2015 NFL Free Agency: Handing out Superlatives

Prom season is on the horizon. So are class superlatives. But we can get ahead of the high school game—NFL free agency deserves some superlatives of its own after nearly a month.

Which deals were the prettiest or the ugliest? Which moves could have us in stitches when the season rolls around? Who is going to be the most successful?

Let's have a little fun with free agency, shall we? Beyond rankings, winners and losers, we have superlatives!

Most Likely to Succeed

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No team has done more to overhaul a unit than the New York Jets.

Last season was a debacle in that secondary. The Jets gave up 31 touchdowns a year ago, fourth most in the league. Injuries didn't help, but bleeding talent over the years certainly didn't either.

The latter is no longer an issue.

The Jets brought Revis Island back to Manhattan—well, New Jersey. Then they reunited him with his old running mate, Antonio Cromartie, who was the best cornerback in Arizona last season.

Combined with Buster Skrine and Marcus Gilchrist, the moves have provided quite the facelift—more like total facial reconstruction—to New York's sagging secondary from a year ago. And it's going to work.

The defensive front was already good, and a proven, revamped secondary should help a once-powerful defense return to the top of the league.

Biggest Bargain

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All right, so Nick Fairley wasn't wanted in Detroit. That much is clear in head coach Jim Caldwell's comments about the big defensive tackle, anyway.

Maybe the fact the Lions were disinterested may have sunk his free-agent stock—he was seemingly not in demand across the league, and he was alone in the open waters of free agency.

The St. Louis Rams threw him a lifeline, and they wound up getting the best bargain in free agency (one year, $5 million).

He may have been overshadowed by Ndamukong Suh—both on the Lions and in free agency—but Fairley has been a quality defensive tackle in his four years in the league. He has rated as such over at Pro Football Focus.

Injuries and weight have been issues for him throughout his career, but that's why the Rams got him for so cheap. He should be motivated to get that big contract next year, which is readily apparent by the fact he is actually under ideal weight.

Worst Deal

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Byron Maxwell is a good player. Byron Maxwell is not a great player.

The Philadelphia Eagles paid him as such, however, inking the former Seahawk to a six-year, $63 million deal that includes $25.5 million guaranteed.

Now, Philadelphia certainly needed an upgrade at cornerback. But is Maxwell one of the top five cornerbacks in the league? That's how he's being paid going forward.

Maxwell was quietly a key part of the Seattle secondary last season, but he wasn't Richard Sherman. Pro Football Focus had him ranked in the middle of the pack last season, his first as a full-time starter. He had just two interceptions, and he was hampered by injuries.

Good teams pay for future performance, not past, so the Eagles had better hope Maxwell channels his inner Sherman going forward. 

Most Likely to Crash on Your Couch

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It has been a rough free-agent period for Michael Crabtree.

Not too long ago, the former first-round pick seemed destined to cash in this year. Instead, he finds himself languishing on the market, unable to even get his foot in the door anywhere but Miami and Oakland. 

Crabtree's market has crashed—partially because he hasn't looked very good since his Achilles injury in 2013, and partially because he probably wants way too much money—and there is no chance he will get that big contract.

Class Clown

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The line between genius and insanity is blurred, and Chip Kelly has toed it this offseason.

It started before free agency even hit when he traded his stud running back away to the Buffalo Bills. Kelly got a good return for LeSean McCoy in linebacker Kiko Alonso, but he nullified the cash savings by signing DeMarco Murray to a big deal (five years, $42 million) and Ryan Mathews (three years, $11.5 million).

Including the playoffs, Murray had 500 total touches last season.

Kelly would go on to punk the NFL on the first day of free agency by trading starter Nick Foles for oft-injured quarterback Sam Bradford. It was a mystifying move with conflicting reports about compensation, spawning speculation it was just a ploy to move up for Marcus Mariota in the NFL draft.

But he wasn't, at least if he is to be believed at face value, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer's Zach Berman.

Then there is the aforementioned Byron Maxwell signing, Kelly's desire to get rid of quality guard Evan Mathis—per NFL Network's Ian Rapoport—and his penchant for moving on from team-leading receivers (DeSean Jackson, Jeremy Maclin).

Maybe he'll have the last laugh, but Kelly's moves could wind up being the most laughable once we see the fruits of his labor.

Most Likely to End in Disaster

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Yes, the Buffalo Bills are spending money. And they have thoroughly upgraded the roster on paper.

Or have they?

The first big move of the offseason came when the Bills made a shocking trade for LeSean McCoy. Well, it wasn't so much of a surprise to some, like Eagles safety Malcolm Jenkins.

NFL.com's Kevin Patra had this from Jenkins:

"

You look at the style of runner that Chip wants in his offense and even though Shady is one of the best backs in the league, he's not necessarily what Chip is looking for all the time. Chip thinks he's a great running back, he knows his talent is there, but our (system) is really predicated on downhill, somebody who is going to hit the hole every time. It's about getting up in the defenders face as fast as you can and that's not necessarily Shady's running style.

"

They gave up a promising 24-year-old linebacker in Kiko Alonso for the rights to Shady McCoy, who is certainly better than C.J. Spiller and Fred Jackson. It was a nice upgrade at the position, but the Bills dealt away a talented linebacker and gave McCoy a huge extension at an increasingly devalued position. They did it at the expense of other positions, namely those along an offensive line that was pretty bad last season.

If that wasn't enough, the Bills gave tight end Charles Clay $38 million and $20 million guaranteed. This is the same Charles Clay who has averaged 452 yards and 3.5 touchdowns a season in four years in the NFL. He is a versatile player who does upgrade the position, but nobody thinks he's one of the best in the league.

The Bills also signed Percy Harvin, the perennial tease.

Much like the Tampa Bay Buccaneers last season, the Bills could be free agency's biggest winner and the season's biggest loser.

Most Daring

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The decision to retire from the NFL is never easy. But what if you are a second-year player on his way to becoming the heart and soul of a defense?

That's what Chris Borland faced as he headed into his sophomore campaign. Patrick Willis had retired unexpectedly, and NaVorro Bowman is still coming back from injury.

A great rookie campaign promised big things for Borland. But he woke up one morning, on March 16, and retired.

It was a bombshell that sent a shockwave through the NFL and media. "Why would a young, rising star just quit like that?" many asked. Some called him a quitter. Others, like CBS' Dennis Dodd, hailed him as a hero.

It's hard to imagine walking away from millions the way Borland did. It was a daring move that could have long-term repercussions for the league. Or it might just be an aberration.