Two years ago, Derrick Dockery, a run-of-the-mill guard, left the Washington Redskins for a seven-year, $49 million deal with the Buffalo Bills. He was one of several interior linemen who got record-breaking deals that season.
Dockery was cut by the Bills on Thursday, $28 million short of fulfilling the contract. He was a casualty of both his so-so play and the current economic climate, in which only the top free agents are likely to strike it rich when the free-agent period begins at 12:01 a.m. Friday.
“If the money doesn’t go to one particular player, it should go to getting one or two or three players who make your team a better club,” said Tennessee general manager Mike Reinfeldt, sounding as though he might be resigned to losing one of the premier free agents in this year’s class – All-Pro defensive tackle Albert Haynesworth.
Super Bowls aren’t necessarily won with free-agent pickups.
Pittsburgh, for example, won this year after losing Pro Bowl guard Alan Faneca and adding only low-priced returner Mewelde Moore. In 2007, the New York Giants won the title after adding only linebacker Kawika Mitchell.
There is plenty of money available – on paper. The cap room has been increased to $127 million and most teams go into free agency well under it.
The increase comes because a mechanism in the collective bargaining agreement was triggered to add about $4 million to the cap because for the past several years, cash spending on players has been below the 59.5 percent of total revenue specified in the contract.
But will the money be spent with an uncapped 2010 a possibility if the league and union do not agree on a new deal before next year’s free-agent period? The minimum a team must spend remains at $107.7 million and in this economy, many teams don’t seem inclined to spend too much more than that.
Tampa Bay, for example, is at nearly $60 million after cutting five veterans on Wednesday, including 11-time Pro Bowl linebacker Derrick Brooks. General manager Mark Dominik said the object of the cuts was less to save money than make the Bucs younger.
Still, the Bucs may use some of that room to make a push for Haynesworth.
So might Washington, but the Redskins, however, have far less cap room because of previous moves for big-name free agents.
Another player likely to get big money is Cincinnati’s T.J. Housmandzadeh, who has 204 catches the past two seasons, although he averaged just 10 yards.
andon Jacobs the last two seasons but rushed for 1,025 yards last season and offensive lineman Jason Brown of Baltimore, who is just 26.
Then there are the older big-name players.
The centerpiece is Ray Lewis, who will be 34 next season and is a classic example of the kind of decision that teams must make.
In his case, do the Ravens re-sign him for sentimental reasons and hope he can give them another year or two at the brilliant level he’s been at for 13 seasons? Or is it better to save money and spend it by re-signing the younger Bart Scott? Or will Lewis shun the Ravens to rejoin Rex Ryan with the New York Jets or head to Dallas to join Jerry Jones’ stable of big names?
Most of the other aging name players already have been released by their longtime teams: Brooks; Jacksonville running back Fred Taylor; Indianapolis wide receiver Marvin Harrison; and players of slightly lesser status like the Jets wide receiver Laveranues Coles, who basically asked for his release and was granted it.
Taylor, who was released early, already has visited with Buffalo and New England and is realistic about the chances a 33-year-old running back has to be a big-money regular.
“At the end of the day, my No. 1 objective is to get somewhere and compete,” he said. “Nothing is going to be given to me. I don’t expect that.”
to negotiate a deal with New England for Matt Cassel, who was made the Patriots’ franchise player with a tag of $14.65 million in case Tom Brady doesn’t recover from a serious knee injury.
Beyond Cassel is a nondescript group of career backups, first-round failures and the nondescript: Dan Orlovsky, Jeff Garcia, Rex Grossman Kyle Boller, Patrick Ramsey and Ryan Fitzpatrick.
That doesn’t count two aging QBs who revived their careers last season: Arizona’s Kurt Warner and Tennessee’s Kerry Collins. Warner is likely to re-sign with the Cardinals for at least $10 million or retire; Collins will probably remain with the Titans.
One player who will not be a free agent – at least for now – is LaDainian Tomlinson, the 2006 Most Valuable Player who at age 30 has been plagued by injuries the past two seasons.
San Diego general manager A.J. Smith said Thursday that the team is continuing to try to renegotiate his deal.
“All I can tell you is everything’s ongoing,” Smith said. “I’ve got nothing more to add at this time. But I will add this – we’d love to have him. We hope he returns.”
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