NFL Free Agent Rumors: Best Bargains on the Free-Agent Market

NFL free agents! On your mark...get set...GO!

The starting gun is about to fire on a rather abbreviated free agency period now that the players and owners have agreed on a new collective bargaining agreement and the lockout has finally been lifted.

With training camps set to open up immediately and the first preseason games just two weeks away, teams and players have little time to waste to figure out who will be playing where and for how much when the 2011 season gets underway.

All eyes will be fixated on the beaucoup bucks brandished toward big names like Nnamdi Asomugha, Sidney Rice and LaMarr Woodley, whose talents will be handsomely rewarded by franchises with deep pockets and eyes for quick fixes.

Not that these guys don't deserve the money they'll make, but they certainly won't make the list for the best dollar-for-dollar values in this stunted offseason. Plenty of productive but under-appreciated players will find new homes in the next week or so, with the prospect of giving their respective teams tremendous bang for their buck.

Here, then, are 10 guys currently flying somewhere relatively under the radar who boast the proper combination of low-key and high-yield to be robust pick-ups at bargain basement prices.  

Kevin Boss, Tight End

Kevin Boss has quietly developed into one of the most reliable and well-rounded tight ends in the NFL today.

Boss' numbers have never exactly made for eye-opening material, thanks in large part to the success of the receivers that have been around him with the Giants, though his production (35 catches, 531 yards, five touchdowns) is certainly nothing to sneeze at.

The 27-year-old veteran may be on the outs in New York with second-year youngster Travis Beckum ready to step up his game. However, with his size (6'6", 253 pounds) and ability to catch and block, Boss should have no trouble landing on his feet elsewhere in the league.  

Todd Heap, Tight End

It's the end of an era, folks: Todd Heap is no longer a member of the Baltimore Ravens.

The Ravens decided to cut the two-time Pro Bowler after 11 years of service with the team, during which he's established himself as one of the smartest and most sure-handed tight ends in the game.

Heap put in another productive season in 2010, catching 40 passes for 599 yards and five touchdowns as part of an emerging offense in Baltimore.

The emergence of Ed Dickson made Heap something of an expendable luxury, though it won't likely be long until someone comes calling for the veteran's services. 

At 31 years of age, he may no longer be the spry young chick he once was, but he's still a highly productive player who knows how to win football games. Heap appears a strong bet to land with the Arizona Cardinals, thereby giving him a chance to play close to home.

Santana Moss, Wide Receiver

Like Heap, Santana Moss has spent 11 seasons in the NFL and has never failed to be a productive player.

Despite flying under the radar since his days with the Jets, the speedy wideout caught a career-high 93 passes last season for 1,115 yards and six touchdowns.

An impressive feat in and of itself but even moreso when considering how tumultuous the Redskins' quarterbacking situation was last year.

Given the excruciating lack of depth at wide receiver in Washington, Mike Shanahan will likely make a concerted effort to keep Moss around for at least another year or two.

However, should Moss seek gainful employment elsewhere—a return home to Miami, perhaps—he will make a happy team out of whichever is lucky enough to land him.

Mike Sims-Walker, Wide Receiver

As far as big, physical wide receivers are concerned, Mike Sims-Walker may be the best value of the free agent bunch.

The fifth-year veteran out of Central Florida emerged as a solid red zone threat for the Jacksonville Jaguars, scoring seven touchdowns in each of the last two seasons along with combined totals of 106 catches for 1,431 yards.

And, at just 26 years old, Sims-Walker's best football may still be ahead of him.

There's certainly no shortage of teams looking for help in the pass-catching department (i.e. the Bears, Vikings, Chiefs, Jets, Redskins, Rams, etc.). As such, Sims-Walker should be able to find a new team and a good salary when all is said and done.

Dhani Jones, Linebacker

Like a fine wine or a classic melody, Dhani Jones has seemingly gotten better with age.

Which is an amazing feat in and of itself, given how few players in the NFL succeed past their mid-to-late 20s.

Jones appears to have found his comfort zone in Cincinnati, where he logged a career-high 125 tackles with the Bengals last season. All indications are that Jones wants to return to Cincy, where he has apparently found the fountain of youth while playing under Marvin Lewis.

Whether the Bengals are as interested in retaining him remains to be seen.

Brodney Pool, Safety

Darrelle Revis has overshadowed opposing wide-outs as well as his own teammates with his dominance in the Meadowlands.

Consider safety Brodney Pool among those players who may not be as appreciated as they should be thanks in part to Revis' amazing play. Of course, much of Pool's anonymity may be attributed to his first five seasons with the woebegone Cleveland Browns, though his move up to New York did little to damper his production.

Pool still accounted for 53 tackles, an interception and a fumble recovery while manning the free safety position on the Jets' vaunted defense. 

The Browns could bring Brodney back, as could the Raiders, the Jaguars, the Colts, the 49ers, the Cowboys or the Saints.

That is, if the Jets blow their money on Nnamdi Asomugha and can't re-sign Pool as a result.

Brandon Mebane, Defensive Tackle

Brandon Mebane may seem like a strange pick here, given that he's due to make lots and lots of money this offseason.

However, that's not to say he won't still be a terrific bargain at any price. The fifth-year veteran out of Cal has developed into a stout run-stuffer at the defensive tackle position for the Seahawks, sparking Seattle's improvement on defense over the last two seasons.

Mebane's stats aren't particularly gaudy (31 tackles, five stuffs) but he has the strength, the build and the determination to be a tremendous tackle for many years to come.

As such, look for Pete Carroll to make every effort to keep him in Seattle while fending off the Rams, the Titans, the Broncos and the Chiefs, among others.

Joseph Addai, Running Back

For those teams with a need for a running back but without lots of money to spend, Joseph Addai may represent a solid option.

Addai did have his fair share of injury problems last season and ceded many of his carries to Donald Brown in the process but still has plenty of good ground game left in the tank.

With his last 1,000-year season now three years behind him, the six-year veteran will be out to prove that he's not washed up just yet. That being the case, Addai won't likely command that hefty of a sum on the market.

Look for a team in need of some backfield depth to take a chance on Addai with the hope that he's got the legs to put up another 600 yards or so.

Darren Sproles, Running Back

Darren Sproles has never been used much as a running back in the NFL, maxing out thus far at 93 carries in a single season, though the guy may yet be capable of doing more than just fielding kicks and punts.

At 5'6" and 190 pounds, Sproles isn't exactly of the proper size to be an every-down back, but he certainly has the speed and agility to contribute more on the ground than he has thus far in San Diego.

Certainly someone will spring for a guy who's averaged 4.6 yards per carry in limited action through six pro seasons.