Free Agency 2012
Updates will be made every time a big name/noteworthy free agent signs/resigns.
Brandon Marshall - traded to the Chicago Bears This wasn't technically a free agent signing but it was a blockbuster trade to say the least. Chicago finally has there big bodied receiver that they've been hoping for, the fact that it was Jay Cutler's top receiver in Denver is even better. Cutler and Marshall already know each other and play at an exceptionally high level when they were part of the Broncos. Marshall fits into Chicago beautifully, he doesn't have that break away speed but that's what Knox and Hester are for, he is however extremely physically and doesn't shy away from hits + he's almost half a foot taller than all the current receivers on Chicago's roster. Huge trade for Chicago, I think Miami is really going to miss him, but hey they did get two 3rd round picks for him...
Pierre Garcon & Josh Morgan - signed by the Washington Redskins Very, very smart move by Washington. Both Garcon and Morgan are under the age of 25, they'll be drafting a quarterback in Robert Griffin III who is 22 - this makes a ton of sense, instead of growing a rap our with Santana Moss and Jabar Gaffney, who are in there 30's, he'll be familiar with Garcon and Morgan - Washington really set themselves up nicely with these signings. Garcon is a very past player who's just starting to reach his potential, he's had an issue with drops throughout his career but that's just a concentration problem that I believe he'll solve also immediately. Morgan was just starting to hit his stride with San Francisco but broke his ankle 5 games into last season. He doesn't have the speed that Garcon has but he has better hands.
Vincent Jackson - signed by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers Good sign by Tampa, may have been a little to high of a price for a player like Jackson (5 years $55M) but they have the cap space and lets face it Tampa needed an exciting player like Jackson. Jackson can spread the field, even though he is not a burner he has the height and physicality to fight off defenders not only get the ball but make plays after the catch. Mike Williams and Arrelious Benn weren't ready to be a number one and two receiver respectively but add Jackson into the mix and that frees up coverage for the two 3rd year players which will help their development as receivers in the NFL. Josh Freeman will also be extremely happy to have a receiver of this caliber along the line.
Carl Nicks - signed by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers Nicks got what he wanted in becoming the highest paid guard in the game. This is a very good signing by Tampa. Tampa is hoping Nicks can do what he did for New Orleans for them; this will ultimately give Josh Freeman more time in the pocket and create more running room for LeGarrette Blount or whoever will be running the ball for them.
Cortland Finnegan - signed by the St. Louis Rams The Rams now have a some attitude in there secondary along with skill. Finnegan may not have all world speed but he's a very good man-to-man coverage corner that will get in the number one receivers face. St. Louis has been looking for a star at corner for a while now and seeing how they kept missing in there draft choices, picking up a proven free agents was the next best thing. Seeing him match up with Larry Fitzgerald will be fun to see.
Mario Williams - signed by the Buffalo Bills Buffalo finally found their pass rusher. This is a signing that a city and team like Buffalo needed; they're not known for star power but with a move like this many team will notice, especially the ones in the AFC East. Williams had stated that he never was a big city guy and if you're going to lure a guy like Williams to your team you need to offer him more than just money and Buffalo did that. The Bills defense gets significantly better, they already have the ball hawking secondary, an above average linebacking corp and now their defensive line will be superb. Also, the fact that Buffalo is changing back to a 4-3 this just works to their advantage and the timing could not be better - Williams on one said, Kelsey (or a top draft pick on the other), Dareus and Kyle Williams on the inside, Buffalo may not even need to send extra players to get to the quarterback. Tremendous signing.
Martellus Bennett - signed by the New York Giants Low risk, high reward signing by New York. Bennett always had the talent he just never put it together in Dallas but that may be because Dallas lacks the discipline that New York has. Another reason why this is a very smart signing by New York is now the Giants don't need to use a first round pick on a tight end. Bennett also offers much more athleticism than Jake Ballard + they wouldn't need to rush him back from the torn ACL he suffered in the Super Bowl.
Mario Manningham - signed by the San Francisco 49ers Smart signing by San Francisco, Manningham will be a nice mix with Randy Moss and Michael Crabtree as he has above average speed and can make that clutch catch (as proven in the Super Bowl). We'll see if he can put it all together and become a complete receiver in the 49ers offense. The advantage is that he will be playing in a run first offense and won't have to shoulder the load or blame if there are any miscues. It'll be interesting to see who will be throwing him the ball, all signs point to Alex Smith but after San Francisco flirted with Peyton Manning and lost and may become a little awkward.
Peyton Manning - signed by the Denver Broncos The signing that everyone was waiting for, the one person that can change a franchise immediately, when healthy (Indianapolis knows all about that). This is one hell of a signing by Denver because lets face it there really aren't many opportunities to go and get a future hall of fame quarterback on the market. I do think that the contract is a little high for a player who's had 4 neck surgeries in the last 2 years (5yrs 96M), it's a lot of money for a player with an injury like that but the Broncos felt the need to roll the dice. Now John Elway has his pocket passer he always wanted. I do feel that he should have signed on to San Francisco as they have the better, more Super Bowl ready team but maybe Manning didn't want that pressure, even though whatever team he chose will be expecting a Super Bowl before he retires.