2012 NFL Free Agency: 6 Overpriced Vets Who Will Demand More Than They Deserve

Winning the free agency battle in the offseason is no guarantee of success when the games actually start. The 2011 Philadelphia Eagles are certainly proof of that axiom.

But key signings can improve a team greatly, and there are some excellent players heading to the market in 2012.

There are a handful of impeding free agents who are unlikely to go anywhere; Ray Rice, Drew Brees, Matt Forte and Wes Welker chief among them. Their teams would be foolish to let talent like that walk.

So let's take a look at a few of the guys who may switch teams and get paid way too much in the process.

Vincent Jackson Has Nice Numbers, but Would Demand Too Much Money

Vincent Jackson has been a tall, break-away target for Philip Rivers since his second year in the league. He has shown that he has talent to spare and has been the best receiver for the San Diego Chargers for the past few years.

He has racked up 1,077 yards on 58 receptions this season and has scored eight touchdowns. But despite these excellent numbers, there are a few troubling signs to any potential buyers for Jackson's services.

Jackson's holdout during the 2010 season after a brush with the law and a four-game suspension for violating the league's personal conduct policy shows that he could be a potential problem in his team's locker room.

In addition, he can be a streaky receiver. He can have huge games, but he can also disappear for long stretches of time.

Jackson will demand a top-tier contract. Let teams be wary of signing Jackson, however!

DeSean Jackson Will Get Paid, but He'll Be a Liability

Perhaps the fastest receiver in the league, DeSean Jackson is a big-play talent who can make opposing teams' secondaries look ridiculous.

Like Vincent Jackson with the Chargers, DeSean Jackson wanted a new contract from the Philadelphia Eagles prior to this season. He didn't get it, and instead of holding out, he played. Of course, using the word "played" is an extremely loose term.

For most of the season, he seemed to be dialing it in and barely trying to run his routes with any degree of crispness. Although head coach Andy Reid defended him, an expose from the NFL Network seemed to imply that his teammates and his coach were disappointed with his attitude early in the season.

Along with this seemingly disturbing lack of effort, Jackson is a smallish "burner" receiver (at 5'10'' and 175 lbs.) who could succumb to injury quickly due to his diminutive size.

Jackson is a veteran who will disappoint whichever team signs him.

Robert Mathis Will Be in High Demand, but Won't Pay off

Robert Mathis is the premier pass-rusher in a free agent class that features very few upper-echelon sack artists.

That very fact will push his asking price higher than it should be.

Mathis has been an extremely effective bookend for one half of the Colts' superstar pass-rush tandem. Dwight Freeney has been the rock on the right side and Mathis typically rushes from the left. Mathis gets off the line quickly and has an impressive array of moves to get around offensive linemen. He is also adept at game-changing strip sacks.

But despite these assets, he is very much a product of the Colts' system. Their undersized defense is predicated on the Colts' offense building a lead and then letting their speedy defensive ends pin their ears back to get to the opposing teams' quarterbacks.

Other high-profile Colts players who have gone to other teams have fallen off the map (notably Dominic Rhodes and Nick Harper).

Mathis is also a liability when teams rush the ball, and he can get pushed around in running situations. Mathis will demand a high price, but teams would be wise to think twice before signing him.

Falcons' Defensive End John Abraham Will Disappoint

John Abraham has been an excellent defensive end for the Atlanta Falcons since 2006 and before that for the New York Jets from 2000-2005.

He is an impact player who has the strength and speed to get to the quarterback with authority.

At the age of 34, however, he is on the downward slope of his career, and his sack numbers are sure to go down as he loses a step.

With 8.5 sacks this year, he has had a statistically good season, but defensive ends in their mid-30s are not good investments.

Cortland Finnegan Would Be Too Expensive for His Services

Cortland Finnegan has had a decent six-year career with the Tennessee Titans. He is a good cornerback who is good in coverage and has the toughness to compete with bigger receivers for the ball.

Finnegan's performance on the field has been somewhat overshadowed by his kerfuffle with Andre Johnson of the Houston Texans last season. In addition, he yakked about his dissatisfaction with his contract before the season this year.

Although he's only 27 years old and still can be an excellent piece of a team's secondary, his off-the-field liabilities will make him a poor acquisition for teams that may be interested in his services.

Stevie Johnson Hasn't Shown Enough to Warrant a Fat Contract

Stevie Johnson has been a revelation the past couple of years as the Buffalo Bills' showboating wide receiver.

He has 964 yards this year on 72 receptions and has an impressive 13.4 yards-per-catch average. Last year be broke out and established himself as the Bills' No. 1 receiver with over 1,000 yards on 82 catches.

While these numbers look fantastic, his exploits mask a tendency to come up small in big games. Johnson's dropped passes at the end of their crucial game against the New York Jets a couple weeks ago is a troubling sign that Stevie may not be a clutch kind of guy.

While he still has upside and will no doubt get a huge contract from someone, Johnson is not a good investment due to his proclivity to shrink when games are tight.