NFL Free Agency

[bigbluepride35]

Holy crap! Did anyone hear that Edgerrin James signed with the Cardinals? Why would you want to go from the Colts to the Cardinals. Come to Arizona where NFL careers come to die! Woohoo!

And Antwaan Randle El left the Super Bowl champs for the Redskins.

Tell me both of those moves weren't about the money when you consider the teams those two guys left and the ones they went to. I hope those dollars are enough to keep them happy because there isn't a ring in their near futures.

The stories: Randle El and James

[+StevoFC MVC]

yeah i heard about this a while ago...

i can't believe the teams they left just for more money.

wow i just read that brandon lloyd went from SF to the redskins also. they will have a very good receiving core now.

[method]

Randle El isn't so bad because the Redskins were a playoff team last year. Edge to the Cards was pure money.

So far the Browns have mad the biggest splash by signing Bentley and Shaeffer to strengthen their line.

Just saw this one Football Outsiders, the Ravens signed Mike Anderson.

http://www.footballoutsiders.com/2006/03/1...ra-points/3739/

[D!ABOL!C]

Holy crap! Did anyone hear that Edgerrin James signed with the Cardinals? Why would you want to go from the Colts to the Cardinals. Come to Arizona where NFL careers come to die! Woohoo!

I thought the same, but that is exactly what they need, assuming they can block.

A good running back, and 2 top notch receivers. Now this of course is an if all things go well scenario, but assuming they do, they could be a good team.

[saotome6]

Brees or Culpepper in Miami?

The Drew Brees saga dragged on when he left New Orleans on Sunday afternoon and flew to Miami after promising Dolphins coach Nick Saban that he would pay a visit.

Brees seems firm in wanting a $10 million-a-year contract after turning down a six-year, $50 million free-agent offer from the Chargers. The Saints are the closest to meeting the quarterback's demands. The Dolphins aren't offering as much in guarantees as New Orleans, and they seem to have dug in on not doing that with Brees coming off shoulder surgery.

Brees is the top choice of the Dolphins but not for the guarantees he is seeking. He might be able to get them from the Saints.

Nick Saban may have to hold off until Monday to make a decision on this front. Here's the situation: He can sign Brees or he can trade for Daunte Culpepper. The Vikings aren't as adamant about asking for a second-round choice that could upgrade to a No. 1, but they want a second-round draft pick. They won't let Culpepper have a doctor's visit with the Dolphins, only allowing him to talk on the phone with Miami. The Dolphins are holding up the bulk of their aggressive offseason work until they resolve their quarterback situation. In the next 24 hours, their quarterback will be either Culpepper or Brees.

Saban has already gone overtime on this one. The Dolphins will either be in or out of the bidding by Monday.

Meanwhile, the Raiders have resumed talks with the Vikings but made it clear they aren't going to get into a bidding war with another team for Culpepper. If the Vikings are willing to talk to Oakland on their terms, then they will listen.

Redskins hosting Abraham: The Redskins scheduled Jets defensive end John Abraham for a visit Sunday night after 49ers defensive end Andre Carter visited the facility but departed for a trip to Denver.

Abraham is a franchise player but the Jets are willing to trade him, and Abraham wants to be traded. What's interesting is whether the Redskins have enough draft choices to try to appease the Jets. Their No. 1 is with the Broncos. They have only a second, a fifth, two sixths and a seventh. Washington traded its No. 3 to the 49ers for wide receiver Brandon Lloyd along with a No. 4 in 2007.

This is Abraham's first visit. He's talking to four other teams, including the Seahawks, the Falcons, and the Broncos.

Ramsey gets talked up: Expect the Redskins' trade talk involving quarterback Patrick Ramsey to gather steam. The Jets, Lions and Dolphins have permission to talk to him (Miami is concentrating on Culpepper and Brees). The Lions have Cardinals quarterback Josh McCown in for a visit Monday. The Jets had a visit from Ramsey and something could happen pretty soon.

Seahawks in no position to lose Hutchinson: Even if the cap number is $13 million on Seahawks guard Steve Hutchinson's $49 million offer sheet, Seattle has no choice but to match it. He's one of their best players.

Two arguments will come up in the first few days of thinking, but only a mistake by Seattle would cause it to let Hutchinson go for no compensation. First, the Seahawks have $17 million of cap room and Hutchinson is already on the books for $6.3 million because of the transition tag. They can make up the $7 million cap difference by restructuring a couple of contracts.

Second, the Seahawks can argue $7 million a year is too much for a guard. That's a bogus argument. While it's true that $7 million is a lot for that position, the only reason he will make $7 million is because the Seahawks screwed up by putting a transition tag on him, letting the Vikings negotiate the contract. Hutchinson would have made $1 million less if he negotiated from a franchise tag. As one of their best players, they can't let him go. Don't compound a mistake by making another, particularly when you can manipulate the cap with $17 million of room and five-year proration of contracts.

Givens waiting to taketh: Patriots receiver David Givens didn't accept an offer from the Houston Texans, instead flying to Nashville for a Monday visit with the Titans. Givens has an offer from the Dolphins but wanted to make one more visit to test out his value. Givens hopes to make more than $4 million a year.

Davis' deal squeezes Moulds, Reed: The Bills made their third free-agent strike in two days by reaching a one-year, $1.3 million agreement with Patriots wide receiver Andre Davis.

Davis will have an $800,000 base and a $500,000 signing bonus. He was traded from the Cleveland Browns to the Patriots last year. Davis was a second-round choice of the Browns in 2002 and was traded to the Patriots last season.

Adding Davis means something will happen for the Bills soon on the wide receiver front. Eric Moulds has a $10.8 million cap number and efforts to restructure his contract have failed. There had been talks in recent days to re-sign free agent Bills receiver Josh Reed, but the team now has Davis under contract.

Write down Lewis visit to Denver: Ravens running back Jamal Lewis will decide by day's end whether or not to visit the Broncos, but pencil him in for that visit. Lewis continues to talk to the Ravens but they aren't anywhere close on a contract. The Ravens are structuring deals that don't have a lot of money early in them. With Edgerrin James signing with Arizona, Lewis is now the top back on the market.

Cardinals had reasons to make splash: It's pretty easy to see why the Cardinals changed their minds and decided to go big into the market for Edge. First, they have $26 million of cap room and a new stadium. Second, signing little deals such as the ones for guard Milford Brown and defensive tackle Kendrick Clancy don't eat up a lot of their cap. Third, they have $67 million of cap room in 2007. Giving James $30 million over four years with a chance to earn another $1 million brings a marquee name to the Cardinals, as Emmitt Smith did a couple years ago.

Worth noting: Darren Howard's visit to Philadelphia is more than just a visit. Talks are heating up, and the Eagles are trying to get him under contract before he leaves town ... Interest in Broncos running back Mike Anderson is picking up. The Ravens and the Panthers are showing interest in him ... 49ers defensive end Andre Carter left Washington without a deal but will continue to talk. He might visit Denver as well ... The 49ers are negotiating with Browns wide receiver Antonio Bryant, who arrived in San Francisco on Saturday night for a visit ... The Bengals scheduled a visit with Rams backup quarterback Jamie Martin after getting word from backup Jon Kitna that he probably won't be back in Cincinnati. Kitna is visiting teams as one of the top QBs available in free agency ... Antwaan With Randle El, Koren Robinson and Joe Jurevicius off the market, Antonio Bryant and David Givens are the best receivers available until the Eagles release Terrell Owens on Wednesday.

[bigbluepride35]

^^ Ya know I may be wrong and maybe you write sports articles in your spare time but that definitely looks like a news article taken from another site without sourcing it, which kind of falls under plagarism. Might want to add that source link lol.

[Steffan]

Here's his source

Also...

Redskins signed safety Archuleta

Ravens resigned RB Jamal Lewis

[quigley0]

wait, the Ravens signed Jamal Lewis AND Mike Anderson?

[Toastyone]

Tell me both of those moves weren't about the money when you consider the teams those two guys left and the ones they went to. I hope those dollars are enough to keep them happy because there isn't a ring in their near futures.

It was all about the money :p I love how James puts it: "It's a great situation. All they really need is a back," James said at a news conference. "They've got an MVP quarterback, they've got two Pro Bowl receivers. They got a back and they're going to shore up the offensive line." :rofl:

[saotome6]

^^ Ya know I may be wrong and maybe you write sports articles in your spare time but that definitely looks like a news article taken from another site without sourcing it, which kind of falls under plagarism. Might want to add that source link lol.

I got it from the atlanta falcons Message Board... I copy everything the same way there was no link ;)

[Steffan]

Drew Brees signed with the Saints. Its a 6 year, $60 million dollar contract with $8 million as a signing bonus.

The Vikins trade Culpepper to the Dolphins for a 2nd round pick.

The Eagles released Owens.

The Titans signed WR Givens. Its a 5 year, $24 million contract.

The Lions signed QB Katina. Its a 4 year contract, but the dollar amount wasn't given.

[bigbluepride35]

So, who moves up to take Matt Leinart. This suddenly added some spice to the draft. And I hope the two years RIvers had to sit and watch prepped him to be thrown into the fire lol.

[Steffan]

On SportsCenter, Mort said that the Titans could draft Leinart so he could play for Chow again. Or Jets could trade up to get the 2nd pick and draft Leinart.

[....]

*I'm very upset with the lack of Cowboy moves*

22+ million under the cap and we aren't doing jack.

[Aaron Veteran]

*I'm very upset with the lack of Cowboy moves*

22+ million under the cap and we aren't doing jack.

Patience... I gaze into my crystal ball and see your future, it is TO. You just released Keyshawn to make room for another loud mouth cancer. Count on it!

[....]

Ugh..releasing Key was a bad move. he did very well the past year

[devn00b]

Worst move still goes to my beloved chargers. Getting rid of brees in favor of Rivers? HAHAHA what a joke. I got to go down to qualcom and see rivers throw the ball arround a few times. Nice guy and all, but he is no drew.

Boo on you chargers.

Least I still have my steelers :)

[lawtai]

It'll be interesting to see how Brees and Culpepper do on their new teams.

[+StevoFC MVC]

i hate culpepper, but i think miami will be an above average team this year. as for brees with the saints...good luck with that.

[quigley0]

How is Carson Palmer? I am supprised they didn't try to get Kitna to stay..

[IceDogg]

Ugh..releasing Key was a bad move. he did very well the past year

I sure hope they aren't doing all this to get Owens!

[Steffan]

Jeff Gracia has agreed in principle with the Eagles. He's expected to sign with the Eagles in the next day or two.

[Veedems Veteran]

Brees to the Saints. If that wasn't only about the money, I don't know what is. Why would anyone want to play for that forsaken team?

[ITCNS13]

Browns sign Willie McGinnest,

Man finally!! I am a die hard Browns fan and its about time they started addressing the needs they have (offensive line and defensive line) instead of going out and getting more receivers and running backs. Now if we can continue getting some decent linemen in the draft and maybe some more free agents the Browns might actually be a pretty good club next year, they'll still be third in the division cause Pittsburgh and Cincinnati are still better, but they'll hopefully get more than 6 wins!

[method]

In the news that makes you go huh. The Lions have signed Josh McCown. That puts 5 quaterbacks on the Lions roster. So does this mean that the Lions will draft Santonio Holmes in the draft to keep the streak alive. I guess that way they can run that 5 quaterback 6 wideout set that Matt Millen has so dreamed about.

http://www.footballoutsiders.com/2006/03/1...ra-points/3755/