Panthers need Williams far more than Williams needs the Panthers.

Potential landing spots: Carolina Panthers, Washington Redskins, Denver Broncos

Braylon Edwards

For all the mouth-running and trash-talking Braylon Edwards does, and for all the trouble he gets in, there will nonetheless be suitors lined up at his doorstep waiting to sign him to their team.

He could be worth the risk just for the explosive nature he adds to an offense alone. At 6'3" and 211 pounds and with blazing speed, he's incredibly tough to cover. He averaged a whopping 17.1 yards per reception last year on 53 receptions, and hauled in seven touchdowns to go with it.

His game is diverse, though. In fact, I revealed a new stat, average yards after catch on Cold, Hard Football Facts, and Braylon Edwards is one of the league's best receivers after the catch. He averaged 5.66 AYAC in 2010, and ranked 14th of all wide receivers with 40 or more receptions.

His ability to help open up the offensive playbook will make him a coveted target for a team looking for that last piece to the puzzle.

Potential landing spots: New York Jets, Baltimore Ravens, Seattle Seahawks, Chicago Bears

Santonio Holmes

There will be no buy-one-get-one wide receiver free agency fire sale. The Jets may have to pick between their top two wide receivers of 2010—the aforementioned Edwards and Santonio Holmes.

There is no way I could overstate the impact of Holmes on last year's Jets offense. He was a security blanket for Mark Sanchez in the underneath passing game. He came up in clutch situations time and time again with big receptions, usually for touchdowns. He was the best thing to happen to the words "New York closer" since Mariano Rivera.

With 12 games of rapport between Sanchez and Holmes, it may only be a matter of time before they become one of the most prolific combinations in NFL history. For that reason, it's important that the Jets keep him around.

Potential landing spots: New York Jets, Carolina Panthers, Chicago Bears, Tennessee Titans

Matt Light

Matt Light's situation is particularly intriguing, simply because of the impact the lockout has had on his status as a free agent. He will be able to explore options with other teams, but there are some circumstances. With a shortened offseason and free agency period as well as his age, there are plenty of reasons for teams to stay away.

That is reflected in the stats, too. According to Stats.com, he gave up 10 sacks last year for 78 yards and four penalties for 35 yards. The Patriots would love to have him back, if only as a stop gap and a mentor for their new franchise left tackle, Nate Solder.

Any other team to take a chance on Light would be doing so for the same reason: as a stop gap. At 33 years old, there is no long-term future for Matt Light in the NFL.

The only teams that I see taking a chance on Matt Light at this point are teams that need him as the final piece for a Super Bowl puzzle. The Kansas City Chiefs, or "Patriots West," as they've been called, are a prime example. Scott Pioli knows Matt Light well, and they need help on the offensive line. Light has also worked with Matt Cassel in the past, and the two could get on the same page quickly once again.

Potential landing spots: New England Patriots, Kansas City Chiefs, Chicago Bears

Randy Moss

Like it or not, Randy Moss is a big name and will be an interesting figure to watch during the free agency period. Whether it's because teams are beating down his door with offers, or because it seems there are no interested suitors, we will marvel at it all.

Which Moss are you getting? Are you getting the explosive playmaking threat, or the perceived over-the-hill one-trick pony we saw last year?

One trick may be putting it too nicely, as far as last year's performance is concerned. Moss hardly ever even caught the ball, but more importantly than the massive dip in all of his volume stats—receptions, yards and touchdowns were all down by at least 30 percent—he also saw a dip in yards per reception. He still averaged 14 yards per reception in 2010, but his career average is 15.6, and his best seasons have been well over the average he compiled in 2010.

There will be a team willing to take a chance on Moss, but that team has to know that they are getting a player whose skills are diminishing and whose will to be a part of a team may also be diminishing with it.

Potential landing spots: St. Louis Rams, New York Jets, Cincinnati Bengals, Washington Redskins