5 NFL Veterans Who Will Disappoint Their New Teams

As we finally (hopefully) come to the end of the long NFL lockout, we can start to look towards what comes next. The first thing is going to be a crazy free agent feeding frenzy. Given the short time frame and the serious needs of many teams, it should be completely out of control— like a bunch of lions attacking a crippled zebra.

When you have teams looking to throw money around to fill needs, you are inevitably going to see them making some decisions that they will come to regret down the line. Here are my NFL picks for five free agents that stand a very good chance of being long-term disappointments to their new teams:

Nnamdi Asomugha, CB

No player comes into free agency with anywhere close to as much hype as Oakland’s star cornerback. There are some truly crazy numbers being thrown around about what he could fetch for his new contract— as much as $20 million a year by some estimates.

I don’t think Asomugha will be a total bust—he is a freakish talent. Ultimately, though, I think the team that signs him will look back and ask if they could have used the money more efficiently.

This is a very deep free agent class for corners. Guys like Ike Taylor or Josh Wilson aren’t as good as Asomugha, but they are going to be a whole lot cheaper, and they won’t create the cap issues that Oakland’s corner could.

A team is going to invest heavily in Asomugha because they are looking for a defensive miracle. No matter how good a corner is he can’t deliver that alone, and the team will be hard pressed to add a ton of other defensive talent given how much is tied up in one player.

Instead of one great corner, I think several teams would ultimately be happier with a very good corner and some complementary pieces for the same price.

Kevin Kolb, QB

I know Kolb isn’t a free agent, but as a major trade target he will be a big part of the frenzy, so he is relevant here.

Arizona seems to be the team in the lead for his services, though they won’t get him easily because other teams are interested as well. The Cards are poised to pay a fortune for him—reports indicate that Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie and a high draft pick could go the other way.

I get extremely nervous any time a guy is dubbed a ‘savior’ even though he hasn’t played much. Matt Schaub has put up big numbers in Houston, but what have they won? Matt Cassel has had some success, but still has work to do to live up to the hype.

It’s hard to believe that Kolb can step on to a new team and work miracles right away, so a team is setting themselves, and their fans, up for frustration by making this trade.

Antonio Cromartie, CB

Asomugha is the market meter at corner, but Cromartie is perhaps the second most talented player in the class. This means the Jets CB is in for a serious payday. I think that would be a serious mistake.

The guy is a mental case, and I can only imagine what he would be like with a long, rich contract. He’d certainly be hard to trust.

Cromartie shared a backfield with the best corner in the league last year, yet he was almost invisible much of the time. He had a chance to be very special last year, but he didn’t rise to that challenge.

If the Jets don’t resign him then he’ll be signed to be the star of a backfield. I’m not at all sure he is up for that pressure.

Randy Moss, WR

I love Moss, and can’t wait until he is inducted in Canton. I wouldn’t want him on my team, even for free, right now, though.

The stories are being put out there aggressively by his agent right now—he’s fitter than ever, he’s hungry, and he is going to have a huge year. The only time an agent is so aggressive in telling a story is when he knows people need a lot of convincing to think that what he is selling is true.

Moss was a total disaster last year, and I have no faith at all that his attitude or his physical tools are going to be worth everything that goes with signing him this year.

Surely by now we have learned that signing great older receivers with attitudes usually is not a good idea.

Ronnie Brown, RB

This past draft class was very short of good running backs, and this free agent class isn’t much better. That means that teams are going to be desperate, and Brown is going to be a beneficiary of that. I am not convinced he is worth the risk or the expense.

He is a bruising running back that has been crashing into defenders for six years in the NFL. He has played just two complete seasons, and has missed significant time in two others. He’s 29-years-old, and for running backs, especially physical ones, that isn’t young.

Brown stands a pretty good chance of being a bust in my eyes.