NFL Free Agent Predictions: The 25 Best Free Agents of 2011
NFL Free Agent Predictions are like any other kind of prediction. You take what you know, try and make some logical leaps and then throw your darts at the wall.
So we have the list of the 25 best free agents going into the 2011 offseason. All of these guys will generate attention with their signings, whether they stay with their current team or move on.
It's important to remember there can be no free agent signings in the NFL this year until a new collective bargaining agreement is signed. Since that will happen at some point, let's just all put on our happy face, assume labor peace and take a look at the cream of the crop in free agency this year.
25. Matt Leinart
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Matt Leinart was ejected from Arizona for never living up to his draft slot, contract or any kind of expectation put on him.
Leinart could never take the job from Kurt Warner, and then never seemed to take the competition seriously enough this past offseason to keep the starting job from going to Derek Anderson and his Arm of Doom.
Now with Houston and buried on the bench all year, if he can convince a team he's been "reborn," he should get a second chance elsewhere.
24. Randy Moss
2 of 25
Randy Moss, who will turn 34 in February, says he still wants to play. The question is if anyone is going to want to pay him to play.
Moss was very invisible in Tennessee, but they were the only team that put a claim in on him when the Vikings cut him.
It's hard to believe Moss has eaten any humble pie in the last few months, but he's probably going to have to take a pay cut if he wants a few more years on the gridiron.
23. Ricky Williams
3 of 25
Ricky Williams is going to be 34 next season, but with all the time he took off in his career, his body isn't quite as old and beat up as most other running backs his age typically would be.
Still, 34 is 34, and he just isn't going to be as fast as he was a few years ago. He indicated he's done with Miami, but some team will probably give him one more season to add depth to the backfield.
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22. Terrell Owens
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Terrell Owens proved this last season that he's still got everything you want out of a receiver on the field by making 72 catches for 983 yards and nine touchdowns at age 36. He turned 37 in December, but with those kinds of numbers, he just might get one more year.
It all comes down to his big mouth, and if any team feels he will disrupt the locker room or not.
21. Ronnie Brown
5 of 25
The other Miami Dolphin running back also is looking for a new contract, but his age also is starting to become a bit of a concern.
Brown will turn 30 during the 2011 season, and the tendency for running backs to hit a wall after they turn 30 is no myth. Brown didn't have a great season, rushing for only 734 yards and averaging 3.4 yards per carry.
Brown will get another contract, but it may not be the kinds of dollar figures he could've gotten a year ago.
20. Alex Smith
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Alex Smith is done in San Francisco. To think otherwise is just speculating for the sake of covering your backside on the one percent chance Jim Harbaugh says, "Yeah, I think I can do something with Alex!"
That's not going to happen and Smith will move on. He obviously will want to be a starter, and that could happen depending on other offseason moves, but he most likely will be a backup on another roster waiting for his opportunity for a comeback.
19. Matt Hasselbeck
7 of 25
Age is catching up with Matt Hasselbeck, but if Seattle wants to keep him for one more year, he might get one more chance at the starter's job.
Otherwise he's probably going to have to settle for a backup role somewhere else and take a pay cut.
18. Darren Sproles
8 of 25
Darren Sproles is a valuable part of the Chargers offense, but there are changes afoot. It's likely the Chargers will try and keep him, but he could get a good offer from a team with a bigger need, and Sproles will bid farewell to the Lightning Bolts.
17. Malcom Floyd
9 of 25
Malcom Floyd is another piece of the Chargers offense that the front office is going to have to decide if they're going to keep, or let move on.
The Chargers offense was spectacular in 2010, but when you don't make the playoffs, changes are made. Floyd probably will be one of the pieces they keep, but once the bids start flying, you never know what can happen.
16. Braylon Edwards
10 of 25
Braylon Edwards is one of two Jets wide receivers whose contract is up this year.
Edwards can be a great wide receiver, as he showed in several games this year, but he also can kill your team with bad drops, a poor attitude and a selfishness that rivals any diva wide receiver in the league.
Edwards had a great 2010, but once that new contract is signed, expect his concentration to waver again.
15. Richard Seymour
11 of 25
Richard Seymour now gets to decide if he likes the direction the Raiders are going, or if he's going to take his talents elsewhere.
Seymour wasn't happy about the trade to Oakland, and Oakland paid through the nose for him, including this year's first-round draft pick, but now Seymour is a free agent and it's out of Al Davis' control.
Davis may offer Seymour a lot of money, but if Seymour doesn't think the Raiders are going anywhere, he'll explore his options.
14. Logan Mankins
12 of 25
Logan Mankins' absence from the Patriots line was duly noted and Mankins was brought back into the fold.
There's no way the Patriots don't try and re-sign him after his performance this season. Every aspect of the Patriots offense improved once Mankins began lining up again.
13. Santonio Holmes
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Santonio Holmes has found new life in New York after being exiled from Pittsburgh for off-field issues.
Holmes returned from suspension this year and had an immediate impact on the Jets passing game. He finished the year with 746 receiving yards in 12 games, averaging 14.3 yards per carry and catching six touchdowns.
The Jets are certain to make re-signing him a priority once they are able to.
12. Seneca Wallace
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Seneca Wallace was brought into Cleveland to back up Jake Delhomme, and he was pressed into service very quickly after Delhomme went down with a high ankle sprain.
Wallace looked good before going down with the same injury, but he never got back on the field after Colt McCoy came out, looked great and kept the starting job.
Wallace indicated to the media that he wasn't going to come back had Head Coach Eric Mangini stayed, but with Mangini gone, it now comes down to what he thinks he can do in Cleveland under a new head coach, or if he's better served going elsewhere.
Wallace is good enough to generate interest from many teams.
11. Zach Miller
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Zach Miller is a great tight end who thrived despite the quarterback carousel the Raiders have been on recently.
Miller is the kind of athlete Al Davis will pay to stay in Oakland, so it's doubtful he ends up anywhere else, but you never know.
10. Haloti Ngata
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Haloti Ngata is one of the main reasons teams don't like to play Baltimore. Ngata is tough, quick and when he hits someone, you can feel it through the TV screen.
Ngata will be locked up to a huge contract in Baltimore, of that there's little doubt. But there's always that chance another team comes in and makes a crazy offer.
When it comes to crazy offers, see: Haynesworth, Albert.
Somehow, no matter who pays Ngata, he'll probably be a much better player and teammate.
9. Champ Bailey
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Champ Bailey is a free agent, and Denver is making a lot of changes. His chances of staying in Denver at this point are probably 50/50, and a lot will depend on the new head coach.
Bailey still has a few good years left in him, and he should still get a pretty decent contract.
8. Sidney Rice
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The Vikings have needs to attend to in the draft, so if they can sign Sidney Rice to a new contract, that alleviates having to look for a wide receiver anywhere near the top of this year's draft.
That's assuming there's a labor agreement before the draft, but again, we're thinking positively here.
7. Vincent Jackson
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Vincent Jackson made it clear he wasn't happy with the Chargers' tender last year and sat out most of the season.
Whether or not they make him happy this offseason depends on a lot of factors, but Jackson most likely will be playing elsewhere next year.
6. DeAngelo Williams
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With all the problems the Panthers had this year, and all the holes they'll need to try and fill, not signing DeAngelo Williams would classify as a bone-headed move.
But if Panthers owner Jerry Richardson insists on going cheap in the near future, then Williams probably will be playing elsewhere next year.
5. Marcedes Lewis
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Marcedes Lewis is one of the crucial parts of the Jacksonville offense, so the Jaguars lose him at their peril, especially with the questions at the quarterback position.
Lewis will command a good price on the market due to his talents, and it will be interesting to see who wins the arms race.
4. Nnamdi Asomugha
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Nnamdi Asomugha is out in Oakland, and there won't be a new contract negotiated. The Raiders' loss is the rest of the league's gain.
While Asomugha didn't hit milestones in the contract, that doesn't mean he's washed up as a player, and there will be a long line of teams at his door bidding for his talents once free agents can start signing.
3. Antonio Cromartie
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Antonio Cromartie is looking like a better signing for the Jets since Kyle Wilson isn't developing as fast as they hoped, and Cromartie can play the position.
He's criticized for not being able to keep up with some elite receivers, but he's good enough to be a guy you want on your team.
2. Michael Vick
24 of 25
Michael Vick will get a good contract from somebody after this season, but it probably will be the Eagles.
There are a lot of moving parts in play here, including Kevin Kolb, but the Eagles would be foolish to let Vick go, so unless they have a better plan, Vick will stay.
1. Peyton Manning
25 of 25
Given how Jim Caldwell doesn't appear to be able to coach his way out of a cardboard box the more you watch him, it might be in Manning's best interests to go elsewhere.
Money aside, if Manning wants another Super Bowl, it's doubtful he gets it in Indianapolis as long as Caldwell is the coach.
The Irsay family will make sure he's the highest-paid quarterback in the league, but it won't matter if the head coach has little control over the team and doesn't understand clock management and the simple concept of letting a young quarterback who is being rushed beat himself while time runs out.
Manning will finish his career as a Colt, but if he gets another ring, it will be in spite of Caldwell and not because of him.
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