NFL Free Agents 2015: Latest Rumors and Predictions Ahead of Market's Opening

So much for that "free agency is a disappointment each year" charade. 

The Philadelphia Eagles made a point to take down that notion on their lonesome with a transaction that will send star running back LeSean McCoy to the Buffalo Bills, per ESPN's Adam Schefter.

Yes, that's a trade, but don't get cute—the ramifications of such a gargantuan maneuver will be widespread and impact each and every one of the major free agents set to hit the market.

As if a market headlined by DeMarco Murray, Ndamukong Suh, Julius Thomas and more were not enough—not to mention an increased necessity to spend cash thanks to an increasing cap floor for each team—now there is a massive trade that reshapes the league and each team's thinking.

Before the market opens, some of the nuggets on its eventual top names are worth a look.

Randall Cobb's Asking Price 

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Look, the Green Bay Packers can only spend so much cash on their crop of star wideouts.

Jordy Nelson is already set to make $4.6 million next year, which escalates to $8.8, $11.6 and $12.6 million in the years after, per Spotrac.

That's a whole lot of coin to already have tied up at the position, and now Randall Cobb is set to hit the open market as well. According to Tom Silverstein of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, the Green Bay front office may have a ceiling in place concerning his annual salary:

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The Packers may have set a ceiling of $10 million per year with Cobb since that is what veteran Jordy Nelson receives and they probably don't want to pay him more. Cobb appears to have a higher number than that. One source said the word going around at the NFL combine league personnel staff and executives was that his price was $12 million per year.

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Whether Cobb is worth that much is not up for debate—he is.

The Kentucky product is only 24 years old and last season alone caught 91 passes for 1,287 yards and 12 touchdowns. It's not really a product of simply playing with Aaron Rodgers, either, as he can catch a short pass and do the rest himself, not to mention his contributions out of the backfield and as a returner on special teams.

The bidding war for Cobb's services will get out of hand. Joining Cobb is other noteworthy names such as Jeremy Maclin, Torrey Smith and Michael Crabtree.

A desperate team will take the bidding out of Green Bay's price range in a hurry, so look for him to join a team such as Oakland—which will be willing to pay whatever it takes to help bring along a young quarterback such as Derek Carr.

Prediction: Cobb signs with the Raiders.

The Eagles and Mark Ingram

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Philadelphia Eagles head coach Chip Kelly and the front office have some sort of a master plan in place, and it might include Mark Ingram of the New Orleans Saints.

Ingram is on his way to free agency after career highs with 226 attempts, 964 yards and nine touchdowns. According to Lyons Yellin of WWL-TV, he is firmly on Philadelphia's radar:

At first pass it's hard to understand why. It's great that Ingram finally showed what he can do when free of the shackles put on by a committee approach, but that doesn't change the fact he has only played in one full 16-game season over the course of four years.

Then again, the McCoy trade mixed with Yellin's report and a note by MMQB's Peter King seems to bring everything into focus:

Kelly seems to want a north-south runner, likely to pair with the explosive Darren Sproles—also a former New Orleans weapon.

The only hiccup in this plan is the Saints themselves, as coach Sean Payton has made it pretty clear that the organization wants Ingram to stay in town, as captured by Fox Sports' Jen Hale:

"I spoke with Mark today. The good thing about Mark is that we're very close with his agent. Mickey (Loomis, the Saints general manager) will talk with him quite a bit. Obviously Mark is someone that we want to keep. Hopefully we can do that."

The Eagles don't seem as if they will engage in a bidding war for a running back, especially when a large part of the McCoy trade was to free up cap space.

With that in mind, it seems likely Ingram will be back with the Saints, although that merely means the Eagles will focus on others such as C.J. Spiller, Justin Forsett, Ryan Mathews and more.

Prediction: Ingram re-signs with the Saints. 

The Eagles and Jeremy Maclin

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Besides, running back is the least of Kelly's worries in Philadelphia.

His top wideout, the aforementioned Maclin, is also set to hit the market, and the McCoy trade is not exactly helping matters. As Jeff McLane of The Philadelphia Inquirer notes, things seem to be slightly heading in the wrong direction:

Maclin assumed the lead role in the passing game after missing the 2013 season and watching as DeSean Jackson was released. He responded with 85 catches for 1,318 yards and 10 scores, the first two going down as career-high marks.

It makes sense from a business standpoint for Maclin to test the open market now that both Dez Bryant and Demaryius Thomas are out of his way thanks to franchise tags. Their removal makes him arguably the top wideout on the market, only upping his asking price.

In hindsight, the Eagles probably should have slapped him with the tag, too. Before the draft and without Maclin, a top three of Jordan Matthews, Riley Cooper and Josh Huff does not inspire a ton of enthusiasm—the mastermind Kelly behind the wheel or not.

The good news is that the Eagles have the cash to spend, especially thanks to Shady's departure. It's going to cost more than Kelly and Co. would prefer, but expect the two sides to iron out a deal after Maclin has dipped his toes into the market.

Prediction: Maclin re-signs with the Eagles. 

Note: Stats courtesy of NFL.com as of March 5 at 9 p.m. ET. All advanced metrics via Pro Football Focus.