The start of NFL Free Agency 2015 was more about trades than free agent signings. Two reasons for that. First, we already knew about the signings due to the illegal agreements made during the "Legal Tampering Window." Second, the trades during that five-minute window surrounding the 4PM start of free agency were stunning. The New Orleans Saints sent Jimmy Graham and a fourth round pick to the Seattle Seahawks for Max Unger and a first round pick. The St. Louis Rams sent Sam Bradford to the Philadelphia Eagles for Nick Foles. A wacky combination of draft picks were included in that trade. The Baltimore Ravens sent Haloti Ngata to the Detroit Lions for a couple of draft picks. Add those trades to the trades that were announced last week involving LeSean McCoy, Kiko Alonso, Brandon Marshall, and, of course, Matt Cassel. That was the most wheeling and dealing seen from the NFL in quite some time. Those trades received a lot of much deserved attention but free agency is always about player movement for great sums of cash. Free agency is anything but free.
It's not really right to judge a football transaction immediately following the transaction but it's still always done and always will be done. The big contracts get all of the attention but it's the middle-of-the-road deals, that are often the best deals. Here's a look at some of those. The last one isn't really middle-of-the-road. They were just wise football moves.
Jabaal Sheard, edge rusher, 2 years $11 million, New England Patriots
Sheard didn't seem to fit Mike Pettine's defense in Cleveland but he can get to the quarterback. And he's only 25. The Patriots have an interesting mix of versatile edge players with Chandler Jones, Jamie Collins, and now Sheard. This could be the best move of the first week. The Patriots might have lost Darrelle Revis but their pass rush got better.
Roy Helu, RB, 2 years $4 million, Oakland Raiders
Every time that I saw the Washington Redskins play the past few years I saw Helu make plays. Often when the Redskins needed them most. Alfred Morris ate up most of the carries in Washington. The lack of touches got Helu pegged as a 3rd-down back. He's much more than that. Hopefully, he will get a chance to run the ball in Oakland.
Shane Vereen, RB, 3 years $12.35 million, New York Giants
Vereen has been a favorite of mine since his days at Cal. Like Helu in Washington, Vereen became a situational back in New England. He does provide the Giants offense with a great deal of versatility but he can run the ball effectively on a regular basis. The Giants offense could be scary next year.
Frank Gore, RB, 3 years $12 million, Indianapolis Colts
At 31, soon to be 32, Gore probably won't see all three years of this contract. Even if it's only one year, Gore is a still tough, still slippery runner. The addition of Gore and receiver Andre Johnson probably doubles the cumulative age of the Colts offense but gives the gifted Andrew Luck some more potent weapons.
Leonard Hankerson, WR, 1 year $1 million, Atlanta Falcons
This is clearly a prove-it deal after recovering from hip and knee injuries. A single million! For a single year! Hankerson is young (26), big (6'2" 210 lbs) and fast (4.4). He's also talented. The Falcons weren't hurting at receiver with Julio Jones and Roddy White. They now have an imposing threesome. Hankerson is a very promising football player.
Randall Cobb, WR, 4 years $40 million, Green Bay Packers
Bryan Bulaga, T, 5 years $33.75 million, Green Bay Packers
The Packers did an incredible job here of keeping their own players. Rodgers, Nelson, and Cobb together for the next several years. Oh my. The Packers had struggled to find a blindside protector for Aaron Rodgers for years. They found one in Bulaga and now they are keeping him for a while.
Those are a few of the deals that stuck out to me this week. We'll know in about a year from now whether these deals are really as good as I think that they are now. It's a pretty good bet that the Packers will be happy about keeping their own players.
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