NFL Free Agency 2012: Top 10 FAs Who Will Handicap, Not Lift, a Football Team

The next offseason will no doubt not be as crazy as the post-lockout frenzy, but it has some huge names that could change the NFL with one signing of the pen. 

The biggest names include Drew Brees, Ray Rice and Matt Forte. Where could some of those players end up and what kind of impact will they have on a team?

1. Wes Welker

Wes Welker is having a monster season for the New England Patriots in the final year of his contract. Averaging a little over 110 yards per game receiving, he has destroyed defenses with underneath routes and his ability to find seams in the defense on the run. 

He will no doubt want to stay associated with Tom Brady and the Patriots, who have used him heavily the past few years. With this major season though, how much money will he demand? He is making $4.1 million currently and his agent will most likely demand more than that. 

The Patriots will money up for their receiver but it will handicap them in their ability to sign defensive players that will help one of the worst defenses in the NFL. By paying Welker a few extra million dollars, it stops them from going out and picking up a few cheap undrafted free agents, or signing a few league-minimum veterans. 

Wes Welker will handicap teams in their ability to pick up other players.

2. Matt Forte

Chicago should pay the man to keep him on his roster, but don't overpay and end up with a Chris Johnson on your team. Although Johnson has bounced back a little recently, the chances of Forte handicapping your team with his massive hit to the payroll are too big to overpay for him. 

Forte has been pretty consistent in gaining around 1,000 yards a season until 2011 where he has almost hit 1,000 yards by Week 11. People are saying pay the man, but why would Chicago pay the man when they can use their franchise tag, which saves them money and allows them to go out and improve the offensive line to see if Forte really is who he's playing like this year?

Overpaying for Matt Forte would handicap the Bears' ability to improve the offensive line for Forte. 

3. Cedric Benson

His numbers may look like the average running back, but his off-the-field discipline and actions will handicap whatever team decides to sign him. The Bengals may not re-sign him as they look to the future and draft a running back to go along with current rookie standouts Andy Dalton and AJ Green.

Benson was suspended for a few games earlier this season for troubles and has honestly had these troubles all of his career. Teams should avoid bringing in this veteran that can cause distractions and really not contribute anything more than an average amount of talent to the team.

Cedric Benson will handicap teams with his lack of discipline off the field.

4. Plaxico Burress

After his one-year deal with the Jets expires, Plaxico Burress will once again be a free agent. Burress has shown that he can perform at the NFL level, but has lost a lot of the explosiveness he used to have with the Giants. 

Burress will handicap teams because he's gotten older, simple as that. His explosiveness is gone and he will only be good for another year or two, which will handicap a team's ability to bring in a franchise wide receiver, or someone that can produce even average results for years to come.

Plaxico will be demanding money that he isn't worth and teams should avoid the handicap he will bring to teams.

5. Braylon Edwards

Braylon Edwards hasn't reached 1,000 yards since 2007 and probably won't reach the mark again. With only 13 receptions on the year thus far, it doesn't seem like anyone should go pay even average money for Edwards.

There is no doubt, though, that a team that is looking for a savior at wideout, namely St. Louis, will try and go out and overpay for an average receiver and hope for the best. They will end up handicapping their salary cap and their receiving corps by paying so much and feeling obligated to play the average receiver.

Edwards will handicap a team by being overpaid and overrated.

6, Peyton Hillis

Sorry Cleveland fans, any hope you had for your Madden cover boy should be thrown out the window. He was a one-hit wonder and won't be on the Madden cover ever again thankfully. He demanded a new contract, then a trade, then had a sore throat and now he has a tweaked hamstring.

Cleveland or any team shouldn't rely on him to be a primary back and pick him up as a running-back-by-committee where he can stay healthy by sharing the load of carries. He will handicap your team because, as we said with the strep-throat incident, he can be a major distraction for your team to deal with. 

He will be a handicap for the team that signs him in the offseason because of distractions and lack of production.

7. DeSean Jackson

After being inactive for a week during this season for falling asleep in team meetings and the lack of explosiveness, it's hard to see DeSean Jackson not handicapping any team that signs him. 

Although the team's one-game suspension has only been a one-time thing, that's too much of a risk and may provide insight to his work ethic. A professional player must work his hardest on every play and make big plays consistently. Jackson has lost that consistency and has fallen, as have the rest of the Philadelphia Eagles.

Last year everyone knew Jackson for his thrilling plays, but those have been almost nonexistent this year, showing that Jackson isn't worth the money if he can't prove to be consistent as a receiver or punt returner.

8. Tashard Choice

Tashard Choice has learned the hard way that it is possible to lose your starting job by injury. Thanks to DeMarco Murray, who has burst onto the scene for the Cowboys, Choice has seen limited action since returning from the injury and is likely on the way out after his contract expires this year. 

Choice is an average running back that a team will most likely reach for and overpay, which will handicap their run game and team for years to come.

Teams without a solid primary back will go after Choice in hopes that he is an untapped talent that Dallas didn't use effectively. The Redskins and Mike Shanahan come to mind in this instance, and hopefully Choice proves to be effective but most likely he will handicap the team that signs him.

9. Tyler Palko

As Matt Cassel is injured, Palko will get some time to shine in the Chiefs' season. With a team that isn't very good, any showing of brightness will propel Palko to be signed by a team reaching for a quarterback. 

Palko is the backup for a reason and will be serviceable for the few games he is asked to perform, but one team will look too much into those game and over-sign him to be the starting quarterback for a team. This situation is similar to the Tarvaris Jackson and the Seahawks' deal signed last offseason that has proven to be a handicap for the Seahawks.

Palko should remain a backup in the NFL and not be paid big bucks to handicap a team's future.

10. Kyle Orton

Kyle Orton is no doubt out in Denver after Tebow has led them to a 3-1 record as a starter and the Broncos are committed to building the offense and the rest of the team around Tebow. Orton would be a good cheap veteran acquisition to bring in to help a rookie learn for a season or two, but not as a viable long-term solution.

He will handicap teams because he has a little bit of an interception problem and isn't really an established leader. When the team was an Orton-controlled team, not many thought of Orton as the head of the team, which led to him being ousted as the starter in favor of more-popular Tim Tebow.

Orton will handicap teams with his lack of leadership ability and the turnover bug.