The Safest Signings of Early NFL Free Agency

Not all free-agent signings are created equal in the NFL. 

While there is inherent risk in every deal made on the open market, some agreements are more or less treacherous than others. Oftentimes, the best deals are those where risk is minimized—which can be accomplished by fit, the length and total of the deal or the guarantees included in the contract. 

In the following slides, we will highlight the least risky of the headline deals from the first week of NFL free agency. These contracts fit the minimization factors listed above, making them safe deals for the team side of the agreement. 

Honorable Mentions

Peter G. Aiken/Getty Images

DL Jaye Howard, Kansas City Chiefs: Howard signed a two-year, $10 million deal, with over 80 percent of it guaranteed, according to Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle. According to Spotrac, the Chiefs can save $4 million on the 2017 cap if the deal doesn't work out, but Howard—a 27-year-old interior lineman capable of disrupting the passer—is a bargain either way. 

WR Rishard Matthews, Tennessee Titans: Even in a shallow receiver market, the Titans were able to snag Matthews for three years and just $15 million, via Wilson. Only 26, he won't be expected to carry the load. This is essentially a one-year deal, as the Titans can get out of the contract next spring with less than $200,000 in dead money, according to Spotrac. 

G Mike Harris, Minnesota Vikings: Harris was one of the better players on Minnesota's shaky offensive line in 2015. He's returning to the Vikings on a one-year deal worth only $2 million, according to Tom Pelissero of USA Today. 

LB Nick Perry, Green Bay Packers: The Packers made a good choice in declining Perry's fifth-year option last year. Despite his strong postseason (3.5 sacks), Green Bay got Perry back on a one-year deal valued at $5 million, according to Rob Demovsky of ESPN. 

CB Prince Amukamara, Jacksonville Jaguars: Amukamara's one-year deal in Jacksonville is worth only $5.5 million, per Wilson. The former first-round pick has an unsettling injury history, but signing the sure-fire starter for just one year all but eliminates the risk. 

DE Charles Johnson, Carolina Panthers

Mike McCarn/Associated Press

Deal: One year, $3 million, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.

Injuries robbed Charles Johnson of much of his 2015 season, but there's nothing risky about a $3 million deal for a player who registered five straight seasons with at least 8.5 sacks from 2010-14. 

Johnson, 29, tallied only one sack over nine games last season, but he was dominant during Carolina's run to the Super Bowl, amassing three sacks and two forced fumbles over three games. When healthy, he is still a difference-making pass-rusher capable of producing double-digit sack numbers in 2016. 

According to Schefter, Johnson turned down more money—as much as $6 million per season from other teams—to stay in Carolina, only adding to the bargain of the agreement. 

Dollar for dollar, no signing may produce more impact next season than Johnson's $3 million deal in Carolina. The Panthers are assuming almost no risk in bringing back one of the franchise's most productive pass-rushers for a potential redemption season. 

DE Jason Pierre-Paul, New York Giants

Robert Deutsch-USA TODAY Sports

Deal: One year, $10 million, $8.5 million guaranteed, according to Wilson. 

It's hard to argue with returning one of the more talented pass-rushers in the NFL on a one-year, "prove it" deal, even though $10 million is a big number. 

The Giants were smart to protect themselves with the length of the deal after Jason Pierre-Paul blew off a part of his right hand in a July Fourth fireworks accident last summer. He returned for eight games in 2015 and was at times dominant disrupting the passer, but his long-term outlook as a player capable of getting the quarterback on the ground is still mostly unknown. 

Now, the Giants can get a full season to gauge his recovery and figure out if he's truly worth a lucrative, multiyear deal. 

Also, don't sleep on how good JPP was once he got back on the field in 2015. According to Sam Monson of Pro Football Focus, Pierre-Paul registered 41 pressures and six batted passes over the final eight games last season. The sack numbers weren't there, but everything else was. 

If Pierre-Paul regresses without two fully functioning hands in 2016, the Giants can move on next offseason without any long-term financial side effects. If he's even more dominant, the team can start talking about a big deal. Cautious but savvy, the one-year deal was a strong one for the Giants. 

S George Iloka, Cincinnati Bengals

Joe Robbins/Getty Images

Deal: Five years, $30 million, $5 million guaranteed, according to Coley Harvey of ESPN. 

Signing George Iloka to a contract worth $6 million per season—with only $5 million in total guarantees—gives the Bengals one of the safest deals of free agency. 

Still only 25, Iloka emerged over the last three seasons as a rock-solid starter for the Bengals defense. Not only is Cincinnati keeping him around long term, but the team structured his deal with numerous safeguards. 

Iloka will make $18 million over the first three seasons, including a $3 million signing bonus and $2 million roster bonus in 2016. However, according to Spotrac, his cap hit tops out at just $6.6 million over the final two years of the deal, and the Bengals will have clean opportunities to move on if Iloka's play declines at any point in the contract. 

In 2017, Cincinnati could save $3 million by releasing him (with only a $2.4 million dead-cap hit). The potential savings increase to $4.4 million in 2018 and $5.4 million in 2019. 

Kudos to the Bengals for bringing back a key piece of their roster with a bargain deal structured to be as safe as possible for a $30 million contract. 

LB Danny Trevathan, Chicago Bears

TIMOTHY A. CLARY/Getty Images

Deal: Four years, $24.5 million, $12 million guaranteed, according to Schefter.

Two factors make Danny Trevathan's deal in Chicago a safe one. 

Not only is the Super Bowl winner a tremendous fit for John Fox—his former coach—and the linebacker-needy Bears, but Chicago acquired the young difference-maker on a deal far lower than some expected. 

Trevathan, 25, quarterbacked one of the most dominant defenses in recent memory in 2015. He'll now slide into the middle of Chicago's defense and provide Fox with exactly the kind of linebacker needed for coordinator Vic Fangio's scheme. 

The deal is just icing on the cake. 

Back in January, Michael Ginnitti of Spotrac projected Trevathan as capable of finding a deal worth $40 million over five years ($8 million per season). Instead, the Bears locked him up at roughly $6 million per year, with only $12 million guaranteed. 

Trevathan has some injury worries (he missed 13 games in 2014), but the Bears signed him to what should be considered a two-year deal. By 2018, Chicago can release him and save almost $5 million on the salary cap, according to Spotrac.

Overall, the Bears acquired a playmaker at a need position without handcuffing themselves monetarily. Sage and safe. 

TE Ladarius Green, Pittsburgh Steelers

Harry How/Getty Images

Deal: Four years, $20 million, $4.75 million guaranteed, according to Field Yates of ESPN. 

A $20 million deal may seem like a lot for a tight end with only seven career touchdowns. But dig past the surface details, and Ladarius Green's deal is one of the least risky contracts signed during the first week of free agency.

Remember, Green is still only 25, and he's now entering an offense with a top quarterback, numerous supporting playmakers and a big need at tight end. Better yet, the Steelers committed less than $5 million in guarantees to bring him to Pittsburgh. 

According to Spotrac, Green's cap hit in 2016 is only $2.44 million, and he'll never rise above $6.2 million over the four-year deal. If the marriage goes south for any reason, the Steelers can get out of the deal with palatable dead-money hits in all three years after 2016. 

In Pittsburgh, Green will get an opportunity to be a full-time player for a good offense. There's an above-average chance that he'll outperform his contract, potentially even within the first year or two of the deal. Signing a young, emerging player to such a safe contract makes this one of the best deals of free agency.