2012 NFL Free Agents: 3 Teams with the Most to Lose in Free Agency

Free agency tends to be a tricky process in the NFL, particularly for those teams coming off successful seasons. One day, you're a Super Bowl contender. The next, half your roster is gone and you're pushing up against the cap in search of capable replacements.

These three playoff teams know what I'm talkin' about, don't you, fellas?

New Orleans Saints

OK, so the chances of Drew Brees bolting the Bayou are about as slim as those of Dan Marino coming out of retirement to recapture his single-season passing record.

Still, the risk exists, if only because Brees is a free agent and will command big bucks on the open market.

Even if Brees does return to New Orleans, as is widely assumed, the offense he finds when he gets there may not be anywhere near the same as the one that last left the field at Candlestick Park in January. Marques Colston and Robert Meachem are both free to seek employment elsewhere and might just be too pricy for the Saints to satisfy.

Throw in the potential departures of Shaun Rogers, Aubrayo Franklin, Fabian Washington and Tracy Porter on the defensive side of the ball, and the Saints may well have to take a step or two back before they can move ahead to another title.

San Francisco 49ers

Like the Saints, the 49ers have a decision to make at quarterback, if only a formal one. Alex Smith is a free agent but did more than enough this season to show that he's worth keeping around for the foreseeable future.

Smith aside, San Francisco's front office will have some tough decisions to make on a number of surprising stars, including Ted Ginn Jr. and Joshua Morgan, along with starting offensive linemen Joe Staley and Adam Snyder.

Not to mention a slew of standouts from what was one of the NFL's stingiest defenses, namely Carlos Rogers, Dashon Goldson and Ahmad Brooks.

With all of those changes, the Niners might just need another Coach-of-the-Year-caliber performance out of Jim Harbaugh to duplicate their shocking success from 2011.

Baltimore Ravens

The going won't likely be any easier for the other Harbaugh brother in Baltimore. First and foremost, Jim's Ravens will have to pony up to keep two-time Pro Bowler Ray Rice, who led the team in rushing and receptions once again.

Then there's the issue of maintaining or reshuffling the interior of the offensive line, from which Matt Birk and Ben Grubbs may be gone by the start of training camp.

And that's without even so much as a peep about Joe Flacco, who's entering the final year of his deal and will be in search of a big payday of his own.

At least the starting defense will still be intact—pending a decision on Lardarius Webb, that is.

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