2012 NFL Free Agents: Players with Most Pressure to Perform on New Teams

The top NFL free agents of 2012 got paid a ton of money to move to their new teams. Now the pressure is on for them to prove they're worth the dough.

With the new CBA providing relief from exorbitant rookie salaries, teams are now more willing to shell out extra cash for the veterans who have earned the right to command top-dollar. That doesn't always work out, though.

Just ask Daniel Snyder.

I don't think we're going to see an Albert Haynesworth-type fail this year, but the fact remains that the players who got paid the most this offseason are under tremendous pressure to live up to their contracts and lead their team to victory.

Here are this year's free agents with the most pressure to perform.

Mario Williams, DE, Buffalo Bills

Buddy Nix recently spoke with ProFootballTalk to discuss the details of Williams' monster six-year, $96 million contract. In the end, the Bills are basically stuck with a two-year, $40 million deal at the worst.

Still, $20 million per year is the kind of money the top quarterbacks make, and Williams has a lot of work to do in order to live up to the expectations attached to such a large figure. People are going to expect him to be as good as Bruce Smith was back in the '80s and '90s. 

Fans are going to judge Williams harshly for any mistakes he makes, and he's not likely to ever get the proper credit he deserves unless he starts putting up Jared Allen-like numbers.

The pressure is on for him to perform at that level, though, even though he's only had double-digit sack totals in two of his six seasons with the Houston Texans.

Peyton Manning, QB, Denver Broncos

The Broncos sold out Tim Tebow and gave Manning the same kind of deal the Bills gave Williams: a five-year, $96 million contract.

The city of Denver is in Super Bowl-or-bust mode. That's what I call major-league pressure.

It may not be realistic, either. While the Broncos definitely have some good pieces to work with, they still have a leaky secondary and a group of receivers that are far from polished.

Manning won't rest until his young receivers are in synch with him. That being said, he might be awfully tired in 2012.

The Broncos should easily win the AFC West, but they will still need to contend with the Pittsburgh Steelers, New England Patriots and Baltimore Ravens before they get to the promised land. If I'm honest, the Broncos are at the back of that four-horse race.

Vincent Jackson, WR, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Jackson finally got the long-term deal he's been seeking when the Bucs gave him a five-year, $55.6 million contract this offseason to come in and bolster their young wide receiving corps.

Now he'll have the opportunity to prove he is worth the money.

Part of the recipe for success in Tampa Bay rests on the broad shoulders of young Josh Freeman, but Jackson will still be accountable to provide the production on his end, too.

Jackson is a gifted receiver, and I expect him to be a major factor in the offense this year for the Buccaneers. If he should somehow talk, though, the media in Tampa Bay will have a field day with him and the team.

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