2015 NFL Free Agents: Rumors, Predictions for Stars Sure to Find New Teams

Potentially, this year's crop of free agents could shift the power in the NFL. Guys like Justin Houston, Dez Bryant, Demaryius Thomas, Darrelle Revis and Devin McCourty could all hit the open market.

However, the deadline for teams to reach deals with impending free agents has yet to pass, so it's still a bit too early to get excited about which stars might be available. In some cases, though, the writing is on the wall.

Although nothing is confirmed just yet, most signs point to the four players below leaving their current teams in search of big paydays.

Shane Vereen

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You can't blame Shane Vereen for striking while the iron is hot. The veteran running back, who turns 26 on March 2, has always been a talented yet oft-injured threat both on the ground and through the air.

In 2014, Vereen set career highs in rushing yards (391) and receiving yards (447). He's also coming off a Super Bowl win in which he caught 11 passes for 64 yards.

Vereen's value is unlikely to be any higher than it is right now, so he's got to make the most of this offseason, even if it means leaving the New England Patriots.

Jeff Howe of the Boston Herald reported that Vereen is aiming to get a deal paying him $5 million a year. Even if that figure drops a little bit, Howe wrote how New England has rarely felt the need to spend much on running backs:

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Problematically for Vereen, who would like to remain with the Patriots, the franchise has a history of not paying backs. Kevin Faulk's largest deal with the team was for six years and $15.05 million, and Laurence Maroney got $9 million over five years as a first-round pick in 2006. The Patriots barely offered Danny Woodhead anything more than the minimum before he bolted to the Chargers two years ago, and they weren't willing to match LeGarrette Blount's two-year, $3.95 million contract from the Steelers last year. Blount returned on a two-year, $2.35 million deal in 2014, but the second year of the deal is incentive-heavy.

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Paul Perillo of Patriots.com threw out current backup RB James White or draftees like Ameer Abdullah and Duke Johnson as potential replacements for Vereen.

Between Vereen's contract demands and the Patriots' willingness to let players walk, it seems a safe bet that he'll be playing elsewhere in 2015.

Determining what kind of market Vereen would have is tough. There are a few talented running backs in the 2015 draft class, not to mention guys like DeMarco Murray, Frank Gore, C.J. Spiller and Mark Ingram potentially hitting free agency.

ESPNBoston.com's Mike Reiss mentioned the Jacksonville Jaguars as a potential suitor. The St. Louis Rams might also enter the Vereen sweepstakes, viewing him as a nice complement for Tre Mason in the backfield.

Given the amount of cap space they have, the Jags are the much more logical choice.

Julius Thomas

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It's still anybody's guess as to where Julius Thomas will be playing in 2015, but what seems abundantly clear is that his time in Denver is up.

Bleacher Report's Jason Cole reported that the two-time Pro Bowler is unlikely to re-sign with the Broncos.

Frank Bauer, Thomas' agent, also cast doubt on whether his client would even want to stay in Denver with the way that the offseason has unfolded, per Mike Klis of The Denver Post:

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The Broncos came to me, we tried to get it done, it didn't work. Does Julius love Denver? Yes. Does Julius love the fans there? No question. Does he love the organization and the community? Look at what he does for kids in that town. But for some reason people are trying to tear him down. In my opinion what they're doing by tearing him down is pushing him away.

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Broncos general manager John Elway is all but resigned to the fact that the team won't re-sign Thomas by March 10.

"We have to wait and see. We tried to do something with Julius last year and couldn't get it done," said Elway, per ESPN.com's Jeff Legwold. "I think he wants to test the market."

In his report, Klis wrote that the Broncos put an extension in front of Thomas last summer that was worth $40 million over eight years. That was probably the best offer he's going to get from the team, so if that wasn't good enough, nothing Denver does from here will be, either.

And you could seriously question whether Thomas is even worth $8 million a year. Rob Gronkowski and Jimmy Graham are the only tight ends who will make more in 2015, according to Spotrac. Thomas is immensely talented, but he's been unable to stay on the field:

Still, without a ton of quality tight ends likely to hit the open market, somebody is going to overpay for Thomas in the hope that he stays healthy in 2015 and beyond:

At this point, the Oakland Raiders should be the favorites to land the 26-year-old. He grew up less than two hours away from Oakland, so the allure of returning somewhat close to home might be too tough to pass up.

Plus, the Raiders need to add an aerial threat to help Derek Carr and likely wouldn't balk at paying Thomas $8.5 or $9 million a year.

C.J. Spiller

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Running back was already a position the New York Jets needed to address this offseason. Then, they declined the 2015 option on Chris Johnson, which means he'll be a free agent.

As noted when discussing Vereen, there are a few talented running backs who could hit the open market. Beyond Murray, there aren't too many serious difference-makers, but guys like Spiller, Ingram and Ryan Mathews could be primary ball-carriers.

In the event Murray re-signs with the Dallas Cowboys, the Jets should target Spiller as Johnson's replacement, and according to Metro New York's Kristian Dyer, they're planning to do exactly that:

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A league source told Metro New York on Wednesday that the Jets "will have interest in Spiller when free agency opens next month. Very serious interest.

"Spiller will be one of the players the Jets pursue. Not just kick the tires on, but pursue," the league source said. "Chan Gailey would like him here in New York. He's the pass catching option out of the backfield that the Jets need for this offense and he’s a playmaker."

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At least publicly, Buffalo Bills general manager Doug Whaley remains hopeful that the team can reach an agreement with Spiller.

"We hope we can close the gap and get the deal done," he said, per Sal Maiorana of the Democrat and Chronicle in Rochester, New York. "There's going to be some work that has to be done, but I have confidence that we'll each come to the table with an open mind and we'll try to get a deal done that's great for both sides."

NFL.com's Chris Trapasso argued that the Bills would be better off opting for a cheaper alternative:

Joe Buscaglia of WGR 550 in Buffalo said on Bleacher Report's Team Stream Now that he doesn't envision the Bills keeping Spiller.

The Jets have the cap room to lure Spiller to the Big Apple in addition to the promise of being the No. 1 guy.

Plus, a reunion with Chan Gailey might be awfully enticing after the two enjoyed some success together in Buffalo.

Nick Fairley

Carlos Osorio/Associated Press

The Detroit Lions will have a hard enough time trying to re-sign Ndamukong Suh. The fact that Nick Fairley can also become a free agent only adds to the team's headaches.

While it's very possible that Detroit can hold onto both defensive tackles, keeping even one will be extremely difficult. And money the Lions commit to one player is money that can't be spent on the other.

General manager Martin Mayhew spoke at the combine in Indianapolis about the team's efforts to retain Fairley's services, per the Detroit Free Press:

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I think that I'll meet with his agent down here, I'll discuss Nick's situation. There's a lot of guys like that in free agency right now and we're in dialogue about all those guys. Really it's a matter of setting some priorities and then understanding there's some trade-offs that have to happen. When certain things happen, certain other things don't happen, and vice versa.

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Fairley isn't tipping his hand one way or the other. According to ESPN's Josina Anderson, he just wants to be "comfortable":

Fans can read that in a variety of ways. Comfortable may mean more money, or it could mean staying with the team that drafted him. Or maybe it hints at a different motivation.

The Cincinnati Bengals are definitely in need of a defensive tackle, and Fairley would be a sensible option. The problem is that if they get into a bidding war with the Jaguars or Cleveland Browns, the Bengals are toast.

Cleveland can't afford to not improve inside after having the second-worst run defense in the league in 2014, according to Football Outsiders.

The Browns have cash to burn, so they should be able to get Fairley to look past all of the franchise's organizational issues and overall stagnation in the event he's the guy they want.