NFL Free Agency 2011: 20 Players Who Just Need a Change of Scenery
As we impatiently wait for NFL transactions to begin, we take a look at 20 players who desperately need a change of scenery heading into the 2011 offseason. Some of these players could be outright released, while others will have to endure the excruciating pain of waiting for their general managers to pull the plug and trade them away.
The Cincinnati Bengals, Washington Redskins and Tennessee Titans have been among the more controversial organizations as they decide the fate of superstars Carson Palmer, Chad Ochocinco, Donovan McNabb and Vince Young.
The current lockout has been devastating to these superstars, and other players around the league, because all four most likely would have been traded during last weekend’s draft.
Nobody is more important this offseason than Oakland Raiders elite cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha. He is the type of player that can instantly make a team the Super Bowl favorite. A stipulation in his contract made him a free agent this offseason. He can now decide where he wants his new home to be if he decides to leave Oakland.
Which other top-level players are in desperate need of a home? Here are 20 players on the trade market or waiting to sign as free agents who should be kicking and clawing their ways off their current teams.
20. Darren Sproles, San Diego Chargers RB
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The Chargers are heading in a new direction with Ryan Mathews. Sproles would still be a great third-down back in San Diego, but he needs to head to a team that will use him more on earlier downs.
Plenty of teams could use a lightning bolt like Sproles. He is one of the better spark plugs in the league and will find a home that will welcome him with open arms.
He could head to Miami to give the team a different dimension.
19. Ronnie Brown, Miami Dolphins RB
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Ronnie Brown had a decent career with the Dolphins but desperately needs to get out of Miami.
Brown needs a change of scenery in hopes that it will help him stay healthy. For some odd reason, some players leave their current home after a checkered injury past and manage to stay healthy elsewhere.
This could be the case for Brown, who is still good enough to be very useful as part of a committee.
He is no longer a No.1 feature back, but he will excel as the No. 2 man.
18. Terrell Owens, Cincinnati Bengals WR
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If you saw him play last season, you know Terrell Owens still has a lot left in the tank. He is still a physical freak who can take over a game.
Most teams shy away from him because of his off-field antics and constant need for attention, but there is no denying that on the field this man is a hustler. He can still dominate mostly every cornerback in this league, except for the rare elites such as Nnamdi Asomugha and Darrelle Revis.
He can vault a team to the next level—the Jets should be in the running for this man.
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17. Mike Sims-Walker, Jacksonville Jaguars WR
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Sims-Walker is not expected to return to Jacksonville, but he is still in need of a change of scenery. It seems the Jaguars are entering a transitional period as they make the switch from David Garrard to Blaine Gabbert.
Jacksonville simply isn’t the right place for him—more because he is not talented enough to be a No. 1 receiver.
He needs to go somewhere to be the No. 2 receiver, which will allow him to achieve more success than ever before. He has the ability to win single-coverage matchups and beat No. 2 cornerbacks, but he is not as good as he thinks, or good enough to be a No. 1 receiver.
16. Joseph Addai, Indianapolis Colts RB
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Addai is enjoying a nice career with the Colts, but his injuries are piling up. This is a similar situation to Ronnie Brown, as one would have to hope that the change of scenery would miraculously help him stay healthier.
He can still be a quality running back in this league with his vision, receiving skills and nose for the end zone.
With his history, he may not receive as much money as he would like, but he could go to a team to be useful.
Personally, I don’t expect him to leave the comfort of Peyton Manning.
15. Vincent Jackson, San Diego Chargers WR
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I don’t think Vincent Jackson is as good as Vincent Jackson thinks he is—and it must be nice to play with Philip Rivers—but he wants the big bucks.
San Diego will never give V-Jax what he wants—one of the few smart moves general manager A.J. Smith has made.
Seattle could still use a player with his ability to stretch the field. I wouldn’t give him the money, but even I agree he needs some sort of job security.
14. Paul Posluszny, Buffalo Bills LB
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Buffalo is coming off a very good draft, but Posluszny would be silly to return to Buffalo. He is one of the better linebackers this league has to offer and is a great leader in the locker room. He attacks ball carriers and is solid in pass coverage.
Posluszny deserves to head to a contending team in need of a high-character, playmaking linebacker. I’ll tell you this—every team needs a man of this caliber. He is a franchise-changing player, but not even he and Marcell Dareus could take the Bills to the playoffs by themselves.
13. DeAngelo Williams, Carolina Panthers RB
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Now that Cam Newton is around in Carolina, there could be even fewer carries to go around. Although most of the league is heading towards a committee system, Williams has the ability to become a monster as a feature back.
Bill Belichick and Tom Brady would love to have an incredible all-around talent like DeAngelo. This is a three-down back who has fantastic speed, power and receiving abilities. New England does use a committee themselves, but they haven’t won a Super Bowl since they had a workhorse runner—DeAngelo can be that man.
12. Randy Moss, Tennessee Titans WR
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Randy Moss needs to be paired with a great quarterback to make sure a team gets the most out of him. He has been known to shut it down at times, but he still has elite ability in this league. He is a major deep threat with fantastic leaping ability and remarkable hands.
He can’t go back to Tennessee, which is going nowhere this season. Moss must head to a contender like the Jets or Ravens.
11. Kyle Orton, Denver Broncos QB
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Orton had a very good season last year—and the Broncos received the No. 2 overall selection in the draft.
He is not the future of this franchise—Tim Tebow is.
He has done everything he could possibly do in Denver. There are plenty of teams in need of a solid game-managing QB to get them over the hump, and Orton is a perfect fit. He do very well in Seattle, San Francisco, Miami or Minnesota.
He still has the talent to compete at a high level in Denver, but the time is now for Tebow—John Fox and John Elway know this.
10. Pierre Thomas, New Orleans Saints RB
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Everyone, including Reggie Bush himself, feel that Bush is all but gone now that the Saints traded back into the first round to acquire former Heisman-winning running back Mark Ingram.
Actually, the player who should feel the most pressure, despite his recent extension, is Pierre Thomas.
Bush can still serve his purpose as the return man and change-of-pace back—just not at his current pay rate.
Pierre Thomas is a fine running back, but he does not offer the receiving ability of Bush, or the power or blocking abilities of Ingram. Between Ingram, Bush, Thomas and Chris Ivory, the truly expendable back is Thomas. He would be the one at risk of a severely reduced workload, especially with his injury concerns after last season.
We could see Bush in a new uniform next season, but Thomas is the back that now needs to find a way out of New Orleans if he wants to be a starter.
9. Jimmy Clausen, Carolina Panthers QB
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Let me make one thing clear: Jimmy Clausen is not a starting NFL QB—he’s not even a good prospect for the position. I never once liked Clausen and felt it was a poor decision to select him in last year’s draft.
Clearly, the Panthers feel the same way.
Cam Newton is the new superstar in Carolina and rightfully so. He has every tool necessary to dominate the league. He will inject new life into this rebuilding franchise.
Carolina should be stripping Clausen of his No. 2 jersey to hand to Cam on a silver platter. This is Cam’s team and it has no place for a sorry excuse for a QB like Jimmy.
8. Albert Haynesworth, Washington Redskins DT
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Haynesworth’s addition to this list has as much to do with his ability off the field as it does on the field.
The Haynesworth Experiment has been a complete failure in Washington. It feels like it has been a tumultuous time since the day he signed the contract.
It was made worse last year when Mike Shanahan embarrassed him with conditioning tests in preseason, but honestly, he may have deserved it. He is an out of shape, lazy worker who desperately needs to get out of Washington because it is affecting his personal life, as evidenced by his recent offseason.
In order to attempt to resurrect his career, he needs to get out of Washington as soon as possible.
7. Donovan McNabb, Washington Redskins QB
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The Redskins refused to draft a quarterback, but that doesn’t mean McNabb’s job is safe.
His contract extension never made sense, and Mike Shanahan has made it clear that the organization is moving on from the failed McNabb experiment, despite McNabb still being officially part of the team for now.
There are several teams who could make a run at McNabb, such as the Dolphins, Cardinals, Seahawks, 49ers and Vikings. Each of these five teams would benefit from acquiring a quarterback of McNabb’s caliber.
6. Vince Young, Tennessee Titans QB
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We knew the Titans wanted to move away from the Vince Young era prior to the draft—but they made it perfectly evident when they selected Washington QB Jake Locker with the No. 8 overall selection.
They grabbed a quarterback they viewed as the face of the franchise who could come in and still play a similar style to Young’s.
With the franchise moving in a new direction, Vince needs out of Tennessee, badly. I still believe he can be a successful, winning quarterback in this league with his heroics. He started his career in a promising way, now he just needs a second chance.
5. Steve Smith, Carolina Panthers WR
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The Carolina Panthers are in the rebuilding process of their franchise. Steve Smith has given his all for the organization and deserves to be shipped off to a contender. He can still be one of the most dominating receivers in the game today.
Although No. 1 overall selection Cam Newton needs a No.1 receiver to build his confidence, Smith could become a bigger distraction for the team if they continue to lose. We’ve seen Smith punch out a teammate before—he might just knock out Cam if he doesn’t like his play on the field.
Smith is a championship-caliber player and needs to get out of Carolina, which could very well have the No. 1 overall selection for the second year in a row.
4. Kevin Kolb, Philadelphia Eagles QB
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We all know Kevin Kolb is not happy about Michael Vick’s emergence. He effectively lost his starting job after Week 1 of the 2010 season when Clay Matthews drove his head into the ground resulting in a concussion.
We should know then that Kolb is even unhappier about the current lockout, as he wasn’t able to be moved on draft weekend.
Once transactions resume, he will become one of the hottest targets on the market. Several teams, like Arizona, still view him as a franchise quarterback.
Let the bidding war begin!
3. Chad Ochocinco, Cincinnati Bengals WR
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Chad Ochocinco and Marvin Lewis have been feuding since February. This is a dead relationship and will never be resurrected.
Cincinnati drafted their new superstar receiver in A.J. Green, and although that does not make Ochocinco expendable, it eases the pain of trading their superstar.
The organization clearly wants to go in a new direction and in no way should Chad’s big, outspoken mouth be in the plans. This isn’t just a case of the player needed a change of scenery, it’s also a case of the organization needing to man up and move on.
We’ve heard rumors of Chad moving on to Detroit or New England; Cincinnati should just make it happen.
2. Carson Palmer, Cincinnati Bengals QB
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Carson Palmer put his house up for sale and is threatening to retire.
Think he wants out of Cincinnati?
The Bengals drafted their new franchise quarterback in Andy Dalton, but it remains to be seen if they are willing to grant Palmer his wish of being moved.
At this point in the tumultuous offseason, the Bengals may decide to call Palmer’s bluff and see if he’ll actually retire before the season.
They don’t owe anything to Carson and may prefer to see him banished at home than living the good life elsewhere.
Checkmate?
1. Nnamdi Asomugha, Oakland Raiders CB
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Nnamdi Asomugha may be the best cornerback in the league, depending on who you talk to.
He has been the staple of the Raiders defense for years now, being called upon to cut off one side of the field as he plays on an island all to himself. He is so good that quarterbacks do not even throw his way despite the lack of safety help. He is a fantastic tackler as well.
Simply put, he is one of the best players in the league. No matter how good the black and silver looks, Asomugha deserves better. He deserves to play for a contender for the first time in his career.
Now that he is a free agent, he has the pick of the litter, as every team should be lined up at his door like LeBron James last summer. Yes, he is that good. He will completely change most teams into legitimate preseason contenders.
This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for one lucky team—but also Nnamdi. Sorry Oakland fans, but Asomugha is too awesome to stay in black and silver.
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