2013 NFL Offseason Primer: Free Agency

Posted by Brad On January – 20 – 2013
"Jairus Byrd"

Timothy T. Ludwig-US PRESSWIRE

In the last edition of the 2013 NFL offseason primer we looked at all the implications of the salary cap. Essentially creating a framework for your teams options in the free agency market.

Winning teams have proven that you don’t win championships by winning the offseason. Spending big on guys that teams didn’t want to overpay for is not a recipe for success in the NFL. That said, finding a piece or two to complete a roster or adding depth at a position is never a bad idea.

At 4:00 PM EST on March 12 we will usher in the free agency period. Many of the top players will have already be dealt with, either via a new contract or the franchise tag. The top of our current list will have the top taken off by teams placing the franchise tag on them. Guys like Ryan Clady, Joe Flacco, and Jairus Byrd will never see the light of day on the open market.

Our rankings are based off several factors. 1). Positional value, 2). Age, 3). Overall performance. This is the reason you will see guys like Dwight Freeney so far down the list. While he plays a premium position, his age is catching up with him and his performance declined this season.

So without further ado, here’s our top 50 2013 NFL free agents.

RANK PLAYER TEAM POSITION AGE
1 RYAN CLADY DENVER OT 26
2 JOE FLACCO BALTIMORE QB 28
3 JAIRUS BYRD BUFFALO S 26
4 HENRY MELTON CHICAGO DT 26
5 BRANDON ALBERT KANSAS CITY OT 28
6 DWAYNE BOWE KANSAS CITY WR 28
7 SEBASTIAN VOLLMER NEW ENGLAND OT 28
8 WES WELKER NEW ENGLAND WR 32
9 ANDRE SMITH CINCINNATI OT 26
10 ANDY LEVITRE BUFFALO OG 27
11 MIKE WALLACE PITTSBURGH WR 27
12 JAKE LONG MIAMI OT 28
13 MICHAEL BENNETT TAMPA BAY DE 27
14 GREG JENNINGS GREEN BAY WR 29
15 CONNOR BARWIN HOUSTON OLB 26
16 ED REED BALTIMORE S 34
17 AQIB TALIB NEW ENGLAND CB 27
18 DASHON GOLDSON SAN FRANCISCO S 28
19 WILL BEATTY NEW YORK GIANTS OT 28
20 ANTHONY SPENCER DALLAS OLB 29
21 BRENT GRIMES ATLANTA CB 30
22 GOSDER CHERILUS DETROIT OT 29
23 WILLIAM MOORE ATLANTA S 28
24 PAUL KRUGER BALTIMORE OLB 27
25 CLIFF AVRIL DETROIT DE 26
26 MICHAEL JOHNSON CINCINNATI DE 26
27 TONY GONZALEZ ATLANTA TE 37
28 PHIL LOADHOLT MINNESOTA OT 27
29 RANDY STARKS MIAMI DT 29
30 JERMON BUSHROD NEW ORLEANS OT 29
31 HEATH MILLER PITTSBURGH TE 30
32 CHRIS HOUSTON DETROIT CB 28
33 SHAUN PHILLIPS SAN DIEGO OLB 32
34 LOUIS DELMAS DETROIT S 26
35 DANNELL ELLERBE BALTIMORE ILB 27
36 SEAN SMITH MIAMI CB 26
37 PHILLIP WHEELER OAKLAND OLB 28
38 STEVEN JACKSON ST. LOUIS RB 30
39 DESMOND BRYANT OAKLAND DT 27
40 DARYL SMITH JACKSONVILLE OLB 31
41 DANNY AMENDOLA ST. LOUIS WR 27
42 DOMINIQUE RODGERS-CROMARTIE PHILADELPHIA CB 27
43 OSI UMENYIORA NEW YORK GIANTS DE 31
44 DWIGHT FREENEY INDIANAPOLIS DE 33
45 CARY WILLIAMS BALTIMORE CB 28
46 SAM BAKER ATLANTA OT 28
47 JASON JONES SEATTLE DT 27
48 DEREK COX JACKSONVILLE CB 26
49 BRIAN HARTLINE MIAMI WR 26
50 REY MAUALUGA CINCINNATI ILB 26

Restricted free agents, those with expiring contracts that have played three seasons, can receive offers from other teams. That player’s team has the right to match the highest bidder. Should they elect not to match the offer, they would receive draft pick compensation for that player corresponding to the level of tender placed on the player.

Teams are less likely than ever to tender offers for restricted free agents for two real reasons. First, most teams have gotten hip to the fact that you build the core of your team through the draft. Secondly, the new CBA has relieved the heavy financial burden of high draft picks. Making teams less likely to want to part with picks.

So, it would appear that we won’t see many of these guys change teams but it’s worth a look.

RANK NAME TEAM POSITION
1 VICTOR CRUZ NEW YORK GIANTS WR
2 EMMANUEL SANDERS PITTSBURGH WR
3 SAM SHIELDS GREEN BAY CB
4 STEVIE BROWN NEW YORK GIANTS S
5 DENNIS PITTA BALTIMORE TE
6 STEVE MCLENDON PITTSBURGH DT
11 JONATHAN DWYER PITTSBURGH RB
7 ANDRE BROWN NEW YORK GIANTS RB
8 ED DICKSON BALTIMORE TE
9 EVAN DIETRICH-SMITH GREEN BAY OC/OG
10 ROBERT MCCLAIN ATLANTA CB
12 CASSIUS VAUGHN INDIANAPOLIS CB
13 DAVID NELSON BUFFALO WR
14 LEGARRETTE BLOUNT TAMPA BAY RB
15 AMARI SPIEVEY DETROIT S
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