NFL Free Agent Signings: Which Teams Will Corner the Market in Free Agency?

The wildest two weeks in NFL history kicked-off on Tuesday with few big splashes.

Tavaris Jackson is going to the Seattle Seahawks, Santana Moss is staying with the Washington Redskins and the San Diego Chargers signed Takeo Spikes.

All of these moves will have an impact, but this is just the calm before the storm. With the free agent list a country mile long, there are still endless amounts of activity to be taken care of.

There are teams with decisions to make that will have an impact on the franchise for not only this season…but the next five. Here are three teams that will be the most active during this hectic time in the life of the NFL.

1.) New York Jets

The first order of business for the Jets is what to do with the free agents on their own team. Will they able to re-sign receivers Braylon Edwards, Santonio Holmes and Brad Smith?

Odds are they can’t and the only question is which players do they covet the most.  Depending on who they decide to keep, the Jets will be looking at the open market for cheap additions at receiver. Players that have a solid NFL pedigree and have lost value over the years for whatever reason—players like Randy Moss and Chad Ochocino.

Rex Ryan has already proven to be fearless with bringing on older players with baggage…so this scenario certainly can’t be thrown out the window.

They also have to decide if they want defensive players Antonio Cromartie, Brodney Pool and Shaun Ellis back in green and white. All of them want raises and the Jets can’t afford to do it with all three.

Then there is the latest rumor first reported by Jenny Vrentas of The Star-Ledger.You know, the one that has connected the Jets to the prize free agent on the market in Nnamdi Asomugha.

No specifics on salary structure were mentioned but a defense sporting both Asomugha and Darrelle Revis would be inconceivable. Pay attention to this story going forward.

Add it all up and there are a ton of decision to be made in the Meadowlands and they will affect the rest of the NFL.

2.) Jacksonville Jaguars

The biggest factor for the Jags is the incredibly large amount of money they have to spend. Jacksonville is currently $41.9 million under the cap and has to spend that money according to the new CBA.

That shouldn’t be a huge problem considering they have so many holes to fill. Their entire starting unit of linebackers are free agents and the odds of retaining all three are unlikely. Guys like Stephen Nicholas, James Anderson and Barrett Rudd are all potential players to make their next career stop in Jacksonville.

They decided to use the draft to figure out their solution at QB by selecting Blaine Gabbert. Count them out of the QB free agency race.

TE Marcedes Lewis had a breakout season in 2010 and will be looking for a nice raise. If they are unwilling to meet his demands—expect the Jags to take a hard look at Zach Miller.

WR Mike Sims-Walker has plenty of suitors and will likely go to the highest bidder. That means the Jags will be very interested to see how the Jets handle their receivers and who is left for the taking. Expect them to look into taking a risk by bringing in Terrell Owens or Randy Moss as well.

The position they may spend the most money on is safety. They are losing Sean Considine to free agency and have been connected to Eric Weddle. He will be looking for a huge deal and the Jags are one of the only team that match up in terms of being able to spend the money and the extreme need. The Jags sported one of the worst pass defenses in the league a season ago.

3.) Miami Dolphins

The Dolphins are likely not going to re-sign running backs Ricky Williams and Ronnie Brown. That means they will be doing their due diligence in contacting other free agent backs like Cedric Benson, Ahmad Bradshaw and DeAngelo Williams. The three best backs on the market aren’t going to come cheap, but with $17 million in cap space—it’s not big deal. They are going to need somebody to help rookie Daniel Thomas, a guy that can’t be expected to carry the entire load in his first season.

They also need to take a serious look at finding another QB to at least provide some competition for Chad Henne.

Head coach Tony Soprano is clearly not ready to throw the towel in on him, but securing a reliable second option is vital for the new season. Guys like Kyle Orton, Marc Bulger, Donovan McNabb and Vince Young come to mind as potential options.

The defense ranked in the top 10 in both the pass and the rush; so don’t expect any major moves on that side of the ball. But if they are able to sway one of the top safeties on the market—they have the money to sign him. That means guys like Michael Huff, Eric Weddle and Brodney Pool are all potential solutions.

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