NFL Free-agent spenders: Who chose wisely?

Free-agent spenders: Who chose wisely?
Really good article from www.sportsline.com Clark Judge


That seven-year, $100 million deal that Albert Haynesworth signed with Washington got me to thinking: Just how smart is it to spend big bucks on free agents? You know what I mean. Exactly what should clubs like Washington expect as reasonable returns on their investments?
The popular perception is that the Redskins overpaid for a defensive tackle -- it doesn't matter which one -- and that Haynesworth will play more as the underachiever of 2006 than the All-Pro of 2008. Maybe, but it will be at least nine months before we know.
In the meantime, I decided to look at some of the biggest free-agent catches of the past four years to give us ... and Washington ... an idea of what to expect. The case studies presented here aren't necessarily the biggest contracts since 2005, but they were loaded with the most immediate money -- meaning guarantees and bonuses.
Results varied, but good news, Washington: In general, they weren't all that bad. Of course, they weren't all that stellar, either. In fact, given what I just learned from the big-money deals, I'm not sure I wouldn't choose New England's path to free agency and sign low-budget players who fit a niche on my team.
One word of caution: Contracts aren't always what they seem, and the Haynesworth deal is a perfect example. It makes him the game's highest-paid defensive player, but if you read the fine print you find a $5 million signing bonus, option bonuses of $4.2 million a year from 2010-14 and workout bonuses of $500,000 each from 2012-15.That means a lot of that $100 million isn't guaranteed. Nevertheless, it's still a lot of money -- with the Redskins and others spending as if they didn't get the league memo that we're in the middle of a recession.
"Some of these clubs," said one agent, "are throwing around money like the government is pregnant."
It isn't the first time. Here, then, are some of the most lucrative free-agent deals of the past four years. Draw your own conclusions about what they mean for today's big spenders:


2005
Anthony Henry, CB, Dallas
Contract: $10 million to sign, with a $600,000 base.

Summary: He started four years for the Cowboys and wasn't what you'd call an impact player. Still, he hung in there. He never had great speed, but the guy was competitive and played through pain. That slowed him down even more, which only annoyed his detractors. Now he's gone, with the Cowboys dealing him for quarterback Jon Kitna, and his legacy can be assessed. In his four years in Dallas the Cowboys reached the playoffs twice and never won a postseason game. Don't blame him, but the Cowboys didn't think enough of him to keep him around.

Gary Baxter, CB, Cleveland
Contract: $9 million to sign, with a $540,000 base.

Summary: He, Henry and Ken Lucas were the top free-agent cornerbacks on the 2005 market. Lucas was the No. 1 choice of Dallas, but the Cowboys tilted to Henry after Carolina signed the former Seattle cornerback. Baxter went to Cleveland to replace Henry, but he never did much of anything there. He missed 11 games in 2005 with a torn pectoral, then missed most of 2006 when he tore the patella tendons in both knees. He never played again and was released by Cleveland last year.

Jason Ferguson, DT, Dallas
Contract: $8.125 million to sign, with a $700,000 base.

Summary: When the Cowboys acquired him then-coach Bill Parcells was looking for a nose tackle to anchor the 3-4 defense he was putting into place. The Cowboys didn't have anyone to fit that description, but Parcells knew where to look -- at his former team, the New York Jets. Ferguson was supposed to make the Cowboys tough inside, but he was, in the words of one of the team's scouts, "just a guy who was there." He missed all but one game in 2007 with a torn biceps and was traded to Parcells' Miami Dolphins last year for a sixth-round pick.

Marco Rivera, G, Dallas
Contract: $8.125 million to sign, with a $700,000 base.

Summary: Rivera wasn't the Cowboys' first choice at free-agent guard; the Packers' Mike Wahle was. But Carolina beat Dallas to Wahle, just as it beat everyone to Ken Lucas. Parcells was convinced Rivera would bring toughness and leadership to the position, but he lasted only one season before getting hurt and was never the same. In essence, the Cowboys acquired a damaged player, and they paid for it -- and, yes, I mean that literally. He was released in 2007.

Lamont Jordan, RB, Oakland
Contract: $7,550 to sign, with $1.95 million base.

Summary: He was supposed to be the running back that then-coach Norv Turner would ride to the playoffs, but that plan got detoured somewhere on the Nimitz Freeway. He ran for 1,025 yards and scored 11 times his first year, then faded into nothingness when he was slowed by injuries. After two sub-par seasons punctuated by injuries, he was released by the Raiders and joined New England. The good news: His average of 4.5 yards a carry last season was his best in four years. The bad: He was hurt again and is now a free agent.

2006
Drew Brees, QB New Orleans
Contract: $8 million to sign, with a $12 million option bonus due the last day of the 2006 season. He also had a base of $1.9 million. Effectively, he picked up $21.9 million in pay in 2006.

Summary: This is the best example of a team that spent wisely. When the Saints signed Brees, San Diego and Miami had passed because of a shoulder injury incurred in the Chargers' last game. Yeah, I know the Chargers made him an offer, but it wasn't exactly competitive. So Brees tried the free-agent market, and the Saints were the only ones who said they trusted him to bounce back from surgery. Smart team. In three years there Brees has been one of the league's top quarterbacks, coming within 16 yards last season of breaking Dan Marino's single-season record. He took the Saints to the NFC Championship Game in his first year and has thrown for 88 touchdowns in three seasons. "He's an example of what you look for in a quarterback," said one scout. "He won in high school. He won in college. And he's won in the pros."

Steve Hutchinson, G, Minnesota
Contract: $10 million to sign, with $6 million in roster bonus in 2006 and a $585,000 base.

Summary Ask the Seattle Seahawks how valuable Hutchinson is. After failing to match Minnesota's offer sheet, the club spent the last three seasons trying to fill this position ... and it's still looking. Hutchinson and Walter Jones helped make Shaun Alexander into a league MVP, but once Hutchinson left Alexander was never the same. Now it's Adrian Peterson and Chester Taylor who benefit from Hutchinson's drive blocking, and please don't remind the Seahawks. If they could do it all over again ... oh, never mind. In three years with the Vikings, Hutchinson has been named to three Pro Bowls and two All-Pro teams.

Julian Peterson, LB, Seattle
Contract: $11.5 million to sign, with a $1 million base.

Summary: San Francisco drafted Peterson with its first pick of the 2000 draft, then watched him emerge as one of the game's top strong-side linebackers. But his stock with the 49ers fell after he suffered a torn Achilles' in 2004, and the club let him walk in 2006. Not wise. Peterson went on to reach the Pro Bowl in his first two seasons in Seattle, with 19.5 sacks -- including a career-high 10 in 2006 and three in one game against the 49ers. His numbers dropped last season, and so did his play -- but, then, so did virtually everyone's in Seattle.

Brian Williams, CB, Jacksonville
Contract: $10 million to sign, with a $1 million base.

Summary: This was a controversial signing, primarily because Williams was a part-time starter in Minnesota. But the Jaguars liked his size as well as his aggressive play in man-to-man coverage. Signed to replace Kenny Wright, he stepped in immediately and made an impression both as a cover corner and, later, as a safety. In 2008 he was the team's best defensive player the first half of the season before tailing off. Nevertheless, those who follow the team say he was worth the investment.

Will Witherspoon, LB, St. Louis
Contract: $8 million to sign, with a $2 million base.

Summary: He is better suited at weak-side linebacker than he is inside, and look for the Rams to move him there this season. Nevertheless, he's done OK at middle linebacker, especially in his first two seasons. In 2007 he became the first linebacker in 15 years to lead the Rams in sacks when he had a career-best seven. Last year, however, was another story with injuries causing him to miss four games, play poorly and fail to lead the club in tackles for the first time in his three years in St. Louis.

LeCharles Bentley, C, Cleveland
Contract: $8.25 million to sign, with a $600,000 base.

Summary: Maybe the biggest bust of all, and all because of bad luck. Acquiring Bentley was tough, with the Browns wooing him away from Philadelphia, and it became tougher after he tore the patellar tendon in his knee on the first play of the first practice of training camp. He never played for the Browns again, and he never played again, period -- retiring last year. Worse, the Browns unloaded center Jeff Faine after acquiring Bentley, figuring they no longer needed him. Little did they know.

2007
Adalius Thomas, LB, New England
Contract: $12 million to sign, with a $900,000 base.

Summary: The hottest ticket on the market, Thomas seemed a perfect fit for the Patriots. The Ravens had him playing a myriad of positions -- outside linebacker, inside linebacker, safety, even cornerback, with Thomas once lining up opposite Chad Johnson -- and he was ideal for the Patriots' ever-changing defense. Only he never became the impact player the Patriots envisioned. In fact, in a 2007 game at Indianapolis he was on the field for no more than a handful of plays. He improved last season but bowed out after nine games with a broken arm. Nevertheless, he still finished second on the team in sacks.

Leonard Davis, G, Dallas
Contract: $16 million to sign, with a $1 million base.

Summary: When he was signed away from Arizona there were questions about his character and work ethic, but Davis worked hard to dispel them in his first season. He was an impact player at guard and a key reason the Cowboys ran well, played well and won all but three games during the 2007 season. When 2008 arrived he seemed like the same rejuvenated player. But, like the Cowboys, he faded as the season wore on -- with Davis exposed by inconsistent play. The jury is out on him.

(Re-sign) Chris Dielman, G, San Diego
Contract: $10.2 million to sign, with a $2.5 million roster bonus and $600,000 base.

Summary: Seattle made him a better offer, but Dielman left $9 million on the table to return to San Diego because, as he said, it just didn't "feel right" with the Seahawks. Now the guy former teammate Lorenzo Neal described as "the best left guard in the game" has lived up to his reputation in San Diego. Not only is he the Chargers' top offensive lineman, going to the Pro Bowl the past two seasons, he was the only Charger to play in Honolulu last month.

London Fletcher, LB, Washington
Contract: $10.5 million to sign, with an $810,000 base.

Summary: Fletcher is an example of free agency gone right. He's not flashy. He doesn't make a lot of sacks. He doesn't turn ball carriers into pretzels. All he does is make a ton of plays. He led the Redskins in tackles in 2007. He led them again in 2008. He led them in tackles for losses in both seasons. And he led, them, period, on and off the field. If life is fair, he makes the Pro Bowl before he retires. A terrific pickup ... for anyone.

Patrick Kerney, DE, Seattle
Contract: $10 million to sign, with a $750,000 base.

Summary: Considered a bit of a risk because of his age and because he was coming off a torn pectoral, Kerney made an immediate impact with a career-best 14.5 sacks and five forced fumbles to send the Seahawks to another division title. Three times he had three sacks in a game, and he was named the NFC Defensive Player of the Month for November. But all that changed last season when his season ended after seven games because of a shoulder injury. That's two season-ending injuries in three years, and it's not good.


2008
Asante Samuel, CB, Philadelphia
Contract: $6 million to sign, with a $7 million roster bonus, a $500,000 workout bonus and $645,000 in base. Also included a $7 million roster bonus in 2009, only guaranteed by injury, and a $645,000 base.

Summary: The Eagles acquired him because they had to do better than the league-low 19 takeaways they had in 2007. They wanted a playmaker in the secondary, and Samuel was the perfect choice. OK, as a zone cornerback he didn't exactly fit Jim Johnson's defense, but he and Johnson came to an agreement that satisfied both and allowed Samuel not to compromise his style. Result: He led the team in interceptions and produced another two in the playoffs, including one that was returned for a touchdown.

Alan Faneca, G, New York Jets Contract: Roster bonus of $3.55 million and $1 million in base guaranteed in 2008; $7 million base guaranteed in 2009; and $5.25 of base guaranteed in 2010. In effect, $16.8 million in guaranteed money.

Summary: The Jets had a hole at left guard because they wouldn't pay Pete Kendall the extra $1 million he said he was promised. So they shipped Kendall to Washington in 2007, leaving an enormous hole until Faneca arrived. His addition made sense for two reasons: 1) It solidified a key position, and 2) it gave left tackle D'Brickashaw Ferguson a veteran partner to serve as a mentor. The results were good. Though Faneca is on the downside of his career, he was a huge upgrade at the position. The proof: The Jets cut their sacks nearly in half, and their yards-per-rush jumped from 3.8 in 2007 to 4.7.

Michael Turner, RB, Atlanta
Contract: $15 million to sign, with $1 million in base.

Summary: Credit the Falcons for a genius move. They had faith in a running back who spent his career backing up LaDainian Tomlinson, and it was that faith that allowed them to choose a quarterback with their first pick of the 2008 draft. Smart. Turner and Matt Ryan were the cornerstones to one of the feel-good stories of the year, with the Falcons reaching the playoffs for the first time in four years. Turner not only outrushed everyone but Adrian Peterson; he was second in the league with 17 rushing touchdowns.

Jeff Faine, C, Tampa Bay
Contract: $12 to sign, with $1 million of 2008 base and $1 million of 2009 base guaranteed.

Summary: This was a departure from the Bucs' tradition of signing moderately priced free agents, but with $44 million in cap space they could afford to spend. And they spent wisely. Faine is a tough guy who is smart, coachable and solid. He was a terrific asset for a young offensive line and was great support for the Bucs' guards. He didn't miss a start and played consistently well despite the club's late-season fade.

Bernard Berrian, WR, Minnesota
Contract: $5 million to sign, with $8 million roster bonus in 2008 and $605,000 in base. In effect, $13.65 million in guarantees.

Summary: This move didn't seem to make sense, not because there wasn't a conviction about Berrian but because there wasn't a conviction about the guy throwing to him -- quarterback Tarvaris Jackson. At least there wasn't one outside the Vikings' organization. Jackson lasted two starts, then was benched, and it was around that time that Berrian emerged. Though he tied for the team lead in touchdown catches, his 48 receptions were five less than Vikings' leader Bobby Wade. Minnesota acquired Berrian to stretch the field, and he aced that exam: His average of 20.1 yards per catch led all pass catchers. Still, $285,000 per catch? You make the call.