20 Best Free-Agency Signings in the Last 10 Years
Some of the biggest free-agency acquisitions in sports history have drastically altered franchise legacies—the same remained true throughout the last decade with these 20 signings.
The featured signings reflected the impact each had on the respective team's success. Only NFL, NBA, MLB and NHL signings were considered.
Darrelle Revis, New England Patriots
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The New England Patriots signed Darrelle Revis to a one-year contract worth $12 million in 2014. He's since re-signed with the New York Jets, but his short tenure in Boston made all the difference in New England's fourth Super Bowl victory.
The 5'11", 198-pound cornerback defended 16 passes, which tied for fifth most in the league, per Pro-Football-Reference. He strengthened the Patriots secondary significantly and played a key role throughout the season in shutting down opposing quarterbacks.
Ray Allen, Miami Heat
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Ray Allen joined the Big Three in South Beach in 2012, signing a two-year deal for $6.3 million.
While he wasn't the most critical player in the Miami Heat's third and fourth consecutive Eastern Conference titles in 2013 and 2014, he did have claim to 9.5 win shares over that two-season stretch, according to Basketball-Reference.
And let us not forget his game-tying three-pointer with 5.2 seconds to play in Game 6 of the 2013 NBA Finals. If it weren't for Allen, there would have been no Game 7 nor another NBA title for the Heat.
Derek Fisher, Los Angeles Lakers
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Derek Fisher's return to the Los Angeles Lakers in 2007 coincided with three consecutive NBA Finals appearances for Phil Jackson's team from 2008 to 2011.
Basketball-Reference credited the former guard with 15.9 win shares over that three-year stretch, a considerable feat given the star-studded roster, which included Kobe Bryant, Lamar Odom and Pau Gasol.
Fisher is fifth among the organization's career leaders in games played with 915 and second in three-point field goals with 846, per Basketball-Reference.
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Zdeno Chara, Boston Bruins
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The Boston Bruins signed Zdeno Chara before the 2005-06 season to a hefty five-year contract worth $37.5 million. The $7.5 million per year eventually paid off when the Slovakian national captained the Bruins to the 2010-2011 Stanley Cup.
The Bruins re-signed Chara in 2011-12 to a seven-year, $45.5 million deal, which led to another appearance in the Stanley Cup Final the following season.
Chara was named an All-Star five times since joining the club and won the James Norris Memorial Trophy as the league's top defender in 2009-10.
Aubrey Huff, San Francisco Giants
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Aubrey Huff was at the tail end of his career when he signed with the San Francisco Giants before the 2010 season. It was a one-year deal worth $3 million, according to MLB.com's Chris Haft.
Huff was coming off a year split between the Baltimore Orioles and the Detroit Tigers in which he hit just .241. His performance improved after joining the Giants, hitting .290 with 26 home runs, 100 runs and 86 RBI. He finished seventh in National League MVP voting in 2010.
Huff came up in multiple clutch moments throughout the postseason on the way to the 2010 World Series. He hit .294 in the World Series with four RBI and three runs.
Brett Favre, Minnesota Vikings
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Brett Favre signed with the Minnesota Vikings for a two-year deal worth $25 million in 2009 after a lackluster season with the New York Jets.
Favre was 38 years old at the time, and most considered his best days to be behind him. Favre instead threw 33 touchdowns and a career-low seven interceptions for the Vikings. He led the team to a heartbreaking loss in the NFC Championship Game to the eventual champion New Orleans Saints in 2009.
No matter the money, Favre brought the Vikings closer to the Super Bowl than they had been since the 1998 season.
Yasiel Puig, Los Angeles Dodgers
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Yasiel Puig signed a seven-year, $42 million contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers after defecting from Cuba. He then took the league by storm when he was called up by the Dodgers' big league club. He hit two home runs, doubled and had five RBI in his second game and was named NL Player of the Week in his first week.
Puig finished the 2013 season with a .319 batting average and followed his rookie campaign with a .290 average in 2014, during which he also notched 92 runs, 69 RBI and 37 doubles.
Puig is just 24 years old, and the Dodgers have him locked up at $6 million per year until 2018. Even if he doesn’t improve further, he’s already worth the money.
Michael Turner, Atlanta Falcons
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The Atlanta Falcons signed the former San Diego Charger to a six-year deal worth $34.5 million in 2008—a contract that immediately bore fruit. The 5'10" running back broke the franchise's single-game rushing record with his 220-yard effort against the Detroit Lions on Sept. 7, 2008—his first game as a Falcon.
He recorded the most rushing touchdowns in franchise history with 60 over the five seasons. He ranks second on Atlanta's all-time rushing yardage list with 6,081 yards and had the highest per-game average of 81.1 yards, according to Pro-Football-Reference.
Teemu Selanne, Anaheim Ducks
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The Finnish Flash came back to the Anaheim Ducks on a one-year deal before the 2005-06 season. He scored 40 goals and added 50 assists during the campaign before earning the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy—an honor that recognizes the player "who best exemplifies the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship, and dedication to hockey."
Selanne was also a part of the team that won the Stanley Cup in 2006-07.
Most importantly, the contract brought him back to Anaheim where he would play out the rest of his career, retiring after the 2013-14 season. Bleacher Report's Tom Schreier named him the greatest Duck of all time.
Yu Darvish, Texas Rangers
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The Japanese ace was a hot item in 2012 as teams bid on the rights to sign the player. The Texas Rangers won out with a reported $51.7 million offer, per ESPN. The team then signed him to a six-year contract worth $60 million.
Darvish has lived up to the hype, posting a 39-25 record over his first three years with a 3.27 ERA.
He reached 500 strikeouts faster than any other starter in MLB history, according to MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan. He averages 11.2 strikeouts per nine innings. Unfortunately for both Darvish and the Rangers, the pitcher underwent Tommy John surgery to repair a torn UCL in his pitching arm. The injury has sidelined the pitcher for the entirety of the 2015 season.
Kurt Warner, Arizona Cardinals
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Kurt Warner signed a one-year deal worth $4 million with the Arizona Cardinals in 2005, per ESPN. Warner would prove himself worthy of another contract, signing a three-year deal worth $18 million the next season.
Warner flip-flopped between the starting and backup positions with Matt Leinart over the next three seasons before leading the Cardinals to the second round of the playoffs in 2008.
Arizona offered him another deal for two years worth $23 million—an investment that would pay off when he led the Cardinals to victory in Super Bowl XLIII. To date, it remains the franchise's lone Super Bowl appearance.
Marian Hossa, Chicago Blackhawks
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After back-to-back one-year contracts with the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Detroit Red Wings, Marian Hossa decided it was time to settle down. He signed a 12-year, $63.3 million contract with the Chicago Blackhawks in 2009.
Hossa has been a productive member of the Blackhawks since then and was a key component of the Stanley Cup-winning teams. In 2009-10, he found the net three times in the playoffs and added 12 assists. In 2012-13, he contributed seven goals and nine assists.
Chris Bosh, Miami Heat
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Chris Bosh technically arrived in South Beach by way of sign-and-trade in 2010. The Toronto Raptors received two first-round picks in the deal, but the Miami Heat were the clear winners.
Bosh's arrival marked the beginning of a new era for the franchise. Miami made it to the NBA Finals every season during the four-year stretch with the Big Three, winning back-to-back championships in 2012 and 2013.
Basketball-Reference credited Bosh with 34.2 win shares over that period, second only to LeBron James.
CC Sabathia, New York Yankees
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The New York Yankees signed CC Sabathia to an eight-year contract worth $186 million going into the 2009 season. That works out to an average of $23.25 million per year—not bad for a contract carrying the pitcher until he’s 38 years old.
The ace then went 19-9 with a 3.37 ERA, carrying the team to the 2009 World Series title and earning ALCS MVP honors. He finished with a 3-1 record in the playoffs.
While he has fallen off in recent years, the Yankees got solid production out of Sabathia throughout the first four seasons of his contract.
Charles Woodson, Green Bay Packers
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Charles Woodson was sidelined with a broken leg six games into the 2005 season with the Oakland Raiders. Teams were hesitant when he entered the market, but the Green Bay Packers moved in, signing him to a five-year deal worth $55 million.
Woodson led the Packers to the second-best NFL defense in 2009 with 74 combined tackles and nine interceptions, earning him AP Defensive Player of the Year honors. His 92 combined tackles in 2010 helped the team to its eventual Super Bowl XLV title—its first appearance since 1998.
Scott Niedermayer, Anaheim Ducks
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Scott Niedermayer turned down another deal from the New Jersey Devils when he became a free agent after the 2004-05 season. The defenseman chose to take a four-year deal worth $27 million with the Anaheim Ducks instead to join his brother Rob, according to The New York Times' Jason Diamos.
He was a part of the core that led the Ducks to the Stanley Cup in 2006-07. During that campaign, he notched a career high in goals (15), assists (54) and points (69). He also won the Conn Smythe Trophy as the MVP of the Stanley Cup playoffs.
Niedermayer was named an All-Star his first two seasons in Anaheim.
Peyton Manning, Denver Broncos
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Peyton Manning didn't take the field once during the 2011 season while recovering from a series of neck injuries. Given the uncertainty of his future, the team released him in March 7, 2012. Just 13 days later, he signed a five-year contract worth $96 million with the Denver Broncos.
It was the future Hall of Fame quarterback's first home away from Indianapolis since being drafted in 1998.
Manning was named AP Comeback Player of the Year in 2012 after leading the Broncos to the second-highest scoring offense in the league and a position atop the AFC West.
The next season he led Denver to its first Super Bowl since 1999 before losing to the Seattle Seahawks. He earned AP Offensive Player of the Year and MVP honors.
Robinson Cano, Seattle Mariners
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The Seattle Mariners were steadily sitting below .500 from 2010 to 2013, finishing fourth in the AL West for four consecutive seasons. That was, until Robinson Cano walked into the picture.
The former New York Yankee signed a 10-year, $240 million contract with Seattle in 2014—and it's already paying off.
The Mariners contended for a playoff spot last season, finishing 87–75. They were one game behind from a wild-card spot.
Cano was a large part of those efforts with a team-leading .314 batting average and a .382 on-base percentage. His 6.22 offensive wins above replacement, as calculated by ESPN, was seventh in the league overall, while his 6.37 seasonal WAR was 19th.
Drew Brees, New Orleans Saints
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Drew Brees turned down the San Diego Chargers' incentive-based contract after the 2015 NFL season and decided to find a new home elsewhere.
Lucky for the New Orleans Saints.
Brees signed a six-year, $60 million contract with the team in 2006. The pricey acquisition would prove itself priceless four years later, when the quarterback would lead the Saints to victory over the Indianapolis Colts in Super Bowl XLIV—the team's first ever Super Bowl appearance.
He earned Super Bowl XLIV MVP, Sports Illustrated's 2010 Sportsman of the Year and Associated Press 2010 Male Athlete of the Year honors. And a franchise's first NFL championship.
LeBron James, Miami Heat
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King James and the Big Three reigned from 2010 to 2014, bringing back-to-back NBA championships home to South Beach in 2012 and 2013.
James led the team's four-year run of consecutive NBA Finals, earning MVP honors the two championship seasons. He had 65.3 win shares, per Basketball-Reference, during that stretch, leading the NBA every season but 2014.
He opted out of his contract with Miami last June, before announcing his return to the Cleveland Cavaliers. It's worth noting the Cavs currently sit atop the Central Division for the first time since his initial departure in 2010. They peaked at third in 2014 during his time in Miami.
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