2018 NFL Free Agents: Rumors and Predictions for Elite Stars on Market

March Madness isn't only a basketball term. Not when it also aptly describes the NFL's free-agent frenzy.

The market won't open until March 14, but rumors about some of this crop's biggest names are already bouncing around. While there is always more smoke than fire, who doesn't enjoy hypothesizing about the future homes of some gridiron stars?

Especially when everyone knows the difference these moves can make. Imagine if the Philadelphia Eagles didn't sign Nick Foles a year ago or how the Jacksonville Jaguars defense would have fared without adding A.J. Bouye, Calais Campbell and Barry Church.

The free-agency hype is real, so let's break down the latest rumors and predict how these situations will play out.

Teddy Bridgewater

It seems former first-round pick Teddy Bridgewater will add to the list of Minnesota Vikings quarterbacks bound for free agency. That's the expectation of NFL Network's Ian Rapoport's sources, at least:

If Bridgewater reaches free agency, he would be one of the more polarizing players available.

He's both an accurate passer and a capable runner. Over 2014 and 2015—his age 22 and 23 seasons—he connected on 64.9 percent of his passes, totaled 28 touchdowns against 21 interceptions and added four rushing scores with a 4.4 yards-per-attempt average on 91 carries.

But it's 2018, and a ton of time has passed since Bridgewater played meaningful football. He essentially lost the past two seasons to a devastating knee injury suffered during the 2016 preseason. He has only tossed two regular-season passes since.

It isn't hard to imagine a club gamble on him as either a high-upside backup or as part of a committee competing for a starting spot. Bridgewater thinks he will find his way into someone's opening group, per Dane Mizutani of the Pioneer Press:

Rapoport previously reported the Vikings are not expected to franchise-tag Case Keenum, meaning he could join Bridgewater and Sam Bradford in free agency. It's possible Minnesota moves on from all three, with SNY.tv's Ralph Vacchiano reporting there is "rampant speculation" the Vikings will bring in Kirk Cousins.

Minnesota would still need a backup, and it's possible that's the best gig Bridgewater can find. But there are enough quarterback vacancies around the league to envision a suitor targeting him as a low-cost, high-reward candidate on a short-term contract.

Prediction: Signs with Arizona.

Terrelle Pryor

Converted quarterback Terrelle Pryor's first season with the Washington Redskins was a flop from all angles.

While that doesn't mean he's definitely out of the District, the team sounds content to let the market determine his price tag, per ESPN's Josina Anderson:

Pryor's market won't be rich. The time for that to happen was last spring, when he offered tantalizing upside as a productive wide receiver with little on-the-job training.

He had only become a full-time wideout one year prior, yet he exploded with 77 catches, 1,007 receiving yards and four scoring grabs for the Cleveland Browns in 2016. He was a top-30 performer in yards (22nd) and receptions (27th) despite being a newbie at the spot and having the likes of Cody Kessler, Josh McCown, Robert Griffin III, Charlie Whitehurst and Kevin Hogan under center.

And as Danny Heifetz wrote for The Ringer, Pryor looked as good as his stats:

"The numbers matched the eye test. He leveraged his massive size (6'4", 228 pounds) and had a good sense of how to be physical with cornerbacks while not getting flagged for penalties against smaller defenders. Most importantly, he could catch the ball, in and away from his body, developing a sizable catch radius along his massive frame. ... If he went from never playing the position to a 1,000-yard campaign in under two years, where would he be in another two years?"

Bill Wippert/Associated Press

Apparently, Pryor's ceiling wasn't high enough for last year's free-agency shoppers, as he only fetched a one-year, $8 million deal from Washington. He'll hit the market this summer with far more questions and way less excitement.

He posted just 20 receptions for 240 yards and a single score last season before undergoing surgery on a nagging ankle injury. And because he transitioned to wide receiver so late in his career, he turns 29 in June.

He's still big, strong and athletic, and last season's frustrations didn't erase 2016's exhilaration. It dinged his price, but it didn't dry up his pool of suitors. If he's forced to take a prove-it deal, though, why not do it in a place where he's had success, has existing relationships and should see a clear need for playmakers around a young signal-caller?

Prediction: Signs with Cleveland.

Chris Ivory

The Jacksonville Jaguars cut him Friday, but Chris Ivory has at least two spots on his recruiting tour, per Rapoport:

Ivory was squeezed out of Jacksonville by economics and age. His release saved the team $3.75 million in cap space, per ESPN.com's Michael DiRocco. The Jaguars no longer needed him, with Leonard Fournette entrenched as the starter and T.J. Yeldon emerging as a capable understudy.

The eight-year veteran is fast-approaching the ominous 30th birthday (March 22), and his production has nosedived of late.

The battering-ram running back tallied 1,070 rushing yards, 217 receiving yards and eight total touchdowns during his 2015 Pro Bowl campaign with the New York Jets. But he managed just 821 rushing yards and five total touchdowns over two seasons in Jacksonville, with whom he had a five-year, $32 million deal.

He's probably only a complementary piece—his 3.4 yards per carry last season tied for 43rd—but he could help in the right role. He would address needs for running back depth and experience in Cleveland. He could also fill the troublesome reserve role behind LeSean McCoy with the Buffalo Bills.

And Ivory's market may extend well beyond those spots. Rapoport previously reported Ivory was drawing "considerable interest," although one wonders how many of those are bargain-shoppers hoping his advancing age and declining stats could produce a clearance sticker.

At this stage of his career, he would work best on a win-now team in need of a capable, low-volume backup. Since he's already met with such a suitor, that feels like a logical landing spot.

Prediction: Signs with Buffalo.

Statistics used courtesy of Pro Football Reference and ESPN.com.