25 Players Who Likely Won't Be Back With Their NFL Teams in 2011
The NFL's regular season has, at long last, come to a close. And with it, we wave bye-bye to 20 teams that we won't see again until next season.
As for who will be on those teams when the 2011 season kicks off, well, that's another matter entirely. For as many names that will be coming through the doors, there will be just as many going out.
And that's the matter at hand today. Who are the players who won't be with their respective teams next season?
From Donovan McNabb to Alex Smith, here are 25 players who might not be back with their NFL teams in 2011.
25. Michael Vick
1 of 25
Chance of Coming Back: 95 percent
Initially, I wasn't going to even bother putting Vick on this list. But because he is a free agent after this season, and because he is the marquee player in this year's free-agent crop, I suppose we have to discuss him.
But let's face it, the Eagles would be fools to not offer Vick a fat contract, and he would thus be a fool not to accept it.
And make no mistake, after the season they just had, the Eagles will want him back.
24. Santonio Holmes
2 of 25
Chance of Coming Back: 60 percent
Both Holmes and Braylon Edwards are free agents after this season, and the Jets are probably only going to be able to keep one of them.
Because Holmes is younger, more talented, and clearly has a good thing going with Mark Sanchez, the Jets will probably prefer to keep him.
23. Vincent Jackson
3 of 25
Chance of Coming Back: 60 percent
Philip Rivers showed this season that he can be quite successful without even his biggest playmaker, which some might think makes Vincent Jackson expendable this offseason.
One way or another, Jackson is due to make a ton of money this offseason, which is of course something he wanted earlier in 2010.
But because the Chargers have a number of free agents to mull over, they might just look at retaining Jackson as a priority. So I'm going out on a limb here by saying he has a good chance of coming back.
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22. Haloti Ngata
4 of 25
Chance of Coming Back: 55 percent
Haloti Ngata has become one of the best defensive tackles in football in his brief career. And thanks to Albert Haynesworth, he knows that some idiots out there will pay as much as $100 million for a top DT.
So the question is whether the Ravens can afford to keep him. And that will depend not so much how deep their pockets are, but how deep the pockets of other teams are.
21. Matt Hasselbeck
5 of 25
Chance of Coming Back: 50 percent
After making $5.75 million in 2010, Hasselbeck is set to become a free agent when Seattle's season concludes (which will probably be this Saturday at the hands of the Saints).
By making the playoffs, the Seahawks probably screwed themselves out of a chance to land one of the premier quarterback prospects in the draft, so the Seahawks might just decide to re-sign Hasselbeck.
After all, if they can get him for, say, $3 million for a year or two, they could probably do worse.
20. Champ Bailey
6 of 25
Chance of Coming Back: 50 percent
Among free-agent cornerbacks, Bailey's name is undoubtedly the biggest one.
"I am still optimistic that I can get something done here," he said recently (thank you, ESPN), "but obviously I do not hold all the cards in that decision. It is just one of those things that I have to wait and see."
In other words, unless the interest is mutual, he's going to walk.
19. DeAngelo Williams
7 of 25
Chance of Coming Back: 50 percent
First of all, I just want to say that if you drafted DeAngelo Williams for your fantasy team this year, you have my sympathies.
Secondly, Williams is a free agent for 2011. But as much as the Panthers could be willing to simply hand the running back keys over to Jonathan Stewart and Mike Goodson, they could also probably have Williams back at a reasonable price. After all, he made just $2.1 million in 2010, and played in just six games.
They probably won't tag him, so it would be a question of what he could get on the open market.
18. Ronnie Brown
8 of 25
Chance of Coming Back: 50 percent
Brown is an unrestricted free agent this offseason, and he's clearly not going to be the great talent that he once was going forward for the rest of his career.
That being said, there's still a chance that the Dolphins could bring him back next season for the right price. After all, they will have some money coming off the books from Ricky Williams' contract, and he sure as hell won't be coming back next season.
By the way, Ricky's not on this list because it's too obvious that he won't be coming back, and I don't want to waste a slide on him. Just so you know.
17. Albert Haynesworth
9 of 25
Chance of Coming Back: 49 percent
Speaking of Albert Haynesworth and idiot owners, do you think when Dan Snyder decided to offer Albert Haynesworth a $100 million contract it crossed his mind what would happen if he didn't work out (pun intended)?
Me neither.
It's pretty obvious that Shanahan doesn't want Haynesworth around, but how do you get rid of somebody with his kind of contract?
It's because of that lingering question that I give Haynesworth a nearly 50 percent chance of coming back. That being said, I stress "nearly."
16. Antonio Cromartie
10 of 25
Chance of Coming Back 40 percent
Bailey may have the biggest name among all the free-agent cornerbacks this season, but Antonio Cromartie might be the most skilled of the bunch.
After making a mere $1 million in 2010, Cromartie is definitely due for a raise. Whether the Jets will look to keep him will depend on how they want to approach the several other free agents that will be on their agenda (i.e. Holmes and Edwards).
But don't be surprised if another team that needs help at cornerback is looking to shell out more bucks for Cromartie. And he would definitely oblige said team. After all, he has kids to feed.
15. Malcom Floyd
11 of 25
Chance of Coming Back: 35 percent
Floyd had one brilliant game in 2010, and then a bunch of mediocre ones. All for the nifty price tag of $3.168 million.
But like I said, I think the Chargers will look to give Jackson a boatload of money. If so, they probably won't be able to afford Floyd, who could command a lot of money as a free agent.
14. Braylon Edwards
12 of 25
Chance of Coming Back: 30 percent
Like I said, it's going to be either Holmes or Edwards, and it's hard to see the Jets bringing back both of them.
While Edwards has been a serviceable wide receiver in his six years since coming out of Michigan, he's had only one really good year. He made over $4.3 million in 2010, and he had a good enough year to avoid a major pay cut.
That being said, I don't think he'll come back for the Jets' asking price when they're going to have to pay Holmes and Cromartie.
13. Lee Evans
13 of 25
Chance of Coming Back: 25 percent
Evans had the worst year of his career in 2010, which is saying something considering that his career hasn't been all that great anyway (the Bills are partly to blame for that).
The team has a rather simple decision to make regarding Evans: They either pay him $5.4 million in addition to a $3 million bonus, or they cut ties with him.
With Stevie Johnson emerging as the Bills' best receiver, it looks like Evans' days with the team could be over.
12. Carson Palmer
14 of 25
Chance of Coming Back: 25 percent
The Bengals do have Palmer signed for the 2011 season, but not at a price they would like to pay him. They owe him $11.5 million in 2011, and it makes sense that they would look to restructure his contract.
But an ESPN report that came out a couple weeks ago claimed that Palmer would not agree to a pay cut if the Bengals came to him asking for one, so it seems more likely that the team would move forward without him instead of paying him his huge salary.
The Bengals drafted Palmer No. 1 overall in 2003. He has made two Pro Bowls in his career, but he looked like he was over the hill in 2010.
11. Steve Slaton
15 of 25
Chance of Coming Back: 20 percent
Because Slaton is now in Arian Foster's shadow in Houston, and because Foster is going to command a few bucks as a restricted free agent, it would make sense for the Texans to see if they can't get anything for Slaton in a trade.
Sure, he may have bad fumblitis, but another team with a hopeless running back situation might be willing to take a chance on him. That means you, Washington.
10. Marion Barber
16 of 25
Chance of Coming Back: 15 percent
Instead of paying Barber the $4.25 million he's set to earn in 2011, the Cowboys will probably just cut him. Of the $45 million in the seven-year deal he signed with the team in 2008, only $16 million is guaranteed.
Sucks for him, I guess, as he's not going to get much on the open market after the season he just had. Still, somebody will give him a shot.
9. Darren Sproles
17 of 25
Chance of Coming Back: 15 percent
The Chargers are going to have to choose between Sproles and Mike Tolbert this offseason.
Given the fact that Sproles was more or less forgotten about while Tolbert and Ryan Mathews got the bulk of the carries this season, not to mention the fact that Sproles could very well demand a high price from another team, it's more likely they'll choose Tolbert.
8. Matt Light
18 of 25
Chance of Coming Back: 15 percent
It's been Matt Light's job to keep Tom Brady clean for many years now, and he has done that job well.
But age clearly took its toll on Light this season, and second-year tackle Sebastian Vollmer has proven that he can play tackle on either side of the line.
This is the final year of Light's contract, and Vollmer makes him expendable. Rest assured that the folks in the Patriots locker room will be sad to see him go.
7. Vince Young
19 of 25
Chance of Coming Back: 10 percent
The vibes you get out of Tennessee is that it's either Vince Young or Jeff Fisher who will be coming back in 2011, but sure as hell not both of them.
Young is undoubtedly an extremely talented player, but his ceiling remains far higher than what he's done in his career to this point.
One way or another, he's probably gone.
6. Chad Ochocinco
20 of 25
Chance of Coming Back: 5 percent
Chad Ochocinco will only be in a Bengals uniform next season if the team decides to pick up his $6 million option.
Considering the fact that he just didn't have a very good season, as well as the fact that he once again was not exactly a model citizen in 2010, that seems like a long shot.
And by "long shot," I probably mean "impossibility."
He's gone.
5. Alex Smith
21 of 25
Chance of Coming Back: 0 percent
The 49ers are a mess. Not only do they need a new head coach, they also need a new GM. And finally, the feeling around town is that they need a new quarterback.
In other words, Alex Smith's all-too-brief tenure with the San Francisco 49ers is probably over. His contract is up, and the franchise is already heading in a new direction.
That being said, Smith will definitely find a good job somewhere in the NFL. He may have had his struggles, but he's definitely the kind of guy that would benefit from a change of scenery.
4. Kyle Orton
22 of 25
Chance of Coming Back: 0 percent
Tim Tebow is the guy in Denver. Not only is he younger with a higher upside than Orton, he's also cheaper.
The Broncos will look to trade Orton, and will likely get something pretty good for him in return.
In fact, one team that would probably look to add him would be the Niners, who likely won't try to replace Alex Smith (or Troy Smith) in the draft.
3. Terrell Owens
23 of 25
Chance of Coming Back: 0 percent
Yup, the Terrell Owens-Chad Ochocinco experience in Cincinnati will be one and done.
The Bengals only had Owens signed for this year, and it's apparent that neither party got much enjoyment out of his presence, so he'll walk.
The only question is whether Owens will look for work with what would be his sixth different team, or whether he'll just hang 'em up.
2. Randy Moss
24 of 25
Chance of Coming Back: 0 percent
Randy Moss pulled off a pretty remarkable disappearing act after he was picked up by the Tennessee Titans.
That's right, I just used the word "remarkable" in a discussion of Moss' Tennessee tenure. I'm amazed too.
We can have a few more laughs over that later at the pub. For now, suffice it to say that Randy Moss will not be playing for the Titans next season.
He probably has something left in the tank, but he's also going to make far less than the $6.4 million he made in 2010.
1. Donovan McNabb
25 of 25
Chance of Coming Back: 0 percent
After 11 seasons and six Pro Bowl appearances with the Philadelphia Eagles, McNabb was traded to the Washington Redskins in one of the most hyped transactions of the 2010 offseason.
But instead of revitalizing the Redskins alongside new coach Mike Shanahan, McNabb struggled mightily in the 2010 regular season. And as you well know, he and Shanahan didn't quite see eye-to-eye.
McNabb's fate was pretty clear when he was benched in favor of Rex Grossman for the final three games of the season.
Despite the fact he agreed to a five-year extension in mid-November, McNabb is done in Washington.
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