2012 NFL Free Agents: John Abraham and Other Veteran DL Who Won't Get Re-Signed

It's never easy having to part ways with a veteran player who has done so much for the city and the organization.

Still, the NFL, at its core, remains a business, and franchises constantly have to put themselves in the best position financially to retain their best players.

With that said, here are some veteran defensive lineman that don't get re-signed by their 2011 team.

John Abraham

Last season, John Abraham made over $8 million when you include his signing bonus and other add-ons for the 2011 season. And he performed quite well, with 9.5 sacks, four forced fumbles and four tackles for loss. But the thing is, Abraham will be turning 34 years old before the 2012 season kicks off.

Now, the Falcons are expected to be in decent salary cap position, however, handing over $8 million to Abraham at his age isn't going to happen.

The man can still play, but the years are limited, so expect him to suit up in 2012, just not with Atlanta. Anyone needing a solid pass-rusher for the next few years could use Abraham in, at the very least, a limited role.

Andre Carter

Although it was only a one-year deal, the Patriots paid Andre Carter over $2 million with the signing bonus included, but it came to an unfortunate and abrupt end against the Broncos in the regular season.

Turning 33 years old before the 2012 season begins, Carter, if anything, will want to prove his health and that the injury didn't affect his agility, speed and ability to change directions on a dime.

After all, defensive ends who are pass-rush specialists need to have that strength to dart in any direction. New England, however, also must get younger along the defensive line, and Mark Anderson proved to be great when backing up Carter and then starting after his injury.

The Pats are expected to be in a good position with cap space, but it would be surprising to see them re-sign Carter, especially with two first-round picks in the draft.

Vonnie Holliday

More because the Arizona Cardinals are expected to have limited cap space than anything else, don't expect to see Vonnie Holliday back in The Grand Canyon State.

It's so much a matter of his contract demands, because the guy played for $1 million in 2011. By comparison to the rest of pro football, that's obviously not overdoing it.

As for Holliday, he's 36 years old, has spent the last four seasons with four different teams and six throughout his entire carer. Last season he hit career-lows (not including his 2004 season, as he only played in nine games) in tackles (16) and didn't record a sack .

By that token, it would be surprising if someone else gave Holliday a chance. With his age and lack of contribution in recent years, retirement appears an obvious choice.

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John Rozum on Twitter.