NFL: Grading the Major Free Agent Acquisitions

We're in the midst of one of my favorite times of the year. Although it's been crazy and weird like it usually is, it's been fun to see what has transpired.

We've seen Peyton Manning leave the only team he's ever known to head out west to Denver. We've seen Mario Williams, perhaps one of the best defensive players in the NFL, leave the AFC South for the AFC East. And the crazy thing is:  we're not done yet.

There are still plenty of things that can happen between now and the NFL Draft in April.

Not to mention, there are still a lot of quality players on the market, such as receiver Mike Wallace, tight end Dallas Clark, quarterback Alex Smith, running backs Cedric Benson and Michael Bush, among other.

So needless to say, the NFL can get shaken up even more.

And I, for one, am excited to see what could happen over the next few weeks.

But for now, we can just talk about what has happened.

In this slideshow, I hand out my grades on the major free agent acquisitions that have happened thus far.

Note: I did feature one re-signing in the slideshow, but I was not going to go over every re-signing, even though there were some key players that were brought back to their respective teams.

Peyton Heads West

The Deal: Denver Broncos sign QB Peyton Manning to a five-year, $96 million deal.

Now there are two separate grades for this. There's the grade that the Broncos receive for actually signing Peyton and there's the grade that John Elway and Co. receive for the money they're giving Peyton.

I'll be the first to tell you that I'm a humongous Manning fan. I've been watching him for as long as I can remember, and it is definitely sad to not see him in Indianapolis anymore. It's definitely going to be weird to not see No. 18 there, but the Andrew Luck era will begin once the draft rolls around and I consider that to be a great consolation prize.

The Colts just didn't want to pay Manning $28 million and I understand that. The quarterback has reportedly had four neck surgeries in the last year, and it remains uncertain as to how well he can play on the field. If I were Jim Irsay and the front office, I would have done the same thing in letting Manning go.

Once he officially became a free agent, the Miami Dolphins, Tennessee Titans, San Francisco 49ers, Arizona Cardinals and the Broncos all courted and coveted him. He ended up going to the Broncos on a five-year, $96 million deal which is insane for Manning at this point in his career.

Personally, I believe Peyton would have done better in San Francisco, but that's just the way things happen.

The Broncos will now usher in a new era, although it's likely to be quick. Now the only question is: what to do with Tim Tebow? For some odd reason, I believe Tebow will be a Jaguar or a Dolphin at some point soon, but that is neither here or there.

There's no doubt that the Broncos did well in signing Peyton if he can play at 100-percent, of course. But is it worth almost $19 million per season? No it is not. Because even though I'm a gigantic Peyton supporter, he's probably got a good two-to-three years left as a great quarterback.

Grade (for actually signing Peyton): B

Grade (for the contract): D+

Vincent Jackson Finally Leaves San Diego

The Deal: Tampa Bay signs WR Vincent Jackson to a five-year, $55 million contract

It was long expected that Jackson would not return to San Diego for the 2012 season and he didn't.

On the first day of free agency, it was announced that Jackson had reached a deal with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who had the most cap space in the NFL.

There's no doubt that they got things rolling with the acquisition of Jackson, who is one of the best receivers in the game, albeit very inconsistent.

Although it comes at about $11 million per season, it's a good signing for Tampa Bay, who struggled in the passing game last season with players like Dezmon Briscoe, Preston Parker, Sammie Stroughter, Mike Williams and Arrelious Benn catching passes from Josh Freeman.

So needless to say, the Buccaneers needed to add a true No. 1 receiver for Freeman, who has had an up-and-down NFL career thus far. And they did that by signing Jackson. This gives Freeman a legitimate option and the opportunity to develop into a solid NFL quarterback.

It'll probably be shaky at first, as Jackson needs a learn an entirely new system, but the duo should be able to get things going within a few weeks of the start of the season.

The Buccaneers did the right thing in signing Jackson, a type of player that can help turn the franchise around.

Grade: B

One-Year Wonder? Jacksonville Doesn't Think so

The Deal: Jacksonville signs WR Laurent Robinson to a five-year, $32.5 million deal

Laurent Robinson was one of the biggest player-surprises of the 2011 season, as he seemingly came out of nowhere to become one of Tony Romo's favorite targets in Dallas.

When Miles Austin and Dez Bryant went down with injuries, Robinson stepped in and played spectacular.

A draft pick in 2007, Robinson had bounced around the NFL before landing in Texas and getting the opportunity to flourish once Austin and Bryant went down. As stated above, his play was phenomenal, as he accumulated 54 receptions for 858 yards and eleven touchdowns in just fourteen games.

There's no doubt that Robinson played great, but it remains to be seen if he can actually keep it up.

The Jaguars apparently think he can, as they inked him to a five-year deal worth approximately $32.5 million. Jacksonville had the worst receiving corps in the NFL last season with players like Mike Thomas, Chastin West, Cecil Shorts III, Brian Robiskie, Taylor Price and others roaming the field. Because of that, quarterback Blaine Gabbert had a lackluster rookie campaign and some fans are already wondering if he is a bust.

Gabbert will likely be the team's starter heading into training camp, as he will battle with free agent acquisition Chad Henne. And apparently, the team believes that since they acquired Robinson, Gabbert should have a much better sophomore season.

But I don't know if that will happen. Yes, the Robinson story was nice last season, and it really helped my fantasy football teams, but I somewhat think he's just going to be a one-trick pony.

If the Jaguars had signed Robinson to a deal in the range of five years and $20 million, it'd be a different story. But it just feels like that Robinson is not going to be worth what he's going to get paid in Jacksonville.

Grade: C-

Super Mario Leaves the Hot for the Cold

The Deal: Buffalo signs DE/LB Mario Williams to a six-year, $100 million deal

The most coveted defensive player in this year's free agency class landed in Buffalo this off-season. Yes, Buffalo as in the Buffalo Bills.

The Bills, led by Ryan Fitzpatrick and Fred Jackson, got off to a hot start last season and it looked at one point that we could have seen them in the postseason. But that wasn't the case, as they faded down the stretch and missed the playoffs yet again.

But the future holds bright for the Bills, especially after the acquisition of Williams, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2006 draft.

Williams has been one of the best defensive players in the NFL over the last few years and many wondered if the Texans had the capabilities of re-signing him. Like the Bills, the Texans are on the up-and-up, but it seemed difficult for the team to re-sign Williams, center Chris Myers and left tackle Eric Winston, who ultimately signed with Kansas City.

And then the Bills dangled $100 million over Williams' hook. The offer is simply too good to pas up, even though the deal is eerily similar to the one the Redskins gave Albert Haynesworth a few years back. There's no doubt that Williams will perform better than Haynesworth did in D.C., but that is neither here or there.

The Bills definitely struck gold with the signing of Williams, as it helps their defense remarkably. With players like Kyle Williams, Marcell Dareus, Jairus Byrd, Shawne Merriman, Drayton Florence, Terrence McGee and others, the Bills' defense should do fairly well this season.

I speak no lie when I say that the Bills did an amazing job in acquiring Williams, as the team has been notorious for not opening up their pocketbooks for free agents. Now they did and all they have to do is reap the benefits.

Grade: A

St. Louis Finally Gets Secondary Help

The Deal: St. Louis signs CB Cortland Finnegan to a five-year, $50 million contract

The Rams had one of the worst secondaries in the NFL last season, and at one point an old Al Harris was their main guy. Their secondary constantly got burned and tortured by opposing quarterbacks, and cornerback was perhaps their biggest need coming into this off-season.

They definitely helped fix the problem when it was announced that the team had signed former Tennessee cornerback Cortland Finnegan to a five-year, $50 million deal.

Finnegan is a great talent in the NFL and one of the best in the game, although he lets his emotions get ahead of him sometimes. Of the top of my head, I can only think of a handful of cornerbacks that are better than Finnegan such as New York's Darrelle Revis, Philadelphia's Nnamdi Asomugha, Green Bay's Charles Woodson, Denver's Champ Bailey and there may be a couple of others.

But there's no doubt in my mind that Finnegan is a top ten cornerback in this league and the Rams were lucky enough to sign him to a deal.

This gives the Rams so much help in the secondary, as they can now focus on the flaws of the rest of the team, instead of that lone position. Before Finnegan came to St. Louis, the Rams would have likely used a high draft selection on a cornerback, but now they can sit back and wait a little bit.

The Rams, who have struggled over the last few seasons, appear to be headed in the right direction. It may take a couple of years before they can be considered threats again, but the Finnegan signing definitely helps their cause. Personally, I like the signing (and that Finnegan is out of the AFC South).

Grade: B+

Dallas Finds Terence Newman's Replacement

The Deal: Dallas signs CB Brandon Carr to a five-year, $50 million contract

This signing was somewhat puzzling to me. There's no doubt that the Cowboys needed a cornerback after cutting Terence Newman, one of the team's eldest members. They were going to have to find his replacement in free agency and they did that as they lured Brandon Carr away from Kansas City.

Carr was a solid cornerback last season, as he registered 45 tackles and a career-high four interceptions. He, along with the aforementioned Cortland Finnegan, were the two best cornerbacks in this year's class. And with Finnegan out of the picture, that left Carr.

Oddly enough, Carr and Finnegan received identical deals, as the latter agreed to the same terms with the Rams.

Personally, I would much rather have Finnegan than Carr any day of the week. I believe the former Titan is the superior cornerback and his stats and play on the field reflect that. Finnegan is a top ten cornerback in the NFL while Carr is a little below that. He's still a quality player, don't get me wrong, but I just don't think he's worth $10 million per season.

I believe that's just Jerry Jones saying "Screw this, I'm just going to end it now and offer him an amazing deal to where he has to accept." After all, Jones does have the money to do those types of things.

Anyway, the signing of Carr is very beneficial to the Cowboys. They replace the veteran Newman with a much younger player that can possibly do better than Newman's last couple of seasons. Teaming up with Mike Jenkins and Orlando Scandrick, the 'Boys should have a solid secondary this season. But I don't know if it was actually worth paying Carr $10 million each season.

Grade: B-

Reggie Wayne Returns to Indy

The Deal: Indianapolis re-signs WR Reggie Wayne to a three-year, $17.5 million contract

The Colts already knew they were going to lose Peyton Manning. There was also the possibility of them also losing Pierre Garcon, too. They really couldn't afford to lose Wayne. And they didn't.

After it was announced that Garcon had signed a deal with the Washington Redskins, the Colts' front office zeroed in on Wayne, hoping to bring him back. They were able to come to a deal that will keep Wayne in blue-and-white for another three seasons.

Not only that, but it gives future Colts quarterback Andrew Luck a primary weapon. If Wayne had gone elsewhere, we would be looking at Austin Collie and Blair White being the team's top two receivers. Yeah, that's not going to get it done.

So the Colts are definitely winners to bringing back Wayne, as it could also cancel out the possibility of the Colts using a second-round selection on a receiver, as many "experts" expected them to do so. Of course, it could still happen if a player like Mohamed Sanu is on the board, but we won't find that out until draft day rolls around.

Since coming into the NFL in 2001, Indianapolis is the only place Wayne has ever known. He was the team's No. 2 receiver for the start of his career after sitting behind Marvin Harrison. Once Harrison was cut, Wayne came in and flourished and has arguably been one of the best receivers in the game over the last 5-7 years.

I honestly thought there was a zero-percent chance that Wayne would return to Indy this season, but I guess I was wrong. This helps Luck exponentially, as it gives him a veteran to show him the ropes, along with a great receiver to throw to.

Grade: B+

The Redskins Are at It Again

The Deal: Washington signs WR Pierre Garcon to a five-year, $42.5 million contract

Dan Snyder is at it again, everybody. The owner has opened up his pocketbook yet again, this time for Pierre Garcon.

Just to let y'all know, I am a Colts fan and I think Pierre Garcon is a good player, although he's been a little inconsistent throughout his career. He did have a great season last year, as he caught 70 passes for 947 yards and six touchdowns. It made it even better when you see that Kerry Collins, Curtis Painter and Dan Orlovsky were the ones delivering him the football.

But that doesn't mean that Garcon is ready to become a team's No. 1 receiver or make over $8 million per season. He's a talent that could become a phenomenal receiver, but Washington is not the place for him to go if he wants to become that player.

As we all know, Washington has had a bad history of giving big deals to average players -- Albert Haynesworth, Adam Archuleta, an old Deion Sanders, anybody?

This seems to be one of those situations, even though Garcon is slowly becoming a solid receiver. I'm not sure if he'll ever become a legitimate No. 1 option in the NFL, but Dan Snyder seems to think so -- of course, Garcon would have to surpass Santana Moss on the depth chart, which is entirely plausible.

And again, as we all know, the 'Skins traded up for the No. 2 selection in this year's draft, which means that they will select Baylor's Robert Griffin III with the pick. So the signing of Garcon gives the Heisman winner a good option to throw to, but Griffin will have to learn the ropes and it could take some time.

There is also the distinct possibility that Garcon could just not fit into the team's system. But we won't find any of this out for many more months, which is quite a shame.

For Garcon, he wins simply because he gets paid big money. For the 'Skins, it's still up in the air -- if Garcon produces, they win but if he doesn't put up good numbers, they lose yet again in free agency.

Grade: C

Landry Gets a Change of Scenery

The Deal: The New York Jets sign S LaRon Landry to a one-year, $4 million deal

This is one of those classic low-risk, high-reward situations.

After playing in just seventeen games over the last two seasons, the talented safety became a free agent at the conclusion of the season. The Jets announced they had snagged him with a one-year deal worth approximately $4 million.

In my opinion, that's a great deal, whether or not Landry can stay healthy.

When he's healthy, Landry is one of the best safeties in the game. He's got good talent and seems to be all over the place when he's on the field. If he can't remain healthy for the Jets, then oh well, it's just a one-year deal worth $4 million. They've done worse before.

The sixth-overall pick in the 2007 draft, Landry was phenomenal during his first three seasons in the NFL, as he quickly rose up to become one of the league's best safeties. In 2010, Landry suffered an injury and competed in just nine game during the campaign -- however, he somehow managed to rack up 85 tackles in the process so it makes you wonder what he could have done if he had played the full season.

He played in just eight games last season, registering 48 tackles, 1.5 sacks, one forced fumbles and one fumble recovery. Although his stats and averages were significantly down, he was still a quality player.

The Jets definitely did the right thing in taking a shot on Landry, as he could come into training camp 100-percent healthy and earn the starting job. Landry fits perfectly into Rex Ryan's defensive schemes, so even though it's just a small deal, it could reap humongous benefits.

Grade: B

Randy Moss Gets a Second Chance

The Deal: San Francisco signs WR Randy Moss to a one-year deal

There's no doubt that Randy Moss is one hell of a receiver. Since coming into the league in 1998, Moss has become a potential future Hall-of-Famer. He had one of the best seasons ever for a receiver in 2007, as he registered 98 receptions for 1,493 yards and a league-record 23 touchdowns.

After playing two more seasons in New England, Moss was traded to Minnesota after four games in the 2010 season. He only lasted four games in Minnesota before he was released. He then latched on to the Titans and playing in eight games, but only hauled in six receptions for 80 yards.

At the end of the season, he was not retained, thus making him a free agent. There wasn't a single team that decided to take a shot on him during the 2011 campaign so Moss decided to call it quits and abruptly retired.

About a month ago, Moss announced that he would like a shot to return to the NFL and show that he could still play football. It seemed as though that there wouldn't be a team that would consider signing him and giving him a considerable amount of snaps.

That's where the 49ers come in. A few days ago, it was announced that the 49ers had signed Moss to a one-year deal. It is uncertain as to how much playing time Moss will receive, but if he wants to revitalize his career, this is his best shot.

Unfortunately for the 49ers, the team missed out on Peyton Manning and upset Alex Smith, the quarterback that almost led them to the Super Bowl last season. So the 49ers could be left without a legitimate starting quarterback entering this season and we could see Colin Kaepernick attempting to throw the ball to Moss. I don't know how well that will work out, but it's good to see Moss back in football. Hopefully he can see a good percentage of snaps and make some great plays along the way.

Like Landry in the previous slide, this is another low-risk, high-reward situation.

Grade: B-

Tampa Bay Showed They Weren't Done

The Deal: Tampa Bay signs OG Carl Nicks to a five-year, $47.5 million contract

After signing wide receiver Vincent Jackson to a long-term deal, the Buccaneers immediately announced that they had signed the best guard on the market, Carl Nicks.

The former Saint signed a five-year deal worth approximately $47.5 million with Tampa Bay, giving them some much-needed help on the offensive line. The Buccaneers' offensive line has been horrid over the last few seasons and Nicks should come in and fix that problem.

There's no doubt that Nicks is one of the best offensive linemen in all of football and his play over the last few seasons has reflected it.

He is a tremendous run-blocker and also does an amazing job in protecting the quarterback. There aren't really any flaws in his game. Not to mention, Nicks only picked up two penalties the entire season.

New Orleans had tried to bring him back, but to no avail. However, he did stay in the division so they will be seeing a lot of him for the next few seasons.

Tampa Bay definitely did a great job in signing Nicks. It doesn't hurt when you quickly snatch up one of the best guards, if not the best, in the NFL.

Grade: A+

Manningham Goes Coast to Coast

The Deal: San Francisco signs WR Mario Mannigham to a two-year deal

The current Super Bowl Champions, New York Giants, had a tremendous season last season. They also had one of the best receiving corps in the NFL with Manningham, Hakeem Nicks and Victor Cruz, who seemingly came out of nowhere.

However, Manningham was a free agent as season's end and it appeared there was no chance that he'd return to the Giants. And he didn't.

A couple of days ago, it was announced that the Niners had signed the former Michigan receiver to a two-year deal.

This gives the 49ers a great set of receivers, as they already have Michael Crabtree and Randy Moss, who they signed a few days ago, as well. There's also tight end Vernon Davis, who had a spectacular postseason. Needless to say, the 49ers appear to want to win now, as their receiving corps has vastly improved from last season.

However, the team's quarterback situation remains up in the air. They went hard after Peyton Manning, who signed with the Broncos earlier today. In the process, they probably infuriated Alex Smith, who almost led them to the Super Bowl last season -- Smith has since talked to numerous teams and it is unknown if he will be a 49er next season. As stated in the previous slide, we could see Colin Kaepernick as the team's starter entering training camp if they fail to acquire another quarterback through free agency or the draft.

But regardless, the addition of Manningham helps the team tremendously. Manningham has shown great promise over the last couple of seasons and he could fully develop in San Francisco. Only time will tell, but the 49ers did a great job in signing the receiver.

Grade: B

Two People Are Re-United in New England

The Deal: New England signs WR Brandon Lloyd to a three-year, $12 million contract

As expected, Brandon Lloyd is now a Patriot. It was pretty much a given that Lloyd would end up there if the team expressed any type of interest in him.

With Lloyd as a Patriot now, he and former Broncos head coach Josh McDaniels are re-united. McDaniels was hired months ago to return to New England as their offensive coordinator and Lloyd undoubtedly had the best season of his career while McDaniels was coaching the Broncos.

During that 2010 season, Lloyd was phenomenal, as he registered 77 passes for a league-leading 1,448 yards and eleven touchdowns.

Last season, Lloyd was dealt to St. Louis after he had participated in just four games for Denver, catching 19 passes for 283 yards. As a Ram, Lloyd played in eleven games, accumulating 51 passes for 683 yards and five touchdowns.

But could this just be another Ochocinco? Last season, Ochocinco signed with the Patriots and everyone expected him to create a stellar combination with Wes Welker. However, that wasn't the case as the system just didn't fit and he could never get things rolling. But he's still on the team, so there is a possibility that he has learned everything by now and could possibly beat out Lloyd on the depth chart.

Regardless, the acquisition of Lloyd is a good pickup and it gives Tom Brady yet another solid option to go along with Welker and tight ends Rob Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez. Additionally, the Patriots also brought back Donte Stallworth and signed the former oft-injured Colt Anthony Gonzalez.

Lloyd is expected to become the team's No. 2 receiver, as well he should. He's been a solid player over the last couple of seasons and he could flourish in McDaniels' system once again. I feel sorry for the cornerbacks in the AFC East.

Grade: B

Speaking of Being Re-United...

The Trade: Miami trades WR Brandon Marshall to Chicago for a 2012 third-round selection and a 2013 third-round selection

On my iPhone, I get texts from ESPN regarding "breaking news". As I sat on the computer a number of days ago, I got a text from them saying that the Dolphins had dealt to Marshall to Chicago for two third-round picks. I couldn't believe it.

It still makes no sense to me that Miami traded their star receiver for what seems like nothing. Yes, Marshall has had problems in the past, as evident by his recent trend (look it up). But regardless, he's still a great receiver that does amazing things with the football.

The Dolphins now have no receiving corps whatsoever and will likely try to acquire one through the draft. Because if there's any chance that they want to make the playoffs this season, they're going to need more than just Davone Bess and Brian Hartline -- especially if Matt Moore and/or David Garrard will be throwing them the football.

For the Bears, they got a good deal in my opinion. They're finally able to have a legitimate, great No. 1 receiver, something they haven't had in many years. Over the last ten years, we've seen the Bears have Marty Booker, Muhsin Muhammad, Devin Hester, David Terrell, Bernard Berrian and Johnny Knox lead the team in receiving yards. Needless to say, that's horrible. I'm sorry, but that's just horrible.

Now, the Bears have Brandon Marshall, a game-changing receiver to go along with his former teammate in Denver, Jay Cutler. The Cutler-to-Marshall combination was one of the best in the league when it was intact and now they have been re-united in Chicago.

If Marshall can keep everything under control and Cutler can stay healthy, the Bears made off like bandits in the deal. There will be no doubt about that. The acquisition of Marshall also gives the Bears a legitimate shot to dethrone the Packers in the division, which I'm sure most Bears fans are salivating over.

For Chicago, they did extremely well. For the Dolphins, it was not a good decision.

Note: I do realize that this wasn't free agency-related, but I had to put it on here, regardless.

Grade (for Chicago): A-

Grade (for Miami): D

Seattle, Seattle, Seattle...

The Deal: Seattle signs QB Matt Flynn to a three-year, $26 million contract

I didn't think there was any chance that Peyton Manning would go to Seattle in the first place, and it seemed as though the Seahawks were out of the running before it even took place.

So that left them with few options.. A) Draft a quarterback (which they still might do), B) Trade for a quarterback or C) Attempt to go after Matt Flynn or Alex Smith.

Well, ladies and gentlemen, they went with C.

It was announced a few days ago that Pete Carroll and Co. had reached an agreement with former Packers back-up quarterback Matt Flynn. This wouldn't be the first time the 'Hawks had signed a former Packers quarterback and bring him in as their starter -- Matt Hasselbeck, anybody?

Honestly, I've never been too high on Flynn. Yes, he had that phenomenal game against Detroit on the last week of the season as he threw for 480 yards and a franchise-record six touchdowns. But other than that, he really hasn't showed that he can become a week-to-week starter on any team, not even the Cleveland Browns.

Personally, I believe that the reason he did so well that game was more because of the system he was in, rather than his actual talent. Of course, I could always be wrong as I have had some dumb predictions in the past, but also some correct ones so anything is possible.

But at this point in time, I believe that Flynn will not do that great of a job in Seattle. The Seahawks desperately needed a quarterback and it was just Flynn's luck that he was at the right place at the right time. Eventually, I believe the 'Hawks are going to regret their decision, but I also see them drafting a quarterback at some point this April. So, if Flynn does not play well, we could see (insert rookie's name here) come in and play.

I'm just going to go ahead and predict numbers for Flynn, if he starts all 16 games: 287-for-486 (59%), 3,216 yards, 17 touchdowns, 19 interceptions. He also leads Seattle to a 6-10 record.

We'll see what happens but for now, I believe the Seahawks did not make a good decision.

Grade: C-

New Orleans Quickly Finds Nicks' Replacement

The Deal: New Orleans signs OG Ben Grubbs to a five-year, $36 million contract

After losing out on re-signing Carl Nicks, the Saints did the next best thing as they signed the second-best offensive guard on the market. That man is former Raven Ben Grubbs.

Last season, Grubbs missed about half of the season because of a turf toe injury, but he should come back this season one-hundred percent healthy.

And when he's healthy, he's a great football player.

Unlike Nicks, there are some minor flaws to his game, but when healthy, he's one of the best guards in the NFL.

Grubbs is perhaps a better run-blocker than a pass-protector, which may not fit in that well in New Orleans because let's face it, all they do is throw the football. There may be a sneaky run play thrown in there two out of ten plays, but more times than not, Brees is chunking that football.

Regardless, the addition of Grubbs is spectacular. They lost Nicks to the Buccaneers, but their consolation prize is the second-best guard on the market. I'm sure they'll take that any day of the week.

Grade: B+

Vincent Jackson's Replacement?

The Deal: San Diego signs WR Robert Meachem to a four-year, $25.9 million contract

I'm sorry, but this just doesn't make much sense to me. I believe this to be a horrible signing on behalf of the Chargers.

I'm not saying that Meachem is a bad player by any stretch of the imagination, but he's not worth the contract. He leaves a pass-friendly offense, in which all they do is throw intermediate to long passes. That's it. Meachem just happened to be on the receiving end of some of those passes.

The Chargers lost their No. 1 receiver on the first day of the off-season, as Vincent Jackson signed with Tampa Bay. This left a big gap in their receiving corps as Malcom Floyd takes over the No. 1 slot.

Meachem will now occupy the No. 2 slot, but I don't think he'll play like one. San Diego's offensive system is different from New Orleans'. San Diego doesn't throw the ball nearly as much as Brees in New Orleans and that's going to hurt Meachem's numbers.

A former first-round pick, Meachem really hasn't lived up to the expectations that were given to him.

He's played four seasons in the NFL, accumulating 289, 722, 638 and 620 yards, respectively. And all that is in an offense that throws the football most of the time. With Brees at the helm and Sean Payton holding the playbook, Meachem should have surpassed the 1,000-yard season mark by now. But he hasn't and that's not a good thing.

That just makes me believe that he'll falter in California and wish that he should have stayed in New Orleans. Only time will tell.

Grade: D+

The Buccaneers Attempt to Fix the Secondary

The Deal: Tampa Bay signs CB Eric Wright to a five-year, $37.5 million contract

Stupifying. That's the best word I can come up with when I look at this signing.

This is just dumb. Tampa Bay had one of the worst secondaries last season and it appeared it'd be the same this year if they failed to make a move. They did and it may actually get worse.

There's a possibility that Ronde Barber could retire at some point and Aqib Talib has had numerous legal issues and it's been hard for him to actually stay on the field.

Tampa Bay felt they could solidify the secondary by signing Wright to a massive deal, which is just dumb, as I stated before.

Wright was horrible last season. He constantly got burned on a week-to-week basis and opposing quarterbacks usually picked on him. But somehow, he gets a $37.5 million deal from Tampa Bay. That absolutely astounds me.

I'm sure Cleveland and Detroit fans know how bad he is and I'm sure y'all would not want him back for five years and $37.5 million.

From a football standpoint, this signing makes sense. The Bucs need help in the secondary and they feel as though Wright could fix that problem. But from a monetary, front office standpoint, this is the dumbest signing of the off-season. Hands down.

Grade: D-

Sam Bradford Has Got to Be a Happy Man

The Deal: St. Louis signs C Scott Wells to a four-year, $24 million contract

I like this signing and I'm sure Sam Bradford does, too.

The Rams' offensive line was absolutely horrible last season and it all starts with the center position, which is considered to be the anchor of the line.

The Rams have desperately needed to shore up the offensive line so Bradford doesn't become the next David Carr. Now they've fixed a small piece of the puzzle as they've acquired Scott Wells, the former center for the Packers.

Wells brings a winning pedigree to the Rams, along with leadership, something the Rams also need.

Wells is undoubtedly one of the best centers in the game and for the Rams to get him a $6 million per season is a steal, in my opinion.

The Rams definitely did a great job in signing Wells and I doubt they're done adding pieces to the offensive line. But for now, they've done well.

Grade: B+

Kansas City Is Making Some Noise for Once

The Deals: Kansas City signs OT Eric Winston to a four-year, $22 million contract; TE Kevin Boss to a three-year, $9 million contract; RB/FB Peyton Hillis to a one-year, $3 million deal; CB Stanford Routt to a three-year, $19.6 million contract

As you can clearly see, the Chiefs have made a number of moves this off-season. And I believe that they've done fairly well.

The team solidified their biggest need with Eric Winston. The Chiefs just didn't have a right tackle last season. It seemed as though they were constantly lining up with four offensive linemen, rather than five.

But now with Winston, arguably the best right tackle on the market, the Chiefs seem to be set in that department. Instead of using a first-round pick on a right tackle, the Chiefs can now look to another need to address. If they hadn't signed Winston, the front office would have likely used their first-round pick on Stanford's Jonathan Martin or Iowa's Riley Reiff, if either were available.

With the former Hurricane there, the Chiefs seem to be good to go.

The also signed former Giant and Raider tight end Kevin Boss to a three-year deal, which is a great deal. Boss didn't have a solid season in Oakland last season, mainly because of the team's quarterback problems. Palmer had to come in there and immediately learn a new system, which takes time and Boss just wasn't getting the ball.

Now with the Chiefs, it seems like an ideal fit. Boss will be lining up beside the oft-injured Tony Moeaki and if the former Hawkeye can stay healthy, the Chiefs will have a great tight end duo. I like the signing.

Kansas City also gambled on Peyton Hillis, who was perhaps a victim of the "Madden Curse" last year. Hillis definitely showed potential two seasons ago, but failed last season. He can become a great player if he can manage to stay healthy and the Chiefs hope he can do that. It's another possible low-risk, high-reward situation as it's just a one-year, $3 million deal. Of course, it remains to be seen at how many snaps Hillis will receive since Jamaal Charles and Thomas Jones are already on the roster -- Jones, however, could be released at some point before the season.

The team also signed Stanford Routt to a contract, which was also the first free agent signing of the off-season. Routt isn't a bad player by any means, but I don't know if he can become a team's No. 2 cornerback -- the team recently lost Brandon Carr to a five-year, $50 million deal from Dallas.

Routt's a decent cornerback and we'll see what he can do this season.

Kansas City's Grade: B

Other Minor Deals

- Carolina signs FB Mike Tolbert to a four-year, $10 million deal

This deal didn't make sense initially, but once the Panthers said that they'd likely deal away DeAngelo Williams or Jonathan Stewart at the draft, it made much more sense.

Tolbert will definitely do a good job as a back-up in Carolina and I guarantee y'all we will see Cam Newton checking down to Tolbert quite a lot.

I like this signing.

Grade: B

- Seattle signs DT Jason Jones to a one-year, $4.5 million contract

The Seahawks needed someone to plug up the middle and be an interior pass-rusher and that man will be ex-Titan Jason Jones.

Jones was one of the best defensive tackles on the market and the Seahawks got him for a good price. I can see Jones fitting in really well the Seahawks' defensive scheme. I believe that he'll do so well this season that the team will re-sign once the 2012 season concludes.

Good signing by Seattle.

Grade: B

- St. Louis signs DT Kendall Langford to a four-year, $24 million contract

St. Louis had and still has a huge need at defensive tackle. Langford is a talented player, but he's not the type of player that should start on a week-to-week basis.

By the time it's all said and done with, the Rams will be wishing they weren't paying him $6 million per season. I'm not trying to knock on Langford by any means, but I just don't believe he's that great of a player that deserves to be making $6 million each season.

I mean, Scott Wells is one of the best at his position and he signed the exact same deal with the Rams. I don't even consider Langford to be a top-twenty defensive tackle, so this still seems puzzling to me.

The Rams should attempt to acquire a defensive tackle through the draft and develop him. I just think Langford is going to falter.

Grade: C-

- Dallas signs LB Dan Connor to a two-year, $6.5 million contract

I like this deal a lot. I believe Connor should be worth more than about $3.25 million per season, but that's just me.

He's a quality defender that does a great job against the run. With Dallas running a 3-4 scheme, Connor will likely be plugged in as a starter next to fellow Penn State alumnus Sean Lee. With Connor and Lee, the 'Boys should have a great set of linebackers, as they already have DeMarcus Ware and Anthony Spencer.

I definitely think Jerry Jones did a great job in signing Connor. I can definitely see him doing great things in Texas.

Grade: B+

- San Diego signs LB Jarret Johnson to a four-year, $19 million contract and FB LeRon McClain to a three-year, $8.25 million contract

I just had to include these two together since they both went to Alabama but anyway, I think the Chargers did a great job in landing these two players.

Johnson was a solid player when he was in Baltimore. Although an outside linebacker, he's never really been a player that can consistently get to the quarterback, but he's great in coverage.

The Chargers' defense just wasn't that good last season and Johnson should be able to help them with that.

The team also signed fullback LeRon McClain to a contract, a likely replacement to the departed and aforementioned Mike Tolbert. McClain is a great run-blocker and he can also carry the ball as well, as evident by his 902-yard season in 2008. It's definitely a good pickup for San Diego.

Grade: B+