Maybe Wednesday didn't really throw all of us into an uproar and caffeine trip without the actual caffeine, but it was a busy day nonetheless around the world of the National Football League. Smart teams decided to wait until the second day to make under-the-radar moves, while "other" teams continued to work under the philosophy that Super Bowls are actually won in March.
In fact, the following Tweet from Green Bay Packers' offensive lineman T.J. Lang pretty much sums up what I believe....
So who's winning the march Super Bowl so far? Sweet. #irrelevant
With that in mind, let's take a look at some of the news making waves around the NFL right now.
In Jerry's Bizzaro World, it makes perfect sense that the Denver Broncos would sign Wes Welker to a two-year, $12 million contract, while Danny Amendola would get five years and $31 million from the New England Patriots. The issue here is that we don't exict on an NBC Studio set.
I really want to know exactly what the evil genius that is Bill Belichick was thinking here. Amendola has missed all but 12 games over the last two seasons and is a major injury threat. Meanwhile, Welker has tallied the most catches for a receiver in a five-year span in the history of the NFL.
Something has to give, right?
Maybe this is a precursor to New England going out there and making a play for Victor Cruz on the open market. Of course this is just conjecutre from me.
As it is, New England made what has to be considered a sideways move, at best, here. On the other hand, Denver has now given Peyton Manning the best trio of wide receivers in the entire NFL. It did so by paying Welker just $12 million over two years. That's ridiculous.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers made a somewhat curious decision on Wednesday by adding Pro-Bowl safety Dashon Goldson on a ridiculous five-year, $41 million contract ($22 million guaranteed). This makes Goldson the third-highest paid safety in the NFL behind Eric Berry and Troy Polamalu.
While Goldson is an intimidating force in the defensive secondary, he struggles a great deal in coverage and is a liability against the pass over the top. There is a reason why the San Francisco 49ers did not evern entertain Goldson with a contract offer. In addition, pairing him up with Mark Barron may not be the greatest idea in the world. Neither are true cover guys from the safety position and will not complement one another too great. Remember, the play of Goldson and Donte Whitner for San Francisco could have been its downfall in the Super Bowl. Well, right there with Chris Culliver. As it is, Tampa Bay received no value in this acquisition.
On the other end of the spectrum, the San Diego Chargers agreed to a team-friendly deal with former Jacksonville Jaguars' cornerback Derek Cox, who was one of the most underrated players on the market. Cox signed a four-year, $20 million contract to help upgrade a weak secondary in Southern California. At 26-years-old, Cox is just entering the prime of his career and represents an upgrade over both Quentin Jammer and Antoine Cason.
The Seattle Seahawks continue to hit it out of the park in the new league year. Coming off the heels of acquiring Percy Harvin from the Minnesota Vikings on Tuesday, Seattle signed Cliff Avril to a team-friendly two-year, $12 million deal. The former Detroit Lions' defensive end is averaging 10 sacks per year since 2010. I really have a hard time believing that he couldn't have gotten more on the open market; espcially as the best pass rusher in free agency. As it is, score one for John Schneider and Pete Carroll here.
Staying out west, the San Francisco 49ers signed former top-five pick Glenn Dorsey to a two-year deal yesterday. The defensive lineman might not have lived up to the hype in Kansas City over the last couple seasons, but he is a mighty fine find for Trent Baalke and company. Dorsey's deal is said to be worh as much as $7 million over two seasons (with bonuses). This means that his base salary probably won't be much more than $2.5 million per.
The Arizona Cardinals made a whole bunch of moves on Wednesday; none of which promises to get them out of the cellar in the NFC West. They brought in quarterback Drew Stanton, running back Rashard Mendenhall and safety Yeremiah Bell, among others. If these are the types of "upgrades" we can expect from the Bidwell's, expect another down season in the desert. It is, however, interesting that they have yet to focus on the worst offensive line in the NFL. That leads to many more questions as they relate to the competence of the Cardinals' front office.
The Detroit Lions were among the biggest winners in free agency yesterday. They did a damn fine job retaining the services of Chris Houston on a reasonable five-year, $25 million contract, while upgrading their secondary by adding former Houston Texans' safety Glover Quin to the mix on another five-year deal.
In addition, Detroit won the "bidding war" over Reggie Bush and nailed him down on a four-year, $16 million contract. Bush figures to play a Jahvid Best-like role for the Lions in 2013 and can be a dynamic force on the outside. General manager Martin Mayhew really did put in some work here.
Check out eDraft's Free-Agent Tracker HERE.