2012 NFL Free Agent Question of the Day for Every AFC East Team

What If the New England Patriots Don't Land Brandon Lloyd?

Long before free agency began—heck, long before the Patriots' season even ended—there was a link drawn between the Patriots and free agent receiver Brandon Lloyd. As many good reasons as there are to bring him in—from his experience in the offense to his comfort level with Josh McDaniels and his ability to stretch the field—there may be one very good reason not to: the possibility of him re-signing with the Rams, a thought once considered so far-fetched that none entertained it.

Well, entertain it. Rams COO Kevin Demoff told the Turf Show Times that the team engaged in talks with Lloyd and his agent at the combine, and the two sides plan to continue talking.

But just because the most popular girl in school may already have a date to the prom, that doesn't mean the Patriots have to go stag in 2012. And the Patriots may not even have to settle for the duff, either.

In fact, there are even some sexier options out there. We talked about Chargers receiver Vincent Jackson yesterday, but the possibilities are seemingly endless and include names like Steelers receiver Mike Wallace, Saints receiver Marques Colston and Chiefs receiver Dwayne Bowe. 

My dark horse candidate: Giants receiver Mario Manningham. The man who made the miraculous catch in Super Bowl XLVI has already said that he doesn't expect to be back with the Giants in 2012. He may not be the ideal fit, as he's not quite as polished as the others, but he has shown plenty of athletic ability and he became an ultra-reliable target for Eli Manning down the stretch.

Should the New York Jets Target Jarret Johnson?

According to a recent report from Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News, the Jets could be making a play for another Ravens linebacker: Jarret Johnson.

The Jets are in dire straits with the salary cap, and although they've begun giving themselves some room by restructuring the contract of tackle D'Brickashaw Ferguson, they still have holes to fill and not a lot of money to do it. Johnson would likely come on the cheap, having served primarily as a role player with the Ravens (72.9 percent of snaps), and Rex Ryan has spoken glowingly of him in the past.

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"I'll tell you a guy that's underrated is Jarret Johnson," Ryan said in September, according to JetsRant.com. "I mean he's had that label forever. We used to laugh about it. He's always a 'hard-working, blue-collar guy.' Well, that's what he is. He's tougher than heck, and he's a lot more talented than people give him credit for."

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Johnson is a sure-fire plug-and-play for the Jets defense, as he has experience in Rex Ryan's defense and has succeeded in it. But what the Jets need to be careful of is getting themselves into a similar situation as they did with Bart Scott, where they weren't ready to find his replacement. At 30, Johnson's at the magic age where he could likely wake up one morning as a much less effective player than he was the day before.

In terms of economy and need, though, the Jets would be wise to pursue Johnson.

Will Money Be Enough for the Buffalo Bills?

The Bills didn't wait long to start shopping around on the free-agent market. They put out feelers for the first player they possibly could when cornerback Stanford Routt inexplicably became a free agent in February. He promptly signed with the Kansas City Chiefs.

The Bills have quite a bit of cap space, according to Brian McIntyre of Football Outsiders. In fact, they have the most cap space of any AFC East team. They should be able to make a push for just about any free agent they want.

But money has been in their favor in the past, yet hasn't helped them land some of the bigger-name free agents. Have they cut corners on a few? Sure. Have they taken every opportunity to lock up the guys they want? Not exactly. 

The big-name free agent that should be at the top of the Bills'—and everyone's—list is defensive end Mario Williams. As the Bills switch back to the 4-3 look, they need ends that can put their hand in the dirt and get after the quarterback. Williams has proven he can do that for years and shouldn't be slowed down by a pectoral injury.

The Bills may have to overspend to get him suited up for their team, but with the amount of cap muscle they can flex, why wouldn't they do just that?

What if the Miami Dolphins Don't Land Peyton Manning?

I know, it seems like an outrageous thought. The Dolphins are the front-runners in the Manning sweepstakes, but believe it or not, there are actually other teams out there that would like to bring him in.

So, what if the Dolphins don't land Peyton Manning?

Well, there are other options at quarterback in the draft and in free agency, but none of them present the kind of "win-now" promise that Peyton potentially could bring to the team.

Among those options, of course, are Packers quarterback Matt Flynn, Texas A&M quarterback Ryan Tannehill, OSU quarterback Brandon Weeden and others.

All may not be lost if the team doesn't get Manning, as all of those quarterbacks present better long-term options that could make the Dolphins contenders for years to come.

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