2012 NFL Free Agent Predictions: Risky Vets Who Won't Be Re-Signed by 2011 Team

This offseason there's clearly been an extreme amount of attention toward Peyton Manning, the 2012 NFL Draft and other potential/anticipated changes since the regular season ended.

And with franchises needing to consider the market for making improvements, another way is to not re-sign players as well. In this case, veterans who have either underachieved, aged, dealt with injuries and/or a combo of the three.

That said, here are some vets who won't get re-signed by the 2011 team.

Rex Grossman: QB, Redskins

If the Washington Redskins were to re-sign Rex Grossman and somehow not land a quarterback this offseason it would be very surprising to see Mike Shanahan last the entire 2012 season.

At his best, Grossman has proven only to be an average NFL quarterback and only twice has he played in more than 10 games in a season. He's thrown 56 touchdowns to 60 interceptions, has a career 55.3 completion percentage and 10 fumbles in the past 17 games.

Now he was also subject to virtually zero help on a dismal Redskins offense, however, Grossman's also turning 32 years old before 2012 kicks off and Washington needs a change right now.

Even if the Redskins do re-sign him and land another quarterback this offseason, no one is going to want to see Rex under center.

All this being said, if Grossman does remain a Redskin, expect them to acquire another quarterback first, otherwise dire straits will continue.

Anthony Gonzalez: WR, Colts

Although Anthony Gonzalez will be turning just 28 years old at the beginning of the 2012 season, he's had way too many injuries for the Indianapolis Colts to consider re-signing him.

After all, the Colts still have to worry about other healthy, young players such as Pierre Garcon and Jacob Tamme.

Now include other veterans like Peyton Manning and Jeff Saturday and the Colts simply have too much to worry about with Gonzalez as his health has mauled significant playing time. Despite 2011 being his fifth NFL season, Gonzalez has only played in 40 career games (postseason included).

Unfortunately, 29 of those games came within his first two seasons in the league, so 11 games in three seasons just doesn't cut it. When healthy though, Gonzalez was a solid and reliable threat, but there's no use when the pads aren't on.

And despite playing in eight games during 2011, he didn't record a reception.

The good news is that since he's still rather young, a few teams at the very least will likely consider his skill set. Indianapolis, however, must go in another direction as other free agents and health are more of a concern.

Adam Jones: CB, Bengals

An overrated cornerback, Adam Jones has spent five NFL seasons with three different franchises and has played in just 13 games the past two seasons.

In 2011, the Cincinnati Bengals defense ranked No. 9 against the pass, No. 10 against the run and allowed average total of only 316 yards per game.

Their weakest link however was Jones, who usually was helped over the top by a safety, thus leaving Nate Clements in numerous single coverage situations.

It was Cincinnati's best bet to shutdown opposing offenses and it worked against teams who weren't overly explosive. That said, the Bengals could really propel their defense into the top five by drafting a corner in Round 1 or landing a guy like Cortland Finnegan or Rashean Mathis via the market.

Also, Jones ranked No. 105 in success count (by Advanced NFL stats) while breaking up just six passes.

The Bengals finished ranked No. 7 in total defense with Jones in a limited, yet, unproductive role. Replace him for someone even slightly better, and Cincinnati ranks in the top five while matching up better against more high-powered offenses.

Andre Carter: DE, Patriots

There's a few reasons why the New England Patriots need not re-sign Andre Carter, however, none of which have to do with his productivity.

Carter was a great pass rusher for Bill Belichick, recording 10 sacks through roughly 14 games with two forced fumbles and 52 tackles. Unfortunately, his season was cut short due to injury, and he's also going to be 33 years old before 2012 begins.

In addition, Mark Anderson stepped up big time in going from a backup to starter with Carter out, so remaining young on defense is vital to maintaining that long-term success. Carter is no doubt, still a serviceable defensive end, but a season-ending injury combined with age is a cause for concern.

Therefore, don't expect New England to re-sign him, especially since it also has two first-round picks in the draft.

Fortunately, Carter is too talented to not go unnoticed as his 76 career sacks, 17 forced fumbles and 494 tackles are worthy of consideration. Any team needing to add depth on the defensive line can use him, and he will produce in a specifically limited/restricted role.

Just don't expect that to be the Pats as they're virtually getting younger at every position, except of course at quarterback with Tom Brady. But, with good reason.

John Rozum on Twitter.