NFL Free Agents 2016: Latest Rumors and Predictions for Market's Remaining Names

There's clearly no time to waste in the NFL's war for talent. Even though teams weren't allowed to start contract negotiations with unrestricted free agents until Monday, March 7, numerous deals have already been reported. Plus, the weeks leading up to this latest burst of activity were filled with re-signings and various forms of franchise-tagging.

Nothing is official until 4 p.m. ET on Wednesday, when the new league year begins, but it's fairly safe to assume that most of the players slapped with franchise tags will stay put and the other players already rumored to have found new homes will indeed sign with those teams. 

In any case, there are still plenty of talented players ready to hit the open market without a contract or tag in place. Some have been linked to a team or two, while others are reportedly generating widespread interest around the league.

Here's a look at some of the latest rumors surrounding the top free agents, with predictions on their offseason fates to boot. 

Doug Martin

Jeff Haynes/Associated Press

After reviving his career with 1,402 rushing yards and six touchdowns in 2015, Tampa Bay running back Doug Martin stands to earn himself a hefty payday in free agency. While the passing game rules in today's NFL, featured backs on the open market are still liable to draw plenty of interest—and plenty of cash. NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reported Monday that at least six teams had their sights set on Martin.

Tuesday morning, NFL Network's Rand Getlin specified one team reportedly keen on bringing in Martin: 

Entering the negotiating period, the Raiders had $65.3 million in cap space to work with, per Spotrac, more than any other team save for Jacksonville. They're reportedly set to sign Seattle linebacker Bruce Irvin on Wednesday, per Rapoport, likely for a large sum of money, as he is one of the top defensive free agents. Even if they do spend quite a bit elsewhere in free agency, the Raiders could still make Martin an offer.

However, if they're going to snag him, they'll likely have to make a hefty commitment, as the Tampa Bay Times' Rick Stroud reported late Tuesday that the Bucs were working on a deal worth $6.85 million per year. 

According to Spotrac, that would make Martin the third-highest paid running back in the league in terms of base salary, behind only Adrian Peterson and DeMarco Murray. That's a tidy sum of money for a player who has only had two good seasons in four years and missed 15 games across the 2013-14 seasons. While it does look like an offer Martin can't refuse, Fox Sports' Mike Garafolo noted the two parties aren't necessarily all that close:

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Still a ways to go for Doug Martin and Bucs. Hunch was eventually he'll re-sign there but there's a gap to bridge. Still time. We'll see.

— Mike Garafolo (@MikeGarafolo) March 9, 2016"

Martin would benefit from taking his time and seeing what other teams can offer. Stroud also reported San Francisco as having interest. They too have plenty of cap room to work with, but their situation isn't nearly as promising as Tampa Bay's. Murray didn't fare well moving from a fruitful situation in Dallas to Chip Kelly's experiment gone awry in Philadelphia. Perhaps Martin will be wary of joining Kelly in San Francisco.

Oakland is a much more attractive situation than San Francisco, but they might not be willing to offer much more than the Bucs' reported offer. The Raiders do still have 26-year-old Latavius Murray, who ran for 1,066 yards and six touchdowns on 4.0 yards per carry, for at least another year. 

Unless another team trumps Tampa by offering a significantly better salary or more security, look for Martin to stay put in Florida. With young talent like Jameis Winston, Mike Evans, and backup running back Charles Sims on offense, it's not a bad place to be.

Prediction: Martin stays with Tampa Bay

Olivier Vernon

Wilfredo Lee/Associated Press

The Miami Dolphins don't have much room to work with under the league salary cap, but with a solid quarterback in Ryan Tannehill and pockets of talent all over the roster, they are still looking to hold on to their talent and win now.

They hit defensive end Olivier Vernon (7.5 sacks in 2015) with the transition tag on March 1, which would allow other teams to make offers but still give the Dolphins an opportunity to match. Knowing that other deep-pocketed teams could come in with offers they couldn't dream of matching, the Dolphins continued looking for a contingency plan, and the team reportedly found one in defensive end Mario Williams.

According to ESPN.com, the 31-year-old Williams agreed to a two-year, $17 million deal with Miami just days after being released by the Buffalo Bills. Williams had just five sacks in 2015, but that may have been more of a function of head coach Rex Ryan's ill-fitting defensive scheme than a drop-off in ability.

Wilfredo Lee/Associated Press

Now that the Dolphins have ostensibly secured a replacement, they could be ready to remove the transition tag and part ways with Vernon, per Yahoo Sports' Charles Robinson: "It's believed that the Miami Dolphins will remove the transition tag from top free-agent defensive end Olivier Vernon, opening the door for him to potentially depart via free agency, three league sources told Yahoo Sports."

Robinson notes in his article that a derailment in contract talks with defensive end Cameron Wake "could be a factor that halts the removal of the tag."

Bleacher Report's Jason Cole reported Jacksonville could go after Vernon: 

This would be quite the coup for the Jaguars, who have reportedly pried defensive end Malik Jackson from Denver with a six-year deal, per Rapoport. The Jaguars have the makings of a great offense in place with Blake Bortles, Allen Robinson and Allen Hurns. It's the defense that needs work, with the pass rush being no exception. The Jags tied for 20th in the NFL last year with 36 sacks.

Another team in the mix is the New York Giants, according to NJ.com's Jordan Raanan: "The Giants' priority in free agency is Miami Dolphins defensive end Olivier Vernon, two individuals with knowledge of the situation told NJ Advance Media. The Giants are going to make a quick and hard push to lure him from the Miami Dolphins, they said."

The Giants were truly desperate for pass-rushers last season, finishing with just 23 team sacks. The team did agree to a one-year deal with Jason Pierre-Paul on Tuesday, per ESPN's Adam Schefter (via ESPN.com), but his potential is a huge question mark due to the status of his right hand. 

Whether or not the Pierre-Paul deal is laden with incentives, the Giants still have a mountain of cash available to dole out. Cole notes that Jacksonville could be targeting secondary help and has several other needs to fill. Plus, they have yet to see what last year's first-round pick Dante Fowler Jr. can do for them.

Given all this, look for New York to sign Vernon by making him their primary focus.

Prediction: Vernon signs with the Giants

Travis Benjamin

David Richard/Associated Press

It's always nice to have a wide receiver who can stretch a defense to its breaking point, whether it's as a speedy decoy dragging safeties downfield or as the big-play threat shattering a team's will with yet another long reception. Travis Benjamin proved he can be the guy that splits secondaries open with the Cleveland Browns in 2015, racking up 68 receptions for 966 yards and five touchdowns. 

His breakout season has generated plenty of interest from around the league, per the Houston Chronicle's Aaron Wilson: "One of the fastest wide receivers and return specialists in the NFL, the Cleveland Browns free agent has piqued the Texans and several NFL teams' interest because of his combination of speed and explosiveness, according to league sources not authorized to speak publicly."

Cleveland.com's Mary Kay Cabot also reported that the Browns and Atlanta Falcons are interested in Benjamin.

Benjamin's free-agency fate could hinge on what kind of role he wants in the future. He would obviously play second fiddle on the flanks to DeAndre Hopkins in Houston or Julio Jones in Atlanta, but could re-establish himself as the No. 1 wide receiver in Cleveland should he decide to stay put. 

David Richard/Associated Press

Wilson also suggests San Diego as a potential destination, where he would replace the retired Malcom Floyd as the big-play threat—though he would do it with speed instead of height. With Philip Rivers at the helm, the Chargers have the most appealing quarterback situation of the team's invoked, but Benjamin would still be playing the No. 2 role to Keenan Allen.

Despite the attractive skill set, Bolts From the Blue's John Gennaro cautions against overpaying for players like Benjamin:

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Guys like Travis Benjamin, who are a little undersized and heavily rely on speed, are usually not very effective for very long in the NFL...

Just today, the Minnesota Vikings cut Mike Wallace, a guy who once signed a $60M free agent deal to join the Miami Dolphins after the Pittsburgh Steelers decided he wasn't worth the money. Similarly, the Buffalo Bills are not itching to re-sign Percy Harvin, despite the impact he makes when he's actually on the field.

"

San Diego doesn't tend to make big splashes in free agency, plus they can try to groom a pair of 6'3" wideouts in Dontrelle Inman or Tyrell Williams for Floyd's role. They aren't likely to get into a bidding war. It looks like Cleveland will be a mess—as usual—in 2016, so Benjamin might be inclined to look abroad. Houston did reach the playoffs, but the quarterback situation is in flux.

This leaves Atlanta, which features a stable quarterback situation with Matt Ryan and could use Benjamin to run deep routes and open up more room for Jones, who is devastating on short and intermediate routes.

Prediction: Atlanta signs Benjamin

Brock Osweiler

Julio Cortez/Associated Press

Now that Peyton Manning has officially retired, the Denver Broncos find themselves in the rare position of defending a Super Bowl title without the quarterback that helped (albeit feebly) deliver them the hardware. 

Fortunately for them, one of their best options to start a new era at quarterback is a player they've already developed in house and have seen play at the top level. Brock Osweiler earned his first significant action in 2015, taking over for a hobbled and woefully ineffective Manning during the latter portion of the regular season.

His play was mostly competent, finishing with 1,967 passing yards, 10 touchdowns and six interceptions in eight appearances.

Naturally, the Broncos are interested in bringing back their young free agent, but another quarterback-needy team is reportedly in the running for his services, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter:

Through a combination of injuries and poor play, the Houston Texans used four different quarterbacks last season. Brian Hoyer was the best of the bunch, throwing for 19 touchdowns and seven interceptions with a 91.4 rating. Alas, Hoyer erased most of the goodwill and trust he had built up with a disastrous four-interception performance in a 30-0 playoff loss to Kansas City.

As a result, Houston feels the need to ramp up the competition at quarterback. Osweiler is certainly an attractive option with his height, ability to throw both inside the pocket and on rollouts/bootlegs and the fact that he's five years younger than Hoyer, making him a player to build around long term if he capitalizes on his talent. 

Osweiler has a fairly good position to bargain from if Houston's interest is strong. The free-agent quarterback market is weak and thin (to no one's surprise), and the draft is a dicey route with the Broncos picking at the end of the first round.

USA Today's Lindsay H. Jones believes that the desperate circumstances could force Denver GM John Elway, a tough negotiator, into catering to Osweiler's demands to keep him in town: 

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Could the Broncos sign former Washington Redskins quarterback Robert Griffin III, the No. 2 pick of the 2012 draft, and see if coach Gary Kubiak can revive the career of a player drafted 55 slots ahead of Osweiler? Could Elway ask San Francisco 49ers general manager Trent Baalke about dealing Colin Kaepernick? Could Elway take his chances in the draft?

Given these stakes, maybe Osweiler can be the one to finally force Elway to cave. The Broncos did clear more than $8 million in salary cap space Tuesday by cutting veteran guard Louis Vasquez, tight end Owen Daniels and long snapper Aaron Brewer. And Elway knows he won't be giving a big contract to defensive end Malik Jackson, who will sign with the Jacksonville Jaguars.

"

Sticking with the champs makes quite a bit of sense for Osweiler. He would have first dibs at the starting job in Denver, while in Houston he could find himself in a camp battle trying to prove himself to a new team. The defense should be among the league's best next season, even if they do indeed lose Malik Jackson. He won't necessarily have the pressure of putting up big numbers right away.

Houston has one of the top five wide receivers in Hopkins, but there is no clear No. 2. In Denver, Osweiler has both Demaryius Thomas and Emmanuel Sanders. Unless Elway plays the hardest of hardball and refuses to give in to Osweiler, expect the two parties to hammer out a deal soon.

Prediction: Osweiler signs with Denver