2012 NFL Free Agency: 10 Biggest Value Free Agents on the Market

Now that the 2011 NFL season is coming to a close, many teams are separated by either preparing for the postseason, fighting to make the postseason or planning for the 2012 season.  Some are looking at the draft with such high-profile names as Andrew Luck, Trent Richardson and Robert Griffin III.  Others are highly anticipating this exciting upcoming free-agency period. 

Each one of the previous college players names bring about multiple stories that journalists and analysts form stories from.  It is no surprise that they each have broken records and are capable of making hour-long highlight reels of themselves. 

However, what many teams will not forget is that free agency is a huge part in developing a championship-caliber team.  While every team that missed the playoffs would like to have Andrew Luck or “RG3” on their team, most of them are going to have to settle for good free-agent pickups. 

While some of the choices out there may seem outlandish and near impossible to execute, there is always a chance for players to land somewhere else.  Unfortunately the best way to do that is have a lot of money, which many teams do not really have these days.  Therefore, the best way to go about this is finding value in players. 

Most of the players about to be mentioned have fairly low pay days in accordance to the numbers they put up or the potential they have to be great at their specific positions.  Every team is looking for that great deal in free agency where the price tag is far below what they can bring to the team.  

Matt Flynn

Matt Flynn, backup quarterback on the Green Bay Packers, is not your typical household name. However, he has shown some intriguing plays while filling in his role as backup to Aaron Rodgers. 

It is too bad that the fans cannot see more of this player.  Obviously he is in a tough situation because he is playing behind arguably the league's best passer.  However, he is a competitor that wants to see the field.

During those moments when the game is already decided (mostly in the Packers favor), Matt Flynn will come in and show the fans what he’s got.  Flynn has shown that he can handle being a quarterback in the NFL.  His timing is good and he's shown plenty of arm strength on some of his deep balls.  Flynn’s athletic ability is highly underrated as well. 

In all honesty, it would be nice to see Flynn have an opportunity to show what he can do, however, that would mean having to leave the Packers franchise. 

He is currently getting paid in the mid $500,000 range and only time can tell us whether that is enough for him or not.  There are definitely some teams out there that would be willing to take a risk on him.  Maybe he decides to stay and play for that salary, but for that number, Matt Flynn is one of the best values on the free-agent market.  

Marshawn Lynch

As most NFL fans have seen, Marshawn Lynch is one of the biggest and best backs in the game.  Although he has not received as much hype as some of the other teams out there, his highlight film is no joke. 

This year he has amassed over 1,000 yards and 11 touchdowns.  In his five years of NFL  experience, he has gained over 4,349 yards, which shows great consistency in terms of output.  He currently is ranked third in the NFL in total rush yards and has been one of the few good stories to come out of the struggling Seahawks. 

He is currently getting paid $1.1 million in the 2011 season.  Although that may seem like a fairly hefty price, Lynch gives solid stability to that running back spot.  That is relatively low money for what this guy can bring to an offense. 

If Lynch can put up the numbers he is with the lack of talent around him, one only wonders what damage he can do playing on an elite team.  

Drew Brees

Drew Brees is definitely not cheap.  He has become the face of the Saints franchise after leading them to their first Super Bowl trophy in franchise history. 

Brees is on pace to break Dan Marino’s single-season passing record and is leading his red-hot Saints into the postseason.  There are no words that can describe what Drew Brees has brought to this team and the New Orleans community.

Those are some of the major reasons for why Brees is most likely going to stay in New Orleans and why New Orleans will pay him whatever he wants.  However, no one can be absolutely certain that it will pan out this way.  If another team is willing to offer more to Brees, maybe that is how it is going to fall.

With that in mind, Brees would offer some huge dividends regardless of what his salary asking price would be.  Brees essentially shifted the team’s offense into a high-octane scoring machine.  They own the league's best passing offenses and most of that has to do with the duo of Brees and head coach Sean Payton. 

Brees is currently getting paid a salary of around $7 million dollars per year.  This is one of those huge contracts that most superstars are going to get paid.  However, being able to have Drew Brees lead the team's offense for a couple years does sound appealing. 

If Brees ever does decide to test the markets, teams should be doing whatever they can to get this guy in.  He will make the team a championship contender every year as well as most likely boosting team-related revenue.  

Ray Rice

Pro Bowl player Ray Rice is another big name that is entering the free-agency market in 2012.

Rice is probably the most threatening player on the Baltimore Ravens offense.  He is small and elusive between the tackles and is a bruising runner for the defense to have to take down.  The closest runner that Rice resembles would be Maurice Jones-Drew of the Jacksonville Jaguars.

He has already amassed over 1,000 yards this year alongside 10 touchdowns.  He is in his fourth season, which means he still has some pretty good years ahead of him.  This year there has been much debate on how many more touches Rice should be receiving. 

With a current salary somewhere in the neighborhood of $500,000, Ray Rice is highly underpaid for the numbers he is putting up.

If he decides to enter the free-agent market, there are going to be plenty of teams ready to offer him contracts of more than double what he is making currently.  Hopefully the Ravens can keep him on the team, but that is all depending on how much money they actually have to spend. 

However, with Rice’s contract being that low, it makes him a highly valuable free agent in next year’s market.

Matt Forte

Just like Ray Rice, Matt Forte is someone who is playing at a very high level at a very low salary.  He has been in the news about his position with the Chicago Bears' organization regarding his contract.  There has been some drama surrounding it, which might hurt the Bears in keeping him on the team.

Up until the knee injury that took him out of play for a few weeks, he gathered 997 yards and three touchdowns.  He basically was the Bears offense during the games that Jay Cutler was struggling.

Right when Cutler started heating up, Forte was injured and soon thereafter Cutler injured himself as well. 

Forte is currently getting paid somewhere around $500,000, which is shocking for how much work he was outputting for this team. 

When he gets into the free-agency market, he will be taken up pretty quickly.  He is asking for some money and if the Bears do not give it to him, there are going to be plenty of other teams who will.  

Vincent Jackson

Although Philip Rivers has been struggling to get him the ball, Vincent Jackson has still manage to compile over 1,000 yards and eight touchdown catches. 

Now in his seventh year in the league, he is starting to understand the subtleties to succeed at the NFL level.  He is a big and physical receiver at 6’5” 230 lbs and has quickly become Rivers’ favorite target.

Luckily for the Chargers, his salary is fairly low for the role he has with the team.  He is currently paid roughly $1.1 million dollars a year, which is typical for a receiver of his caliber. 

However, big and talented receivers are highly valuable in the NFL.  The only drawback with Vincent Jackson is that he can be sometimes unreliable.  Although he clearly has talent and the physical prowess to be great in this year, there are some doubts about how open he can get. 

For $1.1 million dollars, it looks to be a safe bet that teams are going to pay to see how he performs.  Vincent Jackson is a type of receiver that can be great and that is what makes his value so high in the 2012 free agency.  

Greg Olsen

This has been the year of the quarterbacks and apparently tight ends.  Rob Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez of the Patriots have made some great plays at their position during the 2011 season.  Brent Celek for the Eagles has made some incredible highlights that most fans did not think was possible by tight ends.  Frankly, the position is getting rewritten.

With that in mind, this means that the tight end position is getting more valuable, especially when teams get in the red zone or anywhere near the end zone.  Greg Olsen is a big tight end that can catch the ball.

Although his stats may not show it with only 540 yards and five touchdowns, that can be attributed to an inexperienced rookie quarterback in Cam Newton.  Still, he has the sixth-most targets among tight ends in the red zone with 16. 

As the role of tight ends becomes more valuable, current salaries for players like Greg Olsen will increase dramatically.  Olsen currently has a salary of $900,000 and looks to make much more in 2012. 

Teams will be looking to pick up Olsen for a similar price, which will make him very valuable compared to what his output could potentially be.  

Jason Campbell

Jason Campbell’s injury that occurred during the beginning of the year will turn out to be more costly than just missing this season.  It looks like Campbell has successively injured himself out of a starting position.

When the Oakland Raiders decided to trade for Carson Palmer, that ended the years of Campbell in Oakland.  This is unfortunate because he was actually playing pretty well before he was injured.  In fact, his Raiders were leading the AFC West with him at the helm.

His contract is fairly hefty hovering around $4.5 million dollars a year.  This is not small money however, for what he can provide for a team in need of a QB.

A team that comes to mind is the Baltimore Ravens.  They already have one of the league's best defenses, a Pro Bowl caliber running back and the only real issue that this team has is at the quarterback position. 

If Campbell can come back playing at the same level he had been before he was injured, this number will be a small price to pay for a legitimate shot at winning the Lombardi trophy.  

Jason Jones

One of the big reasons why Albert Haynesworth's departure did not impact the Titans as much as people expected was because of Jason Jones.

He is a huge up and coming talent that offenses are starting to pay attention to.  He has 26 total tackles with 18 solos and eight assisted.  Though these are not necessarily mind blowing numbers, it is important to keep in mind that he is only getting paid a number in the mid $500,000 range. 

He is a physical player who has no problem with hitting a player to send a message to the offense.  Jones has been a big part in the success of that defense and will eventually get paid more in his career. 

For the price of his contract, he is well worth the money.  

Peyton Hillis

Hillis had one of the most disappointing seasons in the NFL this season.  After gaining over 1,000 yards in the 2010 season, Hillis looks to gain about half of those yards this year. 

So far he has acquired 445 yards and three touchdowns.  He is entering his fifth year in 2012 and is most likely going to find another team if the Browns do not pay him what he wants. 

He is currently getting paid somewhere in the range of $500,000, and looks to be wanting more if he is going to put up numbers like he did in his 2010 campaign.  

Peyton Hillis is one of the bigger backs in the NFL.  He resembles a Brandon Jacobs style of running and could be a tough runner to take down when he is playing well.  Also, like Jacobs, his athleticism is highly underrated due to this size. 

If Hillis gets paid, he will most likely start performing closer to the numbers he had in 2010.  Considering his salary this year was so low, his value is off the charts.