The 2016 NFL free agency period was once again pretty eventful, as various teams tried to throw money at their problem positions ahead of the upcoming season. But of course, some of those signings were smarter and savvier than others.
Let’s find out which among those moves were the best and which were the worst. Our criteria in judging which are the “best” or “worst” involve different factors like team fit (Do they fill a need?), contract value (How much did the team pay?), and opportunity cost (Could they have used the money spent better?).
Based on those criteria, here are 10 such signings – the five best and the five worst – which caught our eye the most during this free agency period. And for more NFL coverage, check out our final prediction for the top five picks in the 2016 NFL Draft here.
Malik Jackson to Jacksonville Jaguars (5 yrs, $85.5 million)
Don’t mind the gaudy dollar numbers Jacksonville handed to Jackson. The Jags have to constantly overpay to get free agents to come, and Jackson could end up being well worth the money if he plays up to the level he showed in Denver. He’s a versatile and productive pass rusher the Jags desperately need, and at 26, he could get even better.
Eric Weddle to Baltimore Ravens (4 yrs, $26 million)
The Ravens need some more help in their secondary, but they addressed a huge hole at safety by grabbing veteran Eric Weddle. At 31-years-old, Weddle is only two years removed from being a first-team All Pro and still has plenty to offer the Ravens, who are +275 to win the AFC North.
Danny Trevathan to Chicago Bears (4 yrs, $24.5 million)
The Bears filled up a massive need at linebacker by snapping up Super Bowl champion Danny Trevathan. He’s familiar with John Fox, and should be a very good fit in Vic Fangio’s 3-4 defense. Chicago also got a pretty fair deal, considering where Trevathan’s new contract ranks relative to his position.
Lamar Miller to Houston Texans (4 yrs, $26 million)
Miller didn’t quite fulfill his absolute potential in four years in Miami, but he did show flashes. He’s also just 25-years-old and doesn’t have too much wear on those tires. (He averaged just a shade under 200 carries in his last three seasons.) He’s not a top-10 running back, which is what he’s getting paid like, but he might be soon enough.
Kelechi Osemele to Oakland Raiders (5 yrs, $58.5 million)
Paying a guard left tackle-level cash isn’t ideal in a vacuum, but Osemele is arguably the best guard in football, and the Raiders had the cap space to spare. Osemele will be a huge upgrade to Oakland’s O-line, and will provide added protection to young quarterback Derek Carr.
With Osemele and other free agent signings like Sean Smith and Bruce Irvin on board, no one should be sleeping on the up-and-coming Raiders, who are +230 to win the AFC West.
The Worst
Olivier Vernon to New York Giants (5 yrs, $85 million)
The Vernon deal makes a lot sense from a football standpoint. The Giants needed help with their pass rush, and he should help fill that need. But Vernon just hasn’t shown he can consistently perform at the very top level, and yet he’s just been handed the richest contract ever for a defensive end. The fact that he’s going to get paid J.J. Watt-level money (and likely won’t come close to Watt’s production) just does not compute.
Sam Bradford to Philadelphia Eagles (2 yrs, $35 million)
Re-signing Bradford seemed like a perfectly acceptable move when it happened, but after the Eagles traded up to No. 2 in the draft – most likely to take a quarterback – keeping Bradford is suddenly a stupefying move. If Chip Kelly were the one who made this sort of puzzling move, everyone would be all over him. But GM Howie Roseman shouldn’t get a free pass, because his handling of this quarterback situation doesn’t make much sense.
Mohamed Sanu to Atlanta Falcons (5 yrs, $32.5 million)
Given his meager production in Cincinnati (33 catches, 394 yards, 0 TDs last season), there’s no way Sanu should’ve commanded the kind of contract the Falcons ended up giving him. He’s got the tools to potentially live up to that contract, but the Falcons made an unnecessary gamble by giving him top-end No. 2 receiver money, one they could very well end up regretting.
Brock Osweiler to Houston Texans (4 yrs, $72 million)
Everyone understands the Texans’ logic. They badly need a quarterback, and the market for that position is just crazy. But giving $37 million in guaranteed money to someone like Osweiler, who has seven career starts, and who wasn’t good enough to keep a hobbled Peyton Manning out of the starting QB spot in Denver just feels like it’ll backfire in a big way.
Josh Norman to Washington Redskins (5 yrs, $75 million)
The Washington Redskins plain and simply overpaid for Josh Norman. Sure, Norman was arguably the best corner in the entire league season, but it was also the first and only season where he’s shown that level of performance. Is that sample size really enough to give him an average of $15 million, making him the league’s highest paid corner?
Oh, and he’ll also be 29 before the end of this season, which means the ‘Skins will be lucky to derive more than 1-2 years of truly elite production that one would expect from such a costly contract. If Darrelle Revis can lose a step as he entered his 30s, so can Norman.
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