NFL Free Agent Signings: Top 20 Risky, Yet Successful Snags of Past Decade

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The lockout is over, and football is back. That being said, all NFL teams can officially begin pursuing key free agents for the 2011 season.

With the chance of reward for a top player comes the risk of inconsistency or injury. Some past success stories of the decade include Drew Brees and Priest Holmes, who propelled their teams to the playoffs after injury, and minimal chances to prove themselves.

The 2011 NFL free agent class isn't filled with a ton of risky players, DeAngelo Williams being the only notable one, but every year is sure to bring surprises.

Not many players will make headlines this week the way Brett Favre has the past two seasons, but what teams will pursue Donovan McNabb? And, can McNabb ever be seen down the road as a Super Bowl winning quarterback? These questions were answered by many great players in the last 10 years.

Who had the biggest impact after being given the chance to shine? Let's look at the candidates...

20. LeGarrette Blount (Tampa Bay Buccaneers)

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This Buccaneers rookie couldn't have asked for a better second chance, so early in his NFL career. He was suspended for the season in 2009 after punching a Boise State player in the face; the fight made headlines for months.

After being signed by the Titans, and later getting cut after his second altercation, Blount was signed by Tampa Bay in 2010. 

He flourished along with the rest of Tampa's young offense. Blount started only seven games (13 played), and rushed for over 1,000 yards. He's the running back of the future for the team, and their gigantic risk payed off. Blount has shaped up his attitude, and is focused on success in the NFL.

19. Jevon Kearse (Philadelphia Eagles)

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Jevon Kearse's impact couldn't have been bigger after the Eagles signed him in 2004. He presented a major risk for the team after several injured seasons with Tennessee, but Philadelphia went to the Super Bowl in 2004.

Kearse had 7.5 sacks in 2004, and only two strong/moderately healthy seasons with the Eagles, but his big contract wasn't a waste by any means.

If not for his presence off the edge, perhaps the Eagles never would have gotten to their only Super Bowl under Andy Reid. 

18. Joe Horn (New Orleans Saints)

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The signing of Joe Horn by the Saints in 2000 was gutsy to say the least. To put things into perspective, he started just two of the first 49 games of his career with the Kansas City Chiefs.

After putting on the black and gold, Horn developed into arguably the franchise's best all-time receiver. He eclipsed 1,200 yards in four of seven seasons, and scored at least seven touchdowns in five. 

Horn was also known for his touchdown celebrations, further underlining his ability to reach the end zone. The Saints struggled through most of his years, but Horn gave them talent at its utmost. 

17. Brian Dawkins (Denver Broncos)

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Yes, Brian Dawkins was an All-Pro safety before he arrived in Denver, but he was also 36 years old and coming off a subpar  year when he reached the "Mile High City."

Nobody expected Dawkins to put up the numbers he did in 2009, so brace yourself... He recorded a whopping 116 tackles and deflected 11 passes to go along with two interceptions. Dawkins excelled on a Broncos defense that also had Champ Bailey and Elvis Dumervil, but he meant the most to that team in the end.

Perhaps Dawkins made Broncos fans feel like John Lynch was lining up in the defensive backfield again, he was that great. 

16. Jamal Lewis (Cleveland Browns)

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When the Browns took the chance on an already jailed and aging Jamal Lewis in 2007, they were paid major dividends.

Lewis' career already included a 2,066 yard rushing season, and as mentioned, he was imprisoned on a drug charge in 2005, making him a risk to have in any locker room.

Coupled with Derek Anderson's magical season in 2007, Lewis rushed for over 1,300 yards and nine touchdowns, leading the Browns to a 10-6 season.

He captured the hearts of Cleveland fans with his bruiser style, and it's not like the Browns overpaid to get him. Lewis was the best free agent gamble the Browns had signed in a long time. 

15. Willie Parker (Pittsburgh Steelers)

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Willie Parker was a nice talent coming out of the University of North Carolina, but it wasn't until the Steelers signed him as an undrafted rookie that he got to showcase that blazing speed. 

He was signed in 2004, but it wasn't until 2005 that Parker actually started in his first game. He then reeled off three straight seasons of magical numbers (all 1,200+ rushing yards), and played a key role with a long touchdown run in the 2005 Super Bowl win against the Seahawks.

Parker went on to be a part of Pittsburgh's 2008-09 title run as well, and although he's no longer with the team, "Fast Willie" will not be forgotten for his success.

14. Thomas Jones (New York Jets)

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You can go so far as to say that if the Jets didn't have Thomas Jones' 1,400+ yard season in 2009, there's no way they would have made the playoffs, especially when considering Mark Sanchez's poor play.

New York signed Jones in 2007, but the risk in signing him was the fact that he was nearing 30 years old, and Cedric Benson had been taking carries away from Jones while in Chicago, which meant a lessened workload.

The Jets eventually let him go after three seasons, but Jones had at least 1,100 rushing yards and was able to maintain an average of over 300 carries per season. He got paid while with the Jets, but backed up the big checks with stellar play.

13. Jake Delhomme (Carolina Panthers)

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It might sound crazy, but Jake Delhomme deserves to be slated at a decently high spit on this list. 

After functioning as the back up quarterback with the Saints for the initial five years of his career, Delhomme was signed and immediately offered the starting quarterback job by the Panthers in 2003. Some how, he led a resilient Panthers team past the St. Louis Rams, all the way to the Super Bowl against the New England Patriots. The Panthers lost, but he proved his worth.

Delhomme again led Carolina to the playoffs in 2008, which was closer to the end of his tenure with the team. He had done a great job winning games without the need of flashy statistics, and to this day, Delhomme is the best quarterback in Carolina's history. 

12. Mike Vrabel (New England Patriots)

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As a part of all three Super Bowl titles for the Patriots, Mike Vrabel functioned mostly as a solid linebacker on a defense-oreiented team, but he also caught touchdowns as a tight end, one coming in the Super Bowl.

He was drafted by the Steelers and never started a single game in four seasons for the linebacker-heavy defense.

Obviously, the Patriots minimized the risk of acquiring Vrabel with a significantly smaller contract, but he turned out to be everything the team could have asked for. He had just one season with at least 100 tackles, but Vrabel was able to get to the quarterback at a consistent pace.

For a guy who barely saw the field in his first four years, New England found a diamond in the rough.

11. James Harrison (Pittsburgh Steelers)

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Now a hard-nosed Defensive Player of the Year winner, it took James Harrison a long time to get to where he is now. In fact, after going undrafted, Harrison was cut by the Steelers three times before signing for good, and becoming one of the best players in the NFL.

Harrison isn't higher on this list because Pittsburgh didn't risk all that much by signing him, the team had already seen a lot of him prior to 2007, when he became a permanent starter.

Perhaps there isn't a more feared man in the NFL than Harrison, and he takes pride in holding the reputable Steelers defense together with the help of Troy Polamalu. 

Had Harrison not taken an interception 99 yards for a touchdown in the 2009 Super Bowl, the Steelers wouldn't have won the game.

10. Jonathan Vilma (New Orleans Saints)

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Jonathan Vilma was a top-five linebacker in his first three seasons with the Jets, but a devastating injury put him on the shelf after seven games in 2007, which eventually led to his arrival with the Saints in 2008.

Vilma has shredded opposing offenses since suiting up for New Orleans, averaging around 115 tackles per season with the team, and leading the defense to a Super Bowl victory in 2009. 

The Saints took the chance of risking big bucks for a young but damaged Vilma, the results resemble a flourishing and fiercely led line backing corps. 

9. Michael Turner (Atlanta Falcons)

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It's hard to figure why Atlanta Falcons offered Michael Turner a contract. At the time, he was a 26-year-old running back with four seasons under his belt, and only one game started out of 59.

He arrived on the seen in Atlanta and turned heads with a stunning season of 1,699 rushing yards and 17 touchdowns in 2008. Turner continued the rich tradition of a strong running game in Atlanta when he arrived, and the team is now cashing in with the coupling of Matt Ryan's great quarterback skills.

Atlanta's "hunch" about Turner was off of just about nothing, besides the fact that everybody knew he had great speed. Now, he's "The Burner," and is still making defenses look silly trying to slow him down. 

8. Terrell Owens (Philadelphia Eagles)

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Terrell Owens had established that he'd be going to the Hall of Fame while with San Francisco, but Philadelphia's decision to acquire him in 2004 was an excellent one.

He presents more risk than almost anyone in league history because of his sickening ego, and although Owens did bring drama because of a contract situation, he gave the Eagles a monster wideout.

Owens had 1,200 yards and 14 touchdowns in 2004, then later came out to play in the Super Bowl against New England although his ankle was "weeks away from healing" according to team doctors. 

Owens had the game of his life in the Super Bowl, setting a receptions record in the game, but the Eagles lost a heart breaker. He was on a pace for a record season in 2005 before tearing his ACL, and Owens' Philadelphia career came to an abrupt end.

In the end, he meant everything to the Eagles during his short tenure, and the risk was worth the numbers he put up.

7. Michael Vick (Philadelphia Eagles)

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Don't go crazy that he's not higher on this list, instead think about this...

The only risk the Eagles took by signing Vick in 2009 was that of giving a criminal a second chance, and facing the media. Philadelphia signed him with the intentions of acquiring a back up for Kevin Kolb, until Vick blew the NFL away with his unlikely comeback.

The Eagles might have struck the best player on the list, but they offered him a small contract, sort of in the form of a test run.

He has been the biggest story and league's main attraction since returning, and it's been for all the right reasons.

6. Corey Dillon (New England Patriots)

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He was a driving force in New England's 2004-05 Super Bowl run. Corey Dillon was the focal point of the offense for the Patriots, because he was running for touchdowns prior to the years when Tom Brady discovered his elite talents.

In that same season, which was also his only effective one in three years with the Pats, Dillon had 1,635 yards and 12 touchdowns.

Miraculously, he managed to have his best statistical season as a pro after already playing seven years with the Bengals, and coming off an injury-plagued 2003 season.

He was an excellent signing for Robert Kraft.

5. Charles Woodson (Green Bay Packers)

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He's old, but after capturing the Defensive Player of the Year Award in 2009 and terrorizing the league in 2010, Charles Woodson signified his importance to the Packers.

Green Bay signed him in 2006, a year after he played just six games in Oakland, and was nearing the age of 30. Woodson obviously wasted no time decorating his career with awards and now a Super Bowl, maybe giving himself a chance at a Hall of Fame bust, too.

At this very moment, Woodson, 34, ranks no lower than third on a list of the league's top corner backs. He had 92 tackles this past season and was a team leader on defense.

4. Priest Holmes (Kansas City Chiefs)

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Injuries derailed Priest Holmes' late prime with the Chiefs, but they're given credit for finding a star out of a third-string running back for the Baltimore Ravens.

With the Chiefs, he set a single season rushing touchdown record with 27 in 2003, which was later broken by LaDainian Tomlinson. The year before that, Holmes scored 21 touchdowns.

Holmes started two games with the Ravens a season prior to joining the Chiefs, and he made that offense in Kansas City one of the most prolific. 

Everything went downhill for him in 2004, when he was on pace for about 1,700 yards and 28 touchdowns before suffering a season-ending injury after eight games.

Holmes exuded dominance, but had Kansas City not gambled on him after being shelved for most of his time in Baltimore, we would have never gotten the privilege of seeing him play.

3. Brett Favre (Minnesota Vikings)

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This list wouldn't be complete without the most controversial player in NFL history. After an up-and-down season with the Jets in 2008, the Minnesota Vikings took a stab at him for one "final" season.

As for risks, he was over 40 years old, showed a lot of inconsistency in New York, and could drive the team crazy because of the amount of attention he brings to the media.

Favre was unbelievable, and he had his best statistical season of his career, to the tune of 33 touchdowns and seven interceptions. He led the Vikings all the way to the NFC Championship before losing to New Orleans, and he beat the Packers twice that season.

Anything short of a championship was probably an unsuccessful season for Favre, but he showed resiliency at its finest, and proved most of the football world wrong with his great decision making. 

Keep in mind that the risk of letting Favre go also paid off in the form of Aaron Rodgers for the Packers.

2. Kurt Warner (Arizona Cardinals)

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Why the Cardinals wanted Kurt Warner after three injured seasons with the Rams and Giants in 2002-2004 is beyond me.

He surely looked to be on his way out, but Warner's first full season with the Cardinals came in 2008 after playing with the team since 2005. He hadn't played a full season seven years. Of course, Warner took the Cardinals to the Super Bowl against the Steelers, and lost in devastating fashion.

Looking back on it now, he was the perfect fit for a team loaded with passing weapons like Larry Fitzgerald and Anquan Boldin. The Cardinals saw a chance at obtaining a great playoff quarterback, and he dismantled the Panthers and Eagles on his way to the title game.

Yes, Warner's career was at a standstill when Arizona signed him, and yes, he was pretty old, but playoff toughness and great decision making can't be taught. Arizona's risk resulted in the first resurrection of the franchise, and the resurgence of an unlikely hero.

1. Drew Brees (New Orleans Saints)

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Drew Brees' signing with the Saints is a tail of triumph, leadership, and the start of a Hall of Fame career.

He was signed in 2006, which happened to be the year after Hurricane Katrina destroyed the city, and also the same year Sean Payton took over as the head coach.

Brees had spent five previous up-and-down seasons in San Diego, and after the Miami Dolphins passed on him in the 2006 offseason, Payton chose Brees as the right guy to bring New Orleans to its feet again.

Brees responded with confidence and an infectious personality that the fans loved him for. Then, in 2009, he rewarded the city of New Orleans with a Super Bowl. He has put up HOF numbers in all five seasons with the team, and Brees is regularly in discussions about today's best quarterbacks.

Considering how much the city of New Orleans had already gone through, it was worth taking the risk of signing a talent like Brees, who wasn't given a chance by any other team in free agency, and wanted to build his legacy in a city that needed to experience success more than anyone in the NFL.

He is the best thing that ever happened to the Saints, and could very well be the best signing in league history.