Is Brandon Flowers to Chargers the Steal of Early Free Agency?

We see it all the time in the National Football League.

Every year, free agency kicks off with a bang, as the top available players hit the jackpot with wildly lucrative contracts. 2015 has been no exception. Free agency doesn't even officially begin until Tuesday, but already players like defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh and cornerback Byron Maxwell have reportedly hit the jackpot.

However, every year we also see that more often than not it isn't those high-priced free agents who go on to be the talk of that year's class.

And in that regard, it's the San Diego Chargers who hit the jackpot in the early stages of free agency, and they didn't even have to add a player to do it.

As Michael Gehlken of U-T San Diego reports, the Chargers agreed to terms on a four-year contract that will keep cornerback Brandon Flowers in Southern California:

It was a move that was met with the approval of teammate Eric Weddle:

Fellow cornerback Jason Verrett, who the Chargers selected in the first round of the 2014 NFL draft, hailed it as well.

The praise parade didn't stop there. According to Eric Williams of ESPN, bringing back Flowers was an easy decision to make:

"

Bringing back Flowers was important for the Chargers. He proved a great fit in the locker room, providing leadership during the practice week and an intense presence on the field on game days that led to more consistent play on the back end of San Diego’s defense. And Flowers was productive, leading San Diego in interceptions (three) and pass break-ups (11).

"

In addition to those three picks and 11 passes defensed, Flowers also chipped in 52 tackles and ranked as a top-15 performer at his position, according to Pro Football Focus, in 2014. Not bad for a player who wasn't even signed by the Chargers until the end of June.

Flowers may have been a late arrival, but the seven-year veteran didn't waste any time making an impact on the San Diego defense. In 2013, the Chargers were the fourth-worst pass defense in the NFL, allowing over 258 yards per game.

Last year, with Flowers in the fold? San Diego had the NFL's fourth-best pass defense and gave up over 40 fewer yards per contest.

Granted, that improvement isn't solely due to Flowers, and $9 million per season is no small chunk of change to hand a player pushing 30.

However, the fact of life in today's NFL is that cornerback is a "premium" position. Great cornerbacks cost a small fortune, and even good ones can be plenty expensive.

Compare Flowers' deal to the most recent free-agent signing at the cornerback position, and it looks better and better.

Player	Team	Yrs.	$$$	PFF 2014 Rank	Cov. Grade	CPA	PRA
Flowers	SD	4	$36M	15	7.1	56.0	84.2
Maxwell	PHI	6*	$63M*	45	0.8	63.4	81.1

Yes, Maxwell is younger than Flowers, and at 6'1" he's four inches taller. Those are also just about the only real edges Maxwell has.

Maxwell allowed a slightly lower passer rating against, but he also allowed a higher percentage of passes thrown his way to be completed. Flowers received a much higher grade from PFF, especially in pass coverage.

It's hardly a stretch to call the two players a wash—and Flowers came in over a million dollars less per season.

It's the kind of signing that doesn't win the war of headlines, but wins games on the football field. As often as not, high-dollar free agents don't make nearly the impact on the gridiron that they do on the salary cap.

However, the first step in building a successful franchise is keeping key contributors in the fold. OK, so maybe it not the first step. But it's a step.

The Chargers were able to accomplish that end, and if you use the recent deals for Maxwell and Kareem Jackson (four years, $34 million) as bookends, the Chargers were able to lock Flowers up at a reasonable cost.

Of course, it didn't hurt that as Williams reports Flowers told "NFL AM" he wanted to stay in San Diego:

"

Business is business, but I would love to stay in San Diego. To me it’s very enjoyable because if I stay in San Diego, it’s a place I loved stepping in from Day 1. It’s a nice place to live, and with a quarterback like Philip Rivers, you always have a chance.

"

How the Chargers got the deal done isn't important. They did. And while the re-signing of Brandon Flowers didn't get the publicity of some of the other deals in recent days, it's exactly the sort of signing that sets team on a path toward "winning" free agency.

Gary Davenport is an NFL Analyst at Bleacher Report and a member of the Fantasy Sports Writers Association and the Pro Football Writers of America. You can follow Gary on Twitter at @IDPManor.