Day two of NFL free agency was not as high-octane as day one, but still there was enough craziness and jaw-dropping moments to steal the news away from the Brooklyn Nets’ win over the Miami Heat.
The relentless work of ESPN superstar Adam Schefter during the past 48 hours has not gone unnoticed, with many tweeters questioning his sleeping habits, whether he is a triplet or an android.
Fellow ESPN analyst Mark Schlereth joined in with this tweet:
Over/Under on the amount of sleep @AdamSchefter got last night. Retweet under 4 Favorite over 4
— mark schlereth (@markschlereth) March 12, 2014
The massive news was Darrelle Revis, but we will get to that later.
Recap
The day started with yet another big signing to the Denver Broncos. The Broncos signed pro bowl defensive end DeMarcus Ware to a three-year deal worth $30 million.
Ware will link up with fellow free agent signings Aqib Talib and TJ Ward in a bid to revamp that Denver defence.
The thought of Ware lining up on the opposite side to Von Miller is flat out scary for fellow AFC West teams.
The day was a lot more generous to some wide receivers, with both Eric Decker and Golden Tate landing some great deals. Tate will line-up opposite Megatron in the Motor City for the next five years and will be paid $31 million while doing so.
As for Decker, the questions about whether he is a number one receiver will be finally put to the test as he is now the clear number one target for Geno Smith (or maybe Michael Vick, stay tuned!) in New York.
Decker goes from arguably the greatest quarterback to ever play the game in Peyton Manning to one of the worst quarterbacks in the league in Geno Smith.
Don’t feel too bad for him though, he is being paid $36.25 million over five years.
Jacoby Jones extended his career with the Baltimore Ravens, inking a four-year deal worth $12 million.
It wasn’t a good day for some receivers, with Carolina great Steve Smith being released by the Panthers and Miles Austin being released by the Cowboys.
The move by the Panthers leaves them with two starting wide receivers most people will have never heard of in Tavarres King and Marvin McNutt – who has the best name in professional sports. Perioid.
The bizarreness of free agency continued on day two with Oakland Raiders’ key signing Rodger Saffold failing a physical and hence his offer was rescinded.
The loss leaves Oakland very thin on the offensive line.
As for Saffold, well he heads back to the Rams on a five year deal:
Rodger Saffold deal to head back to the Rams will be finalized tomorrow. Agents en route from Oakland to St Louis.
— Mike Garafolo (@MikeGarafolo) March 13, 2014
Again a few other nuggets before we look at the winners and losers:
• The Green Bay Packers re-signed outside linebacker Mike Neal.
• The Miami Dolphins re-signed defensive tackle for 12 million over two years, a great signing for them.
• The Bills, Bengals and Lions all added some beef to their offensive line signing Chris Williams, Mike Pollak and Dominic Raiola respectively.
• The New York Giants re-signed linebacker Jon Beason on a three-year deal worth $19 million, Beason was traded to the Giants from Carolina in 2013.
• The Cleveland Browns cut quarterbacks Jason Campbell and Brandon Weeden. A great sign by the organisation they are ready to move on a draft their franchise quarterback in May.
Winners
New England Patriots
The Patriots are the clear winners – it is not even close.
Signing a replacement of that calibre and for that price (only $12 million dollars) to replace Talib is a win for this defence and the big step forward into becoming AFC championship favourites.
Revis is arguably the best corner of the league, I can’t split him and Richard Sherman, but his ability to erase a team’s best weapon is his best asset.
Adding Revis into a defence that boasts free safety Devin McCourty, cornerback Alfonzo Dennard, linebacker Jerod Mayo, defensive end Chandler Jones and nose tackle Vince Wilfork and you have a defence reminiscent of a Patriots defence that won them Super Bowls over a decade ago.
The New England Patriots are returning to the mantra that won them three Super Bowls, defence.
Philadelphia Eagles
This is technically a day three signing in the USA, but it just snuck in before midnight over here.
The Eagles traded a fifth-round draft pick to the New Orleans Saints for running back or (as I like to call him) offensive weapon, Darren Sproles.
Sproles is an energetic playmaker with the ability to line-up just about everywhere on offense. Add him to the dynamic offense that Chip Kelly creates and you have a match made in heaven.
The presence of Sproles in this offense alongside DeSean Jackson, Jeremy Maclin, LeSean McCoy, Brent Celek, Zach Ertz and Riley Cooper make this offense incredibly scary.
The Eagles are running away with the NFC East and may have an offense that could rival the 2013 Denver Broncos.
Losers
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
After a fantastic day one, Tampa Bay are the big losers of day two.
The Darrelle Revis story is the obvious one here but the signing of quarterback Josh McCowan is a questionable one. I understand them signing a veteran to compete with Glennon, but a 35-year-old journeyman is not the answer.
Tampa find themselves in a similar situation to Philadelphia last year with Nick Foles. You have to give Glennon a chance to show you whether he is the long term solution or not. If not, draft another one.
Oakland Raiders
For the second straight day, the Oakland Raiders are an absolute embarrassment.
This tweet from NFL analyst Mike Silver just about sums it up:
From a Raiders source: 'one of the worst days of my life as a professional' (re saffold failing physical) @nflnetwork @NFL_ATL
— Michael Silver (@MikeSilver) March 13, 2014
The Raiders have the most cap money of every team in the entire NFL and what do they have to show? Tackle Austin Howard and Darren McFadden.
Enjoy yet another long year Oakland fans.
That wraps up day two of free agency!
There are still plenty of players free to be signed including Alex Mack, Hakeem Nicks, Dominique Rodgers Cromartie, Michael Vick, Jason Hatcher, BJ Raji, Henry Melton, Lamarr Woodley, Brandon Spikes, Jared Allen, Captain Munnerlyn, Ben Tate and James Jones.
Expect day three to continue to shock and excite.
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