It's never puzzling to see a whirlwind of signings on the first day of NFL Free Agency. This year was more crazy than any other. Over $1 billion in in signed contracts. The owners aren't too worried about those numbers as many of the players will be cut before all of that money can be paid. About twenty players signed contracts in the first 30 minutes. It was a crazy first day. Adam Schefter, Jason LaCanfora, Ian Rapoport, and Albert Breer probably required medical attention by the end of the day. The activity wasn't surprising. The salary cap shooting up $10 million can explain some of the activity. In all of that craziness there were some puzzling transactions.
Let's start in Oakland where just about everything being done there is puzzling. They kind of rivaling the front office insanity of the Cleveland Browns. At the start of free agency, the Raiders had over $60 million in cap space. They could do pretty much anything they like in free agency. Either players simply don't want to play there no matter how much the Raiders can pay or the Raiders think that they can save that cap space for...something. Oakland had a promising, young left tackle in Jared Veldheer. They let him leave as a free agent for the Arizona Cardinals. The Raiders make their first dive into free agency by signing St. Louis Rams tackle Roger Saffold to replace Veldheer. Soild move. The next day, Saffold is no longer part of the picture when he fails his physical in Oakland. Saffold has had a shoulder issue since college. The Rams are cool with whatever caused Saffold to fail the Raiders physical and re-sign him immediately. At the critical left tackle position, the Oakland Raiders failed to sign their own promising, young player in Jared Veldheer. They replace him with a solid player in Roger Saffold who then fails their physical before the transaction could be finalized. The Raiders are now without either left tackle and it's day three of free agency. Maybe they'll be using their #5 pick in the 2014 NFL Draft to fix that problem. Maybe they'll sign Donald Penn.
The Cleveland Browns had a talented safety in T.J. Ward. A rising star in the NFL. He's a free agent. The Browns don't re-sign him. It seemed to be about money but who really knows what goes on between the player and the team. He signs with the Denver Broncos. The Browns sign Donte Whitner for more money than the Broncos paid Ward. I'd rather sign Ward.
It's not really fair to criticize the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for releasing Darrelle Revis after only one season. A previous regime had paid the steep price to acquire and pay Revis last year. While I think that a corner as skilled as Revis can play in any system, he's not as great of a fit for a Lovie Smith/Leslie Frazier predominately cover-2 defense. Recent Buccaneers addition Alterraun Verner is a much better fit. Bye bye Revis. It just seems strange, even foolish, to spend 1st and 4th round picks and a huge salary for what is basically a one-year rehab assignment. The New England Patriots are sure happy about it.
The Denver Broncos have added safety T.J. Ward and corner Aqib Talib on that crazy first day. If they had stopped there, that would be a free agent great haul. Then they add defensive end DeMarcus Ware. My goodness. Where'd they get the money. I actually think that it was the Broncos defense that fell apart in the Super Bowl.
Perhaps the most puzzling of all was how the New Orleans Saints managed to fit safety Jairus Byrd under the salary cap. They only had enough room for a contract of about $3 million.
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