Tag Archives: 2010 NFL Free Agency

With tomorrow being the last day for restricted free agents to sign their tender offers, 5th WR Sinorice Moss agreed with the Giants today on a 1-year deal worth 1.176 million.

With the Moss signing, the Gmen have resigned a total of 4 restricted free agents, including OL’s Guy Whimper and Kevin Boothe, and DE Dave Tollefson. With the deadline tomorrow, players Barry Cofield, Domenik Hixon, Derek Hagan, and Gerris Wilkinson still have yet to make an official decision.

All four of these guys have 1-year offers in the 1.6-1.8 million dollar range. All four are expected to sign.

I’d like to see all these guys sign and be in training camp obviously. Bringing both Hagan and Hixon back will essentially give us the same group of guys in training camp that we had last year. Perhaps one of these guys not signing could be a good thing…I’d like to see 2nd year player Ramses Barden get more looks in training camp, and not having a Hagan or Hixon (preferably Hagan) around would be a good thing for him.

Unlike last year, the Giants have a little more definition of identity at the WR position. Both Steve Smith and Mario Manningham have pretty much solidified themselves as legitimate NFL receivers, and now 2nd year guy Hakeem Nicks who had quite the impressive rookie season, will look to improve on his rook season for sure.

The question marks in training camp have really shifted for this off-season. Last year it was all about this unproven group of WR’s. Now that that issue is settled, it looks like a lot more attention is going to be paid to a defense that is in transition. A new D-coordinator, a new Tampa 2 system, a departure of a vocal leader (Pierce), an addition of a pro bowl safety, the progression of this Osi Umenyiora saga, the questions at CB…just to name a few.

Tagged 2010 NFL Free Agency |

Yesterday, the Giants possibly tipped their hand a bit when they hosted a slew of draftees at their Meadowlands headquarters.

According to Mike Garafolo of NJ.com and SNY, Alabama MLB Rolando McClain and several others were in attendance to meet the Giants’ brass and coaches on Monday.

Among the group were highly touted Penn State LBs Sean Lee and Navarro Bowman and a player we featured last week on GFB: LSU Safety Chad Jones.

You can read Mike’s observations here

It is also being reported that several players that were tendered contract offers earlier this spring will sign them soon.  OT Guy Whimper has already signed his and WRs Sinorice Moss, Derek Hagan, Domenik Hixon are expected to sign theirs this week along with DT Barry Cofield and LB  Gerris Wilkinson.

This morning I will be at the Timex Performance Center for a charity event.  The 2010 Youth Football Experience is co-hosted by Trinity Financial Sports and Entertainment Management and Athletes in Action.  The event is intended to take 100 youngsters from the surrounding areas and have them interact with Giants’ players in an exercise to build football skills and character.

Tagged 2010 NFL Draft, 2010 NFL Free Agency, New York Giants News |

Patience Will Pay Off in Long Run

The Giants, unlike the Jets, do not feel the need to make a huge splash in this uncapped off-season.  If you look up and down their roster, you pretty much see a playoff team – providing they stay healthy.

Last season, just about everything went wrong: injuries to the entire offensive backfield, a QB battling a bad heel and a defense that was in the wrong scheme and that suffered an usual amount of key injuries.

With those facts in mind, you would think the Giants were a four or five-win team.  No, they went 8-8 despite logging in some of the worst numbers in franchise history on defense.

This off-season, GM Jerry Reese had one goal: make the team better without giving anything up.  He has done that thus far.  He brought in two seasoned safeties to bolster the defensive backfield: Pro Bowl safety Antrel Rolle and 11-year veteran Deon Grant. In the process, he dismissed Aaron Rouse and revoked a tender offer to C.C. Brown.  Win-win….

Reese has also re-signed punter Jeff Feagles (for what may be a final season) and his possible replacement- Jy Bond, the Australian.  They made other small moves such as picking up Peyton Manning’s caddy, Jim Sorgi, to back up brother Eli.  Reese also grabbed Broncos’ OT Herb Taylor off waivers and is in negotiations to sign OL Darnell Stapleton, formerly of the Pittsburgh Steelers.

With the draft approaching the Giants have 68 players either under contract or bound by a tender.  After April 24th, they will have 75 players and will still look to sign undrafted free agents immediately after the draft.

From what has been reported by the media and the team itself, only one of those players may not be ready for training camp.  That would be safety Kenny Phillips, who the Giants are being extra cautious with. Other than that, they are coming back healthy and should have anywhere between 7-10 news faces on the sidelines come September.

You can figure on Reese picking up an impact player on defense in the draft, but it may not be any of the suspected names currently being bandied about by draftniks.  You can also count on him looking to get faster on both sides of the ball.

The Giants, by doing very little except convalescing,  will be back at the top conference again.

Tagged 2010 NFL Draft, 2010 NFL Free Agency, New York Giants News |

In a normal year, middle linebackers Kirk Morrison of the Oakland Raiders and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ Barrett Ruud  would have struck it rich this off-season in free agency.

But this is not a normal year.  Both players, who would have been unrestricted free agents under a normal, capped off-season, suddenly find themselves restricted free agents.  Normally, they would’ve needed four years of accrued service, but in this tenuous time of no salary cap, they now need six.

Neither have it.

Ruud, 26, has led the Bucs in tackles the past three seasons. Morrison, 28, has been the Raiders leading tackler for five consecutive seasons.  Needless to say, both players would have garnered major interest this past off-season had the league’s economic landscape not shifted beneath their feet.

At this juncture, neither has signed their tender offer from their current employer.  Ruud was tendered at first-and-third round level at a one-year salary of $3.168 million.  Morrison did not receive as much love in Oakland, only warranting a third-round level offer at $2.525 million.  Unless something breaks in the coming weeks, both will have no option but to stay with their failing organizations.

Ruud is basically untouchable. No team is going to surrender a first and a third round draft choice for him. Not in this draft.  He knows that, too.

“The explanation is pretty clear throughout the league,” Ruud told NFL columnist Rick Stroud. “It’s a very unlucky time to be a free agent. A free agent is not a free agent right now. You’re sort of stuck. If I had come out one year earlier in the draft, I’d be fine. There’s definitely no animosity right now…I know it’s a business, and I’d like to get something now. But I’m approaching it like a one-year-prove-it thing.”

Morrison is a bit bewildered at his both his modest tender rate and the fact that no team has floated an offer sheet his way.

“It’s hard to really kind of fathom it,” Morrison said in an ESPN interview. “You understand that, OK, here I am, putting in this hard work, feeling like I was deserving of being put on a higher pedestal, but the organization doesn’t feel that way.”

There is a reason why Morrison has not been receiving offers.  Teams are playing it close to the vest. With no salary cap and the draft approaching, they are keeping their options open.  The deadline for signing offer sheets is April 15th and the deadline for old teams to match is the 21st.  Only problem here, is, part one isn’t happening so part two won’t, either.

What will happen? Who knows.  Many assume once the draft is over, teams will assess their rosters and RFAs will either be dealt or be forced to come back into the fold for another year.

But that would leave many teams with a glut of players they may not have planned on keeping.  That is why there may be some trade scenarios brewing.  It may have to wait until training camp, when the free-agent sanctions on the “elite eight” are lifted.

Tagged 2010 NFL Free Agency |

Rolle Signing Could Be Biggest Free Agent Splurge For Blue

The Giants needed help at safety and got it with the addition of Pro Bowler Antrel Rolle. They did not hesitate in making Rolle the game’s highest-paid safety, but he may be the only big-ticket player the team brings in, for now.

The uncapped year and the free agency rules that accompany it have many teams either confused or cautious.  Teams are waiting to see what breaks.

I believe teams are playing a patient game of chess.  Since most of the desirable pieces this off-season are restricted free agents (RFAs), general managers and their staffs are calculating whether to draw up offer sheets and surrender draft choices or simply sit back and wait for the draft.

Right now, all teams are measuring the existing pool of free-agents, what other teams might be be interested in them and whether there are better options in the draft.  This process could take weeks. We may not see considerable free agent movement again until mid-April.

Giants Still Need An Experienced MLB, But Could Stick With Goff

It’s obvious to everyone from the parking attendants at the Meadowlands to the ownership that the Giants must find a player to replace Antonio Pierce.  They need to do this before the draft.

Every fantasy player is telling you they should draft a MLB.  I agree, but there is no rookie alive that is going to start Day One of his career calling defensive signals in the NFL.  As a coach,  you’d have to have your head examined to expect a rookie to run your defense.

They need an experienced player at MLB, and that is why Karlos Dansby was considered a “must-have” for the Giants this off-season.  Instead, they opted to spend on a safety, which they also needed.  Now, they have to scour the RFA list for a possible deal. There are some good players, but very few that possess the qualifications the Giants need.

Many feel that Oakland’s Kirk Morrison, tendered at a third-round level, might be the answer.  So far, the Giants have made no moves in that direction.

I think the Giants are hoping that Jonathan Goff can fill the bill for now.  He’s a bright young man and tough player (he has an engineering degree from Vanderbilt) and he has experience with the headset.  If he can build on his performance of last season, there may not be an immediate need to draft a linebacker in the early rounds unless someone they covet falls to them.

Fans are barking about Rolando McClain, Brandon Spikes and others as possible first round draft picks, but if you know the Giants that first rounder is rarely a “need” player.  They will take the best player available regardless of position.

This is a deep draft and there may be someone at 15 they just can’t pass on.  The LA Times projects that player could be Notre Dame WR Golden Tate.  A receiver?  Think about it.  How many receiving options do the Saints, Colts and Vikings have…four or five each?  In this pass-happy league, this would not be the craziest move by a long shot.

Notes

It doesn’t appear that QB David Carr will be back.  He is roaming around the league trying to land a starting gig.  The Giants will work out Colt backup Jim Sorgi today at the Meadowlands as a possible replacement. They are also rumored to be considering Jeff Garcia.

The Giants will also try out another kicker this week – former Panther Rhys Lloyd.

Tagged 2010 NFL Free Agency |

Julius Peppers went to Chicago yesterday and came away $91 million richer.  Karlos Dansby, who was supposed to be courted by a slew of teams, was only offered a contract by the Miami Dolphins.  He took it.

And Antrel Rolle, a safety coming off of a Pro Bowl year, was made the richest at his position by the New York Giants.

So much for the bidding wars.  We now know the strategies of the majority of NFL teams.  They are choosing to be cautious.  The Bears and Giants were desperate for players at those positions.  The Dolphins turned out ot be the only destination Dansby wanted to land.

The rest of the league is taking a powder. There were some other moves.  Detroit made some moves, but they need to make so many moves that whatever they do seem inconsequential.  The Bears also signed Chester Taylor, who will finally become a featured back at the age of 30.

Atlanta made a solid move by inking Houston’s talented CB, Dunta Robinson.  The Cardinals continued to reshape their roster by shipping WR Anquan Boldin to Baltimore for draft choices.

Perhaps the exodus of major players in Arizona helped Rolle’s decision to take the Giants’ money a bit easier.  It was thought that Rolle’s agent may try to take a Giant offer and leverage it vs others, drawing out the process, but that never materialized.

Rolle fills a gaping hole in the Giants’ secondary. Unfortunately, it’s at free safety – the position where Kenny Phillips has been penciled in.  What will the Giants do?  Or is there something we don’t know about Phillips’ future?

The Giants and Kenny Phillips have both assured the public that Phillips’ knee rehab is on schedule, yet they went out yesterday and paid Antrel Rolle $37 million dollars to play Phillips’ position. For a team that claimed they were going to double-count their chips before every move, this quick strike to secure a free safety seems dubious.

The Giants’ made Kenny Phillips their first round selection in 2008 because he had the same attributes as another University of Miami safety- the late Sean Taylor.  Rolle is also a former Hurricane.  In fact, when Taylor left for the NFL in 2004, Rolle took his slot in Miami and became a consensus All-American.

The signing of Rolle certainly helps the Giants at safety. But is he Phillips’ new partner or his replacement?

Let’s hope it’s the former. Does this also mean that they are not expecting Kenny Phillips to fulfill his promise? Will they take Taylor Mays or Earl Thomas if either player falls to them in the draft?  We shall see….

On a side note, the Dolphins released former Giant safety Gibril Wilson yesterday.  I wonder if the Giants would consider bringing him back…?  Are the Giants still looking for inside LB help? And if so, who might be on their radar now that Dansby and Gary Brackett are no longer possibilities?

The Eagles released LB Will Witherspoon yesterday.  He’s still got some mojo left. He may be worth a look.  Then there are the RFAs.  Kirk Morrison of Oakland and Cleveland’s D’Qwell Jackson have been mentioned.

The opinion of this writer, that is if the Giants want a real MLB, they send an offer sheet to Houston’s DeMeco Ryans.  Only 25, Ryans is the league’s next big superstar at the position.  He was recently tendered at the highest level (a 1st and 3rd round pick) by the Texans and is going to be offered a long term deal.

Take a shot, Jerry Reese. You have our permission.  As Clint Eastwood said in The Outlaw Josey Wales….Are you goin to pull those pistols or just stand there whistlin’ dixie…?

Tagged 2010 NFL Free Agency, Antrel Rolle |

Tagged 2010 NFL Free Agency |

MSNBC is reporting that the Giants do not plan on bidding for the services of free-agent MLB Karlos Dansby.

In an internet report based on a Daily News article, they apparently are reading between the lines here.

GM Jerry Reese has not ruled out pursuing any players at this point.  Stay tuned.

Tagged 2010 NFL Free Agency |

What to Expect Come Friday

At midnight tonight, the free agency period begins and the deadline to implement a new salary cap for the 2010 season expires.  That means there will be no salary cap, so teams are not limited in the amount of money they can spend on players.

It also means there is no floor, or minimum team salary requirements.  That figure, which now stands at $107 million, no longer has to be spent on players.  Some teams, especially smaller market ones, may opt to keep salaries as low as feasibly possible.

Teams that played in the Divisional Playoff round last season will basically be sidelined in free agency.  The final four (New Orleans, Indianapolis, New York Jets and Minnesota) cannot sign any UFAs unless they lose one, first.

The other four teams (Baltimore, Arizona, Dallas and San Diego) are limited as well.   They “only will be permitted to sign one unrestricted free agent for $5.5 million (estimated) or more in year one of the contract, plus the number of their UFAs who sign with another team. They also can sign any unrestricted free agents for less than $3.7 (estimated) million in year one of the contract with limitations on the per year increases….”

Free Agents

The unrestricted free agent pool is now 212 players less than it would have been in normal times.  The pickings are slim.  Since UFAs are required to have six years of service, most of them are 30 years old or close to it.  Many believe the there are only a few players worth bidding on, and the price for those players will be not worth the risk.

Teams will be reluctant to pry restricted free agents away from their current employers because the compensation.  With a deep draft coming up, teams will want to stockpile picks rather than forfeit them.

Trades

In the NFL, trades are not as common as they are in other major sports.  This off-season, that is bound to change.  Teams that covet RFAs from other teams may offer some of their own RFAs in return to avoid surrendering draft choices.  It will be interesting to see how this plays out…

Predictions

The Washington Redskins are ready to roll the dice.  The NFL’s most valuable franchise will throw their hat into the ring for every UFA they feel can help them.

The Miami Dolphins will drive hard to the hoop on Cardinal LB Karlos Dansby, as will the Giants.  Money will be the primary factor, but location and direction of the franchise will also be considered.

Julius Peppers, the celebrated Carolina DE, may turn out to be too expensive for the Chicago Bears. It has been revealed that they may have tampered with Peppers at the combine this week.  If they drop out, the Eagles and the Giants may try to play a game of one upmanship for Peppers’ services.

Many teams will not match offer sheets on their RFAs, opting to receive compensation for the lost players instead.

Tagged 2010 NFL Free Agency |

Giants Will Be Aggressive, But Selective

John Mara met the press yesterday, once again reiterating his desire to upgrade his sagging football club.  Stating he believed that the Giants had a solid nucleus, Mara unveiled his free-agent strategy:

“We’re going to do whatever we feel is necessary to improve the team, but that doesn’t always involve spending the most money,” Mara told the Daily News. “I think it’s been pretty well-established in this league that spending the most money in free agency doesn’t always produce results.”

He went on to say that the team will not spend wantonly for the sake of spending.

“We see it year after year, the teams that go out and spend a fortune in free agency don’t always end up being successful,”  said Mara. “You have to spend it on the right guy at the right time. We did spend a lot last year and I’m not saying we’re not going to spend any money this year. We’ll look and see who’s out there and we’ll make a determination as to whether that particular player can help us and is it at the right price.”

Tender Offers

Thursday is the last day to offer tenders to free agents. Thus far it appears the Giants have offered nine of their eleven free agents deals.  Only TE Darcy Johnson and CB Kevin Dockery have not been tendered.

According to Ralph Vacchiano of the Daily News, here is the latest…..

S C.C. Brown – - “Right of first refusal” tender, $1.226 million *

OL Kevin Boothe – - Tendered … Level unknown

DT Barry Cofield – - Second-round tender, $1.759 million

CB Kevin Dockery – - No tender. Now an unrestricted free agent.

WR Derek Hagan – - Tendered. … Level unknown

WR Domenik Hixon – - Second-round tender, $1.684 million

TE Darcy Johnson – - No tender. Now an unrestricted free agent.

WR Sinorice Moss – - “Original pick” tender, $1.176 million. Compensation: Third-round pick. **

DE Dave Tollefson – - Second-round tender, $1.684 million

OL Guy Whimper – - “Original pick” tender, $1.176 million. Compensation: Fourth-round pick.

LB Gerris Wilkinson – - “Original pick” tender, $1.176 million. Compensation: Third-round pick.

Combine Notes

USC safety Taylor Mays, whose draft stock had been dropping, wowed onlookers with a 4.43-second, 40-yard-dash time.  Mays was originally – but erroneously – clocked at 4.24 seconds, which would have made him the fastest player at the combine.  Clemson WR Jacoby Ford has posted the fastest 40 with a 4.28.  Mays is the only defensive player in the top ten in the 40-yard dash.

One of the purest athletes that has emerged at the combine is Pitt TE Dorin Dickerson.  His 4.40, 40-yard-dash time has certainly bolstered his draft chances.  His size (6’4″, 226) makes him a either a big WR or an H-Back.  The Giants don’t need either  of those at this time, but someone is going to get lucky with this kid.

Draft Notes

To appease readers who have been clamoring for more draft analysis……

Who the Giants draft may or may not depend on what they do in free agency.  If they sign Karlos Dansby, he would be their MLB and would be flanked by Michael Boley and Clint Sintim (in the best case scenario).  They would still have Jonathan Goff, Bryan Kehl, Gerris Wilkerson and – most likely – Chase Blackburn.  Do they still draft Rolando McClain if he falls to them?  Would Brandon Spikes be an upgrade over any of those players I mentioned?

None of the names I keep hearing at the safety position have impressed me.  Mays, as you have just learned, can run.  Earl Thomas of Texas is highly regarded, but he is only 5’11″, 197.  I think that’s smallish for an NFL safety these days.  Tennessee’s Eric Berry is 6’0″, 211 and a tad slower than Mays in the 40, but he is considered a top five pick. Unless the Giants trade up, they won’t get him.

One possibility here for the Giants could be USF’s Nate Allen.  He is a good blend of size, speed, power and agility.

Tagged 2010 NFL Free Agency | ← Older posts