# NFL Offseason Thread: Combine & Free Agency Version **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [February 23, 2010, 8:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-offseason-thread-combine-free-agency-version/530165 "2010-02-23T20:53:37Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 7
**Author:** ![Omniscient](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omniscient/32/3290_2.png) [@Omniscient](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omniscient)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2010, 10:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-offseason-thread-combine-free-agency-version/530165/121 "2010-03-06T22:59:32Z")
Was wondering to myself which player you’d rather have and I figured I’d take a poll. Julius Peppers or Albert Haynesworth? Ignore the contract numbers for now, which star D lineman would you prefer to have on your team for the next 6 years? Haynesworth will be 29 when the season starts. Peppers will be 30. ---
**Author:** ![Enginerd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/bcef8e/32.png) [@Enginerd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enginerd)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2010, 11:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-offseason-thread-combine-free-agency-version/530165/122 "2010-03-06T23:09:28Z")
> [@MOIDALIZE](#): > > The top 8 teams from last season are constrained in free agency this year, are they not? I believe they’re not allowed to sign any free agents until after they lose one of their own. Mini-poll: Haynesworth. ---
**Author:** ![Omniscient](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omniscient/32/3290_2.png) [@Omniscient](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omniscient)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2010, 12:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-offseason-thread-combine-free-agency-version/530165/123 "2010-03-07T00:53:12Z")
> [@MOIDALIZE](#): > > The top 8 teams from last season are constrained in free agency this year, are they not? > [@Enginerd](#): > > I believe they’re not allowed to sign any free agents until after they lose one of their own. It’s a bit [more complex](http://www.nfl.com/news/story?id=09000d5d808736ba&template=with-video&confirm=true) than that. > [@](#): > > The rule will restrict the final eight teams in the playoffs from signing free agents. The final four teams shall not be permitted to negotiate and sign any unrestricted free agent to a player contract except for players who acquired their status by being cut or were on the final four team when their contract expired. Playoff teams five thru eight get a break to sign one player with a salary of $4,925,000 or more and any number of players with a first-year salary of no more than $3,275,000 and an annual increase of no more than 30 percent in the following years. > > There is a mechanism to permit the final eight teams to sign an unrestricted free agent for each one of their own unrestricted free agents who sign with another club as long as they don’t spend more than what their own lost player received from his new club. The Jets, Colts, Vikings and Saints are really handcuffed. They can only sign their own players and ones cut around the league. They can’t sign any UFAs or RFAs unless they lose one themselves. Thus far the only team that qualifies is the Vikings who lost Chester Taylor, they can add a FA at a salary of about $3M/year. Assuming Thomas Jones and/or Leon Washington get picked up by other teams the Jets will be able to add a player too. The Colts and Saints are both going to have to focus on resigning their own guys, but the Saints have a ton of FAs and it’s pretty likely that they’ll lose more than a couple. The 5-8 teams, the Cowboys, Cardinals, Chargers and Ravens aren’t really that restricted at all. They can land one big name FA if they want, so they all could have been in the Peppers sweepstakes. Then they can sign guys on the lower end too. That window is only a million and a half dollars between $4.925 and $3.275 which teams can navigate around. Teams generally don’t land more than one big name guy anyways and guys like Chester Taylor and Kerry Rhodes got less than $3.275M. With the guys the Cards have already lost and the guys the Chargers are likely to lose the limitations will be even more mild. ---
**Author:** ![Least\_Original\_User\_Name\_Ever](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e480ec/32.png) [@Least\_Original\_User\_Name\_Ever](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Least_Original_User_Name_Ever)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2010, 12:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-offseason-thread-combine-free-agency-version/530165/124 "2010-03-07T00:58:28Z")
Haynesworth. ---
**Author:** ![kidchameleon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/898d66/32.png) [@kidchameleon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kidchameleon)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2010, 1:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-offseason-thread-combine-free-agency-version/530165/125 "2010-03-07T01:16:21Z")
> [@Omniscient](#): > > Assuming Thomas Jones and/or Leon Washington get picked up by other teams the Jets will be able to add a player too. Jones was cut, does he count? ---
**Author:** ![Omniscient](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omniscient/32/3290_2.png) [@Omniscient](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omniscient)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2010, 2:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-offseason-thread-combine-free-agency-version/530165/126 "2010-03-07T02:02:54Z")
> [@kidchameleon](#): > > Jones was cut, does he count? You know, that’s a good question. The phrasing of that article says that an unrestricted free agent may be signed if a UFA is lost. That might imply that the final 8 teams are entirely restricted from signing RFAs, but I’m not sure if that’s true or if the Final 8 rule simply doesn’t apply at all meaning that the rules about RFAs are identical for all teams. Similarly when Thomas Jones is released he becomes an UFA. Does that mean that is similar to his contract expiring as the final 8 rule applies or do the Jets get no relief? There are news reports that the Jets are still interested in resigning Jones so it’s clear that they are allowed to do so. I’m not sure if they are allowed to do so because he’s treated as a “lost UFA” or if they just have the right to sign their own players with expiring deals. ---
**Author:** ![Hamlet](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hamlet/32/2818_2.png) [@Hamlet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hamlet)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2010, 3:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-offseason-thread-combine-free-agency-version/530165/127 "2010-03-07T15:08:34Z")
Haynesworth. In other news, Aaron Kampman signed with the Jaguars. No details on salary, etc. yet. I’m glad that if he had to go, it wasn’t to an NFC North team. I wish him the best of luck. ---
**Author:** ![SenorBeef](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senorbeef/32/2220_2.png) [@SenorBeef](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SenorBeef)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2010, 10:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-offseason-thread-combine-free-agency-version/530165/128 "2010-03-07T22:17:35Z")
Browns signed Tony Pashos and Scott Fujita. I don’t have any opinions either way yet, except that Pashos has to be better than John St. Clair, right? It would be hard not to be. ---
**Author:** ![Least\_Original\_User\_Name\_Ever](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e480ec/32.png) [@Least\_Original\_User\_Name\_Ever](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Least_Original_User_Name_Ever)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2010, 12:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-offseason-thread-combine-free-agency-version/530165/129 "2010-03-08T00:33:52Z")
> [@SenorBeef](#): > > Browns signed Tony Pashos and Scott Fujita. I don’t have any opinions either way yet, except that Pashos has to be better than John St. Clair, right? It would be hard not to be. Interesting. Fujita, by many accounts, was going to give the Saints some kind of hometown discount. Apparently it wasn’t enough/the Browns threw a lot of cash at him. ---
**Author:** ![SenorBeef](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senorbeef/32/2220_2.png) [@SenorBeef](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SenorBeef)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2010, 12:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-offseason-thread-combine-free-agency-version/530165/130 "2010-03-08T00:37:59Z")
Well, you know, New Orleans has a decent little football program going over there, but when you get a chance to go to Cleveland you’ve got to take it. I can’t find contract numbers. ---
**Author:** ![Omniscient](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omniscient/32/3290_2.png) [@Omniscient](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omniscient)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2010, 2:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-offseason-thread-combine-free-agency-version/530165/131 "2010-03-08T02:42:42Z")
> [@Hamlet](#): > > In other news, Aaron Kampman signed with the Jaguars. No details on salary, etc. yet. I’m glad that if he had to go, it wasn’t to an NFC North team. I wish him the best of luck. Little more detail, Kampman got [similar money](http://espn.go.com/blog/nflnation/post?id=19667) to what Vanden Bosch got from Detroit. As the blog post notes its interesting considering Kampman is fresh off a catastrophic knee injury. Though I think Kampman was a better player. > [@SenorBeef](#): > > Browns signed Tony Pashos and Scott Fujita. I don’t have any opinions either way yet, except that Pashos has to be better than John St. Clair, right? It would be hard not to be. I think Pashos an underrated Tackle. Certainly better than St. Clair., but that’s not saying too much. Fujita is a guy I’ve never been that high on, he’s far too undersized and he doesn’t make up for it with elite speed or special talent in coverage. Here’s the [contract numbers](http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=4973776) for both. ---
**Author:** ![BabaBooey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/dfb087/32.png) [@BabaBooey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BabaBooey)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2010, 4:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-offseason-thread-combine-free-agency-version/530165/132 "2010-03-08T04:00:23Z")
> [@SenorBeef](#): > > Well, you know, New Orleans has a decent little football program going over there, but when you get a chance to go to Cleveland you’ve got to take it. > > I can’t find contract numbers. 3 years, $14m, $8m guaranteed. Cleveland overpaid, New Orleans was ready to move on at that position (Fujita is an awful pass rusher + Gregg Williams loves blitzing), and I think the Saints like having some flexibility in FA being one of the final 4 teams. What kills me is the timing. Kampman could have been a legit possibility had he waited of Fujita signed with Cleveland sooner. ---
**Author:** ![Southern\_Yankee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/southern_yankee/32/2800_2.png) [@Southern\_Yankee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Southern_Yankee)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2010, 12:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-offseason-thread-combine-free-agency-version/530165/133 "2010-03-08T12:06:08Z")
_The scene: Bank of America Stadium, Charlotte, NC_ \*Suddenly, there’s a knock at the front gate. \* **Marty Hurney:** Who’s there? **NFL:** Free Agency! **Hurney:** Free Agency who? \ ---
**Author:** ![Death\_of\_Rats](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a6a055/32.png) [@Death\_of\_Rats](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Death_of_Rats)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2010, 1:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-offseason-thread-combine-free-agency-version/530165/134 "2010-03-08T13:44:34Z")
> [@MOIDALIZE](#): > > The top 8 teams from last season are constrained in free agency this year, are they not? Then someone should explain to STL that they were not in the _top_ 8 teams. When you are a team that bad and your biggest FA splash is… \ **AJ Feeley**! \ …there is something wrong. Oh, and they resigned a backup safety. woo. ---
**Author:** ![MOIDALIZE](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e274bd/32.png) [@MOIDALIZE](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MOIDALIZE)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2010, 2:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-offseason-thread-combine-free-agency-version/530165/135 "2010-03-08T14:10:21Z")
Well, the flipside of this uncapped year is that there’s also no salary floor this season, which means teams like the Rams who probably weren’t going to compete this year anyway aren’t likely to spend a lot. Which isn’t as bad as it sounds. If your team is rebuilding from the ground up, it’s better for them to concentrate on developing the young players for a season to see what they have and position themselves to be big players in free agency next season with all that cap space. ---
**Author:** ![Death\_of\_Rats](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a6a055/32.png) [@Death\_of\_Rats](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Death_of_Rats)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2010, 2:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-offseason-thread-combine-free-agency-version/530165/136 "2010-03-08T14:42:36Z")
True, **MOIDALIZE** , but they also need to do _something_ this year to get butts back in seats. Even at the reduced ticket prices, fans in this economy are not going to fill a stadium to watch a sub-NFL Europe quality team get slapped around for 16 games, espacially after they already watched that last year. They don’t need a Bears-like spending spree, but they do need a name that people want to come see and at least give the appearance that they are trying to get better. ---
**Author:** ![MOIDALIZE](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e274bd/32.png) [@MOIDALIZE](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MOIDALIZE)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2010, 2:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-offseason-thread-combine-free-agency-version/530165/137 "2010-03-08T14:59:43Z")
With all the TV money and shared revenue, I’m betting any NFL franchise could completely mail it in for a season, basically give their fans the middle finger, and still be profitable. And they will have a name player: their #1 draft pick. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2010, 3:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-offseason-thread-combine-free-agency-version/530165/138 "2010-03-08T15:20:17Z")
> [@Hamlet](#): > > In other news, Aaron Kampman signed with the Jaguars. No details on salary, etc. yet. I’m glad that if he had to go, it wasn’t to an NFC North team. I wish him the best of luck. Agreed. I love Kampman, but he was clearly a man without a position in Capers’ 3-4 last year. I hope he recovers well from the knee injury, and tears up the AFC South. ---
**Author:** ![It\_s\_Not\_Rocket\_Surgery](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/it_s_not_rocket_surgery/32/312_2.png) [@It\_s\_Not\_Rocket\_Surgery](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/It_s_Not_Rocket_Surgery)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2010, 5:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-offseason-thread-combine-free-agency-version/530165/139 "2010-03-08T17:27:51Z")
[Mike Florio](http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2010/03/08/doubts-emerge-regarding-bengals-interest-in-brandon-marshall/?related=1) seems to think any interest the Bengals have shown in Brandon Marshall is a smokescreen to make the Seahawks pay more for him. Is this because the Seahawks got Houshmanzadeh last year? Why would the Bengals otherwise care if Seattle overpays? ---
**Author:** ![FoieGrasIsEvil](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foiegrasisevil/32/16638_2.png) [@FoieGrasIsEvil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FoieGrasIsEvil)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2010, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-offseason-thread-combine-free-agency-version/530165/140 "2010-03-08T18:13:38Z")
> [@It\_s\_Not\_Rocket\_Surgery](#): > > [Mike Florio](http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2010/03/08/doubts-emerge-regarding-bengals-interest-in-brandon-marshall/?related=1) seems to think any interest the Bengals have shown in Brandon Marshall is a smokescreen to make the Seahawks pay more for him. > > Is this because the Seahawks got Houshmanzadeh last year? Why would the Bengals otherwise care if Seattle overpays? Did you read the entire article? While its all speculation, it has nothing to do with Seattle as much as it does with trying to drive the price down on two other receivers the Bengals are apparently interested in, namely Antonio Bryant and Terrel Owens. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-offseason-thread-combine-free-agency-version/530165.md?page=6) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-offseason-thread-combine-free-agency-version/530165.md?page=8)